Tag: Writing

  • Point of View

    Point of View
    Oh, those three dreaded words.  I have gotten to the point as a writer that I understand POV is an important storytelling tool.  I have even been dragged kicking and screaming into a place where I agree that flowing back and forth between points of view without any kind of transition is a bad thing.  Still, I cannot say that I had any real connection to point of view before today.

    Ever since I first accepted that I really needed to stick with one point of view at a time, that’s basically what I’ve done.  One point of view per story, period.  I know that the trend is for readers to prefer alternating points of view, but I admit I’m not there yet.  Writing a story with multiple, deliberately chosen points of view still feels rather like a cannonball off of the high dive to me.  Or, after yesterday, maybe from the middle platform.
    So, what happened yesterday, you ask?
    I have a pair of characters that I love, but who are challenging for me to write.  Up to this point the best I’ve been able to do with them is to write down whatever scraps of scenes they are inclined to give me, regardless of point of view.  It’s not a great way to get a cohesive story onto the page, but it’s the only way I’ve been able to make any kind of progress with them up to this point.  And, truth be told, the POV didn’t seem to make a lot of difference.  By that I mean there didn’t seem to be anything so compelling about the way a scene played out that changing points of view down the road would be difficult.
    And then I sat down at the keyboard last night to write a scene from one character’s perspective and found myself writing from the other character’s perspective instead.  The contrast between the scene I’d planned and the scene that made its way onto paper is startling.  By putting the new character in charge of the scene I almost completely undermined a conflict later in the story.  A scene that should have been introspective and filled with knowing glances became charged with angst and sexual tension.
    Everyone says this, but I swear it’s the truth here.  A light came on in my mind.  All of a sudden I had real, tangible evidence of how different a story can be depending on who’s telling it.  I was finally able to compare scenes and really see how the tone changes based on which character’s POV is reflected there.  For the first time I could actually understand how controlling the point of view would allow me to control the reader’s experience of the story.
    I actually learned a LOT about the characters, too.  How they tell their stories has a lot to do with who they are; their personalities, backgrounds, etc.  I hadn’t realized how different these characters are until I saw the scene coming out in two such different versions.
    There is a big difference from understanding this intellectually and actually applying it to the story.  In this moment, though, I feel powerful.  I have transformed from a stubborn girl scuffing her toes in the gravel to an honest-to-goodness writer.  I can do anything, including use point of view effectively.
    Realistically we are not going to spend a lot of time developing scenes from multiple points of view.  We’re too busy for that.  But I would encourage everyone who struggles with point of view to take at least one scene and really try to imagine it from both sides. 
    Don’t just change the names and pronouns.  This isn’t about technical definitions and memorizing the difference between third person omniscient and present perfect.  This is about understanding how to make point of view a tool you can use.  Sink yourself completely into the mindset of a different character and see what happens to your scene.  It might surprise you.   

  • What is a Novel?

    As I type this far ahead of time in anticipation of my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) participation, I’m thinking nearly constantly about what I want to write. I’ve still got nearly the whole of October, though, so I’m silly to be so obsessed.

    All the same, it’s led me to wonder just what defines a novel. The word is a noun, obviously. Answers.com offers these definitions:
    1. A fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters.
    2. The literary genre represented by novels.

    The word is also an adjective: Strikingly new, unusual, or different.

    More than anything, I would say this defines what I really want to produce next month. Let’s hope I’m well on my way. Happy writing and/or reading to you!

  • Character, Plot & World Building

    This week’s topic is likely the most nebulous for me. It can be one of the hardest to reduce to specifics, but it is also one of the most important. The over-reaching ideas for your characters,  plot and setting are the basis for the entire story. You need a good, solid base in order to have a cohesive, readable story that takes you from introduction to conflict to a satisfying resolution. Let’s take a look.

