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megwritesI was reading along on some of the writing/publishing/editing blogs that I like to follow and I came across this list of writing tips that was posted on Writer Beware (which is a wonderful site for finding out if your editor/agent/publisher is a rotten apple and any writer seeking publication should check it often).
And I thought about these tips for a long time, and decided that I'd post my own response to them - as a writer and someone who is always seeking to better my craft.
But before I do, a warning:
Writing tips are like opinions and assholes. Everyone's got at least one. And you know, none of the below may help you.
Maybe you're of the "write upside and backwards at midnight" school. Maybe you believe in outlining. Maybe you thinking outlining is evil. Whatever.
But if my tips and my ways don't jive with yours - that's cool. I'm not saying that if you don't write how I write that you're wrong. I'm just sharing my opinion. What? Would you like me to share my asshole?
Didn't think so. Nobody wants that and it sounds very painful. Also, disgusting and possibly unhygenic. *shudders*.
Yeah, so, writing tips:
1. Don't lose your momentum! Write something every day, if at all possible, even if it's only half a page. Doing that will keep your mind "on track" with your writing project.
I agree pretty much. You need to write. You need to write a lot. Even when it sucks and even when you think you can't.
All the tips and tricks are useless if you're not willing to roll up your sleeves and just frelling *WRITE*. Seriously, dude.
If you write it, they will come (that sounds so dirty. Also, a good motto for erotic writers if ever I heard one).
2. NEVER end your writing for the day by completing a scene or a chapter. Nothing's worse than facing a blank screen the next day! When I finish my day's writing, and it happens to be the end of a chapter, or the conclusion of a scene, I ALWAYS make a scene transition sign (***) and then start in on the next section I've outlined. I can then block move what I've written into the proper chapter as soon as I've set it up.
See, I disagree with this totally. I think a) there's no such thing as "writing for the day". I don't sit down and say "well, once I hit 1000 words, I'm done". It may work for some people - but for me the only writing for the day is the writing that I do that day.
Somedays I get 6000 words done. Somedays I get an abyssmal 100 that isn't even useable in the end. I stop writing when I have to sleep or go to work.
I don't stop at a set limit because that cheats me out of some really good jags I get in where I can't type fast enough to keep up with all the new, great stuff in my head. It also doesn't make me feel like a big fat slob if I have a few bad days in a row.
And somedays I end up finishing a chapter when I go to sleep or have to quit for other reasons. But I think that's okay. Start fresh with a new chapter, new section in the morning. Trust me, if you're blocked it won't matter if you've got a blank screen or if you're in mid-chapter.
I also don't fear the blank screen. I think the better advice is - don't be so afraid of the blank screen that you have to do a song and dance to avoid it.
The Blank Screen Is Your Friend. Embrace It And Make It Disappear.
3. When you're feeling unsure about what to do next, RE-READ and EDIT. I do this to get my mind back in the groove. I'll have to do it anyhow, so I just do it at that time. By the time I've re-read and edited a chapter, my train of thought has crystallized in my mind, and my path is clear. Usually.
Sure. Sometimes, that's a good thing to do. Sometimes you need to trace your thread back, pick it up, and follow it.
Sometimes you don't know what to do, because you don't know what the story is. You don't know where you want to go with the story.
Sometimes you need to do research. Sometimes it means you don't have enough information. If you're writing a story about say, the Navy, and you're stuck. It might mean you need to call up your friend who's brother's son's girlfriend's sister's boyfriend is in the Navy and ask a few questions. Or go to the library. Or hell, ask the Navy. The worst they can do is send scary men with guns to your house to abduct you and keep you captive in a dark, windowless cell without hope of release for years and years.
Umm. Maybe you'd better not bother the Navy. I hear they're busy.
But in some cases, you need to think forward, not backward. In that case, you need to outline or brainstorm. You need ask "what next?" not "what came before?".
4. Dealing with "block." Someone once told me this tip, and I can't for the life of me remember who. If you are really blocked -- you haven't been able to write for days or weeks or months and your train of thought is totally derailed, etc., try this: print out the last five pages of your story. Then delete those pages off your computer. Then, type them in again, polishing and editing as you go along.
By the time you get back to the end of the five pages, your mind ought to be working on your story again!
Eh. Not really. This might be very good advice for some. But for me, personally, when I get "block" - it means that I've either come to a part in a story where I didn't plan ahead, don't know what to do, or I've been telling the wrong story all along.
Sometimes this means I need to go through my big random box of "ideas I scribbled down and decided I'd get back to at some time in the future" and see if anything can jar me loose.
Sometimes it means that the story just plain doesn't work and I need to do something completely different.
Sometimes it means the story isn't ripe yet. And I need to let it age like wine in the back of my mind while I do something else.
Sometimes it means I'm just freakin' tired. I don't care how good a writer you are, if you're exhausted - you got nothing. You need to write everyday, but you also need to *rest* everyday.
I don't believe in block. Because as long as you can type/scribble, you can write. I believe in writer's clog. Meaning there's a hairball in your ability to come up with words that you feel satisfied with.
