How To Write
Writing Info
John Steinbeck:
1- Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.
2- Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
3- Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.
4- If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it—bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there.
5- Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you, dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.
6- If you are using dialogue—say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.
https://dontbeawriter.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/short-stories-improve-writing/
http://writing-questions-answered.tumblr.com/
http://abutterflydreaming.com/
======================
“And that’s how you create suspense,” he said—it all boils down to asking a question and making people wait for the answer.
Child added that one thing he has learned throughout his career as a television writer and novelist is that humans are hard-wired to want the answer to a question. When the remote control was invented, it threw the TV business through a loop. How would you keep people around during a commercial? So TV producers started posing a question at the start of the commercial break, and answering it when the program returned. (Think sports—Who has the most career grand slams?) Even if you don’t care about the answer, Child said, you stick around because you’re intrigued.
“The way to write a thriller is to ask a question a the beginning, and answer it at the end,” he said.
Lee Child, Author (Jack Reacher)
========================
Want to write a thriller, but stuck on the beginning? Novelist Daniel Palmer uses his own experience and that of his father (bestseller Michael Palmer) and lays out the essentials to get you on your way.
Step 1. Choose your rhino.
Michael Palmer once was asked to describe writing a book. His answer? Writing a book is like following a recipe for rhinoceros stew. The first step of which is to find the rhino—which isn’t your plot, character or hook. It’s that huge idea that defines the book, such as a deadly virus. Daniel’s latest rhino was identity theft.
Step 2. Formulate the What-If question.
Daniel said to think of this essentially as your elevator pitch—that pithy, snappy description of your book you should have at the ready should you be stuck in an elevator with an agent or editor. Cap it at two sentences, 25 words. It needs to be as tight as possible, and it shouldn’t delve into things like characters or plot twists. “I spend days doing those two sentences, and I would urge you to do the same with yours,” Daniel said.
One What-If example from Michael’s work: What if everybody involved in a surgery six years ago is being murdered one by one?
Step 3. Answer the What-If question.
The answer to this pivotal question is what’s known as the MacGuffin: the reason people think they’re reading the book. (MacGuffins can be a confusing subject, but they’re key.) Ultimately, Daniel said the answer is that it doesn’t matter—people read to the end of a book for the characters. But you need something to keep them flipping pages. The MacGuffin is simply that tool that gets them to stay with the characters.
Daniel said when you have the answer to your What-If, you should file it away and forget about it for a while. If you focus solely on the MacGuffin, your book will be plot-heavy and bogged down by it, and you’ll have lost your readers.
Step 4. Figure out who you’re going to write about.
“You’re looking for your character who’s got the absolute most at stake, and that’s the person who you want your story to be about.” Daniel said to develop your arc as they go along, chasing the MacGuffin, and they’ll change and grow.
BONUS: Step 5. Write on.
Daniel likes to think of plot as a “cannibal’s stew”—a simmering cauldron into which you drop your character in. Once he’s inside, it boils. But you don’t have your character simply jump out—you slam a lid on the cauldron and nail it shut so your character has to figure out how to survive the plot.
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Writing Resources
http://www.anialexander.com/ (motivational podcast)
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/13-ways-to-make-a-freelance-living/
(write a filler for (local or not) newspapers / magazines about:
memories of home
military life
local heroes
average joe/jane spotlight
professional spotlight
company spotlight
do gooder spotlight
obscure hobby spotlight
foreign country spotlight
local history spotlight
local urban legends
local restaurant reviews / plug; recipe
family fun ideas
vocabulary builder (cool words to learn and how to use them)
wierd word origins
foreign language useful fact / phrase (spanish?)
fun physiology; body works for dummies
psych out - psychology facts / tips
daily motivation
local artists / writers / etc. famous people
chamber of commerce meeting summary
city council meeting summary
best blog of the day
young artists
young writers
create a caption for a cartoon
real estate tips
joke of the day
thought of the day
quote of the day
politics vs. economics
funny headlines
there should be a law... or should there?
