A few days ago I finished writing a short story, the kind that might be filed under the slip-stream genre.
So I finished the story, did the rewrites, edited the whole thing and left it alone for a while as I often do. I feel that the words get acquainted with the page and with each other better this way. Fine, maybe it's the distance that gives me a new perspective.
Today I got back to it and I was horrified. It's not that the story was bad, not at all. However, right at the very beginning I introduced a cat and throughout the story the cat was mentioned until the very end. The problem? you ask. The problem is that the cat didn't play any role in the plot. It was a red herring and as such was drawing attention from the main issue - the story, the theme.
Two options - the first is to delete any and all references to the cat (maybe not so dramatically, but severely), the other is to integrate the cat into the plot.
And that brings me to one more piece of advice - don't get attached to your writing. Learn to delete. Remember the plot structure we've talked about a few weeks ago where we discussed how plot should advance the story forward. Therefore, anything that doesn't do that - kill it. No mercy. It's for the best...
Categories: plot
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Today's Market - SciFi & Fantasy Novels
Baen publishes only science fiction and fantasy.
Unlike most other publishers who prefer to see only the first three chapters, they require the whole manuscript to be sent along with a synopsis.
Guidelines
Categories: markets
Unlike most other publishers who prefer to see only the first three chapters, they require the whole manuscript to be sent along with a synopsis.
Guidelines
Categories: markets
Monday, May 30, 2005
Write a Book a Month
Apparently, some people do just that.
Lee Goldberg asked James Reasoner a few questions about his productivity, the role his wife plays in the writing process and about outlines.
James Reasoner writes on average eight, that's 8!, books a year and sometimes 12 books a year. He also had to say this about outlines:
Lee Goldberg asked James Reasoner a few questions about his productivity, the role his wife plays in the writing process and about outlines.
James Reasoner writes on average eight, that's 8!, books a year and sometimes 12 books a year. He also had to say this about outlines:
I like a six to eight page outline. That's loose enough to allow for some improvisation but detailed enough so that I rarely write myself into a corner. But I've written plenty of books from outlines that are only a page or two long.
Today's Market - Men's Magazine
Here's an example of an ezine, i.e. a magazine published only in electronic format, or how they call it - a portal.
This magazine also has a very specific target audience - men, and publishes only articles written for that audience paying a flat fee of $50 per article.
AskMen.com
This magazine also has a very specific target audience - men, and publishes only articles written for that audience paying a flat fee of $50 per article.
AskMen.com
Time Off
I know, I know, I haven't been at this long and I've already taken the weekend off.
The problem was that I was spending too much time blogging and reading other people's blogs and not enough time writing.
My own little horror story have suffered greatly from this as my protagonist have been roaming the corridors the for a week now without getting killed. And she is going to.
I should take my own advice and schedule my time better, stand by that scheduling and get myself going.
The problem was that I was spending too much time blogging and reading other people's blogs and not enough time writing.
My own little horror story have suffered greatly from this as my protagonist have been roaming the corridors the for a week now without getting killed. And she is going to.
I should take my own advice and schedule my time better, stand by that scheduling and get myself going.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Deflowering
A component of good writing is not being able to say what you want in as many words as you can, but the opposite: saying what you want, what you mean, in the least amount of words you can.
How's that, you might ask.
Read the following and tell me which of the two versions you prefer:
You will learn, in time to turn off the editorializing and the flowery words. What are flowery words? Beautiful, amazing, magnificent etc.
You can write: "He looked inside her striking eyes as the breeze blew gently her gorgeous hair."
Or, you can write: "Her long, silky dark hair flowed gently as he gazed into her deep green eyes."
How's that, you might ask.
Read the following and tell me which of the two versions you prefer:
"I can't believe you just said that," she said, her tone mad. Her hands were shaking their anger, her mouth tightened and her eyes shot irate piercing arrows at him.
"I can't believe you just said that," she shouted. Her hands were shaking and her eyes shot piercing arrows at him.
You will learn, in time to turn off the editorializing and the flowery words. What are flowery words? Beautiful, amazing, magnificent etc.
You can write: "He looked inside her striking eyes as the breeze blew gently her gorgeous hair."
Or, you can write: "Her long, silky dark hair flowed gently as he gazed into her deep green eyes."
