The most effective way to banish Writer's Block forever is to listen to the call. Write what you want to write. Write what interests you. Write what haunts you. If an idea sticks in your head, use it, even if you are not sure other people will like it. If you lose interest in the novel you are working on and long to start another, sometimes it is wise to listen to that urge. Although it is a bad idea to abandon every project you start when the going gets rough, if you are truly bored with your current novel or story, it is better to write what you really want to write.
I was 'stuck' on, but not bored with, chapter seven of The Witch's Daughter. I have been reading a lot of Law and Order fanfiction recently (as evidenced by my previous posts), and I really wanted to write some Olivia/Alex romance. I fussed for a while, attempting to make headway on The Witch's Daughter, but it just wasn't coming. I abandoned the project for one night and wrote 2000 words of fanfiction. Afterwards, refreshed, I could go back to my novel and get some actual work done.
I usually end up working on two novels at the same time. This helps me keep my mind off of the huge list of 'planned' novels that I keep in my head. I also try to rotate my projects so that I am not working on two similar ideas at the same time. For example, I will work on one fantasy novel and one modern-day romance at a time, but not two books in the same fantasy series. It just creates confusion, and you cannot use your second novel to 'purge' the staleness of the other novel out.
That said, even if you get bored with a novel and decide to put it on hold/scrap it, DO NOT delete the material you have so far. You might be able to find a use for it later in a different project. I know that 10,000 words of The Witch's Daughter was written two and a half ago years before the novel took shape. Also, I have been able to use parts of a novel I wrote when I was 13-14 for all three of my Amendyr novels. You never know what you can use later. The country of Amendyr itself and its tyrant, the Queen, were created for that original novel.
It is hard to strike a balance between pushing through the slow parts of a novel and beating a dead horse, and only experience will truly tell you when to pause, when to scrap, and when to just slog through.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Make Writing Dates
Make a romantic writing date for yourself and your novel tomorrow. Get some food and a drink, turn off the TV and the radio (unless you're using music for inspiration), lock yourself away from your parents/relatives/siblings/kids/friends/spouse/ect, and just write. It might even be beneficial to turn off or cover all nearby clocks so that you don't keep checking them.
Here are some more useful exercises to try:
1. If you are stuck, try writing a quick one page monologue in first person from one of your characters POV.
2. Write a "candybar" scene - the juicy section at the end of your novel that you've been wanting to write FOR-EV-ER.
3. It can be intimidating to stare at an empty word document. Try pen and paper or an open e-mail.
4. Try Dr. Wicked's "Write Or Die" (it's linked in the sidebar). Time yourself!
5. Do word sprints with a writer pal. Hey, I'm always up for them. Those five minute chunks can add up.
6. Try writing just dialogue without the tags. Or, if you want to describe a scene, use a not-too-well-known landscape painting from google images to spark your words.
7. Use a word generator to create random words for you. Then, write a scene that includes all of these words. (You can cheat and remove one word if it absolutely makes no sense at all... for example, 'computer' if you are writing a fantasy novel). This also works for coming up with a plot for your novel. It's how Ray Bradbury started "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
Write, and have fun!
Here are some more useful exercises to try:
1. If you are stuck, try writing a quick one page monologue in first person from one of your characters POV.
2. Write a "candybar" scene - the juicy section at the end of your novel that you've been wanting to write FOR-EV-ER.
3. It can be intimidating to stare at an empty word document. Try pen and paper or an open e-mail.
4. Try Dr. Wicked's "Write Or Die" (it's linked in the sidebar). Time yourself!
5. Do word sprints with a writer pal. Hey, I'm always up for them. Those five minute chunks can add up.
6. Try writing just dialogue without the tags. Or, if you want to describe a scene, use a not-too-well-known landscape painting from google images to spark your words.
7. Use a word generator to create random words for you. Then, write a scene that includes all of these words. (You can cheat and remove one word if it absolutely makes no sense at all... for example, 'computer' if you are writing a fantasy novel). This also works for coming up with a plot for your novel. It's how Ray Bradbury started "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
Write, and have fun!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Stealing Ideas...
Yes, you can get away with it.
