Writers Chat, hosted by Johnnie Alexander, Brandy Brow, and Melissa Stroh, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
Come Write with Us: Music Session
Back by popular demand, here’s our second Come Write with Us: Music Session. In this show, Brandy Brow sets up several timed creative writing sessions set to themed instrumental music. Put on your creative writing hat, grab a notepad or your favorite writing device, and prepare for the inspiration to let your imagination soar! All music contained in this writing session is used with permission from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com Background Music
Watch the October 24th Replay.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
In 2001, I signed a contract to write four children’s science-fantasy adventure books with an impossible deadline. The contract required me to write about 200,000 words in six months—and I had never been that productive before. I wasn’t sure I could do it.
While writing, I abandoned plot outlines in favor of plunging in, imagining scenes, and piling up mountains of words. Along the way, the characters repeatedly surprised me. I wrote faster and more freely than ever before. I’m proud of the quality of those books (each is rated 4.6 stars on Amazon).
That experience launched me on an exploration of the creative process. I studied the insights of Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, John Steinbeck, and Madeleine L’Engle. They all attributed their uninhibited creativity to the power of the unconscious mind—our dimly understood storehouse of memories, fears, desires, and dreams.
Fast forward to early 2023. I was pondering a science fiction thriller about the extinction threat from super-smart artificial intelligence. Finally, on February 19, 2023, I awoke before dawn and wrote in my journal, “This book won’t let me sleep!” And I began writing Chapter 1.
Imagination and inspiration flow from the unconscious mind.
“[I] allow my unconscious mind to control the course of the story.”
Ursula K. Le Guin
And Ray Bradbury kept a sign by his typewriter that read, “Don’t Think!” He told an interviewer, “I never plan ahead. Everything is always spontaneous and passionate.” Bradbury learned the unconscious approach to writing at age eighteen when he read Dorothea Brande’s Becoming a Writer. Brande wrote, “The unconscious must be trusted to bring you aid from a higher level than that on which you ordinarily function.”
I have learned to trust my unconscious imagination. That’s why I was never blocked, never at a loss for words, during those five weeks.
Step 2: Set Ambitious Goals
The unconscious mind craves a challenge, so aim high. Set goals that require you to be more creative and productive than you’ve ever been before. Your goals should objectively measure your progress—a specific daily word quota, page count, or the completion of a chapter or story. Productivity quotas force us to persevere and produce.
No one enters the overdrive zone while doing something easy. Only when we accept a bold challenge can we experience the creative thrill of writing in overdrive.
Step 3: Give Yourself Permission to Write Badly
It’s okay to write badly at times. That’s what first drafts are all about. To write brilliantly, give yourself permission to write badly.
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
Jodi Picoult
Silence your inner critic. Stop striving for first-draft perfection. Shed your inhibitions and write quickly, with childlike abandon.
I call first-drafting “finger-painting with words.” When children fingerpaint, they’re creative and spontaneous. When you write in first draft, make a glorious mess.
Step 4: Write with Emotional Intensity
To enter the overdrive zone, you must be emotionally involved in your work. Haunted by the horrors of Nazi death camps, Elie Wiesel wrote Night. Enraged by social injustice, John Steinbeck pounded out The Grapes of Wrath.
I felt emotionally driven to write Its Name Is Legion. I poured everything I had into that novel, including my fears about the threat of super-smart AI. My emotional involvement drove me to write with speed and boundless inspiration.
What do you love? What do you fear? List your passions, then transmute them into compelling fiction.
Step 5: Relax
Ray Bradbury urged writers to adopt a mindset of “dynamic relaxation,” a state of being emotionally engaged yet so relaxed that we become one with the act of creation. “Relax and stop thinking,” he said. “True creation occurs then and only then.”
“Many things—such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly—are done worst when we try hardest to do them.” Lewis relaxed by walking in the woods. He told a friend, “My imagination only works when I am exercising.”
C. S. Lewis
Stuck for ideas? Take a nap, take a walk, listen to music. Relax—then write brilliantly.
Step 6: Start Strong and Push to Completion
As you write, you’ll have doubts. You’ll question your talent, your plot, and your characters. Every writer has doubts. Successful writers ignore them.
I experienced doubts while writing Its Name Is Legion, but I refused to give them space in my head. I went to work—and I always found a way into the story. I willed myself to finish.
Your goal is not perfection but production. Write quickly, never analyzing, but simply jotting down the scenes in your imagination. Do this every day and you’ll soon have a reward for your persistence—
We’ve spoken before about how little details can help color your storyworld. Societal habits, mating customs, dinner choices, and environmental aspects are all key to fleshing out a believable living space. Another aspect to consider is the way in which your characters entertain themselves.
