Category: writing

>Choose Your Destiny

>One of the most difficult decisions can be where to take your story next. You can brainstorm and brainstorm, listing the choices for all eternity it seems. But eventually you must make a choice. I think for some writers this is easier than for others. I’m a person who likes to keep options open. I like to have choices, but settling on just one sometimes requires telling myself to just make up my mind and move forward. Instead of just taking the first idea, I do think it’s good to see if you can do better. But the fact is […]

>When to Start Research & How to Organize It

>Yesterday, I talked a bit about how research can enhance your story. That got me thinking about when it’s a good idea to start researching and how to keep track of what you find out. Depending on the type of novel or short story you’re writing, this can be a relatively easy or tricky proposition. I prefer to start as soon as I know what I need to research. With my current novel I made the mistake of waiting to research underwater archaeology until after I started working out my story. Not smart. My research not only made plot changes […]

>Why It Pays to Research

>Research can be one of the less fun aspects of writing. But it can also be one of the more rewarding. A little research can add detail to your story that’s believable, rich, and engrossing. Whether it’s as specific as police rankings or as general as underwater archaeology (a foundation for my current novel), buckling down to do research gives me confidence later when I start to write. The prime benefit of research in my opinion is all the raw detail you have at your fingertips. You will doubtfully use it all, but just knowing it yourself affects your writing. […]

> Every scene that you write doesn’t necessarily belong in the finished draft. A lot of things you may have written just to keep writing, or they were scenes you needed to know about but your readers don’t. Part of writing a first draft is learning about your characters and figuring out the story. So some of your initial writing may be you playing around, testing the waters. So how can you recognize the fluff from the important scenes? An awesome trick I learned several years ago comes from screenwriting. Get a pack of index cards. Go through your novel […]

>My Attempt at Outlining (What I Learned)

> Writing methods seem to vary as much as writing genres. What helps one writer can cramp another’s style. Working on my current novel has given me new insight into how I work. I did some experimenting with my methods last year, trying out full-blown outlining for fun. Didn’t go over so well, and after a while, I dumped the idea and went to how I usually work and finally got my book written (yay!). However, I did learn some things in the process, including tricks that I will take with me to the next project. 1. It never hurts […]

>New Places, New Ideas

>Whenever I’m going out of town, I always pick one or two writing-related things that I want to work out. For example, a new short story idea, a name for a fictitious town, or the solution to a plot problem. I tell myself beforehand that these are the things I want to discover or figure out, and usually I do. By making your subconscious aware of what it needs to work on, you can become more aware of surroundings and possibilities. New environments and new experiences feed your creativity, and may give you exactly what you need. A little physical […]

>Rewrites, Robin Hood, & Martha’s Vineyard

> Other than this blog post, I have three things on my brain today: rewriting my novel, going to see the new Robin Hood movie tomorrow, and spending a few days on Martha’s Vineyard next week. My novel’s rewrite is coming along wonderfully, with the help of some terrific (and thought-provoking) exercises in the Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass. As with all renovations, my novel looks a mess right now. But I know what it will look like soon and it’s going to be gorgeous! I can’t wait to see the new movie with Russell Crowe and […]