- If you need to explain it with an adjective, you haven't written it well.
- If you are using more than one adjective to describe the same thing you'll tire your readers.
Markets - Today's Market - Non Fiction Short Stories
From now on, I will create a list of markets and will add at least one a day.
The markets will range across All Kinds of Writing - magazines, short story markets, newspapers, book publishers, competitions etc.
Today's market - Chicken Soup for the Soul
I mean, who hasn't heard of these inspiring stories? A best seller anthology that pays $300 for your non-fiction stories. Worth your while to give it a shot.
The markets will range across All Kinds of Writing - magazines, short story markets, newspapers, book publishers, competitions etc.
Today's market - Chicken Soup for the Soul
I mean, who hasn't heard of these inspiring stories? A best seller anthology that pays $300 for your non-fiction stories. Worth your while to give it a shot.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Writing Discipline
Writing, like any other job, has different elements to it. Some we enjoy more than others. Of course it's individual, but regardless it is the case. So like any other job, discipline is important. When professional and successful writers keep emphasizing the importance of writing, they don't mean only for the sake of practicing and improving, they also mean for the sake of discipline. If writing is your intended profession, then it needs to be treated as such. If you had had a 9-5 job, you would work every day. Same with writing.
I'll share my discipline with you:
I'll share my discipline with you:
- Writing - I write a set amount of words a day
- Rewrites - once I finished with a piece, I set myself an amount of time for rewrites and editing and I keep to it
- Submissions - I always have a set amount of my material submitted at a set amount of places, for example: I always have 10 queries out and 3 short stories
- Research - depening what I need the research for (research for a fiction story is different from article research where your facts have to be supported by good resources) I spend an alloted time to learn a subject, look for information and collect it
- Market research - once a week I do a bit of market research to find new places to submit my material
- Writers' group - once a month
- Blog - daily
Exceptions:
- Deadlines - Once I get an assignment, it precedes everything else. This includes editing such as rewrites for an editor, or proofing the manuscript before print. If you're actually getting paid for your work, you'd better do the work.
Of course, once you get successful there will be more elements to your writing career such as book signings, book tours, book readings etc. Again, some more fun than others. But let's start at the beginning.
Categories: writing, discipline, workSaturday, May 21, 2005
Classical Readings
I've posted this list of sites where I read classics online on my other blog, but it's also important for writers to read the classics.
Classical Readings
Classical Readings
Friday, May 20, 2005
Beginnings are Hard, Endings are Even Harder - Part II
In part I of this post I've started dealing with the problems that stand in writers' way to completing their novel. Here I'm going to continue.
2) A novel - that's long isn't it? Well, yeah. But no worries, it's not so much. Don't forget - many writers do this everyday. You can too. Here's how. Divide your work, give yourself a schedule. If you have an outline, combine the schedule with the outline, but if not, just decide on how many pages/words you want to write a day. So let's say the average novel nowadays is about 100,000 words. If you can write 1000 words a day, about 3-4 pages, then you will have completed your novel within 100 days (about 5 months if you don't count weekends). That's doesn't sound so bad now, does it?
3) You get stuck. Usually the reason writers get stuck is because they don't know the ending. If you know the ending, you have what to strive for, even if you don't have an outline. So always know the ending.
4) You think what you've written so far sucks. You may or may not be right, I can't tell you. However, what I can tell you is that unless you write, you won't improve. And no better practice than finishing your novel.
5) Maybe this new idea you have is better. Maybe not. But you must finish this one first. If you're afraid you'll forget the new idea, write it down in a notebook, you can always write another novel after you've finished this one, and the more ideas, the easier it will be to start the next one, but if you continued to jump from one idea to the next, you'll never finish you novel.
Good Luck!
2) A novel - that's long isn't it? Well, yeah. But no worries, it's not so much. Don't forget - many writers do this everyday. You can too. Here's how. Divide your work, give yourself a schedule. If you have an outline, combine the schedule with the outline, but if not, just decide on how many pages/words you want to write a day. So let's say the average novel nowadays is about 100,000 words. If you can write 1000 words a day, about 3-4 pages, then you will have completed your novel within 100 days (about 5 months if you don't count weekends). That's doesn't sound so bad now, does it?
