I get most of my ideas from some type of interaction with a child at any age group and any type of activity. Sometimes just floating on our flat boat on our pond with my son. While the sun glistens on the water and the dragonflies gently land on us. Also, listening to what kids are saying and "take the time."
--Karen
How: That’s a toughie, but I tend to like writing with a computer in front of me. Computers are convenient because it’s nice and neat and so easy to use. But, sometimes, there’s a downside. Some people can get stuck using a computer all the time, if you’re like me that is, and most writers are at some point. In that case, whip out the good ol’ pad and pencil; sometimes there’s nothing like them. A pad and pencil help me to forget all of the technology around me, and just really think about what I’m writing. Usually, my best writing comes from my paper-entries; whenever I get stuck on my novel, or even writing an essay for school, I always turn back to my faithful Steno-pad. And it’s ok if you start over several times in a notebook, DON’T tear out the pages, until you’re completely finished: you’d be surprised how several false starts can come together to form a beautiful beginning to your project.
Where: Well, for me personally, it’s wherever I feel comfortable at the moment. Usually, however that’s at the computer desk in front of my screen, but when I use a notebook, I’ll most likely end up on the couch or in a comfortable chair with my feet up and a nice cushion to my back. Not too comfortable, or you’ll get drowsy! But, a few times in the past, I’ve ended up outside, even in the tree house with my sibling. Wherever you feel like going at the moment, go. It’s the best advice I can give; don’t fret about it, just do it. Get comfortable, and let your mind unfold.
When: For me, most times when a thought pops into my head that I think is worth remembering. I don’t really have a schedule, though I do tend to write better at night or early in the morning. But sometimes, there’s no stopping me; if the dialogue I’ve been working on suddenly falls in place, I write it down, no matter what time of day. (I even halted my sleep at 11:30 one night and wrote down an entire conversation because I knew I wouldn’t remember it the next morning). It’s ok: if you keep weird hours, you keep weird hours, don’t feel bad. Writers have imaginations, and they usually don’t stop for rest.
Why: Now that’s the big one. I write because I love it, characters and places open up to me, new worlds are born. Ideas are sorted out, conflictions are solved, and life’s questions are one step further to being answered. I also like to write because I want to give people the joy and excitement that I get every time I open a beloved book. You know that feeling you get when Tolkien describes Aragorn and Eomer standing alongside each other at Helm’s Deep? Or when the Black Knight rushes into the burning castle to save Ivanhoe and the Saxon princess? That’s why I write, because I want to give people those characters to love and cherish, and those emotions to keep whenever they read my works. Hopefully, someday that will happen. But for know, I’m writing to improve and better what I do know, and to gain experience in the world of publishing. And people’s feelings about writing change. Sometimes you start out to get famous, and end up doing it just because you love it, even though you never get recognition for it. That’s alright, too. Write just because you love it.
-- Walker
How: I put pen to page before typing anything. Maybe something about scribbling in my own script is more organic or tactile, so creativity flows better. More likely that it is just habit born of necessity…I started writing as a child and only had a typewriter for eight years, which I had saved to purchase for myself on my thirteenth birthday, and I had a limited budget for correction tape and typing paper.
When: I write three afternoons a week while my daughter is at childcare, and at night after she goes to bed. Mornings are reserved for housework, errands, or rest. I have two chronic pain conditions, so pain or sleepless nights or medication side effects can throw off the schedule, but I stick to it as much as possible.
Where: My living room is the most uncluttered room in my apartment, and I feel more creative and able to concentrate there since it is empty of distractions that call to those who work at home. Then I go to my desk in a corner of the bedroom and type. When confined to my bed or couch, I write there and type manuscripts on a laptop. I move into a house soon, instead of sharing a one-bedroom apartment with my preschooler, which will afford me an office – with a door! It will include my big, soft (but not “sleepy soft”) wingback chair, where I can curl up my legs, place a steno pad on my lap, and draft manuscripts.
Why: I could say that for ten years as a corporate writer, I wrote because I had to, but that is not entirely true. I did, but I also created additional opportunities to write within my positions. Writing is a well-fed compulsion for me. I help with resumés and editing and proofreading because a lot of people have interesting experiences and ideas but stink at presentation. I write for parents because parenting is difficult, and sometimes we are drained of ideas and solutions, and need to know we are not alone in our struggles. I write for children because I love the optimism with which they approach life. I write poetry so I don’t implode. I write ten-page letters when my fingers are itching and I can’t think of anything else to write, just so I don’t waste the moment. I write because I love to write and it is what I do best. I write because my words are a legacy, and that is the closest I may ever get to fulfilling my delusions of grandeur.
--Brandy
Why: Writing is the skill I am best at but, more importantly, it is part of my heart and soul. I view words like a painter views paint. A painter creates a picture of beauty or heartbreak from paint while I do the same with words. Words, if used correctly and in the context of a situation, can provide a vision for people that will motivate the individual to take action. The best writing grows fine with age, just like wine.
When: I can write anyplace that provides inspiration. That may be at night, in the morning or in the afternoon. I prefer to write at night, however. Late at night I can think about what I have seen and can take the time to find the best words to say. Through experience, I have found that late at night is my best time for me to put in the right perspective what I have done, seen, or heard that day.
How: I use the old-fashioned method of paper and pencil for the first few drafts but then use a desktop PC for the final drafts.
Where: I can write in almost any setting but I am not a people person. I suppose you have to be to be a writer but when writing, prefer places with few people or a private hideway. My two favorite places are my home office with all my research books and my van. There is great inspiration in traveling to different places and writing about the different cultures you see.
--Mike
Why: I write because it has become a part of who I am. It’s like a mad addiction of which there is no escape. Writing is not just my job, it is something I truly love doing and I honestly believe that if I was ever into a position in which I couldn’t write, I would literally lose my mind!
How: Interestingly, and quite ironically, several years back I developed a repetitive motion injury. Yet, such an injury does not mean certain death to a writer. In fact, I use a speech recognition program to compose my works and such software allows me to avoid the constant strain of repetitious movement. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for modern technology!
When: I write professionally, so often times I have to write. Nonetheless, I also write because I love doing so and find that in the late night hours, when the entire house is quiet, I find my muse most active!
Where: I write wherever and whenever I can. For instance, sometimes I draft works in a journal or notebook and later convert them to text. Thus, I am free to write pretty much any where I want to. Sometimes I like writing outdoors, but most times I write in my home office. Finally, I always make sure that I either have a notebook or a mini tape recorder with me to document ideas; ideas can be slippery and I want to be sure that I get them as soon as they reveal themselves!
--Dayna
Why: I write because I have to. I see characters around me all day long, waiting to be used in stories. A few weeks ago there was a tiny old woman driving in front of me. She was going very slowly on the expressway, when a cop cut her off. Up ahead we both passed the cop, who had pulled someone over, on the side of the road. I watched as the old lady slowed down even more, and gave the cop the finger as she passed. She appeared to be quite a character in real life; imagine what you could do with her in a story.
When: I can write any time of day. I've gotten up at the crack of dawn to scribble down an idea I had, and I've stayed up late into the night, also.
How: I use my laptop to write. I also carry a small notebook with me to work so I can jot down ideas or snatches of conversations I overhear.
Where: I write best without a lot of people around me. This rules out coffee shops, even though I do go there sometimes. I usually end up people-watching. (But then I get some good characters out of that, so not all is lost.) I'm in my writing zone when I'm in my office with candles burning and music playing. The music can be anything from Enya to Metallica; whatever puts me in the mood.
--Lisa
Showing posts with label Process. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Process. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Writing: Time to Exercise!
It can probably be said that everyone is creative in some way, but that is especially true of writers. As writers we tend to pay more attention to the things around us than most people do. We like to ask questions and think about people’s reactions and responses in certain situations. I’ve noticed myself that I like to concoct elaborate “what ifs” and imagine what would happen. Each update will offer a new writing exercise. Let your imagination go with these and see where they take you.
- Write down the titles of 5-10 novels, essays, articles, or short stories you have been thinking that you would like to write “someday.” Then pick one of the titles and write the first few pages or paragraphs of the piece that you chose. Write for fifteen to twenty minutes. Now you have a start to writing about something that really interests you, instead of having the idea swimming around in the back of your mind indefinitely.
- Find an old coat of yours or purse/backpack with pockets. Search through the pocket and write down all of the items you found. Example: 65 cents, one stick of gum, old bus ticket, receipt to Burger King, free coffee card, etc. Now create a short story using the items from the pocket to help create a character and drive the plot. What type of character would have a free coffee card? Perhaps a university student who drinks a lot of coffee and takes the bus to school. Try to include every item you found in the pocket as part of the story or character.
- Pick out someone at the grocery store, in traffic or somewhere else where you're stuck waiting. Take in the details of the person and try to memorize as many as you can. When you get home, freewrite all that you can remember about the person and then create a story about whom he/she truly is. That old granny in like with the dozen eggs? She's really a sky diving instructor! The man picking his nose in the red sedan next to you? He has a secret foot fetish and can't wait to get home to clean out his sniffer! Go crazy and be imaginative!
- This week, write your own creation myth. In short story length, explain something fantastic or mundane, for example: Carrots are really the hair clippings of Ares that fall from Olympus...and make it believable!
- Do you have a vivid emotional memory? Something sad, happy or even embarrassing? Go back to that moment/event in your mind and write it as a short scene in script/prose form, from an omniscient perspective. This is really good practice for when you need to convey your own character's emotions to your audience.
- As a young writer, I enjoyed writing about flying horses, time travel, and men who wore tuxedos. This caused a small problem for me. Some people, mainly geniuses, can create convincing stories about things they don't understand, but I can't.
- For years, I wrote terrible stories. And I bored every unlucky reader who was dumb enough to read my stuff. I knew they were bored, but I couldn't figure out why.
Then the answer struck me one day while I was “swiffering” under my bed. I don't know anything about tuxedos. But I do know about dust bunnies. It may not be glamorous, but I can describe the gray, fuzzy puff of a dust bunny in great detail. I can explain just how dust bunny colonies pop up behind my sofa. And, believe it or not, readers prefer dust bunnies over my flat and lifeless old way of writing.
Look around your room and make a list of five interesting objects. The list can include cracks in the wall, priceless oriental vases, or discarded Kit Kat wrappers. Describe each item, write about how the item makes you feel, and then try to write a story or poem incorporating these items.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Re-Writing Tips
Even great writers can’t sit down and spill out a masterpiece on their first try.
That’s why writers use anywhere from one to three hundred drafts. Drafts are like a rehearsal for a play. You write everything down. You figure out what works and what doesn’t. And then you re-write until your piece sparkles.
Here are some of my re-writing tips:
First, read your rough draft out loud. If your writing sounds choppy, then fiddle with the words until the sentences roll off your tongue.
After your work sounds nice, put it away for a small amount of time. I would suggest twenty-four hours. When you look at your writing with fresh eyes, you are going to catch mistakes and you’ll be able to fix them.
My final editing technique is: cut about one third of your word count, no matter how long the piece is. When you force yourself to cut words, you realize how many extra words you used without knowing it. Those extra words act like fat on a nice piece of steak. You need more steak and less fat.
So here’s my challenge. Write your first draft from the heart, but don’t throw it away. Work on it for a few days. I promise your writing will improve in leaps and bounds with just a few drafts.
That’s why writers use anywhere from one to three hundred drafts. Drafts are like a rehearsal for a play. You write everything down. You figure out what works and what doesn’t. And then you re-write until your piece sparkles.
Here are some of my re-writing tips:
First, read your rough draft out loud. If your writing sounds choppy, then fiddle with the words until the sentences roll off your tongue.
After your work sounds nice, put it away for a small amount of time. I would suggest twenty-four hours. When you look at your writing with fresh eyes, you are going to catch mistakes and you’ll be able to fix them.
My final editing technique is: cut about one third of your word count, no matter how long the piece is. When you force yourself to cut words, you realize how many extra words you used without knowing it. Those extra words act like fat on a nice piece of steak. You need more steak and less fat.
So here’s my challenge. Write your first draft from the heart, but don’t throw it away. Work on it for a few days. I promise your writing will improve in leaps and bounds with just a few drafts.
Rejection Letters - A Sign of Recognition
Rejection, defined in the simplest of terms, is a negative response, resulting in denial, or a dismissal. In the writing world, however, a rejection should also be taken as a positive. Yes, you read correctly.
From beginning writers to seasoned professionals, we all have a fear of the infamous Rejection Letter. These letters of denial should not be feared, but on the contrary. They should be celebrated. They are, in essence, a certificate of acceptance from our writing peers.
As humans, from infancy to adulthood, we all strive to be recognized. Acknowledgment of our existence is a very important part of our growth experience. The same is true for writers. A negative response is better than no response at all. The feeling that your creative prose is being read, and responded too, is in itself acceptance. There are, in some instances, editors and publishers who are eager to offer explanations, and quick tips for future reference in their letters, which gives a writer the ability to learn and grow.