Writer's block is a sign. It means something went amiss. You derailed. It could mean your story is trite - because your creative side is a 4-year-old child who doesn't want to do the same old thing. Your creative side wants to go play somewhere new and see what's over there and oooh can I touch it? Could mean that your story wants to go somewhere else.
It means you need to shake yourself up.
And the best way to shake things up is to take a page from the Impatient 4-Year-Old Playbook and ask as many questions as possible. Look at everything and go "why" and when you answer yourself ask "why" and when you answer that ask "why" and whittle yourself down until you get there.
"Why is Character A going there?"
"To meet his brother"
"Why?"
"Because his brother is flying in"
"Why?"
"Because he's going a funeral for their father"
"Why?"
"Because their father died."
"Why?"
"Because he smoked a lot."
"Why?"
"Because everyone smoked cigarettes back then and they used to give them to him when he was in the military. And he got addicted and he always had cigarettes around. He had pipes and he smoked cigars, too. He liked cubans best."
And woah. Now you know this stuff about the father and maybe this is a story about the father, not the children.
See?
5. Review your synopsis. I always write a very detailed one. This suggestion doesn't work for every writer. Not everyone can work from a story outline/synopsis. But for those who can, reviewing the next section of what you have to write can help tremendously.
Yeah, if you write synopses, it's good advice. Looking ahead is always a good idea. Because it helps you know how to lay the story.
Writers make great psychics that way. They HAVE to know the future.
6. If all else fails, and you just can't write in your normal place try going ELSEWHERE to write. Take a laptop to a cafe, or outside, if the weather is nice. If you don't have a laptop, try writing by hand in a notebook, then transcribing into your computer. Sometimes this will work when nothing else does, to get your creative flow going again.
It might help. But keep in mind that sometimes when you can't write, it's because you might be tired. Stressed. Emotional. Overworked.
It might mean that you need to take a nap or you know what? Lay back and dream for a minute. Seriously. Put the pen down. Walk away from the computer. And watch some TV or just listen to music and free associate. Or just lay there and let your mind think of weird random things.
You do not have to be putting down deathless prose every SINGLE second to be writing. Seriously.
Draw a picture. Sing a song. Clean your house. Dance. Play pretend.
Or hell, just stretch and go to the bathroom. Nobody can sit on their ass forever.
BUT BE CAREFUL. Don't get addicted to being distracted. Distraction is like vicodin for writers. Once and a while, it's a useful, necessary tool. Sometimes you need for a story to stop getting up in your face going, "What happens next, huh? Huh? Huh?"
If you do it constantly, it eats you alive and you get nothing done.
Yeah, there.
And I thought about these tips for a long time, and decided that I'd post my own response to them - as a writer and someone who is always seeking to better my craft.
But before I do, a warning:
Writing tips are like opinions and assholes. Everyone's got at least one. And you know, none of the below may help you.
Maybe you're of the "write upside and backwards at midnight" school. Maybe you believe in outlining. Maybe you thinking outlining is evil. Whatever.
But if my tips and my ways don't jive with yours - that's cool. I'm not saying that if you don't write how I write that you're wrong. I'm just sharing my opinion. What? Would you like me to share my asshole?
Didn't think so. Nobody wants that and it sounds very painful. Also, disgusting and possibly unhygenic. *shudders*.
Yeah, so, writing tips:
1. Don't lose your momentum! Write something every day, if at all possible, even if it's only half a page. Doing that will keep your mind "on track" with your writing project.
I agree pretty much. You need to write. You need to write a lot. Even when it sucks and even when you think you can't.
All the tips and tricks are useless if you're not willing to roll up your sleeves and just frelling *WRITE*. Seriously, dude.
If you write it, they will come (that sounds so dirty. Also, a good motto for erotic writers if ever I heard one).
2. NEVER end your writing for the day by completing a scene or a chapter. Nothing's worse than facing a blank screen the next day! When I finish my day's writing, and it happens to be the end of a chapter, or the conclusion of a scene, I ALWAYS make a scene transition sign (***) and then start in on the next section I've outlined. I can then block move what I've written into the proper chapter as soon as I've set it up.
See, I disagree with this totally. I think a) there's no such thing as "writing for the day". I don't sit down and say "well, once I hit 1000 words, I'm done". It may work for some people - but for me the only writing for the day is the writing that I do that day.
Somedays I get 6000 words done. Somedays I get an abyssmal 100 that isn't even useable in the end. I stop writing when I have to sleep or go to work.
I don't stop at a set limit because that cheats me out of some really good jags I get in where I can't type fast enough to keep up with all the new, great stuff in my head. It also doesn't make me feel like a big fat slob if I have a few bad days in a row.
And somedays I end up finishing a chapter when I go to sleep or have to quit for other reasons. But I think that's okay. Start fresh with a new chapter, new section in the morning. Trust me, if you're blocked it won't matter if you've got a blank screen or if you're in mid-chapter.
I also don't fear the blank screen. I think the better advice is - don't be so afraid of the blank screen that you have to do a song and dance to avoid it.
