Fellow Travelers

I ran across a blog a few days ago called A Novel Journey. In these past few days of monitoring it, I've seen such interesting and quality posts come across it that I wanted to share it with everyone. This looks to be a blog for Christian writers, and most notably, they seem to interview a published author nearly every day. They also post entries containing wonderful advice for aspiring writers, such as:

• Five Tips for Writing Mystery Novels - from an author with book #5 on the way
• Reading your Manuscript Aloud - from an author with 37 published short stories
• The Q Factor (learning a lesson from James Bond stories) - from an author on book #19

Though the accomplishments of these submitters are impressive if not intimidating, I've found the advice and interviews to be down-to-earth and practical. If it's something others really like, may I suggest we add it to the list of links?

Daily Promptings

A few days ago, I came across (through Lifehacker.com) a site called Plinky. Despite the strange name, it offers something wonderful to writers: a new topic--or "prompts"--every day. If you're stuck or just wanting something to stir your inspiration, check out the prompts. Here are the prompts for the last five days, to give you a taste:

• List five things to do before you die.
• Engineers are getting closer to the dream of the flying car. How would you sell one of these if you were an auto dealer?
• What gadget is at the top of your wish list?
• Hybrid Prius or Escalade with gold rims?
• What's the worst way you've ever dumped or been dumped by someone?

You can also view the answers others give on each prompt, which is wonderful for inspiration for a character.

Update: the newer posts give a much better idea of its eclectic nature:

• You have to give away a million dollars. How?
• Name a children's book that makes you nostalgic.
• Give us your unreasonable demands.
• What will you do when the zombies come?
  
  

Advice from Writer to Writer

I came across an interview with a published writer in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I thought his advice (though we've all heard it before) carried some force given that it came from another writer. So, here it is:

BB: What advice do you give to fledgling writers?

LW: The same as everyone else's. Write. Apply seat to office chair and fill screen with words. Don't expect to be a master from the beginning. Your first drafts will always suck. That's what first drafts are meant to do. Once the story is down on paper (or magnetic media), you can re-write and revise until you've said what you meant to say. Get friends who write, or are discerning readers, to critique for you. Once you think the story is perfect, put it away in a drawer for about 3 months, and then look at it again. You'll be appalled at what you find, but that's usually the point where you can do a final draft and actually have something that's not an insult to an editor.

Do you think this guy is out in left field, or is his advice spot on? If he's got a point, how will you apply his advice to your writing?

Fire Starters

Here are a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing. Choose one or do them all. Set your clock for 10 minutes and just go. Be free. Don't think about it, just write. You will be amazed at what you can do.

These ideas are taken from The Writer's Block by Jason Rekulak.

Invent a character who has won 76 million dollars in the Florida State Lottery. What's the first thing they buy? How much do they give to charity? How long before an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend re-enters their lives?

Begin a story with a character getting dressed. Be sure to note sizes, designer labels, and any holes or stains in the fabric. A person's choice of clothing will reveal worlds about their motivation, how they perceive themselves, how they want to be perceived by others and more.

Describe the most boring job you've ever had to suffer through.

Write about a parent trying to explain the facts of life to his or her child.


Were these exercises helpful? Are there other exercises that have been helpful that you would like to share?

How to Say Something without Saying It

I started perusing this book review to see if I'd like to buy the book, but the review itself turned out to be a treasure of its own. In it, Brandon Barr points out in excerpts how the author tells the reader without writing too much.

Overstreet keeps to the action in the paragraph. He could have easily stopped at several points and dallied over some distraction...for instance...

Inside the well a rope is bound to an iron ring. She seizes it and feels resistance. Persisting, she pulls until a sturdy bucket appears.

Let's look at what he DIDN'T do:

Inside the beautiful well a rope is bound to an iron ring. Her eyes narrow on the familiar object. She seizes it and feels resistance. "There's something down there!" she says aloud and smiles. Persisting, she pulls with all her strength until a sturdy bucket appears.

I know I have a tendency to write like the second example, but I'm struck by how much more powerful the simpler version is.

Brandon goes into two more examples, one on setting and another on character development. It's a fascinating study on how to let fewer words tell the greater story.

Inspiration

There are times I certainly struggle with being inspired for my writing. I can't seem to figure out what to write, so I write nothing. This holds for my blog more than anything else. Well, it was nice to read how Jack London (White Fang) dealt with inspiration. Below are a couple quotes from the article:

"To write — and make a living — the way London did, there just isn’t the possibility of waiting around for inspiration to strike. The same holds true in other fields. When we’re in need of inspiration for any project, we have to be prepared to go find it."

"Nice as inspiration is, there are always projects where we just don’t have the time to find inspiration. While inspiration can make the work go faster, though, it’s not always necessary: sometimes just sitting down and putting together an uninspired project is the best option."

Where do you go hunting for inspiration? I get some of my inspiration from the online blogs I subscribe to, or news articles that come across my virtual desk. What do you do when you go looking for inspiration but come back empty-handed? For the most part, I don't write, but I'm getting better at either going to revise an earlier work, or simply writing to get something down on paper, and worry about making it "inspired" later.

The Art of Critiquing

Last Thursday, someone asked about critiquing - how exactly do we do it? Are we getting bogged down in too much detail? What should we be looking for? So, I did a little digging and I came up with quite a few gems.

The following thoughts and direct quotes are taken from Writing Alone, Writing Together: A Guide for Writers and Writing Groups by Judy Reeves.

When critiquing a piece:

"The piece in question...is what the exchange is about, not what the writer intended to write or how much the critiquer knows. It isn't about the writer's skill. The dialogue concerns only what is on the page and how well it meets its mark or, if it doesn't, where, specifically, it veers off course."

"We don't teach anybody anything by being cruel to them or through disrespecting their work."

"This is not to say that critique, honestly and objectively and kindly given, doesn't hurt sometimes. We writers are a sensitive bunch, how else could we do what we do?"

"No matter how long we've been writing, when we tell the truth on the page, we have exposed ourselves and made ourselves vulnerable. You can't do one without the other. So when someone tells us something isn't working, or wasn't as effective as we thought, or goes off the mark, it is as natural as tears to wince a little at the bruising."

"Every now and again, someone takes up time picking one of those nits of spelling or the use of a cliche, or a line edit. But ideally those things are simply noted on the manuscript and discussion is devoted to larger issues."

How to Critique:

Be honest, objective, and kind. Tell how the piece affects you as a reader.

Respond only to the work being read, not the writer's previous work, the writer herself, her hairdo, or the company she keeps.

Critique the elements of the craft, not the content. The writer is the only one who can say what he wants to write about, and ideally, he will write about what matters to him, what he is passionate about.

Be specific in your comments.

Move away from your personal opinions of like/don't like to what works in the writing and what doesn't work.

What to Critique:

Voice
Tone
Language/Style
Diction
Characters
Point of View
Dialogue
Setting/Time
Plot
Structure
Conflict/Tension
Compelling or Predictable/Fresh or Trite
Transitions
Beginning/Middle/End
Arc
Pacing
Theme
Research
Authenticity

"Keep your critique to what's on the page. Critique the elements of the craft, not the content. Be specific. Be honest, objective, and kind."


If there are any words on this list that you are unfamiliar with, make sure to look them up and become familiar with them. As writers, we are responsible to educate ourselves about our craft.

One last thing, before you submit a piece for critique, please make sure that you have gone over it yourself at least once.

Are there any questions? Comments?