Respect

    Having stories is a funny thing; sometimes it's a lot like the way we writers are with ideas. One day (usually right after finishing a big manuscript) we don't have a novel-length story to tell, and we're looking high and low to find one; but on other days, when we do have a fabulous story to write, there are a dozen other shiny story ideas, all screaming to be written immediately! And as much as it'd be awesome to dive into writing them (particularly when a severe case of writers' block has struck with the current work), it can't be done because there just isn't enough time.
     Alas, there's no remedy that'll magically enable us to ignore other ideas for just a little while, or grant us super-speed-writing to make the wait for the next project shorter. But there is something that can definitely help us cling to the story we've made a commitment to working on: respect. Having respect for the gift of writing, and respect for the story itself.
    Showing something/someone reverence doesn't just mean to think of something as amazing and wonderful; it can also mean having a deep understanding of how important it is and being unwilling to brush it off as common. Respecting a person means paying close attention to what they're saying and not glancing at your watch to see when you can take your leave. Respecting the gift of storytelling would probably include making quality time for writing and not going about it with a "ho-hum" attitude. And respecting a story (particularly the one currently being worked on) would mean not forgetting what potential it has to be fantastic, giving it time and focus, and sticking with it until it's finished.
    Being able to have this kind of respect is great not only because it helps us keep working on the story to the end, but because the ability to respect something is a really strong character aspect. It makes us better as writers and as people!
    So what are your thoughts? Has respect for writing or the story itself been the vital thing that's ever kept you from giving up?

"Micro Managing" While Writing is Like Sculpting

    You know how when a person is writing (usually a first draft or a rewrite) they can stop, go back a couple sentences, edit a paragraph slightly, and then go back to where they paused and start writing again? It's like having little bouts of micro management, making small revisions to the manuscript before it's even completed.
    That kind of resembles the process of sculpting with modeling clay, doesn't it? It could also be likened to sculpting with rock, of course, but personally I think the modeling clay kind of sculpting is more accurate. Because with  something hard like rock, the sculpting involves chipping things away with great care to form an image, and you can't add more rock onto it without some inconvenience, so major changes can't really be done over and over again. However, with something soft like modeling clay, you're using your hands to mold, remold, and sometimes carve in order to create something, and you can make additions and big adjustments without needing a new block.
    Which is more like what micro managing while writing a piece is usually like. Adding more sentences to make the scene more thorough, removing fluff that just clutters up space, replacing words with better-sounding ones, making little improvements. The gradual revisions that happen before the piece is actually done might not be as in-depth and complete as the actual revision stage, but they definitely improve the writing piece, especially over time.
    For one, it makes the manuscript look a little nicer; which is awesome not only because that makes it more fun to reread, but it can also make it less frustrating to edit later. Also, going back to rewrite portions of text also makes things a little more balanced; it keeps the manuscript from being full of paragraphs with identical lengths, and it ensures that an action which should take five sentences isn't condensed into one, or vice versa. The details get smoothed over a bit with this kind of writing, and consistency is kept up. Plus, writing like this is also something of a breather; it gives a short break from planning and jotting down new paragraphs one after another, without stopping up the creative juices.
    So overall, like sculpting, micro managing during the writing process brings small improvements that can do a lot of good in a manuscript.
    Do you agree? Do you micro manage while you write? Or do you wait until a set time to get to adjusting and reshaping the writing?

One Step at a Time

Monitoring one's story's progress can be kind of like reading
a book and glancing at the edges to see what "percentage" of the pages
are left to read--only writing takes longer than reading.

