Let's Talk About the Reader

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Every writer is a reader and every reader is a writer. Really. Not every writer writes stories or poems or magazine articles. Some write technical papers, reviews, emails, grocery lists, Facebook entries. Any kind of writing makes you a writer. A reader, though, is special.

• A reader is the only reason books are read. They give the book worth.
• A reader changes a writer. The simple act of buying a book tells the writer that what she/he does is worthwhile. That someone besides the writer cares.
• A reader can change future books. When a reader gives feedback through ratings, reviews, or emails, the writer learns what the reader likes and does not like. The writer then decides if the reader's feedback can help the writer better articulate the writer's vision.
• The reader grows as a person by being a reader. There are ideas in books, not just stories. Ideas that a reader can consciously or unconsciously incorporate into the reader's worldview. Attitudes about people, violence, love, good and evil, and perseverance.

A reader is a very special person, not just in view of sales, but in light of what the reader can do for the world. Books are a way to limit and expand a reader's potential. Even the most escapist book can affect a reader in profound or subtle ways. A reader has little or no responsibility for a writer unless the reader chooses to become involved. But a writer has a duty to every reader who picks up that writer's books. To provide a good time. To present ideas that will let the reader grow as a person. To be a writer that the reader can depend on to fulfill that reader's wants and needs.

The "Yes" Cliche

YES (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

I was writing today and made this mistake. It brought my dialogue to a screeching halt. I had fallen victim to a clichéd "yes". I was brainstorming alternatives when I realized that no one had ever warned me about the dangers of a clichéd "yes". Here are some reasons to look out for it and some ways to improve on the simple statement. First, three common problems with a simple "yes":

1. If the person simply agrees with a single word answer, there's no conflict, no new information, and no development. With no obstacle, there is nowhere to go. With no new information, there is nothing to react against. With no development, it is a passive response.
2. It is vague. Yes what? Yes, I heard you? Yes, I agree? It just isn't worth fighting you about? Is the speaker just being agreeable? Is the speaker just pretending to listen?
3. It lacks creativity, the first response that comes to mind -- a seemingly easy way out that backfires when it drags down the momentum of the conversation for the reasons stated above.

Built into these reasons hold possibilities for solutions and exceptions. There are times and places for it -- times when a simple "yes" works. (Notice that your options are somewhat limited by your current point-of-view.)

1. Add information to the "yes" that complicates, characterizes, or develops.
2. Use a simple "yes" as an attempt to withhold information or as some other form of passive resistance.
3. Give the "yes" an ulterior motive such as an attempt to defuse a situation, a manipulative ploy, or a lie that hides true intentions.
4. Brainstorm other responses that raise the intensity of the conversation, send it in a new direction, or achieve any (or several) of the above possibilities.

These warnings and possibilities are not unique to the word "yes". Any line that causes your sizzling dialogue to fizzle out deserves the same scrutiny. Sometimes the word or line should not be cut. In that case, look beyond the most obvious, most common, use of the word or words. Get past the cliché. Say "yes" to originality and your dialogue will probably get back on track.

“I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual”
― Virginia Woolf

Killing Characters

Français : Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire, Aude (11), Sarcophage de Saint-Sernin face avant (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I remember the first time I killed a character. I cried for a day and then resurrected him. I've since gotten better at killing them. One of my writer friends once said “I kill people for a living”. I don't know if she was quoting someone else, but her words stuck with me. She meant to be funny, but characters die, sometimes through old age but often violently. Even certain sub-genres of romance are not immune to this – paranormal and romantic suspense come leaping to mind. And writers are responsible. But good writers are responsible killers, they don't do this for no reason. A writer kills a character only for a good reason... or several reasons.

