I was thinking about how the development of the writing process happens.
Word clouds - going from big world to little world, or various techniques of note taking.
It still remains "what works for me" in a lot of cases, depending on who you ask. I spoke with a writer who says that he has a single word that he writes on a piece of paper, then asks himself how to build an entire story around that world. Sounds freaky, but when you read his material, he creates a complex environment based on his method. But that works for him, not so much me.
Another writer I know hasn't written anything except dialogue for his stories, then creates the narrative around it. He said that the dialogue creates the narrative in a way that if he built the two together, it wouldn't work as a first draft.
I take a lot of notes with my work. A lot of them. Sometimes it is an idea, a lot of conversational bits that I hear from people that I like, and several tidbits of information. These notes, I put into one large file, and when I feel it is ready, I make it into a story. Some of the stuff fits, the other stuff that doesn't gets discarded. After I re-write the story once, I then go section by section, remove any uninteresting whole segments, and try to rebuild a more interesting, coherent story that really moves.
Everybody is different. I am no exception in that. But it's what works for me. I am curious what works for other people.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Let's make characters that act human instead of merely look like they are
Characters have their own personalities. I learn this more as I write. Sometimes, they speak to me through how they do things. The little qualities which make a person, even someone who appears common, to be unique. Everyone is not the same, but that isn't an opinion focused merely on looks. Habits can be another way, but the way that a character phrases comments or thinks about something can build who they are better than other attempt.
Character building for me starts with a person I know. I ask myself what they would do in a specific situation. When I haven't attempted this type of "in this person's shoes" character, my story usually fails. Why? I believe it has to do with the fact that I trust the plot too much and don't let the characters face adversity of each challenge in their own, individualistic way.
An example of a story common character who is merely doing what the plot wants: Guy moves forward, puts his hand on the door, opens it to reveal...
I have a friend named Mike. This is what I believe he would do in that same situation: Mike would see the door, grab a bat, back away from the door, then move close toward the door. No investigation, no need for explanation. Get the hell out.
That makes him more realistic. The only reason he would go through the door is if he saw someone hurt and wanted to help.
A horror story example:
The movie "House" - Guy shuts a door as a thing that looks like H.R. Gieger's Aliens tries to come through the closet. Afterward, the guy sets up cameras, trying to capture the thing on film to prove that it exists.
Mike gets the door shut, burns down the damn house. The last thing he does is try to investigate anything. Mike, who is a Viet Nam vet and has faced a lot of heavy stuff in his time, would say: "Investigation done" and light the match.
Whether this story is a gigantic, fantastic story or not, it needs human characters who act human in order to survive.
Otherwise it is a common story that doesn't work that the audience does not fully identify with.
Character building for me starts with a person I know. I ask myself what they would do in a specific situation. When I haven't attempted this type of "in this person's shoes" character, my story usually fails. Why? I believe it has to do with the fact that I trust the plot too much and don't let the characters face adversity of each challenge in their own, individualistic way.
An example of a story common character who is merely doing what the plot wants: Guy moves forward, puts his hand on the door, opens it to reveal...
I have a friend named Mike. This is what I believe he would do in that same situation: Mike would see the door, grab a bat, back away from the door, then move close toward the door. No investigation, no need for explanation. Get the hell out.
That makes him more realistic. The only reason he would go through the door is if he saw someone hurt and wanted to help.
A horror story example:
The movie "House" - Guy shuts a door as a thing that looks like H.R. Gieger's Aliens tries to come through the closet. Afterward, the guy sets up cameras, trying to capture the thing on film to prove that it exists.
Mike gets the door shut, burns down the damn house. The last thing he does is try to investigate anything. Mike, who is a Viet Nam vet and has faced a lot of heavy stuff in his time, would say: "Investigation done" and light the match.
Whether this story is a gigantic, fantastic story or not, it needs human characters who act human in order to survive.
Otherwise it is a common story that doesn't work that the audience does not fully identify with.
IPad2s, Stephen King, & Dean Koontz, oh my!