    First up is character building. You will often hear writers discuss whether they are character-driven or story-driven. What this means, for those character-driven writers, is that  some prefer to start with vivid characters they can really ‘see’ and  take it from there. I am definitely one of those. When writing a story, you will spend an unbelievable amount of time with the characters. They will drive you, tease you, thrill you, and at times refuse to speak to you. They will live in your head, chattering away. At times the constant buzz can get distracting, but telling them to shut up is the last thing I want to do.
    Where do they come from? All over. Remember my example from last week about the lady in the funny hat?  Sometimes people I see will stir a character idea. Sometimes, as I noted with the historical I wrote last fall, they just appear, ready to go. Those are the lucky days.  Generally, for me, a character will whisper from the shadows, spilling just enough hints about  himself (or herself), to pique my interest. I’ll poke and prod them to get them to give up more details.
    Sometimes it take gentle coaxing.  Sometimes the character will unload their whole story as if they’ve been waiting years  for someone to listen to them. Most are in-between, and we do this little dance for a  bit while we get to know each other. This is  the most essential step.  As this character’s writer, I need to know all I can about them if I am going to portray them  in an accurate, believable manner. Besides, I want them to like me. After all, we are going to be spending a lot of time together.
    For those writers who are story-driven, the plot’s the thing. This is where they start – the “Oh, what if this happened? What then?” moment. But whether they start with  characters or plot, every writer needs a great story. This is the meat to go with your potatoes, er, characters. What happens to them? How does it affect them? What do they learn? Is it believable and does it draw in the reader so they keep turning pages, reading to the end?
    A well-developed plot needs three things for each character: goals, motivation, conflict. What do they want to accomplish? What drives them, keeps them going in the face of adversity? And what is that adversity that interferes with  their  goals, threatens their happiness? How do they face it? And perhaps most importantly, how does it change them in the end? What do they learn and are they better for it? The best plots are those with layers, details that add to  the story, making it more complete.  To continue our meat and potatoes analogy, the seasoning that makes it all work. To quote Shrek, “Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it?”
    I mentioned believable regarding plot. Believable does not have to mean possible and  proven by current scientific and social rules. If it did, Dracula would never have gotten off the ground.  What this means is, within the scope of your story and characters, do you pull the reader in effectively so they stick with your story? Is this believable in the world you have created? Here’s the one area that some writers adore, others hate.  World building. Whichever side of the line you fall on, we all have to do it.
    Where does the story take place? Can you make the reader see it? Is it complete? Does it have layers? Some genres are easier than others in the world building department. If you are writing a story set in the current day in your hometown, well, you can simply observe and record, changing as needed. But what if you are writing science-fiction set centuries into the future?  Then you’ll be building this place from the ground up and it better be believable within the rules of your universe.
    Wait, there are rules? You better believe it. When you set about building your own world, whatever form it takes, there are rules, your own natural laws if you will, that determine how things work. You need to establish them and stick to them. Your readers certainly will expect you to follow them. Nothing guarantees a reader will throw your book across the room, and not go  pick it back up, like abandoning your ‘laws’ for the sake of plot convenience.
    Include details makes it richer, more developed, more believable. What’s the social structure? The government? How do they dress, what do they eat, what sort of entertainment do they prefer?  World building is not all about the mountains, rivers, and cities, it’s about the society too. What is acceptable, what’s taboo? And is Desperate Housewives still popular in its 487th season?
    This all skims the surface, of course, but it does give a good idea of what goes into the structure of your story. Everything you do from here till the end of it depends on these things.  Take your time and make them detailed and rich.
    Layers.  You get it?

  • Where Do All Those Ideas Come From?

    Not long ago, I participated in a group experiment: several of us wrote a series on our creative processes, each from our own point of view. I have since taken that blog down, but wanted to present them here for your enjoyment. Over the next two months, I will be examining both the creative and physical processes of writing – everything from idea generation to getting the words on the page and polishing them up into a final draft. These posts will reflect my process, how I do it, but one thing is certain – there is no one way to write a story. You’ll find as many different processes as there are writers, and different types of writing might come with  different processes. I hope this series will help spark your own  process, whatever that may be.
    First a little bit about me. My favored genre is paranormal, though I am currently in the final leg of a contemporary romance draft. I’ve also written science fiction and horror extensively, as well as some historical stories set in the Victorian period and 15th century France. My stories tend to be longer, novel length, which means anything from 50,000 words on up. And while that is considered a novel, my friends like to smile and say it means I am long-winded. I’ll take that. I have a yearning to try a novella, however, and have a few ideas waiting in the wings. It should be a challenge, but I am curious to see if I can do it.
    Speaking of ideas, that is the subject of the beginning of this series. How do I think up all these story ideas?  Where do they come from?  Do I write about people and things I know? Well the short answers are: all sorts of ways, from all over, and yes and no. Clear as mud?

