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FICTION ADVICE
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2/23/2015 AllWriteFictionAdvice:February2012
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SA T URDA Y , 2 5 FE BRUA R Y 2 0 1 2
GettingthePaceRightPaceisliketheheartbeatofyourstorysometimesitssteadyandrelaxed,sometimesitracesatbreakneckspeed.
Pacedictatesthespeedatwhichyourreadermovesthroughyourstory.Skilfullydone,itcanspeedthingsupandslowthemdownwithequalmeasure,allwithoutthereaderreallynoticing,sogettingthepacingrightreallyisafineart.Doitcorrectlyanditcouldheightenyourreadersexperience,butifyougetitwrong,yourreaderwontwanttoreadanyfurther.
Paceisntjustabouttherateatwhichyourstoryistold,butitsalsoacleverwayofblendingaction,emotionandtension.Andthewaytoachievethatistochoosetherightwordsfortherightscene.
Paceisallaboutmomentumwhetherfast,sloworsteady.Whicheverway,yourreaderwantstofeelthatrate,tofeelsweptalongortofeelagentlelull.Theideaistovarythatmomentum,tomovealongsteadily,thenrampuptheactionandpace,thenslowthingsdowntoallowthereadertoreflect,andsoon.Withoutthispacing,astorymightfallintothetrapofbecomingtheclappedoutoldbangerchuggingalongabarrenroadatasteady35mphuntiltheveryend.Thereisariskthatthemonotonywillsendyourreadertosleep.
TheElasticBandmethod
Thebestwaytogettogripswithpaceisbythinkingofyour
A LL WR IT E F I C T IONADVICE
IsBackstoryNecessary?CreatingLastingImagesTrustYourMemoriesReadingYourMSSOutLoudSortingFactfromFiction
WE LCOME T O A L L WR IT E
Soyou'veembarkedonyourfictionwritingjourney.
It'soneofthehardestthingstodocreateawhole,believableworldforotherpeopletoenjoy,especiallyifyou'renewtowriting.It'salsooneoftheloneliestjobs,especiallywhenthereisnohelporadviceorsupport...sorightheretherewillbehandyarticles,examplesandsimplestepbystepguidestohelpmakethecreativeprocessthatmucheasier.
FE BRUA R Y FE MME SFA T A LE S
Thisnewdeliciouslydarkanthologyisoutnow,witharangeofstunningfemalewriterstoscareanddelightinequal
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A L L WR I T E F I C T I ON ADV I C EA D V I C E O N C R E A T I V E WR I T I NG
2/23/2015 AllWriteFictionAdvice:February2012
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storyasanelasticband.Ifyoustretchanelasticband,itbecomestautandtense,butifyouslackenit,itbecomesrelaxedandsoft.Thisisexactlyhowyournarrativeshouldbe.
Theimportantelementsofyourstorycrisispoints,actionscenesandconflictscenesshouldbetautened,andthepacealteredtoreflectthat.Thismeansthewritingaccelerates.
Softer,reflectivescenesorgentleemotionalorromanticscenesetc,representaslowerpace(andaslackenedelasticband).Thismeansthewritingismoredescriptiveandfullwithflourishes,whichdeceleratesthespeedofthenarrative.
Byalternatingthefastersceneswithslowerones,yourreaderwillenjoytheexcitementandthrillsoftheaction,buttheywillalsogetmuchneededrespiteinsoftermomentsandthereforetheyareabletosharethosemomentswiththecharactersthroughtheuseofempathy.
MilkthePotential
Nevermisstheopportunitytokickthepaceintoanothergearwhereitpresentsitself,otherwise,youwillhavemissedtheopportunitytomilkthereadersattentionandinterestatkeymoments,butdontforcethepaceifyouthinkyournarrativeislagging,otherwiseyouwillendupwithsomethingcontrivedandstilted.Lettheactiondevelopandgrownaturally.
Ifthenarrativeislagging,gobackandfindoutwhyitmightbeinneedofsomebrutalediting.