One of the first things we are taught as beginning writers is to always be professional and courteous. Sending a note of thanks to an editor or publisher, whether you received a denial or an acceptance, is proper etiquette. It shows maturity as well as respect for the trade. This also leaves the door open for future communication.
While it is true that there are some editors and publishers who choose to use a derogatory tone in their responses, do not fear. This is a very rare occurrence; but unfortunately, it does happen. Most responses you will receive, however, are mostly polite, and are occasionally informative.
Editors and publishers are very busy people, dealing with numerous amounts of submissions on a daily basis, which leads to long hours and tremendous amounts of stress. Therefore it is commonly stated in the submission guidelines that no response means a rejection. That is great. This information allows writers to move on, and pursue other possibilities. Unfortunately, other publishers do not offer this same professional courtesy, which leaves beginners feeling inadequate and wondering what they did or did not do.
Be wary, these unprofessional members of the craft are not implying you are a bad writer. Our inner critics do not need any more encouragement. Take a deep breath, and just know that most of us respect the craft, and all it has to teach and offer.
So, the next time you receive an infamous rejection letter, heed these words: be proud, learn from it, use its words as fuel for the creative fire, and walk away knowing that you have just been acknowledged as a writer.
From beginning writers to seasoned professionals, we all have a fear of the infamous Rejection Letter. These letters of denial should not be feared, but on the contrary. They should be celebrated. They are, in essence, a certificate of acceptance from our writing peers.
As humans, from infancy to adulthood, we all strive to be recognized. Acknowledgment of our existence is a very important part of our growth experience. The same is true for writers. A negative response is better than no response at all. The feeling that your creative prose is being read, and responded too, is in itself acceptance. There are, in some instances, editors and publishers who are eager to offer explanations, and quick tips for future reference in their letters, which gives a writer the ability to learn and grow.
One of the first things we are taught as beginning writers is to always be professional and courteous. Sending a note of thanks to an editor or publisher, whether you received a denial or an acceptance, is proper etiquette. It shows maturity as well as respect for the trade. This also leaves the door open for future communication.
While it is true that there are some editors and publishers who choose to use a derogatory tone in their responses, do not fear. This is a very rare occurrence; but unfortunately, it does happen. Most responses you will receive, however, are mostly polite, and are occasionally informative.
Editors and publishers are very busy people, dealing with numerous amounts of submissions on a daily basis, which leads to long hours and tremendous amounts of stress. Therefore it is commonly stated in the submission guidelines that no response means a rejection. That is great. This information allows writers to move on, and pursue other possibilities. Unfortunately, other publishers do not offer this same professional courtesy, which leaves beginners feeling inadequate and wondering what they did or did not do.
Be wary, these unprofessional members of the craft are not implying you are a bad writer. Our inner critics do not need any more encouragement. Take a deep breath, and just know that most of us respect the craft, and all it has to teach and offer.
So, the next time you receive an infamous rejection letter, heed these words: be proud, learn from it, use its words as fuel for the creative fire, and walk away knowing that you have just been acknowledged as a writer.
Who Has the Time?
Well, you do, of course! One of the hardest aspects of being a writer, especially if you are still working a day job, is finding the time you need to do everything you need to do. This was one of my greatest downfalls in the beginning of my writing career. I would sit and think about writing a lot; I would even go so far as scribbling notes.
I thought the writing would magically appear before my eyes. I am still not sure what I was thinking.
Anyway, the point is that you have to schedule time for writing and research. The first thing you should do is buy a small notebook; if you can, splurge and get an actual daily planner.
At the beginning of the week or month, whichever is more realistic for you, take the time to sit down and make out a schedule for your self. Think about your days off and how you spend them or your time before and after work. Every hour is precious. So the one of two days you have off from work, schedule them down to the last minute. You should take at least an hour a day for your writing. For example, on Monday use your hour to search job boards, Tuesday use your hour to do research, Wednesday take this time to do some free writing or query letters and so forth. Scheduling will help you stay organized and feel less scatter-brained.
You will be amazed at the end of your first month how much you have accomplished. You should also try to make deadlines and goals for yourself as a way of staying on track and noting your accomplishments. You will feel much more rewarded this way. Schedule yourself for a month and then take a day off.
Besides, what good is a writer if they spend all his/her time behind a desk?
I thought the writing would magically appear before my eyes. I am still not sure what I was thinking.
Anyway, the point is that you have to schedule time for writing and research. The first thing you should do is buy a small notebook; if you can, splurge and get an actual daily planner.
At the beginning of the week or month, whichever is more realistic for you, take the time to sit down and make out a schedule for your self. Think about your days off and how you spend them or your time before and after work. Every hour is precious. So the one of two days you have off from work, schedule them down to the last minute. You should take at least an hour a day for your writing. For example, on Monday use your hour to search job boards, Tuesday use your hour to do research, Wednesday take this time to do some free writing or query letters and so forth. Scheduling will help you stay organized and feel less scatter-brained.
You will be amazed at the end of your first month how much you have accomplished. You should also try to make deadlines and goals for yourself as a way of staying on track and noting your accomplishments. You will feel much more rewarded this way. Schedule yourself for a month and then take a day off.
Besides, what good is a writer if they spend all his/her time behind a desk?
To Love By Way of Cooking
Tackling the abstract is never easy.
One day, a student came to the tutoring center for help writing about love. She didn’t know where to start. We chatted a bit and I learned that she lived with her daughter, mom, and grandma.
I had a hunch. Somebody had to feed all these women. “Who cooks in your family?”
“I do.”
“You enjoy cooking for them?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“You’d consider it an expression of love, then?”
She nodded, smiling. We had a place to start.
Natalie Goldberg, in Writing Down the Bones, gives similar advice on writing about sex—not an abstract subject, but still a tough one. If you feel sexy, she suggests, and you write about something else, like eating a melon, the reader will feel it too, even though you haven’t been explicit.
Any large, abstract, or dangerous subject can be tackled this way. Start with the small, the concrete, the safe as an entry point. Describe the lunch you ate or didn’t eat the day your parents told you they were getting a divorce. Your sudden distaste for bologna sandwiches can help your reader empathize without being hit over the head with your shock and sadness.
One day, a student came to the tutoring center for help writing about love. She didn’t know where to start. We chatted a bit and I learned that she lived with her daughter, mom, and grandma.
I had a hunch. Somebody had to feed all these women. “Who cooks in your family?”
“I do.”
“You enjoy cooking for them?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“You’d consider it an expression of love, then?”
She nodded, smiling. We had a place to start.
Natalie Goldberg, in Writing Down the Bones, gives similar advice on writing about sex—not an abstract subject, but still a tough one. If you feel sexy, she suggests, and you write about something else, like eating a melon, the reader will feel it too, even though you haven’t been explicit.
Any large, abstract, or dangerous subject can be tackled this way. Start with the small, the concrete, the safe as an entry point. Describe the lunch you ate or didn’t eat the day your parents told you they were getting a divorce. Your sudden distaste for bologna sandwiches can help your reader empathize without being hit over the head with your shock and sadness.
Don’t Let a Poor Presentation Cast a Shadow Over Your Work!
Let’s face it, the occasional typo happens to the best of us, but if your writing is riddled with grammatical errors and misspellings, no editor will want to touch it! What’s worse is the fact that you cannot rely on the spell checker of any word processing program to do the work for you; even if spell check catches all of your spelling errors, it may not catch any misused words. In order to prove your professionalism as a writer and to present your work proficiently, you will need to brush up your overall presentation.
Check Your Spelling
First things first: when you have finished writing your manuscript, be sure to check it for misspelled words by reading it through slowly and thoroughly. The reason for this is that sometimes writers see what they expect to see, instead of what is actually in front of them. By reading over the document slowly, you can scan each and every sentence for errors.
Some writers even recommend reading the story out of sequence; begin your spelling and grammar check by starting with the last sentence at the end of your story and reading each sentence all the way through to the beginning. Although this system may work for some writers, it can create a headache for others so I recommend that you set the manuscript aside for a day or two. Once you have been away from the manuscript, you can return to it and look upon it with fresh eyes. You would be surprised how many errors you will be able to spot!
Another editing technique that I particularly like is listening to what has been written. You can do this by simply reading aloud or you can get a software program that will actually read the work to you! Many free software programs read text: all you need to do is download the program, install it, and cut and paste your information into the text reader. It is important to note however, that text readers do not pick up the emotional quality of words and they do not always read every word properly. Nevertheless, text readers can help writers “hear” the errors they may not necessarily be seeing in front of them.
Finally, if you really want to brush up on your grammar, you should study up on misspelled words. Many dictionaries and online Websites will provide you with a list of the most common misspelled words. An editor finds nothing more irritating than a great story that is poorly written, and misspelled words can cast a shadow over your work. So take up your pen and paper and begin studying the most commonly misspelled words in the English language.
Improper Word Usage
Spell checking may be a wonderful tool, but it has its pitfalls. It certainly does not catch all errors and it often overlooks improper word usage. Thus, the responsibility of correct word usage falls into the hands of the writer. If you are uncertain about how a word should be used, it is time to break out the trusty dictionary. Besides, dictionaries can actually be fun and there are some dictionaries on the market that offer a unique way to look up words. I own a “Descriptionary” that allows me to look up words and their associated descriptions. I also own and recommend a “Flip Dictionary,” a fantastic resource that allows writers to look something up even when they can’t remember what it is called.
Missing Words
When you proofread your manuscript, always make sure that every word you intend to present is accounted for. Sometimes the mind works faster than the writer. Check every sentence for missing or deleted words. In the end, it makes for a complete and polished copy of your work.
Use Your Words Sparingly
No one wants to read text that rambles on in an effort to fill up the page! If you are going to use words, do so sparingly. It is perfectly fine to be creative, but narrative that is too wordy tends to drown out the significance of what is being said. The best way to prevent your work from being too wordy is to limit your adverbs and adjectives.
If you use a lot of adverbs, or “ly” words, you are not using effective verbs. Use stronger verbs and fewer adverbs to tighten your writing. Effective verbs are powerful words that express what you want to get across to your reader in a compact form. Likewise, the overuse of adjectives makes writing seem muddled. When you used adjectives, be prudent about it.
Punctuation
While proofreading your work, be sure to review your punctuation. Does every sentence have a period? Does every question have a question mark? Did you capitalize the first word of every sentence and all proper nouns? When it comes to your finished copy, little things mean a lot! Be sure that every comma, semicolon, colon, quotation mark, and any other punctuation mark is in its proper place.
In short, you want your completed manuscript to shine and editors expect nothing less. If you want to show an editor, publisher or agent that you take pride in your work and that you are a true professional, take the time to polish your final manuscript. In doing so, you will be giving your work the chance it deserves.
Check Your Spelling
First things first: when you have finished writing your manuscript, be sure to check it for misspelled words by reading it through slowly and thoroughly. The reason for this is that sometimes writers see what they expect to see, instead of what is actually in front of them. By reading over the document slowly, you can scan each and every sentence for errors.
Some writers even recommend reading the story out of sequence; begin your spelling and grammar check by starting with the last sentence at the end of your story and reading each sentence all the way through to the beginning. Although this system may work for some writers, it can create a headache for others so I recommend that you set the manuscript aside for a day or two. Once you have been away from the manuscript, you can return to it and look upon it with fresh eyes. You would be surprised how many errors you will be able to spot!
Another editing technique that I particularly like is listening to what has been written. You can do this by simply reading aloud or you can get a software program that will actually read the work to you! Many free software programs read text: all you need to do is download the program, install it, and cut and paste your information into the text reader. It is important to note however, that text readers do not pick up the emotional quality of words and they do not always read every word properly. Nevertheless, text readers can help writers “hear” the errors they may not necessarily be seeing in front of them.
Finally, if you really want to brush up on your grammar, you should study up on misspelled words. Many dictionaries and online Websites will provide you with a list of the most common misspelled words. An editor finds nothing more irritating than a great story that is poorly written, and misspelled words can cast a shadow over your work. So take up your pen and paper and begin studying the most commonly misspelled words in the English language.
Improper Word Usage
Spell checking may be a wonderful tool, but it has its pitfalls. It certainly does not catch all errors and it often overlooks improper word usage. Thus, the responsibility of correct word usage falls into the hands of the writer. If you are uncertain about how a word should be used, it is time to break out the trusty dictionary. Besides, dictionaries can actually be fun and there are some dictionaries on the market that offer a unique way to look up words. I own a “Descriptionary” that allows me to look up words and their associated descriptions. I also own and recommend a “Flip Dictionary,” a fantastic resource that allows writers to look something up even when they can’t remember what it is called.
Missing Words
When you proofread your manuscript, always make sure that every word you intend to present is accounted for. Sometimes the mind works faster than the writer. Check every sentence for missing or deleted words. In the end, it makes for a complete and polished copy of your work.