3) You get stuck. Usually the reason writers get stuck is because they don't know the ending. If you know the ending, you have what to strive for, even if you don't have an outline. So always know the ending.
4) You think what you've written so far sucks. You may or may not be right, I can't tell you. However, what I can tell you is that unless you write, you won't improve. And no better practice than finishing your novel.
5) Maybe this new idea you have is better. Maybe not. But you must finish this one first. If you're afraid you'll forget the new idea, write it down in a notebook, you can always write another novel after you've finished this one, and the more ideas, the easier it will be to start the next one, but if you continued to jump from one idea to the next, you'll never finish you novel.
Good Luck!
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Beginnings are Hard, Endings are Even Harder - Part I
If you're like me and you're at the beginning of your writing experiences, then chances are that you have thirty or so unfinished novels in your My Documents folder of your PC.
You can't help it. You have a great idea, you sit down and start the novel. You may even get through the first few chapters but then time comes where you just stop working on it and move on to another idea you have. This one, you're convinced, is the winner, the one you will finish.
Why does this happen to beginning writers, you ask? A combination of things: 1) You get bored with your own idea. 2) The task of writing a novel seems daunting all of a sudden. 3) You get stuck and aren't sure where the plot should go from here. 4) You're convinced that what you've written so far sucks. 5) You're convinced this new idea you have is so much better.
What to do?
Here is what, here is why these things happen and how you can tackle them:
1) You're bored with your idea because all you had was one idea and you've probably exhausted it after a few chapters. You feel like you're repeating yourself. My solution - don't start a novel with just one idea in your head. Take a few ideas (at least two) and write about them. They will either come together on their own, or you have to find a way to intertwine them. This way you'll have a lot more to write about, become less bored and add even suspense to your writing as you're trying to combine the ideas.
Tomorrow I'll continue dealing with the rest of the problems that stand in writers' way to completing their novel.
You can't help it. You have a great idea, you sit down and start the novel. You may even get through the first few chapters but then time comes where you just stop working on it and move on to another idea you have. This one, you're convinced, is the winner, the one you will finish.
Why does this happen to beginning writers, you ask? A combination of things: 1) You get bored with your own idea. 2) The task of writing a novel seems daunting all of a sudden. 3) You get stuck and aren't sure where the plot should go from here. 4) You're convinced that what you've written so far sucks. 5) You're convinced this new idea you have is so much better.
What to do?
Here is what, here is why these things happen and how you can tackle them:
1) You're bored with your idea because all you had was one idea and you've probably exhausted it after a few chapters. You feel like you're repeating yourself. My solution - don't start a novel with just one idea in your head. Take a few ideas (at least two) and write about them. They will either come together on their own, or you have to find a way to intertwine them. This way you'll have a lot more to write about, become less bored and add even suspense to your writing as you're trying to combine the ideas.
Tomorrow I'll continue dealing with the rest of the problems that stand in writers' way to completing their novel.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Life and Writing - Be Aware
Life is what happens to me when I'm not writing about it. That's the way I feel.
All of my writing, without exception, has to do with my life. It can be the characters that I write and who have a lot in common with the people I know. It can be the plot ideas from things that happened to me or people I know. It can be facts I put in articles of things I know and experienced. The sum of my experiences is always portrayed in my writing somehow.
That's why one should always be aware of what he/she is going through. Aware of their surroundings, of how people behave and talk, note people's facial expressions and their mannerism. Views, sights, colors, smells, are all things we should notice to become better writers.
So far we talked about the action in your life. What about the passive experiences - what you read for example, interesting news articles, a new science discovery, a strange thing that happened in a different country, are also things you should pay attention to.
All that can help in building plot lines, characters, articles. There's nothing like writing a great knowledgeable article, but then also adding some pepper to it from an unexpected source.
We can never tell what experience can become our next winning story or article. One can wake up in the morning, watch the tree branches from their bedroom window, notice as they sway in the wind and come terribly close to the power lines. The ideas from just this little things are vast: one can choose to write an article about the necessity to prune tree next to power lines, another can choose to write a short story about a fire caused by a tree falling on a power line and the struggle of the protagonist to recover, and so on. So from two minutes of waking up in the morning I've supplied you with a few days' worth of writing. It's up to you now.
