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Monday, 05.21.2012 |
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| On Writing |
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Product Details
Notes
his first writing was copying, but his mother told him to write something original
good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere
two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new
your job isn't to find these ideas, but to recognize them when they show up
when you write a story, you're telling yourself the story
when you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story
write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open
your stuff starts out being just for you, but then it belongs to anyone who reads it
a writer's original perception of a character may be as wrong as the reader's
stopping a piece of work just because it's hard is a bad idea
sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like you're struggling
his first hit novel, Carrie, was inspired by real girls from high school
the advance was $2500, but the paperback rights sold for $400,000
life isn't a support system for art, it's the other way around
you must not come lightly to the blank page, take your writing seriously
don't make a conscious effort to improve your vocabulary, just read a lot
use the first word that comes to mind, if it's appropriate and colorful
avoid the passive tense, write active verbs, don't be a timid writer
adverbs are often redundant, see if the meaning is already clear from context
especially avoid adverbs in any dialogue attributions
fear is at the root of most bad writing
read Strunk and White, The Elements of Style
add 's to form a possessive, even if the singular word ends in "s" like a name
books that are easy to read have lots of short paragraphs and white space
writing is refined thinking
don't think too much about where paragraphs begin and end, let it be natural
sentence fragments can help streamline narration and vary the prose rhythm
the goal of fiction is to make the reader forget that they are reading a story
writing is seduction, like smooth conversation
the paragraph is the basic unit of writing, where beats and rhythm are created
good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals and adding the next level
it is possible to make a good writer out of a writer who is merely competent
but maybe no one can make a writer great, or fix a really bad writer
you absolutely must read a lot and write a lot
he reads about 70-80 books a year
the bad books often have more you can learn from than the good books
read widely, constantly refining your style as you do
too many people say they want to write a book, but they don't have time to read
if you don't have time to read, you don't have the time or skills to write
learn to read during all the little breaks throughout the day
don't worry about polite society and what they expect
and don't worry about being rude to others when it comes to your writing time
TV is the last thing a serious writer needs
it takes up too much time, and you must turn inward toward the imagination
talent renders the idea of rehearsal meaningless
if you find something you truly love, you'll do it any time you can
even when there is no audience, you get fulfillment as a creator
he recommends reading and writing 4-6 hours a day, every day
constant reading teaches you to write without self-consciousness
it also gives you constantly growing knowledge about what's been done or not
you learn what is fresh and interesting, what works and what doesn't
mornings are his prime writing time
once a project is started, he doesn't stop or slow down if at all possible
if you pause, the writing may begin to feel like work, which is deadly
writing is always at its best when it feels like a kind of inspired playtime
a first draft should take no longer than 3 months
try to get 10 pages a day, or about 2000 words
work in a serene atmosphere in order to enhance your productivity
stability of health and home life allow the writing life to stay strong
and conversely, a strong writing life contributes to health and home
most writers need their own personal space at home to write
the space should be humble, and with a door you can shut to the outside world
start out with 1000 words a day, and take one day a week off at first
write one word at a time, just keep focused on each step
there should be no telephone, TV, or distractions in your writing room
draw the curtains so you can't look outside
get rid of the world when you write so you can create your own inner world
your writing room is like creative sleep, you setup your schedule to dream
it's like sleeping, you get into a regular schedule and stay physically still
now that you have your space, write anything you want, as long as it's the truth
write what you know (in a broad sense) and what you love to read
don't write to impress friends, relatives or colleagues, or just to make money
you don't choose the material for your story, it chooses you
your individual personality means you will naturally write about certain things
book buyers aren't attracted by the literary merits of a novel
they buy books for a good story that resonates with their interests
the key is not plot, but finding the truth understood by the mind and the heart
write what you like, and infuse it with your own personal knowledge of life
people love to read about work, use your work to enrich the story, don't lecture
John Grisham may have cardboard characters and plain prose
but he gets right to the point, and he writes about life as he knows it
stories and novels consist of 3 parts: narration, description, and dialogue
our lives are generally plotless, plotting can ruin spontaneous creation
he believes that stories generally make themselves
the job of the writer is to give them a place to grow
a story that is created through plot often feels artificial and labored
rely more on intuition, build stories that are based on situations rather than plot
put your characters in some sort of predicament, then watch them struggle free
start with a unique and interesting situation, then start building characters
characters will start out flat and unfeatured, but they'll grow characteristics
you may have an idea of the outcome, but don't demand it from the characters
oftentimes, the characters will do things their way, and it will be unexpected
the most interesting situations can often be expressed as "What if" question
editing can smooth out the details, but the story should be there from the start
try taking a common situation and adding one simple twist
