I've discovered something about myself that I sort of figured. I can't write a long piece without an outline of some sort. The novel I talked about last week that I was winging just isn't happening. I've written myself into so many corners that I have to keep pasting entire writing sessions in a different file (the I don't like but don't throw away file). This seems counter-productive to me. I want to have freedom to play with the words, with the story, with the characters, but I'm learning that no outline is just too much freedom. It works for some other writers, but not for me. I don't like the idea of making a huge, elaborate outline with no wiggle room for fun writing time, but I do need something to keep me on track. My little writing exercise experiment has failed, though it really hasn't because I now know what doesn't work for me. That's a good thing.
While I get back to the drawing board, if you feel so inclined, add a comment about how you write. Are you a seat of your pants writer? Do you use an outline? Is it a bare-bones outline, or do you outline each chapter/plot point? Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Writing Without an Outline
I've found writing my latest attempt at a novel to be a strange experience. Not that I've tried my hand at many novels--short stories have been my forte so far--but when I have, it has been with an outline. This newest one, however, I just took an idea and ran with it. I sort of tricked myself into getting going on it. I've tried writing a novel without an outline before, but I always bog down, thinking I'm just going to mess things up for later since I don't know where anything is going. But this time I just told myself that it was a writing practice exercise, and it's seemed to work so far.
I write all my short stories without outlines. Almost every time I set out to write one, I just have a vague idea, and I make it happen. Occasionally I'll know exactly what's happening and where everything is going, but that's pretty rare. That's why I really wanted to write a novel without an outline. Novels and short stories are two different beasts, but I thought I could probably make it work. It's still a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy so far.
As I'm writing, I decided that I'd make a separate word file with revision ideas. I can see things that I'd rather do, but instead of stopping momentum by going back and fixing it right away, I can do so in the revision process when the first draft is done. I also have a file with about ten pages or so of a few scenes that were taking the story in the wrong direction. Instead of just erasing it all, I decided to save it in case I can fish out some good ideas from it during revision. I doubt I will, but why not keep it around just in case?
Writers work in many different ways. I'm still not certain how I'm going to go about writing the novel after this one. If this process continues going well, I may just write it from the seat of my pants again. I doubt I will write a full outline, as I find that my writing doesn't have any room to have fun to flesh out unknown parts of the story, but I my write a partial outline. I'll see what I decide to do when this project is done. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!
I write all my short stories without outlines. Almost every time I set out to write one, I just have a vague idea, and I make it happen. Occasionally I'll know exactly what's happening and where everything is going, but that's pretty rare. That's why I really wanted to write a novel without an outline. Novels and short stories are two different beasts, but I thought I could probably make it work. It's still a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy so far.
As I'm writing, I decided that I'd make a separate word file with revision ideas. I can see things that I'd rather do, but instead of stopping momentum by going back and fixing it right away, I can do so in the revision process when the first draft is done. I also have a file with about ten pages or so of a few scenes that were taking the story in the wrong direction. Instead of just erasing it all, I decided to save it in case I can fish out some good ideas from it during revision. I doubt I will, but why not keep it around just in case?
Writers work in many different ways. I'm still not certain how I'm going to go about writing the novel after this one. If this process continues going well, I may just write it from the seat of my pants again. I doubt I will write a full outline, as I find that my writing doesn't have any room to have fun to flesh out unknown parts of the story, but I my write a partial outline. I'll see what I decide to do when this project is done. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Writing for Children
When I write my stories for adults, I don't really have any interest in writing anything that doesn't have some sort of genre twist, be it horror/paranormal/fantasy/science fiction/or whatnot. You get the idea. I don't like to read straight literary or contemporary work (there are exceptions, of course, but usually not), so therefore I don't like to write stories in non-genre categories. It just doesn't interest me.
I'm finding, however, that when I right for kids, I have no problem leaving out the fantastical element. Depending on the age group--usually the very young--normal everyday things can have the air of the fantastic. A simple story about hats can be a fun thing for me to write--which just so happens to be what I'm working on now. I've sent out two children stories to publishers so far, and one is a picture book/young reader about a brother and sister on a fun treasure hunt that their mother designed, and the other is a very short story about a child looking in a mirror. Neither have my normal genre twists, yet both were quite fun for me to write.