Use Your Words Sparingly
No one wants to read text that rambles on in an effort to fill up the page! If you are going to use words, do so sparingly. It is perfectly fine to be creative, but narrative that is too wordy tends to drown out the significance of what is being said. The best way to prevent your work from being too wordy is to limit your adverbs and adjectives.
If you use a lot of adverbs, or “ly” words, you are not using effective verbs. Use stronger verbs and fewer adverbs to tighten your writing. Effective verbs are powerful words that express what you want to get across to your reader in a compact form. Likewise, the overuse of adjectives makes writing seem muddled. When you used adjectives, be prudent about it.
Punctuation
While proofreading your work, be sure to review your punctuation. Does every sentence have a period? Does every question have a question mark? Did you capitalize the first word of every sentence and all proper nouns? When it comes to your finished copy, little things mean a lot! Be sure that every comma, semicolon, colon, quotation mark, and any other punctuation mark is in its proper place.
In short, you want your completed manuscript to shine and editors expect nothing less. If you want to show an editor, publisher or agent that you take pride in your work and that you are a true professional, take the time to polish your final manuscript. In doing so, you will be giving your work the chance it deserves.
Finding Time to Write
Time—where can I find more of it to write? Let's face it, everyone is busy. Most people feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything. This is even more true for writers who have a day job. We can't make more hours in the day, so we have to use them more
wisely.
The best suggestion I can give to writers pressed for time is this—buy a tape recorder. That way you can "write" your articles, short stories or novel while commuting to work, cooking dinner or waiting for the kids to get out of school.
This often-unused time is valuable. A lot of people misuse this time by simply doing nothing, time when they are awake and focused. Then they stay up night after night trying to get their writing done, struggling to stay awake.
If you don’t want to type later on you have two routes to choose from.
1. Hire someone. College kids are often good sources of cheap typist labor. If you don’t want to pay you may be able to convince a helpful friend or family member to be your typist. (Just remember not to abuse the privilege if you choose this route.)
2. Buy a voice recognition program. Set up the tape to play directly into the microphone. Bear in mind this method requires a clear recording and a quiet room.
This method can be an adjustment, especially if you’re not used to being recorded, but the advantages are well worth it.
Enjoy!
wisely.
The best suggestion I can give to writers pressed for time is this—buy a tape recorder. That way you can "write" your articles, short stories or novel while commuting to work, cooking dinner or waiting for the kids to get out of school.
This often-unused time is valuable. A lot of people misuse this time by simply doing nothing, time when they are awake and focused. Then they stay up night after night trying to get their writing done, struggling to stay awake.
If you don’t want to type later on you have two routes to choose from.
1. Hire someone. College kids are often good sources of cheap typist labor. If you don’t want to pay you may be able to convince a helpful friend or family member to be your typist. (Just remember not to abuse the privilege if you choose this route.)
2. Buy a voice recognition program. Set up the tape to play directly into the microphone. Bear in mind this method requires a clear recording and a quiet room.
This method can be an adjustment, especially if you’re not used to being recorded, but the advantages are well worth it.
Enjoy!
The Writing Process
Prewriting:
Begin by doing a free writing of a subject, any subject. Write as much as you can from what you already know of the subject, and if that is nothing, then start writing what you would like to know about your subject, and any questions that pop up. Research as much as you can, through books, the internet, interviews, movies, anything you can get your hands on pertaining to this subject, even if you’re not planning on using it in your writing. Here is the hard part. Closely examine your prewriting. Now ask yourself if you still have a solid interest in the subject. If not, throw it out and start over with something fresh. If it still tickles your fancy, then you need to think of an overall plan or design for organizing your writing, such as an outline or a list.
First draft:
Use your prewriting as a guideline for your first draft. Give your first paragraph something special to set the mood for your reader. Keep writing until you come to a natural stopping point. This isn’t the time to worry about provisions; work on developing your ideas. Keep in mind your first draft is your first of many of a developing idea—it isn’t set in stone.
Revising:
Now sit back with an open mind and read your first draft, but don’t be so quick to make changes yet. Just read it. Now re-read it: add, cut, swap, and rearrange your thoughts. Re-read it. Revise it. Now concentrate on your opening and closing paragraphs. Make sure the first tells your reader what they are getting into, and the last gives them a feeling of closure. Re-read it. Revise it.
Proofreading:
Now it is time to get your grammar books and dictionaries out. Review each sentence carefully for errors. Then read each sentence out loud. This will help you determine if your sentences are confusing or un- natural sounding.
Final copy:
Neatly type and print a few copies of your finished work according to the guidelines you are following, if any, or search for a market that is suitable for your writing.
Begin by doing a free writing of a subject, any subject. Write as much as you can from what you already know of the subject, and if that is nothing, then start writing what you would like to know about your subject, and any questions that pop up. Research as much as you can, through books, the internet, interviews, movies, anything you can get your hands on pertaining to this subject, even if you’re not planning on using it in your writing. Here is the hard part. Closely examine your prewriting. Now ask yourself if you still have a solid interest in the subject. If not, throw it out and start over with something fresh. If it still tickles your fancy, then you need to think of an overall plan or design for organizing your writing, such as an outline or a list.
First draft:
Use your prewriting as a guideline for your first draft. Give your first paragraph something special to set the mood for your reader. Keep writing until you come to a natural stopping point. This isn’t the time to worry about provisions; work on developing your ideas. Keep in mind your first draft is your first of many of a developing idea—it isn’t set in stone.
Revising:
Now sit back with an open mind and read your first draft, but don’t be so quick to make changes yet. Just read it. Now re-read it: add, cut, swap, and rearrange your thoughts. Re-read it. Revise it. Now concentrate on your opening and closing paragraphs. Make sure the first tells your reader what they are getting into, and the last gives them a feeling of closure. Re-read it. Revise it.
Proofreading:
Now it is time to get your grammar books and dictionaries out. Review each sentence carefully for errors. Then read each sentence out loud. This will help you determine if your sentences are confusing or un- natural sounding.
Final copy:
Neatly type and print a few copies of your finished work according to the guidelines you are following, if any, or search for a market that is suitable for your writing.
Monday, November 3, 2008
How to turn a Writer's Dreams into Reality
All writers have dreams of becoming best-sellers or full-timers. Here's a simple four-step plan to make your dreams come true.
Writers are many things but, above all else, they are dreamers. We spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about issues, creating characters and developing ideas.
But what about the dream ~ the writing dream?
Whether you dream of being a bestselling novelist, an in-demand freelancer or making a full-time living from the written word ~ the first step to achieving it is to conceive it.
Now, think about the last time you resolved to do something. Maybe it was at midnight on December 30 with the traditional New Year's Eve resolution.
Can you still remember what you resolved to do? More importantly, have you turned that dream into a reality?
For most people, their New Year's resolution is either forgotten or broken by the end of the first month.
It's a shame ~ it happens every year ~ but it's a good example of what does and will happen to other resolutions you have, if you don't back them up with action.
The second step in achieving your dream is to develop a road map. That is, setting goals and deadlines that work toward you achieving your desire.
Here's a simple strategy to get you moving in the right direction:
1. Define your goal
Get specific. What do you really want to achieve? Where do you want to be in one month, or in one year? Yes, you could write this in one sentence but try for a page or more. How will it make you feel? Sell yourself the features and benefits of achieving this goal. The more detail you have, the better.
2. Outline what you need to do
If your goal is to go pro this year as a writer, what do you need to do to make it happen? Break your goal down into stepping stones or mini goals which are easy, achievable and will bring you closer to attaining your dream. This may mean setting mini goals, such as study to prepare yourself for business; developing a business plan; identifying markets for your work or making important business contacts.
Make sure that each of your mini goals directs you ultimately to achieving your overall goal. Be aware of your overall goal, but don’t focus on achieving it. Keep your mind on one mini goal at a time, working toward its completion.
3. Attach deadlines
A goal is merely a dream unless you attach a deadline to its achievement. When you have a deadline, you become serious about your goal. By continually being aware of your goals and their deadlines, you generate a sense of urgency within you. You need a target otherwise it is too easy to drift off course.
4. Live your goal
Now we’re making progress. You have a goal, you have broken it into bite-sized goals with reasonable deadlines for achievement. Now, think about your overall goal, picture it in your mind, dream about it ~ 'see' it already in your life. 'Enjoy' the benefits it brings in your imagination.
Visualization is an integral part of meditation, and an important tool for achieving goals.
I have made this a part of my every day life, and you can too.
Get used to 'day dreaming' about your goal. Imagine that it's already a part of your life and, by methodically working on your mini goals, it will be sooner than you think.
There's no magic wand to setting and achieving goals. It takes a small investment of time up front and a commitment to its achievement.
Think about all of the things you have already achieved in your life ~ they all came at a cost ~ a commitment from you. But each was worth it, right? Well, the same applies here.
Here's what four other writers had to say about dreams . . .
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." ~ Harvey Mackay
"Most people never run far enough on their first wind, to find if they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got, and you'll be amazes at the energy that comes out of you." ~William James
"You see things and say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were and I say 'Why not?'" ~ George Bernard Shaw
"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born." ~ Dale E. Turner
Remember, it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. And, there's no better time than right NOW.
Writers are many things but, above all else, they are dreamers. We spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about issues, creating characters and developing ideas.
But what about the dream ~ the writing dream?
Whether you dream of being a bestselling novelist, an in-demand freelancer or making a full-time living from the written word ~ the first step to achieving it is to conceive it.
Now, think about the last time you resolved to do something. Maybe it was at midnight on December 30 with the traditional New Year's Eve resolution.
Can you still remember what you resolved to do? More importantly, have you turned that dream into a reality?
For most people, their New Year's resolution is either forgotten or broken by the end of the first month.
It's a shame ~ it happens every year ~ but it's a good example of what does and will happen to other resolutions you have, if you don't back them up with action.
The second step in achieving your dream is to develop a road map. That is, setting goals and deadlines that work toward you achieving your desire.
Here's a simple strategy to get you moving in the right direction:
1. Define your goal
Get specific. What do you really want to achieve? Where do you want to be in one month, or in one year? Yes, you could write this in one sentence but try for a page or more. How will it make you feel? Sell yourself the features and benefits of achieving this goal. The more detail you have, the better.
2. Outline what you need to do
If your goal is to go pro this year as a writer, what do you need to do to make it happen? Break your goal down into stepping stones or mini goals which are easy, achievable and will bring you closer to attaining your dream. This may mean setting mini goals, such as study to prepare yourself for business; developing a business plan; identifying markets for your work or making important business contacts.
Make sure that each of your mini goals directs you ultimately to achieving your overall goal. Be aware of your overall goal, but don’t focus on achieving it. Keep your mind on one mini goal at a time, working toward its completion.
3. Attach deadlines
A goal is merely a dream unless you attach a deadline to its achievement. When you have a deadline, you become serious about your goal. By continually being aware of your goals and their deadlines, you generate a sense of urgency within you. You need a target otherwise it is too easy to drift off course.
4. Live your goal
Now we’re making progress. You have a goal, you have broken it into bite-sized goals with reasonable deadlines for achievement. Now, think about your overall goal, picture it in your mind, dream about it ~ 'see' it already in your life. 'Enjoy' the benefits it brings in your imagination.
Visualization is an integral part of meditation, and an important tool for achieving goals.
I have made this a part of my every day life, and you can too.
Get used to 'day dreaming' about your goal. Imagine that it's already a part of your life and, by methodically working on your mini goals, it will be sooner than you think.
There's no magic wand to setting and achieving goals. It takes a small investment of time up front and a commitment to its achievement.
Think about all of the things you have already achieved in your life ~ they all came at a cost ~ a commitment from you. But each was worth it, right? Well, the same applies here.
Here's what four other writers had to say about dreams . . .
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." ~ Harvey Mackay
"Most people never run far enough on their first wind, to find if they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got, and you'll be amazes at the energy that comes out of you." ~William James
"You see things and say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were and I say 'Why not?'" ~ George Bernard Shaw
"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born." ~ Dale E. Turner
Remember, it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. And, there's no better time than right NOW.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Writing Process: Purity of Heart
Is this off topic? You might say it is, but then, if we are to write the best we can, then surely a pure heart is a necessity. At least, if what we wish to produce is to speak to others, warm them and inspire them, then we have to move beyond the voices in our head that censor us and limit us. We also have to toss aside our prejudices and our preconceived ideas about others, so that we can get to the root of what really matters in the world. We need to find our deepest connection with the world, our love of humanity, and let our creation grow from that connection, that empathy.
In articles 3 and 4 I emphasised repeatedly this need for empathy and courage. In the light of the recent attacks on America, I have chosen to publish this article, taken from a press release of N.D. Walsches, which will again stress the need to live in a state of love.