Sometimes entertainment plays a central role in a book. The entire concept in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games is a deathsport reality show, partly to show the Capitol’s control over the Districts, but also partly to entertain the masses. Ernest Cline’sReady Player One shows a world in which reality is miserable and everyone escapes into a massively multiplayer online game. This “game” supports commerce, education, and other activities, but entertainment is a major aspect, especially considering the bleak reality outside of the virtual reality “OASIS.” And Aaron Gansky’s Hand of Adonai series presents a World of Warcraft type game in which the protagonists get trapped, Tron-style, and must figure out how to escape.
In those three examples, the entertainment medium is actually the centerpiece of the novel, but it’s also the major point of tension. Specifically, each of the forms of entertainment is broken or twisted in some way, and the characters must overcome the challenges that arise.
Should entertainment play a major role in any other type of novel though? What if you have a story in the Wild West? Or a post-apocalyptic survivalist tale? A Space opera? I would argue that entertainment should be valued by your characters if you want them to feel like real people. That’s because all humans desire to have comfort and enjoyment at least part of the time (hopefully their lives aren’t always threatened by events like the ones in your novel!).
For example, John Scalzi’s The Ghost Brigades is a book about super soldiers defending humanity from a ghastly assortment of different alien species. And yet, Scalzi helps to make the storyworld feel alive with little windows of enjoyment. In one scene, a pilot is playing poker with some friends, in another, a father pirates a broadcast signal so his daughter can watch TV, and most importantly, an alien race is revealed to have no need for arts and entertainment. And this alien race realizes its lack of culture and strives to create it.
Or take Little House in the Big Woods. The novel chronicles the survival of a young girl and her family in the wilderness. Despite the struggles, there are times where she and her sister enjoy the musical talents of their father, or the two inflate and seal a pig bladder and kick it around like a ball. Personally that’s disgusting to me, but it really does help me picture the world in which little Laura Ingalls lived.
If your story is a non-stop adventure, you might feel like you don’t have time or space in your book to show scenes of enjoyment. That may be true. While not a book, the first season of the TV show 24 really pushed its story along with scant little room to explore its characters’ hobbies. Nevertheless, the first scene with the protagonist shows Jack, his wife, and his daughter finishing a late-night game. This one scene helps establish Jack’s normal life before the world started falling apart. It thus gives us an idea of what he’s fighting to get back through the whole first season.
Even if your story is very dark and the adventure extremely perilous, I would really encourage you to figure out some hobby or interest your character has to make him more personable. This is especially true if the world is very different from our own, because the character’s chosen entertainment could be used to show how foreign or similar that world is to ours. For example, a sorcerer in a fantasy adventure might enjoy magical sculpting – which might be a sort of enchanted pottery making. Or maybe he enjoys reading books of far-off adventure. In the first case, the hero has a hobby similar to one found in our world, but he clearly lives in a different reality. In the latter scenario, the sorcerer has an interest akin to that of your readers, making him relatable despite his extraordinary talents. Both are useful, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.
That’s all for now, and possibly for a while. My wife and I are expecting our fourth child in a few weeks. Being a stay-at-home dad with four children ages 6 and under (and homeschooling the oldest two) will mean I won’t have much time to make regular updates at A3. So after two years of storyworld contributions, I’ll be taking a sabbatical for a little while. In the meantime, if there are any particular topics you’d like to see covered in the future, please leave a comment below and I can cover that subject when I return! Thanks guya and gals!
We were just about to head down the aisle before my daughter’s wedding, when I reached into my bag and blindly applied some last-minute lip gloss. My daughter, the bride, looked at me in shock and said, “Mom! What happened to your lips?” I quickly found a mirror and to my horror, realized I had applied zit concealer to my lips instead of lip gloss. (In my defense, the two tubes look remarkably alike.) Laughing in embarrassment, I wiped the concealer off, applied the lip gloss and headed down the aisle, glad that my lips were no longer concealed.
Oh, and last week, my husband left the front door open for the cable guy to come in. I walked into the foyer to find a wild bird flapping around in my house. I screamed as if I’d come face to face with a lion. I called for my husband and ran to grab some brooms, as the cable guy hesitantly entered the house. My husband tried to shoo the bird out the front door. Every time the bird moved, I instinctively screamed like a little girl and hid behind my broom. This wasn’t a falcon-sized bird, not a snake, huge hairy spider, nor even a creepy looking lizard, or mouse. It was a tiny helpless bird. But I was completely useless in this situation and couldn’t help but scream and hide with every movement of that feathered creature. The cable guy was laughing. Hysterically. My hero of a husband who intelligently opened windows, successfully directed the bird to the great outdoors.