I'm finding that for older children, my genre preference is still shining through. I'm working on a middle grade novel that has plenty of paranormal activity and elements of the fantastic. It's a blast to write. It's much different from the genre stuff I can write for adults because I really have to censor my word usage/visual images. Don't want blood and guts to be flowing all over the place in a story for 10 year olds, while that would be fine in a book for adults. It's a nice new challenge for me.
So I guess the point of my post today is to try something new when you're writing. It'll free up your mind in ways that will create fun new challenges for you. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
I'm finding, however, that when I right for kids, I have no problem leaving out the fantastical element. Depending on the age group--usually the very young--normal everyday things can have the air of the fantastic. A simple story about hats can be a fun thing for me to write--which just so happens to be what I'm working on now. I've sent out two children stories to publishers so far, and one is a picture book/young reader about a brother and sister on a fun treasure hunt that their mother designed, and the other is a very short story about a child looking in a mirror. Neither have my normal genre twists, yet both were quite fun for me to write.
I'm finding that for older children, my genre preference is still shining through. I'm working on a middle grade novel that has plenty of paranormal activity and elements of the fantastic. It's a blast to write. It's much different from the genre stuff I can write for adults because I really have to censor my word usage/visual images. Don't want blood and guts to be flowing all over the place in a story for 10 year olds, while that would be fine in a book for adults. It's a nice new challenge for me.
So I guess the point of my post today is to try something new when you're writing. It'll free up your mind in ways that will create fun new challenges for you. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Weird Happenings
If you've been following my other blog, Weird Happenings, which is a ghost story told in blog format, you might be interested to know I'm wrapping it up. For now. I envision at least two more posts, possibly more, in order to tell the ending. When I'm done, feel free to let me know what you think. It's very possible (probable, even) that I'll have some more in the future, but for now I'm going to stick with what's there. It'll be the same main character, but different adventures. If you haven't yet read it, go on and catch up. There are 16 posts so far.
My writing tip for the week is to make sure you always have finished work out making the rounds in the marketplace. Right now I have a dozen or so short stories for adults, one short story for young children, one short story for young adults, and a picture book manuscript out in the world looking for homes. Once they are gone, I just forget about them until I hear back from the editors and then ship 'em out again. This way I can focus on new stuff instead of the old. If something keeps getting rejected, and the comments on it aren't favorable, I'll consider retiring it, but I have so many other works that one casualty doesn't bother me very much. Other than that, they keep going out. I recently placed a short story that I wrote over ten years ago, so if I really believe in a certain work, I'll keep sending it out. That's all for this week. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
My writing tip for the week is to make sure you always have finished work out making the rounds in the marketplace. Right now I have a dozen or so short stories for adults, one short story for young children, one short story for young adults, and a picture book manuscript out in the world looking for homes. Once they are gone, I just forget about them until I hear back from the editors and then ship 'em out again. This way I can focus on new stuff instead of the old. If something keeps getting rejected, and the comments on it aren't favorable, I'll consider retiring it, but I have so many other works that one casualty doesn't bother me very much. Other than that, they keep going out. I recently placed a short story that I wrote over ten years ago, so if I really believe in a certain work, I'll keep sending it out. That's all for this week. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Words to Watch
I've noticed too often lately words being used incorrectly. It happens all the time on message boards, Twitter, blogs, and other places where people write (obviously). I'm not going to take too much time to go over this today, as I've seen this topic in other blogs, but it still happens, so I want to just take a post to go over it. I'm just going to take a few simple ones that should be the easiest to avoid.
One such pair of words is its and it's. This one is easy enough with just a bit of memorization. If you remember that it only gets an apostrophe as a contraction, you're good to go. It's is the equivalent of it is. If you want the possessive, there is no apostrophe.
Problems with your and you're also seem to be popping up all over the Internet. This one is even easier than its and it's in my opinion. The contraction, you're, is the same as saying you are. The apostrophe is simply taking the place of the "a" in are and the space between the words. The simplest way to describe your, however, is to call it the possessive form of you. Instead of the apostrophe used to show possessive with you, your is used instead. For example, we wouldn't say you's jacket, we'd say your jacket.