I bought an IPad2 (32G, Wi-Fi) on wednesday. It has already turned into one of the best writing decisions I have ever made. The wireless bluetooth keyboard has helped me write a lot of words. A lot more than I thought possible. Let me explain:
One of the problems I've had is a pinched nerve in my left hand. It has affected me since the since the summer of 2005 when I wrote WAY too much on an old Dell laptop. I had to quit writing for a little while to let it heal, and it has been a barrier for me ever since. Whenever I wrote more than 8,000 words in a day, I would be up the entire night with a numb hand. Not good, even though my left was not my dominate hand. I felt it hindered my writing ability by not getting out those great sentences I was thinking up, or that fantastic idea I had, because if I did too much then I was punished for it.
The bluetooth keyboard is a light, little baby that works fine. I did check it out, ask friends and co-workers who had IMacs if they enjoyed their keyboard. The IPad2 was more of the convenience of a 10-hour battery, and the fact that I don't like laptops in general (they usually end up scorching my lap).
In three days, I have written about 20,000 words. A few short stories, and have started on a book idea I've had rummaging around for a while. All of this on my new IPad2 and bluetooth keyboard. No, this is not for everyone. The screen is a little small and I am attempting to adjust to the word processor Pages which does need to improve its zoom feature to push out the text a little farther. I don't always enjoy the text large unless it is a final draft that I am self-editing before pushing out to those who edit my work. I wouldn't mind folders to contain the different documents (writers rarely have everything in one document as they do compile from several others).
That being said, I have had few if any issues with the IPad2 at all. The battery is killer, I am able to sit in a bar and write (as I am right at this moment) and develop ideas without having to always sit in a stuffy office. The fact that the storage space is 32g means I won't be running out of space any time soon.
Which leads me to a question (and hopefully to prevent people from considering this an advertisement for the IPad2):
- Did typewriters or pen stop writers from being so prolific? Or did they chose their words so carefully, their ideas so restrained that it didn't allow for a lot of content to see the light of day?
I am conscious that there are a lot of things that I have written (ideas, paragraphs, sentences) that are not worthy of someone else's reading time. I get that a lot of stuff in everyone's blogs are essentially frivolous exercises in random thoughts. But does that mean that writers who provide less to their reader have a greater impact than those who provide as much as possible.
Joseph Conrad is scary as hell if you read his stuff. I wonder, if he had utilized the word processor (or had one accessible) in his time, would he have provided as much work as Stephen King. People enjoy knocking King's work, but they tend to overlook the fact that people purchase it for a reason. They feel a true connection between King and themselves which other writers have not managed to provide. Enough that they will follow him anywhere, through any story, no matter how convoluted (Rose Madder, anyone?).
Dean Koontz is just as prolific, but I wonder if he manages the same connection. He appears to be more of an airport author. I get his book in the airport, I read it on the plane, I get to the end by time I am done traveling. I have never felt the same connection between Koontz that I have had with King. I can remember several connective points that King put forth, images that scared me, ideas that still cause me to question. Koontz is an idea, a story, that's it. After you are done, it's over, baby. No thinking about it.
Some people suggest that about King. But I have to tell you, I am still scared of that damn clown from IT (the spider, no so much). I wouldn't take the garbage out at night when I was a teenager after reading IT because I thought that the curb sewer grade had the possibility of inhabiting something terribly evil. While I enjoyed Koontz's Dragon Tears and Watchers, I was neither afraid nor really thought more about those characters, images or situations until right now.
Everything is a disparity of being. Some readers may feel the opposite about King and Koontz than I do. Both were able to produce volumes of work because of the word processor. I wonder what the future holds now that we have trended in such a direction that anything and everything can be written down, sent out into the world in a matter of minutes. Whether it be this blog or someone else's, or an ebook. We may so much information that we overload as a result.
One of the problems I've had is a pinched nerve in my left hand. It has affected me since the since the summer of 2005 when I wrote WAY too much on an old Dell laptop. I had to quit writing for a little while to let it heal, and it has been a barrier for me ever since. Whenever I wrote more than 8,000 words in a day, I would be up the entire night with a numb hand. Not good, even though my left was not my dominate hand. I felt it hindered my writing ability by not getting out those great sentences I was thinking up, or that fantastic idea I had, because if I did too much then I was punished for it.
