Keep Writing. Confucius demands it.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Calling All Extras (as in; do you know where your supporting cast was this weekend?)
This week, let's go back to talking about your characters.
Many times, it's the characters that force you to start your story. These fictional people in your head are so vivid and witty, you simply have to write their story. But how's your supporting cast? Most of the time, we start with our main characters (protagonist, antagonist, and possibly one other [a sidekick?]) and the other characters present themselves when they need to. However, leaving them that way when you send your manuscript off to agents or self publishing is a massive rookie mistake.
So, for this post's homework, I'd like you to go back and examine your supporting cast.
Does each character sound like a distinct, new person? Though he may only be there for one scene, every character that graces the page needs a personality and a backstory that you know (but that you, please dear god, do not go on and on about to readers). What does he smell like? Does he have a favorite phrase? Does he squeak or hum when he walks? All of these things, even in tiny doses, make your supporting cast and your story world come to life.
If your supporting characters are a little too bland, and you don't know how to fix it, start with dialogue. It's the number one best way to help breathe that third dimension into them. Make that character unique and distinct. Not necessarily with an accent or a catch phrase, but perhaps with the candor of the lines or the flourish of the adjectives.
For example, give supporting character number two a distaste for a certain word. Try cutting out every "as" "but" or "it". Or, if supporting character three needs some life, take a hint from my own life and have her pick up an annoying aphorism. Case in point: In college I picked up the bad habit of saying "B-T-Dubs" rather than "by the way". No matter if I actively try to stop myself, it always comes out like this. Yes, even to my boss, embarrassingly enough.
Truth is, if you spice up your supporting stars' dialogue, their personality will shine through too and you'll know them better in the context of your story world. Your readers will recognize this. It may be the final push you need to get your novel from good to great.
Many times, it's the characters that force you to start your story. These fictional people in your head are so vivid and witty, you simply have to write their story. But how's your supporting cast? Most of the time, we start with our main characters (protagonist, antagonist, and possibly one other [a sidekick?]) and the other characters present themselves when they need to. However, leaving them that way when you send your manuscript off to agents or self publishing is a massive rookie mistake.
So, for this post's homework, I'd like you to go back and examine your supporting cast.
Does each character sound like a distinct, new person? Though he may only be there for one scene, every character that graces the page needs a personality and a backstory that you know (but that you, please dear god, do not go on and on about to readers). What does he smell like? Does he have a favorite phrase? Does he squeak or hum when he walks? All of these things, even in tiny doses, make your supporting cast and your story world come to life.
If your supporting characters are a little too bland, and you don't know how to fix it, start with dialogue. It's the number one best way to help breathe that third dimension into them. Make that character unique and distinct. Not necessarily with an accent or a catch phrase, but perhaps with the candor of the lines or the flourish of the adjectives.
For example, give supporting character number two a distaste for a certain word. Try cutting out every "as" "but" or "it". Or, if supporting character three needs some life, take a hint from my own life and have her pick up an annoying aphorism. Case in point: In college I picked up the bad habit of saying "B-T-Dubs" rather than "by the way". No matter if I actively try to stop myself, it always comes out like this. Yes, even to my boss, embarrassingly enough.
Truth is, if you spice up your supporting stars' dialogue, their personality will shine through too and you'll know them better in the context of your story world. Your readers will recognize this. It may be the final push you need to get your novel from good to great.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Leave the Door Behind: Writing in Public
Here we are. The third and final week of our three-post series about HOW we write.
Do you have that dream where you're sitting in a Parisian café, penning your literary novel about a pair of doomed lovers over a café au lait? It's a common dream from writers. Paris. The coffee. The leisure. The people passing you by. I shudder at the thought.
Even in Paris, though I've always wanted to go, I would separate my writing time from my out time.
In fact, I've only written in a café or coffee house twice to date. They were both places I was comfortable with and had known for a long time. It still didn't make me feel any better.
I didn't like the constant distractions around me: People having loud conversations and letting their noisy ringtones interrupt the entire café, the waitresses wondering if you're still doing okay, the terrible feeling I harbor when I order a black coffee and sit on their wi-fi for two hours.
Both times, I was so uncomfortable writing in public that I ended up doing little to no writing at all. I didn't want people to see my 50 page Word Document open and infer I was a writer. Then I'd have to converse. It was almost as bad as the time I was working on my poetry for class in the doctor's office waiting room and (though the entire waiting room was empty) an elderly couple sat right next to me. I had to skirt the line between leaning away so they couldn't see my notebook and not looking like a complete jerk.
So, I have a hard time seeing the benefits of writing in public besides complete necessity (like it's the only place you're not ridiculed for writing or can carve enough time to do so).
Here's my list of benefits:
So, I'm going to ask for your help on this one. If you're a writer and you love writing in public spaces. Why? What makes it so beneficial for you? Maybe you can help the solitary writers see the light. Leave a comment please.
