Shut the Door: Writing Alone

Does who you write around make a difference to the outcome of your piece? I'm not talking the stakes or the plot line, but the quality/quantity of the writing you produce. This post starts what I'm expecting to be a 3 post series (my first, squee!) about HOW we write.

Personally, I prefer to write alone. As I told you in this post, I am definitely an introvert. Since you're reading a blog about writing, you most likely are too.

Writing alone offers us the ability to fully get into the character's head without interruption. The quiet of our surroundings allows us to write for however long we want (or have) without the dog wanting a walk, your spouse wanting to talk, or the oven timer going off. It's a solitude most writers enjoy but rarely get. For decades, perhaps even centuries, writers have craved for solitude to write.

I get my solitary writing time in at night. Everyone else is asleep, the rabbit is locked in her cage, the phone rarely rings, and it's me and my story. [Unfortunately, this often leaves me exhausted the next morning before work, but so be it.] The time is often short (one to two hours tops) but the quality and quantity I produce is vastly greater than the writing I do around others or while distracted. The hour flies by, but I get stuff done. It's like having a busy day at work. You're moving constantly and everyone needs something from you when you already have a list of things you need to do yourself, but before you know it, five o'clock is here.

When I write alone, I'm able to focus on the words I put on the page. I flow seamlessly from one sentence to the next; from one dialogue segment to another. Conversations sound better and the scene often feels whole.

I even find editing alone is beneficial to me. Much like writing in solitude, editing alone allows me to immerse myself in the world of the story or scene and not have the distractions that pop me back to real life. In one hour, alone, I can reread/edit/revise 18 pages of double-spaced story. That means new notes, new dialogue, and new metaphors. Much like a devoted reader, I am able to read uninterrupted. I stay "in character" and "in voice" and am able to better assist the scene.

If you always write in a coffee shop around others or in a busy household, try writing in solitude. Lock yourself in the bathroom, go outside, get up to write at 2 a.m., or build yourself a writing shed. Somehow, find alone time and write.

Here are the benefits you stand to reap:

• Getting more done in a shorter amount of time
• Staying in the story, producing a more cohesive feeling scene
• More aptitude to allow yourself to try new things (and fail) because no one has to know

 

Bonus Post! [New Job, New Blog]

This Tuesday brings along my first Bonus Post!

I wanted to let all you faithful blog followers know that I have another, brand new blog. The posts will not be concerning writing or my writing/art endeavors, but instead I will be sharing happenings at the Plum Lake Library in Sayner, Wisconsin, for my relatively new job in Children's Services at that library.

Check out my ideas, book displays, and general craftiness at http://plumlakepubliclibrary.blogspot.com/ 


Happy Writing!

The New and The Old of it

I'm going to let you know something that bothers me. It happens all too often, especially in literary or student work. It's experimental styles - not to enhance the story or contribute to plot, but for the sake merely of experimentation.

Now you're saying, "Alyssa, if writers didn't experiment there would be nothing new."

And I agree. I experiment with my writing all the time. However, the difference between experimentation for the betterment of the story and experimentation "just cuz" makes all the difference. It's like the difference between writing for publication and writing for only yourself.

There's a reason all those writing books and programs focus on traditional plot, character, and setting elements. There's a reason genre sections in the bookstore are so popular. Readers expect a certain reliability on these elements from the writer. In fact, when traditional style elements are followed, the story can be really far out there in content. Readers are more apt to put up with digesting it.

In review: Experimental styles and elements are just fine - if and only if - they contribute to enhancing the story, or they make sense for the tale you're telling. Experimental elements for the sake of experimentation should stay on your hard drive for your eyes only. Then we'll never have to read another book review or hear another teacher comment that, "Well, I appreciate he tried something new," which we all know means, "it sucked, but I need to find something to say."

Be better. Be braver. Let your writing and your story speak for itself.

Where am I?

Name your favorite books for me. Now, where did they take place?