• Mortality: There is nothing like seeing a dead person or animal to remind the reader that the protagonist, too, is mortal and can die. The reader will worry for the character even though the reader knows (almost knows) that the main character will survive in the end.
• Stakes: There are higher stakes than personal survival but the main character can't face them if he or she is dead! The death of a character may raise the stakes because the protagonist can feel his or her own death approaching. Or the death means that one of those higher goals has been threatened temporarily defeated.
• Isolation: The death of a character close to the protagonist weakens or destroys the protagonist's support system. Maybe the other supporting characters are afraid of dying but more often the main character is afraid of placing them in danger and so pulls away. In this way, the protagonist is temporarily weakened (but can become stronger as a result), has something new to worry about, and must rely on him/herself to take on the bad guy. Killing a character close to the protagonist can be crucial to enabling that one-on-one final stand-off.
• Character: It says a lot about a character (and the author) when he comes face-to-face with death. The initial reaction, the coping strategies, the conflict, and the resolution all reveal character and can be a catalyst for character change.
• Reality: Any genre examines life. Death is an inescapable part of living so the inclusion of death in some form will make your WIP more complete, more faceted, more resonant with readers. Also, consider what you character is up against. If her life is on the line, a death or two along the way reminds the reader of this.
• Dimensions: I realize it sounds like I am only talking about physical death here, but remember there are many types of death (physical, professional, psychological. Choose your deaths according to your genre, theme, stakes, and character fears.

Related articles

• Death and the Writer (laurashepperson.wordpress.com)
• When blood-soaked hands are a good thing... (coffee2words.wordpress.com)

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

I said previously that I liked the Tao te Ching.
I was just thinking the other day that writers walk the fine line of being in a highly competitive market and being part of a very supportive community. The way out is to not compete with others but be the best you that you can be. Your uniqueness, professionalism, and attitude will become your selling points and also reasons for respect. Ideally.

Benefits of a Journal

Journal 2 Feb 2005 pg 2 (Photo credit: Terry Bain)

I started a stream-of-consciousness journal as a form of therapy and heightened self-awareness but soon saw improvement in my writing. I began keeping a typed journal. At first, I wrote maybe 20 pages a month. I didn't know what to write. A year later I write freely and my page count last month was 120+. This included random thoughts, what was happening during my day, how I felt and what I thought about that, blog posts, book and character ideas, and self-motivation, just to name a few topics. But back to how a stream-of-consciousness journal can help your  writing.

• Speed: The more often you write, the faster you will get. It may not pay off right away but think in terms of months and years.
• Fluidity: You will find that you write with fewer pauses, less thinking “what should come next”, because you are training your mind to write without hesitation
• Voice: I found my writing voice in my stream-of-consciousness journal. If you are struggling with this topic, look to where you write most naturally and with the fewest inhibitions. That is where you will find your voice.
• Twists and turns: You can use your journal to brainstorm alternative paths the action in a scene can take. Sometimes writing down the ideas instead of just thinking them can make all the difference.
• Characters: Once your thoughts begin to flow, you'll find yourself writing about whatever is on your mind – like the people around you and your characters. You find yourself writing background and attitudes for those people that you didn't realize you knew. And your knowledge deepens.
• Theme: Looking at my journal showed me what I often wrote about, what were my preoccupations. I realized that the same beliefs and attitudes were imbedded in my books. You can develop these into themes.
• Philosophy: This is somewhat tied to theme but goes a bit further. After a while, you find yourself asking yourself why you write. The answers you come up with are part of your personal writing philosophy.
• Encouragement: When you find it difficult to get around to your WIP, you can remind yourself why you write. What you get and give by writing. What you hope to accomplish. You can be your own cheerleader or bully (whatever works) and be your own motivator.

How to Develop a Personal Philosophy

Originally Posted: March 19, 2008 by lesliesrussell in Lifehack, Notes

What is it?

A personal philosophy is a written document detailing your ideas on how the world works–the big stuff and the small stuff and everything in between. A personal philosophy is a fluid thing your personal philosophy will change and grow as you change and grow.

Why do I need it?

• You already have one you just don’t know it.
• Having a written philosophy gives you a firm foundation upon which to base decisions and opinions.
• Writing it down exposes flaws or virtues allowing you to correct or embrace them as need be.

How do I do it?

1. Start with the phrase “I believe:”
2. Make a list of things you believe, hold true, or find self-evident.

FAQ

• Do I need to study philosophy?