The bluetooth keyboard is a light, little baby that works fine. I did check it out, ask friends and co-workers who had IMacs if they enjoyed their keyboard. The IPad2 was more of the convenience of a 10-hour battery, and the fact that I don't like laptops in general (they usually end up scorching my lap).
In three days, I have written about 20,000 words. A few short stories, and have started on a book idea I've had rummaging around for a while. All of this on my new IPad2 and bluetooth keyboard. No, this is not for everyone. The screen is a little small and I am attempting to adjust to the word processor Pages which does need to improve its zoom feature to push out the text a little farther. I don't always enjoy the text large unless it is a final draft that I am self-editing before pushing out to those who edit my work. I wouldn't mind folders to contain the different documents (writers rarely have everything in one document as they do compile from several others).
That being said, I have had few if any issues with the IPad2 at all. The battery is killer, I am able to sit in a bar and write (as I am right at this moment) and develop ideas without having to always sit in a stuffy office. The fact that the storage space is 32g means I won't be running out of space any time soon.
Which leads me to a question (and hopefully to prevent people from considering this an advertisement for the IPad2):
- Did typewriters or pen stop writers from being so prolific? Or did they chose their words so carefully, their ideas so restrained that it didn't allow for a lot of content to see the light of day?
I am conscious that there are a lot of things that I have written (ideas, paragraphs, sentences) that are not worthy of someone else's reading time. I get that a lot of stuff in everyone's blogs are essentially frivolous exercises in random thoughts. But does that mean that writers who provide less to their reader have a greater impact than those who provide as much as possible.
Joseph Conrad is scary as hell if you read his stuff. I wonder, if he had utilized the word processor (or had one accessible) in his time, would he have provided as much work as Stephen King. People enjoy knocking King's work, but they tend to overlook the fact that people purchase it for a reason. They feel a true connection between King and themselves which other writers have not managed to provide. Enough that they will follow him anywhere, through any story, no matter how convoluted (Rose Madder, anyone?).
Dean Koontz is just as prolific, but I wonder if he manages the same connection. He appears to be more of an airport author. I get his book in the airport, I read it on the plane, I get to the end by time I am done traveling. I have never felt the same connection between Koontz that I have had with King. I can remember several connective points that King put forth, images that scared me, ideas that still cause me to question. Koontz is an idea, a story, that's it. After you are done, it's over, baby. No thinking about it.
Some people suggest that about King. But I have to tell you, I am still scared of that damn clown from IT (the spider, no so much). I wouldn't take the garbage out at night when I was a teenager after reading IT because I thought that the curb sewer grade had the possibility of inhabiting something terribly evil. While I enjoyed Koontz's Dragon Tears and Watchers, I was neither afraid nor really thought more about those characters, images or situations until right now.
Everything is a disparity of being. Some readers may feel the opposite about King and Koontz than I do. Both were able to produce volumes of work because of the word processor. I wonder what the future holds now that we have trended in such a direction that anything and everything can be written down, sent out into the world in a matter of minutes. Whether it be this blog or someone else's, or an ebook. We may so much information that we overload as a result.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Writing Without A Map
I typically know where I am going when I start any story.
Today was different. Fun, but scary to see where I explored.
It was a first draft, but I liked the fact that as I continued to write, I built more than I had set out to do.
It came out to about 2,000 words. It is rough, trust me, nowhere near ready for publication. But I also believe that it was good for me in the scheme of things. It allowed me to run without a map and no matter where I went, it was going to be okay.
I wonder if there is something holding me back sometimes. Perhaps the fear of not knowing. But this blog has helped in this regard. I have been a lot more loose with my ideas, because no matter what, I have to enjoy the material enough to share it.
I have several friends who are stand-up comedians that experience this same sort of idea development. While they have structure in terms of jokes they tell, they say things off-the-cuff which actually help build the humor farther than when they sit down and write their material.
Harry J Reilly, Spokane's funniest man, did this last week at an open mike contest. He was going through his material on-stage, said something completely hilarious unscripted, and afterward asked a few people what he said. It was so in the moment that he forgot it and was worried that it was lost forever.
