Wow, this one was so much harder to write...
Okay, so last time I left off with the thought that the PvC issue was a matter of approach (meaning how you plan a story) and orientation (meaning the actual direction the story takes)—which is part of it. Ultimately, though, I think the issue has to do with learning how to allow either plot or character to carry the primary story to its resolution while at the same time achieving balance.
It’s true: Lots of character-driven stories tend to showcase more of the elements that may be lacking in plot-driven ones, and vice versa. However, trying to assign various characteristics to one side or the other is like driving a stake through the left and right heart; correspondence between both sides is necessary in order to keep a story alive. A story without character is just as DOA as a story lacking plot.
Another Way to Look at the Dichotomy
You know what this issue reminds me of is the whole fate vs. free will debate. It is the ying and yang of life. There’s the idea that people can choose how they act, conduct themselves and initiate change, but then there’s also the idea that there are just some things in life that are out of the individual’s control and actually end up changing the individual instead.
I think this is similar to fiction where a writer can choose to highlight their character(s)’s choices and the consequences to said choices, or they can highlight the events that happen to them, not because of them. Character vs. plot; free will/choice vs. fate. Plot influences character influences plot; choice influences fate influences choice. You could say character influences plot influences character, and fate influences choice influences character, but does that make it any different? People are either going to act on their own accord or react to things coming from outside their realm of influence, when it comes down to it.
The difference, in fiction, is going to be what you decide to pose as the main conflict—an action performed or decision made by the character or an event that happens to them and causes them to react? The difference may also be in how you choose to resolve that conflict—with the protagonist taking action or making a decision, or by them reacting a certain way to something. An illusion is created when you choose to focus on one or the other because though the one may be highlighted, the other is still at play in the background or beneath the surface. (At least, it should be.)
The way I see it, both dichotomies are continuous loops. Destiny and choice are not mutually exclusive, and neither are plot and character. The issue, then, becomes a matter of what you choose to highlight or how you balance the two sides in your story. Are you more interested in a character(s)'s ability to influence events, about an unusual event (or set of events) that changes your character(s), or some combination of the two?
Whatever your focus, it will surely manifest itself in your work. Having balance between plot and character by adequately developing both is what’s important.
Focus (or Lack Thereof)
The deciding factor, I think, is focus, and this is two-fold because focus can be implemented in both the planning and execution stages of creating a novel.
On the one hand, you have to consider what elements were originally important to you while you were in the planning stages of your novel. Which of the story elements came most readily to you? Was it your characters? A certain world or setting? Perhaps it was an event, or even a theme? More importantly, how did you juggle all of these things? Is there a connection between them all? (Hopefully you started with a strong concept and were able to develop it into a premise. That helps to keep a story in focus.)
On the other hand, you must be aware of what your focus was once you started writing your novel. What did you choose to put the most effort into? That same character, world/setting, theme or event? Or did you put a pretty balanced effort into including all of these thing? (Also, was this in keeping with the original focus dictated by your concept and premise?)
I think one reason you won’t hear terms like setting-driven or theme-driven stories tossed around much is because theme and setting have less carrying weight than character and plot. Stories are ultimately about characters and the events they are involved in, so to put the primary focus on setting or theme is to miss the whole point of telling a story. (And if you’ve done this with your draft, then you’ll already have a good idea of what needs to be fixed.)
Develop a strong concept and premise beforehand, and you'll have something to write towards for the rest of your journey.
When the Focus is Split
Sometimes the plan and the execution go hand in hand; your story may develop along the lines you’d initially intended. If that’s the case for you, then I consider you to be quite the lucky duck (or just really good at sticking to a plan). Looks like relatively fair winds ahead for you.
Other times, though, you may discover that the two don’t actually line up. If you’ve designed your story to unfold one way but as you’re writing it you find it wants to go another, then realignment will be necessary because there is a disconnect somewhere. You’ll have to find a way to get the actual story on the page and the envisioned story of your mind’s eye in sync with one another.
In other words, something’s gotta give.
An Example
With my novel I did a lot of experimental drafts because I couldn’t decide on a premise. The overall concept more or less stayed the same in each draft (that there are those who have the power to manipulate the elements and live secret lives), but my focus kept shifting around in the execution stage. (Should the story focus on someone who is already aware of their powers or someone who is just discovering them? Also, is this person’s entire life kept secret from others or just their abilities?)
It was difficult to settle on an angle, but once I did I found that my premise was (finally) linked primarily to the one character that had the most potential for change. I also decided that outside forces would drive the larger (world) plot, but the development of the protagonist would be my main focus. (Perhaps I’ve taken this approach because I plan on writing a trilogy.)
In other words, I’m driving the story ahead with both plot and character but in two different ways (and for two different reasons).
Diagnosing Your Story
The thing to remember, no matter which element you find most interesting, is to shoot for balance in your writing. Chances are that during your first draft your focus was on maybe one or two elements (say setting and plot, for example) and then you later realized that your story was lacking others (like character and theme). An overall assessment of your story at the end of your first draft will be paramount in identifying its strengths and weaknesses and then later deciding how to go about making it better.
If you find that your characters are pretty two-dimensional, boring, useless, cliché, etc. then it looks like you’ve focused too much on another element, likely plot. You’ll have to go back and beef up your characters and figure out what you can do to make them more interesting or vital to the story.
If you find that your plot is meandering or non-present, then you’ll know you’ve neglected an important story element and may be too focused on the characters. Maybe the plot doesn’t make sense or the story needs more events with conflict to create rising action and drive it towards a climax and, ultimately, resolution. That is something you’ll have to go back and investigate.
Shooting For the Stars
It may take longer, making sure all these elements are up to par, but why write if you don’t aim to improve? Writing novels isn’t for the faint of heart. It can be a frustrating process that demands your very best effort. I think it certainly helps to know whether your novel is more plot- or character-driven, but that should never be the end goal. What matters most is that you are telling a great, entertaining story that artfully balances the elements of storytelling.
What do you think?
How important is writing a plot- or character-driven novel in the grand scheme of things? Can you tell what kind of story you’re working on while writing? Which elements of story do you find yourself focusing on more often than not, and which do you have to work harder on?
Ever wonder what makes stories great? Ever wonder what it takes to write great stories? If any of these thoughts have ever crossed your mind, then you are in the right place. I, too, share these thoughts. This blog is dedicated to those who marvel at the mechanics of great storytelling, to anyone who's ever wondered, "Can I write a novel?" and to anyone who's ever tried.
February 24, 2011
February 23, 2011
The Imaginary War: Plot- vs. Character-Driven Story Development (Part I)
On the matter of plot-driven vs. character-driven stories, I am a little conflicted. The novel I'm currently working on has taken on a more character-driven orientation since I've decided to stick with my latest draft. However, I did start off on the plot-driven route but then decided to switch gears after my sixth-and-a-half (failed) attempt.
Why?
Well, that's what I plan on talking about this week. There are reasons to approach stories from either angle at first, but once the story is underway does it have to remain that way? Should it remain that way?
The PvC Issue
For those who may not know what the PvC (plot vs. character, not polyvinyl chloride!) issue pertains to, I'll try to summarize it.
Basically, there are two schools of thought out there that favor either a more plot-driven story or a character-driven one. I imagine you already gathered that much, though, being the bright folks that you are, so let's just get into the deeper aspects of the issue.
Often, the term "plot-driven" is associated with genre fiction (science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, etc.). The focus, when you read a plot-driven story, tends to be on the plot itself. When you close a plot-driven novel, what you remember most--the most poignant element--is the journey, the events that took place and/or the settings you were taken to. Not necessarily the characters who were in it.
Its aftertaste is something like, "Yeah, I'll remember going on that ride." (Star Wars, anyone?) And actually, with an excessively plot-driven story, you may find that the characters are lacking development. They are either cliché or boring. Or worse, both.
A science fiction example might be Karl Schroeder's Sun of Suns, or Cherie Priest's Dreadnought. Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials is definitely plot-driven, in my opinion, particularly in the two last novels. I'd like to point out that all three of these are more-or-less known for their detailed or unique worldbuilding, as well.
On the other hand, character-driven stories are, well, most memorable for their characters (go figure), and the plot takes secondary priority in the grand scheme of things. Your literary classics tend to fall into this group. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is certainly one of them, as is Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. (Daisy and Rochester were some of the characters that especially stood out for me.) I'd like to point out that these novels are heavy on themes surrounding human nature, as well--shallowness amongst the upper class, for example, in The Great Gatsby and bigamous love and differences in social class in Jane Eyre. Symbolism and motifs, which are especially characteristic of literary novels, were also important in these two stories. (Remember the green light in The Great Gatsby?)
The literary novel's aftertaste might be something like, "Huh, I need to think on that one." Or even, "What the f#@! did I just read?" (And if you read it back in junior high or high school, like I did with The Puttermesser Papers, then you still may be wondering the answer to that question.)
The character-driven story really, really makes you think about the characters' choices and the implications of said choices because they are typically implied and not spelled out for the reader. And if that wasn't enough, you might also have trouble remembering what, exactly, happened in the novel (aka the plot) because the emotional experience of it all was so strong by comparison. In contrast with the plot-driven story, I think with the excessively character-driven novel you may find that it is the author's plot that is lacking development--i.e. rottenly cliché and/or boring. Or just non-present/-evident.
At least, that's how I understand it.
Take a look at what other people have to say on this topic, if you're interested:
I think I've said enough about that. Now, on to the actual issue.