Choiceofwords
Choiceofwordsalsoaffectsthepaceofthenarrative.Whereactionisconcerned,bebriskandtothepoint.Ifyouhaveafightscene,dontspendsevenparagraphsbeautifullydescribingthenuancesofeachcharactersmovements.Instead,getintothethickofitandusesharp,staccatoorabruptwords,likepunch,hit,shock,thrust,whacketc.Brevityisthekeytoactionscenes.
Longerdescriptivewordsslowthepacewordslikestroll,amble,meanderetc,orsofterwords.Thenarrativewillimmediatelyreflectthatmood.
measure.Iamprivilegedtohaveeightshortstories/poemspublishedinthisbook,soifyoulikeyourdamesalittledarkanddangerous,thisisthebookforyou.
NOW A VA I LA BLE ONAMA ZON
FebruaryFemmesFatalesTheBook
WISE WORDS . . .
Writingislikebeingmarriedyouhavetoworkhardatmaintaininghappinessandequilibrium,butinvariablyonealwaysendsupinthedoghouse.
A BOUT ME
AJHUMPAGE
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I'vebeenwritingforover25yearsandstartedoutinthe
publishingindustry.I'vepublishedarticles,studyguides,poems,flashfiction,shortstoriesandanovel.IalsoworkfulltimesoI'mALWAYSworking.
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Remembertheelasticbandsojustwhentheactionscenesreachacrescendo,bringthereaderbackdownandslowthenarrative.Thisisthemosteffectivemethodofvaryingpaceandtension.Andjustasthereadergetscomfortable,yankthatrugawayandbringintheactionagain.
Astoryshouldbelikeridingarollercoaster.Itcanbedeceptive,itmayseemgentle,thenitrushesyouovertheedge,sweepsyoudown,racesalong,thenlullsmomentarilybeforerushingyouupandoveronceagain...
Rememberthatbothconflictandemotionplayanimportantpartwithpacing.Whereverthereisconflicttherewillalwaysbeaslightincreaseinpace.Whereverthereisemotion,thenarrativebecomessofterandslower.
Thekeyistovarythepace.Takeyourreaderonthatrollercoaster,anddon'tforgetthatelasticband...
Nextweek:Turningpointscriticalmomentsinanovelexplained.
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WritingbynumbersNotunlikepaintingbynumbers,writingbynumberswritingtospecialcreativewritingprogramsisjustoneofthewaystohelpwriterspentheirbestsellingblockbusters,butthereinliesaproblem,becausemanyofthesesoftwareprogramsoftenclaimitsasurefirewaytopublicationandsuccess.
Thereality,however,canbequitedifferent.Writingexperience,andthequalityofthatwritinggetsyoupublished,notacomputerprogram.
Itsbettertodotheworkyourselfbecauseyoullfeelmuchbetteraboutyouraccomplishments,andyoulllearnsomuchmoreaboutthewritingprocesses.
Butdoescreativewritingsoftwareactuallywork?
NowavailableonAmazonKindleUKandUS
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Itcanbeusefultoadegreetheyprovideanoverviewofnovelwritingmethodsandtheyhelpwritersunderstandsomeofthewritingprocesses.Theirsellingpointisthattheyoffertheframeworkforwhichtocreateyournovelhowever,notoneofthemwilltellyouhowyouapplysomeofthemostimportantaspectswhenitcomestowritingsheerhardwork,determinationandtheabilitytowrite.
Noneofthemwilltellyouhowtoactuallywriteanovel.
Thatsbecausethereisnocorrectway,norightorwrong.Youapproachwritinginthewayyouwantto.Writingreallyisthatunique.
Andtheironicthingisthattheresourcesandformatsthatsomeoftheseprogramsofferarealreadyonyourcomputer.Youdontneedanyfancyinterfacesorprettyscreenstoorganiseyourselforwriteyourwork,youdontneedspecialindexesorahundredwaystoorganiseyourscenes.Infact,bythetimeyouvemessedaboutinputtingnamesofcharactersandclickingonvariousbuttonsandsoon,youcouldhavehandwrittenafullcharacteranalysisandmovedontothenextcharacter.