One more I want to cover is actually a trifecta: their, there, and they're. Their is the possessive form of they. For example: It is their lunch. They're is a contraction for they are. The apostrophe takes the place of the a in are and the space between the two words. There is a bit more tricky to explain. It can be an adverb, pronoun, noun, adjective, or interjection. You can click here to see its many uses. Basically, since I'm keeping it real simple today (we can go into more depth in the comments or via email if you want to get deeper into this subject), just know you're pretty safe using "there" if the word you're looking for is not a contraction or the possessive form of they. Obviously it's more in depth than that, but for quick first-draft type writings, that'll get you through just fine.
I still often type the wrong words when I'm trying to get through something quickly. Usually when you do that, it's fine to just wait for your revision before you fix it. But if you're doing something like a blog, twitter, or message board post where your first draft is your final draft, follow these simple rules to help yourself with these sometimes tricky words. There are plenty of other tricky words that I've notice causing problems out in cyberspace, as well, but remember these three for now. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
One such pair of words is its and it's. This one is easy enough with just a bit of memorization. If you remember that it only gets an apostrophe as a contraction, you're good to go. It's is the equivalent of it is. If you want the possessive, there is no apostrophe.
Problems with your and you're also seem to be popping up all over the Internet. This one is even easier than its and it's in my opinion. The contraction, you're, is the same as saying you are. The apostrophe is simply taking the place of the "a" in are and the space between the words. The simplest way to describe your, however, is to call it the possessive form of you. Instead of the apostrophe used to show possessive with you, your is used instead. For example, we wouldn't say you's jacket, we'd say your jacket.
One more I want to cover is actually a trifecta: their, there, and they're. Their is the possessive form of they. For example: It is their lunch. They're is a contraction for they are. The apostrophe takes the place of the a in are and the space between the two words. There is a bit more tricky to explain. It can be an adverb, pronoun, noun, adjective, or interjection. You can click here to see its many uses. Basically, since I'm keeping it real simple today (we can go into more depth in the comments or via email if you want to get deeper into this subject), just know you're pretty safe using "there" if the word you're looking for is not a contraction or the possessive form of they. Obviously it's more in depth than that, but for quick first-draft type writings, that'll get you through just fine.
I still often type the wrong words when I'm trying to get through something quickly. Usually when you do that, it's fine to just wait for your revision before you fix it. But if you're doing something like a blog, twitter, or message board post where your first draft is your final draft, follow these simple rules to help yourself with these sometimes tricky words. There are plenty of other tricky words that I've notice causing problems out in cyberspace, as well, but remember these three for now. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Write Or Die!
I started using Dr. Wicked's Write or Die program earlier this week. I've found it to be a great help to get me writing. I usually start strong in my writing sessions, but as I go, my attention tends to wander, and I want to check out different Internet sites, either for research or to just avoid the current writing session. As you can imagine, the words don't come quickly or easily.
With Write or Die, though, there is no distraction. It's a bare-minimum word processing program, basically just a notepad writer. The trick is you have to keep typing in order to keep the consequences from lashing out at you. Instead of me telling you what the consequences are, just go check out Write or Die from my above link. It's quite self-explanatory. I usually use "gentle mode" because I tend to have my speakers off when I'm writing, although so far the red background warning of the coming consequence has been enough to get my fingers typing again.
This is a great program for first drafts of any kind. It forces you to keep your fingers on the keyboard so you'll actually get words down. Make sure you save your work before you close your window, as it does not auto-save it for you. Anyway, I just wanted to let those writers who don't know about this handy website that it exists and is easy to use. I hope it will help with your output. You can also brag about how many words you wrote by clicking a button on the "Done" screen. I posted my word count on Twitter just a few minutes ago. Anyway, that's enough for this week. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
With Write or Die, though, there is no distraction. It's a bare-minimum word processing program, basically just a notepad writer. The trick is you have to keep typing in order to keep the consequences from lashing out at you. Instead of me telling you what the consequences are, just go check out Write or Die from my above link. It's quite self-explanatory. I usually use "gentle mode" because I tend to have my speakers off when I'm writing, although so far the red background warning of the coming consequence has been enough to get my fingers typing again.