What is the issue, really?
I don't think that the real plot- vs. character-driven debate has anything to do with whether or not your story should include plot or character. Any sensible writer knows that a good story should include both, so there is no versus, no actual war between those two concepts. Not really.
As I see it, the PvC issue is a matter of approach and story orientation. It is usually discussed as a matter of end result, but I think it starts earlier in the writing process, before an author even begins to write, and it might even shift for an author in the middle of the writing process.
I've got a few more thoughts on this, so I'll be splitting this topic up into two posts again.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts on plot- and character-driven stories? What type of story do you find yourself currently working on, or perhaps reading? Is it difficult to tell? Also, do you have experience writing both types?
Why?
Well, that's what I plan on talking about this week. There are reasons to approach stories from either angle at first, but once the story is underway does it have to remain that way? Should it remain that way?
The PvC Issue
For those who may not know what the PvC (plot vs. character, not polyvinyl chloride!) issue pertains to, I'll try to summarize it.
Basically, there are two schools of thought out there that favor either a more plot-driven story or a character-driven one. I imagine you already gathered that much, though, being the bright folks that you are, so let's just get into the deeper aspects of the issue.
Often, the term "plot-driven" is associated with genre fiction (science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, etc.). The focus, when you read a plot-driven story, tends to be on the plot itself. When you close a plot-driven novel, what you remember most--the most poignant element--is the journey, the events that took place and/or the settings you were taken to. Not necessarily the characters who were in it.
Its aftertaste is something like, "Yeah, I'll remember going on that ride." (Star Wars, anyone?) And actually, with an excessively plot-driven story, you may find that the characters are lacking development. They are either cliché or boring. Or worse, both.
A science fiction example might be Karl Schroeder's Sun of Suns, or Cherie Priest's Dreadnought. Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials is definitely plot-driven, in my opinion, particularly in the two last novels. I'd like to point out that all three of these are more-or-less known for their detailed or unique worldbuilding, as well.
On the other hand, character-driven stories are, well, most memorable for their characters (go figure), and the plot takes secondary priority in the grand scheme of things. Your literary classics tend to fall into this group. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is certainly one of them, as is Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. (Daisy and Rochester were some of the characters that especially stood out for me.) I'd like to point out that these novels are heavy on themes surrounding human nature, as well--shallowness amongst the upper class, for example, in The Great Gatsby and bigamous love and differences in social class in Jane Eyre. Symbolism and motifs, which are especially characteristic of literary novels, were also important in these two stories. (Remember the green light in The Great Gatsby?)
The literary novel's aftertaste might be something like, "Huh, I need to think on that one." Or even, "What the f#@! did I just read?" (And if you read it back in junior high or high school, like I did with The Puttermesser Papers, then you still may be wondering the answer to that question.)
The character-driven story really, really makes you think about the characters' choices and the implications of said choices because they are typically implied and not spelled out for the reader. And if that wasn't enough, you might also have trouble remembering what, exactly, happened in the novel (aka the plot) because the emotional experience of it all was so strong by comparison. In contrast with the plot-driven story, I think with the excessively character-driven novel you may find that it is the author's plot that is lacking development--i.e. rottenly cliché and/or boring. Or just non-present/-evident.
At least, that's how I understand it.
Take a look at what other people have to say on this topic, if you're interested:
- HearWriteNow discusses Plot Versus Character.
- Nathan Bransford talks about literary fiction and a little about the PvC issue in What Makes Literary Fiction Literary?
- Writers at Suite101 tackle the subject in Plot-Driven Novels vs Character-Driven Themes.
- And lastly, here is a really excellent podcast discussion on the matter, brought to you by Writing Excuses. (If you only look at one of these links, then check this one out. It really is an interesting podcast, only 15 minutes long.)
I think I've said enough about that. Now, on to the actual issue.
What is the issue, really?
I don't think that the real plot- vs. character-driven debate has anything to do with whether or not your story should include plot or character. Any sensible writer knows that a good story should include both, so there is no versus, no actual war between those two concepts. Not really.
As I see it, the PvC issue is a matter of approach and story orientation. It is usually discussed as a matter of end result, but I think it starts earlier in the writing process, before an author even begins to write, and it might even shift for an author in the middle of the writing process.
I've got a few more thoughts on this, so I'll be splitting this topic up into two posts again.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts on plot- and character-driven stories? What type of story do you find yourself currently working on, or perhaps reading? Is it difficult to tell? Also, do you have experience writing both types?
February 17, 2011
Getting to Know Your Story - Part II
In a previous post I talked about the notions of idea versus story, and last time I discussed the importance of doing research--aka learning.
You cannot hope to understand your story if you don't even know what is supposed to go into one in the first place. You cannot write a good novel without having basic knowledge of storytelling elements beforehand. Trust me, that lack of knowledge will pop up later as some glaring weakness in your writing you hadn't really noticed before, which means you'll have to stop writing, go investigate the problem and then learn about it when all you want to do is write the darn thing. At least if you've done the research first you'll know how to spot those weaknesses when they do manifest. More importantly, you'll know how to fix your own problems. (There's that do-it-yourself aspect again...)
Most of them, anyway. The rest is for first readers and editors to catch. But we haven't gotten that far yet.
Today, I am going to use my experience writing a novel to provide some examples of methods and techniques you can use to help you start fleshing out that vague, nebulous idea into what will eventually, hopefully, become an actual story. A completed first draft. Perhaps even a novel worth reading. (Though, who knows? You may discover your idea isn't large enough for a novel but instead is more suited to a short story or novella. No one length is better or worse than the others. I just happen to know I'm writing a novel-length tale, so my blogs are going to naturally reflect this.)
NOW, *ehem* to the point.
Even while you're learning about the basics of storytelling, you can begin exploring your new story idea. Looking back on my experience thus far, there are a couple of things I wish I would have done differently before I decided I was writing the actual novel. Doing more research about writing is one of them. (And you may get sick of hearing it, but I can't stress it enough.)
I did it backwards. I explored my ideas some, started writing the novel, and then went back to learn more about the basic elements of storytelling--concept, character, plot, theme...those things. (I also see setting mentioned as one, but really you can view your setting as another character. Some people also list conflict as a basic element, but your plot should already include that after it's been planned/figured out or else you'll put readers to sleep. Larry Brooks also lists scene construction and writing voice, or style, as "executional competencies." I think scenes belong to the larger plot, but they certainly do merit their own discussion. However, style isn't such a basic thing and doesn't emerge until you've written a good number of words, so let's not go there just yet.)
The other thing, I think, has to do with the discovery process of figuring out what story you want to tell. I don't believe a story just magically comes to you all wrapped up in a pretty pink bow saying, "I grant you the power of omniscient knowledge and artistic insight. Now go, aspiring writer--write!" Though, that would be pretty awesome.
What does happen is this: Your mind is captivated by some vague-ish idea, be it a thought, a character, a setting or some other element of a story, and it grabs hold of you like a...well, I don't know what. But you can't shake it because it's determined that you, lucky you, become its voice.
Unnecessary mysticism? Perhaps, but for lack of any other way to describe the phenomenon, that is exactly how I feel about it.
Exploring Your Idea
If you can't just walk away from something like this and are suddenly inspired to become a writer (Lord help you), then what you have to do at that point is explore this thing, this vague idea that's spontaneously come to you. What is it, exactly? (Idea, concept, or story?) What does it want to become? (A short story? A novella, a novel? Something epic?) What, if anything, does it have to say? Hmm...
More directly, what do you want to say? Why? (More on this another time; it's something I'm still exploring, more or less, as well.)
Perhaps you're the kind of person that is really good at coming up with a clear plan, implementing it and sticking to it. You come up with a story idea; you outline your setting(s), character bios, and plot(s) and develop a premise; you are blessed with a clear vision of what your novel is going to be about after some effort; and then you're on your merry way writing the thing.
I'm not that kind of writer. I think I have to take a more organic approach, and by that I mean I can't just sit around thinking about things for them to "come" to me. I have to sort of muck around first and make connections between things that aren't even necessarily related to one other before I come up with something that would work for a novel; the premise and the story itself have to kind of morph out of a collection of broad ideas that I feel should go together but, at the time being, don't mix well logically.
It's like pulling select things out of the vast aether and trying to make sense of it all.
It's like a giant puzzle, in my mind. I've got the pieces (some of them, at least); now I just need to figure out how to put them together. Or if I'm still missing pieces (plot holes, lack of character development, etc.). Or if I have extra pieces (ideas that come to you but don't necessarily work for the story or novel you're currently working on.)
The organic process takes time, but that's how I have to do things and I'm cool with that.
The moral of that short story: I don't know what kind of writer you are; you'll have to figure that out for yourself. What I can do is share some suggestions on how you might go about discovering your story and come up with some preliminary plans. (I say preliminary because those initial plans are bound to change, in one way or another.)
Just write.
Remember at the beginning I talked about what the first step might be after you've been bitten by the muse--aka got an idea? I suggested you start writing about it.
Yes and no.
No, don't start writing the novel just yet. Yes, do start writing something creative. Something that has to do with your new infant idea. (As they say, you can't be a writer if you don't, after all, write. They also say you may go through a million rotten ideas before you get to a nice shiny one. I wholeheartedly believe both are true.)
