Writers' Wednesday!!!
There are many ways to prevent characters reading flat and predictable. A quick fix is to give them more than one function from the start.
The love interest or femme fatale can serve as the comic relief. The expository characters (both know-it-alls and newbies) can be saboteurs.
And just because one character typically runs point as your go-to girl/guy, that doesn't mean you can't trade duties a few times. Let another character steal their thunder. Their reaction could be interesting.
Try it out. I'm sure you'll see your story improve along with your characters.
Showing posts with label Writers' Wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writers' Wednesday. Show all posts
07 March, 2012
29 February, 2012
Once Upon A Blue Moon
Writers' Wednesday!!!
Happy Leap Year Hump Day, dear readers. The extra day falls on Wednesday only once every 28 years. That means that most of us will only see it three times and a lucky few, four.
So... what does that mean? Absolutely nothing. It's another mark on a yardstick made by mankind to make up for our inefficiencies (<-strange. a word that violates "i before e except after c twice.") at establishing a calendar that accurately measures events in the natural world. So much for the metric system.
But... what if it wasn't? As humans we have an innate fascination with rare events. The fewer the opportunities to witness the event, the more precious they are. We know just enough about the natural world to know how little control we have over it. That may frighten us, excite us, or inspire us.
I'm steering the conversation toward the inspirational spectrum. As writer's, we can draw so many stories just from our birthright as a sentient species that can't tell time.
How often does the Winter Solstice coincide with a new moon? How often are babies born to cancer survivors broke down on Underhill Road outside of the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts because of an inexplicable electrical malfunction during a new moon on the Winter Solstice?
What kind of life would that baby have? What kind of life would the parents want him/her to have? What kind of life would a group of nutjobs that think the baby's a punctual messiah want?
You know... as an example. Temporal conflicts/climaxes don't have to be the focal point of your story to have a powerful effect.
Please resist the temptation to contrive your way out of a plot hole by using them. Better to use them as a dire deadline that can't be extended or negotiated with.
Happy Leap Year Hump Day, dear readers. The extra day falls on Wednesday only once every 28 years. That means that most of us will only see it three times and a lucky few, four.
So... what does that mean? Absolutely nothing. It's another mark on a yardstick made by mankind to make up for our inefficiencies (<-strange. a word that violates "i before e except after c twice.") at establishing a calendar that accurately measures events in the natural world. So much for the metric system.
But... what if it wasn't? As humans we have an innate fascination with rare events. The fewer the opportunities to witness the event, the more precious they are. We know just enough about the natural world to know how little control we have over it. That may frighten us, excite us, or inspire us.
I'm steering the conversation toward the inspirational spectrum. As writer's, we can draw so many stories just from our birthright as a sentient species that can't tell time.
How often does the Winter Solstice coincide with a new moon? How often are babies born to cancer survivors broke down on Underhill Road outside of the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts because of an inexplicable electrical malfunction during a new moon on the Winter Solstice?
What kind of life would that baby have? What kind of life would the parents want him/her to have? What kind of life would a group of nutjobs that think the baby's a punctual messiah want?
You know... as an example. Temporal conflicts/climaxes don't have to be the focal point of your story to have a powerful effect.
Please resist the temptation to contrive your way out of a plot hole by using them. Better to use them as a dire deadline that can't be extended or negotiated with.
22 February, 2012
Fresh Baked Writing
Writers' Wednesday!!!
Every career has a recipe for success. Let's take a peek at the recipe for writing.
First let's look at the recipe for making bread. Just search for "bread recipe." Yeah. That one. It's a lot like the recipe for writing.
There are basic universal ingredients for writing/bread. Quantities change. Substitutions, additions, and variations in the process all complicate the recipe search until you don't know which one will work for you.
Basic ingredients: concepts, words, classes, books, friends, notebooks, pens, computer, dedicated hours in a day
Some possible additional ingredients: editors, music, paint, animals, office, sacred outdoor spot
The exact types of ingredients, quantities, additional flavors you want to add, and what you choose to substitute with what is all up to you. Yes. There is a wrong way to make bread. Yes. There is a wrong way to write. If it comes out too dense, flat, or dry, throw it away! Make another one, varying the process and recipe.
The most important part of the recipe is understanding that success comes from learning what not to do as much as what to do.
Every career has a recipe for success. Let's take a peek at the recipe for writing.
First let's look at the recipe for making bread. Just search for "bread recipe." Yeah. That one. It's a lot like the recipe for writing.
There are basic universal ingredients for writing/bread. Quantities change. Substitutions, additions, and variations in the process all complicate the recipe search until you don't know which one will work for you.
Basic ingredients: concepts, words, classes, books, friends, notebooks, pens, computer, dedicated hours in a day
Some possible additional ingredients: editors, music, paint, animals, office, sacred outdoor spot
The exact types of ingredients, quantities, additional flavors you want to add, and what you choose to substitute with what is all up to you. Yes. There is a wrong way to make bread. Yes. There is a wrong way to write. If it comes out too dense, flat, or dry, throw it away! Make another one, varying the process and recipe.
The most important part of the recipe is understanding that success comes from learning what not to do as much as what to do.
08 February, 2012
Pro-Vocative
Writers' Wednesday!!!
I don't like to harp on pet peeves. But, certain ones warrant discussion. For now, I have to bring the vocative smackdown.
Out of all the comma use rules, separating the vocative case from the rest of the sentence might be the simplest.
Use a comma before and after the name or descriptive phrase of the person(s) or thing(s) you are addressing.
For example, the following sentences mean different things:
Failure to obey the vocative case rules, my fellow writers, will result in slugs parading up your nostrils for the entire duration of a jazz cover of "Crazy Train." 'Cause they kinda remind me of slugs. Commas do.
I don't like to harp on pet peeves. But, certain ones warrant discussion. For now, I have to bring the vocative smackdown.
Out of all the comma use rules, separating the vocative case from the rest of the sentence might be the simplest.
Use a comma before and after the name or descriptive phrase of the person(s) or thing(s) you are addressing.
For example, the following sentences mean different things:
- Where is that pencil neck? Where is that pencil, neck? Where is that, pencil neck?
- I don't know how to explain John Carter. I don't know how to explain John, Carter. I don't know how to explain, John Carter.
Failure to obey the vocative case rules, my fellow writers, will result in slugs parading up your nostrils for the entire duration of a jazz cover of "Crazy Train." 'Cause they kinda remind me of slugs. Commas do.
01 February, 2012
Cardinal Points Of Argument
Writers' Wednesday!!!
As a helpful writing exercise, pick three main topics of contention. Best way to start would be to write a page on each, detailing your arguments for how you see the issues.
Now flip it.
Write a convincing counterpoint to the three pages you just wrote. If you go back and read them with a clear cut winner, strengthen and edit the weaker argument until it becomes stronger. Then work on the former winner until it makes a definitive comeback.
If you do this properly, you should have two very well thought out positions on issues that may very well be eternally debated and it should get harder to say which one is the stronger. Now write a third position until it practically invalidates the first two and then challenge it with a fourth.