Notice, be aware, and write.
All of my writing, without exception, has to do with my life. It can be the characters that I write and who have a lot in common with the people I know. It can be the plot ideas from things that happened to me or people I know. It can be facts I put in articles of things I know and experienced. The sum of my experiences is always portrayed in my writing somehow.
That's why one should always be aware of what he/she is going through. Aware of their surroundings, of how people behave and talk, note people's facial expressions and their mannerism. Views, sights, colors, smells, are all things we should notice to become better writers.
So far we talked about the action in your life. What about the passive experiences - what you read for example, interesting news articles, a new science discovery, a strange thing that happened in a different country, are also things you should pay attention to.
All that can help in building plot lines, characters, articles. There's nothing like writing a great knowledgeable article, but then also adding some pepper to it from an unexpected source.
We can never tell what experience can become our next winning story or article. One can wake up in the morning, watch the tree branches from their bedroom window, notice as they sway in the wind and come terribly close to the power lines. The ideas from just this little things are vast: one can choose to write an article about the necessity to prune tree next to power lines, another can choose to write a short story about a fire caused by a tree falling on a power line and the struggle of the protagonist to recover, and so on. So from two minutes of waking up in the morning I've supplied you with a few days' worth of writing. It's up to you now.
Notice, be aware, and write.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Novel Writing Distress
I'm in the midst of writing a novel at the moment.
Not being a very organized person, my writing tends to reflect that. Somehow though, usually at the end of my work, it all comes together. But the process is messy.
So far it never bothered me, but now that my novel is in its midst, I know that it is going to be hard to connect all the different sections and the disjointed plot lines together and bind them in a way that would make sense.
I am not going to give up though. I will continue, and I will finish it.
Next week I will put an excerpt of my work-in-process, a short one, in this blog. You're welcome to check it out.
Not being a very organized person, my writing tends to reflect that. Somehow though, usually at the end of my work, it all comes together. But the process is messy.
So far it never bothered me, but now that my novel is in its midst, I know that it is going to be hard to connect all the different sections and the disjointed plot lines together and bind them in a way that would make sense.
I am not going to give up though. I will continue, and I will finish it.
Next week I will put an excerpt of my work-in-process, a short one, in this blog. You're welcome to check it out.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Outlining or Not
Many beginner writers often ask whether a plot outline is necessary.
The answer is, as it almost always is, that depends.
Some writers work better with an outline, some don't. You have to find out which of the two types of writers you are. Chances are that your personality would carry through to your writing process. If you're organized and meticulous in other aspects of your life you would probably need an outline, maybe even a very detailed one. If you are not that organize, maybe an outline is not for you.
Regardless, it's a good idea to know where you're going. If writing an outline, even a short point-form one seems like too much, then at the very least you must have a full idea. Otherwise, there is a good chance you won't be finishing what you started.
A full idea means not only something vague, but an idea that is developed, at least partially, and that you know what you want to do with it and where you want to take it. Endings are otherwise very tough.
So guess what. To find out what kind of writer you are you know what you're going to need to do. That's right. Write.
The answer is, as it almost always is, that depends.
Some writers work better with an outline, some don't. You have to find out which of the two types of writers you are. Chances are that your personality would carry through to your writing process. If you're organized and meticulous in other aspects of your life you would probably need an outline, maybe even a very detailed one. If you are not that organize, maybe an outline is not for you.
Regardless, it's a good idea to know where you're going. If writing an outline, even a short point-form one seems like too much, then at the very least you must have a full idea. Otherwise, there is a good chance you won't be finishing what you started.
A full idea means not only something vague, but an idea that is developed, at least partially, and that you know what you want to do with it and where you want to take it. Endings are otherwise very tough.
So guess what. To find out what kind of writer you are you know what you're going to need to do. That's right. Write.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
My Favorite Short Fiction Sites
- The New-Yorker publishes a new short story each week
- Sci-Fiction not only publishes a new story each week, but also has an archive
- The Atlantic Online has a few stories always on their site
- Strange Horizons is another weekly ezine that publishes a story a week and where you can access previously published stories
Enjoy!
Intellectual Property
An interesting post by Cory Doctorow about ebook piracy grabbed my attention.