I hesitate to even mention the time I went on a first date with a guy back in my earlier years. I dressed my best to make a good first impression and wore my new sandals that I loved because I could slide across the carpet as if on ice skates. Loved them! As we entered the movie theater to pick our seats, my date moved ahead of me down the aisle and chose a row. This aisle appeared to be a slate floor and it slanted downhill towards the screen. I took one step on it and was on ice. I slid down that aisle, waved to my date as I flew on past. Horrified, I reached for a seat to slow me down. Whew. Now all I had to do was maneuver uphill a couple rows to my date. On ice. My feet were moving but I remained in place. I seriously could not ascend that slippery slope. My date joined me in that row laughing, but had to physically carry me out afterwards. Great first impression.
I can’t be the only one with embarrassing situations. Come on. Share with me. What memories come to mind that make you laugh? These are the events you need to document. This is fodder for your children’s stories, for your blogs, articles, books! These are moments that stories are built on, that add to your character’s woes, that pepper your plot with humor, that catch your reader off guard. Spend time creating a file with blips from your past. Feel free to expand upon them and exaggerate if necessary, because it’s your story. I would hesitate to use funny stories that happened to other people, even changing the names, unless you modify it enough so as not to incriminate anyone. Certainly you have enough embarrassing or funny stories from your own life.
It’s time for those embarrassing moments that you hoped would never resurface to resurface! Bring them up! You’ll be glad you did, when you need to add a little spice to your project. If nothing else, you may rekindle some lessons learned, like keeping your concealer separate from your lip gloss and only buying shoes with tread on them.
The carbine was still jammed and Jim couldn’t do anything to fix it. He finally tossed it aside and cursed the shoddy Adronni weapon manufacturers – maybe their world would be next on the alien invasion tour. A shrill whine filled the air, and Jim pressed himself tighter against the debris-covered groundcar. A scant thirty feet away the earth erupted in blue smoke. As the remains of a prefab shelter rained harmlessly over his powersuit, Jim took inventory. A Gilgamesh repeater pistol, a single frag, and a suit of armor with a busted rebreather. As long as the reptilians didn’t gas him first, he’d probably live long enough for one of their walker units to plasma-blast him in the chest. He sighed. No, there was one last thing he possessed – the souls of his charred comrades pushing him on to avenge them. Jim unholstered the pistol and peered around the corner. Time to move – vengeance would be his!
On the surface, the above paragraph looks like an action scene. It’s dripping with tension, and Jim’s fate looks pretty bleak. But even an action-packed paragraph can be used to build your world. In fact, study it a minute and try to identify some of the foreign storyworld elements.
We’re not sure what kind of weaponry Jim has (laser? projectile?), but his attackers clearly have plasma weapons that explode in puffs of blue gas. And we can guess based on the grisly state of his allies that either the plasma weapons burned them alive or that the aliens have some other kind of burning weapon.
Let’s look at some of the subtler elements though. Take the use of the word “groundcar.” What is the implication there? Obviously a “groundcar” is a type of vehicle distinguished from some other type. An aircar? A hover car? We don’t know specifics, but use of that word reveals that methods other than ground-based vehicles are used for transportation in this world.
We also get a glimpse into the intergalactic relations. First of all, these reptilians are not only invading Jim’s planet but have apparently been on “tour,” invading many planets. We don’t know if “Adronni” is a company or a race of aliens, but we do know that either Jim or his military outfit purchased firearms from otherworldly suppliers. This establishes that the storyworld has interplanetary trade.
All of this could be done from a detached, third-person omniscient perspective, but the story is told from a deep, although third-person, POV. This not only conveys the gobs of storyworld information above, but it also does two other things: 1) it gives the action emotional impact. Sure, the battle scene is only a paragraph long, but you’re emotionally involved in the character. It inspires you to read onward and learn Jim’s fate, even as your imagination processes the alien elements. And 2) the world is shown with Jim’s particular biases. A comment like “shoddy Adronni weapon manufacturers” shows us Jim has preferences in firearms and the Adronni-supplied weapons are apparently not among them. This doesn’t mean his preferences are necessarily right, and a different character’s POV may reveal a different perspective on the carbine and its manufacturer. Your storyworld’s inhabitants, like those in the real world, won’t always agree on things.
This isn’t to say that every paragraph in your 90,000-word manuscript must be packed with exotic storyworld elements, but the first few chapters should do so as much as possible. And if you’re trying to get your audience attached to your characters in that same timeframe, doing so from a close, ground-level perspective can really help.