Thankfully, writers put it down on paper. As long as we put it there, we can go back and see what we like and what we didn't. Something to keep in mind the next time I doubt the opportunity "just to write" and see where it goes.
Today was different. Fun, but scary to see where I explored.
It was a first draft, but I liked the fact that as I continued to write, I built more than I had set out to do.
It came out to about 2,000 words. It is rough, trust me, nowhere near ready for publication. But I also believe that it was good for me in the scheme of things. It allowed me to run without a map and no matter where I went, it was going to be okay.
I wonder if there is something holding me back sometimes. Perhaps the fear of not knowing. But this blog has helped in this regard. I have been a lot more loose with my ideas, because no matter what, I have to enjoy the material enough to share it.
I have several friends who are stand-up comedians that experience this same sort of idea development. While they have structure in terms of jokes they tell, they say things off-the-cuff which actually help build the humor farther than when they sit down and write their material.
Harry J Reilly, Spokane's funniest man, did this last week at an open mike contest. He was going through his material on-stage, said something completely hilarious unscripted, and afterward asked a few people what he said. It was so in the moment that he forgot it and was worried that it was lost forever.
Thankfully, writers put it down on paper. As long as we put it there, we can go back and see what we like and what we didn't. Something to keep in mind the next time I doubt the opportunity "just to write" and see where it goes.
The Need to Deny The Wheel
I attended a writers guild meeting in Spokane with Andrew last night. We were late, which did not help our prospects of joining, so we ended up sitting downstairs, listening to the members speak with a microphone and amplifiers, bragging to each other about what they had written. I found it to be a curious set, since none of them had more than one story to talk about, none of them offered up those stories for review, etc.
I wonder if my youth makes it easier for me to write stories. I've heard of other authors having trouble as they grow older, attempting to write as they did when they were in their 20s or 30s.
Some of the authors of the stories started bashing commercial authors, etc. Does that help their situation? It seems as if they are inviting themselves to be ignored by criticizing those already successful. I can't believe that successful authors don't have influence with publishers and can make or break someone else's career.
The strange part was the lack of importance these guild members placed on Kindle or Ebooks in general. One member called it a "fad" and attempted to suggest that ebooks weren't real books anyway.
What exactly is a book?
Does a book require paper? Does it require photos, words, cover art?
Or is that simply what everyone is used to? And because that is "the way it's always been;" does that make it correct, right or good?
I call it "Deny the Wheel." Even though the wheel exists, is round and is used by many people, there are some which would deny it because even though it makes common sense, it is not something that they wish to accept. The same is true for ebooks. Sad but all of these people fighting for draconian publishing contracts which limit the amount of work they can have published could be publishing right now on kindle, or in other ebook format.
Some people just deny the wheel no matter what you do to convince them otherwise.
I wonder if my youth makes it easier for me to write stories. I've heard of other authors having trouble as they grow older, attempting to write as they did when they were in their 20s or 30s.
Some of the authors of the stories started bashing commercial authors, etc. Does that help their situation? It seems as if they are inviting themselves to be ignored by criticizing those already successful. I can't believe that successful authors don't have influence with publishers and can make or break someone else's career.
The strange part was the lack of importance these guild members placed on Kindle or Ebooks in general. One member called it a "fad" and attempted to suggest that ebooks weren't real books anyway.
What exactly is a book?
Does a book require paper? Does it require photos, words, cover art?
Or is that simply what everyone is used to? And because that is "the way it's always been;" does that make it correct, right or good?
I call it "Deny the Wheel." Even though the wheel exists, is round and is used by many people, there are some which would deny it because even though it makes common sense, it is not something that they wish to accept. The same is true for ebooks. Sad but all of these people fighting for draconian publishing contracts which limit the amount of work they can have published could be publishing right now on kindle, or in other ebook format.
Some people just deny the wheel no matter what you do to convince them otherwise.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Just Write 5,000 words
I realize that everyone is not the same. However, I encounter a lot of procrastination out there.
The old adage is that opportunity is 50% showing up. I agree with that.