For the longest time all I could hear about intellectual property was how to find ways to protect it. Conversely, John Scalzi landed a book deal after posting his novel on his site.
John Scalzi wrote the original post and it seems that he and Cory Doctorow both don't feel the same as what we've been hearing so far about intellectual property.
They see intellectual property as something that would be protected anyways by those who can and want. And those who can't or don't want to protect it - won't. Meaning, if someone wants to steal something, they'll find a way, but most people who can afford to buy books and music will always do so.
The very interesting comments from the original post are worth reading.
For the longest time all I could hear about intellectual property was how to find ways to protect it. Conversely, John Scalzi landed a book deal after posting his novel on his site.
John Scalzi wrote the original post and it seems that he and Cory Doctorow both don't feel the same as what we've been hearing so far about intellectual property.
They see intellectual property as something that would be protected anyways by those who can and want. And those who can't or don't want to protect it - won't. Meaning, if someone wants to steal something, they'll find a way, but most people who can afford to buy books and music will always do so.
The very interesting comments from the original post are worth reading.
Friday, May 13, 2005
A Little Bit on Short Fiction
Short stories are fantastic. I love them.
Being a published short story writer, it never seizes to amaze me the magnitude and latitude of ideas that can be conveyed in short stories.
I have just finished a little story about a little crisis in the life of a little man. He cheats on his wife. That's his solution. I won't tell you the end, but I will tell you that the story brings out questions of age, mid-life crisis, love and fidelity into the spot-light. I don't know if the story answers any of these questions, but it sure makes the reader think.
Now I've started (almost finished) another short. This time a horror story. I think. Maybe the protagonist is merely crazy, but that happens often in horror. The lines between what happens in our minds and what happens in real life blur to such a degree that it's hard to tell the difference anymore.
Shorts are cool, cause they are just that - short, and yet, portray so much.
Being a published short story writer, it never seizes to amaze me the magnitude and latitude of ideas that can be conveyed in short stories.
I have just finished a little story about a little crisis in the life of a little man. He cheats on his wife. That's his solution. I won't tell you the end, but I will tell you that the story brings out questions of age, mid-life crisis, love and fidelity into the spot-light. I don't know if the story answers any of these questions, but it sure makes the reader think.
Now I've started (almost finished) another short. This time a horror story. I think. Maybe the protagonist is merely crazy, but that happens often in horror. The lines between what happens in our minds and what happens in real life blur to such a degree that it's hard to tell the difference anymore.
Shorts are cool, cause they are just that - short, and yet, portray so much.
Do Authors Make Money?
I found this great little article about what authors make, expect to make and the lifestyle of a successful novelist.
New paperbacks have a short shelf life, somewhere between one month and four
months, according to Romance Writers of America, which met in St. Louis the last weekend of April. Hardback books last longer, selling for up to a year. The writers are all looking for a sliver of the more than $1 billion that readers spend on paperbacks each year, according to the association.About 70 percent of the buyers are women, and about two out of three readers purchasing the books didn't plan to do so when they entered a retail outlet.
The main pointers to learn from this article:
- be patient
- don't give up
- write
Categories: writing, business
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Computers to Grade Writing???
Here's something you don't hear everyday.
A new software, SAGrader, can now check and grade students' essays and more.
Here's the full article from Wired News, but I first heard about it here.
Categories: writing, general
A new software, SAGrader, can now check and grade students' essays and more.
Here's the full article from Wired News, but I first heard about it here.
Categories: writing, general
Resources for Writers
How do you begin to wrap your head around all the sites available for writers.
Let's say you just stick to the 101 best sites as listed in Writer's Digest, it's still a 101 pages.
I say this. Well, this is what I do.
I stick to my favorite five sites. That's right - 5.
If I need more resources, I go to my 101 trusted site list and choose new sites. Or Google exactly what I need, want.
Is all.
Categories: writing, resources
Let's say you just stick to the 101 best sites as listed in Writer's Digest, it's still a 101 pages.
I say this. Well, this is what I do.
I stick to my favorite five sites. That's right - 5.
If I need more resources, I go to my 101 trusted site list and choose new sites. Or Google exactly what I need, want.
Is all.
Categories: writing, resources
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