This need to live in a state of love is necessary for living a good life, but also, in my opinion at least, the spring board for creative writing that is worth sharing with others. Love breeds respect and honesty. In order to write your best you need to feel that love, of self if nothing else. Writing is inevitably going to confront us with our demons, is always going to ask us to rise to the challenge of securing our honesty and purity. There is no way to avoid this. The very second you lose this connection with self, it will scream back at you from the page in the form of mediocre, emotionless, bland writing.
Without this sense of purity, we will write irresponsibly, and the joy that creativity ought to give us, will be hard to find.
Neal Donald Walsches words, applied to the recent American tragedy in this case, apply to all facets of our lives, and especially our creative lives. Forgive my divergence, and in the next articles I will return to a more defined approach.
"If we could love even those who have attacked us, and seek to understand why they have done so, what then would be our response? Yet if we meet negativity with negativity, rage with rage, attack with attack, what then will be the outcome? These are the questions that are placed before the human race today. They are questions that we have failed to answer for thousands of years. Failure to answer them now could eliminate the need to answer them at all. We should make no mistake about this. The human race has the power to annihilate itself. We can end life as we know it on this planet in one afternoon. This is the first time in human history that we have been able to say this. And so now we must direct our attention to the questions that such power places before us. And we must answer these questions from a spiritual perspective, not a political perspective, and not a economic perspective. We must have our conversation with God, for only the grandest wisdom and the grandest truth can address the greatest problems and the greatest challenges in the history of our species. It is not as if we have not seen this coming. Every spiritual, political, and philosophical writer of the past 50 years has predicted it. So long as we continue to treat each other as we have done on this planet, the circumstance that we face on this day will continue to present itself. The difference is that now our technology makes our anger much more dangerous. In the early days of our civilization, we were able to inflict hurt upon each other using sticks and rocks and primitive weapons. Then, as our technology grew, it became possible for clans to war against clans, ultimately, for nations to war against nations. But even then, until most recent times, it was not possible for us to annihilate each other completely. We could destroy a village, or a town, or a major city, or even an entire nation, but only now is it possible for us to destroy our whole world so fast nothing can stop it once the process has begun. That is what makes this point in our history different from any other. And that is what makes this call for each of us to have our own conversation with God so appropriate and important."
In articles 3 and 4 I emphasised repeatedly this need for empathy and courage. In the light of the recent attacks on America, I have chosen to publish this article, taken from a press release of N.D. Walsches, which will again stress the need to live in a state of love.
This need to live in a state of love is necessary for living a good life, but also, in my opinion at least, the spring board for creative writing that is worth sharing with others. Love breeds respect and honesty. In order to write your best you need to feel that love, of self if nothing else. Writing is inevitably going to confront us with our demons, is always going to ask us to rise to the challenge of securing our honesty and purity. There is no way to avoid this. The very second you lose this connection with self, it will scream back at you from the page in the form of mediocre, emotionless, bland writing.
Without this sense of purity, we will write irresponsibly, and the joy that creativity ought to give us, will be hard to find.
Neal Donald Walsches words, applied to the recent American tragedy in this case, apply to all facets of our lives, and especially our creative lives. Forgive my divergence, and in the next articles I will return to a more defined approach.
"If we could love even those who have attacked us, and seek to understand why they have done so, what then would be our response? Yet if we meet negativity with negativity, rage with rage, attack with attack, what then will be the outcome? These are the questions that are placed before the human race today. They are questions that we have failed to answer for thousands of years. Failure to answer them now could eliminate the need to answer them at all. We should make no mistake about this. The human race has the power to annihilate itself. We can end life as we know it on this planet in one afternoon. This is the first time in human history that we have been able to say this. And so now we must direct our attention to the questions that such power places before us. And we must answer these questions from a spiritual perspective, not a political perspective, and not a economic perspective. We must have our conversation with God, for only the grandest wisdom and the grandest truth can address the greatest problems and the greatest challenges in the history of our species. It is not as if we have not seen this coming. Every spiritual, political, and philosophical writer of the past 50 years has predicted it. So long as we continue to treat each other as we have done on this planet, the circumstance that we face on this day will continue to present itself. The difference is that now our technology makes our anger much more dangerous. In the early days of our civilization, we were able to inflict hurt upon each other using sticks and rocks and primitive weapons. Then, as our technology grew, it became possible for clans to war against clans, ultimately, for nations to war against nations. But even then, until most recent times, it was not possible for us to annihilate each other completely. We could destroy a village, or a town, or a major city, or even an entire nation, but only now is it possible for us to destroy our whole world so fast nothing can stop it once the process has begun. That is what makes this point in our history different from any other. And that is what makes this call for each of us to have our own conversation with God so appropriate and important."
The Writing Process: Plotting
The plot is the beating heart of a novel. And despite character outlines and being aware of the conflicts and motivations of those characters, it can be as complicated and as delicate as open heart surgery to get the heart beating. One beat is not enough. The heart has to find its rhythm, and its continuity. The plot must be steady, reliable, strong enough to guide you through the writing process until it is completed.
I think the element that comes to mind here is courage. Courage to follow the voices in your head that tell you what your characters need or want to do in order to resolve or work out the elements of conflict that drive the novel forward. Courage, too, to say whatever needs to be said. Is this confusing? If someone had said this to me before I had written a novel myself I might not have understood it. But, believe me, to write the novel you will need courage.
The moment you start to write the plot, many conflicting voices will start to sound in your head. There’s the voice telling you that your idea is unrealistic. There’s another telling you it’s silly, superficial, unnecessary, boring. There’s yet another telling you that you’re not the one to write this novel. And another one, maybe the most powerful, telling you to quit having delusions of grandeur and to go back to your mundane existence. These are the voices of your fear and your resistance. These are the voices that will prevent many from ever putting pen to paper. These are the voices of your imagined, external world, a critical, unfriendly world.
These are not reality. They are just your imagination. And, in order to overcome them, you must make the decision that you are writing this book for yourself, in the first instance, and for a wider public, maybe. This book is for you; this is your growth, your development. This book is your way of making sense of the experiences you have and the events you have seen, and the people who have crossed your path.
So, if fear and embarrassment and a feeling of inadequacy prevent your literary heart from beating, then a certain selfishness, and a need to make sense of your world, and moreover an acceptance that you are writing initially for yourself, should be the jolt it needs to start it up.
You will be surprised, but even at the plotting stage you will feel the momentum gather, and the story take shape, once you have overcome this initial, paralysing fear. You know your characters, and what you want them to overcome and achieve. You also know, have decided where these conflicts take place, in terms of geography, history, and society. And once you blend these elements into a story, secondary characters, events, new conflicts needing to be resolved, will present themselves.
At this stage the plot can be written into a synopsis. How long a synopsis is, is purely personal. I prefer to keep a synopsis short, letting the secondary characters present themselves. I then return to my character sketches and write a rough outline of those characters to add to my initial sketches.
In the case of The Cloths of Heaven, when I had written about one A4 for the plot, I had added mothers, fathers, friends, etc to my three main characters. What also came to light at this point was my need to literally draw a map of a fictitious street in Limerick City, which was to be the common setting for the entire book. This street was the base for everything that happened in the book. The characters might move on, but the link, the core, would be this one street. I called it James’ Street, and set about drawing the map. I needed it to incorporate a Church, a shop, a pub, and schools. I also wanted it to be close the banks of the River Shannon, and yet not too far away from the city centre. And more importantly, it had to cease to exist once my story was completed. So it had to be an area that would be included in any inner city development plans which were taking place in Limerick at that time. I wanted these people to come together, create something together, deal with issues together, and once they had moved on, I wanted even the evidence that they had ever been together, to be no more than a story. I wanted the entire novel to have a mythological quality, to emphasise the very Irishness of it.
I drew the map, placed Michael at the Church, Sheila in one of the terraced houses with her mother and father, and decided that Maud would live in a caravan with her mother, who, with her gypsy-like wildness, might just become a more important character than even I had planned. Maud’s mother, Kitty, might just be the electricity that would keep this novel alive.
Being methodical and needing clarity, the next stage for me has to be the chapter breakdown. Not all writers need this much preparation – D.H. Lawrence preferred to let the book take him on a journey of discovery so he did very little preparation. John Irving and Minette Walters do a lot of research and planning. I fall somewhere in the middle. But I need a chapter breakdown if only to see if there’s enough muscle to the plot
I think the element that comes to mind here is courage. Courage to follow the voices in your head that tell you what your characters need or want to do in order to resolve or work out the elements of conflict that drive the novel forward. Courage, too, to say whatever needs to be said. Is this confusing? If someone had said this to me before I had written a novel myself I might not have understood it. But, believe me, to write the novel you will need courage.
The moment you start to write the plot, many conflicting voices will start to sound in your head. There’s the voice telling you that your idea is unrealistic. There’s another telling you it’s silly, superficial, unnecessary, boring. There’s yet another telling you that you’re not the one to write this novel. And another one, maybe the most powerful, telling you to quit having delusions of grandeur and to go back to your mundane existence. These are the voices of your fear and your resistance. These are the voices that will prevent many from ever putting pen to paper. These are the voices of your imagined, external world, a critical, unfriendly world.
These are not reality. They are just your imagination. And, in order to overcome them, you must make the decision that you are writing this book for yourself, in the first instance, and for a wider public, maybe. This book is for you; this is your growth, your development. This book is your way of making sense of the experiences you have and the events you have seen, and the people who have crossed your path.
So, if fear and embarrassment and a feeling of inadequacy prevent your literary heart from beating, then a certain selfishness, and a need to make sense of your world, and moreover an acceptance that you are writing initially for yourself, should be the jolt it needs to start it up.
You will be surprised, but even at the plotting stage you will feel the momentum gather, and the story take shape, once you have overcome this initial, paralysing fear. You know your characters, and what you want them to overcome and achieve. You also know, have decided where these conflicts take place, in terms of geography, history, and society. And once you blend these elements into a story, secondary characters, events, new conflicts needing to be resolved, will present themselves.
At this stage the plot can be written into a synopsis. How long a synopsis is, is purely personal. I prefer to keep a synopsis short, letting the secondary characters present themselves. I then return to my character sketches and write a rough outline of those characters to add to my initial sketches.
In the case of The Cloths of Heaven, when I had written about one A4 for the plot, I had added mothers, fathers, friends, etc to my three main characters. What also came to light at this point was my need to literally draw a map of a fictitious street in Limerick City, which was to be the common setting for the entire book. This street was the base for everything that happened in the book. The characters might move on, but the link, the core, would be this one street. I called it James’ Street, and set about drawing the map. I needed it to incorporate a Church, a shop, a pub, and schools. I also wanted it to be close the banks of the River Shannon, and yet not too far away from the city centre. And more importantly, it had to cease to exist once my story was completed. So it had to be an area that would be included in any inner city development plans which were taking place in Limerick at that time. I wanted these people to come together, create something together, deal with issues together, and once they had moved on, I wanted even the evidence that they had ever been together, to be no more than a story. I wanted the entire novel to have a mythological quality, to emphasise the very Irishness of it.
I drew the map, placed Michael at the Church, Sheila in one of the terraced houses with her mother and father, and decided that Maud would live in a caravan with her mother, who, with her gypsy-like wildness, might just become a more important character than even I had planned. Maud’s mother, Kitty, might just be the electricity that would keep this novel alive.
Being methodical and needing clarity, the next stage for me has to be the chapter breakdown. Not all writers need this much preparation – D.H. Lawrence preferred to let the book take him on a journey of discovery so he did very little preparation. John Irving and Minette Walters do a lot of research and planning. I fall somewhere in the middle. But I need a chapter breakdown if only to see if there’s enough muscle to the plot
The Writing Process: Characterisation
The process has just begun. Having gathered together the pieces that will form the backbone to the story, several things have to happen before these ideas can grow into a novel.
I have my main characters and I have established their motivations. I know the time and place in history in which I want the story to take place, and I am aware that I need conflict to drive my characters. But that is not a novel.
I will, at this stage, write a very brief outline. I wouldn’t even call it a synopsis, but rather a gathering of the elements I have established. It can be no more than a couple of sentences, something to kick start me into ‘living the novel’, of getting that mental film up and running.
At this point, almost at the very beginning of a novel, it is imperative to have patience. Let your mind dwell on the elements you have, without forcing their growth. It is not necessary at this stage to write CHAPTER 1 and to dive in. What is necessary is to think about the characters, know how old they are, what colour hair they have. Are they tall, short? Can you base them on anyone you know? And also, and this is more important than you might initially think – what are their names?
I like to write a character sketch for my main characters, at least an A4 per character. Knowing the character, finding his foibles and passions, will help fatten out the plot too. Also, and this is a pivotal point for me, each of the characters has to illustrate some particular trait, and that trait must be emphasised. Although in real life, a person may display many facets, if we were to have fictional characters incorporating too many traits, it will make the story confusing, and believe it or not, unbelievable. Readers need, to a certain extent, to rely on a character behaving consistently. More so than we see in real life.