I just realized that one of my favorite novels of all time is actually based on the Law and Order universe. I purchased 'Conflict of Interest', one of my favorite novels, months ago, and have read it through several times, along with its sequel, 'Next of Kin'. Meanwhile, I had absolutely no idea that it was originally a fanfiction about one of my favorite TV shows: Law and Order - Special Victims Unit.
When I found a disabled fanfiction link and (finally) made the connection, I was floored. My brain just kind of... stopped. Seriously. How had I, a huge Law and Order fan, missed this? How had I not been able to recognize two of my favorite characters of all time in an original fiction novel?
The truth was, I did recognize them. At least, my soul did. I instantly bonded with the characters, perhaps because of their familiarity to me, even though I didn't put the pieces together until months after the fact. So, yes, you can get away with stealing characters, ideas, and whatever you want from other novels/TV shows/stories/poems/ect. It is actually a good idea.
Here is Rae's guide to stealing stuff.
1. Pick out what you like the most.
Pick a few character traits that you enjoy the most if you are stealing a character (we L&O fans all love Alex Cabot's sexy, sexy prosecutorial glasses). Pick the one jarring plot point that really tugs at your heart strings (unrequited love? Having to go against your own personal moral code for the greater good?). The other stuff, even if you like it, is just icing on the cake. You have to invent your own icing to cover the cake if you want to pass it off as your own. Okay, maybe I took that metaphor too far. It doesn't make a lot of sense, and now I'm hungry...
2. Hide it well
Once you have chosen the gems you want to steal, hide them well. Bury them so deep that no one will ever find them. Or, if they are not buried deep, at least disguise them cleverly enough that a reader will only feel satisfaction or amusement if they uncover them.
3. Never tell
Take your secret to your grave. Or, if you are Jae (author of Conflict of Interest), you can leave tantalizing clues and just not worry if you are discovered, because the book is original enough and well-written enough that you can get away with it. Which leads me to my last point...
4. Add enough original material so that no one will care if they find you out
Stealing some great characters or plot ideas isn't enough. You have to write a damn good novel to put them in. And that, my friend, will take work and some great ideas of your very own.
I just realized that one of my favorite novels of all time is actually based on the Law and Order universe. I purchased 'Conflict of Interest', one of my favorite novels, months ago, and have read it through several times, along with its sequel, 'Next of Kin'. Meanwhile, I had absolutely no idea that it was originally a fanfiction about one of my favorite TV shows: Law and Order - Special Victims Unit.
When I found a disabled fanfiction link and (finally) made the connection, I was floored. My brain just kind of... stopped. Seriously. How had I, a huge Law and Order fan, missed this? How had I not been able to recognize two of my favorite characters of all time in an original fiction novel?
The truth was, I did recognize them. At least, my soul did. I instantly bonded with the characters, perhaps because of their familiarity to me, even though I didn't put the pieces together until months after the fact. So, yes, you can get away with stealing characters, ideas, and whatever you want from other novels/TV shows/stories/poems/ect. It is actually a good idea.
Here is Rae's guide to stealing stuff.
1. Pick out what you like the most.
Pick a few character traits that you enjoy the most if you are stealing a character (we L&O fans all love Alex Cabot's sexy, sexy prosecutorial glasses). Pick the one jarring plot point that really tugs at your heart strings (unrequited love? Having to go against your own personal moral code for the greater good?). The other stuff, even if you like it, is just icing on the cake. You have to invent your own icing to cover the cake if you want to pass it off as your own. Okay, maybe I took that metaphor too far. It doesn't make a lot of sense, and now I'm hungry...
2. Hide it well
Once you have chosen the gems you want to steal, hide them well. Bury them so deep that no one will ever find them. Or, if they are not buried deep, at least disguise them cleverly enough that a reader will only feel satisfaction or amusement if they uncover them.
3. Never tell
Take your secret to your grave. Or, if you are Jae (author of Conflict of Interest), you can leave tantalizing clues and just not worry if you are discovered, because the book is original enough and well-written enough that you can get away with it. Which leads me to my last point...
4. Add enough original material so that no one will care if they find you out
Stealing some great characters or plot ideas isn't enough. You have to write a damn good novel to put them in. And that, my friend, will take work and some great ideas of your very own.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Anyone Can Write
Today, my girlfriend decided that she wanted to write a novel.