Last year, my favorite novel was Monster Hunter International written by Larry Correia. A contemporary fantasy novel like this doesn’t need as much storyworld explanation as a distant-future sci-fi novel, but the author does equally amazing jobs at world-building and deep character exploration. I’ve also just started Marc Turner’s When the Heavens Fall, an epic novel with some well-developed fantasy elements and several great POVs. A final verdict will have to wait since I haven’t finished it yet, but thus far it’s a great read and exemplifies some of what we’ve discussed here.
That’s all for now. Next month we’ll kick off a series on alien and fantastic biology. Until then, let me know if there are any other storyworld elements you’d like me to explore in this space. Thanks for reading!
The murmur of countless alien tongues subsided as the chairman of the interstellar council called for order. The delegates to Mecatol Rex were unusually nervous tonight, and with good reason. By the end of the week, congress might put forth a motion to ban bio-technology, a move that would devastate the inhabitants of New Moscow. The young ambassador from the Federation of Sol held his breath as the insectoid chancellor of Sardakk N’orr took to the stage, violently shaking a proposal in his foreclaw. The political games had begun.
When you think of storyworld ideas, your typical sources are probably other books, movies, and TV shows. But have you considered board games? No, I’m not talking about Monopoly, Risk, or Sorry. Modern games provide a wealth of imaginative fodder for the aspiring novelist.
The example in my opening paragraph comes from a truly epic game called Twilight Imperium. In it, various alien races compete for galactic supremacy through military force, shrewd diplomacy, and delicate trade arrangements. While there are similarities to any conquest-type game, from a writing perspective the real gem is the character development of the individual races and the manner in which they interact in the galaxy. In addition to battles and alliances, the actual rules of the game get voted on regularly at the council event. It’s an intriguing concept for a game, and any sc-fi writer is sure to enjoy the political debates between each of the six players. Trade deals and a variety of starships round the game out and should provide an abundance of ideas for anyone hoping to write a space opera.
Smaller in scope but not in story, the game Love Letter is a simple game where each player has only a single-card hand. Easy to learn, but sophisticated enough to keep gamers coming back, Love Letter serves as a wonderful gateway for those unfamiliar with modern games. But even the included back story is captivating. Basically, the queen of the kingdom has died and various suitors are trying to win the hand of the princess. The king won’t just let anyone speak with his daughter, so he carefully guards the young woman. Her only hope – that some handsome prince might find a way to deliver a message through the castle staff. Filled with intrigue and amusing characters, you might be surprised at the writing inspiration you can draw from this simple game.
I recently had the opportunity to play the game Imperial Assault, a cooperative strategy game of heroes set in the Star Wars universe. While you might think you already know that Galaxy Far, Far Away pretty well, you should think again as you play this. Set in the period of the rebellion, each character possesses a deep history and exciting side quests. My character, a force-sensitive operative dressed somewhat like Mortal Kombat’s Sub Zero, is on the hunt for his former employer who might be selling secrets to the Empire. The set-up is similar to a Jason Bourne movie, but with enough interesting twists to keep me engaged. But the story isn’t just about my character, as each of the main characters has his own story that further fleshes out the universe. The elements of the world (blasters, walkers, etc.) may feel familiar, but the scenarios are unique enough that they may inspire you in ways that George Lucas’ films haven’t.
Set in the Wild West, Shadows of Brimstone puts you in the role of a sheriff, preacher, rancher, or any number of assorted other professions of the period, and pits you against a wide array of Cthulu-inspired critters. The blending of monsters with a gold-rush era landscape is a great and fresh setting. The individual missions are all twists on old west concepts, whether exploring an abandoned (and now demonically reoccupied) mine, rescuing a child who fell down a well (and is now surrounded by evil critters), or finding the source of a town’s disturbances (which happen to be in another dimension). The amount of storyworld built here is stunning. Many of the ideas could inspire a hopeful steampunk or fantasy writer.
This is just a small sampling of various games I’ve played, but the wealth of ideas that have gone cardboard is legion, and many host quirky and fun stories to boot. If you get a chance, stop by your local boardgame store and scope out the market. From the 16th century piracy of Merchants and Marauders to the superhero battles of Sentinels of the Multiverse, you’re sure to find something that captures your imagination. Granted, you can’t lift their storyworlds directly without a copyright lawsuit, but if you’re searching for inspiration, this might be the ticket. Ooh, did I mention Ticket-to-Ride?