Not an easy exercise, but a helpful one.
You could add a couple more arguments to each issue, but we'll call four good enough. Two is not good enough. You may not be able to adequately write four separate opinions on each issue and some research will be required. That's a good thing.
Until you can see at least four sides to every issue and write each one as if it were your own personal conviction, your characters will suffer. Not drag themselves across lava beds suffer. More like why does everyone else seem to have it all together suffer.
Characters represent cross sections of society. They have to be convinced and convincing of their world view or they will never seem real to the reader/audience. In order for them to be convincing, you have to be convincing as the writer.
Evil for the sake of being evil isn't nearly as interesting as evil that believes wholeheartedly that it's doing the right thing. Of course there are good people that do bad things and vice versa. I assure you that nothing will build up sympathy for your main character like having him/her be called, shown, and/or proven wrong and then have to struggle to make his/her case.
As a helpful writing exercise, pick three main topics of contention. Best way to start would be to write a page on each, detailing your arguments for how you see the issues.
Now flip it.
Write a convincing counterpoint to the three pages you just wrote. If you go back and read them with a clear cut winner, strengthen and edit the weaker argument until it becomes stronger. Then work on the former winner until it makes a definitive comeback.
If you do this properly, you should have two very well thought out positions on issues that may very well be eternally debated and it should get harder to say which one is the stronger. Now write a third position until it practically invalidates the first two and then challenge it with a fourth.
Not an easy exercise, but a helpful one.
You could add a couple more arguments to each issue, but we'll call four good enough. Two is not good enough. You may not be able to adequately write four separate opinions on each issue and some research will be required. That's a good thing.
Until you can see at least four sides to every issue and write each one as if it were your own personal conviction, your characters will suffer. Not drag themselves across lava beds suffer. More like why does everyone else seem to have it all together suffer.
Characters represent cross sections of society. They have to be convinced and convincing of their world view or they will never seem real to the reader/audience. In order for them to be convincing, you have to be convincing as the writer.
Evil for the sake of being evil isn't nearly as interesting as evil that believes wholeheartedly that it's doing the right thing. Of course there are good people that do bad things and vice versa. I assure you that nothing will build up sympathy for your main character like having him/her be called, shown, and/or proven wrong and then have to struggle to make his/her case.
11 January, 2012
Thick, Rich Consistency
Writers' Wednesday!!!
You can probably name dozens, if not, hundreds of examples of inconsistencies you've found in your life. Books, movies, television, songs, and even commercials are full of them.
That doesn't make it okay for you to use them. The more fictional your story is, the more important the act of writing material you don't publish becomes. Don't be the writer who thinks s/he can just keep track of everything mentally. The mind has a way of contriving and conveniently changing facts when ever it realizes your hero should have been able to turn into a sconce all along. It's too late now.
And for the love of Tebow and everything that is Holy, do not be the writer who thinks everything s/he wrote to keep track of details and special rules needs to be included in the final draft. They have a name for this: exposition dump. Emphasis on the dump. If you suspect that a chunk of your writing might could be called an exposition dump, give yourself a swirly and say ten times, I am a waste of this water.
Where was I? Oh yeah ...
Don't worry about whether or not your rules are debatable if they are consistent. Some readers/audience want it spelled out, drawn in a picture, and wrapped in a bow. (Lite subtext, please.) I find that more people want to have enough information to put it together themselves. Makes them feel smart.
How do you know when there's enough information? Easy. Plenty of people will be reading your work before it gets published. Right? Right?! They will let you know when you don't have enough. But, they won't always know when you have too much.
I have five different notebooks going with separate purposes for the novel I'm writing. I refer to them and previous pages constantly. And I add to them regularly. I have no idea if any of that stuff will ever be published, but it sure is nice to have on hand.
For now, it's Wednesday in Oklahoma, but Tuesday in California? Should I wait to post? Can I feed my mogwai?
28 December, 2011
Writing With Crayons
Writers' Wednesday!!!
Let your inner child play with the keyboard. Children can spend a tremendous amount of time fascinated by little details or small areas that we adults tend to take for granted. If you have a spot of writing that sounds flat. Perhaps looking at that section through the eyes of a child will save it.
It can be said that your readers/audience are that child. Everything in your writing is new to them. They want to figure it out, see it, touch it, smell it, hear it, and taste it. Their greedy little hands grope at your words meting out as much information as possible. Don't disappoint them.
Remember, this is a fix for flat writing. Not flowery. If your writing is more description that action, your inner child may need a time out.
Usually these flat passages happen at transitions. We feel compelled to relate how our characters got from one scene to the next, so we join them on their car ride, pick up some coffee, complain about the traffic, and arrive uneventfully at our plot point. Because we tend to write transitions for continuity, they can be quite uninspired.
Assuming the transition has to be in the writing or nothing will make any sense, see what your inner child could come up with to make the transition pop out. Wrong turn. Coffee spilled potentially wrecking an important first impression. Seeing an important character of the story driving the opposite direction, perhaps foreshadowing a some twist of fate.
Lackluster, wonderless writing is fine for scientific abstracts and research papers. Maybe even appropriate. Even still, I'd like to see that child scribble on some physics.
Let your inner child play with the keyboard. Children can spend a tremendous amount of time fascinated by little details or small areas that we adults tend to take for granted. If you have a spot of writing that sounds flat. Perhaps looking at that section through the eyes of a child will save it.
It can be said that your readers/audience are that child. Everything in your writing is new to them. They want to figure it out, see it, touch it, smell it, hear it, and taste it. Their greedy little hands grope at your words meting out as much information as possible. Don't disappoint them.
Remember, this is a fix for flat writing. Not flowery. If your writing is more description that action, your inner child may need a time out.
Usually these flat passages happen at transitions. We feel compelled to relate how our characters got from one scene to the next, so we join them on their car ride, pick up some coffee, complain about the traffic, and arrive uneventfully at our plot point. Because we tend to write transitions for continuity, they can be quite uninspired.
Assuming the transition has to be in the writing or nothing will make any sense, see what your inner child could come up with to make the transition pop out. Wrong turn. Coffee spilled potentially wrecking an important first impression. Seeing an important character of the story driving the opposite direction, perhaps foreshadowing a some twist of fate.
Lackluster, wonderless writing is fine for scientific abstracts and research papers. Maybe even appropriate. Even still, I'd like to see that child scribble on some physics.
21 December, 2011
Emancipated Writing
Writer's Wednesday!!!
A writing professor once gave me a valuable bit of advice to thwart my perfectionist tendencies.
"Good writing is never finished. It's just abandoned."
No matter how many revisions/drafts you have gone through, there will always be something to change or fix. If you really want to drive yourself nuts, have three people offer critiques and try to please everyone. You'll go back and forth so many times, you'll completely forget what the original inspiration was.
I'm reminded of my very brief stint selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door. Part of the demonstration involved vacuuming an area of someone's home with the new vacuum after already going over the area with the old one. New vacuum will always show filth not picked up by old vacuum. Reverse the process... and you get the same result. Any vacuum can follow behind another and pick up something that was overlooked.
