Okay, sorry to have missed a couple days. My internet connection is sometimes tricky, and to be honest, at times I didn't want to write. So, that's what we'll talk about today. No matter how much you may love writing, there will be days that you don't feel like doing it. Some of you may not love writing at all, which makes it even harder. So what do you do for those days?
I'm going to give you an iron-clad answer. It depends. Sometimes, you need a break to refresh your creative energy. Sometimes you need to be disciplined and write even when you don't feel like it. Sometimes, the best thing to do is take a break on one project and work on something completely different. I've been working hard on what a hope to be the last major re-work of my novel, and I've promised myself that the next thing I write will be something very different. Hopefully, it will also be shorter. I'm thinking of trying something short and funny. We'll see how inspiration strikes.
How do you know the difference? Well, if it's something that has to be done within a time limit, unless you have room for it, you probably aren't going to get a break, even when you feel creatively drained. In that case, the best thing you can do, is find ways to motivate yourself. I sometimes tell myself that I can only listen to music or have a certain snack while writing. Or I can't do something else until I've gotten so much done. It can work, if you keep your promise. What's your favorite TV show? When does it come on? You could always declare that the TV stays off until your writing is done, no matter how long it takes.
On the other hand, sometimes a short break is what you need to get the creative juices flowing again. A walk around the block, or play with your dog, or kids, or whoever else is around. Fifteen, twenty minutes of absolutely not thinking about your writing maybe the perfect cure to a writing block.
How do you know which is which? If you find yourself growing increasingly frustrated or upset, take a short break, even if it's only five or ten minutes. If your mind refuses to concentrate, try to remain focused.
Well, I didn't cover the topic I planned to, but perhaps I should be more careful about making predictions that I may not be able to keep. That in mind, I'm not saying what the next post is about. We'll see when we see.
Really cool underused word of the day:
Bimanal- having two hands.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Beginnings: Part Two
Continuing from the last post, as one might guess from the title, this will talk more about beginnings. For example, does one always have to start at the beginning? Well, that depends on what you mean. Yes, you have to start at page one, unless your book is like one of those books that always seems to start on page seven or something for no apparent reason. But sometimes, the beginning of the action is not the beginning of the story. Or, for non-fiction writers, the main thrust is not the start of your project. We'll get to that in a moment. Fiction first.
We've all seen it done, probably all seen it done well and poorly. Some books start before the action begins. Usually this is done so that readers can see a bit of the protagonist and his (generic he) life before it all blows up in his face. Done well, it can be powerfully effective. Done poorly, everybody stops reading. First thing to remember is that people do not have to read your story, and most people will not feel any obligation to read past a few paragraphs unless you make them want to read. A good beginning is perhaps the most important part of any written work. The reader must be hooked quickly. That is why so many start off with action so quickly.
That being the case, why start before the action at all? Well, as I mentioned before, done right, it is very effective. And what's the secret to doing it right? Brevity helps. A few paragraphs, maybe a couple of pages in a novel, if you've got a full chapter, it's probably too long. Second, whatever you do, don't make it boring. Yes, it's possible to make background information interesting. Foreshadowing helps, if done well; subtle usually works better than dramatic. Humor is always a useful tool, in all but the most serious of pieces. Get the reader interested in your protagonist. Making him likable is a good start. Successful stories can and have been written with unlikable protagonists, but why make things that much harder for yourself?
Alright, in non-fiction, why might you not want to start with your main point? Sometimes your main point needs some background information first. Sometimes, it is more effective to lead into your main point. It is possible that sometimes people will have read something you've written, so so avoid being boring, and make sure you are clear in your writing. If I can't understand something I'm reading, I may stop, even if I'm supposed to read the whole thing. If you can find a way to explain calculus in such away it sounds fun and exciting, wonderful! Explain it to me. Failing that, as long as it is clearly understandable, you're got a good start.
Prologues. Good idea or bad idea? Yes.
Like any other tool in writing, done well, they are great and effective. Done poorly, well, they may stop someone from reading further. Many agents and editors are a bit disenchanted with prologues. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use one if you feel your story requires it, but do consider carefully before putting one in. My current novel, I had two people suggest I put in a prologue. I did so, and I actually like it a good deal, but eventually decided to take it out. I will post it here, once I figure out how to do that without setting of the HTML alarms. Next post: why start after the action.
