Pondering the Writing Professor

Over the years, I've had a number of writing professors. Some have stayed in my life for years, others lasted only a few days. Recently, I was discussing a writing professor with my friends. I didn't stay long with this professor because I didn't like his teaching style. My friends, on the other hand, all had fantastic experiences and learned a great deal from this professor.

How can four people - dedicated to writing - think so differently about the same teacher?


Here are my thoughts:

Writing professors (and writing degree programs) are subjective. They all teach you mostly the same thing, but in completely different ways. It's much like reading a plethora of different books on writing instruction. Some you'll think are amazing, others are going to suck.

Writing professors are the same. Some you will connect with. They'll tell you about setting and it will make every piece of advice you've ever heard about setting click into comprehension in your mind. Other professors will try to teach you about setting and it's like they're speaking in Ancient Alien Runes.

All in all, you need to do your research and decide for yourself what works best. Sure you can ask the advice of your friends, but if I had accepted that advice three years ago, I wouldn't have taken a class (and then another) with one of the best writing professors who has helped me understand the craft.

So, don't worry about which schools have the highest ranking, and don't worry about the doubt those other professors have sewn in you.

You need to do what's right for you.

The Word Choice Chart

We've spoken before about word choice. Along with plot and characterization, word choice is one of the fundamental aspects of writing. If you have bad word choice, writers will put down your novel. No questions asked.

It's natural for us, as humans, to reuse the same words over and over again. You know the people who use the word "like" every other sentence. However, reusing your words within the same paragraph - even within the same page - is tedious for the reader. Rather than focusing on your amazing writing, the reader will be looking for nothing but the next time you use the word "turned".

Another word choice snafu is using boring words or words inappropriate for the situation. For example, you could definitely use the word "walked" all the time, but wouldn't it be more interesting (and more descriptive) for the reader if you used "trundled", "lumbered", "promenaded", or "skipped"? And if you're writing a dramatic or somber scene, you don't want to use words with a positive connotation or risk pulling the reader right out of your scene.

To help you switch up your word choice in new and original ways, I found this chart of Pinterest. So, the next time you want to say your character is "mad" for third time, consult the chart and try something new.

 

Original from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/476326098061437968/

That third freckle, ten centimeters from his left nostril.

From the title of this post, you have probably inferred we're talking about detail this week. Details are at once important and easily overdone.

Readers need detail to feel submersed in the story. Where is the character? What does it feel like, smell like, look like? For example, say you're writing about Wisconsin. If you've ever visited, you know that saying "Wisconsin" is not enough. Is it northern or southern? Eastern or western? Is it Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, or Road Construction season? This will all make a difference. Is it seasonably cold or ridiculously cold - like this year, where Easter Eggs will have to be found under two feet of freshly fallen snow.

Do you see what I'm getting at here? Detail - especially sensory imagery - is needed by the reader. Not only does it spice up your writing, but it gives the reader a place to imagine you characters in.

There's a fine balance when it comes to detail. Too little and your readers won't be able to orient. They won't care how great your prose is until they know what to picture. Too much and they'll put your book down out of boredom. There isn't enough action to keep your hook ensnared in their reader minds.

To keep this balance up, I use the method of presenting a few key pieces of detail up front: like setting and a few important snippets either of characters or their surroundings. Then start the action and dialogue. To slow down a scene or break up a long exchange of dialogue, add more details that you haven't added before to "set the stage" so to speak.

P.S. Beware repeating the same detail. For example, if you've already mentioned the store your protagonist is in is crowded, don't mention it again unless you're foreshadowing.

P.P.S. The title of this post is a prime example of TOO MUCH detail. If this ever happens, DELETE, DELETE, DELETE!

Success?

I found this wonderful picture on Pinterest. (By the way, I'm a confirmed Pinterest junkie. You can find me by searching for Alyssa Nedbal. If you follow me, you'll see some pretty awesome posts, if I do say so myself.) The original photo is from Joanna Goddard's blog, and you can get to it through the pin here.

This chart is true of almost anything in life, but especially careers, and most especially creative careers. Many bios about artists in magazines, feature articles, or documentaries make the climb to success seem very simple.

Example: Writer A picked up his first pen at three hours old, and wrote his first novel at age five. Though the spelling was atrocious, it was picked up by a small publishing house in Oregon state. At fourteen, he found his agent and entered the Iowa Writer's workshop - graduating faster than anyone in history. Fast forward six years and he's a household name with vacation homes in twelve countries and a private jet. Now, he debuts his two thousandth novel here in this publication.

You read this with a contorted face, wondering how in the hell someone can have such good luck at such a steady pace.

Either Writer A is an anomaly, or the publication just happened to skip all the rejections and downright terrible things that happened to him over his life. They didn't talk about the time he was homeless, or got suspended from college, or about how his first agent dropped him after two years without selling his manuscript.

So when you're feeling down about a bad first draft or realize you've used the word "looked" 26 times in chapter 3, just remember you're somewhere in the middle of this jumble toward success. And when this novel is published and you're using your six figure advance to quit your job and write another novel, remember that you start back at the bottom of the success chart with your new baby and it will be a struggle again.

No one said writing was going to be easy, but when you love it, you won't let the downward squiggles stop you.

Cutting the Crap

I'm in the revision stage for all my major manuscripts - my YA manuscript, a lengthy sci-fi "short", and my mostly-as-of-now untouched memoir.

With revision on the brain and a writer's group freshly attended, I'd like to share with you my philosophy with revision and the writing that happens before it.

First: Writing.
I'm in the boat of writers who says don't outline, don't think too hard, and definitely don't reread your work until you finish your first draft. That first draft is going to be baggy, full of tangents, and pretty much all-around crap. This is good. You will read it and think you're a terrible writer who should never write another word again. Good. This will motivate you.

Second: Revision.
I am also in the boat of writers who truly enjoys revision. I like spending the time with my characters to truly understand them and probe deep within their minds and motives. Revision is where I can make scenes better and add ones that will help the reader better understand the flow of action or the characters. Revision is where I quite literally cut the crap of my first draft and feel less terrible about myself.

So here's this weeks advise - choose whichever category describes you and read on.

1. The writer too afraid to write/ the writer with writer's block: Don't be afraid. Write something and add more to it everyday. It's better to write baggy and have to spend time cutting later than to never write at all, right?

2. The writer who doesn't think his writing needs revision/ the writer too afraid of revision to cut into his first draft: Your writing DOES need revision. I don't care how scared you are or how awesome you think your first draft is. It isn't. This goes for everyone - even the greats. Go sentence by sentence. Is this sentence needed? If you say no - cut it. If you say maybe and want to provide a long explanation why - cut it or pay up $1,000,000 just like the bulky dialogue conversation we had back in July (find it here). Then go scene by scene or character by character and follow the same process. I promise you'll thank me later when your manuscript is no longer 250,000 words and you can reach the top of the bestseller list.

Until then, happy revising! To leave you this week, here's a picture of me in my baggiest revision clothes, ready to be trimmed..........................April Fools! (Come on, you know I had to.)