So, don't wait until the work is bulletproof. It will never be. No matter how good something is, I promise you at least one out of five people will hate it. (Getting comfortable with rejection deserves its own post.)
If the perfect novel, song, advertisement, package instructions, or article existed, we wouldn't need any others. That doesn't mean I suggest trying to sell your first draft. But, if you start getting into the double-digits on rewrites, you may want to leave it alone.
Let the work speak for itself. And trust your instincts. If something intangible tells you to burn all traces of what you've been working on for months, do it. The wrong thing can be written well.
A writing professor once gave me a valuable bit of advice to thwart my perfectionist tendencies.
"Good writing is never finished. It's just abandoned."
No matter how many revisions/drafts you have gone through, there will always be something to change or fix. If you really want to drive yourself nuts, have three people offer critiques and try to please everyone. You'll go back and forth so many times, you'll completely forget what the original inspiration was.
I'm reminded of my very brief stint selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door. Part of the demonstration involved vacuuming an area of someone's home with the new vacuum after already going over the area with the old one. New vacuum will always show filth not picked up by old vacuum. Reverse the process... and you get the same result. Any vacuum can follow behind another and pick up something that was overlooked.
So, don't wait until the work is bulletproof. It will never be. No matter how good something is, I promise you at least one out of five people will hate it. (Getting comfortable with rejection deserves its own post.)
If the perfect novel, song, advertisement, package instructions, or article existed, we wouldn't need any others. That doesn't mean I suggest trying to sell your first draft. But, if you start getting into the double-digits on rewrites, you may want to leave it alone.
Let the work speak for itself. And trust your instincts. If something intangible tells you to burn all traces of what you've been working on for months, do it. The wrong thing can be written well.
14 December, 2011
Miles of Writing
Writers' Wednesday!!!
When I've tutored students (mostly college) in writing their papers, or virtually any homework that involved the use of at least four punctuation marks, one common difficulty stuck out. They didn't want to write. I was brought in not so that I could pull their teeth out, but so that I could get a grade that had no bearing on my G.P.A.
They had done all the preparations (research, outlines, references, etc.) and knew what they were writing about. A few of them even had first drafts that they were trying to revise from their teacher's notes.
What did they need me for?
After about ten minutes, they got the drift that I wasn't going to do their work like some Brian-from-Breakfast-Club-left-hanging-with-a-sheet-of-paper-whilst-everyone-else-was-hooking-up. I've read enough to know that everyone has a particular way of writing. Their own lexicon, sentence structure, and tone. Voice. Any teacher, especially English professors, would know from the first paragraph who authored the paper.
Remarkably few students got reinvested and stuck it out, with me helping, to finish the whole paper. Most of them just saw how I kick started them and excused me as they took care of the rest.
All of us had to write papers going through school. Effective communication is a highly prized job skill across the board. Not all of us had to take singing classes, though we all use our voice. (I guess few care how we sing in the car.)
So why do all disciplines require a high degree of proficiency in a skill set from one particular occupation? Is being a writer somehow "less" because so many other occupations incorporate writing and then more? Are runners less athletic because almost all athletes run while performing their other sports' skills?
The takeaway from this for writers is that we have an ability and an enjoyment for writing that most people don't have. Anyone can run. Few people love to do it so much that they commemorate a fatal run by getting together in large groups and see if they can go the distance, make good time, and not die. Non-writers need us. To convey the message. Nenikekamen!
When I've tutored students (mostly college) in writing their papers, or virtually any homework that involved the use of at least four punctuation marks, one common difficulty stuck out. They didn't want to write. I was brought in not so that I could pull their teeth out, but so that I could get a grade that had no bearing on my G.P.A.
They had done all the preparations (research, outlines, references, etc.) and knew what they were writing about. A few of them even had first drafts that they were trying to revise from their teacher's notes.
What did they need me for?
After about ten minutes, they got the drift that I wasn't going to do their work like some Brian-from-Breakfast-Club-left-hanging-with-a-sheet-of-paper-whilst-everyone-else-was-hooking-up. I've read enough to know that everyone has a particular way of writing. Their own lexicon, sentence structure, and tone. Voice. Any teacher, especially English professors, would know from the first paragraph who authored the paper.
Remarkably few students got reinvested and stuck it out, with me helping, to finish the whole paper. Most of them just saw how I kick started them and excused me as they took care of the rest.
All of us had to write papers going through school. Effective communication is a highly prized job skill across the board. Not all of us had to take singing classes, though we all use our voice. (I guess few care how we sing in the car.)
So why do all disciplines require a high degree of proficiency in a skill set from one particular occupation? Is being a writer somehow "less" because so many other occupations incorporate writing and then more? Are runners less athletic because almost all athletes run while performing their other sports' skills?
The takeaway from this for writers is that we have an ability and an enjoyment for writing that most people don't have. Anyone can run. Few people love to do it so much that they commemorate a fatal run by getting together in large groups and see if they can go the distance, make good time, and not die. Non-writers need us. To convey the message. Nenikekamen!
07 December, 2011
That New Page Smell
Writers' Wednesday!!!
No matter what writers write or what tools they use, they all start from a singular point - a blank page.
A blank page has a lot in common with pristine new snow, an immaculate new car, or even a fresh-from-the-box cell phone. Many people don't want to disturb it's perceived innocence by altering its state in any way. Until you violate that space, you're not a writer. You're a... uh... modern art admirer. Or something like that. But, definitely not a writer, which was my point.
Here are a few tips to get you going using that space for its intended purpose:
No matter what writers write or what tools they use, they all start from a singular point - a blank page.
A blank page has a lot in common with pristine new snow, an immaculate new car, or even a fresh-from-the-box cell phone. Many people don't want to disturb it's perceived innocence by altering its state in any way. Until you violate that space, you're not a writer. You're a... uh... modern art admirer. Or something like that. But, definitely not a writer, which was my point.
Here are a few tips to get you going using that space for its intended purpose:
- Tromp through it, carve it up, and leave your mark. Don't write on it. Draw. Completely free form. Use your non-dominant hand and scribble like a snowboarder or snowmobile driver that doesn't care where they're going. Just fill up the page. Eventually, you will start writing words. The process will invoke clarity of intent and you won't even know where it came from by looking at your mess of a doodle.
- Spill, stain, or stink it up. I think we all have the same thing in mind when we get a new car. "I'll never eat or drink in it. I won't track any dirt in. I'll keep it clean as long as I own it." The irony there is we never truly own it until we've trashed it. The reality there is we never really own it until the lending institution writes the title over to our name. The point here is to slap words down in any order that comes to mind. Play a one-person game of word association if you have to. Just fill that puppy up with a big ol' block of words. Chances are, they'll start to make sense to you and you'll be writing.
- Drop it. You know that feeling you get the first time you drop your mobile phone/handset? The frantic putting back together of battery and case. The close inspection of every square millimeter of surface area whilst it boots back up. The sinking feeling of failure over the scratch that took you ten minutes to find. Now... Do you know that feeling you get the thirty-seventh time you dropped it? That's the feeling you want when you write. To get there, write "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" until you either get to work or grab an ax.