No. But it really can’t hurt can it? You may find something with which you agree or find a better way to say something you already believe.

• Do I have to share it with others?

No. But being able to defend your philosophy will strengthen it.

• What if I believe something embarassing or wrong?

Then maybe you are wrong, but maybe the world is wrong. You won’t know which until you share it with others and are forced to defend it.

• How long will it take?

The rest of your life.

The Tao of Writing

According to legends, Laozi leaves China on his water buffalo. Renard, (2002), p. 16 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A personal confession. I love the Tao te Ching, by Lao Tzu. It isn't just about the abstract 'life', it is about life. As in learning, walking, martial arts, music, and writing. Yes, writing. Here are four examples of what I am talking about, pulled nearly at random.

1. “Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”
   One interpretation: Do you have the patience to wait to write until the clutter of your thoughts settle and your mind is clear?
   Another interpretation: Do you have the patience to not write a project until the ideas settle and the story and characters are clear?
2. “The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.”
   One interpretation: Your knowledge of personal and technical strengths and weaknesses comes partly from yourself but also partly from the feedback from others. Even then, it is incomplete.
   Another interpretation: apply this to research
3. “He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty"
   One interpretation: A good writer tries to write better than other writers, a great writer tries to write better than herself.
   Another interpretation:
4. “When people see some things as beautiful,
   other things become ugly.
   When people see some things as good,
   other things become bad.”
   One interpretation: Writers create protagonists and antagonists. The writer guides the reader in the perceptions of good and bad in people.
   Another interpretation: Writers write about values – what is beautiful, what is ugly. Some writers like to make the to make the boundary clear, others choose to blur the line. We have a responsibility to think about the messages we send because we send these messages to readers.

The Reader's Bill of Rights

o-delaisse:

http://weheartit.com/entry/18171146/via/nanamieg

Let's Talk About the Reader

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Every writer is a reader and every reader is a writer. Really. Not every writer writes stories or poems or magazine articles. Some write technical papers, reviews, emails, grocery lists, Facebook entries. Any kind of writing makes you a writer. A reader, though, is special.

• A reader is the only reason books are read. They give the book worth.
• A reader changes a writer. The simple act of buying a book tells the writer that what she/he does is worthwhile. That someone besides the writer cares.
• A reader can change future books. When a reader gives feedback through ratings, reviews, or emails, the writer learns what the reader likes and does not like. The writer then decides if the reader's feedback can help the writer better articulate the writer's vision.
• The reader grows as a person by being a reader. There are ideas in books, not just stories. Ideas that a reader can consciously or unconsciously incorporate into the reader's worldview. Attitudes about people, violence, love, good and evil, and perseverance.

A reader is a very special person, not just in view of sales, but in light of what the reader can do for the world. Books are a way to limit and expand a reader's potential. Even the most escapist book can affect a reader in profound or subtle ways. A reader has little or no responsibility for a writer unless the reader chooses to become involved. But a writer has a duty to every reader who picks up that writer's books. To provide a good time. To present ideas that will let the reader grow as a person. To be a writer that the reader can depend on to fulfill that reader's wants and needs.