Takeacloselookatthemajorityofprogramsandyoullfindtheyareaboutorganisingorganisingchapters,indexingcharacters,creatingsceneandchapterslistsetc.Someprogramshavenameandtitlegenerators,sotheyevenremovethatcreativeprocessfromthewriter.
Onefamouswritingsoftwareprogramevenhasamenusoyoucanlistallyourscenes.Butyoudontneedthat.Thescenesarealreadythere,inyourstory.Youareonlycreatingmoreworkforyourselfinanalreadylongwritingprocess.
Ifyouhavesomethingthatdoesmostoftheworkforyou,isthereanypointintryingtobeawriterwhenyouarenotactuallylearninganythingintheprocess?
Justwrite.Readandedit,thenrewriteetc.Thatsit.Thetrueheartofnovelwritingisnothingmorethanthat.
Becausesofewoftheseprogramsactuallygettothetechnicalgraftofwriting,novelwritingsoftwareisabitofamisnomer.Realistically,novelorganisingsoftwareismoreaccurate.Andinthetimeyouvespentorganisingallthemenusandlistsandindexesandscreens,youcouldhavewritten10chaptersofyournovel.
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Despitethedrawbacks,peopledousethesesoftwarepackages,andarehappywiththemandthatsfineitswhatworksforthewriter.Writingisapersonal,individualactivity,aspersonalasthewritingitself.
Forthemostpart,buyingagoodfictionwritingguideisamuchbetteridea(andcostsless),andwillhelpwritersestablishafamiliaritywithwriting,withrelevantadviceonwhatmatters.Theycanofferwriterswaystoimprove,theycanofferguidesonthekindoftechnicalaspectswritersshouldknowaboutwhenstructuringtheirwriting.Moreimportantly,theyshowwritershowtowrite.
Doyoureallyneednovelwritingsoftwaretohelpyouwritebynumbers?
Well,intruth,no.Sometimes,thebestwaytofindyourownsuccessistotreadyourownpathandnotrelyontheonesomeonehaspavedforyou.
Fictionguidesandwebsitesaremuchbetterbecausemanyarewrittenbywriterswiththeexperienceandthesuccesstoknowwhattheyretalkingabout.
Primarily,writingisaboutwriting,notorganising.
Haveyoueverpaintedbynumbers?Theresultisabitforcedandflat,butintheend,itdoesntteachyouhowtopaint.Itsthesamewritingbynumbers.
Ofcourse,youshouldgainasmuchguidanceandinformationaboutwritingwhereverpossible,bywhatmeansyoufeelcomfortablewith,butthebestwaytofindoutyourownwritingworthistoworkhardanddoityourself.
Nextweek:Pacinggettingitright
POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSUNDAY, FEBRUARY19, 20127COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST
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SA T URDA Y , 1 1 FE BRUA R Y 2 0 1 2
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Part2PositivewaystoemulateyourfavouriteauthorsAspreviouslymentioned,ourfavouriteauthorsplayanimportantpartinourdevelopmentaswriters,especiallyforthosewhoarejuststartingout.
Everyoneisdifferenteveryonehassomethingdifferenttooffer.Byreadingdifferentauthorsandgenres,youwillgetafeelforthekindofwritingthatisestablishedandsuccessful,sobyreflectondifferingstylesofwritinghelpsustonurtureourownstyleofwriting.
Wevepreviouslytouchedonthereasonswhyweshouldntcopyotherauthors,butwecanlearnagreatdealfromthembyfindinganddevelopingourowninspirationandcreativity.
Studyingotherwritersallowsustoseehowtheydevelopthestructureoftheirstories.Inotherwords,theyshowushowabalanceofdescription,narrativeanddialogueisused,howtheybringinconflictandresolution,howtheyquickenandshortenthepace,howtheydrawoutouremotions.