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-best-way-to-start-out-in-freelance-writing/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-ways-to-kick-start-the-writing-habit/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/entry-level-freelance-writing/
http://freelancefolder.com/7-cant-miss-ways-to-kick-start-the-writing-habit/
free online writing class
http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/TextResources/norton/EssenWriting.asp
write greeting cards!
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/community/art_welcome.asp
freelance writing jobs:
http://poewar.com/jobs/
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets_and_jobs.php
http://www.writingexcuses.com/season001/
http://www.seriouspixie.com/writers
http://blog.shelfari.com
https://www.autocrit.com
http://www.autocrit.com/wizardformpage.php
http://www.writers-classes.com/mailman/listinfo/prose3
http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/story-goal.html
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/creative-writing-101/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/using-writing-bursts-to-generate-ideas-and-enthusiasm/
http://hollylisle.com/my-articles/
http://hollylisle.com/
http://shop.hollylisle.com/index.php?crn=208
Top 25 Forensic Science Blogs: http://www.topcriminaljusticedegrees.org/top-forensic-science-blogs-of-2012/
The periodic table of irrational nonsense: http://crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2010/07/periodic-table-of-irrational-nonsense.html (great writing fodder)
http://crispian-jago.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/skeptic-trumps-cards-001-040.html
Anyone ever use Dramatica Pro? I'm considering picking up the new version called Dramatica Story Expert. Any experience with it out there in scribbler land?
Conventions --> for networking
Writing Conferences --> for learning
worldcon
dragoncon
conduit
writing boot camp, orson scott card
maui
clarion
oddyssey
self syndication
trade shows
david farland
Books:
•Wannabe a Writer? (Jane Wenham-Jones)
•Teach Yourself … Writing a Novel (Nigel Watts)
•How to Write Fiction (and Think About It) (Robert Graham)
•On Writing (Stephen King)
======================
I found this through 9rules, and I thought I’ll share it here.
Eight rules for writing fiction:
===============
John Steinbeck:
1- Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.
2- Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
3- Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.
4- If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it—bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there.
5- Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you, dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.
6- If you are using dialogue—say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.
https://dontbeawriter.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/short-stories-improve-writing/
http://writing-questions-answered.tumblr.com/
http://abutterflydreaming.com/
======================
“And that’s how you create suspense,” he said—it all boils down to asking a question and making people wait for the answer.
Child added that one thing he has learned throughout his career as a television writer and novelist is that humans are hard-wired to want the answer to a question. When the remote control was invented, it threw the TV business through a loop. How would you keep people around during a commercial? So TV producers started posing a question at the start of the commercial break, and answering it when the program returned. (Think sports—Who has the most career grand slams?) Even if you don’t care about the answer, Child said, you stick around because you’re intrigued.
“The way to write a thriller is to ask a question a the beginning, and answer it at the end,” he said.
Lee Child, Author (Jack Reacher)
========================
Want to write a thriller, but stuck on the beginning? Novelist Daniel Palmer uses his own experience and that of his father (bestseller Michael Palmer) and lays out the essentials to get you on your way.
Step 1. Choose your rhino.
Michael Palmer once was asked to describe writing a book. His answer? Writing a book is like following a recipe for rhinoceros stew. The first step of which is to find the rhino—which isn’t your plot, character or hook. It’s that huge idea that defines the book, such as a deadly virus. Daniel’s latest rhino was identity theft.
Step 2. Formulate the What-If question.
Daniel said to think of this essentially as your elevator pitch—that pithy, snappy description of your book you should have at the ready should you be stuck in an elevator with an agent or editor. Cap it at two sentences, 25 words. It needs to be as tight as possible, and it shouldn’t delve into things like characters or plot twists. “I spend days doing those two sentences, and I would urge you to do the same with yours,” Daniel said.
One What-If example from Michael’s work: What if everybody involved in a surgery six years ago is being murdered one by one?
Step 3. Answer the What-If question.