Really cool underused word of the day:
Persnickety-picky about little details
We've all seen it done, probably all seen it done well and poorly. Some books start before the action begins. Usually this is done so that readers can see a bit of the protagonist and his (generic he) life before it all blows up in his face. Done well, it can be powerfully effective. Done poorly, everybody stops reading. First thing to remember is that people do not have to read your story, and most people will not feel any obligation to read past a few paragraphs unless you make them want to read. A good beginning is perhaps the most important part of any written work. The reader must be hooked quickly. That is why so many start off with action so quickly.
That being the case, why start before the action at all? Well, as I mentioned before, done right, it is very effective. And what's the secret to doing it right? Brevity helps. A few paragraphs, maybe a couple of pages in a novel, if you've got a full chapter, it's probably too long. Second, whatever you do, don't make it boring. Yes, it's possible to make background information interesting. Foreshadowing helps, if done well; subtle usually works better than dramatic. Humor is always a useful tool, in all but the most serious of pieces. Get the reader interested in your protagonist. Making him likable is a good start. Successful stories can and have been written with unlikable protagonists, but why make things that much harder for yourself?
Alright, in non-fiction, why might you not want to start with your main point? Sometimes your main point needs some background information first. Sometimes, it is more effective to lead into your main point. It is possible that sometimes people will have read something you've written, so so avoid being boring, and make sure you are clear in your writing. If I can't understand something I'm reading, I may stop, even if I'm supposed to read the whole thing. If you can find a way to explain calculus in such away it sounds fun and exciting, wonderful! Explain it to me. Failing that, as long as it is clearly understandable, you're got a good start.
Prologues. Good idea or bad idea? Yes.
Like any other tool in writing, done well, they are great and effective. Done poorly, well, they may stop someone from reading further. Many agents and editors are a bit disenchanted with prologues. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use one if you feel your story requires it, but do consider carefully before putting one in. My current novel, I had two people suggest I put in a prologue. I did so, and I actually like it a good deal, but eventually decided to take it out. I will post it here, once I figure out how to do that without setting of the HTML alarms. Next post: why start after the action.
Really cool underused word of the day:
Persnickety-picky about little details
Beginnings: Part One
"Begin at the beginning, and go on till you get to the end, then stop." -Lewis Carol (Alice in Wonderland)
Excellent advice. And so much easier said than done. Let's start with the beginning. When writing, do we always start at the beginning? Should we always start at the beginning? How do we know where the beginning is?
There may be some gifted writers reading this who absolutely always know where to begin their work, be it story, poem, novel, article, or essay. Perhaps some of you have never stared longingly at your computer, typewriter, notepad, palm pilot, scroll, or papyrus; certain that words that would make Shakespeare weep with envy will surely pour forth if you can just figure out where to begin.
Speaking on behalf of the rest of us: Congratulations, and may your faucets always leak and your tires lose air. Just kidding. Mostly.
Not knowing where to begin is a common problem. I have a novel I am finishing up, that has taken me approximately forever and a year to write. This is about it's fifth or sixth major rewrite. It is also (I sincerely hope and pray) the last. Third or so rewrite, I had developed a plot twist or something that demanded a full rewrite. This was a novel that I had written at least one full time already, and had seen major editing. But for whatever reason, it was going nowhere. It was after struggling with this awhile, that I realized the book didn't begin where I thought it did. Another character wrote himself in, revealing sides of my characters that I'm not sure I knew where there. Was he a main character? No, not even close. But he has a few scenes that were a lot of fun to write, and I hope were fun to read. Once I changed the beginning, everything went so much smoother.
So, a challenge for anyone struggling with a writing project: try changing the beginning. Maybe your project has to begin at a certain place, in which case, you can skip this. But there may be more flexibility than you think. Besides, you can always change it back if you don't like it.
Next post: More about beginnings and prologues.
Really cool underused word of the day:
ante-penultimate: Before the one before the last.
Excellent advice. And so much easier said than done. Let's start with the beginning. When writing, do we always start at the beginning? Should we always start at the beginning? How do we know where the beginning is?