This is a great program for first drafts of any kind. It forces you to keep your fingers on the keyboard so you'll actually get words down. Make sure you save your work before you close your window, as it does not auto-save it for you. Anyway, I just wanted to let those writers who don't know about this handy website that it exists and is easy to use. I hope it will help with your output. You can also brag about how many words you wrote by clicking a button on the "Done" screen. I posted my word count on Twitter just a few minutes ago. Anyway, that's enough for this week. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
I've found Twitter to be a very handy tool for writers. I'm following a bunch of different authors, publishers, and the like, and very often they post great links to articles, blog posts, and other great material that helps with various phases of writing. Check various writing sites to see if they have a link to their Twitter page. Often writing sites offer the best Twitters because they're the ones giving the tips, not tweeting about what's for dinner or the like. When you look at the links they post, check the site for more Twitter feeds. You can get a good list of writing people to follow in a short amount of time. And, hey, maybe you'll pick up a good number of followers, too, so when you post things about your own writing, you'll have people that can check your stuff out. Easy networking, right? For example, I use Twitterfeed to get a link over to my blogs when I finish updating. After the initial set-up, it goes in automatically every time I post here or at Weird Happenings. Simple.
My advice is get yourself going in Twitter as a writer. If you already have an account, great, find some writers and publishers to follow (for example, Writer's Digest is a great place to start). If you want to follow me, feel free. My handle on Twitter is therav.
That's it for today. This was just a quick intro to get you to some of the great articles you may have missed other places online. There are a ton more ways to make Twitter work for your writing. Have fun in the Twitterverse! Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
My advice is get yourself going in Twitter as a writer. If you already have an account, great, find some writers and publishers to follow (for example, Writer's Digest is a great place to start). If you want to follow me, feel free. My handle on Twitter is therav.
That's it for today. This was just a quick intro to get you to some of the great articles you may have missed other places online. There are a ton more ways to make Twitter work for your writing. Have fun in the Twitterverse! Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
General Stuff
This week's post isn't anything exciting. I've caught myself in the trap this week of listening to writing podcasts instead of doing more constructive work. Not that the podcasts are bad--I'm learning and being inspired--but I should be writing more. I set myself a goal that I will write each day for at least 1 hour. That doesn't count constructing plot, character, and all that good stuff for projects, but actual words on paper. So far I've written this weeks worth of Weird Happenings story/blog posts--they're ready to be posted on the appropriate days. Yesterday and today's have already gone up, and I'm planning on posting again on Friday and either Saturday or Sunday, I'm not sure which.
Speaking of Weird Happenings, I'm enjoying writing it. It is starting a bit slow on purpose, but I have plans to really knock it up a notch. I'm sort of giving a bit of foreplay, so to speak, for these first few posts, and then I'll really run poor Jason through the grinder (who knows, maybe literally before it's all said and done).
I also sent out a bunch of short stories this past weekend, so I'm checking my email many times a day waiting for replies that probably won't come for a few months. I got one rejected the day after with a personal attack in it--my first, so that made me laugh. The editor didn't like my story but said I was free to send another story if I ever got an original idea. Made it seem to me that he wasn't holding my breath that it would ever happen. Amazing what he could tell about me from just one flash fiction submission, eh? Ah well, he missed the mark and didn't hurt my feelings, so it's all good. It's a good reminder to anyone submitting any sort of work out there--have thick skin. If you let people get to you, you'll never survive, so just dwell on it for a minute or two and then forget about it. (I know, I know. It sounds like I'm dwelling on it because I'm typing about it in my blog, but honestly it just popped into my head when I thought about checking my email for responses so often.)
Anyway, that's it for this week. Please check out Weird Happenings and let me know what you think. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Speaking of Weird Happenings, I'm enjoying writing it. It is starting a bit slow on purpose, but I have plans to really knock it up a notch. I'm sort of giving a bit of foreplay, so to speak, for these first few posts, and then I'll really run poor Jason through the grinder (who knows, maybe literally before it's all said and done).