A lot of people, with a lot more talent that I have, don't chose to write. They see that looming empty page and sit there, worried about how they should fill it.
I tell myself that I did not accomplish my tasks without a good 5,000 word week. That doesn't mean I write 5,000 words, then stop writing. But it means if I cannot generate 5,000 words (not even good words, but words in a halfway coherent form), then I didn't do what I set out to do at the beginning of that week.
Sometimes it is very difficult. Job, stress, family issues, friends, whatever. But I tell myself that other people are challenging me for the right to be a good, successful writer. That is the goal. If that is the goal, it is something I need to focus on, above all else.
Sometimes, you need to be greedy in order to do things in life. Opportunity is not there when you want it, but comes when you least expect it.
When I sat down to write this blog, I had nothing to write about. Seriously, I was asking myself, what do I want to write about today? But then I remembered the challenge I set about myself when I created this blog: I will write at least one post per day. I have noticed that I write more than one post per day, but that doesn't allow me to become lazy by not posting one day (because I have so many additional posts already up on another).
It is a challenge, but a task that I want to be up for.
Today, I've crossed the 3,000 word mark. Not just in this post, but in other forms of writing; developing short stories, trying to finish the last real redraft of my second full crime novel which will be a follow-up of Crunk (side characters from the first book will be main characters in the second but a new adventure).
Those are the challenges we all face. I am a friend to make stand-up comedians in Spokane where I live. If half of them didn't work on their material, they have no one to blame but themselves when they go up in front of a crowd to perform. Think I'm kidding? Please, try stand-up sometime. You'll run back to the word processor, ready to write about 50,000 words in a day just to keep from going up on stage. Especially if you have nothing to say.
Glad I wrote this post. I feel better. Now, back to work on writing more great stuff...
The old adage is that opportunity is 50% showing up. I agree with that.
A lot of people, with a lot more talent that I have, don't chose to write. They see that looming empty page and sit there, worried about how they should fill it.
I tell myself that I did not accomplish my tasks without a good 5,000 word week. That doesn't mean I write 5,000 words, then stop writing. But it means if I cannot generate 5,000 words (not even good words, but words in a halfway coherent form), then I didn't do what I set out to do at the beginning of that week.
Sometimes it is very difficult. Job, stress, family issues, friends, whatever. But I tell myself that other people are challenging me for the right to be a good, successful writer. That is the goal. If that is the goal, it is something I need to focus on, above all else.
Sometimes, you need to be greedy in order to do things in life. Opportunity is not there when you want it, but comes when you least expect it.
When I sat down to write this blog, I had nothing to write about. Seriously, I was asking myself, what do I want to write about today? But then I remembered the challenge I set about myself when I created this blog: I will write at least one post per day. I have noticed that I write more than one post per day, but that doesn't allow me to become lazy by not posting one day (because I have so many additional posts already up on another).
It is a challenge, but a task that I want to be up for.
Today, I've crossed the 3,000 word mark. Not just in this post, but in other forms of writing; developing short stories, trying to finish the last real redraft of my second full crime novel which will be a follow-up of Crunk (side characters from the first book will be main characters in the second but a new adventure).
Those are the challenges we all face. I am a friend to make stand-up comedians in Spokane where I live. If half of them didn't work on their material, they have no one to blame but themselves when they go up in front of a crowd to perform. Think I'm kidding? Please, try stand-up sometime. You'll run back to the word processor, ready to write about 50,000 words in a day just to keep from going up on stage. Especially if you have nothing to say.
Glad I wrote this post. I feel better. Now, back to work on writing more great stuff...
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
My Penny Dreadfuls (that are free stories)
I always have some short little ideas.
Nothing big enough that I want to have readers spend even $0.99 on. That is not to say that they are not good stories, however, I don't believe they merit the idea of a reader spending money in order to access them.
Back in the 1800s, there used to be stories called "penny dreadfuls."
These were for the British working class and hopped the Pond by the end of the 19th century into the old American West (our version of Shakespeare in terms of the drama that came out of it, in my opinion).
The free stories which I will continue to offer from time to time. These stories are ones that I hope really allow my readership to grow. It was a fun exercise and I believe that some of the ideas I have will grab a lot of new fans.