I will state though it might sound clich鬠that it is imperative to relate to the main characters. I might want to step into the shoes of the one I have chosen to be the narrator, and this is all too easy to do, but if the novel is to be credible, then I must feel the same rapport with the others. In the case of The Cloths of Heaven, I had to feel Maud and Michael (the priest) just as strongly as I felt Sheila (my narrator with CP). And this is where the advantage of limiting the character traits per character comes in. I could find aspects of my own character, and times in life when I had been in conflict either with myself, or my environment, remember how it felt to be in that place in time. I can remember sadness, I can remember anger, and I can remember frustration. I can also remember sheer joy, contentment, feeling a sense of achievement. And they all feel different. So even if one of my characters is less likeable than the others, or is farther removed from my own set of values, I can plug into the sensation by using my own life experiences. And for me, being able to plug in to ALL characters is a must. At no stage in a novel do I want the reader to detect that I might be TAKING SIDES in any issue that might arise. I am a chronicler; it is not my intention to become a didactic.
I recently read House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. A magnificent novel displaying great literary skill. But more than that, it is a perfect example of the point I am making above. Andre Dubus III makes it even more complicated by using not one, but two narrators, alternating chapter by chapter from an unstable female to a dogmatic, disagreeable Iranian husband and father. Dubus speaks through both characters with equal conviction. But what he also does, and this to me shows his craft, he illustrates each one’s flaws and weaknesses and less palatable traits, by what each says himself! This gives the reader complete freedom to form his own opinion about each character. Not once in the entire novel do we hear a whisper of Dubus himself. Never do we feel nudged in a particular direction. We never find out what Dubus himself thought of the actions of his characters. And that, to my mind, is a feat of genius, and characterisation.
In The Cloths of Heaven, I had only one narrator and two other main characters but the impartiality (or complete partiality) that Dubus illustrates was no less important. I had to like all the characters. I to find an empathy that would endure, whatever the plot had them do. That is why I choose to establish the characters, and acquaint myself with them BEFORE I know exactly where the plot is going.
It is possible however, to have a character with a particular trait grow and develop and become more than we would have initially expected. (And this is where plotting comes in). Through the conflicts he endures he might be changed, either for the better or the worse, but he cannot JUST change in order to fit the plot – then the plot has not been properly thought out. A good example of this type of development is Scrooge, from Dickens’ Christmas Carol. He is enticed into becoming more giving and generous by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, that he has seen. His changes, though a surprise to the other characters in the book, are not unexpected to the readers.
And if the characters are the arms and legs, then the plot is the beating heart of a novel.
I have my main characters and I have established their motivations. I know the time and place in history in which I want the story to take place, and I am aware that I need conflict to drive my characters. But that is not a novel.
I will, at this stage, write a very brief outline. I wouldn’t even call it a synopsis, but rather a gathering of the elements I have established. It can be no more than a couple of sentences, something to kick start me into ‘living the novel’, of getting that mental film up and running.
At this point, almost at the very beginning of a novel, it is imperative to have patience. Let your mind dwell on the elements you have, without forcing their growth. It is not necessary at this stage to write CHAPTER 1 and to dive in. What is necessary is to think about the characters, know how old they are, what colour hair they have. Are they tall, short? Can you base them on anyone you know? And also, and this is more important than you might initially think – what are their names?
I like to write a character sketch for my main characters, at least an A4 per character. Knowing the character, finding his foibles and passions, will help fatten out the plot too. Also, and this is a pivotal point for me, each of the characters has to illustrate some particular trait, and that trait must be emphasised. Although in real life, a person may display many facets, if we were to have fictional characters incorporating too many traits, it will make the story confusing, and believe it or not, unbelievable. Readers need, to a certain extent, to rely on a character behaving consistently. More so than we see in real life.
I will state though it might sound clich鬠that it is imperative to relate to the main characters. I might want to step into the shoes of the one I have chosen to be the narrator, and this is all too easy to do, but if the novel is to be credible, then I must feel the same rapport with the others. In the case of The Cloths of Heaven, I had to feel Maud and Michael (the priest) just as strongly as I felt Sheila (my narrator with CP). And this is where the advantage of limiting the character traits per character comes in. I could find aspects of my own character, and times in life when I had been in conflict either with myself, or my environment, remember how it felt to be in that place in time. I can remember sadness, I can remember anger, and I can remember frustration. I can also remember sheer joy, contentment, feeling a sense of achievement. And they all feel different. So even if one of my characters is less likeable than the others, or is farther removed from my own set of values, I can plug into the sensation by using my own life experiences. And for me, being able to plug in to ALL characters is a must. At no stage in a novel do I want the reader to detect that I might be TAKING SIDES in any issue that might arise. I am a chronicler; it is not my intention to become a didactic.
I recently read House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. A magnificent novel displaying great literary skill. But more than that, it is a perfect example of the point I am making above. Andre Dubus III makes it even more complicated by using not one, but two narrators, alternating chapter by chapter from an unstable female to a dogmatic, disagreeable Iranian husband and father. Dubus speaks through both characters with equal conviction. But what he also does, and this to me shows his craft, he illustrates each one’s flaws and weaknesses and less palatable traits, by what each says himself! This gives the reader complete freedom to form his own opinion about each character. Not once in the entire novel do we hear a whisper of Dubus himself. Never do we feel nudged in a particular direction. We never find out what Dubus himself thought of the actions of his characters. And that, to my mind, is a feat of genius, and characterisation.
In The Cloths of Heaven, I had only one narrator and two other main characters but the impartiality (or complete partiality) that Dubus illustrates was no less important. I had to like all the characters. I to find an empathy that would endure, whatever the plot had them do. That is why I choose to establish the characters, and acquaint myself with them BEFORE I know exactly where the plot is going.
It is possible however, to have a character with a particular trait grow and develop and become more than we would have initially expected. (And this is where plotting comes in). Through the conflicts he endures he might be changed, either for the better or the worse, but he cannot JUST change in order to fit the plot – then the plot has not been properly thought out. A good example of this type of development is Scrooge, from Dickens’ Christmas Carol. He is enticed into becoming more giving and generous by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, that he has seen. His changes, though a surprise to the other characters in the book, are not unexpected to the readers.
And if the characters are the arms and legs, then the plot is the beating heart of a novel.
The Writing Process: On Inspiration?
So there it was. My ideas were as good as anyone else’s, and it was OK for my inspiration to shoot out of everyday, dare I say, mundane events. And once that notion took root, it was as though the universe decided to work with me. Events came together; information reached me through gossip, television, chats over dinner, and an anthology of poetry.
I should count myself blessed to be Irish, even though I haven’t lived there for over sixteen years. Ireland is the land of storytellers. There is an atmosphere in Ireland that is found nowhere else I’ve been. The air trills with a suppressed passion. And because of the restraints of the church there is always the hint that one day people will stand up and scream that they are going to break free, and hang the consequences. I feel it immediately I step off the plane, and time and again I feel driven to write about it.
After a four-year absence, I decided to go home to Ireland and spend some time with my family, especially my brother, who has CP. Since his birth I have felt a special bond with him; at times I think I can feel what he feels. And on this occasion, I felt his frustration and his longing to be heard, to be understood and moreover, to be taken seriously. That was my motivation – to give him a voice. And I wanted that voice to be heard, and to capture the hearts’ of eventual readers, and the only way to do that was to wrap his existence into a page turning piece of fiction. That was the driving force behind this novel.
But knowing that I wanted to give my brother a voice, and knowing that the best way to do that was through fiction, was not a plot, was not a story. But it was a great motivator. It was the reason my mind ‘tuned in’ to my surroundings. All I had to do have faith and trust that the snippets of information I picked up would, if given the chance, fit together like a jig zaw puzzle. As it happens I didn’t have to wait long for the first thread of a plot to present itself.
We were sitting around the dinner table one evening chatting, and the topic that was on the tip of everyone’s tongue was the recent scandal involving the Catholic Church, in particular the less than honourable behaviour displayed by some priests. I was all ears. The butterflies in my stomach told me that this would be an important element in my plot development.
But there needed to be more. I needed a protagonist, someone to link the disabled and the able worlds. I wanted a totally contrasting figure to the narrator, someone to link all the characters, someone large and exciting enough to carry the desires and dreams of the disabled narrator. And at that moment, I was given a copy of Yeats’ poetry anthology, with a short bio, wherein Maud Gonne was introduced.
Maud Gonne - who was the inspiration for the exquisite love poem – He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. Immediately, I had a name for this protagonist, and a title for the book.
The Cloths of Heaven was taking shape. The sources of inspiration were normal and nothing spectacular of themselves. They did not come to me in a vision (though if this happens, great!). I did not have to visit an exotic location, or be exposed to extraordinary events. I was inspired, because I believed that EVERYTHING is potentially inspiring. My source of inspiration and the method I employ to use what happens around me, is unique to me, just as Anne Rice and Maeve Binchy each has her own source and method.
Okay, the inspiration was there. I had three characters, the pivot to the plot. I had the situation, and the environment, and I had the setting. Remembering what I had learned from reading How-to books on writing. I decided I wanted a character-based book, letting their psychological development steer the plot. I knew too, that for a book to come to life there is one element that cannot be omitted – the element of conflict. But there are several types of conflict. Inner conflict. Conflict between individuals. But, there is also the universal conflict of man against his surroundings. I was determined to incorporate all three.
And that would be the arms and legs, and the beating heart of this story.
I should count myself blessed to be Irish, even though I haven’t lived there for over sixteen years. Ireland is the land of storytellers. There is an atmosphere in Ireland that is found nowhere else I’ve been. The air trills with a suppressed passion. And because of the restraints of the church there is always the hint that one day people will stand up and scream that they are going to break free, and hang the consequences. I feel it immediately I step off the plane, and time and again I feel driven to write about it.
After a four-year absence, I decided to go home to Ireland and spend some time with my family, especially my brother, who has CP. Since his birth I have felt a special bond with him; at times I think I can feel what he feels. And on this occasion, I felt his frustration and his longing to be heard, to be understood and moreover, to be taken seriously. That was my motivation – to give him a voice. And I wanted that voice to be heard, and to capture the hearts’ of eventual readers, and the only way to do that was to wrap his existence into a page turning piece of fiction. That was the driving force behind this novel.
But knowing that I wanted to give my brother a voice, and knowing that the best way to do that was through fiction, was not a plot, was not a story. But it was a great motivator. It was the reason my mind ‘tuned in’ to my surroundings. All I had to do have faith and trust that the snippets of information I picked up would, if given the chance, fit together like a jig zaw puzzle. As it happens I didn’t have to wait long for the first thread of a plot to present itself.
We were sitting around the dinner table one evening chatting, and the topic that was on the tip of everyone’s tongue was the recent scandal involving the Catholic Church, in particular the less than honourable behaviour displayed by some priests. I was all ears. The butterflies in my stomach told me that this would be an important element in my plot development.
But there needed to be more. I needed a protagonist, someone to link the disabled and the able worlds. I wanted a totally contrasting figure to the narrator, someone to link all the characters, someone large and exciting enough to carry the desires and dreams of the disabled narrator. And at that moment, I was given a copy of Yeats’ poetry anthology, with a short bio, wherein Maud Gonne was introduced.
Maud Gonne - who was the inspiration for the exquisite love poem – He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. Immediately, I had a name for this protagonist, and a title for the book.
The Cloths of Heaven was taking shape. The sources of inspiration were normal and nothing spectacular of themselves. They did not come to me in a vision (though if this happens, great!). I did not have to visit an exotic location, or be exposed to extraordinary events. I was inspired, because I believed that EVERYTHING is potentially inspiring. My source of inspiration and the method I employ to use what happens around me, is unique to me, just as Anne Rice and Maeve Binchy each has her own source and method.
Okay, the inspiration was there. I had three characters, the pivot to the plot. I had the situation, and the environment, and I had the setting. Remembering what I had learned from reading How-to books on writing. I decided I wanted a character-based book, letting their psychological development steer the plot. I knew too, that for a book to come to life there is one element that cannot be omitted – the element of conflict. But there are several types of conflict. Inner conflict. Conflict between individuals. But, there is also the universal conflict of man against his surroundings. I was determined to incorporate all three.
And that would be the arms and legs, and the beating heart of this story.
The Writing Process: Digging Deep
In the previous article I took the liberty of using the words of N.D. Walsch to take a slightly off topic step. In this one I am back on track.
In article 4 I talked about plotting and touched briefly on the concept of the chapter breakdown - for me this is an important step in the process.
It’s all too easy to want to hasten the process and just get on with the actual novel, and I am sure there are plenty of novelists who are capable of doing so, but I would strongly recommend that a novice novelist take the time to do a chapter breakdown. The chapter breakdown will serve more than one purpose. Not only will it give more clarity to your initial inspiration, but it will also be a valuable aid in letting your characters evolve. And even more importantly, by going through the mechanics of a chapter breakdown, you will be able to see if there’s enough ‘meat on the bones’ of your plot. If at this stage the plot cannot be padded out into about fifteen chapters, then there’s not enough story to grow into a novel.