The Blank Screen Is Your Friend. Embrace It And Make It Disappear.
3. When you're feeling unsure about what to do next, RE-READ and EDIT. I do this to get my mind back in the groove. I'll have to do it anyhow, so I just do it at that time. By the time I've re-read and edited a chapter, my train of thought has crystallized in my mind, and my path is clear. Usually.
Sure. Sometimes, that's a good thing to do. Sometimes you need to trace your thread back, pick it up, and follow it.
Sometimes you don't know what to do, because you don't know what the story is. You don't know where you want to go with the story.
Sometimes you need to do research. Sometimes it means you don't have enough information. If you're writing a story about say, the Navy, and you're stuck. It might mean you need to call up your friend who's brother's son's girlfriend's sister's boyfriend is in the Navy and ask a few questions. Or go to the library. Or hell, ask the Navy. The worst they can do is send scary men with guns to your house to abduct you and keep you captive in a dark, windowless cell without hope of release for years and years.
Umm. Maybe you'd better not bother the Navy. I hear they're busy.
But in some cases, you need to think forward, not backward. In that case, you need to outline or brainstorm. You need ask "what next?" not "what came before?".
4. Dealing with "block." Someone once told me this tip, and I can't for the life of me remember who. If you are really blocked -- you haven't been able to write for days or weeks or months and your train of thought is totally derailed, etc., try this: print out the last five pages of your story. Then delete those pages off your computer. Then, type them in again, polishing and editing as you go along.
By the time you get back to the end of the five pages, your mind ought to be working on your story again!
Eh. Not really. This might be very good advice for some. But for me, personally, when I get "block" - it means that I've either come to a part in a story where I didn't plan ahead, don't know what to do, or I've been telling the wrong story all along.
Sometimes this means I need to go through my big random box of "ideas I scribbled down and decided I'd get back to at some time in the future" and see if anything can jar me loose.
Sometimes it means that the story just plain doesn't work and I need to do something completely different.
Sometimes it means the story isn't ripe yet. And I need to let it age like wine in the back of my mind while I do something else.
Sometimes it means I'm just freakin' tired. I don't care how good a writer you are, if you're exhausted - you got nothing. You need to write everyday, but you also need to *rest* everyday.
I don't believe in block. Because as long as you can type/scribble, you can write. I believe in writer's clog. Meaning there's a hairball in your ability to come up with words that you feel satisfied with.
Writer's block is a sign. It means something went amiss. You derailed. It could mean your story is trite - because your creative side is a 4-year-old child who doesn't want to do the same old thing. Your creative side wants to go play somewhere new and see what's over there and oooh can I touch it? Could mean that your story wants to go somewhere else.
It means you need to shake yourself up.
And the best way to shake things up is to take a page from the Impatient 4-Year-Old Playbook and ask as many questions as possible. Look at everything and go "why" and when you answer yourself ask "why" and when you answer that ask "why" and whittle yourself down until you get there.
"Why is Character A going there?"
"To meet his brother"
"Why?"
"Because his brother is flying in"
"Why?"
"Because he's going a funeral for their father"
"Why?"
"Because their father died."
"Why?"
"Because he smoked a lot."
"Why?"
"Because everyone smoked cigarettes back then and they used to give them to him when he was in the military. And he got addicted and he always had cigarettes around. He had pipes and he smoked cigars, too. He liked cubans best."
And woah. Now you know this stuff about the father and maybe this is a story about the father, not the children.
See?
5. Review your synopsis. I always write a very detailed one. This suggestion doesn't work for every writer. Not everyone can work from a story outline/synopsis. But for those who can, reviewing the next section of what you have to write can help tremendously.
Yeah, if you write synopses, it's good advice. Looking ahead is always a good idea. Because it helps you know how to lay the story.
Writers make great psychics that way. They HAVE to know the future.
6. If all else fails, and you just can't write in your normal place try going ELSEWHERE to write. Take a laptop to a cafe, or outside, if the weather is nice. If you don't have a laptop, try writing by hand in a notebook, then transcribing into your computer. Sometimes this will work when nothing else does, to get your creative flow going again.
It might help. But keep in mind that sometimes when you can't write, it's because you might be tired. Stressed. Emotional. Overworked.
It might mean that you need to take a nap or you know what? Lay back and dream for a minute. Seriously. Put the pen down. Walk away from the computer. And watch some TV or just listen to music and free associate. Or just lay there and let your mind think of weird random things.
You do not have to be putting down deathless prose every SINGLE second to be writing. Seriously.
Draw a picture. Sing a song. Clean your house. Dance. Play pretend.
Or hell, just stretch and go to the bathroom. Nobody can sit on their ass forever.
BUT BE CAREFUL. Don't get addicted to being distracted. Distraction is like vicodin for writers. Once and a while, it's a useful, necessary tool. Sometimes you need for a story to stop getting up in your face going, "What happens next, huh? Huh? Huh?"
If you do it constantly, it eats you alive and you get nothing done.
Yeah, there.