All four have been re-written once, thought through for a few days, and put out as what they are. Little freebees that probably aren't worth a lot of work, in my opinion.
Tonight I've put up four little short stories:
Astra The Witch - 2,000 words - Horror/Paranormal
I did enjoy how I created the first-person view in Astra. For me, it was something different to have a basic transcript of two people talking, but only one telling the story. By the end of the story, I don't really know if I feel bad for the town. I mean, geez, they knew what they were dealing with in Astra, and kept it going, didn't they?
What Lies At The Bottom of Plot 105 - 1,500 words - Horror/Vampire
In terms of "Plot 105," I thought it would be fun to put out a little vampire story that was merely that. None of that nonsense where the person escapes for about twenty pages and then gets caught at the end. Those types of stories seem to propel nonsense rather than just get to the point.
What Remains of the World - 1,500 words - Horror/Dystophia
Every end of the world short story or novel tends to deal with those fighting off the infected. I wanted a story which dealt with the infected attempting to survive the "normals" who are killing them. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. I would love feedback on this one.
The Ballad of Deuce Larry Long, Jr. - 1,500 words - Crime/Thriller
This was originally a submission for the PNW Inlander contest on the subject of "redemption" but did not get selected for the weekly publication. So I decided rather than let it sit on a shelf, I would put it up for people to read. It's one of those short stories I really don't know how I feel about. Neither great nor sad it exists, but it does, so I provide it for free to see what others think about it.
You've probably noted that these title covers look cheap, something out of a dime store from the 1960s-1970s. That was the point with these little babies. They aren't worth a whole lot but a single, 15 minute read, but I thought why not let them see the light of day.
At some point, I may end up putting them all into a gigantic book. I believe I might get about 50 of them together and do that... you never know...
Nothing big enough that I want to have readers spend even $0.99 on. That is not to say that they are not good stories, however, I don't believe they merit the idea of a reader spending money in order to access them.
Back in the 1800s, there used to be stories called "penny dreadfuls."
These were for the British working class and hopped the Pond by the end of the 19th century into the old American West (our version of Shakespeare in terms of the drama that came out of it, in my opinion).
The free stories which I will continue to offer from time to time. These stories are ones that I hope really allow my readership to grow. It was a fun exercise and I believe that some of the ideas I have will grab a lot of new fans.
All four have been re-written once, thought through for a few days, and put out as what they are. Little freebees that probably aren't worth a lot of work, in my opinion.
Tonight I've put up four little short stories:
Astra The Witch - 2,000 words - Horror/Paranormal
I did enjoy how I created the first-person view in Astra. For me, it was something different to have a basic transcript of two people talking, but only one telling the story. By the end of the story, I don't really know if I feel bad for the town. I mean, geez, they knew what they were dealing with in Astra, and kept it going, didn't they?
What Lies At The Bottom of Plot 105 - 1,500 words - Horror/Vampire
In terms of "Plot 105," I thought it would be fun to put out a little vampire story that was merely that. None of that nonsense where the person escapes for about twenty pages and then gets caught at the end. Those types of stories seem to propel nonsense rather than just get to the point.
What Remains of the World - 1,500 words - Horror/Dystophia
Every end of the world short story or novel tends to deal with those fighting off the infected. I wanted a story which dealt with the infected attempting to survive the "normals" who are killing them. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. I would love feedback on this one.
The Ballad of Deuce Larry Long, Jr. - 1,500 words - Crime/Thriller
This was originally a submission for the PNW Inlander contest on the subject of "redemption" but did not get selected for the weekly publication. So I decided rather than let it sit on a shelf, I would put it up for people to read. It's one of those short stories I really don't know how I feel about. Neither great nor sad it exists, but it does, so I provide it for free to see what others think about it.
You've probably noted that these title covers look cheap, something out of a dime store from the 1960s-1970s. That was the point with these little babies. They aren't worth a whole lot but a single, 15 minute read, but I thought why not let them see the light of day.
At some point, I may end up putting them all into a gigantic book. I believe I might get about 50 of them together and do that... you never know...
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