“Also, do not be contended with the cut and dried problems which writers have tried to solve since time began. Break fresh ground. Strike new chords. You need not create a problem new to life, that in fact, would be impossible, but treat a situation which has not formed the foundation for many stories. Remember, the story must not center entirely about the characters and their words and emotions. There must also be action, complication and some unusual happening. Make the editor take notice because you have given him something he did not expect, something fresh, stimulating, unusual…” Q.S Kimball, The Editor, Oct 10, 1914.
Did you catch the date that notation was written? 1914! This was written to my great grandmother in response to a manuscript she had submitted in a 12-lesson writing course. I discovered it recently while digging through a box I saved from my mother’s basement. That paragraph blew me away. Can you believe that editors were looking for fresh ideas back in 1914! I thought all stories were fresh back then!
Aren’t editors still saying the same thing today? How can we possibly submit fresh stories that haven’t been written yet? How many books have been published since 1914? How can they all be fresh, new, different, never done before?
I wonder if God says the same thing when He creates a new human being? “How can I possibly create someone new with all the gazillions of people I’ve already created?” But, yet, He does. He gives each of us a new way of looking at life, different points of view, varying passions and longings, a variety of talents and skill sets. He created us with diversified interests and things that make us laugh, that captivate us or bore us. And aren’t you glad for that? We could probably all view the same sunset but yet, see it differently.
I remember in art class in middle school, we learned to paint a still life picture. The teacher positioned an array of objects together and left them in the same position for that entire lesson. We each painted the exact same still life collection but every picture turned out completely different. We all saw it from a different point of view and position in the room. Some were drawn more to certain items than others and emphasized those, whereas others cast the same items in a totally different light.
Your view of the world is going to be different from another person’s. Your gift in writing is going to be different from another person’s. It is our job as writers to present our view, show a different glimpse into a situation, point out the humor, the nuances, the cleverness in circumstances. Isn’t that why we read and why children read– to be drawn into another’s world?
Why are you writing what you are writing? How is it different from what’s already out there? How can you make it stronger, more enchanting, quirkier? Learn what is already published by spending time in bookstores. Does there need to be another book out there like one that’s already there? Why? What enlightenment can yours bring to readers?
This is part of the fun of writing, making it your own. It is still our job, as writers, to create new slants to old situations, pepper stories with fresh ideas, and delight readers with the unexpected! After all, editors have been looking for fresh ideas since time began, or at least, since 1914! Let’s give the world something fresh, stimulating, unusual.
Once you’ve chosen the setting of your book—which we discussed in Part 1 of this series—it’s important to spend time researching the setting so you can portray this location accurately.
Here’s how you can research your setting:
Take a research trip to your setting (if feasible).
Watch YouTube videos. Many times, people will give a “virtual tour” of a certain city. As you watch, pay close attention to the sights and sounds of the place.
Research the location and its history through various online resources. (Keep in mind, however, that some websites, such as Wikipedia, may not provide 100% accurate information and should not considered a reliable source.)
Read books about the location, including memoirs.
Read the online newspaper of the location.
Discover pictures of the place via Pinterest. (Make sure to pin them to your storyboard as well!)
Interview people who have a connection to the location.
Research the city through www.areavibes.com. This website allows you to explore a location and discover its amenities, housing and neighborhoods, population, economics, crime, weather, etc. It will even compare these results with another location as well.
Take advantage of Google Earth and its street view feature.
The same amount of work must be applied to settings that are invented as well. Obviously, you can’t research the setting—but by using the above and below checklists, you can brainstorm specific location details. (If you do this, you might even be able to trick your readers into believing that your setting is an actual place!)
When you research/invent your setting, I recommend recording the info in an online file or notebook. As you do, take note of the following:
What unique elements does the place have that contribute toward its personality? Are there rolling hills? Willow trees that form a canopy over a certain street? Farm animals held behind fences?
How do people speak? What is their dialect and popular slang?
Where is the place located geographically?
What is the climate in every season?
What is the history of the location, and how has it shaped the setting into what it is today?
What is the most popular religion? (For instance, is it located in the Bible belt?)
What are the socioeconomics?
What is the atmosphere? Is it a laid back town in the south, where people are accustomed to a slow-paced lifestyle, or does it take place within the hustle and bustle of NYC?
What are the popular fashion and hairstyles?
Where people shop for food, coffee, groceries, clothes, ice cream, etc.?
What are the significant landmarks and parks?
Where do the teenagers hangout?
What kind of animals can be found in the location? Plants? Insects?
If it’s a small town, what big city is it located near?
What are the popular street names?
As you research, you will collect facts about this location; however, when you write your story, these facts must be filtered through the eyes of your POV character. Everyone is going to have a unique attitude toward a specific location. This attitude is influenced by a number of factors: the person’s personal experiences, memories, personality, worldview, etc. Their perception of this setting is also a great tool to contribute to the book/scene’s particular mood/emotion.