30 November, 2011
Use the "F" Word
Writers' Wednesday!!!
Look to your right and your left at the same time. No? Okay, without the use of mirrors, keep your eyes forward and look behind you. Still not happening? Hm... Try holding onto every word, character, concept, conflict, and plot point in your mind at the same time. (Sure, if you're writing copy for a "got milk?" print ad, you might could do that. But, you get the point.)
Even if you are writing third-person omniscient, respect the fact that your readers/audience have the same limitations of visual space that you have. They can only look at what you tell them to look at and where you tell them to look for it.
Focus!
In visual media, they can cut between shot/reverse-shot and multiple camera set-ups. Occasionally they try (and fail) to make the audience feel like they're in the movie through POV. The important thing to note is that everything is still revealed in a logical one-at-a-time sequence, often limiting what is seen to the director's specifications for tone and pace. Not to mention, seeing registers much quicker than reading. (Half-a-second is plenty of time to hook a visual and it's probably taken you four or five seconds to read this overly long parenthetical.)
You and your readers/audience will appreciate it when you write with tunnel vision. Ask yourself what nugget you're describing right now. Describe it well. What's the next nugget? How can you transition from this nugget to that nugget without getting whiplash?
And please, please, please, please make those nuggets important to the story. No paragraphs about a lamp that turns out to be a red herring. No sweeping purple, apricot, and gunmetal blue landscapes unless they have a pertinent B-52 approaching through them. Because, if there isn't, I'm sending one to really make your setting interesting. If it doesn't add to your characters, advance the plot, or heighten the conflict, cut it.
I trust you will find that concentrating on each little moment in turn and not trying to look all over the whole story at once helps your writing flow immensely. You won't even need to write chronologically. Take whatever section is poking through your forehead. If you structured properly before you started writing and can trust the editing and revision process, it won't matter.
Look to your right and your left at the same time. No? Okay, without the use of mirrors, keep your eyes forward and look behind you. Still not happening? Hm... Try holding onto every word, character, concept, conflict, and plot point in your mind at the same time. (Sure, if you're writing copy for a "got milk?" print ad, you might could do that. But, you get the point.)
Even if you are writing third-person omniscient, respect the fact that your readers/audience have the same limitations of visual space that you have. They can only look at what you tell them to look at and where you tell them to look for it.
Focus!
In visual media, they can cut between shot/reverse-shot and multiple camera set-ups. Occasionally they try (and fail) to make the audience feel like they're in the movie through POV. The important thing to note is that everything is still revealed in a logical one-at-a-time sequence, often limiting what is seen to the director's specifications for tone and pace. Not to mention, seeing registers much quicker than reading. (Half-a-second is plenty of time to hook a visual and it's probably taken you four or five seconds to read this overly long parenthetical.)
You and your readers/audience will appreciate it when you write with tunnel vision. Ask yourself what nugget you're describing right now. Describe it well. What's the next nugget? How can you transition from this nugget to that nugget without getting whiplash?
And please, please, please, please make those nuggets important to the story. No paragraphs about a lamp that turns out to be a red herring. No sweeping purple, apricot, and gunmetal blue landscapes unless they have a pertinent B-52 approaching through them. Because, if there isn't, I'm sending one to really make your setting interesting. If it doesn't add to your characters, advance the plot, or heighten the conflict, cut it.
I trust you will find that concentrating on each little moment in turn and not trying to look all over the whole story at once helps your writing flow immensely. You won't even need to write chronologically. Take whatever section is poking through your forehead. If you structured properly before you started writing and can trust the editing and revision process, it won't matter.
23 November, 2011
Worducopia
Writer's Wednesday!!!
In honor of tomorrow's Thanksgiving festivities, my tip for this week is to gorge your writing with words. I'm often rightfully accused of using far too many words to convey my thoughts when a simpler, more concise way would have sufficed.
Cutting out words in the editing process works better than adding. So I say "go all out." Here's an exercise you didn't ask for... Edit the following sentences to make them stronger:
1) John chained up his dog in the backyard.
2) Reaching with trembling shoulders, Jim managed to lift the pterodactyl of a turkey over the candied yams, armada of gravy boats, sweating butter, crystal glasses placed way too soon, half-burned candles that his crazy cousin Patricia most likely lit an hour ago, and the vat of bean salad everyone will politely eat a forkful of and set it uneventfully in the center of the bowing table that threatened to split if they asked much more of it, just in time to save what feeling he had left in the fingers on his right hand that he burned on the roasting pan in spite of the thinner-than-it-should-be oven mitt with the nauseatingly cute cross-stitched pig on the wrist.
Now... Which sentence gave you more editing productivity? What's easier? Making sentence two more manageable? Or making sentence one more enjoyable to read? Don't get me wrong. Straightforward sentences are a good and necessary force in strong writing.
They punctuate and create rhythm while they emphasize.
If your writing is flat, dry, choppy, or overly simplistic, editing it will be a flat, dry, choppy, and ultimately mind-numbing experience. Fill up your sentences with all the words that come to you without slowing you down. Chances are that when you go back to edit (because we all know not to edit as you go) the extra words will help you find the perfect way to say what you want rather than have to create it from scratch.
In short, use verbosity in your earlier drafts and save the efficiency for the final ones.
In honor of tomorrow's Thanksgiving festivities, my tip for this week is to gorge your writing with words. I'm often rightfully accused of using far too many words to convey my thoughts when a simpler, more concise way would have sufficed.
Cutting out words in the editing process works better than adding. So I say "go all out." Here's an exercise you didn't ask for... Edit the following sentences to make them stronger:
1) John chained up his dog in the backyard.
2) Reaching with trembling shoulders, Jim managed to lift the pterodactyl of a turkey over the candied yams, armada of gravy boats, sweating butter, crystal glasses placed way too soon, half-burned candles that his crazy cousin Patricia most likely lit an hour ago, and the vat of bean salad everyone will politely eat a forkful of and set it uneventfully in the center of the bowing table that threatened to split if they asked much more of it, just in time to save what feeling he had left in the fingers on his right hand that he burned on the roasting pan in spite of the thinner-than-it-should-be oven mitt with the nauseatingly cute cross-stitched pig on the wrist.
Now... Which sentence gave you more editing productivity? What's easier? Making sentence two more manageable? Or making sentence one more enjoyable to read? Don't get me wrong. Straightforward sentences are a good and necessary force in strong writing.
They punctuate and create rhythm while they emphasize.
If your writing is flat, dry, choppy, or overly simplistic, editing it will be a flat, dry, choppy, and ultimately mind-numbing experience. Fill up your sentences with all the words that come to you without slowing you down. Chances are that when you go back to edit (because we all know not to edit as you go) the extra words will help you find the perfect way to say what you want rather than have to create it from scratch.
In short, use verbosity in your earlier drafts and save the efficiency for the final ones.
16 November, 2011
What Have You Been Reading?
Writers' Wednesday!!!
Read.