    The more complete answer cannot be split up into separate questions. Storytellers, and that is what writers are when you get right down to it, find inspiration all over. Sometimes a word or phrase overheard starts the wheels turning. A lady walking by the window in a funny hat could stir an idea. Sometimes a snatch of song turns on the creative light bulb. Perhaps a dream has us waking up and running for pen and paper, or the computer, to make notes before we forget.
    This last bit happens often to me. The paranormal I was writing last fall is a good example. I knew all the characters that were to be in the story and was already off to a great start. I woke up one morning with a character sitting in my head. She had a face I could see clearly. She had a name and a whole backstory ready, and informed me that she was supposed to be in this story and  what was I doing lazing about instead of in there writing her in? I did as directed. Who am I to argue?
    Do I write about things I know?  Here is that yes and no answer. The people and places I know may spark ideas, but I don’t write them as they are. They start as the first glimmer of an idea. I make a note of it so I don’t forget and think ‘Hey, that could be cool!’. Then I let it simmer. That’s my highly technical term for tossing it into the primordial soup that is my brain, letting it swim around with everything else lurking in there, and see what eventually bobs to the surface. Sometimes the idea is too small and I throw it back to simmer some more. Some ideas sink to the bottom never to be seen again.  But some of them appear shining with the light of inspiration. And what may have begun as a lady walking by the window in a funny hat has become a prince of some unknown land, wearing a large crown, who is the subject of an assassination plot. See what I mean?
    The point is this:  ideas can come from anywhere at any time. I learned early on to carry a small notepad with me for this very reason. I got tired of pulling notes from pocket and purse that were scribbled on paper, gum wrappers, bar napkins, take-out menus, etc. People always think writers are so much more creative then they are.  I don’t think that is true, I think we just are more tuned in to the random ideas that float through our brains every moment of the day. We are more likely to grab hold of them, shine a light on them, and see if they squirm to life. People are natural born storytellers. All of us. It’s just a matter of looking a little more closely at the world around us. You may find, in doing so, that instead of too few ideas, you have too many. I’ll take that any day.

  • Show Instead of Tell

    I recently saw a close-up photograph of roses that allowed me to virtually smell their fragrance and feel the thick silk of their petals. At that moment, I realized it defines a goal for my writing.

    When readers honor me with a read, I’d like to take them on a journey. I want him or her to smell the air and feel a lover’s touch as the page is turned. The notion hearkens back to the popular and wise adage to show the reader as opposed to telling.

    While not as easy as it sounds, this is something to think about and something to work upon. Now, I’d better get back at it and try to improve my craft a little bit more.

  • Gearing Up for NaNoWriMo

    National Novel Writing Month sweeps in with the autumn air of November. Are you getting on board with this worldwide event? For the first time, having only heard of it last year, I’m jumping in feet first.

    To help put participants in the right (write) frame of mind, regions are hosting all sorts of local events. I’m already looking forward to one this Thursday at a local library. It sounds like it has everything I need just in the title alone: The Courage to Write.

    A gentleman by the name of Ralph Keyes will address many challenges. Among them is just sitting down and getting started. That’s the all-important first step. Then there’s looking within for ideas, confronting procrastination, and dealing with anxiety about the reaction of others to one’s work. The whole thing is supposed to be a lively, good humored presentation ending on a positive, motivational note. This sounds like just the ticket!

    Are you inspired yet? Click on the link and read all about it. Better yet, join me and register today: NaNoWriMo Registration

  • Wiley Wednesday: Irreducible Minimums

    There’s an idea in piano instruction called the Irreducible Minimums. It’s the idea that there are certain things that one must do on a regular basis, those “at least” things that keep us with one foot in the water.

    As it relates to writing, there are certain things that we must do on a regular basis to keep the pump primed and the ideas flowing. But for each writer, those things are different.

    Here, then, is the List According to Noony (which is the only right list, you know…)

    1. Morning Pages

    Those of you who have been readers of mine for a while have heard me harp on this subject quite a bit. It bears repeating: Morning Pages work. They work because they keep the channel clear. They are the small step that leads to bigger steps.

    In case you haven’t been reading my material (and if not, you should feel very guilty and go fix that right now by reading everything) (from the beginning) (and making comments on each thing) what are Morning Pages? They are an idea from the genius mind of Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and other books, and are three pages of longhand writing, done in the morning. They are hardest for writers, because our temptation is to write them. They aren’t meant to be fine prose, or even grammatically correct. In fact, one way to really get a lot out of them is to try to write them badly. Write them from the perspective of a child throwing a tantrum. Write them however you write them, but write them. Three pages of them. Every morning.