What I mean is, if you've never written a novel before, don't put yourself in the mindset of "okay, I'm writing a novel now" right off the bat. Set out to explore your idea a bit. Get chummy. Get to know one another. Some of your ideas may even insist that you know yourself a little better before you get try to get to know them. *snap-snap-snap* Okaaayy? (Black humor there.) Your muse/subconscious can be self-righteous and sassy like that.
When I thought I was writing a novel, when I went through the entitled "Seven and a Half First Drafts," I believe that what I was actually doing was making small attempts at scenes. Perhaps some short stories. The problem was I didn't have a clear end goal in mind, no overarching plot to provide a sense of purpose. The scenes had conflict and were connected through character and setting, but the overall plot was vague, undecided.
So I suppose I did gain some practice in this way. (I also participated in some online role-playing at one Star Wars community for several years, but that is quite another story...)
Writing Tools
One of the ways you can "get to know" your novel before you start writing it is by keeping a writer's journal. You wouldn't believe how many journals I've kept on my WIP (work in progress, from here on out). Not only do I keep a paper-and-pen journal--you know, the old school kind--but also a word processor journal because sometimes thoughts come to you when you least expect.
I always include the date of entry and give it a title. This helps to set a writing goal, something to write towards. If I want to explore a certain character, for example, then I name that entry something like "Voi's Character." Or, if I'm exploring more than one thing, I'll link several titles together, like "Voi's Character; Elementalism." That way, if I want to look back on it later, I know what it was about and can find it more easily.
("Who is Voi?" you might wonder. This dammissi, which is Borellian for "little woman," or more commonly "miss." Depends on how it is used.)
Once I name the journal entry, I'll try out several things: just plain talking to myself, freeform word association, bubble diagrams, stream-of-consciousness entries, spiels of dialogue, vignette studies of certain settings or characters living their lives... There are a lot of different techniques you can try and different reasons to use them. Whatever will help you get from formless idea to a coherent story that has a point to it is what you should use.
Another thing I do is collect images like there's no tomorrow, and my poor hard drive suffers for it (though luckily I've got a back-up external drive now with like a terabyte of storage space). If I see something that inspires an idea for a setting or character, for example, I'll save it to my "Element 7" (a working title for my current novel) file under those categories for inspiration. I keep files on characters, settings, technology in my world, historical photographs to observe certain outmoded lifestyles from... You name it, I've got it.
Mind mapping has also helped me figure out the finer points of my story. It's not as complicated as it sounds, only looks that way once you're finished. Basically, you take one central idea, generate a few connected sub-ideas and use those to further explore even more offshoots. The goal, when you use it to help you develop your story, is to come up with ideas for characters, places, etc. that are connected to your central idea or concept and can later be used to generate a story. Or, if you already have a premise, then you can use mind mapping to make the overall story richer by exploring deeper connections between characters, themes, settings, and so on.
Of course, there are many other uses for this tool outside of writing. (I first learned about it in one of my interior design classes at ASU.) In the end you get this giant diagram that looks like a network of brain synapses or something:
Here is another, shorter, article about mind mapping, if you're interested. I'd share a map I made for my novel, but it isn't as pretty, heh. Like this one, from Wikipedia:
Clustering is another technique I've used that's helped me understand my story a little better. I just used it a few days ago to sort out all the prominent themes in my novel; I found there were eight. O_O (However, I also discovered that they were all connected to each other either directly or indirectly, which helps create a sense of unity, and they all could be linked directly back to one prominent theme: humanity, or human nature.) I didn't use color in mine, but you can take a look at it:
I used solid lines to suggest direct relationships and dotted for indirect. The "people/humanity" cluster had the most (all) solid line connections, which to me suggests it may be [edit: connected to] the central theme in my story. I can use this knowledge now to help me assess whether or not my story reflects this then go back and "realign" sections where it does not. Theme is a tricky element because sometimes you don't "see" it until you've finished writing most of, if not all of, your story. However, it can be used to create focus, unity and cohesion. (Funny--this is starting to sound a lot like the principles and elements of design.)
At first I tried everything because I didn't know what would work for me and what wouldn't, but eventually I found techniques that got results, so now I'm sticking to them. And that's kinda what you have to do as a writer: figure it out.
"Ah-hyuk! That's all, folks!"
Really, it is. For now. I've rambled on long enough. Bless those souls who actually read both posts on this topic. I really do hope you got something out of it.
On another note, I am interested to know what others do to help develop their story ideas. Got any unusual or particularly effective brainstorming methods?
You cannot hope to understand your story if you don't even know what is supposed to go into one in the first place. You cannot write a good novel without having basic knowledge of storytelling elements beforehand. Trust me, that lack of knowledge will pop up later as some glaring weakness in your writing you hadn't really noticed before, which means you'll have to stop writing, go investigate the problem and then learn about it when all you want to do is write the darn thing. At least if you've done the research first you'll know how to spot those weaknesses when they do manifest. More importantly, you'll know how to fix your own problems. (There's that do-it-yourself aspect again...)
Most of them, anyway. The rest is for first readers and editors to catch. But we haven't gotten that far yet.
Today, I am going to use my experience writing a novel to provide some examples of methods and techniques you can use to help you start fleshing out that vague, nebulous idea into what will eventually, hopefully, become an actual story. A completed first draft. Perhaps even a novel worth reading. (Though, who knows? You may discover your idea isn't large enough for a novel but instead is more suited to a short story or novella. No one length is better or worse than the others. I just happen to know I'm writing a novel-length tale, so my blogs are going to naturally reflect this.)
NOW, *ehem* to the point.
Even while you're learning about the basics of storytelling, you can begin exploring your new story idea. Looking back on my experience thus far, there are a couple of things I wish I would have done differently before I decided I was writing the actual novel. Doing more research about writing is one of them. (And you may get sick of hearing it, but I can't stress it enough.)
I did it backwards. I explored my ideas some, started writing the novel, and then went back to learn more about the basic elements of storytelling--concept, character, plot, theme...those things. (I also see setting mentioned as one, but really you can view your setting as another character. Some people also list conflict as a basic element, but your plot should already include that after it's been planned/figured out or else you'll put readers to sleep. Larry Brooks also lists scene construction and writing voice, or style, as "executional competencies." I think scenes belong to the larger plot, but they certainly do merit their own discussion. However, style isn't such a basic thing and doesn't emerge until you've written a good number of words, so let's not go there just yet.)
The other thing, I think, has to do with the discovery process of figuring out what story you want to tell. I don't believe a story just magically comes to you all wrapped up in a pretty pink bow saying, "I grant you the power of omniscient knowledge and artistic insight. Now go, aspiring writer--write!" Though, that would be pretty awesome.
What does happen is this: Your mind is captivated by some vague-ish idea, be it a thought, a character, a setting or some other element of a story, and it grabs hold of you like a...well, I don't know what. But you can't shake it because it's determined that you, lucky you, become its voice.
Unnecessary mysticism? Perhaps, but for lack of any other way to describe the phenomenon, that is exactly how I feel about it.
Exploring Your Idea
If you can't just walk away from something like this and are suddenly inspired to become a writer (Lord help you), then what you have to do at that point is explore this thing, this vague idea that's spontaneously come to you. What is it, exactly? (Idea, concept, or story?) What does it want to become? (A short story? A novella, a novel? Something epic?) What, if anything, does it have to say? Hmm...
More directly, what do you want to say? Why? (More on this another time; it's something I'm still exploring, more or less, as well.)
Perhaps you're the kind of person that is really good at coming up with a clear plan, implementing it and sticking to it. You come up with a story idea; you outline your setting(s), character bios, and plot(s) and develop a premise; you are blessed with a clear vision of what your novel is going to be about after some effort; and then you're on your merry way writing the thing.
I'm not that kind of writer. I think I have to take a more organic approach, and by that I mean I can't just sit around thinking about things for them to "come" to me. I have to sort of muck around first and make connections between things that aren't even necessarily related to one other before I come up with something that would work for a novel; the premise and the story itself have to kind of morph out of a collection of broad ideas that I feel should go together but, at the time being, don't mix well logically.
It's like pulling select things out of the vast aether and trying to make sense of it all.
It's like a giant puzzle, in my mind. I've got the pieces (some of them, at least); now I just need to figure out how to put them together. Or if I'm still missing pieces (plot holes, lack of character development, etc.). Or if I have extra pieces (ideas that come to you but don't necessarily work for the story or novel you're currently working on.)
The organic process takes time, but that's how I have to do things and I'm cool with that.
The moral of that short story: I don't know what kind of writer you are; you'll have to figure that out for yourself. What I can do is share some suggestions on how you might go about discovering your story and come up with some preliminary plans. (I say preliminary because those initial plans are bound to change, in one way or another.)
Just write.
Remember at the beginning I talked about what the first step might be after you've been bitten by the muse--aka got an idea? I suggested you start writing about it.
Yes and no.
No, don't start writing the novel just yet. Yes, do start writing something creative. Something that has to do with your new infant idea. (As they say, you can't be a writer if you don't, after all, write. They also say you may go through a million rotten ideas before you get to a nice shiny one. I wholeheartedly believe both are true.)
What I mean is, if you've never written a novel before, don't put yourself in the mindset of "okay, I'm writing a novel now" right off the bat. Set out to explore your idea a bit. Get chummy. Get to know one another. Some of your ideas may even insist that you know yourself a little better before you get try to get to know them. *snap-snap-snap* Okaaayy? (Black humor there.) Your muse/subconscious can be self-righteous and sassy like that.