On one hand, it's kind of weird that people might call themselves a writer when they aren't actually writing. I guess that "writer" sounds better than "thinker" or "talker." But, that will be a topic for another day.
On the other hand, it's kind of sad if a writer can't remember the last published thing they read, regardless of his/her daily word count output.
Read.
Reading familiarizes the mind to valuable writing processes such as sentence structure, grammar, spelling, flow, voice, clarity, and much, much more. Better yet, most of the published material has already been edited to death. The more you read and the more your mind can start implementing techniques naturally, then the less you'll wind up needing to edit (maybe four drafts instead of fifteen).
Read.
Don't like your writing? Reading can also help you start finding what you like versus what you don't like. When you read something that knocks your socks off, put your thinking cap on and figure out why you liked that. If you just can't seem to get through a work (and everyone you know thinks it's brilliant), try to explain what's bogging you down. It will help you write the way you love.
Read.
Listening does not count as reading. I love a good audio book, myself. Still, you can't expect your brain to arrange words on a page properly if you won't keep reminding it what that's supposed to look like. You know all that good stuff you watch? It was written, rewritten, and edited long before you had a chance to watch it. Especially if you want to write for visual media (movies, television, commercials, vlogs), seek thee out the scripts for that type of media and read it. Reading can elevate your content from the mindless ramblings plaguing the internet to national ad quality.
Hey! You've just read this post! Congratulations! You're already following the advice. Keep up the good work.
Read.
On one hand, it's kind of weird that people might call themselves a writer when they aren't actually writing. I guess that "writer" sounds better than "thinker" or "talker." But, that will be a topic for another day.
On the other hand, it's kind of sad if a writer can't remember the last published thing they read, regardless of his/her daily word count output.
Read.
Reading familiarizes the mind to valuable writing processes such as sentence structure, grammar, spelling, flow, voice, clarity, and much, much more. Better yet, most of the published material has already been edited to death. The more you read and the more your mind can start implementing techniques naturally, then the less you'll wind up needing to edit (maybe four drafts instead of fifteen).
Read.
Don't like your writing? Reading can also help you start finding what you like versus what you don't like. When you read something that knocks your socks off, put your thinking cap on and figure out why you liked that. If you just can't seem to get through a work (and everyone you know thinks it's brilliant), try to explain what's bogging you down. It will help you write the way you love.
Read.
Listening does not count as reading. I love a good audio book, myself. Still, you can't expect your brain to arrange words on a page properly if you won't keep reminding it what that's supposed to look like. You know all that good stuff you watch? It was written, rewritten, and edited long before you had a chance to watch it. Especially if you want to write for visual media (movies, television, commercials, vlogs), seek thee out the scripts for that type of media and read it. Reading can elevate your content from the mindless ramblings plaguing the internet to national ad quality.
Hey! You've just read this post! Congratulations! You're already following the advice. Keep up the good work.
09 November, 2011
Argue With the Voices in Your Head
Writers' Wednesday!!!
Remember all those news stories where people defended their atrocities by claiming the voices in their head compelled them to commit such acts? Kinda doesn't make it better, right?
Ever hear yourself, or another writer you know, say that the characters tell you/them the story? That you/they just go along for the ride and see where they take you? Kinda doesn't make it better, right?
Characters have lives. Like real people. And. Just like real people. Most of their life is not as interesting as they think it is. If you let your character tell you the story, start feeling around for the cool spot under your pillow.
Being a writer is not (or should I say, "shouldn't be") the same as being a cab driver. It's more like being a tour guide. For truly compelling writing, it's like being a tour guide where the characters don't really know what they signed up for and probably wouldn't have signed up had they known. Imagine getting into a cab, telling the driver where you want to go, the driver speeding off, driving like a complete lunatic in the opposite direction, getting into a barely survivable accident, discovering things about yourself you never knew, and giving the driver a good tip for the experience.
Don't let the voices in your head tell their own story. Fight them on it. Challenge them. Make them convince you that doing what they originally wanted is the right way to go. Something like this:
You: Don't go up the stairs. It's overplayed and makes you look ridiculous.
Protagonist: I have to go up the stairs.
You: No you don't. Call the cops. Go to a neighbors for help. Anything that hasn't been done a million times.
Protagonist: But, my kids are up there. No one will believe a mother left her kids upstairs with a monster.
You: Good point. But, we don't know the monster is up there.
Protagonist: I heard him. Even if it wasn't him, I just want to see my babies and make sure they're all right.
You: Fine. Go upstairs. But you're turning on a light. None of this fumbling around in the dark crap.
Protagonist: If I turn on a light where I am, I won't be able to see into the dark areas of the house and I'll give up my position. I have a better chance of seeing my kids or the monster first if I keep it dark.
You: That's why they always turn off the lights? Well, fine. But you're going to have to explain that to the readers because it sounds cliche and psychotic. Especially because we don't even know the monster is up there. You're probably going to just scare your kids.
Protagonist: I can feel him up there. I'm going.
You: Hey, monster! Are you up there?
Monster: We don't know yet.
You: Ha! You answered. You are up there.
Monster: Well played. lol. (someday I'm going to dedicate a whole blog post to the misuse of 'lol' and other acronyms.)
Okay. So. Arguing with your characters can help you solidify your story and make it more interesting than just "channeling" their spirits. It can also help you skip over the boring non-essential details and focus on the good stuff. Don't let them coast through their life on easy street. Check out my blog post on conflict for more on that.
Now... how to get psychos to stop going along with the voices in their head...
Remember all those news stories where people defended their atrocities by claiming the voices in their head compelled them to commit such acts? Kinda doesn't make it better, right?
Ever hear yourself, or another writer you know, say that the characters tell you/them the story? That you/they just go along for the ride and see where they take you? Kinda doesn't make it better, right?
Characters have lives. Like real people. And. Just like real people. Most of their life is not as interesting as they think it is. If you let your character tell you the story, start feeling around for the cool spot under your pillow.
Being a writer is not (or should I say, "shouldn't be") the same as being a cab driver. It's more like being a tour guide. For truly compelling writing, it's like being a tour guide where the characters don't really know what they signed up for and probably wouldn't have signed up had they known. Imagine getting into a cab, telling the driver where you want to go, the driver speeding off, driving like a complete lunatic in the opposite direction, getting into a barely survivable accident, discovering things about yourself you never knew, and giving the driver a good tip for the experience.
Don't let the voices in your head tell their own story. Fight them on it. Challenge them. Make them convince you that doing what they originally wanted is the right way to go. Something like this:
You: Don't go up the stairs. It's overplayed and makes you look ridiculous.
Protagonist: I have to go up the stairs.
You: No you don't. Call the cops. Go to a neighbors for help. Anything that hasn't been done a million times.
Protagonist: But, my kids are up there. No one will believe a mother left her kids upstairs with a monster.
You: Good point. But, we don't know the monster is up there.
Protagonist: I heard him. Even if it wasn't him, I just want to see my babies and make sure they're all right.
You: Fine. Go upstairs. But you're turning on a light. None of this fumbling around in the dark crap.