    2. Regular Sleep

    This may sound like a “duh” moment, but it amazes me how many people I know who don’t let themselves get enough sleep. They try to burn the candle at both ends and wonder why they’ve run out of wax. Stupid. Sleep is necessary for mammals. (In case you haven’t been paying attention, if you’re reading this, you’re a mammal.)

    3. Support

    This may sound foo-foo, but it’s critical. Studies have shown that people with extended networks of family and friends do better on all sorts of measurements from tests to longevity. Writing is a solitary activity, since it comes down to us with a pen or keyboard. But you do not need to be solitary to pursue it. There are all kinds of writing groups, online support, and other resources you can use to meet this basic human need.

    4. Practice

    In order to keep it going, and get better, storytellers need to practice. Experiment with new techniques, write to writing prompts, and keep your hand in. Blogs are a good way to keep it flowing and to get support, all at the same time.

    5. Write

    It may seem simplistic, but in order to keep writing, one must… write. It’s not hard.

    Of course, it ain’t easy, either…

    What are your irreducible minimums?

  • Keeping It Real

    Description can be both bane and boon to our writing.  It can make the setting and action seem real, pull in  the readers and put them front and center, make them a real part of your story.  Even so, too much, can be as bad as not enough.  It needs a happy medium – enough for realism without overdoing. But how do we get there?


    My senior year in high school, we were discussing this very thing. It often comes down to details. As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details.  Our teacher assigned a paper, one page only, to demonstrate this point. And while it was a paper giving directions, it applies to description very well, since you have to describe what to do.  The subject?  How to tie a shoe.  She wanted us to describe the process so that someone reading the essay could do exactly what was written and accomplish it.

    The next day, she collected all the papers, shuffled them, and handed them out again, giving everyone an essay they didn’t write and had us follow it.  Some were easily done, others quite humorous. It drove the point home, however, to focus on the important details, in a limited space, to get the job done.

    And while tying shoes may not be overly useful, try it with an apple. Spend a full minute looking at one, noting all the details. Then hide the apple and write your description. Once you are done, compare.  Sis you miss anything?  Does your description  seem as rich as the real thing? If not, you can add to it.  The idea is to make it as real as possible. Your readers may not see your particular apple in real life, but you can certainly make them see it in their minds, make them feel it and smell it, taste it. And that is what it’s all about.

  • A Solitary Occupation?

    We’ve all seen it in the movies and read it in books: the time-worn image of a writer sitting down to his typewriter (or computer these days) to write a book.  The author is always alone, in a nifty little office with an old fashioned desk, a shelf full of books, a few quaint decorations, and a window with a lovely view. The setting outside the window varies, but the one thing always there is the idea of writing alone. How true is it?

    My best answer is it is and it isn’t. Writing, for the most part, can be a very solitary profession.  There is no substitute for physically sitting down, on your own, and getting the words on the page via whatever medium you use, be it typewriter, computer, or pen and paper. A s such,  no one can bring to life the stories in your head besides you. Time to focus, without distractions, is a must and this is best done alone. When we really get into the writing groove, when the words are flowing and the story is good, the characters alive, the least interruption, one phone call, can totally derail you. We need time with the people in our heads here, perhaps not the people in real life.

     But what about the other times? What about  the night last week when you had a sticky plot point and could have used some advice? What if you just received a revise & resubmit request and need an opinion on the notes? What if you need technical information on how to saddle a horse or make nitroglycerin (for example)? There is always  the internet for research but for other things — advice, sympathy, a pat on the back, or someone to cheer with — you need other writers.

    There is no substitute for having author friends to commiserate with you over a rejection, or look over your chapters to see what’s going awry, to cheer with you over your latest sale, or even talk shop with over your process. Some of us are lucky to have people locally for this whether it’s local writing groups or local chapters of national writing organizations.  Whether you have writers at hand or don’t, there is always the internet. Writing groups flourish online.  Forums, writing blogs, online chapters of organizations, the list is endless. Add in smaller crit groups that form among the patrons of these online groups and you can spend 24 hours a day socializing. It’s a wealth of knowledge, help, and much needed socialization with people who understand what it means to have imaginary people talking in your head.

     So back to my original question. Solitary or not? I can honestly say that I think this writing gig is the best of both worlds. Now I am back to my desk, and my window with the gorgeous view of the Montana mountains.

  • Interview with Josh Lanyon

    Come enjoy Darla’s quirky email interview with gifted writer Josh Lanyon. The writers at Nightlight would love comments to make him feel welcome!

    Nightlight