Great stories, the ones published as best-selling novels, "the next great American novel", perhaps, have clear, defined settings. Let's look at a few:

Harry Potter: Hogwarts (and a very realized wizarding world with clear rules)

The Great Gatsby: 1920's New York City

The Hunger Games: Futuristic Panem

Friends Like Us: Milwaukee WI

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: San Francisco

Water for Elephants: Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show On Earth

even the Twilight series: Forks WA

Why is setting so important? Why do we gravitate towards books that have strong settings?

If the setting is confusing or missing entirely, the reader will glance over your beautiful prose and your character development until they have something with which to ground themselves. Setting is key. If Harry hadn't been under the stairs at Number 4 Privet Drive, instead, living in the Taj Mahal, would he have had the same journey at Hogwarts? Would he have even gone to Hogwarts? If Katniss lived in some modern day forest in North Carolina, would the Hunger Games have been plausible?

Now, you're telling me, "My story doesn't involve wizards or fights to the death, so setting doesn't matter in my story." You're wrong. Water for Elephants takes place in a traveling circus, but Gruen produces strong rules and a strong setting. The best short stories have strong setting as well: "Cathedral" by Carver, "Sonny's Blues" by Baldwin. Even if your character rarely leaves the house like Camus' The Stranger. Even if it's not in a specific city or country, we need to be grounded. We need climate (tropical? frozen?), we need surrounding images (oak trees? mountains? desert?), we need setting.

It is possible to go too far. Readers need to be grounded but not flooded with setting information. Remember what your grade school teachers said, don't info-dump on setting. Readers don't need to know, and will often skip over, extraneous detail. For example, if your character is getting wine for a guest, he doesn't need to say:

The wine was to the left of the toaster and wedged in between the microwave and the plastic chef who held his rolling pin. He found the cork screw in the drawer under the spider plant, which sat on the windowsill by the dishwasher, not the one over the sink. He extracted it from the depths of the drawer, which was cluttered with old silverware and spatulas. He uncorked the wine and found the glasses in the cabinet...

 

I think you understand how ridiculous this would get through a novel. All the reader needs to know is the protagonist poured a glass of wine for his guest. Then move on.

 

So, let's review; you need to give your reader a place to land so they can concentrate on your characters and the story itself. You don't want to bore them with more detail than necessary. Be concrete but be brief, and maybe you'll be writing the next great American novel. 

A Special Shout-Out (aka: Thanks PicMonkey!)

Today, I have a special shout-out to the website I use all the time to resize and alter my images so you don't see too much house clutter, and the pictures aren't so big, your browser crashes. The site is called PicMonkey.com and it's a free online photo editing tool.

If you don't already know how awesome PicMonkey is, take a look at these three Halloween inspired self portraits. Vampire me, witch me, and day-of-the-dead me.

Oh, and did I mention - they're FREE to create!

Happy Crafting and Happy Writing!

The Cheapest Writing Retreat Ever

Since it's October 1st, I spent the day decorating the local public library (where I work in children's and youth services) and my house for Halloween. It was a lot of ladder work to say the least. But the whole time, people were commenting on the new décor. At the library everything looked "spooky", "festive", and "cool" in the children's sections. At home it was "Halloween chic" and "creative".

This new scenery even made me smile after a long day's work. It's something different to look at, something stimulating to my mind. I had to use my imagination to decide where decorations were going, then I had to be tenacious and tactful (and often tall enough) to execute it.

It got me thinking that a change in scenery can be a great thing for the creative muscle we need to use to write. I suddenly understood why so many people went on writer's retreats in faraway places. I wanted to go too. But much like the price tag of the fog machine at the supermarket, I couldn't afford it. Though it'd be cool and awesome and festive and all, I just couldn't make it happen.

Therefore, I decorated my house after decorating at work. It put a new little spring in my step. It's a new piece of scenery to look at, a new visual stimuli to get my brain a-cooking! I'm expecting fantastic results from the cheapest writing retreat ever (since it's my town, my home, and my desk). I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and if you would like some inspiration, here's some of the decorating in my own home. I didn't get library decoration pictures yet, sorry.

My "witches live here" sign with pretty fall background.

 

Close up of my skeleton garland

 

Island table scape with candy, pumpkins, apples, and love potion brew.