Writing Hint # 42: Write, write, write
No Comments »15th January, 2008; Category: Writing Hints
Yesterday I wrote about the importance of planning your writing. Without a plan, the story, novel, article or essay – whatever you are writing – could meander on with no real ending or purpose in mind. It will soon meander off into the desert, lost, lost, lost. And in the process, you will have lost most of your readers.
The second stage of writing:
Write.
That’s it.
Just write. Get the words down following your plan. Don’t stop for reflection. Don’t stop to edit. Don’t stop to rewrite. Don’t deviate from the task. Just get those words down, no matter how you feel about them. Keep writing, writing, writing. Let the words flow. Let the characters speak. Let the inspiration feed on itself. Get into a zone and just write.
Later stages
Once you have the words down, then the next stages kick in – rewriting and editing – but more of that in future articles.
Good writing.
Further reading:
- Writing hints – dozens more great hints in this series of articles.
Writing Hint #41: Plan, plan, plan.
No Comments »14th January, 2008; Category: Writing Hints
Few people would begin a major project like building a house without first creating a comprehensive plan, though I have seen a few buildings that seem so haphazard no designer could have been involved. A detailed plan is essential to the final product.
What makes writing any different? I must admit that I often approach my writing in a quite haphazard way. I sometimes just start writing and hope that something good comes of my efforts. That’s fine with short pieces, like a short story, a blog post or a letter, for example. A long novel of one or two hundred thousand words is entirely a different matter. Planning is essential. Without planning the story could go anywhere – and probably will.
Many writers probably envy J.K. Rowling and her runaway successful Potter series. A casual glance may bring one to the conclusion that her success was an overnight phenomenon. Not so. After having the initial inspiration for the story she spent FIVE YEARS planning the saga of Harry Potter. FIVE YEARS. That was before she even wrote a single word of the story. In those five years she meticulously planned every detail of the plot, the characters, the system of magic, the system of government and education and many more things that go to make a successful story. In effect she created a whole new world in her imagination and then transferred that fantasy world into her notes. Once that was done, the fantasy must have literally jumped on to the page as she wrote.
The Writing Process
Planning is just the first step to successful writing. According to one article I read recently, the writing process has four major steps:
- Planning
- Writing
- Rewriting
- Editing
Mmmm – this is turning out to be the first article of a series of blog posts.
Funny about that – I hadn’t planned it that way!
Good writing.
Further reading:
- Writing Hints – dozens of articles I’ve written about improving your writing.
Writing Hint #40: Use a dictionary
No Comments »13th January, 2008; Category: Writing Hints
This hint might be stating the obvious, but when I read some blogs on the internet, I wonder if the writers have ever used a dictionary in their lives. Perhaps they do not even know how to use one.
For a writer, a good dictionary is an essential tool. These days you do not even have to have a hard copy dictionary sitting on the shelf next to where you write. There are a number of very good dictionaries freely available in the internet.
I still prefer to have a good, reliable, solid dictionary in my hand. In fact, I have no less than four sitting on the shelf above my writing desk. I consult one or more of them frequently, sometimes to check my spelling, sometimes to check the meaning. I have learned to never trust the computer spell check. It is a guide only and it is often wrong. Do not rely on it.
My dictionaries:
- The Shorter Oxford Dictionary: I call it “Big Bertha” as it weighs in quite heavily. I do not use this one all that often and primarily only to check out the etymology (history) of words.
- The Penguin English Dictionary: I have used this dictionary frequently since buying it in 1965. I think it could even be a first edition. It has been a solid workhorse for me ever since. Its pages are yellow and tattered from frequent use. Being a paperback, I’m amazed it has held together over four decades of use.
- The Concise Macquarie Dictionary: This is the authoritative dictionary on Australian words, especially on those peculiarly Aussie idioms we love to use. It’s a bloody ripper, mate!
- The Collins Cobuild Learner’s Dictionary: This is my most recent acquisition and is the most modern of all of my volumes. I specifically bought it to assist me when I was still teaching. My wife has also used it when tutoring students. It has several features not found in most dictionaries (e.g. frequency of use of each word).