Given that you do have a fifteen-chapter story, then the breakdown will be an invaluable aid in your writing of the novel-in-progress. On those dull days when you feel overwhelmed by this project the chapter breakdown will do just that – break it down into manageable parts. It will also be your guide, and keep your mind clear and your thoughts directed. It will serve as a map and hold your focus. If you have chosen a less traditional novel form, one without the constraints of chronology, geography or historical context, then using the chapter breakdown will be your structure. I don’t know whether Michael Ondaatje used a chapter breakdown when writing "The English Patient," but I do know that were I to write such a complex novel, then I would definitely take the time to map out the story in this form.
There are novelists who shy away from a chapter breakdown, believing it will take the spontaneity out of their writing, and prevent the plot from developing and the characters to unfold naturally. And certainly I would agree with this opinion, if you choose to stick to the initial chapter breakdown as though it was written in blood. But if you give yourself the freedom to change and adapt, or swap chapters around, or re-write a whole section, then no, this need not be the case. Then the advantages then outweigh the disadvantages.
And now, with the chapter breakdown completed the first hurdle to your novel presents itself in the form of the OPENING SENTENCE. I have a rather simplistic solution to this – just write whatever comes into your head in order to get the story going. You can always change it at a later stage, even when the first draft is completed. At that stage the story will have grown into its own style and tone and chances are that even if you’d struggled for weeks on that elusive first sentence, you’d want to change it now, anyway! So spare yourself the headache.
I mentioned the word momentum earlier in the article. Now that you’ve written that first word, put that first, virgin idea onto paper (or your word processor), make an appointment with yourself in the same way you would with a colleague, friend or family member, that you will sit in your writing chair at a certain time every day or week. Inspired or not, you will write something. By making this appointment you are creating momentum.
Eventually writing will become as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. The novel will inhabit your thoughts. The plot will unfold; the characters will talk to you. The novel will live, become real, tangible almost. And who cares if you fail to get it word perfect first time. Just go with the flow. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is a first draft, and it can always be adapted and improved. A blank page is just a blank page!
When you reach a point where you miss the writing if you break that appointment, when you feel restless when not writing, when you don’t break that appointment because ‘something else’ comes up, you know you are a true writer. You know you have committed to this project.
And on those days when, despite your dedication you sit in your writing chair, and the characters do not speak to you, then do as Ann Lamott suggests in her inspirational writing guide “Bird by Bird” and take a pen and a note pad and write. Journalise, scribble, write the first thing that comes into your head. Just write. And don’t stop until you’ve written 300 words.
This is mental aerobics. And it works for several reasons, some of which will be dealt with in subsequent articles.
In article 4 I talked about plotting and touched briefly on the concept of the chapter breakdown - for me this is an important step in the process.
It’s all too easy to want to hasten the process and just get on with the actual novel, and I am sure there are plenty of novelists who are capable of doing so, but I would strongly recommend that a novice novelist take the time to do a chapter breakdown. The chapter breakdown will serve more than one purpose. Not only will it give more clarity to your initial inspiration, but it will also be a valuable aid in letting your characters evolve. And even more importantly, by going through the mechanics of a chapter breakdown, you will be able to see if there’s enough ‘meat on the bones’ of your plot. If at this stage the plot cannot be padded out into about fifteen chapters, then there’s not enough story to grow into a novel.
Given that you do have a fifteen-chapter story, then the breakdown will be an invaluable aid in your writing of the novel-in-progress. On those dull days when you feel overwhelmed by this project the chapter breakdown will do just that – break it down into manageable parts. It will also be your guide, and keep your mind clear and your thoughts directed. It will serve as a map and hold your focus. If you have chosen a less traditional novel form, one without the constraints of chronology, geography or historical context, then using the chapter breakdown will be your structure. I don’t know whether Michael Ondaatje used a chapter breakdown when writing "The English Patient," but I do know that were I to write such a complex novel, then I would definitely take the time to map out the story in this form.
There are novelists who shy away from a chapter breakdown, believing it will take the spontaneity out of their writing, and prevent the plot from developing and the characters to unfold naturally. And certainly I would agree with this opinion, if you choose to stick to the initial chapter breakdown as though it was written in blood. But if you give yourself the freedom to change and adapt, or swap chapters around, or re-write a whole section, then no, this need not be the case. Then the advantages then outweigh the disadvantages.
And now, with the chapter breakdown completed the first hurdle to your novel presents itself in the form of the OPENING SENTENCE. I have a rather simplistic solution to this – just write whatever comes into your head in order to get the story going. You can always change it at a later stage, even when the first draft is completed. At that stage the story will have grown into its own style and tone and chances are that even if you’d struggled for weeks on that elusive first sentence, you’d want to change it now, anyway! So spare yourself the headache.
I mentioned the word momentum earlier in the article. Now that you’ve written that first word, put that first, virgin idea onto paper (or your word processor), make an appointment with yourself in the same way you would with a colleague, friend or family member, that you will sit in your writing chair at a certain time every day or week. Inspired or not, you will write something. By making this appointment you are creating momentum.
Eventually writing will become as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. The novel will inhabit your thoughts. The plot will unfold; the characters will talk to you. The novel will live, become real, tangible almost. And who cares if you fail to get it word perfect first time. Just go with the flow. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is a first draft, and it can always be adapted and improved. A blank page is just a blank page!
When you reach a point where you miss the writing if you break that appointment, when you feel restless when not writing, when you don’t break that appointment because ‘something else’ comes up, you know you are a true writer. You know you have committed to this project.
And on those days when, despite your dedication you sit in your writing chair, and the characters do not speak to you, then do as Ann Lamott suggests in her inspirational writing guide “Bird by Bird” and take a pen and a note pad and write. Journalise, scribble, write the first thing that comes into your head. Just write. And don’t stop until you’ve written 300 words.
This is mental aerobics. And it works for several reasons, some of which will be dealt with in subsequent articles.
The Writing Process: Mental aerobics
Sportsmen and women will all tell you that when they are exercising, there comes a moment when a new level of consciousness kicks in. A moment when that voice inside their head stops telling them to give up, that they cannot go on a moment longer, or worse still, that they never should have started in the first place. When that moment comes the body and mind unite and they develop a rhythm, not too fast, not too slow. Their breathing settles, and there is no doubt in their mind that they will reach that finish line, or see the clock hit the top of the hour, or that they will keep pumping till the music stops.
With writing it’s the same process. As was mentioned in previous articles, the hardest part about writing is learning to override those voices in you head that tell you to stop. The voices of ridicule that make you feel like an impostor. The voices of criticism that belittle your efforts, laugh at your plots and characters, and in short suggest, not too gently that you ‘get real’ and leave the writing to those with talent.
What’s needed here is mental aerobics. And that’s where a journal comes in handy. Keeping a journal will help you still those voices. It will bring you to that moment of unity, when hand and mind and inspiration harmonise.
The moment before harmony is attained, you will, just like an athlete, have a moment of excruciating anguish, and that is the moment of truth. By journalising, you bring to the surface your insecurities, mistaken beliefs and prejudices about yourself, that you internalised and that have become your (de)motivators. Write them down; read them over and over again until they lose their power over you. Then write some new ones, ones that are in tune with your desire to write. These are all you need, for it is my belief that if you have a desire to write, then you will also find the talent to do it. Take your desire seriously – it is there for a reason. And remember, if you listen to the (de) motivators, then you will become one of those people who say ‘if only’ in the future and hang your head in disappointment. If you get beyond the voice of the (de) motivator and write that novel, or short story, or poem, then you will carry a sense of achievement with you for the rest of your life. You will be that marathon runner whose feet have crossed the finish line.
The only regrets in this life are for things NOT done.
Feel free to compare yourself to famous people, those you see fulfilling their dreams and daring to stand in the limelight. Catch a serious dose of hero worship and wallow in it. Take your favourite person (who doesn’t have to be a writer) and decide just what characteristics in them it is you admire so much. Then realise that you have those characteristics too. What you see in the other person, is often a reflection of what you have but have not yet owned or internalised. Remember that you have been filled with all those other ‘unproductive’ ideas and there has been no room for self-admiration. So, with the journal you have cleared the decks, so to speak. You have literally had a spring clean, and now you can start building some new ideas.
My favourite people are usually pop stars, and I have been laughed at or ridiculed for having the audacity or the stupidity to mention my own name in the same sentence as theirs (more of the voices that will paralyse when left to fester). My heroes were Sting, James Hetfield (of Metallica fame) and Freddie Mercury. And when I investigated my admiration, the common denominator was their courage. All three were prepared to break the mould in their chosen field and in their upbringing. Sting, initially associated with the Punk movement, dared to be intelligent. James Hetfield, a thrash metal guitarist and singer, displayed a tender, emotional side to his character, and wrote ‘meaningful’ lyrics. Freddie Mercury, of Persian descent, and brought up in a strict, religious environment, had the courage to be flamboyant, gay and utterly ‘over the top’. I wanted some of their audacity, their tenacity, and their courage.
But more than this, by identifying with these heroes, and by humanising them, my own ambitions to become a novelist did not seem so ridiculous any more. We are all born naked, and have to learn to make our way in the world. ALL of us, without exception eat and sleep and laugh and cry.
So, my becoming a novelist is no more ridiculous than Sting becoming a performer. All I need is the same determination. All I must do is switch off those voices in my head.
With writing it’s the same process. As was mentioned in previous articles, the hardest part about writing is learning to override those voices in you head that tell you to stop. The voices of ridicule that make you feel like an impostor. The voices of criticism that belittle your efforts, laugh at your plots and characters, and in short suggest, not too gently that you ‘get real’ and leave the writing to those with talent.
What’s needed here is mental aerobics. And that’s where a journal comes in handy. Keeping a journal will help you still those voices. It will bring you to that moment of unity, when hand and mind and inspiration harmonise.
The moment before harmony is attained, you will, just like an athlete, have a moment of excruciating anguish, and that is the moment of truth. By journalising, you bring to the surface your insecurities, mistaken beliefs and prejudices about yourself, that you internalised and that have become your (de)motivators. Write them down; read them over and over again until they lose their power over you. Then write some new ones, ones that are in tune with your desire to write. These are all you need, for it is my belief that if you have a desire to write, then you will also find the talent to do it. Take your desire seriously – it is there for a reason. And remember, if you listen to the (de) motivators, then you will become one of those people who say ‘if only’ in the future and hang your head in disappointment. If you get beyond the voice of the (de) motivator and write that novel, or short story, or poem, then you will carry a sense of achievement with you for the rest of your life. You will be that marathon runner whose feet have crossed the finish line.
The only regrets in this life are for things NOT done.
Feel free to compare yourself to famous people, those you see fulfilling their dreams and daring to stand in the limelight. Catch a serious dose of hero worship and wallow in it. Take your favourite person (who doesn’t have to be a writer) and decide just what characteristics in them it is you admire so much. Then realise that you have those characteristics too. What you see in the other person, is often a reflection of what you have but have not yet owned or internalised. Remember that you have been filled with all those other ‘unproductive’ ideas and there has been no room for self-admiration. So, with the journal you have cleared the decks, so to speak. You have literally had a spring clean, and now you can start building some new ideas.
My favourite people are usually pop stars, and I have been laughed at or ridiculed for having the audacity or the stupidity to mention my own name in the same sentence as theirs (more of the voices that will paralyse when left to fester). My heroes were Sting, James Hetfield (of Metallica fame) and Freddie Mercury. And when I investigated my admiration, the common denominator was their courage. All three were prepared to break the mould in their chosen field and in their upbringing. Sting, initially associated with the Punk movement, dared to be intelligent. James Hetfield, a thrash metal guitarist and singer, displayed a tender, emotional side to his character, and wrote ‘meaningful’ lyrics. Freddie Mercury, of Persian descent, and brought up in a strict, religious environment, had the courage to be flamboyant, gay and utterly ‘over the top’. I wanted some of their audacity, their tenacity, and their courage.
But more than this, by identifying with these heroes, and by humanising them, my own ambitions to become a novelist did not seem so ridiculous any more. We are all born naked, and have to learn to make our way in the world. ALL of us, without exception eat and sleep and laugh and cry.
So, my becoming a novelist is no more ridiculous than Sting becoming a performer. All I need is the same determination. All I must do is switch off those voices in my head.
The Writing Process: Sensuality
This article will be more difficult for me to write than were the other articles. This article will consider the aspect that I myself have had the most difficulty in understanding. The mechanisms I will try to describe here are ones that require strength of spirit to come to terms with. Dealing with these mechanisms and digging even deeper in the search for your best creative self demands that you take on board all aspects of your emotional self. Also, when you have read this article and absorbed what I have attempted to say, then please do add your own opinions on this process. If I have left out anything significant or if I have said something that you do not agree with, then please say so. In this area, I don’t think we are ever done learning and improving and growing as creative beings.