Protagonist: If I turn on a light where I am, I won't be able to see into the dark areas of the house and I'll give up my position. I have a better chance of seeing my kids or the monster first if I keep it dark.
You: That's why they always turn off the lights? Well, fine. But you're going to have to explain that to the readers because it sounds cliche and psychotic. Especially because we don't even know the monster is up there. You're probably going to just scare your kids.
Protagonist: I can feel him up there. I'm going.
You: Hey, monster! Are you up there?
Monster: We don't know yet.
You: Ha! You answered. You are up there.
Monster: Well played. lol. (someday I'm going to dedicate a whole blog post to the misuse of 'lol' and other acronyms.)
Okay. So. Arguing with your characters can help you solidify your story and make it more interesting than just "channeling" their spirits. It can also help you skip over the boring non-essential details and focus on the good stuff. Don't let them coast through their life on easy street. Check out my blog post on conflict for more on that.
Now... how to get psychos to stop going along with the voices in their head...
02 November, 2011
Can't Force Deadlines
Writers' Wednesday!!!
Usually, it's that you can't force creativity. However, creativity works under looming deadlines more often than not. Saying that you missed a deadline because you didn't want to force your creativity won't work. So, what's a person to do if the creativity still hasn't shown up in the zero hour?
Get uncreative.
Slap down those cliches. Hit all the predictable points. Put archetypes smack-dab in a metaphor and wrap them up in deli-sliced cheese. Do this early enough into the process so that you can fake it until you make it.
Chances are pretty good that you'll get out some great work in a second or third draft of derivative drivel. In this regard, it's not so much what you write as it is what you right.
I used to miss deadlines by a day or two consistently. In junior year of high school, my English teacher nicknamed me "Mr. Late." (not my only nickname, but the only one relevant here) I pursued perfection and waited for inspiration. Had I turned in my papers on time, I would have received all A's.
Thankfully, it was a lesson I learned well. (I'll never forget the look on her face when I held up my paper as she was habitually skipping my desk.) I can do good work on time.
If you're feeling pressure of an upcoming deadline, stop being creative long enough to get ahead of the game again. I don't suggest plagiarizing. It takes more time to look up and copy something than it does to just be unoriginal and obvious.
Deadlines can even be worked into your structure very well. They help set parameters. Love your deadlines. The more you use them to your advantage and don't stress the creativity, the better your productivity and creativity will be. Make them living-deadlines.
Usually, it's that you can't force creativity. However, creativity works under looming deadlines more often than not. Saying that you missed a deadline because you didn't want to force your creativity won't work. So, what's a person to do if the creativity still hasn't shown up in the zero hour?
Get uncreative.
Slap down those cliches. Hit all the predictable points. Put archetypes smack-dab in a metaphor and wrap them up in deli-sliced cheese. Do this early enough into the process so that you can fake it until you make it.
Chances are pretty good that you'll get out some great work in a second or third draft of derivative drivel. In this regard, it's not so much what you write as it is what you right.
I used to miss deadlines by a day or two consistently. In junior year of high school, my English teacher nicknamed me "Mr. Late." (not my only nickname, but the only one relevant here) I pursued perfection and waited for inspiration. Had I turned in my papers on time, I would have received all A's.
Thankfully, it was a lesson I learned well. (I'll never forget the look on her face when I held up my paper as she was habitually skipping my desk.) I can do good work on time.
If you're feeling pressure of an upcoming deadline, stop being creative long enough to get ahead of the game again. I don't suggest plagiarizing. It takes more time to look up and copy something than it does to just be unoriginal and obvious.
Deadlines can even be worked into your structure very well. They help set parameters. Love your deadlines. The more you use them to your advantage and don't stress the creativity, the better your productivity and creativity will be. Make them living-deadlines.
26 October, 2011
Now Boarding for Good Intentions
Writer's Wednesday!!!
How do you plan a vacation? Drive to an airport, scan the board, pick a flight that sounds nice, see where it takes you, deal with changing money and finding lodging after you arrive, and then try to find out what you're even going to do while you're there?
I'll concede that some people can and do work that way, but they are in the minority. Most of us first plan a vacation by what we want to do when we're there. That's the reason to go. If it's a generic want (beach, ski, someplace new...), then it comes down to how far you're willing/able to travel. Is there a particular location where you want to be generic?
First knowing your intention before you write is paramount in writing. If you wander aimlessly through the lexicon of the English language, seeing where it might take you, and then hope to find your intention once you get into it, then pretty please, with a cherry on top, destroy everything you wrote before you found your intention.
Your intention can be generic:
It's important to note that the intention is not the pitch. The pitch tells the whole story in one sentence (okay, maybe sometimes two). The intention is the raison d'etre for what ever you are writing. Having a clear intention, especially having a specific, unique, and clear intention, will bring you one step closer to realizing there's no such thing as writer's block.
Does everyone have their intention written out? Good, now you're ready to go on vacation!
How do you plan a vacation? Drive to an airport, scan the board, pick a flight that sounds nice, see where it takes you, deal with changing money and finding lodging after you arrive, and then try to find out what you're even going to do while you're there?
I'll concede that some people can and do work that way, but they are in the minority. Most of us first plan a vacation by what we want to do when we're there. That's the reason to go. If it's a generic want (beach, ski, someplace new...), then it comes down to how far you're willing/able to travel. Is there a particular location where you want to be generic?
First knowing your intention before you write is paramount in writing. If you wander aimlessly through the lexicon of the English language, seeing where it might take you, and then hope to find your intention once you get into it, then pretty please, with a cherry on top, destroy everything you wrote before you found your intention.
Your intention can be generic:
- I want to write a story where a boy meets a girl, they fall in love, they separate, and then get back together never to be separated again.
- I want to write a story about a group of powerful men that conspire to withhold true control of the world from everyone but themselves and only one person armed with plucky charm and a disbelieving sidekick can bring them down.
- I want to write a story about the heartwarming drama of simple small lives that make us realize what being human really is and teaches us to want what we have, not have what we want.
It's important to note that the intention is not the pitch. The pitch tells the whole story in one sentence (okay, maybe sometimes two). The intention is the raison d'etre for what ever you are writing. Having a clear intention, especially having a specific, unique, and clear intention, will bring you one step closer to realizing there's no such thing as writer's block.
Does everyone have their intention written out? Good, now you're ready to go on vacation!
19 October, 2011
Don't Play Nice
Writer's Wednesday!!!
In Enigma's song "The Rivers of Belief," the lyrics say "If you believe in light, it's because of obscurity. If you believe in joy, it's because of sadness. And if you believe in God, it's because of the devil."
Opposing forces create conflict. Conflict raises tension. Tension invokes an emotional response. Emotional responses separate bad writing from good writing. If you've ever teared up during a Budweiser Super Bowl ad with a Clydesdale, you know what I'm talking about even if you don't know you know it. Anything you write means more when there's risk involved.