When I thought I was writing a novel, when I went through the entitled "Seven and a Half First Drafts," I believe that what I was actually doing was making small attempts at scenes. Perhaps some short stories. The problem was I didn't have a clear end goal in mind, no overarching plot to provide a sense of purpose. The scenes had conflict and were connected through character and setting, but the overall plot was vague, undecided.
So I suppose I did gain some practice in this way. (I also participated in some online role-playing at one Star Wars community for several years, but that is quite another story...)
Writing Tools
One of the ways you can "get to know" your novel before you start writing it is by keeping a writer's journal. You wouldn't believe how many journals I've kept on my WIP (work in progress, from here on out). Not only do I keep a paper-and-pen journal--you know, the old school kind--but also a word processor journal because sometimes thoughts come to you when you least expect.
I always include the date of entry and give it a title. This helps to set a writing goal, something to write towards. If I want to explore a certain character, for example, then I name that entry something like "Voi's Character." Or, if I'm exploring more than one thing, I'll link several titles together, like "Voi's Character; Elementalism." That way, if I want to look back on it later, I know what it was about and can find it more easily.
("Who is Voi?" you might wonder. This dammissi, which is Borellian for "little woman," or more commonly "miss." Depends on how it is used.)
Once I name the journal entry, I'll try out several things: just plain talking to myself, freeform word association, bubble diagrams, stream-of-consciousness entries, spiels of dialogue, vignette studies of certain settings or characters living their lives... There are a lot of different techniques you can try and different reasons to use them. Whatever will help you get from formless idea to a coherent story that has a point to it is what you should use.
Another thing I do is collect images like there's no tomorrow, and my poor hard drive suffers for it (though luckily I've got a back-up external drive now with like a terabyte of storage space). If I see something that inspires an idea for a setting or character, for example, I'll save it to my "Element 7" (a working title for my current novel) file under those categories for inspiration. I keep files on characters, settings, technology in my world, historical photographs to observe certain outmoded lifestyles from... You name it, I've got it.
Mind mapping has also helped me figure out the finer points of my story. It's not as complicated as it sounds, only looks that way once you're finished. Basically, you take one central idea, generate a few connected sub-ideas and use those to further explore even more offshoots. The goal, when you use it to help you develop your story, is to come up with ideas for characters, places, etc. that are connected to your central idea or concept and can later be used to generate a story. Or, if you already have a premise, then you can use mind mapping to make the overall story richer by exploring deeper connections between characters, themes, settings, and so on.
Of course, there are many other uses for this tool outside of writing. (I first learned about it in one of my interior design classes at ASU.) In the end you get this giant diagram that looks like a network of brain synapses or something:
An example of a mind map I made at ASU with a friend.
Here is another, shorter, article about mind mapping, if you're interested. I'd share a map I made for my novel, but it isn't as pretty, heh. Like this one, from Wikipedia:
(By the way, your mind map doesn't necessarily have to be pretty. It's just has to get your brain juices flowing. I did my mind map for my story in black and white.)Clustering is another technique I've used that's helped me understand my story a little better. I just used it a few days ago to sort out all the prominent themes in my novel; I found there were eight. O_O (However, I also discovered that they were all connected to each other either directly or indirectly, which helps create a sense of unity, and they all could be linked directly back to one prominent theme: humanity, or human nature.) I didn't use color in mine, but you can take a look at it:
I used solid lines to suggest direct relationships and dotted for indirect. The "people/humanity" cluster had the most (all) solid line connections, which to me suggests it may be [edit: connected to] the central theme in my story. I can use this knowledge now to help me assess whether or not my story reflects this then go back and "realign" sections where it does not. Theme is a tricky element because sometimes you don't "see" it until you've finished writing most of, if not all of, your story. However, it can be used to create focus, unity and cohesion. (Funny--this is starting to sound a lot like the principles and elements of design.)
At first I tried everything because I didn't know what would work for me and what wouldn't, but eventually I found techniques that got results, so now I'm sticking to them. And that's kinda what you have to do as a writer: figure it out.
"Ah-hyuk! That's all, folks!"
Really, it is. For now. I've rambled on long enough. Bless those souls who actually read both posts on this topic. I really do hope you got something out of it.
On another note, I am interested to know what others do to help develop their story ideas. Got any unusual or particularly effective brainstorming methods?
February 16, 2011
Getting to Know Your Story - Part I
So let's say you've got this fantabulous idea for a novel, right. So then the first step, naturally, would be to start writing about it. Riiiiight?
Err...if you mean start writing the actual novel, then I'm afraid not. I'll explain why.
READ the INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. Please.
I can be a real stubborn one. I'm the kind of person that will purchase one of those self-assembled furniture pieces from places like Target and IKEA and refuse to read the instructions because I'm smart and can figure it out by myself, thank you very much. My dad's an engineer (electrical, actually). Works in the aerospace industry. I'm sure he passed down some of his figure-it-out mentality to me through the bloodline, even if it's just a fraction. Convicted of this, I set my mouth in a grim line and put those insulting pictorial instructions with those ridiculous smiling faces aside.
Of course, I usually end up regretting it later. "What? Where did that piece come from?"
Disassemble. Insert missing piece. Reassemble. Scowl at own stupidity. Smart, eh?
Shut up, I tell my snickering subconscious. Shut the frak up.
* * *
Not surprisingly, I've taken a similar approach to writing. I like to learn things the hard way, apparently. Make mistakes. Make a fool of myself. Gain incredible insights along the way.
The latter is the greatest part, the part I never regret. The same can be said for making some mistakes along the way, though a good number of the mistakes I've made probably could have been avoided.
Here's where I'm going with this: There are instructors out there in this big wide world who have set aside time out of their daily bustling lives to provide useful tips, guidelines and storytelling commandments, either free of charge or for an affordable rate, to would-be writers who think they'll have no trouble figuring it all out on their own by doing things their way. (This page is proof.) Writers like me. And, perhaps, you.
I think it's quite possible to figure it out all on your own, but if you're not a very patient, dedicated, or disciplined person you'll burnout long before you've even gotten a quarter of the way there. Lucky for me, once I've dedicated myself to an endeavor I don't quit easily, but I also don't like floundering around like a fish out of water for long and will eventually turn to someone for help. But only if I can't figure it out by myself first.
Call it a character flaw, but I really do like to figure certain things out on my own. There's a sense of achievement that comes along with that. I'm sure you've experienced this for yourself at one point or another. You'd understand.
Okay, so maybe there's stuff I should learn before attempting a novel. So what?
If you're not convinced you need to get yourself edumacated before you set out to start a novel with any hope of potential amongst other readers besides yourself, then I'm sorry; I can't help you. No one can. If that's what you want, to figure it out on your own, then more power to you.
On the other hand, if you are new to this writing thing, want to benefit from those who've been there and learn more about storytelling before you embark on the incredibly ambitious mission of writing a novel (or any story for that matter), then there are a few places you can start.
The first: remember that page I mentioned earlier, that orange link? (At least I think it's orange, unless you already visited it.) That would be a good start. Or, if you have a favorite author(s), why not check out his/her website or blog? They might even have free writing tips to share with you.
There are also some books out there that you might want to consider. If you've read some of my other posts, then you already know that I'm a biased writer in that my focus is on the fantasy genre. With that said, there are a couple of books I've read and thought were helpful without them being limited to fantasy writers.
How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey was one. It gives you some basic things to think about before you start pecking away on your keyboard, relentlessly churning out fiction into your poor word processor during ceaseless nights, and perhaps even, days. (Sometimes you get that into it.) The Key, by the same author, was also useful to me in understanding the archetypal Hero's Journey and character types but also cliches, how to avoid them and how it's possible to mix character roles to create more complex characters. Also, check out Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. It goes through the basics of how to put a coherent sentence together, but it also talks about how to appropriately use certain misused words and phrases like lie and lay. Style and grammar all wrapped up into one. It's a good reference book--one I still like to thumb through.
...and that's where my book-reading advice stops short. Like I said, I am of the figure-it-out variety, so I didn't read too many how-to books before I dived back into the process of writing. Most of my research, when I hunkered down and did some, was actually done online. However, if you prefer books to online articles or want to mix up your educational-things-to-read list, then there are many bookstores out there, online and in-person, that make it easy to search for instructional books and make personal judgements as to which ones might help you the most. This is especially easy online, where you can also browse other reader's reviews on books you're interested in and read their takes on how helpful those books were/were not. That's personally my favorite way to go about purchasing books.
Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders are all great places to search. I'm sure there are more out there, but those are the one's I've tried. (Amazon is probably my fave. :D)
Learning about writing is a lot like homework in college: No one's gonna keep looking over your shoulder to make sure you're doing it. Either you learn the material or you don't. That's how I feel about it, anyway. In essence, I think becoming a (creative) writer is just one of those do-it-yourself kinds of things. That doesn't mean there aren't mentors out there who can give you pointers and advice along the way, though.
Now, to the Point.
Hm, this post is getting long, and I've barely brushed the titular topic! You know what? Here's what I'm gonna do: Consider today Part I. Tomorrow, I will post Part II.
"Soooooooound good?"
"Yes, sir!"
(Thinking of Inglourious Basterds there.)
Err...if you mean start writing the actual novel, then I'm afraid not. I'll explain why.
READ the INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. Please.