    Waiting a very long time for a good book to be completed and ready to read can be very, very, very boring--especially when it's one's own book! In that situation, a writer gets to watch each tiny step forward, but also have an idea of how much more still needs to be done.
    Writing projects can be like that quite a lot, can't they?  Especially when it's a project as long as a novel. Writing is time-consuming; writing a chapter could take over an hour, and some scenes take numerous re-writes in order for that part of the story to turn out right. With a certain time requirement for writing just one part of the story, and other activities in life to pay attention to, the writing process can end up being taking little steps day by day for a long, long time. Compared to the plotting stage of writing, where one could have the whole story down within a week, it's like a snail's pace. And thinking about how many more chapters/scenes--and days--have to go by before one finally has their beautiful manuscript completed can really stink.
    But having a positive mindset about it can make things better--a lot better. It can even make the long wait pleasant.
    When one can end their day knowing that they've got one more chapter completed, they can think about how they're one step closer to the end than they were yesterday; and that tomorrow, they'll be yet another step closer, or even two! And when thinking about the big picture, counting all the hours it'll be taking to finish the first (or second, or third) draft can give an encouraging idea of how much time and attention is being given to this story, of how much more quality there's going to be in the end.
    So while going one step at a time might be slow, thinking about the positive factors of it can make the wait more tolerable, right? What do you think?

Wow, Drawing Can Actually Sometimes Be a Distraction

This is one of my sketches (sorry for the blurriness). Drawing characters
or potential characters is both fun and useful!

    Lots of writers love to draw, and love to find ways to use this gift to contribute to their writing. I'm one of them, and while I'm definitely no Picasso, drawing characters, outfits, gadgets, and settings is helpful and extremely satisfying! It's added some flavor to the stories they're based on, and given ideas for new writing pieces.
    But I've noticed that sometimes when I'm drawing, it's not for a story. And it's not a setting, character, or object that's found in my usual genres. It's not something I'd likely ever use in writing, and as I sketch it, I'm not even learning a new strategy for drawing. I'm just sketching because the subject looks nice; an entirely recreational act. That's not a bad thing, but when I could--and should--be using that time for writing, homework, or other important responsibilities . . . well, it would seem that in this situation, drawing is a serious distraction. A distraction made even more dangerous in the fact that it's easy to justify as "creative work."
    It makes one wonder--if drawing (a creative, constructive practice) can have a detrimental affect, what other activities can easily be distractions? What other artistic skill has to be used with caution?
    Maybe that's the wrong way to look at it though. The fact that drawing could become a distraction definitely doesn't mean that it always is. The problem of distraction seems to lie in a matter of context, of whether or not something else needs to be focused on instead. If a person has one hour to do anything, and they're already really good at painting, but they could use some practice with writing descriptions, spending the hour writing descriptions would probably be the more efficient choice. Whereas if the person with one free hour is horrible at painting, and wants to practice, painting would possibly be the better option.
    Of course, these are just opinions. What do you think? Have you ever had to reluctantly put off drawing (or another artistic practice) in order to focus on writing?

When Writing Advice Conflicts

Just like flowers, no writer is exactly the same. Each signature
writing style has its own special beauty.

    Have you ever read a quote about writing that recommends one technique (for example: "You should never use the word 'said' when writing dialogue.") but later read a different quote that tells you that you should do the exact opposite?    There's a lot of things like that out there; debates over different techniques. Showing vs. telling, flashbacks vs. no flashbacks, stories that focus on plot vs. stories that focus on character, etc.. With so much advice that contradict each other, how can a writer know which way is best?
    Well, according to many, many, many professional writers: there is no "best way" to write! Storytelling is an art, not a specific equation. Every writer has their own style. Some might use action-based descriptions to tell the story, while others aren't afraid to spell out in sentences what the character is feeling; and both techniques result in fantastic pieces of work.
    It can really be a fascinating experience, learning what one's writing style is. Since writing's an art, one can take lots of time to try out multiple different kinds of techniques, following each piece of advice one at a time to see which suits the story (and the writer). When one technique seems to work better than the other for the individual writer, then they can add it to their accumulation of writing strategies, and eventually develop a signature style.
    At least, that's what I think. Do you feel the same way? What's your favorite sort of writing style? One with lots of descriptions, action-oriented narration, short chapters, long chapters?

Drawing A Cover for Your Story In Progress

    At least one of my writer friends and myself have done this before, sketching out covers for the novels we've written. My friend's end result is an impressive piece of art, and my own . . . well, they're not as impressive. But they're not too shabby either.
   And you know, I think designing a cover for a story in progress really helps the writing process. Whether you sketch with pencils, go full-out with colored pencils and pen, do some techy wonders with a computer program, or take actual pictures and add captions to them, it's useful.