I also sent out a bunch of short stories this past weekend, so I'm checking my email many times a day waiting for replies that probably won't come for a few months. I got one rejected the day after with a personal attack in it--my first, so that made me laugh. The editor didn't like my story but said I was free to send another story if I ever got an original idea. Made it seem to me that he wasn't holding my breath that it would ever happen. Amazing what he could tell about me from just one flash fiction submission, eh? Ah well, he missed the mark and didn't hurt my feelings, so it's all good. It's a good reminder to anyone submitting any sort of work out there--have thick skin. If you let people get to you, you'll never survive, so just dwell on it for a minute or two and then forget about it. (I know, I know. It sounds like I'm dwelling on it because I'm typing about it in my blog, but honestly it just popped into my head when I thought about checking my email for responses so often.)
Anyway, that's it for this week. Please check out Weird Happenings and let me know what you think. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Blog Ghost Story
I started my new blog today. It's called Weird Happenings. It's a story about 16 year old Jason Bellows who lives in what he believes to be a haunted house. I'm telling the story from his point of view--Weird Happenings is his blog that he started to keep track of the, well, weird things happening in his house.
I don't know how long I plan to continue this project. I can see going for years to come. I don't have an overall story in mind yet other than Jason living with ghosts. I'm just going to write from the seat of my pants four or five (maybe more) times a week. If I get to a point where I see a neat conclusion, maybe I'll write it and start something else. If I keep getting ideas for Jason and his ghosts, I'll keep going with this. I have some vague ideas about where I'd like to ultimately go with this, but I also only have vague ideas about where I'm going to be with it in a week or two. I find this prospect exciting. It'll be seat-of-my-pants writing!
As I said, I plan to update it multiple times a week, but probably not more than once a day. Feel free to bookmark that page and check often to see if I have anything new. In addition, I have a Twitterfeed hooked to it (as well as this blog), so if you want to follow me on Twitter, you can do so at http://twitter.com/therav
That's it for now. My first "chapter" is up now at Weird Happenings, so go check it out. I'd love to hear comments as I go, so feel free to let me know what you think. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!
I don't know how long I plan to continue this project. I can see going for years to come. I don't have an overall story in mind yet other than Jason living with ghosts. I'm just going to write from the seat of my pants four or five (maybe more) times a week. If I get to a point where I see a neat conclusion, maybe I'll write it and start something else. If I keep getting ideas for Jason and his ghosts, I'll keep going with this. I have some vague ideas about where I'd like to ultimately go with this, but I also only have vague ideas about where I'm going to be with it in a week or two. I find this prospect exciting. It'll be seat-of-my-pants writing!
As I said, I plan to update it multiple times a week, but probably not more than once a day. Feel free to bookmark that page and check often to see if I have anything new. In addition, I have a Twitterfeed hooked to it (as well as this blog), so if you want to follow me on Twitter, you can do so at http://twitter.com/therav
That's it for now. My first "chapter" is up now at Weird Happenings, so go check it out. I'd love to hear comments as I go, so feel free to let me know what you think. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
1st Draft Done
I finally finished the first draft of my novel. I did a good job of writing 5000 words a week, so really the story didn't take as long as I'd hoped because the entire story ended up to only be about 40,000 words, about half as long as it needs to be to be marketable as a novel. I'm putting it away for a month or so before I get back to it. Basically I want to go at it with fresh eyes when I go back to it. I want to add some to the story, but I'm not sure how much yet. I've read that the e-book revolution wants novellas, which this basically is at this point. I'm not sure if I add too much if it will mess up the story I have now, so I may not want to add too much. Also, after I add content, I'm sure what I have will also be trimmed because of wordiness, so that will cut the word count.
Basically, what I'm saying is I'm thrilled that I finished the first draft, but the real work will begin in a month or so when I pull it out again. I'm happy with it; I think it has promise, but it is in no way marketable yet. I can't imagine I'll add enough to make it a true novel, but I hope to add, subtract, and polish enough to make it a marketable novella. Hopefully some day all of you will have a chance to read it!
I'll have an announcement about a new project I will be undertaking coming soon. I don't want to say too much yet, as I don't have all the details pounded out in my mind yet, but I'll let everyone know soon. Basically it will be a story told in blog form. More on it later. Until then, keep reading and/or writing.
Basically, what I'm saying is I'm thrilled that I finished the first draft, but the real work will begin in a month or so when I pull it out again. I'm happy with it; I think it has promise, but it is in no way marketable yet. I can't imagine I'll add enough to make it a true novel, but I hope to add, subtract, and polish enough to make it a marketable novella. Hopefully some day all of you will have a chance to read it!