People Like You

Originally Posted: April 20, 2013 by alicorndreams





Don’t ever let anyone quash your dreams.  Don’t ever listen to people who tell you that you can’t.  For any reason.  Never believe for even a second that you can’t.  You can.  I’m living proof!
When I was in the 4th grade (decades ago) I wrote a story for a Language Arts assignment.  It was called “The Cat, The Dog, and The Jellybeans”.  I got an A on the paper, and the teacher said she really enjoyed reading it.  I was hooked.  It was then that I decided I wanted to write.
I told my family.  They thought it was cute.  They all told me that “People like you don’t write, honey.  And if you do write, you will never be able to publish anything.  And if you do publish things, you will have to pay people to publish your work and you will never make any money at it”.  They didn’t understand that it wasn’t money that it was all about.  The words were just in my head and I loved them.
I wrote for the literary journals in school.  I wrote and I wrote and I wrote.  I rarely told anyone at home I was still writing.  My teachers encouraged me.  Kids at school congratulated me.  But the words in my head still echoed.  People like you… people like you… people like you.
Skip forward, (by this time I was REALLY hiding my writing because it didn’t pay and no one understood) and find me sitting in a cube farm, making a living but not really living.  I needed a book to help me figure out how to do my job.  And there wasn’t any book written.  So, after I slept (it was a long project) I got mad and wrote the book I wanted to read.  And I found someone willing to take a chance on me who published it.  And I got an advance on royalties check.  And I saw my name on a book jacket.  And I was hooked again.  I wrote a few geek books.  And was published.  And I fell in love with the words again.
People like me, and people like you, can write.  If you don’t mind living your dream and chasing your own dandelion fluff, you can do it.  It isn’t easy.  Sometimes it is a lot of work and sometimes it means forgoing things that you might rather do, but you CAN do it.
Find your voice (of late, mine has been headed back to poetry, my first love) and let your own voice sing.  Don’t ever pay heed to the people who tell you that People Like You can’t.  We are all people like you, and people like you CAN!

I See You’ve Put Your Pen Down…

Originally Posted: April 14, 2013 by Rowan

Because it’s hard. Because you’re busy. Because the words don’t come to you, because you’ll never be good enough, because you’re a worthless, hopeless, loser. I want you to pick it up again, physically or mentally. Pick up the pen, Right Now.
You don’t have to write. Just hold it in your hand and feel it for a second. Remember what it was that got you hooked on writing, that made you want to write more. Remember the rush.
Now feel the fire start in your belly. Feel the burning behind your eyes, feel the full force of your emotions. The beating of your heart, the clenching of your soul. The tightening of your fist as your dreams weigh down on you.
You want to write.
Don’t you dare put that pen back down. You are a fighter. The words come to you through a haze of pain, they bleed from your fingertips and scratch across your brain. Is it worth it? Are your dreams worth this?
Yes.
If you want to be good at this – if you want to make words dance for you, jump across the page and set themselves on fire for you, you’ve got to pay them in blood and tears and sweat.
You’ve got to sit down and write.
And you will.
Rowan S. R. is an author-creature at The Writing Corp. To read more of its writing, check back here or hop on over to Rowan S.R’s blog.

Use Avoidance to Heighten Conflict

As I rewrite an early chapter, it would be convenient to have the main character prefer to avoid conflict. My first reaction was: no way I can do that. It will reduce my chances for conflict. But then I started thinking…

1. The stakes in any given chapter or scene won’t let her avoid conflict. So she will have an inner conflict (the wish to avoid conflict warring with the need to reach her scene goal) as well as an external conflict.
2. If the main character was argumentative by nature, any conflict with another person would mean less because she’d be following her nature rather than fighting it. More tension there.
3. When I change POV and the scene goal pits two other characters against one another, it will be natural for her to play peace-maker. Which makes for three-way tension because the strength of the scene goal and opposition won’t let them make peace without first resolving the dispute.
4. If she avoids conflict when the stakes don’t matter, then she isn’t communicating truthfully and it can lead to misunderstandings and isolation from other characters. This presents problems she will be reluctant to address – much less solve.

Three guesses as to what I decided. Come on, surely you can come up with at least three possible paths forward…

The Excitement of Writing in Any Genre

I definitely agree with the Robin McKinley quote that a friend recently posted. Even with a plot, I don’t know any authors (and I know a few) who are in complete control of the story. The feeling — I’m told — doesn’t go away. Even for award-winning, New York Times best-selling authors. (Which I’m NOT.) I think this excitement goes hand-in-hand with a certain amount of fear. But also like that McKinley says, “if books are going to get written, authors have to be able to write them.” It’s a good chance for personal growth.