My first reaction, unfortunately, was: are you joking? Now, although she is a splendid and very creative person, my girlfriend is known to be a horrible procrastinator, and only does work when she absolutely has to. So I did not picture her writing a novel at all. Now, in my defense, I have asked her to write novels with me before (and make a webcomic... and color my drawings... and edit my stories... put pictures to my Youtube videos... and a million other things). The results are fantastic, but she only does it if I pester her.
But as she explained her idea, I thought about it some more. All of the projects that I ask her to work on with me are MY projects. My voice, my thoughts, my ideas. Although she likes them, they are not hers. And the only way to get a novel done is if it inspires you, haunts you, drives you mad until you put pen to paper.
The writing bug has bitten her, too. I think she can do it. Anyone, with the proper madness behind them, can write a novel. It takes a powerful idea that nips at your heels, and it takes dedication to slug through when that idea begins to lag behind. If you have those two things, you can write. Anyone can write.
I am going to do everything I can to support her while she works on her novel. I will remind her about writing a little bit every day, about the different ways to write (pen and paper, computer, even in an e-mail so it feels less intimidating). I will encourage her every step of the way. And I think she can do it.
If you take something away from this blog entry, let it be this: anyone can write a novel. If you've got the stamina and the passion, the novel is as good as done. You just have to do the work. And yes, it is work. Hard, frustrating, sluggish work at times, but it is also exciting work. Inspiring work. Important work. The world needs writers - writers must write for themselves as well as for their readers.
So go write that novel.
My first reaction, unfortunately, was: are you joking? Now, although she is a splendid and very creative person, my girlfriend is known to be a horrible procrastinator, and only does work when she absolutely has to. So I did not picture her writing a novel at all. Now, in my defense, I have asked her to write novels with me before (and make a webcomic... and color my drawings... and edit my stories... put pictures to my Youtube videos... and a million other things). The results are fantastic, but she only does it if I pester her.
But as she explained her idea, I thought about it some more. All of the projects that I ask her to work on with me are MY projects. My voice, my thoughts, my ideas. Although she likes them, they are not hers. And the only way to get a novel done is if it inspires you, haunts you, drives you mad until you put pen to paper.
The writing bug has bitten her, too. I think she can do it. Anyone, with the proper madness behind them, can write a novel. It takes a powerful idea that nips at your heels, and it takes dedication to slug through when that idea begins to lag behind. If you have those two things, you can write. Anyone can write.
I am going to do everything I can to support her while she works on her novel. I will remind her about writing a little bit every day, about the different ways to write (pen and paper, computer, even in an e-mail so it feels less intimidating). I will encourage her every step of the way. And I think she can do it.
If you take something away from this blog entry, let it be this: anyone can write a novel. If you've got the stamina and the passion, the novel is as good as done. You just have to do the work. And yes, it is work. Hard, frustrating, sluggish work at times, but it is also exciting work. Inspiring work. Important work. The world needs writers - writers must write for themselves as well as for their readers.
So go write that novel.
Conquer Your Fears
All artists are afraid at some point. Afraid of completing a project, afraid of putting all of themselves into their work, because... what if you fail? What if, after all the struggling and effort, it all comes to nothing? It is easier to not try at all. That way, you will never feel that crushing disappointment.
I struggle with this as a musician. Sometimes, I am afraid to practice as much as I could. If I do not succeed, then I can say: 'well, I didn't try my hardest... I might have won that competition/gotten that job/done better.' It can be easier to never actually achieve success than to strive for it and fail.
But you can't let that stop you. Even though it might be easier to say, "well, if I finished that novel, I could probably get published," you need to sit down and write it. And submit over and over and over again, even if you get a pile of rejections. Writers, like all artists, must develop thick skins.
The results are more than worth the sacrifice.
I struggle with this as a musician. Sometimes, I am afraid to practice as much as I could. If I do not succeed, then I can say: 'well, I didn't try my hardest... I might have won that competition/gotten that job/done better.' It can be easier to never actually achieve success than to strive for it and fail.
But you can't let that stop you. Even though it might be easier to say, "well, if I finished that novel, I could probably get published," you need to sit down and write it. And submit over and over and over again, even if you get a pile of rejections. Writers, like all artists, must develop thick skins.
The results are more than worth the sacrifice.