Writing is a sensual activity. It engages the higher senses - the five basic emotions: joy, sorrow, anger, fear, and sexual feeling. In order to write the best we can, we must face ALL of these emotions. In our society, mistakenly, we have labelled some emotions ‘good’ and others ‘bad’. We are prepared to admit to the ‘good’ emotions but spend a lot of time and energy denying the 'bad’, resulting in poor writing, non-authentic writing, or worse still, in writer’s block.
The usually accepted ‘good’ emotions are joy, sexual feelings (sometimes) and sorrow (though this must be borne stoically). The bad feelings are anger, fear, and again sexual feelings (when judged to be inappropriate). But unless we own all of these we can hardly be expected to create three dimensional, believable characters or to empathise. We cannot put them into conflict situations that test their strengths and their weaknesses.
But more importantly, if we are in the business of denial, it will seep into our work, and have the same paralysing effect as those other, internalised voices that live in our head. Paradoxically, if we were not ‘emotional’ ‘sensual’ people, we would probably not even have the urge to write fiction. We would not be curious enough, or restless enough, or passionate enough. Living in denial would wear us out.
Consider this: it is the spirit fighting to break through the conscious denial that drives us to become writers. It is the need to peel away layer after protective layer of non-authentic behaviour and the hunger for the truth that motivates us to put pen to paper. It is the unwillingness to accept that ‘this is all there is’ that awakens our curiosity and passion.
Yet, if we are unaware of this process and imagine ourselves to be able to write meaningful fiction while living superficially, the anger, fear, and all the other ‘bad’ feelings will creep into the writing, making it heavy and laborious. And as long as we are unable to own those feelings, as long as we fail to recognise them as part of ourselves, then we cannot contain them. We will not be able to take a step back from them, dilute them if necessary, and reproduce them in an appropriate manner; one that enhances instead of diminishes the quality of the writing.
A friend of mine once said to me, after reading The Cloths of Heaven, that I failed to have Sheila say a ‘proper’ goodbye on any of the occasions when she had to leave her family, and that I had the tendency to have people die a lot. She also said that by not having proper ‘goodbyes’ – even those who died did so alone – I missed out on an opportunity to empathise with the sad and lonely. Yet because I was not empathising with the bereaved, I, almost obsessively, repeatedly gave myself an opportunity to do so. She also pointed out that I, in my own life, had been forced to say ‘goodbye’ more often than I would have liked. In her opinion, I tended to be hard on myself in those situations, and not allow myself to experience real grief and loneliness. Obviously I needed to recognise this aspect of my own life so that I could learn to say goodbye appropriately, and my spirit, through my writing, was telling me so. But, as I had not yet owned it, I was not able to deal with it adequately in my writing. She said it stuck out like a sore thumb because it lacked authenticity. It was hard to take this on board, but I did. Then I was able to return to The Cloths of Heaven, and recognise how hard it must have been for Sheila to constantly have to say ‘goodbye’ and how distraught she would have been when those she loved died. I was then able to write about these feelings in a way that engaged the reader and kept them bound to the story.
In my case I had trouble with grief, and my writing gave me the opportunity to come to terms with it.
More commonly, anger is seen as the least attractive emotion to own. I think that anger, when not owned and out of control, creates the type of fiction that slaps you in the face. When anger is owned it can be the driver for courage, and acts of bravery and valour. When denied and overly controlled it creates depressive, lethargic fiction.
But in order for anger to be used effectively in fiction it has to be an emotion that you are familiar with not one that engulfs you, and enslaves you. Anger needs to be worked out, outside of your fiction, so that when you need it in your stories, you are in charge of it, and not the other way around.
Anger can be worked out in journals, in letters written (not necessarily dispatched), and more physically through sport. You can also retreat to a private place and pummel a pillow, or bury your head in it and just yell! Just feel it! Go through it, overcome your trepidation and be angry. Experience its rise and its subsequent fall and in the process master it.
The last emotion we need to face is fear. The previous article about the voices in our head that need to be stilled is where our fear comes from. Fear comes in many forms, and all of them stem from what others have told us about the world, and about ourselves. We fear rejection, criticism, and ridicule. All of these things come from others. If we learn to accept ourselves (sometimes called self-love) then we have nothing to fear. Only when we do not accept ourselves and are dependent on the approval of others, is there room for fear to creep in.
As a supplement to this article I would recommend you read Debbie Ford – The Dark Side of the Light Chasers. This non fiction work talks about denied emotions, not-owned emotions and the various mechanisms the human psyche has created in order to bring these to the surface.
Writing is a sensual activity. It engages the higher senses - the five basic emotions: joy, sorrow, anger, fear, and sexual feeling. In order to write the best we can, we must face ALL of these emotions. In our society, mistakenly, we have labelled some emotions ‘good’ and others ‘bad’. We are prepared to admit to the ‘good’ emotions but spend a lot of time and energy denying the 'bad’, resulting in poor writing, non-authentic writing, or worse still, in writer’s block.
The usually accepted ‘good’ emotions are joy, sexual feelings (sometimes) and sorrow (though this must be borne stoically). The bad feelings are anger, fear, and again sexual feelings (when judged to be inappropriate). But unless we own all of these we can hardly be expected to create three dimensional, believable characters or to empathise. We cannot put them into conflict situations that test their strengths and their weaknesses.
But more importantly, if we are in the business of denial, it will seep into our work, and have the same paralysing effect as those other, internalised voices that live in our head. Paradoxically, if we were not ‘emotional’ ‘sensual’ people, we would probably not even have the urge to write fiction. We would not be curious enough, or restless enough, or passionate enough. Living in denial would wear us out.
Consider this: it is the spirit fighting to break through the conscious denial that drives us to become writers. It is the need to peel away layer after protective layer of non-authentic behaviour and the hunger for the truth that motivates us to put pen to paper. It is the unwillingness to accept that ‘this is all there is’ that awakens our curiosity and passion.
Yet, if we are unaware of this process and imagine ourselves to be able to write meaningful fiction while living superficially, the anger, fear, and all the other ‘bad’ feelings will creep into the writing, making it heavy and laborious. And as long as we are unable to own those feelings, as long as we fail to recognise them as part of ourselves, then we cannot contain them. We will not be able to take a step back from them, dilute them if necessary, and reproduce them in an appropriate manner; one that enhances instead of diminishes the quality of the writing.
A friend of mine once said to me, after reading The Cloths of Heaven, that I failed to have Sheila say a ‘proper’ goodbye on any of the occasions when she had to leave her family, and that I had the tendency to have people die a lot. She also said that by not having proper ‘goodbyes’ – even those who died did so alone – I missed out on an opportunity to empathise with the sad and lonely. Yet because I was not empathising with the bereaved, I, almost obsessively, repeatedly gave myself an opportunity to do so. She also pointed out that I, in my own life, had been forced to say ‘goodbye’ more often than I would have liked. In her opinion, I tended to be hard on myself in those situations, and not allow myself to experience real grief and loneliness. Obviously I needed to recognise this aspect of my own life so that I could learn to say goodbye appropriately, and my spirit, through my writing, was telling me so. But, as I had not yet owned it, I was not able to deal with it adequately in my writing. She said it stuck out like a sore thumb because it lacked authenticity. It was hard to take this on board, but I did. Then I was able to return to The Cloths of Heaven, and recognise how hard it must have been for Sheila to constantly have to say ‘goodbye’ and how distraught she would have been when those she loved died. I was then able to write about these feelings in a way that engaged the reader and kept them bound to the story.
In my case I had trouble with grief, and my writing gave me the opportunity to come to terms with it.
More commonly, anger is seen as the least attractive emotion to own. I think that anger, when not owned and out of control, creates the type of fiction that slaps you in the face. When anger is owned it can be the driver for courage, and acts of bravery and valour. When denied and overly controlled it creates depressive, lethargic fiction.
But in order for anger to be used effectively in fiction it has to be an emotion that you are familiar with not one that engulfs you, and enslaves you. Anger needs to be worked out, outside of your fiction, so that when you need it in your stories, you are in charge of it, and not the other way around.
Anger can be worked out in journals, in letters written (not necessarily dispatched), and more physically through sport. You can also retreat to a private place and pummel a pillow, or bury your head in it and just yell! Just feel it! Go through it, overcome your trepidation and be angry. Experience its rise and its subsequent fall and in the process master it.
The last emotion we need to face is fear. The previous article about the voices in our head that need to be stilled is where our fear comes from. Fear comes in many forms, and all of them stem from what others have told us about the world, and about ourselves. We fear rejection, criticism, and ridicule. All of these things come from others. If we learn to accept ourselves (sometimes called self-love) then we have nothing to fear. Only when we do not accept ourselves and are dependent on the approval of others, is there room for fear to creep in.
As a supplement to this article I would recommend you read Debbie Ford – The Dark Side of the Light Chasers. This non fiction work talks about denied emotions, not-owned emotions and the various mechanisms the human psyche has created in order to bring these to the surface.
The Writing Process: More emotion and motivation
I just love how this whole topic is developing! It has become a deeper, more spiritual approach to the whole writing process. And all of you who are following it are spurring me on with your discussions and comments.
In the last article I brought up the subject of emotions, which led to a discussion on 'love', which I had not specifically mentioned in my list of basic emotions. That is because I see love as a verb rather than an emotion. 'Love' is something we do, and it is the result of needing to fulfill an emotion. It can be driven by fear, need for sex, joy, or a combination of any of the five emotions. I think when writing, this is a very important distinction to make. Also, love in any of its forms, will appear in a piece of writing - always if we consider that this is usually the underlying motivation of the characters. They will either be driven by their need to gain love and approval, or they will be motivated by the need to pamper themselves (self love).
The opposite of love, would be hate, you imagine. Well, consider this. The opposite of love, or absense of love is fear.
Those who seek love in order to banish fear, are responding to their need to eradicate the fear rather than their desire to give love (love as a verb or an action). The love so gained is transitory, and weak and not everlasting and pure.
And, in my own humble opinion, these themes can be traced to the fundament of any story. These are the most basic motivators. Here we find the internal conflicts within each individual. Here we find the reasons why characters act in a particular way. More importantly, here we find the way of emphathising with our characters.
Even if we choose to write about an axe murderer or a child abuser, or allow one to appear in our story, if we can find his fear, his absence of love, then we can stir up some compassion and give ourselves permission to write him or her without being blocked by prejudice or hate.
In The Cloths of Heaven, I have included characters whose behaviour is socially unacceptable, immoral, but I have moved beyond my own personal opinion of their behaviour and dug into their 'souls' and found their motivator. Then, though I do not condone their actions, I can continue to 'write' them and experience them as whole human beings, caught up in their own inner conflict.
I recognise their search for love. I recognise their need to diminish fear.
A wonderful example of this ability to empathise with a distasteful character can be found in Nabokov's 'Lolita'. Here, Nabokov creeps into the skin of a pedofile and manages to humanise him. Somehow, Nabokov has moved beyond the act of abuse and the abuser, and written, with wonderful skill I might add, this man's story of survival and need and loneliness. At times Humbert, the main character, can be pitied. It is not the abuse that is emphasised, but the loneliness and fear and insecurity that have caused it.
I have emphasised here the need to move beyond personal prejudice or pre-conceived notions when dealing with fictional characters. I have deliberately used distasteful examples because I do believe that only when we can connect with the negative as well as the positive can we truly write brilliant fiction. When we ourselves allow fear to censor us (remember those voices in our own heads) then what we write will be weak, two dimensional, and unappealing to a reader.
In the last article I brought up the subject of emotions, which led to a discussion on 'love', which I had not specifically mentioned in my list of basic emotions. That is because I see love as a verb rather than an emotion. 'Love' is something we do, and it is the result of needing to fulfill an emotion. It can be driven by fear, need for sex, joy, or a combination of any of the five emotions. I think when writing, this is a very important distinction to make. Also, love in any of its forms, will appear in a piece of writing - always if we consider that this is usually the underlying motivation of the characters. They will either be driven by their need to gain love and approval, or they will be motivated by the need to pamper themselves (self love).
The opposite of love, would be hate, you imagine. Well, consider this. The opposite of love, or absense of love is fear.
Those who seek love in order to banish fear, are responding to their need to eradicate the fear rather than their desire to give love (love as a verb or an action). The love so gained is transitory, and weak and not everlasting and pure.
And, in my own humble opinion, these themes can be traced to the fundament of any story. These are the most basic motivators. Here we find the internal conflicts within each individual. Here we find the reasons why characters act in a particular way. More importantly, here we find the way of emphathising with our characters.
Even if we choose to write about an axe murderer or a child abuser, or allow one to appear in our story, if we can find his fear, his absence of love, then we can stir up some compassion and give ourselves permission to write him or her without being blocked by prejudice or hate.