For example, the following excerpt is the first page of my YA novel, PURPLE MOON:
“Why couldn’t you just leave me alone in our apartment for the summer, Mom? I’m sixteen. I’m responsible. Mostly mature.”
Our Camry swerves as we turn into Lakeview Estates. Three-‐‑story homes span the landscaping that stretches for acres then tucks into the bordering lake.
Families visit here every year for summer vacation. The majestic mountain peaks that outline the water of Lake Lure offer a refuge of seclusion to escape the stress of hectic lifestyles. No words describe the beauty of this place.
Yet I shut my eyes and sink further into the seat, trying to wish myself away. Somewhere else. Maybe to the fairy tale land that I used to imagine when I was a kid. I would even welcome the idea of turning around and driving all the way back to Brooklyn.
Anywhere but here. ”
(c)Purple Moon by Tessa Emily Hall – 2013 – Published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
Based on that excerpt, what would you say is the attitude that my protagonist, Selena, has toward the setting?
The fact about the setting, which is included in this excerpt, is that Lake Lure is a beautiful tourist location. But it’s clear that Selena is not happy to be there. She portrays this not only through internal monologue, but through her body language as well (sinking into her seat and closing her eyes).
Later, Selena reacts to the thick humidity of Lake Lure by mentioning how she should have brought more summer clothes. Why wasn’t she prepared for the hot weather? Probably because she was accustomed to living in Brooklyn, NY, which is a much cooler climate than Lake Lure, even in the summer.
Do you see how one’s memories, personality, and background all come into play when describing the setting of a novel?
“I wouldn’t have thought a simple sketch of a lake could have so many emotional strings attached to it. But it does. For me, at least.” ~Selena from PURPLE MOON
So ask yourself: How does my protagonist connect to the setting? You can brainstorm this by asking the following questions:
What are her significant memories of certain areas of the location? What are the sights, sounds, smells, etc. that remind her of these memories, and what is her attitude toward them?
Is this her birthplace? If not, when did she move there, and how does it compare with the other places she has lived?
How has this location influenced her personality and worldview?
Where does your character go during her free time?
What street does she live on?
What kind of house does she live in?
Where does her family fall on the socioeconomics scale?
Remember:
The setting of a story should be treated as if it were another character, so make sure to research it beforehand.
Then, when you begin to write, highlight on the specific details that will breathe life into your setting. However, make sure that this is presented through the eyes of your POV (Point of View) character.
Through proper developing and portraying your setting, you will give your readers the opportunity to become transported into the story’s location . . . and they’ll never once have to leave the comfort of their own home. 😉
[bctt tweet=”How to Choose, Develop, & Research a Setting: Part 2 #amwriting #writingtips” username=”tessaemilyhall”]
Do you prefer to invent a location, or choose an already-existing one? What’s your favorite part about researching the setting? Let me know in the comments!
Are you interested in trying to write poetry for the first time? Or maybe you’ve been writing poetry but haven’t totally committed yourself to it.
To help you sharpen your poetic skills, I’ve compiled a list of 10 tips (including links to helpful resources) that every beginning and expert poet needs to consider. Because writing is a continuous learning process, you can always build on your skill level whatever it may be.
Read poetry. A golden rule of any kind of writing is that you should become an avid reader, especially of the genre that you write. You will learn more about conventions, style and structure simply by reading the published works of others.
Learn techniques. Poetry is a unique genre that utilizes special techniques. If you pay attention to my blog, I occasionally do mini-lessons on poetic techniques and devices. You also can find a plethora of information on the web.
Practice poetry. You’ll never learn to write poetry (or any art) if you don’t practice. Don’t let fear hold you back from releasing your creativity.
Connect with other poets. Surrounding yourself with people who enjoy poetry, and particularly those who write it, will encourage you. You’ll learn things about the craft simply from mingling with them. Even in the writing community, a poet can feel isolated at times because poetry is that exceptional. Just like artists and musicians, poets need to connect with other poets.
[bctt tweet=”Just like any artists, poets need to connect with other poets. #poetry #poets”]
Get feedback. As scary as it can be, feedback is the foundation of a growing writer. Don’t be afraid to share your poetry with others. Join a critique group. Then buckle up and ask for honest feedback. You’ll find that every bit of advice will help strengthen your skill.
Take a class. Check with the local library for poetry events and classes. Most of these are free for members. Also, writing conferences and workshops happen throughout the year, and some offer sessions on poetry. Occasionally you can find free online classes for creative writing as well.