Italsoallowsustoseethevoiceofdifferentwritersitcouldbesoftandliterary,urbanandgritty,laidback,laconic...etc.Andtheyalsoteachusaboutthedifferentviewpointsandhowtheyreusedtobesteffect.
Establishedauthorscanshowushowtheyhavedevelopedplotandthemesthroughouttheirstories,aswellassubplots,andwecanseehowthesedifferentstrandsallcometogethercohesivelyinsuchawaythatitproducesaseamlesstale.
Wecanstudyhowauthorscreatemoodandatmospherewithintheirstoriesandhowtheycreatetensionaroundthestoryandtheircharacters.Wecanseehowwelldevelopedthecharactersare,howtheymakeusfeel,whethertheycreateempathyandemotion.Iftheydid,howdidtheyaccomplishthat?Ifnot,whynot?
Theuniquethingaboutdifferentauthorsistheirtakeonhowtheyuselanguagetocommunicatetheirstoriestotheirreaders.Thisrelatesdirectlytothatuniquesenseofvoiceandstyle,butthewayinwhichawriterexpresseshimorherselfisvitallyimportanttheuseoflanguageisperhapsthemostexclusiveaspectofawriter.
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Bystudyingthewaytheyuselanguageeffectively,writerscanlearnhowtobetterexpressthemselves.
Theonethingwritersalwaysworryaboutisbeginningsandendings,sobylookingatthewayyourfavouriteauthorsdoitmightalsohelpyouformulatehowyoubeginandendyourstories.Therearenospecificrules,butlookathowtheyachievethis.
Moreimportantly,readingyourfavouriteauthorsactsasamotivationalcatalystitcreatesadesiretowriteitmotivatescreativityandinspiresustobethebestwecanbe.
Theyteachussomanythingsanditshowweputthatknowledgetogoodusethatmatters.Writersshouldtakepositiveaspectsfromtheirfavouriteauthorsanduseittobolsterthecreativeframeworkforwriting.
SummaryWhatcanwelearnfromotherauthors?
WritingStructureWritingStyleWritingvoiceViewpointsCreationofmoodandatmosphereCreationoftensionandconflictsDevelopmentofcharactersUseoflanguageDevelopmentofplotandthemeBeginningandEnding
Becominginfluencedbyotherwritersisinescapable,butratherthancopyhowtheywrite,andcheatingonyourownlimitations,insteadexpandonyourownstyleofwritingandyoullfindyourselfbecomingabetterwriterwhodiscoverstheirownstyleandvoiceandsenseoflanguageintheprocess.
Byallmeans,learnfromotherwriters,bemotivatedandlettheminspireyoutobethebestwriteryoucanbe,butdontcopythem.
Nextweek:Writingbynumbersdoesitwork?
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EmulatebutdontcopyPart1Weallhavefavouriteauthorsandpoets.Weallenjoythewaytheycreateandweavetheirliterarymagic.Theyinspireus,motivateusandhelpusgrowaswritershowever,thatswherewritersshoulddrawalinebecauseitseasywhenyoustartoutfreshtowritingtowanttobejustlikeyourfavouriteauthors,andthatcanleadtoallsortsofproblems.
Themaindrawbackisthatmanywriterstendtocopyfavouriteauthorsthinkingthatthiswillbringpublishedsuccess.Butiscopyingthemsuchabadthing?
Thereareseveralproblemswithcopying,ortryingtobetoomuchliketheauthorsweadmire.Herearesomeofthepitfalls:
LackofvoiceLackofstyleNothingislearnedTheirmistakesbecomeyourmistakesBadwritinghabits
ManynewwritersreadthelikesofStephenKingorJKRowlingorDavidBaldaccietal,andareimmediatelypredisposedtothatstyleofwriting,theywanttobelikethosewriters,buttheyforgetthatforyears,theseauthorshavedevelopedtheirownuniquevoiceandstyleandliterarynuance,butthisissomethingthatallwritersmustfindwhiledevelopingtheirownwayofwriting.