I can be a real stubborn one. I'm the kind of person that will purchase one of those self-assembled furniture pieces from places like Target and IKEA and refuse to read the instructions because I'm smart and can figure it out by myself, thank you very much. My dad's an engineer (electrical, actually). Works in the aerospace industry. I'm sure he passed down some of his figure-it-out mentality to me through the bloodline, even if it's just a fraction. Convicted of this, I set my mouth in a grim line and put those insulting pictorial instructions with those ridiculous smiling faces aside.
Of course, I usually end up regretting it later. "What? Where did that piece come from?"
Disassemble. Insert missing piece. Reassemble. Scowl at own stupidity. Smart, eh?
Shut up, I tell my snickering subconscious. Shut the frak up.
* * *
Not surprisingly, I've taken a similar approach to writing. I like to learn things the hard way, apparently. Make mistakes. Make a fool of myself. Gain incredible insights along the way.
The latter is the greatest part, the part I never regret. The same can be said for making some mistakes along the way, though a good number of the mistakes I've made probably could have been avoided.
Here's where I'm going with this: There are instructors out there in this big wide world who have set aside time out of their daily bustling lives to provide useful tips, guidelines and storytelling commandments, either free of charge or for an affordable rate, to would-be writers who think they'll have no trouble figuring it all out on their own by doing things their way. (This page is proof.) Writers like me. And, perhaps, you.
I think it's quite possible to figure it out all on your own, but if you're not a very patient, dedicated, or disciplined person you'll burnout long before you've even gotten a quarter of the way there. Lucky for me, once I've dedicated myself to an endeavor I don't quit easily, but I also don't like floundering around like a fish out of water for long and will eventually turn to someone for help. But only if I can't figure it out by myself first.
Call it a character flaw, but I really do like to figure certain things out on my own. There's a sense of achievement that comes along with that. I'm sure you've experienced this for yourself at one point or another. You'd understand.
Okay, so maybe there's stuff I should learn before attempting a novel. So what?
If you're not convinced you need to get yourself edumacated before you set out to start a novel with any hope of potential amongst other readers besides yourself, then I'm sorry; I can't help you. No one can. If that's what you want, to figure it out on your own, then more power to you.
On the other hand, if you are new to this writing thing, want to benefit from those who've been there and learn more about storytelling before you embark on the incredibly ambitious mission of writing a novel (or any story for that matter), then there are a few places you can start.
The first: remember that page I mentioned earlier, that orange link? (At least I think it's orange, unless you already visited it.) That would be a good start. Or, if you have a favorite author(s), why not check out his/her website or blog? They might even have free writing tips to share with you.
There are also some books out there that you might want to consider. If you've read some of my other posts, then you already know that I'm a biased writer in that my focus is on the fantasy genre. With that said, there are a couple of books I've read and thought were helpful without them being limited to fantasy writers.
How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey was one. It gives you some basic things to think about before you start pecking away on your keyboard, relentlessly churning out fiction into your poor word processor during ceaseless nights, and perhaps even, days. (Sometimes you get that into it.) The Key, by the same author, was also useful to me in understanding the archetypal Hero's Journey and character types but also cliches, how to avoid them and how it's possible to mix character roles to create more complex characters. Also, check out Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. It goes through the basics of how to put a coherent sentence together, but it also talks about how to appropriately use certain misused words and phrases like lie and lay. Style and grammar all wrapped up into one. It's a good reference book--one I still like to thumb through.
...and that's where my book-reading advice stops short. Like I said, I am of the figure-it-out variety, so I didn't read too many how-to books before I dived back into the process of writing. Most of my research, when I hunkered down and did some, was actually done online. However, if you prefer books to online articles or want to mix up your educational-things-to-read list, then there are many bookstores out there, online and in-person, that make it easy to search for instructional books and make personal judgements as to which ones might help you the most. This is especially easy online, where you can also browse other reader's reviews on books you're interested in and read their takes on how helpful those books were/were not. That's personally my favorite way to go about purchasing books.
Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders are all great places to search. I'm sure there are more out there, but those are the one's I've tried. (Amazon is probably my fave. :D)
Learning about writing is a lot like homework in college: No one's gonna keep looking over your shoulder to make sure you're doing it. Either you learn the material or you don't. That's how I feel about it, anyway. In essence, I think becoming a (creative) writer is just one of those do-it-yourself kinds of things. That doesn't mean there aren't mentors out there who can give you pointers and advice along the way, though.
Now, to the Point.
Hm, this post is getting long, and I've barely brushed the titular topic! You know what? Here's what I'm gonna do: Consider today Part I. Tomorrow, I will post Part II.
"Soooooooound good?"
"Yes, sir!"
(Thinking of Inglourious Basterds there.)
February 15, 2011
Sorry!
I know changing the look of my blog in the middle of it is bad form, but I really did want something more graphic for the top banner. Using color can be tricky.
Bear with me. It should be final after today.
Bear with me. It should be final after today.
February 10, 2011
Posting Days: Now on Wednesdays
I thought I'd let readers know: I'm going to try to post something new on Wednesdays, from now on. Between Monday and Wednesday morning I usually bunker down on school projects I've been slacking on, heh, or just need more work on. By Wednesday evening I'm thoroughly pooped and homework is the absolute last thing I want to think about. Blogging provides a nice distraction to the daily grind, you know. (Plus, if I do get free time, I can write my next entry ahead of time and come back later to edit it. Not that you really care about these things.)
If I tried to write something every day I'd run out of things to say. Worse, I'd fail my classes, never see the light of day, and would never become the amazing interior designer I'd so much like to become. (I've put a lot of thought into my posts, so far, and sometimes they take longer to write than I first expected.)
So Wednesdays. Expect new posts on Wednesdays, from now on. You can write something amazing in the meantime. ;)
If I tried to write something every day I'd run out of things to say. Worse, I'd fail my classes, never see the light of day, and would never become the amazing interior designer I'd so much like to become. (I've put a lot of thought into my posts, so far, and sometimes they take longer to write than I first expected.)
So Wednesdays. Expect new posts on Wednesdays, from now on. You can write something amazing in the meantime. ;)
February 8, 2011
Inception: When a Novel Idea Impregnates the Mind
"What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere."
-Cobb from Inception
Ideas can be insidious little things. I feel like I've been haunted by a few for the past four years.
My Story
On January 1st, 2007, I decided to start a journal because I had an idea: What if the world really was run by the classical or Chinese elements, and what if those elements could be controlled, manipulated? How would that affect people? How would that make their world different from ours?
Of course, I realized I was not the first person to ask these questions. The idea has been done many times before--the Nickelodeon show "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "Naruto" and "Captain Planet" (do you remember that silly show?!) are all relatively well-known examples. TV Tropes gives a pretty large list of other examples in a wide range of media, including novels. I realized then, sitting in my room with my mostly empty journal, that I needed to explore some other ways to make my take on the elements unique.
For some reason I was really drawn to the idea of making people with elemental powers outcasts, forced to live secret lives. Maybe their powers were even suppressed. Immediately, I thought of the TV show "Heroes" and even the X-men. Okay, I told myself, so that's been done before, too. But my take on this idea is going to be different.
Again, how?
Coming Up with a Premise
It's taken a lot of experimental drafts for me to finally settle on a premise that I felt really got to the heart of the things I wanted to explore about life. My premise, as it stands, reads something like this:
An aviatrix with a rare psychophysiological condition discovers the truth about herself when a clairvoyant government agent employs her in acts of espionage against an elemental terror.
27 words. It may not be perfect (the jury is still out on that one), but it does highlight the prominent elements in my story. The protagonist is an aeroplane pilot with a rare psychophysiological condition (there's a mouthful). That condition is called emelesia, something I made up along the way, and it holds the fantasy element in my story and is connected to the "elemental terror" I mentioned in the premise. That same terror highlights the antagonistic force in my novel. Also, with the mention of the clairvoyant agent and acts of espionage you get the sense that there'll be some paranormal espionage at play. The combination of all these elements is what makes my story unique.
I hope.
(You can read more about some of the characters and organizations in my work in progress at my Photobucket account, if you're interested.)
It Ain't Over 'til It's Over
The thing is, a manuscript ain't finished 'til it's, well, finished. I've still got a lot of editing work to do on mine, but I've gotten through the initial hard part of churning out the first draft (and I've been told this is a milestone in itself, as most people who start novels never finish them). It's been a long process, but that phase is complete. What I'm focused on now is refining my ideas, characters, plots, etc. and making sure everything is coherent, tells the story I want to tell and has the capacity to hold a potential reader's interest.
It's taken me four years to even get to this point.
Why? Well, for starters, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I made the decision to turn my idea into a novel. That said, I did a fair amount of floundering about until I learned more about the writing process and writing craft. And really, I'm still learning more about these things. It's a process. (It's why I started this blog and provided a readily available list of links for writers who are as new to this process as I was/still am!)
From what I've gathered from reading authors' blogs, books and online articles, a good idea can take anywhere from a couple of months to several years to develop into a finished novel. Some writers will discover they churn out novels rather quickly. Others like to take things a little slower. The fact that it's so far taken me more or less four years does not daunt me. For me, it's just a matter of putting in the necessary effort to finish my novel to my satisfaction.
How this will pan out if I ever become published, I'm unsure of. I imagine publishers have expectations with shorter deadlines than some four years, heh, but I'm keeping in mind that this is my first novel and I've been using this experience to learn how to write one in the first place. Writing the next should be a lot easier. Also, I've never written short stories before, so I didn't have the knowledge that often comes through that process to help me learn more about storytelling before diving into a ginormous freakin' novel.