Attend a poetry event. Poetry readings happen in various places locally: schools, libraries, coffee shops, churches and more. Be on the lookout for these types of happenings. Again, immersing yourself in a community of poets will stimulate creativity and inspire you.
Use a model. Poetry takes on many forms, such as haiku and sonnet. Find a form you feel comfortable trying and do a little search to find examples or steps to follow. Free verse is the most flexible, but trying a new form will broaden your expertise.
Listen to music. Song lyrics are poetry in musical form. By studying some of your favorite songs, you will learn more about poetic techniques.
Read poetry. No it’s not a typo. In order to be a poet, you have to read poetry. You’ll learn a lot just by reading others’ works. The nice thing about poetry is that it’s readable over a lunch break or during extended waits at the doctor’s office.
[bctt tweet=”If you want to write poetry, you have to read it! #poets #poetry”]
Regrettably, I can only offer a limited lifetime guarantee on my tips. Simply know that each of these things has made a difference in my own poetic journey. My hope is that they will help you on yours too.
If you have any additional tips, I’d love to hear them! Please share them in the comment section below.
For most writers, our passion to write was birthed from a passion to read. We grew up immersed in books. Books that touched us, entertained us, made us laugh and cry. And somewhere along the way, we discovered that we, too, wanted to create the same effect for readers through our own stories.
As writers, it’s only natural that we should want to learn from the masters. We should not only read for enjoyment, but for education as well.
Sure, there are plenty books on the writing craft that can give us instruction. I’m not against this at all. But personally, the best way I learned how to write was from reading books through the eyes of a writer.
How is this done?
Here are 10 tips for reading through the eyes of a writer:
1. Study the plot as it unravels. When would you assume Act 1 ends and Act 2 begins? Can you identify the character’s external and internal goals at the beginning of the book? What is the conflict and unanswered questions that the author has set up? How is the backstory woven in without interrupting the story?
2. Study the scene structure and pacing. Does it begin in a way that “grabs” you? Does it end in a way that lures you to read the next scene?
3. Study the author’s wordsmithing. Are there words you are not familiar with? If so, highlight them and research their definition. How does the author’s word choice create tension? Strengthen mood and emotion? How does it develop characterization and paint the scene in your imagination?
4. Study the rhythm. Read the book out loud. How do the words and dialogue flow? How are the sentences structured in a way that intensifies the mood of the scene?
5. Study characterization. Does each character have their own unique personality, dialect, style, traits, etc.? How is this revealed in a way that shows rather than tells? How do the secondary characters contribute to the plot, and are they three-dimensional or cardboard characters?
6. If you lose focus in the book, identify at which point your attention began to lack. Was it caused from a decrease in conflict/tension? Did it become too easy for the character to reach his/her goal? Or is it because the scenes were passive, written about the character’s day-to-day, dull life?
7. If you love the book, identify why you can’t seem to put it down. Is it the writing style or the plot? Is it because the writing is concise and tight, or because suspense is woven into each scene?
8. Study the emotion and humor. If the story makes you cry, take note of how the author tapped into your emotions. How was this emotion portrayed without “telling” or coming across as overly dramatic? If the story makes you laugh, take note of the kind of humor the author used and how they portrayed this without coming across as cheesy.
9. Study the setting. Do you think it was well-developed and/or well-researched? Does it contribute to the mood of each scene? How did the author use sensory details to highlight unique features of the setting without interrupting the flow of the story?
10. Study the theme. Do you have an idea as to what the theme is by the end of the book? If so, how did the author get this across without “preaching” to the reader? Or if it did come across as preachy, how could the author have subtly woven in the theme instead?
“To succeed as a novelist, reading novels must be a priority. Don’t be afraid. You won’t lose your voice; you will only enhance it. And soon, students will be using your novels as their textbooks.”
~Linda Hall
[bctt tweet=”10 Tips for Reading Through the Eyes of a Writer @tessaemilyhall #amwriting #writingtips”]
[bctt tweet=”Can our writing improve by studying the books we read? @tessaemilyhall #writingtips #amwriting”]
Do you read books through the eyes of a writer? If so, how has it made a difference in your writing?
Where to begin? I had a friend ask me this question recently, who is interested in writing a young adult novel. She was worried that she didn’t have an agent or know of a publisher. I’ve had people tell me they wanted to write a picture book but didn’t have an illustrator. I know another man who keeps talking about writing a novel, but keeps buying books on how to write novels so he knows how to write a novel correctly before he begins writing. That was about six years ago, and he still hasn’t put the pen to the paper yet.
Let’s clear up some of the above misconceptions then I’ll share my three thoughts on where to begin. If you’ve never been published before in any manner, an agent isn’t necessary at this point. You must have something written. They want to see that you can write. You need a tangible manuscript as a new author.