I'll have an announcement about a new project I will be undertaking coming soon. I don't want to say too much yet, as I don't have all the details pounded out in my mind yet, but I'll let everyone know soon. Basically it will be a story told in blog form. More on it later. Until then, keep reading and/or writing.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Podcasts
So I'm 3 or 4 years late to the party, but I recently discovered I enjoy podcasts. Not just the ones I want to listen to for entertainment sake, but also ones I can use for my writing. There are ones geared specifically for writers, of course, but I've also been listening to ones about science, astronomy, pop culture, and other things that can give me ideas for stories, characters, subplots, etc. Pretty much anything can give story ideas, and podcasts are nice and handy, either at the computer or iPod.
As I said, I know most people are saying that I should have discovered these a while ago. If you, like me, haven't thought about listening to these through a writer's eye, I suggest it. Short post today, but I have some more podcasts to listen to. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
As I said, I know most people are saying that I should have discovered these a while ago. If you, like me, haven't thought about listening to these through a writer's eye, I suggest it. Short post today, but I have some more podcasts to listen to. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Open Script Jitters?
So I finished my first screenplay. The first draft anyway, though I doubt I'll bother polishing this one. I guess I got what I wanted out of it--a good learning experience. No, that's not true. I wanted something I could polish and see if Hollywood wanted it, though I guess the learning experience is good, too.
I have a problem with underplotting. I've done so on the novel I'm working on (though I believe I'll be able to fix that in my second draft), and I did it in my screenplay. Feature screenplays run between 90 and 120 pages. Mine clocked in at a whopping 23. Not fixable in a second draft without huge plotting fixes. Personally, I think I'd prefer to move onto something else instead of working this one to death. Oh well, as I said, I learned quite a bit, so it's not a total loss.
I think I pretty much knew going in that I didn't have enough story. Add to that I didn't work very hard on the characters, and I was doomed from the start. I feel like I did enough right, however, that I will try again. I enjoyed the process, and once I got used to the structure and the extreme show-don't tell rule, I did all right. The pre-writing had me down from the beginning, though. Now I know a bit more, so my next attempt should be better. I hope, anyway.
That's it for now. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
I have a problem with underplotting. I've done so on the novel I'm working on (though I believe I'll be able to fix that in my second draft), and I did it in my screenplay. Feature screenplays run between 90 and 120 pages. Mine clocked in at a whopping 23. Not fixable in a second draft without huge plotting fixes. Personally, I think I'd prefer to move onto something else instead of working this one to death. Oh well, as I said, I learned quite a bit, so it's not a total loss.
I think I pretty much knew going in that I didn't have enough story. Add to that I didn't work very hard on the characters, and I was doomed from the start. I feel like I did enough right, however, that I will try again. I enjoyed the process, and once I got used to the structure and the extreme show-don't tell rule, I did all right. The pre-writing had me down from the beginning, though. Now I know a bit more, so my next attempt should be better. I hope, anyway.
That's it for now. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Screenwriting
I finally started actually typing my screenplay this week. I've found it is so much different than any other type of writing I've tried before. Usually I like to wing ideas as I writer. This means that I just go after my short stories with nothing more than a vague idea. I feel this helps the story overall, as while I'm typing, I'll occasionally simply ask myself what I can do to make it weirder/scarier/funnier/whatever it calls for. In my novel I'm writing, I made a pretty thorough outline, but I left a lot of wiggle room to do some fun things in it. The basic structure remains, but I still have artistic license in the project.
With my screenplay, though, I created a number of different outlines and I want nothing to go off pace. I'm worried so much about the all-important structure that I know my creativity won't be able to shine through. That's fine with me because I've already written it a few times, just without all the inner workings. I've already let myself go off on tangents while writing my treatment, which was basically my screenplay in short story format without dialog. Even though I'm just getting started with the structured writing, I'm finding that the dialog is flowing, but at a difficult pace if that makes sense. I basically know what my characters are going to say, but getting them to say it in a life-like way sometimes proves a challenge.