Which is fine by me. I'm the tortoise in this race; I've already accepted this fact. But I will finish this novel, doggonnit! My subconscious mind will not let me rest until I do.
I know I'm not the only slow plotter in the world. J.R.R. Tolkien is notorious for taking a long time to complete his famous trilogy. In the extra content on the Inception DVD, Christopher Nolan said it took him about ten years to make his dream become a reality. Ten years. Granted, movies probably take a little longer to develop than some novels, but ten years is still a really long time for one idea. (Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to compare myself to these guys. I'm just saying: Some ideas take longer to come into fruition.)
Personally, I thought the concept and story behind Inception was brilliant. I still like to watch the movie over and over again. I listen to the soundtrack, too, like it's my religion. Not for a moment did I lose interest in the storyline. And don't even get me started on the cliffhanger ending--scandalous. What's more, each character contributed something unique and important to the story and--added bonus--they were all exceptionally cool.
In my opinion, anyway.
Inspiration to Write a Novel
Reading other people's novels can be a source of great inspiration, but I've also found that movies, television shows and music can do the same. Heck, anything can spark an idea for a novel. The difficulty lies in taking your initial idea and turning into an actual story--because idea and story are not the same thing. Larry Brooks discusses this in an article he wrote on concept, and how that differs from premise and idea.
Getting an idea for a novel is just the beginning. Now you have to start making some plans to help you finish it.
Think you don't need a plan to finish a novel? Think again. *hovering clouds of doom and lightning, followed by an evil cackle and roll of thunder*
How About You?
So now you know a little more about me and where I'm at in my experience of learning how to write a novel. Perhaps I'll hear of yours? :D If you're writing a story, be it a novel, a short story or anything in between, what is it about? Can you sum it up in around 25 or so words? (Trust me, it's a lot harder than it looks.) Or how about stories that aren't necessarily yours? Any favorites that you can sum up? What makes that story unique?
-Cobb from Inception
Ideas can be insidious little things. I feel like I've been haunted by a few for the past four years.
My Story
On January 1st, 2007, I decided to start a journal because I had an idea: What if the world really was run by the classical or Chinese elements, and what if those elements could be controlled, manipulated? How would that affect people? How would that make their world different from ours?
Of course, I realized I was not the first person to ask these questions. The idea has been done many times before--the Nickelodeon show "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "Naruto" and "Captain Planet" (do you remember that silly show?!) are all relatively well-known examples. TV Tropes gives a pretty large list of other examples in a wide range of media, including novels. I realized then, sitting in my room with my mostly empty journal, that I needed to explore some other ways to make my take on the elements unique.
For some reason I was really drawn to the idea of making people with elemental powers outcasts, forced to live secret lives. Maybe their powers were even suppressed. Immediately, I thought of the TV show "Heroes" and even the X-men. Okay, I told myself, so that's been done before, too. But my take on this idea is going to be different.
Again, how?
Coming Up with a Premise
It's taken a lot of experimental drafts for me to finally settle on a premise that I felt really got to the heart of the things I wanted to explore about life. My premise, as it stands, reads something like this:
An aviatrix with a rare psychophysiological condition discovers the truth about herself when a clairvoyant government agent employs her in acts of espionage against an elemental terror.
27 words. It may not be perfect (the jury is still out on that one), but it does highlight the prominent elements in my story. The protagonist is an aeroplane pilot with a rare psychophysiological condition (there's a mouthful). That condition is called emelesia, something I made up along the way, and it holds the fantasy element in my story and is connected to the "elemental terror" I mentioned in the premise. That same terror highlights the antagonistic force in my novel. Also, with the mention of the clairvoyant agent and acts of espionage you get the sense that there'll be some paranormal espionage at play. The combination of all these elements is what makes my story unique.
I hope.
(You can read more about some of the characters and organizations in my work in progress at my Photobucket account, if you're interested.)
It Ain't Over 'til It's Over
The thing is, a manuscript ain't finished 'til it's, well, finished. I've still got a lot of editing work to do on mine, but I've gotten through the initial hard part of churning out the first draft (and I've been told this is a milestone in itself, as most people who start novels never finish them). It's been a long process, but that phase is complete. What I'm focused on now is refining my ideas, characters, plots, etc. and making sure everything is coherent, tells the story I want to tell and has the capacity to hold a potential reader's interest.
It's taken me four years to even get to this point.
Why? Well, for starters, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I made the decision to turn my idea into a novel. That said, I did a fair amount of floundering about until I learned more about the writing process and writing craft. And really, I'm still learning more about these things. It's a process. (It's why I started this blog and provided a readily available list of links for writers who are as new to this process as I was/still am!)
From what I've gathered from reading authors' blogs, books and online articles, a good idea can take anywhere from a couple of months to several years to develop into a finished novel. Some writers will discover they churn out novels rather quickly. Others like to take things a little slower. The fact that it's so far taken me more or less four years does not daunt me. For me, it's just a matter of putting in the necessary effort to finish my novel to my satisfaction.
How this will pan out if I ever become published, I'm unsure of. I imagine publishers have expectations with shorter deadlines than some four years, heh, but I'm keeping in mind that this is my first novel and I've been using this experience to learn how to write one in the first place. Writing the next should be a lot easier. Also, I've never written short stories before, so I didn't have the knowledge that often comes through that process to help me learn more about storytelling before diving into a ginormous freakin' novel.
Which is fine by me. I'm the tortoise in this race; I've already accepted this fact. But I will finish this novel, doggonnit! My subconscious mind will not let me rest until I do.
I know I'm not the only slow plotter in the world. J.R.R. Tolkien is notorious for taking a long time to complete his famous trilogy. In the extra content on the Inception DVD, Christopher Nolan said it took him about ten years to make his dream become a reality. Ten years. Granted, movies probably take a little longer to develop than some novels, but ten years is still a really long time for one idea. (Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to compare myself to these guys. I'm just saying: Some ideas take longer to come into fruition.)
Personally, I thought the concept and story behind Inception was brilliant. I still like to watch the movie over and over again. I listen to the soundtrack, too, like it's my religion. Not for a moment did I lose interest in the storyline. And don't even get me started on the cliffhanger ending--scandalous. What's more, each character contributed something unique and important to the story and--added bonus--they were all exceptionally cool.
In my opinion, anyway.
Inspiration to Write a Novel
Reading other people's novels can be a source of great inspiration, but I've also found that movies, television shows and music can do the same. Heck, anything can spark an idea for a novel. The difficulty lies in taking your initial idea and turning into an actual story--because idea and story are not the same thing. Larry Brooks discusses this in an article he wrote on concept, and how that differs from premise and idea.
Getting an idea for a novel is just the beginning. Now you have to start making some plans to help you finish it.
Think you don't need a plan to finish a novel? Think again. *hovering clouds of doom and lightning, followed by an evil cackle and roll of thunder*
How About You?
So now you know a little more about me and where I'm at in my experience of learning how to write a novel. Perhaps I'll hear of yours? :D If you're writing a story, be it a novel, a short story or anything in between, what is it about? Can you sum it up in around 25 or so words? (Trust me, it's a lot harder than it looks.) Or how about stories that aren't necessarily yours? Any favorites that you can sum up? What makes that story unique?
February 2, 2011
Links on Writing
Please scroll down if you'd like to skip my preamble and see all the links.
Let me just start off by saying that the Internet is an amazing tool. It's ridiculous how much is out there nowadays. Really. (And it's free!)
Over the years I've done oodles of research into how to write a novel, a lot of it online. I knew absolutely nothing starting off and wanted to learn as much as I could. Along the way I kept track of all the useful websites I'd visited under my "Favorites" tab on Internet Explorer and I've been referring back to this collection of links ever since.
So, I figured, why not share the wealth?
If you're at all like me, having a voracious appetite for knowledge, then you might make great use of this resource. Please do! There are a lot of wonderful authors out there (like those listed on the right column of this blog) who have shared their knowledge via websites and blogs. If it weren't for them, I'd know next to nothing about writing.
Below is an extensive list of links to articles about writing. It is listed topically in alphabetical order (should be, anyway). That way, if you have a particular interest in one aspect of writing you can just look under that topic and browse accordingly. I plan on adding sites along the way if I come across new ones that I believe share information that might be helpful to fiction, particularly speculative fiction, writers.
Now, if you've taken a look at the list and already want to flee, I can recommend a few good sites for beginners (below) that go over the basics:
Larry Brooks does a great job of covering the basics—what he calls the Six Core Competencies of writing: concept, character, theme, story structure (plot), scene construction and writing voice—on his website, and it isn't particularly focused on any one type of genre. However, I do find his site a little difficult to navigate through at times. Still, it would certainly be a good start content-wise. Also, check out Holly Lisle's site for writers and Martha Well's list of links for beginners. (Martha lists some good books on writing to check out or purchase, too, if you get the chance.) Now, if you'd really like everything laid out in a straight line for you, then you should check out how-to-write-a-book-now.com because that's exactly what you'll get there.
Suite101 is another great free resource available to writers and has tons of articles written by professionals, not just on writing but on other topics like music, history and technology.
If anyone knows of any other links that would fit nicely on this list, do feel free to share and I will check it out and add it. I'll be sure to make a list of names to thank and credit for any additions. :)
Helpful Links for Writers:
Action Scenes
(Not sure what genre(s) you write in? Check out the "Genre Descriptions" article under All Genres. Still confused? Well, my friend, you might be writing cross-genre fiction. Many folks out there would agree that some genre definitions are a bit...vague to begin with. Do some research, read more in the field(s) you think your work fits in and maybe then you'll have a better idea of where your work fits it. We fledgling writers will need to know this eventually anyway if we plan on getting our work published some day.)