the key is to be honest about the way your characters speak and act
good description is a learned skill, you get better through reading
it's not just about how to do it, it's about how much to do
learn by doing, write a lot to learn what works and what doesn't
description begins with visualization of what you want the reader to experience
then you translate that vision into words on the page
thin description is confusing or unclear, overdescription buries the reader
the trick is to find a happy medium, know what to describe and what to leave out
description begins in the writer's imagination, but finishes in the reader's
locale and texture are more important than character appearance or clothing
take a few well-chosen details that stand for everything else
often your first visualized details will be the best
before writing description, take a moment to draw the memory back intensely
remember that the most important thing is the story, don't slow down too much
use figurative language to create powerful images in the reader's mind
not recognizing cliches usually comes from not reading enough
good description starts with clear seeing and ends with clear writing
dialogue can convey character to others in ways the speaker is unaware
speech can indicate a character's level of intelligence, honesty, or humor
writers can improve their dialogue by listening more carefully to real people
imagine the reader tuning in and eavesdropping on an interesting conversation
the key to writing good dialogue, like everything else, is honesty
what happens to characters depends on how they grow and change
if they grow a lot, they may influence the story instead of the other way around
a story may start with a situation, but eventually it becomes about the people
with a novel, it's more than a character study, the story itself needs to be strong
remember that in real life, everyone considers themselves multifaceted
every character you create will be partly you and partly others you observe
then you can add some pure imagination to the character
try to see and hear clearly, then transcribe it with clarity and honesty
experiment and try things and see if they work, cut them if they don't
read the first draft and look for symbolism and theme
bring these out in the second draft more consciously, but don't just add them
once you recognize a theme, think about the images and connotations
after the first draft, decide what your story is really about
then bring that into clearer focus in the second draft
one problem he ran into was when the good guys and bad guys became alike
when you're stuck with writers block, ask yourself what you're writing about
don't start with theme though, good fiction starts with story and reveals theme
Stephen King does two drafts and then a polished form
Kurt Vonnegut rewrote each page of his novels until they were perfect
write the first draft quickly if possible, don't give in to self-doubt
keep your enthusiasm strong and don't get any feedback during the first draft
your first readers should promise not to talk to you about your book
you need time to rest, and you'll approach them when you're ready
rest for at least 6 weeks after the first draft, work on other things in the meantime
come back with a fresh perspective and read the draft in one sitting if possible
make notes and fix the easy details like misspellings and inconsistencies
read your work as if it were written by someone else
this lets you be more objective about cutting sections you might love
don't get depressed about major plot holes or character problems
check for proper character motivation and make notes on everything you find
mark the manuscript with a symbol that reminds you to check your notes
think of it as rediscovering your book as a first-time reader
check for unnecessary adverbs, passive verbs, and unclear pronouns
think about the underlying theme and whether the story is coherent
ask yourself what the story is really all about
figure out what scenes need to be added, and which scenes don't fit anymore
often in the beginning of the story, there are directions that aren't consistent
get 6-8 friends to read your draft and give you feedback
if their comments conflict, leave things as they are, ties go to the writer
some first readers will be good at pointing out factual errors
if everyone agrees on a certain problem, you probably need to fix it
not all opinions weigh the same, figure out your Ideal Reader
this lets you see your story as an outside reader would, even while writing it
publishers like fast-paced novels, but going too fast can confuse the reader
each story should be allowed to unfold at its own pace
think about your Ideal Reader and whether they would be bored
most commonly, you need to cut the boring parts to increase the pace
kill the darlings, cut your favorite scenes if they don't serve the story
pay attention when you justify things by saying "Yeah, but"
JK Rowling does a good job of incorporating backstory
she smoothly recaps previous books in each new one
ask your Ideal Reader which parts were unclear or misunderstood
then ask yourself if you understand those things
if you do, you need to explain them better
if you don't, you need to think them through first
also ask your Ideal reader if any backstory was boring or unnecessary
remember that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it is boring
similarly, research is important, but the story is the most important
research adds a touch of verisimilitude, but don't turn it into a lecture
beginning writers often think they just need the perfect writing environment
the problem is when you feel like you have to write, instead of just wanting to
when you have distractions, there may also be less pressure to produce
writers workshops often have daily critiques, which can be detrimental
you end up spending too much time and effort explaining your writing
probably less than 5% of writers make enough money to live off
you learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, not from classes or lessons
the most common question is: Where do you get your ideas?
the second most common question is: How do you get an agent?
check the Writer's Market and the Literary Market Place for listings
study the market and the business of publishing
good presentation is important, a cover letter, thanking the person for reading
ask potential agents which publishers they have sold to, but not their client list
overall, a very good book, entertaining, interesting and useful
the memoir of his childhood is both interesting and funny
the story of how he got hit by a van is very powerful first person |
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