Try to see how long you can keep the opposing forces separate, but affecting one another through their actions. This not only escalates the tension, but builds a great amount of anticipation for their inevitable meeting. (brilliant example: "Heat" directed by Michael Mann) Constant bombardment of combat involving the opposing forces can be entertaining, but every direct contact releases that tension and it can be difficult to recreate.
Also be aware of easy, trite, random, or overused resolutions. They not only invalidate your conflict and writing up to that point, but they also condemn your soul to an eternity of having your elbows banged up against the corner of your desk. The resolution must come from your main character, demonstrate real growth, and be so organic to your story that everyone will know exactly what story everyone else is talking about just on the briefest of mentions. (except lame random ones like falling frogs)
In real life, we learn and grow from our conflicts. Your characters should, too. If your character is not undeniably changed after overcoming the conflict he/her/they faced, then the conflict wasn't big enough or you cheated on the resolution. Most people avoid conflict because of a fear of the change that must come from learning and growing. This can be a very natural and sympathetic conflict for your character to overcome before the final conflict - Refusing to change.
There are as many different ways to create and resolve conflicts as there are people, forces, and ideals. This post is meant more as a tip to make sure you have conflict. See how much you can throw at your character before they snap. Really test his/her/their metal. The easier you are on them, the harder it will be for readers to care.
Does anyone out there have a favorite story that didn't have conflict? Anyone? Anyone?
In Enigma's song "The Rivers of Belief," the lyrics say "If you believe in light, it's because of obscurity. If you believe in joy, it's because of sadness. And if you believe in God, it's because of the devil."
Opposing forces create conflict. Conflict raises tension. Tension invokes an emotional response. Emotional responses separate bad writing from good writing. If you've ever teared up during a Budweiser Super Bowl ad with a Clydesdale, you know what I'm talking about even if you don't know you know it. Anything you write means more when there's risk involved.
Try to see how long you can keep the opposing forces separate, but affecting one another through their actions. This not only escalates the tension, but builds a great amount of anticipation for their inevitable meeting. (brilliant example: "Heat" directed by Michael Mann) Constant bombardment of combat involving the opposing forces can be entertaining, but every direct contact releases that tension and it can be difficult to recreate.
Also be aware of easy, trite, random, or overused resolutions. They not only invalidate your conflict and writing up to that point, but they also condemn your soul to an eternity of having your elbows banged up against the corner of your desk. The resolution must come from your main character, demonstrate real growth, and be so organic to your story that everyone will know exactly what story everyone else is talking about just on the briefest of mentions. (except lame random ones like falling frogs)
In real life, we learn and grow from our conflicts. Your characters should, too. If your character is not undeniably changed after overcoming the conflict he/her/they faced, then the conflict wasn't big enough or you cheated on the resolution. Most people avoid conflict because of a fear of the change that must come from learning and growing. This can be a very natural and sympathetic conflict for your character to overcome before the final conflict - Refusing to change.
There are as many different ways to create and resolve conflicts as there are people, forces, and ideals. This post is meant more as a tip to make sure you have conflict. See how much you can throw at your character before they snap. Really test his/her/their metal. The easier you are on them, the harder it will be for readers to care.
Does anyone out there have a favorite story that didn't have conflict? Anyone? Anyone?
12 October, 2011
Writer's (Chopping) Block
Writers' Wednesday!!!
There's no such thing as writer's block. It's a myth. Made up by trickster spirits like goblins, sprites, and fauns. And if you believe in writer's block, I've got a unicorn farm priced to sell.
A few noteworthy issues that keep the legend of writer's block alive more effectively than that silly photo of Bigfoot:
I thought I had writer's block for a couple weeks about ten years ago. (It wasn't writer's block.) It was a plot hole large enough to run a super highway through. I paved around the hole, finished the story, and only realized a few years ago that the screenplay I wound up with had two scenes that touched on my original story idea. The whole script was otherwise well-written crap that the brads barely wanted to hold on to.
The second issue merits elaboration... (but I don't feel like doing it).
A lot of people say, "write what you know." I say, "write what you love." If you truly love a subject enough, you will enjoy researching all the aspects of it necessary to build the backstory and knowledge base you will need. The love will shine up through the page (or screen) like blowing kisses to your reader (audience). Having a love and understanding of your subject means gushing all over the page. You'll be too busy trying to fit all the words into the parameters of your format to be able to blame anything on the writer's block fairy.
The last issue of my (not entirely exhaustive) list deals with recharging after mental fatigue. If you've been pounding at the keyboard for sometime, have cracked your knuckles to the point where you bend them mindlessly even without the satisfying popping noise, and/or find yourself making five detours on the way back from the bathroom, then you have just been warned to reconnect your charger, my friend. Not writer's block. So, take a walk, shower, nap. Go dance, exercise, cook. Just get away from the writing until you have got to get the words down or else the Universe as we know it will cease to exist.
I'm sure there are many more issues masquerading as writer's block. Anyone care to share some? Wanna comment on the points above? Be my guest!
There's no such thing as writer's block. It's a myth. Made up by trickster spirits like goblins, sprites, and fauns. And if you believe in writer's block, I've got a unicorn farm priced to sell.
A few noteworthy issues that keep the legend of writer's block alive more effectively than that silly photo of Bigfoot:
- Subconscious awareness that you shouldn't write what you're trying to write because it's wrong
- Laziness
- Dawning realization that you don't know your topic well enough
- Break time
I thought I had writer's block for a couple weeks about ten years ago. (It wasn't writer's block.) It was a plot hole large enough to run a super highway through. I paved around the hole, finished the story, and only realized a few years ago that the screenplay I wound up with had two scenes that touched on my original story idea. The whole script was otherwise well-written crap that the brads barely wanted to hold on to.
The second issue merits elaboration... (but I don't feel like doing it).
A lot of people say, "write what you know." I say, "write what you love." If you truly love a subject enough, you will enjoy researching all the aspects of it necessary to build the backstory and knowledge base you will need. The love will shine up through the page (or screen) like blowing kisses to your reader (audience). Having a love and understanding of your subject means gushing all over the page. You'll be too busy trying to fit all the words into the parameters of your format to be able to blame anything on the writer's block fairy.
The last issue of my (not entirely exhaustive) list deals with recharging after mental fatigue. If you've been pounding at the keyboard for sometime, have cracked your knuckles to the point where you bend them mindlessly even without the satisfying popping noise, and/or find yourself making five detours on the way back from the bathroom, then you have just been warned to reconnect your charger, my friend. Not writer's block. So, take a walk, shower, nap. Go dance, exercise, cook. Just get away from the writing until you have got to get the words down or else the Universe as we know it will cease to exist.
I'm sure there are many more issues masquerading as writer's block. Anyone care to share some? Wanna comment on the points above? Be my guest!
05 October, 2011
It's a Free Country, Isn't it?
Writers' Wednesday!
Never write for free.
In case you missed that:
Never. Write. For. Free.
That's my new mantra. I have been willing to do all kinds of things for free in hopes that someone will see my genius and make it up in spades. Have you ever seen a music video directed for free when the group didn't take it seriously and the manager and producer wasted the better part of two days changing the plans, only to call the whole thing done when less than half of the shots were in the can? Let's just say no one would be knocking on my door (they were too busy locking theirs).