This is a cover I sketched out on my computer
via Paint for a story I was writing a couple years ago.
 As you can see, I am not one of the talented people
who can use a computer to make great art!
(By the way, the reason they have no pupils is because
they're supposed to be identical and I thought trying
to make the pupils align perfectly would be impossible.
Sorry if it looks creepy!)

    For one, creativity is being put to work. Thinking about which color schemes look better and what formats are cooler tap into the right side of the brain.
    Secondly, it can help you realize what sort of image represents the tone and the gist of the story. Should the protagonist be on the cover, or their trusty tool? Should the villain be on there too? And a background shot of the story setting? Which location in the setting? What kind of image would properly invite a potential reader into the story?
    Thirdly, it can aid in visualization of your character. It lets a person see what their character descriptions actually make the character look like. Maybe so-and-so's eyes should be almond-shaped instead of bouncy ball round. Wow, her hair looks really nice long instead of short. Green would probably be a better color for his eyes. Yes! Finally got the smile on this character's face just right!  Etcetera.
    Plus, having an image of what your story could become, published with an official cover, can be really encouraging and motivating! Can you see it now? Pinned to the corkboard or whiteboard or wall, your novel's front cover with your character (or whatever the focus element is) shining in color, with the title displayed in large letters above and your own name printed in smaller lettering below. A beautiful display of the work you're working hard on. Something you're working towards. Almost like a writing target to shoot for.
    So in conclusion: designing a front cover for the story you're working on (at least in my opinion) is useful and fun.
    What do you think? Have you ever designed a cover for your story? Have you drawn it out, computerized it, taken pictures, or is it still in written form?

Jack London: Keep A Notebook

I've found that composition books are the best kind of journal to use for writing--they're flexible, have lots of lines to write on, and they're inexpensive! :)

"Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and led pencil markings endure longer than memory."

~Jack London

    Writing journals are awesome! It's one of the most valuable tools a writer can have--something to write, sketch, and brainstorm in. A notebook is extremely useful when you want to have something to use as a reference for your story, and you can write short blurbs of fiction inside of it, and it's a nice place to quickly scribble about an interesting fact, location, or story you hear.
    True, you could use your phone or computer to do this, and typing is a lot quicker and easier to edit than handwriting. But writing something down in a book with graphite or ink has its own sort of romantic factor, and there's something about holding a book filled with your own words that's special. Writing journals have their own beauty from the worn-out covers, the word-filled pages, and to the string binding it all together. Don't you agree?
    Do you have a notebook that you carry around with you? Have you personalized it with artwork, quotes, or anything else like that? :)

Writing Is Kind Of Like Knitting

 

This is my latest knitting project; oh how lovely it is to have neat, identical rows! :D

    Writing is kind of like knitting. It's an artful craft that takes lots of practice, time, and care. Both are also useful and interesting skills that bring accomplishment and make great gifts for others.
    Although, if you're a writer or a knitter, you know how boring either craft can sometimes get.
    Especially when you've been working on a long project. Hand-knit cardigans and scarves are beautiful masterpieces, but they can take days and sometimes weeks to finish. Likewise, writing a novel takes endless hours of planning, daydreaming, and typing/handwriting. It can really tire a brain out! And sometimes a person just gets plain tired of doing something that seems (at the moment) monotonous. Another long row of the same stitches, one more chapter already plotted out . . . And the crafty part of our brains begins to direct its talents towards brainstorming ways to find a shortcut. That sweater can just be a short vest, can't it? This story might be more suitable as a short story rather than a novel . . .
    Then there's the diligent part of the mind that shouts: "Don't ditch the sleeves!" "It's not a good idea to cut a story down just to get it over with!"
    And when that voice is heeded and the project is completed thoroughly, I've found that it's totally worth it in the end. In fact, the days of sameness and perseverance are what make it even greater of an accomplishment. You know what I mean?
    Does anyone out there knit or crochet? :)