(You'll find some variances, depending on your source, and the guidelines in these links are pretty much similar, but ultimately you'll want to go with the publisher's guidelines.)
Keep in mind, too, that some of these links cover multiple topics and some are even from the author links I've posted on this blog.
If you happen to visit one website and find yourself liking most of the content on it, then why not add them to your favorites? I admit, I'm going to be putting up a ridiculous number of links and the thought of it overwhelms even me. Having a resident go-to how-to site, if you will, that you feel most comfortable with is a lot less daunting than having a huge list in front of you. (Though, I personally believe it's good to diversify and read from multiple sources, just to cross-reference information.)
Again, this is just a resource. What one writer may find immensely helpful another may think is useless and utter crap. I'm just putting it all out there because you never know what you might learn from someone else's perspective.
A Final Note
If there's one prominent thing I've learned in my experience so far, it's this: There is more than one way to write a novel or complete a story. Lots of these links will suggest multiple strategies for achieving results, and not all of them may work for you. As a new writer you will have to try different methods and learn what works best for you. It can be a tedious, frustrating process, but I believe that the writer who knows himself well will have a better time of knowing what to write and how to write it. Keep that in mind if you ever feel overwhelmed with your project because becoming a good (or rather a great) writer takes lots o' time.
I should know; I'm still trying to get there!
Let me just start off by saying that the Internet is an amazing tool. It's ridiculous how much is out there nowadays. Really. (And it's free!)
Over the years I've done oodles of research into how to write a novel, a lot of it online. I knew absolutely nothing starting off and wanted to learn as much as I could. Along the way I kept track of all the useful websites I'd visited under my "Favorites" tab on Internet Explorer and I've been referring back to this collection of links ever since.
So, I figured, why not share the wealth?
If you're at all like me, having a voracious appetite for knowledge, then you might make great use of this resource. Please do! There are a lot of wonderful authors out there (like those listed on the right column of this blog) who have shared their knowledge via websites and blogs. If it weren't for them, I'd know next to nothing about writing.
Below is an extensive list of links to articles about writing. It is listed topically in alphabetical order (should be, anyway). That way, if you have a particular interest in one aspect of writing you can just look under that topic and browse accordingly. I plan on adding sites along the way if I come across new ones that I believe share information that might be helpful to fiction, particularly speculative fiction, writers.
Now, if you've taken a look at the list and already want to flee, I can recommend a few good sites for beginners (below) that go over the basics:
Larry Brooks does a great job of covering the basics—what he calls the Six Core Competencies of writing: concept, character, theme, story structure (plot), scene construction and writing voice—on his website, and it isn't particularly focused on any one type of genre. However, I do find his site a little difficult to navigate through at times. Still, it would certainly be a good start content-wise. Also, check out Holly Lisle's site for writers and Martha Well's list of links for beginners. (Martha lists some good books on writing to check out or purchase, too, if you get the chance.) Now, if you'd really like everything laid out in a straight line for you, then you should check out how-to-write-a-book-now.com because that's exactly what you'll get there.
Suite101 is another great free resource available to writers and has tons of articles written by professionals, not just on writing but on other topics like music, history and technology.
If anyone knows of any other links that would fit nicely on this list, do feel free to share and I will check it out and add it. I'll be sure to make a list of names to thank and credit for any additions. :)
Helpful Links for Writers:
Action Scenes
- Action? Write spare to get the most. - Night Bazaar
- Thriller: Writing the Action Scene - FM Writers
- Writing Action Scenes - About.com
- Writing Action Scenes - Magical Worlds
- Agent Query
- Guest Blog: Ginger Clark on How to Handle an Offer of Representation - Nathan Bransford
- How to Find a Literary Agent - Nathan Bransford
- Publishers Marketplace (requires a monthly fee of $20 for access to some of the information, though not info on members--i.e. agents!)
- Dividing a Novel into Chapters - Suite101 (I'm guessing chapters then to be a bit longer for fantasy and epic fantasy novels, but this article is still good reading, I think)
- How Long Should Your Story Be? - Fiction Factor (general guidelines to go by)
- How to Write a Strong Novel Chapter - Suite101
- Antagonist in Fiction: He Is Powerful - Writing.com
- Building Character(s) - Deep Genre
- Characterization - Writing Corner
- Choosing Your Main Character and His/Her Essential Counterpart - How to Write a Book Now
- Creating Archetypal Characters To Fill The Dramatic Functions in Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Creating Memorable Villains: Four Steps to Creating Unforgettable Fictional Bad Guys - Suite101
- Creative Writing Tips - Have You Established Your Main Character At The Start? - Advancing Women
- Defining and Developing Your Anti-Hero - Writer's Digest
- Direct vs. Indirect Characterization - Fiction Factor
- Fiction Writing: Characters Rule the Story - Men With Pens
- Fiction Writing: What Makes Readers Care About Your Characters? - Men With Pens
- Holly Lisle's Create A Character Clinic (requires an online purchase for the PDF file, though is quite affordable at $9.95 and very informative)
- How to Create Characters That Are Believable and Memorable - How to Write a Book Now
- Kameron Hurley, Author of God's War, on "Bring Me Your Heroes" - Omnivoracious (Kameron Hurley talks about anti-heroes)
- Realistic, Engaging Characters in Fiction: How to Build Character in Novels and Short Stories - Suite 101
- The Other in Fiction: Creating Wonderfully Wicked Villains - Horror Factor
- The Story Crucible: The Factor that Keeps the Character in Trouble - Suite101
- Villains - Fiction Factor
- Villains vs. Antagonists - SF Novelists
- Ways Minor Characters Improve a Story - Suite101
- What Are You Talking About? write here, write now (a look at gender and archetypes)
- Writing Authentic Male Characters - Superhero Nation (being female, I found this useful)
- Writing the Male Character - Fierce Romance (generalizations, though again, probably most useful to females)
- Reaching Climax in a Novel Requires Planning - Suite101 (it really does)
- Rising to the Occasion: the Climax of Your Novel - SFWA
- Troubleshooting a Weak Climax in a Novel - Suite101
- Troubles With the Plot Climax - Finding Figments
- Concept Defined - Writer's Digest (Larry Brooks; really an excellent article; also addresses the terms "idea" and "premise")
- Using Concept To Focus The Story - The Visual Writer
- Increase Character Conflict: Make Characters and the Story More Interesting By Increasing Conflict - Suite101
- How to Write Dialogue in Fiction - Associated Content
- Writing Compelling Dialogue in Fiction - Suite101
- Writing Effective Dialog - The Writer's Ezine
- Writing Excuses 5.20: More Dialog Exercises - Writing Excuses (podcast - 24min.)
- Elements of a Novel: Editing - Musik Therapie
- One-Pass Manuscript Revision: From First Draft to Last in One Cycle - Holly Lisle
- Revision Technique - NaNoEdMo
- Creative Writing Ends With Conflict Resolution - Suite101
- Editing - Suite101 (lists a whole collection of topical articles on editing)
- Writing the Novel – Guidelines for Effective Endings - Suite101
(Not sure what genre(s) you write in? Check out the "Genre Descriptions" article under All Genres. Still confused? Well, my friend, you might be writing cross-genre fiction. Many folks out there would agree that some genre definitions are a bit...vague to begin with. Do some research, read more in the field(s) you think your work fits in and maybe then you'll have a better idea of where your work fits it. We fledgling writers will need to know this eventually anyway if we plan on getting our work published some day.)
- All Genres / Genre in General
1. Fiction: Genre vs. Mainstream vs. Literary - Toasted Cheese
2. Genre Descriptions - Agent Query
3. Mainstream vs. Genre - SFF World (Kat G., a former agent for Penguin, sheds some light on the difference between the two in a discussion forum) - Fantasy
1. Fantasy Fiction - Suite101
2. Quality in Epic Fantasy - Strange Horizons
3. The Fantasy Novelist's Exam - RinksWorks (do take this with a grain of salt; use this list to help you lookout for common fantasy cliches in your own writing and aim for originality) - Literary Fiction
1. How to Create Literary Fiction - Absolute Write
2. Literary vs Commercial Fiction - Ezine @rticles
3. What Is Literary Fiction? Literary Editors Share Their Views. - Writing World
4. What Makes Literary Fiction Literary? - Nathan Bransford
5. What’s a “Literary” Novel? - Daily Writing Tips
6. Writing a Novel — The Literary Fiction Genre - Suite101 - Mystery
1. Whodunnit, Howdunnit, And Whydunnit: 10 Tips For Writing Your Mystery Novel - PoeWar (scroll towards bottom to see the article) - Noir Fiction
1. Noir Fiction: Money, Sex, and Revenge - The New Yorker - Romance
1. 20 Steps to Writing Great Love Scenes - Writing World - Speculative Fiction (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Alt. Historical Fiction & Horror)
1. Genre: Speculative Fiction - Suite101
2. Help! I Want To Be A Speculative Fiction Writer - The Dabbling Mum - Urban/Contemporary Fantasy
1. Contemporary Fantasy: Setting the Fantastic in the Everyday World - Writing World
2. Urban Fantasy - TV Tropes
- Bold or Italics? - Artemy Lebedev
- Guide to Grammar & Writing - Capital Community College
- Handling Internal Dialogue in Fiction: Using Quotation Marks and Italics to Express a Character's Thoughts - Suite101
- How to Correct Run-On Sentences & Comma-Splices: Ways to Identify & Punctuate Using Semicolons, Conjunctions, Periods - Suite101
- How to Use a Colon and Semicolon - Suite101
- Hyphen everything2.com (who knew there were so many types!)