In The Cloths of Heaven, I have included characters whose behaviour is socially unacceptable, immoral, but I have moved beyond my own personal opinion of their behaviour and dug into their 'souls' and found their motivator. Then, though I do not condone their actions, I can continue to 'write' them and experience them as whole human beings, caught up in their own inner conflict.
I recognise their search for love. I recognise their need to diminish fear.
A wonderful example of this ability to empathise with a distasteful character can be found in Nabokov's 'Lolita'. Here, Nabokov creeps into the skin of a pedofile and manages to humanise him. Somehow, Nabokov has moved beyond the act of abuse and the abuser, and written, with wonderful skill I might add, this man's story of survival and need and loneliness. At times Humbert, the main character, can be pitied. It is not the abuse that is emphasised, but the loneliness and fear and insecurity that have caused it.
I have emphasised here the need to move beyond personal prejudice or pre-conceived notions when dealing with fictional characters. I have deliberately used distasteful examples because I do believe that only when we can connect with the negative as well as the positive can we truly write brilliant fiction. When we ourselves allow fear to censor us (remember those voices in our own heads) then what we write will be weak, two dimensional, and unappealing to a reader.
The Writing Process: Doing the Work
By doing the work, I mean now physically getting on with putting the words onto paper, or into a document on your word processor.
We have discussed motivation, emotion (our own and the characters), we have recognised the voices in our head, criticising us, and hindering our progress. We have also looked at plot, chapter breakdown, opening sentences, characterization and a host of other aspects of the writing process.
Before I delve deeper into the less concrete aspects of writing, I feel the time is ripe to 'get mechanical'. And by that I mean, simply, the actual process of writing itself.
Take yourself seriously. Without this key commitment, very little in the way of novel progression is likely to happen. Having cleared the way emotionally, and having recognized your own talent, and inspiration, your next commitment is to your writing time.
Whether you feel connected to your higher inspiration or not, whether you feel you could look Dickens in the eye or not, whether you can envision yourself writing the magic words 'The End' or not, you will still have to WRITE.
Make a simple promise to yourself to sit at your desk, switch on the computer, or pick up a pen, and write. Word follows word, sentence follows sentence, and paragraph follows paragraph. And that's the truth. There is no other way.
It is not enough to live in the future and keep telling yourself and those around you that you have a brilliant idea, and that one day, when you have the time, you might write that novel. Today is yesterday's future, and tomorrow's past. So today is the day. Finding the time is your gift to yourself. Finding the time is proving to yourself that you know how to prioritize and categorize and choose. Today you will, instead of switching on your TV, write.
Write even when you don't feel inspired and take refuge in all the tricks and tools we have discussed in earlier articles.
At this stage of your process, the quality takes a back seat to consistency. And by consistency I mean, becoming the kind of writer you can rely on - one that writes!
Learning to be a writer is no different from learning to play the piano. It is no different from deciding to sport on a regular basis. It all takes practice and it takes the commitment to building new habits. Healthy habits.
We have discussed motivation, emotion (our own and the characters), we have recognised the voices in our head, criticising us, and hindering our progress. We have also looked at plot, chapter breakdown, opening sentences, characterization and a host of other aspects of the writing process.
Before I delve deeper into the less concrete aspects of writing, I feel the time is ripe to 'get mechanical'. And by that I mean, simply, the actual process of writing itself.
Take yourself seriously. Without this key commitment, very little in the way of novel progression is likely to happen. Having cleared the way emotionally, and having recognized your own talent, and inspiration, your next commitment is to your writing time.
Whether you feel connected to your higher inspiration or not, whether you feel you could look Dickens in the eye or not, whether you can envision yourself writing the magic words 'The End' or not, you will still have to WRITE.
Make a simple promise to yourself to sit at your desk, switch on the computer, or pick up a pen, and write. Word follows word, sentence follows sentence, and paragraph follows paragraph. And that's the truth. There is no other way.
It is not enough to live in the future and keep telling yourself and those around you that you have a brilliant idea, and that one day, when you have the time, you might write that novel. Today is yesterday's future, and tomorrow's past. So today is the day. Finding the time is your gift to yourself. Finding the time is proving to yourself that you know how to prioritize and categorize and choose. Today you will, instead of switching on your TV, write.
Write even when you don't feel inspired and take refuge in all the tricks and tools we have discussed in earlier articles.
At this stage of your process, the quality takes a back seat to consistency. And by consistency I mean, becoming the kind of writer you can rely on - one that writes!
Learning to be a writer is no different from learning to play the piano. It is no different from deciding to sport on a regular basis. It all takes practice and it takes the commitment to building new habits. Healthy habits.
The Writing Process: Turning Point
Article 11 – Turning Point
The ‘writing’ habit has formed. We still the unwanted voices in our head with journalising; we have our synopsis, character sketches, chapter breakdown; we plan our writing day into our diary, just like any other appointments. On a therapeutic level, we are recognising our own driving emotions, and those that get in our way, and we are dealing with them. As writers our empathic capabilities are growing, and our characters are deepening, their motivations becoming more complex, and yet paradoxically more logical.
Before long we will have reached the middle of the novel, and BLANK, it all dries up. The next chapter just doesn’t make sense any more. It is at this point, (for me at around chapter 3 or 4) that many writers will, after struggling and failing to write that next chapter, just toss the unfinished manuscript aside. Others will by some feat of willpower, manage to write the next chapter, as laid out in their chapter breakdown, and continue writing this novel, but with an ever diminishing sense of achievement, only to finish the novel, knowing that it is only mediocre. It has turned out to be a much blander story than that original, brilliant vision. The characters, initially so full of potential have faded into two dimensional banality, carrying out their assigned tasks with little vitality or originality.
What has happened? Quite simply, at a point in the novel where the characters are on the verge of truly coming to life, the writer has imposed his will upon these unfolding individuals, and denied them their authenticity. The writer, afraid himself of taking the plunge, chooses to box his characters in and try to tame them. These futile attempts will either kill the story, or make it at the very least superficial. The characters will lose their credibility. Because we as writers hold on to the belief that we are in charge and that the characters, invented by us, brought to life by us, can do only that which we tell them to do, we rob ourselves of the greatest gift of all. We rob ourselves of an opportunity to truly create.
Despite journalising and owning our emotions we can still sabotage our writing. By not wholly believing in the organic growth process that our writing can go through we will never move on from the mediocre to the original and maybe even genial.
A truly wonderful writer, one that inspires and touches his reader, must first trust the power of creation. He must, figuratively, hold the pen in his hand and let the muse take over.
So there you are, at chapter three, your literary crossroads. Whether you are truly conscious of it or not, three choices await you. Do you give in to the despair and the frustration and just quit? Do you, ignoring all the previous steps, force your will upon the story and the characters, and mechanically ‘get this story over and done with’? Or do you take a huge leap of faith, and accept the greatest gift that writing can offer you and allow your characters to come to life?
When I was finally able to go for the last of these, it was as if all the lights went on. Being able to let go of my original notions of who my characters were, and how they would react in any given situation, was exhilarating. What had until then been an unnameable driver in my writing, now became clear. I too wanted and needed to learn more about human nature. I too wanted and needed to understand behaviour. My initial driver – my need to tell others what I had already discovered – was now strengthened by my desire to take the journey with my reader.
But as I discussed in detail in my other articles, I am not going to be able to ‘let go’ and enjoy the characters I have created unless I have owned the wide spectrum of emotions that make up my own personality, unless I am comfortable with these emotions. My fear will prevent me.
You might think that this is all far removed from what we think are the difficulties and challenges we will encounter when we choose to write, but I truly believe that great writing comes, not from knowing the grammatical constructions, and having the vocabulary to tell a story. For me, great writing comes from the heart, the soul even.
Fiction cannot exist without ‘characterisation’. Not true you might think, but have you ever read a book where there is no characterisation? Great writing dares to take the plunge into the depths of human nature. Or as in Watership Down or Animal Farm, into the depths of animal nature. And I am sure there are stories with inanimate objects as focal point. But they are still driven by characterisation. We either use people in our stories, or we assign human characteristics to whatever we choose as focal point in our fiction.
The only course of action, when you reach this ‘turning point’ in your story, is to be patient and courageous. Continue to dig deep into your own emotional makeup using the tools we mentioned in earlier articles. Now it is more important to wait for the truth of the character to emerge, rather than forcing it to fit into a preconceived mould.
It is not the plot that is in danger at this stage. It is not even the closing sentence or the concluding scene. It is how you get there. And the first hurdle (or opportunity for new vision) to getting there is whether or not you allow your characters to truly come to life.
Don’t now jump in and try to rewrite all the subsequent chapters in the light of your new discoveries. Choose now to ‘go with the flow’ for a couple of chapters. Use them as a ‘loose’ guideline, but enjoy the journey. Enjoy the discovery.
The ‘writing’ habit has formed. We still the unwanted voices in our head with journalising; we have our synopsis, character sketches, chapter breakdown; we plan our writing day into our diary, just like any other appointments. On a therapeutic level, we are recognising our own driving emotions, and those that get in our way, and we are dealing with them. As writers our empathic capabilities are growing, and our characters are deepening, their motivations becoming more complex, and yet paradoxically more logical.
Before long we will have reached the middle of the novel, and BLANK, it all dries up. The next chapter just doesn’t make sense any more. It is at this point, (for me at around chapter 3 or 4) that many writers will, after struggling and failing to write that next chapter, just toss the unfinished manuscript aside. Others will by some feat of willpower, manage to write the next chapter, as laid out in their chapter breakdown, and continue writing this novel, but with an ever diminishing sense of achievement, only to finish the novel, knowing that it is only mediocre. It has turned out to be a much blander story than that original, brilliant vision. The characters, initially so full of potential have faded into two dimensional banality, carrying out their assigned tasks with little vitality or originality.
What has happened? Quite simply, at a point in the novel where the characters are on the verge of truly coming to life, the writer has imposed his will upon these unfolding individuals, and denied them their authenticity. The writer, afraid himself of taking the plunge, chooses to box his characters in and try to tame them. These futile attempts will either kill the story, or make it at the very least superficial. The characters will lose their credibility. Because we as writers hold on to the belief that we are in charge and that the characters, invented by us, brought to life by us, can do only that which we tell them to do, we rob ourselves of the greatest gift of all. We rob ourselves of an opportunity to truly create.
Despite journalising and owning our emotions we can still sabotage our writing. By not wholly believing in the organic growth process that our writing can go through we will never move on from the mediocre to the original and maybe even genial.
A truly wonderful writer, one that inspires and touches his reader, must first trust the power of creation. He must, figuratively, hold the pen in his hand and let the muse take over.
So there you are, at chapter three, your literary crossroads. Whether you are truly conscious of it or not, three choices await you. Do you give in to the despair and the frustration and just quit? Do you, ignoring all the previous steps, force your will upon the story and the characters, and mechanically ‘get this story over and done with’? Or do you take a huge leap of faith, and accept the greatest gift that writing can offer you and allow your characters to come to life?
When I was finally able to go for the last of these, it was as if all the lights went on. Being able to let go of my original notions of who my characters were, and how they would react in any given situation, was exhilarating. What had until then been an unnameable driver in my writing, now became clear. I too wanted and needed to learn more about human nature. I too wanted and needed to understand behaviour. My initial driver – my need to tell others what I had already discovered – was now strengthened by my desire to take the journey with my reader.
But as I discussed in detail in my other articles, I am not going to be able to ‘let go’ and enjoy the characters I have created unless I have owned the wide spectrum of emotions that make up my own personality, unless I am comfortable with these emotions. My fear will prevent me.
You might think that this is all far removed from what we think are the difficulties and challenges we will encounter when we choose to write, but I truly believe that great writing comes, not from knowing the grammatical constructions, and having the vocabulary to tell a story. For me, great writing comes from the heart, the soul even.
Fiction cannot exist without ‘characterisation’. Not true you might think, but have you ever read a book where there is no characterisation? Great writing dares to take the plunge into the depths of human nature. Or as in Watership Down or Animal Farm, into the depths of animal nature. And I am sure there are stories with inanimate objects as focal point. But they are still driven by characterisation. We either use people in our stories, or we assign human characteristics to whatever we choose as focal point in our fiction.
The only course of action, when you reach this ‘turning point’ in your story, is to be patient and courageous. Continue to dig deep into your own emotional makeup using the tools we mentioned in earlier articles. Now it is more important to wait for the truth of the character to emerge, rather than forcing it to fit into a preconceived mould.
It is not the plot that is in danger at this stage. It is not even the closing sentence or the concluding scene. It is how you get there. And the first hurdle (or opportunity for new vision) to getting there is whether or not you allow your characters to truly come to life.
Don’t now jump in and try to rewrite all the subsequent chapters in the light of your new discoveries. Choose now to ‘go with the flow’ for a couple of chapters. Use them as a ‘loose’ guideline, but enjoy the journey. Enjoy the discovery.
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