In Health and Sickness

Flu Wiki logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As nasty as a stomach flu can be, it reminded me of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Sleep! Eat! Exercise! And I add medication, therapy, and meditation to my list. Oddly enough, the eating is the thing I forget to do unless I am out and about. And meditation. It’s a bore but it helps center me when there’s too much coming at me. But keeping a healthy lifestyle is key to keeping a healthy mind and body — which makes the hassle worth it to me because I can then work and play with the best of them. Or at least the best of me. So keep healthy because I’ll keep writing… in sickness and in health.
p.s. An unlooked for benefit of having a mental illness is that I have to take extra care to live a healthy lifestyle. So people like me may have one up over the neuro-typicals in at least one regard. Maybe…

5 Ways to Raise Your Word Count Rates

Scrabble, Word Games (Photo credit: windygig)

The point of these techniques is to get the words flowing faster and freer and temporarily shut down the inner critic that can slow your flow of words.

1. Prompts. You can start with ones written by someone else but I recommend eventually making your own. When you write your own prompts, the topic is more likely to be in line with your writing subject, situation, and style.
2. Outlines. Sorry pansters, but plotters get points here. An outline can be made as general or as specific as necessary. And if you know where you are going, it is a lot easier to get going. And once going, get gone.
3. Time limits. Some people perform better under pressure but some people perform worse. Either way, a time limit can force you to temporarily circumvent your inner critic long enough to get something down to edit later – so long as you don’t let fear stop you.
4. Word goals. This, of course, forces you to put a certain number of words on the page, no matter what. Words, even bad words, have to come from somewhere and a large word goal will force you to delve deep into that well (or whatever) of your creativity.
5. Practice. It is a habit and a skill to be learned. As you continue to put words on the page, the words will start to come faster. Even your slow days will be faster than your “old” slow days.

In Sickness and In Health

is "when swine flu" really the past tense of "when pigs fly" (Photo credit: Graela)

So sorry for not posting yesterday. I had a nasty bug and barely made my word count.
It bothers me a bit when I’m sick and people say, “I hope you get better,” as though not getting better is a real option. It seems a morbid reassurance. How much better to wish someone “I hope you get better SOON”!
More importantly, even when I’m puking up my guts, I’ve still got to write. I take writing as seriously — or maybe more seriously — as any other profession. And this book is an impatient one, punishing me if I take time off.

April Fool's - 10 Things "To Do" with Your Story

Some WONDERFUL ideas for your book. (some exceptions apply)

1. Don’t know what to write? Just cut and paste from your favorite book.
2. Bored with your main character? Change his name half-way through the book.
3. Hate your bad guy’s guts? Kill him off in the second scene.
4. Word count too short? Add random scenes to flesh it out.
5. Word count too long? No one cares how the book ends. Cut it out.
6. Don’t feel like meeting that deadline? Then don’t write!
7. Not enough sizzle in a genre romance? Make it a harem.
8. Too little suspense in that thriller? Give the detective a Tahiti vacation.
9. Bored with fantasy worlds? Make it an all-human cast with identical sociopolitical values and views.
10. Need more back story? Just do an “As you know, Bob…” info dump.

Add your favorite ideas here…

Bringing Subplots Back to Life

English: The Thinker (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even though I have spent my whole month doing just that, I’m having trouble articulating the steps I used. I’m going to pull up Scrivener, look at my notes, and try to reverse the process by listing 5 of the strategies that I used.

• Plan, plan, plan (if you’re a plotster) the subplot’s progress so it never reaches a point of stasis. Create set-backs in the long-term goal that lead the character inevitably towards Points of No Return.
• Try changing the POV (and thus who has the greatest stakes) in an already written scene to that of your subplot character. (This can also help tie the subplot back into the main plot.)
• Introduce an inner conflict that starts off static – until the central conflict knocks it (the inner balance) off kilter. He didn’t like it but accepted it until…
• Show character’s unmet needs. At least one of these probably motivates his/her main goal, even if he/she isn’t aware of it. Have the character take risks to achieve these needs. Consider having the motivations change in response to changes in self-awareness. I’m protecting her for her own good —> I need to be needed but am driving her away. —> I have to change/ make her understand/ make her more dependent on me.
• When writing, don’t take the easy road. Brainstorm and choose a less obvious reaction. Person A: “I hate you.” Person B: “Took you long enough.”

This list quickly got long (20 or so) so I’ll save some for later.