- Parentheses in Fiction - Crawford Killian
- Passive Voice - unc.edu
- Punctuation Rules of English Ellipses and Braces - Suite101
- Semicolon Use - Suite101
- The Humble Hyphen - Punctuating With Hyphens, Em Dashes, and En Dashes Ezine @rticles
- The Proper Use of "Lay" and Lie" Grammar Tips (this eluded me for the longest time...)
- When and How to Use a Dash in Writing: Used to Interrupt, Introduce, Repeat, Separate & Clarify Sentences - Suite101
- Novel Writing Ideas: How to Get Them - How to Write a Book Now
- Writing Excuses 5.10: John Brown and the Creative Process - Writing Excuses
- Sanderson's First Law - Brandon Sanderson
(You'll find some variances, depending on your source, and the guidelines in these links are pretty much similar, but ultimately you'll want to go with the publisher's guidelines.)
- A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format - Writing World
- How to Format a Manuscript - Holly Lisle
- How to Format an Unpublished Novel in Word 2007 - eHow
- Manuscript 101–Introduction & Basic Manuscript Format - Kaye Dacus
- Carol Berg on Book Releases - Night Bazaar
- How to Create a Facebook Page in 3 Easy Steps - Author Tech Tips
- Your Blog as Stage: Building a Believable Author Brand - Storyfix
- Creative Writing: How Long Should Your Novel Be? - Ezine @rticles
- Uncle Orson's Writing Class: Novel Length - Orson Scott Card
- What Is the Ideal Novel Length? - Novel Writing Help
- Organic Plotting - Jodi Henley
- Organic Writing (mind-mapping) - From the Crow's Nest
- SOLVED: The Outlining vs. Organic Writing Debate - write to done (Larry Brooks)
- Holly Lisle's Novel-Writing School (yes, it's free)
- How To Create A Plot Outline In 8 Easy Steps - How to Write a Book Now
- Outlining Your Novel in Thirty Minutes - SFF Net
- Writing an Outline of Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Multiple Points of View - Tara K. Harper
- Story Perspective - Storymind
- Conflict and Character within Story Structure: The Basic Three Act Structure - Musik Therapie
- Good Plots Take Time - Highlights Foundation
- How to Plot Your Novel - Spacejock
- Plot Development: Climax, Resolution, and Your Main Character - How to Write a Book Now
- Plots & Stories - Tameri
- Plot Versus Character: Which Drives the Story? - Hear Write Now
- STORY STRUCTURE: PART ONE (Asking the Right Questions) - SFF Net
- The "Basic" Plots in Literature - ipl2
- The Best Approach To Story Structure: From Aristotle to Dramatica - How to Write a Book Now (debatable, but still worth reading)
- The Story Goal: Your Key To Creating A Solid Plot Structure - How to Write a Book Now
- The Top Ten Plotting Problems - SFF Net
- Tips for Plotting: How to Create a Fascinating Plot for Your Story - Associated Content
- Writing Excuses Season Three Episode 12: Subplots - MBarker at Live Journal (transcript of a podcast discussion on subplots featuring fantasy author Brandon Sanderson; link to original podcast provided)
- Playing it Straight With Plot Twists - Dave King Editorial Services
- Pondering the Prologue: Should You Keep it or Kill it? - The Other Side of the Story
- Prologues – This Side of Hell - Behler Blog (from an editor's POV)
- The Prologue - When to Use One, How to Write One - Foremost Press
- Where to Begin? When, Where and How to Write a Prologue - Writing World
- CompletelyNovel (a combination self-publisher/social network; read a review by Self-Publish Review here)
- Lulu: Self Publishing & Book Printing Solutions (a review from PCMag here)
- Publishers Marketplace (requires a monthly fee of $20 for access to some of the info)
- The Pros and Cons of Self Publishing - Suite101
- To POD or Not to POD? Some Pros and Cons - Writing World
- How to Write a Query - Agent Query
- Query Letter #... - Call My Agent (an Australian literary agent posts some examples of query letters and explains what works, what doesn't and why)
- Avoiding Writing Scams - Night Bazaar
- Warnings About the Schemes, Scams, and Pitfalls That Threaten Writers - SFWA
- Scenes: The Building Blocks of Novels - Suite101
- The Essential Scene List - Kay Kenyon
- Writing in Scenes, Part 1 - Kay Kenyon
- Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers - Dennis G. Jerz
- Tips for Writing a Short Story - Write 101
- How to Write a Novel - Justine Larbalestier
- How to Write a Novel (Part 1) - DeepGenre
- How to Write a Novel - Spacejock
- How to Write a Novel: The Snowflake Method - Advanced Fiction Writing (not recommended unless you have a clear vision of your novel before starting)
- Stages of a Novel: Writing the Rough Draft - Katie Ganshert
- The Tyranny of the First Draft - Karen Miller
- What Starts a Story? - Kay Kenyon
- Writing Your Books In Multiple Drafts - AutoCrit
- Checklist: Elements of Literary Style - teachers.lakesideschool.org
- Passive Voice - unc.edu
- Send up the (Red) Flag: Words That Often Spell Trouble - The Other Side of the Story (gives some great examples of the problematic use of certain words)
- Style: the Rhythm of Prose - Fiction Factor
- Turkey City Lexicon – A Primer for SF Workshops - SFWA (meant for science fiction writers, though it has great pointers for writers in general; scroll down to "Part One: Words and Sentences" for the helpful stuff)
- How to Write a Synopsis - Writing-World
- Mastering the Dreaded Synopsis - Condensing Your Novel - Fiction Factor
- Synopsis vs. Outline - Fiction Factor
- Trilogy Synopses - Fantasy Factor
- Choosing a Theme for Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Does Your Fiction Novel Have a Theme? - Men With Pens (a guest post from Larry Brooks)
- Finding Your Themes - Holly Lisle
- The Elusive And Confounding Core Competency That Is “Theme” - Storyfix (Larry Brooks again!)
- Plotters vs. Pantsers: How To Make Sure Writers Block Doesn't Kill Your Dream - How to Write a Book Now
- Writing Groups - The Writer Magazine
- A way with worlds: 14 - Creating new religions - SFF World (try to ignore the annoying ads)
- Choosing a Setting for Your Novel - How to Write a Book Now
- Creating Worlds, Part 1: Overview and Uniqueness - The Write Thing
- Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions - SFWA
- Holly Lisle's Create A Culture Clinic (requires an online purchase for the PDF file, though is quite affordable at $9.95 and very informative)
- Holly Lisle's Create A Language Clinic (requires an online purchase for the PDF file, though is quite affordable at $9.95 and very informative)
- How to Draw Nice Maps - Zompist
- On Religion in SF and Fantasy: An Interview with Orson Scott Card - Writing World
- The Mythopoet's Manual - Loren J. Miller
- Worldbuilder Questions - Lars Eighner (tip: try pressing Ctrl+A to highlight all text and make it stand out if it's too hard to make out on the graph paper background)
- Worldbuilding 201: Normalizing the Absurd - Kameron Hurley
Keep in mind, too, that some of these links cover multiple topics and some are even from the author links I've posted on this blog.
If you happen to visit one website and find yourself liking most of the content on it, then why not add them to your favorites? I admit, I'm going to be putting up a ridiculous number of links and the thought of it overwhelms even me. Having a resident go-to how-to site, if you will, that you feel most comfortable with is a lot less daunting than having a huge list in front of you. (Though, I personally believe it's good to diversify and read from multiple sources, just to cross-reference information.)
Again, this is just a resource. What one writer may find immensely helpful another may think is useless and utter crap. I'm just putting it all out there because you never know what you might learn from someone else's perspective.
A Final Note
If there's one prominent thing I've learned in my experience so far, it's this: There is more than one way to write a novel or complete a story. Lots of these links will suggest multiple strategies for achieving results, and not all of them may work for you. As a new writer you will have to try different methods and learn what works best for you. It can be a tedious, frustrating process, but I believe that the writer who knows himself well will have a better time of knowing what to write and how to write it. Keep that in mind if you ever feel overwhelmed with your project because becoming a good (or rather a great) writer takes lots o' time.
I should know; I'm still trying to get there!
Welcome to My Blog!
Hello, there, and thanks for stopping by! If you don't know me, my name is Tiyana and I've decided to start this blog for a few reasons:
Anyhow, that's all for now. I can't wait to get all of those aforementioned links up and start posting some of my thoughts on writing for discussion. I look forward to hearing from other writers/storytellers out there and learning from your experiences, as well. Hopefully we can get a good community going here. :) (If not, it'll be just me talking to myself! Haha.)
Until next time.
-Tiyana
- as a resource for other aspiring writers;
- to discuss writerly (yeah, I made that up) topics with like-minded individuals; and finally
- because I can!
Anyhow, that's all for now. I can't wait to get all of those aforementioned links up and start posting some of my thoughts on writing for discussion. I look forward to hearing from other writers/storytellers out there and learning from your experiences, as well. Hopefully we can get a good community going here. :) (If not, it'll be just me talking to myself! Haha.)
Until next time.
-Tiyana
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