Next time I try my hand at this, I may take even longer in the pre-writing. Maybe the next treatment will be an actual short story, with dialog and everything. After that, once I'm comfortable with the layout and structure of the screenplay, I'll possibly even be able to do less pre-writing. I guess I'll see how it all works out. All I know is that it's fun to stretch myself into a new form of writing. I may as well end this now and get back to it. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
With my screenplay, though, I created a number of different outlines and I want nothing to go off pace. I'm worried so much about the all-important structure that I know my creativity won't be able to shine through. That's fine with me because I've already written it a few times, just without all the inner workings. I've already let myself go off on tangents while writing my treatment, which was basically my screenplay in short story format without dialog. Even though I'm just getting started with the structured writing, I'm finding that the dialog is flowing, but at a difficult pace if that makes sense. I basically know what my characters are going to say, but getting them to say it in a life-like way sometimes proves a challenge.
Next time I try my hand at this, I may take even longer in the pre-writing. Maybe the next treatment will be an actual short story, with dialog and everything. After that, once I'm comfortable with the layout and structure of the screenplay, I'll possibly even be able to do less pre-writing. I guess I'll see how it all works out. All I know is that it's fun to stretch myself into a new form of writing. I may as well end this now and get back to it. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Writing Goals
It's so important for writers to set goals for themselves. Not just big goals that will take months to complete, like "I will finish my novel this year," or whatever your overall goals are, but small goals that help you keep moving. I think it's important to keep the goals relatively simple and small, or they could overwhelm you and keep you from completing them. I give myself goals each week, and I tape them to the wall right at eye level at my writing desk. This way I always know what I should be working on.
For example, I'm working on a novel, a screenplay, and various stories for children at the moment. My goal this week is to write 5000 words in my novel this week. (I use my word count in Word to track this even though that's not the way to actually count up words in a finished manuscript. It's a great tool for a first draft, though!) For my screenplay I gave myself the goal to complete my beat sheet for my screenplay, which I've already completed this week and have crossed out (a nice feeling to see it gone from the list). For my children's writing, I gave myself the task of coming up with 10 good ideas for stories that I can basically start writing at the drop of a hat. Ideas are a dime a dozen, obviously, but workable ideas are a little more difficult. In addition to these, I have other goals such as watch a movie (for research purposes), read a screenplay, read five short stories, and read 30 pages in a novel each day.
Goals like these keep me focused each day. I know what I should be working on, and I do it. In the past, I'd dilly-dally through my writing without focus, and therefore I got little real work done. With my weekly goals, I'm finding I get actual writing work accomplished. It's a good feeling, and also why I think every writer should use goals, be them daily or weekly. That's it for this week. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!
For example, I'm working on a novel, a screenplay, and various stories for children at the moment. My goal this week is to write 5000 words in my novel this week. (I use my word count in Word to track this even though that's not the way to actually count up words in a finished manuscript. It's a great tool for a first draft, though!) For my screenplay I gave myself the goal to complete my beat sheet for my screenplay, which I've already completed this week and have crossed out (a nice feeling to see it gone from the list). For my children's writing, I gave myself the task of coming up with 10 good ideas for stories that I can basically start writing at the drop of a hat. Ideas are a dime a dozen, obviously, but workable ideas are a little more difficult. In addition to these, I have other goals such as watch a movie (for research purposes), read a screenplay, read five short stories, and read 30 pages in a novel each day.
Goals like these keep me focused each day. I know what I should be working on, and I do it. In the past, I'd dilly-dally through my writing without focus, and therefore I got little real work done. With my weekly goals, I'm finding I get actual writing work accomplished. It's a good feeling, and also why I think every writer should use goals, be them daily or weekly. That's it for this week. Until next time, keep reading and/or writing!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Another Published Story
Here is a link to my latest published short story. It is called Find the Flag, and it is from issue 38 of Dark Fire magazine. I hope you enjoy it.
I've had this one written for over 10 years. I've always been proud of it, and my persistence in finding a home for it finally paid off. I actually had this placed with a print magazine back in the late 90s, but it went out of business before this story was put in it. Better late than never, right? Anyway, any comments you have on the story will be greatly appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys it!
I've had this one written for over 10 years. I've always been proud of it, and my persistence in finding a home for it finally paid off. I actually had this placed with a print magazine back in the late 90s, but it went out of business before this story was put in it. Better late than never, right? Anyway, any comments you have on the story will be greatly appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys it!
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