The answer to this pivotal question is what’s known as the MacGuffin: the reason people think they’re reading the book. (MacGuffins can be a confusing subject, but they’re key.) Ultimately, Daniel said the answer is that it doesn’t matter—people read to the end of a book for the characters. But you need something to keep them flipping pages. The MacGuffin is simply that tool that gets them to stay with the characters.
Daniel said when you have the answer to your What-If, you should file it away and forget about it for a while. If you focus solely on the MacGuffin, your book will be plot-heavy and bogged down by it, and you’ll have lost your readers.
Step 4. Figure out who you’re going to write about.
“You’re looking for your character who’s got the absolute most at stake, and that’s the person who you want your story to be about.” Daniel said to develop your arc as they go along, chasing the MacGuffin, and they’ll change and grow.
BONUS: Step 5. Write on.
Daniel likes to think of plot as a “cannibal’s stew”—a simmering cauldron into which you drop your character in. Once he’s inside, it boils. But you don’t have your character simply jump out—you slam a lid on the cauldron and nail it shut so your character has to figure out how to survive the plot.
==================
==================
Writing Resources
http://www.anialexander.com/ (motivational podcast)
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/13-ways-to-make-a-freelance-living/
(write a filler for (local or not) newspapers / magazines about:
memories of home
military life
local heroes
average joe/jane spotlight
professional spotlight
company spotlight
do gooder spotlight
obscure hobby spotlight
foreign country spotlight
local history spotlight
local urban legends
local restaurant reviews / plug; recipe
family fun ideas
vocabulary builder (cool words to learn and how to use them)
wierd word origins
foreign language useful fact / phrase (spanish?)
fun physiology; body works for dummies
psych out - psychology facts / tips
daily motivation
local artists / writers / etc. famous people
chamber of commerce meeting summary
city council meeting summary
best blog of the day
young artists
young writers
create a caption for a cartoon
real estate tips
joke of the day
thought of the day
quote of the day
politics vs. economics
funny headlines
there should be a law... or should there?
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-best-way-to-start-out-in-freelance-writing/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-ways-to-kick-start-the-writing-habit/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/entry-level-freelance-writing/
http://freelancefolder.com/7-cant-miss-ways-to-kick-start-the-writing-habit/
free online writing class
http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/TextResources/norton/EssenWriting.asp
write greeting cards!
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/community/art_welcome.asp
freelance writing jobs:
http://poewar.com/jobs/
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets_and_jobs.php
http://www.writingexcuses.com/season001/
http://www.seriouspixie.com/writers
http://blog.shelfari.com
https://www.autocrit.com
http://www.autocrit.com/wizardformpage.php
http://www.writers-classes.com/mailman/listinfo/prose3
http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/story-goal.html
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/creative-writing-101/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/using-writing-bursts-to-generate-ideas-and-enthusiasm/
http://hollylisle.com/my-articles/
http://hollylisle.com/
http://shop.hollylisle.com/index.php?crn=208
Top 25 Forensic Science Blogs: http://www.topcriminaljusticedegrees.org/top-forensic-science-blogs-of-2012/
The periodic table of irrational nonsense: http://crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2010/07/periodic-table-of-irrational-nonsense.html (great writing fodder)
http://crispian-jago.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/skeptic-trumps-cards-001-040.html
Anyone ever use Dramatica Pro? I'm considering picking up the new version called Dramatica Story Expert. Any experience with it out there in scribbler land?
Conventions --> for networking
Writing Conferences --> for learning
worldcon
dragoncon
conduit
writing boot camp, orson scott card
maui
clarion
oddyssey
self syndication
trade shows
david farland
Books:
•Wannabe a Writer? (Jane Wenham-Jones)
•Teach Yourself … Writing a Novel (Nigel Watts)
•How to Write Fiction (and Think About It) (Robert Graham)
•On Writing (Stephen King)
======================
Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules For Writing Fiction
Eight rules for writing fiction:
- Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
- Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
- Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
- Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
- Start as close to the end as possible.
- Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
- Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
- Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
===============
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