So there you go.
Good writing – and don’t forget to check your spelling.
Further reading:
- Writing hints – dozens more articles I’ve written giving writing hints to improve your writing.
Dealing with the drudgery of writing
“The drudgery of being a professional writer comes in
trying to make good days out of bad days and in
squeezing out the words when they won’t just flow.”~Benjamin Cavell
I know how this writer feels.
Sometimes the words just flow easily and on days like that it is the most wonderful thing in the world to be a writer. It is exciting when a piece of writing just works so beautifully that little or no rewriting is needed. It is exhilarating when you read something you’ve written and you are amazed that you put those words together in just the right way. It is wonderful when you get everything just right.
It isn’t always like that.
There are days when it is sheer drudgery, when you are feeling ill, or lethargic or just plain tired. Or there might be some life issue pressing in on your thinking and sapping the creative energies. In the bad days I’ve found a few solutions that work for me. Try them – you may well find that they work for you too.
Overcoming the bad days
- Take a break – even five minutes can help.
- Stretch – your muscles will love you.
- Look at the birds – stare out the window and observe the birds.
- Go for a walk – around the garden, the block or wherever.
- Write in your journal – it doesn’t have to be great literature – just let your feelings all pour out.
- Do the crossword in the newspaper – I find that the cryptic crossword so stimulating I try to complete it daily.
- Nap – sometimes the brain needs the refreshment of a short sleep. (Take note of the word “short.”)
- Read – the mental stimulation can be very beneficial.
- Laugh out loud – read some jokes – or watch a part of a funny DVD.
- Pray – I find that prayer focuses the mind on connecting with God and this often leads to renewed inspiration. Others might find meditation to be useful in calming the mind enabling it to refocus on the writing task.
These ideas work for me. I hope that you find techniques that work for you.
Good writing.
Further reading:
How a little ant taught me about writing
From time to time we have these annoying little black ants invading our house. Fortunately they are not in huge numbers (unless we accidentally leave some tasty food out on the bench for too long). It it also just as well that they rarely bite. They are just a nuisance really.
This morning we were having a leisurely breakfast with our visiting daughter. She made us all a cooked breakfast; bless her. It was yummy. Half way through our meal she exclaimed, “What is that ant doing?”
On the window sill next me in our sun room there was a single ant about 4mm long. It was hauling along a dead moth at least four times its size. Backwards.
What is more, two other ants were sitting on the moth trying to eat it. What power and persistent against great odds. That’s not all – this amazing little ant proceeded to pull that moth over the edge of the window sill, underneath the ledge and then down the wall. On checking a while later the single ant had been joined by another five or six and the moth had been hauled back up the wall to the window sill again. All were having a feast. I hope that the original ant had his fair share to make up for all that amazing effort.
The power of one
We often underestimate the power and influence of the individual. A person empowered by an enduring passion can achieve great things. We also underestimate what we can achieve. I read some years ago – I forget the source – that we usually overestimate what we can achieve in a week or a month or even a year, but vastly underestimate what we can achieve in five years. The message to me in this is twofold: set bold goals and then persevere until the goals are achieved.
Ants and the craft of Writing
Many people would love to write a book. Some even try to write a book. Few actually finish writing a book. The task seems too daunting, too big, impossible. So they give up. That little ant didn’t let the size of the task stop him. He just went ahead and carried off that seemingly impossible task through sheer persistence and application.
If the writing tasks facing you seem too hard and your goals seems so far off, learn from that little ant. Stick at it, persevere and the writing will come, the tasks will be achieved. Break down the tasks into smaller, achievable goals. The little ant tackled the task one step at a time. Write that novel one sentence at a time. Set a goal of say, 500 words a day. In that way a hundred thousand word book does not seem so imposing a task.
Further reading:
- Setting goals for your writing – where did the year go?
- Setting goals for your writing
- Are you one of the six percent?