If you’re writing a picture book, most publishers provide their own illustrators. They just want the text from you. I’ve heard that unless you are an artist and draw your own illustrations, do not submit pictures with your manuscript. However, with that being said, you need to write a picture book with varying pictures in mind to make it enjoyable for the reader. Write creatively so your words illicit what pictures would appear on each page. Write so that the illustrator will have fun designing the pictures.
Reading books is also helpful in directing your writing, but not to the extent that it becomes an excuse not to write. It’s great to learn as much as you can about the craft. Go to writer’s conferences, attend critique sessions, and read books to hone your craft, but keep on writing. You generally need to be in the midst of your project to get as much as you can out of conferences and critique sessions and book advice. When I was in anesthesia school, the first semester was didactic book work. But if all we did was read about anesthesia, that would not mean we’d know how to actually administer it. We needed hands on experience and a lot of it. It’s the same with writing. It’s good to read about the craft, but you won’t have a full understanding of how that works until you jump in and begin writing.
So, where to begin? First, you must have an idea in mind of what to write, an inspiration that can’t help but be written. It’s difficult sitting in front of a white page trying to will the words to appear. You definitely need an inspiration. Once I get an inspiration, I usually have to mull it over for a few days, take it for a couple runs, play with it in my mind so I can imagine a direction it may go. Do whatever you need to do to help formulate the idea in your mind.
Secondly, once you have an idea in mind, sit yourself down and let it flow. Write with the creative side of your brain. Don’t edit yourself yet. That comes later. Let it go. It may flow in the direction you imagined or it may grow feet of its own and charge down its own path. But start writing and see what you’ve got. Sit anywhere you feel the most creative. I actually hand wrote my first manuscript sitting on a sofa before plugging it into a computer.
Third. Have fun. Writing is a calling, a joy, a pleasure. God will not place a calling in your life that will place you in eternal misery. It may not always be a walk in the park, but it’s what you are made of, made for, it’s who you are. This is not a high school book report or grueling essay. It’s what you choose to do and what chose you! Have fun with it. Work at it. Then the critique groups, conferences and books can help make your writing better, stronger, publishable. But in order for that to happen, you must have something written. Begin by sitting down and starting to write. That, my friend, is the hardest part.
Time yourself as you write and calculate how many words, on average, you write in an hour. (For example: Let’s say it takes me 1 hour to write 1,000 words.)
Decide on an amount of hours you are able to work on your book weekly. (If I can find time to write for 2 hours a day and five days a week, then I would be able to work on my book for 10 hours per week.)
Calculate the estimated amount of words you could write per week if you stick to this plan. (In the above example, I could write 10,000 words per week.)
Then, calculate how long it will take you to complete your book. (If I had only 20,000 more words to write of my book, then I could finish it within two weeks if I stuck with this plan.)
You could also do this process in reverse.
For example, if you hope to finish your book within four weeks and you still have 40,000 more words to write, you could:
Decide on the amount of words you would like to complete in one week. (In this example, let’s say that you chose to set a goal for 10,000 words per week. That way, you would reach your goal of 40,000 words within four weeks.)
Calculate how many words you can write in an hour. (Let’s say you wrote 500 words per hour.)
Then, calculate how many hours per day you should devote to writing in order to meet your weekly goal. (You would be able to write 2,000 words per day if you wrote for 4 hours a day. If you wrote five days a week, then you would reach your weekly goal. And if you meet your weekly goal four weeks in a row, then you would have reached your ultimate goal of 40,000 words in one month.)
By breaking down your writing goals, you reduce chances of becoming overwhelmed at the idea of writing a book. Instead, you’ll discover how the process of writing a book is simple: It is achieved through the daily discipline of writing the same amount of words that could compose a blog post.
[bctt tweet=”By breaking down your writing goals, you reduce chances of becoming overwhelmed at the idea of writing a book. #amwriting @tessaemilyhall”]
Stick with this, and eventually, your book will be complete!
Do you set writing goals? If so, has it helped you finish your book?
(PS: From now until the end of December, you can receive a discount off of my teen writing program, WRITE NOW! Click here to find out more.)
Writing is a form of art—just like dance, theater, and music. Teens have become successful in each of these industries. Why should the writing industry be excluded?
So if you’re a teen writer, don’t become discouraged by the naysayers. Besides, several teens authors have landed book deals, such as:
Keep writing. Don’t become so determined to snag a book deal that you rush the process of learning and growing. Instead, write because you can’t not write—then you can move on to submitting to professionals when it’s time.
Who knows? You could become the next teen author I add to this list!