Do you have that dream where you're sitting in a Parisian café, penning your literary novel about a pair of doomed lovers over a café au lait? It's a common dream from writers. Paris. The coffee. The leisure. The people passing you by. I shudder at the thought.
Even in Paris, though I've always wanted to go, I would separate my writing time from my out time.
In fact, I've only written in a café or coffee house twice to date. They were both places I was comfortable with and had known for a long time. It still didn't make me feel any better.
I didn't like the constant distractions around me: People having loud conversations and letting their noisy ringtones interrupt the entire café, the waitresses wondering if you're still doing okay, the terrible feeling I harbor when I order a black coffee and sit on their wi-fi for two hours.
Both times, I was so uncomfortable writing in public that I ended up doing little to no writing at all. I didn't want people to see my 50 page Word Document open and infer I was a writer. Then I'd have to converse. It was almost as bad as the time I was working on my poetry for class in the doctor's office waiting room and (though the entire waiting room was empty) an elderly couple sat right next to me. I had to skirt the line between leaning away so they couldn't see my notebook and not looking like a complete jerk.
So, I have a hard time seeing the benefits of writing in public besides complete necessity (like it's the only place you're not ridiculed for writing or can carve enough time to do so).
Here's my list of benefits:
- It allows you to study those around you (which is especially beneficial if your story is set in the same region you write from)
- It has a romantic ring to it: "Being a writer, writing in a café."
So, I'm going to ask for your help on this one. If you're a writer and you love writing in public spaces. Why? What makes it so beneficial for you? Maybe you can help the solitary writers see the light. Leave a comment please.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Crack the Door: Writing Around Friends and Family
This week brings post two in my three-part series on HOW we write.
Today's topic is writing while surrounded by family or friends. In modern day, this is how many of we freelance writers or aspiring authors write. After all, they're called our "loved ones" for a reason. If you love them and they love you, it should be no problem to tell them you need quiet to write your scene or you need someone else to pick up dinner tonight so you can hash out why chapter three sounds terrible. But if your family is as loud as mine, you know this doesn't fly in real life. Everyone is trying to do something at the same time while still being together. Though our intentions are good, productivity isn't always the best.
This being said, I've recently done more writing and revising around my family. I put the rabbit on the couch, the laptop on my lap, and let the TV and my family play in the background. Is it as beneficial for my writing life as writing alone? Well, no. I'm not gonna lie, it's not.
However, it means I get in more writing time. In my mind, one hour of writing - no matter what writing it is or how much writing actually gets done - is better than no writing at all.
So, though I have to stop the rabbit from antagonizing the dog and listen to and participate in family stories, at least I'm getting a few more sentences on the page. I'm squeezing all the time I can from my day to write. As a younger, less time-constrained writer, I would have never done this. Not only would I have been frustrated my writing wasn't flowing as smoothly as when I was alone, but I wouldn't want my family to see me writing - after all, what if this idea didn't work out and I had to scrap it in front of them? Would that make me a failure?
If you're losing your writing time to a hectic lifestyle and work schedule, I'd recommend writing on your friend's couch or at your breakfast table. Here's why:
Today's topic is writing while surrounded by family or friends. In modern day, this is how many of we freelance writers or aspiring authors write. After all, they're called our "loved ones" for a reason. If you love them and they love you, it should be no problem to tell them you need quiet to write your scene or you need someone else to pick up dinner tonight so you can hash out why chapter three sounds terrible. But if your family is as loud as mine, you know this doesn't fly in real life. Everyone is trying to do something at the same time while still being together. Though our intentions are good, productivity isn't always the best.
This being said, I've recently done more writing and revising around my family. I put the rabbit on the couch, the laptop on my lap, and let the TV and my family play in the background. Is it as beneficial for my writing life as writing alone? Well, no. I'm not gonna lie, it's not.
However, it means I get in more writing time. In my mind, one hour of writing - no matter what writing it is or how much writing actually gets done - is better than no writing at all.
So, though I have to stop the rabbit from antagonizing the dog and listen to and participate in family stories, at least I'm getting a few more sentences on the page. I'm squeezing all the time I can from my day to write. As a younger, less time-constrained writer, I would have never done this. Not only would I have been frustrated my writing wasn't flowing as smoothly as when I was alone, but I wouldn't want my family to see me writing - after all, what if this idea didn't work out and I had to scrap it in front of them? Would that make me a failure?
If you're losing your writing time to a hectic lifestyle and work schedule, I'd recommend writing on your friend's couch or at your breakfast table. Here's why:
- You can squeeze more time from your busy schedule for writing
- You don't have to feel bad anymore that you sacrifice time for your kids or roommates to write - they share in the experience!
- Your friends and family make perfect case studies for dialogue and stage action
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
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:
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
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
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!
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)