Writing from A to Z

VORACIOUS “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen.  The man who never reads lives only one.”  ―  George R.R. Martin ,  A Dance with Dragons Are you a voracious reader? I've mentioned the importance of reading before. But I'm gonna say it again. Because to be a great writer, the most critical thing you need to do, after writing, is to read. You should read like you are starving, and books are the last meals left on the earth. You should read a variety of books. Fiction, yes, and nonfiction, but also within these categories, a wide spectrum, from genre to literary and everything in between. It may be most useful to read the type of books you want to write, however, it is also good to read the books you don't want to write. Sparingly. I'm not suggesting you waste precious reading time on junk. But it will help you discover why it is that you dislike them. And if you learn that, it is so much easier to avoid doing the same thing in y...

UNDERSTAND   “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”  -Albert Einstein We write to decipher the mysteries of the universe.   We write to understand our world. We write to understand others. We write so that others may understand us.  But at our most basic level, we write to understand ourselves.  In a world with 7.4 billion people, we often focus on our differences. Yet in many ways, we are all the same. So in understanding others, the world, and the universe, we are actually understanding ourselves. Writers observe. They watch everything around them, and then either use it or squirrel it away for later. One of the most basic description exercises is doing just that: placing yourself in a busy cafe and writing down everything that you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste around you. It is part of the discovery. If you haven't done this before, do it now. Don't wait. Try it a few times, in other locations. Then do it in nature, or in a...

TALENT Do you need talent to write? No.  Can you become a good writer through practice?  Yes.  Can you become a great writer?  Maybe.  Are some people born with more talent than others?  Yes.  Are there lots of talented people out there?  Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that you can't learn to write, or that you shouldn't bother, if it doesn't come easily. What it means is that you have to work harder. And, no, you might not be winning awards left and right, or publishing books before you can vote. But that's ok. Because you aren't writing for the awards, right? You are writing because it is as essential to you as breathing, you are writing because you have to. So in the end, it doesn't really matter if you have talent or not. You need to write anyway. But having talent makes everything so much easier. Or does it? So many creative people live tragic lives. Addictions, mental illness, suicides. Often, breathtaking ...

ST O RY A   narrative,   either   true   or   fictitious,   in   prose   or   verse,   designed   to  interest,   amuse,   or   i nstruct   the   hearer   or   reader;   tale. Where do stories come from?  Everywhere.  The newspaper, current events, your life, dreams, your imagination. Sometimes a snippet of an idea or image is enough to get you started. You simply must be open to them, and paying attention. It might be unusual, or it could be something mundane that everyone can relate to.  There are universal themes that can add great impact to your story, such as birth, death, betrayal, revenge, desire, courage, and love. Additionally, certain themes resonate more with us than others. Not sure what yours are? Try making a list of your favorite books or movies. See if they have anything in common. Or, if you can't think of anything, start now. Every time you ...

READING “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”  ―  Stephen King Do you read? If you write for others, or aspire to, you should.  Reading is one of the main ways that we develop an ear for the poetry of language, an eye for description, a sense of timing and plot.  Yes, you can also learn about plot structure from watching movies. Especially if you first do a little research so that you know to look for: the inciting events, plot points, and set pieces. But as a writer, you learn so many different things from reading. You learn what you like and dislike. You discover what works and what doesn't. There are the books you read when you want to escape. Books you read to learn things. Books you read because the language takes our breath away. And if you are lucky to find one book or author that can do all three, well, you've won the jackpot. Study this author. See if you can figure out what makes her (o...

QUESTIONS "Love the questions themselves." -Rainer Maria Rilke Does your story have questions? If it doesn't, it should. Finding out "why" is a big reason people read on. Your characters don't have to know all of the answers, and neither do you. But you should know many of them. Not while you are writing the first draft, perhaps, or even the second or the third. But when your story is done, your readers should feel as if most of the big plot questions have been answered, otherwise they feel cheated.  That said, i t's good to leave a little mystery. And some ambiguity at the end can allow for multiple interpretations that enrich the story. But that is a tricky thing to do--to allow for an open ending that remains satisfying. So think carefully about what you must reveal, and what you must not. Now let's talk about bigger questions. Philosophical ones.  Does the author need to know all of them?  Hell, no.  Many of us write beca...

PERIL   "Glory is the child of peril." -Tobias Smollett Are your characters happy? Do they lead safe, contented lives? Do they never encounter danger? If so, your story is in trouble. Characters need to be put into peril from time to time, whether it is physical danger or psychological trauma (or even better, both!). Think about what they are most afraid of. Then make it happen. Do they have any phobias?  Use them.   We are all afraid of something, so your characters should be too. Make it impossible for the characters to turn back. Not bad enough? Put the person they love most in the world in peril.  Have them make mistakes.  Even better, have one of their mistakes endanger both them AND the person they love most in the world.  And don't forget the ticking clock.  For example, Joe has to save his sick daughter and wife from the kidnappers in 24 hours, or pay their ransom, or else. The kidnappers? Joe's mistress & her, um, brothe...