I've also acted for free (well, for a copy of the finished product to add to my reel), giving my best work and doing very physical stunts. I never received a copy. The work never snowballed into easy street.
I can't even count the times I've written free copy to help someone out (and hopefully get samples to use to seduce paying clients). What happened was I made myself into a creative whore. That's probably not the best term to use... whores get paid.
Regardless, (as I will undoubtedly be telling the bug when she's older) no one will respect you if you don't first respect yourself. Why would anyone pay good money in an economy such as this when they can get your best efforts for the cost of the air they breathe?
Novels, screenplays, articles, short stories, and (to a much, much lesser extent) poetry should be considered deferred pay. No one's paying me now, but just wait fifteen years... or more. I'm not even writing this blog for free. You think it's free because you haven't paid any money to read this. Still, my blog is upping my potential earnings from hopeful to possible. (hey, I've got the bug and wifey to consider)
If you've ever asked a writer to work for free, or questioned why writers should be paid at all, shame on you! Would you expect that of any other profession? Have any of you writers turned free work into financial independence? (didn't think so)
Never write for free.
In case you missed that:
Never. Write. For. Free.
That's my new mantra. I have been willing to do all kinds of things for free in hopes that someone will see my genius and make it up in spades. Have you ever seen a music video directed for free when the group didn't take it seriously and the manager and producer wasted the better part of two days changing the plans, only to call the whole thing done when less than half of the shots were in the can? Let's just say no one would be knocking on my door (they were too busy locking theirs).
I've also acted for free (well, for a copy of the finished product to add to my reel), giving my best work and doing very physical stunts. I never received a copy. The work never snowballed into easy street.
I can't even count the times I've written free copy to help someone out (and hopefully get samples to use to seduce paying clients). What happened was I made myself into a creative whore. That's probably not the best term to use... whores get paid.
Regardless, (as I will undoubtedly be telling the bug when she's older) no one will respect you if you don't first respect yourself. Why would anyone pay good money in an economy such as this when they can get your best efforts for the cost of the air they breathe?
Novels, screenplays, articles, short stories, and (to a much, much lesser extent) poetry should be considered deferred pay. No one's paying me now, but just wait fifteen years... or more. I'm not even writing this blog for free. You think it's free because you haven't paid any money to read this. Still, my blog is upping my potential earnings from hopeful to possible. (hey, I've got the bug and wifey to consider)
If you've ever asked a writer to work for free, or questioned why writers should be paid at all, shame on you! Would you expect that of any other profession? Have any of you writers turned free work into financial independence? (didn't think so)
28 September, 2011
Perfectionist's Guide to Poor Writing
Writers' Wednesday!
If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times: throw up, then clean up.
As a perfectionist, this is easier said than done. I want to control the angle, distance, splash pattern, contents, colors, smells... you get the idea.
The reason for throwing up is that edit-as-you-go is a complete waste of time. Until you have finished whatever you're writing (a limerick, protest sign, tweet, treatise on wolf calls, or great American novel) all that precious editing you've done will have to be redone anyway. Again, and again, and again. You can literally waste weeks perfecting some scene that will end up being deleted after the end when even you'll agree it doesn't belong. The more time you wasted perfecting it will make it that much harder to get rid of when it has to go.
Now for the big question: If you're a perfectionist one parallel positioning of the three-hole punch away from full-blown OCD, how will you ever manage to move on from one word to the next without electroshock therapy?
Candy.
I speak of candy in the general sense. Could be cookies. Could be fruit. Could be dark chocolate covered peanut butter caramels... for example. Just be sure it has sugar and you give it to yourself after you've blasted through a mess of everything that rhymes with Nantucket but before you write about the man and his bucket.
It's not just the idea of the rewarding small steps that helps you forego editing for now. The mind on sugar is as forgiving as Docker's pants with the little elastic parts by the belt loops. And if you can caffeinate it... Bingo!! (thank you, Diet Dr. Pepper!) I once knocked out a ten-pager on A Brave New World in five hours (including the time it took to "read" the last half of the book) all hopped up on No Doze, Mike&Ike, and a few soft drink cans. I turned it in knowing my road to fame and fortune had just been paved on the most brilliant Huxley analysis ever!
Edit sober. I repeat. Edit when you are sober. It's okay to stop mid-sentence and then proceed to rewrite the sentence without ever grazing the backspace key on a first draft. But, those kinds of things need to be caught at least by the fourth draft. And certainly before you think it's done.
Lemme take this time to advise that you write responsibly. I am not trying to boost sales of insulin. What I am saying is that if you (like me) are incapable of reigning in your perfectionist urges, find a way to motivate yourself to move on and find something that helps your mind not realize it just repeated the same word several times and managed to spell it differently every time.
What about you? Are you a perfectionist? How do you cope? (And don't tell me you edit as you go. That is just not an option.)
If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times: throw up, then clean up.
As a perfectionist, this is easier said than done. I want to control the angle, distance, splash pattern, contents, colors, smells... you get the idea.
The reason for throwing up is that edit-as-you-go is a complete waste of time. Until you have finished whatever you're writing (a limerick, protest sign, tweet, treatise on wolf calls, or great American novel) all that precious editing you've done will have to be redone anyway. Again, and again, and again. You can literally waste weeks perfecting some scene that will end up being deleted after the end when even you'll agree it doesn't belong. The more time you wasted perfecting it will make it that much harder to get rid of when it has to go.
Now for the big question: If you're a perfectionist one parallel positioning of the three-hole punch away from full-blown OCD, how will you ever manage to move on from one word to the next without electroshock therapy?
Candy.
I speak of candy in the general sense. Could be cookies. Could be fruit. Could be dark chocolate covered peanut butter caramels... for example. Just be sure it has sugar and you give it to yourself after you've blasted through a mess of everything that rhymes with Nantucket but before you write about the man and his bucket.
It's not just the idea of the rewarding small steps that helps you forego editing for now. The mind on sugar is as forgiving as Docker's pants with the little elastic parts by the belt loops. And if you can caffeinate it... Bingo!! (thank you, Diet Dr. Pepper!) I once knocked out a ten-pager on A Brave New World in five hours (including the time it took to "read" the last half of the book) all hopped up on No Doze, Mike&Ike, and a few soft drink cans. I turned it in knowing my road to fame and fortune had just been paved on the most brilliant Huxley analysis ever!
Edit sober. I repeat. Edit when you are sober. It's okay to stop mid-sentence and then proceed to rewrite the sentence without ever grazing the backspace key on a first draft. But, those kinds of things need to be caught at least by the fourth draft. And certainly before you think it's done.
Lemme take this time to advise that you write responsibly. I am not trying to boost sales of insulin. What I am saying is that if you (like me) are incapable of reigning in your perfectionist urges, find a way to motivate yourself to move on and find something that helps your mind not realize it just repeated the same word several times and managed to spell it differently every time.
What about you? Are you a perfectionist? How do you cope? (And don't tell me you edit as you go. That is just not an option.)
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