Lackofvoice
Borrowingsomeoneelsesvoicejustdoesntwork.Establishedauthorshavetheirowndistincttoneandstyletheyvespentyearsperfectingtheircraft,tohonethatuniquesoundintheirwork.Sowhensomeonetriestowritelikethat,itbecomesforcedandcontrived.Also,therecanbeadistinctlackofcreativitywithinthework,simplybecausethewriterhasnttakenthetimetogrowanddevelophisor
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herownvoice.
Thevoiceislikeafingerprint.Itsexclusivetothewriterandshould,oncedeveloped,distinguishyoufromotherwriters.Itsapowerfuldevicepeoplewillgettoknowyourwritingbecauseofyourwritingvoicealone.
Lackofstyle
Thisbringsustostyle,orlackofit.Tryingtowritethewayafamouswriterdoesmaymeanyoucantdevelopyourownstyle.
Likevoice,writersmustalsodeveloptheirownstyle.Thiscouldbelushanddescriptive,itcouldbesparse,itcouldbegritty,itcouldbeliteraryetc.Whateverthestyle,itshouldspeaktothereaderititsownwayonethatthewriterhascultivatedanddevelopedthemselvesthroughpractice.
Ifyouarewritingtoomuchlikeotherauthors,takingtheirtoneandtechniqueandapproach,youwillfindthatyoudontactuallylearnanythingasawriter.Writingisalwaysalearningprocess.Themorewewrite,thebetterwebecome.
Tryingtoohardtowriteinastylethatisntreallyyouwillcomeacrossasfalseanddull.Yourstyleisyoursalone,nooneelses.
Nothingislearned
Aspreviouslymentioned,writingisallaboutlearning.Beingpublisheddoesntmeanawriterstopslearning.Writingdevelopmentneverstops.Relyingtoomuchonthewayyourfavouritewriterdoesitmeansthatyoubypassthatlearningprocessnothingislearned.
Writingthewaywedo,withourownvoice,ourownstyle,meanswelearnaboutthecraft,welearnaboutourselvesaswriterswhatweregoodat,whatwerenotsogoodat,andthroughthatprocess,wecreateourownpathtoimprovement.
Beinspiredbyothers,practice,learn,butdontcopy.
Theirmistakesbecomeyourmistakes
Establishedauthorsmakemistakes,somefamousonesarenotbeyonddroppingafewhowlerstoo,sowhennewwriters
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findthemselvescopyingthewaytheirfavouriteauthorswrite,theyalsoassimilatethekindofmistakesthatallwritersshouldavoid,thingsliketenses,poorsentencestructuring,tellingbutnoshowingetc.
Makeyourownmistakesandlearnfromthem,butdontcopyothersmistakesbecauseultimatelyyouwillbecomeignoranttobecomingabetterwriter.
Badwritinghabits
Thatbringsustobadhabits.Everhaddrivinglessonsfromyourparents,thenwhenyougetadrivinginstructor,youregivencontraryadviceandtoldhowtodothingsproperly?Thatsbecauseyouvepickedupyourparentsbadhabits.Thesameistrueofwriters.Nowriterisimmuneweallhavebadhabits.
Theproblemhereisthatbeginnersbecomesofocusedontryingtobeawriterthattheyabsorbeverythingfromtheirfavouriteauthor,andthatincludesbadwritinghabits(thingslikehangingparticiples,fragmentedsentences,alternatingtenses,lackofobservationetc)andtheyusethemintheirownwork,thinkingitwillimmediatelygetthempublished.
Byallmeansletotherwritersinfluencethewayyoumightliketowrite,butdontcopythem,otherwiseyouendupambushingthelegitimacyofyourownwork.
Thereisnothingwrongisemulatingotherwriters,theirinfluencesarehugelyimportanttofellowwriters,butdontbeapoorimitation.Beyourownwriter.
NextweekinPart2,welllookatpositivewaystoemulateyourfavouriteotherswithouttheneedtocopythem.
POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, FEBRUARY04, 20123COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST
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