There may be some gifted writers reading this who absolutely always know where to begin their work, be it story, poem, novel, article, or essay. Perhaps some of you have never stared longingly at your computer, typewriter, notepad, palm pilot, scroll, or papyrus; certain that words that would make Shakespeare weep with envy will surely pour forth if you can just figure out where to begin.
Speaking on behalf of the rest of us: Congratulations, and may your faucets always leak and your tires lose air. Just kidding. Mostly.
Not knowing where to begin is a common problem. I have a novel I am finishing up, that has taken me approximately forever and a year to write. This is about it's fifth or sixth major rewrite. It is also (I sincerely hope and pray) the last. Third or so rewrite, I had developed a plot twist or something that demanded a full rewrite. This was a novel that I had written at least one full time already, and had seen major editing. But for whatever reason, it was going nowhere. It was after struggling with this awhile, that I realized the book didn't begin where I thought it did. Another character wrote himself in, revealing sides of my characters that I'm not sure I knew where there. Was he a main character? No, not even close. But he has a few scenes that were a lot of fun to write, and I hope were fun to read. Once I changed the beginning, everything went so much smoother.
So, a challenge for anyone struggling with a writing project: try changing the beginning. Maybe your project has to begin at a certain place, in which case, you can skip this. But there may be more flexibility than you think. Besides, you can always change it back if you don't like it.
Next post: More about beginnings and prologues.
Really cool underused word of the day:
ante-penultimate: Before the one before the last.
The Introduction
a.k.a. Who is this lunatic and why am I bothering to read this?
I can answer the first question, but only part of the second. I may be able to give you reasons on why you should read this, but only you know why you are reading this.
So, who am I? My writing name is H. J. Harding, and that should be fine for this, as well. I am, as you might guess, a writer. With luck, no one will end up reading this and wondering why. What do I write? All kinds of things, but mostly in the speculative fiction area. For anyone wondering, speculative fiction is a catch-all term for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Basically, stories where the plot depends on things that are not possible, at least for now. Have I been published? Yes, I have. Maybe not extensively, but I'm working on it. I've even got a self-published novel, Loki Unleashed, for sale on Lulu.com. No, that is not the extent of my publishing credits. Yes, that was a shameless plug.
So, why the blog, and what will be in it? Mostly this will be about writing. I could post details about myself, but why would you care? Am I an expert in politics, movies, actors, or anything like that? No. What I know, is writing. And foxes. Long story.
Now, why would you read this? Reason one, you may want to know more about writing. Reason two, you know me personally and I begged... I mean, mentioned this blog to you. Reason three, you're here accidentally. And reason four, hopefully the best reason of them all, you enjoy my writing style. If every book is a journey, than I guess this is a road trip. Happy trails!
Really cool underused word of the day:
Defenestration: the act of throwing something or someone out a window.
I can answer the first question, but only part of the second. I may be able to give you reasons on why you should read this, but only you know why you are reading this.
So, who am I? My writing name is H. J. Harding, and that should be fine for this, as well. I am, as you might guess, a writer. With luck, no one will end up reading this and wondering why. What do I write? All kinds of things, but mostly in the speculative fiction area. For anyone wondering, speculative fiction is a catch-all term for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Basically, stories where the plot depends on things that are not possible, at least for now. Have I been published? Yes, I have. Maybe not extensively, but I'm working on it. I've even got a self-published novel, Loki Unleashed, for sale on Lulu.com. No, that is not the extent of my publishing credits. Yes, that was a shameless plug.
So, why the blog, and what will be in it? Mostly this will be about writing. I could post details about myself, but why would you care? Am I an expert in politics, movies, actors, or anything like that? No. What I know, is writing. And foxes. Long story.
Now, why would you read this? Reason one, you may want to know more about writing. Reason two, you know me personally and I begged... I mean, mentioned this blog to you. Reason three, you're here accidentally. And reason four, hopefully the best reason of them all, you enjoy my writing style. If every book is a journey, than I guess this is a road trip. Happy trails!
Really cool underused word of the day:
Defenestration: the act of throwing something or someone out a window.
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