World building. You've probably heard of it before. It's a necessary part of the writing of every book. Also, world building means something different to every person. For some people, it's the creating of the actual world (Mostly in fantasy and sci fi. Thus world building.), while for others it's something quite different. The creating of all of the characters and their personalities, working on the locations and the reason that the world is the way that it is. Something that often comes with world building however, is the common "disease" known as world building disease. It doesn't happen to everybody, but it is fairly common in the world of writing. It is when you are working on writing up a world, and you just can't stop. It's more of a compulsive type of thing than a "trying to get my world perfect" kind of thing.
Sometimes it is hard for them to stop. They are literally building their world and characters for years on end, dreaming up details that will never, ever be used in the actual book. And sometimes all of this brainstorming and world building is for a single book too, not a series, or even a trilogy. I personally think that the reason for World Builder's Disease is because it gives the person a sense of accomplishment - like they actually completed something. In my honest opinion, I think that too much world building stifles my creativity. I can't create something on the spot, and that causes me to not be creative. Same with outlining. If I have too detailed an outline, then I tend to follow the outline and forget about being creative. Because I already used up all of my creativity on the outline. And readers can see that. Anyways, until next time, Write On!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Brainstorming
Personally, I think that brainstorming is very likely the most important part of writing. No joke. When you really think about it though, it really makes a lot of sense. Without a simple beginning idea, you can't start writing. The seed idea is what starts the actual story, and those often times simply come to you, but, brainstorming is sort of like developing characters; except it's more the developing of the plot and storyline than characters. That actually relates quite a bit to world building, which is used a lot in science fiction and fantasy, which I'll talk about another time. Once you have your seed idea, you start to think about it. Open a new word document, or flip to a new page in your writer's notebook and start to write. Anything and everything that comes to your mind; write it down so that you won't forget about it and it vanishes into thin air. If you come up with a plot idea, or a scene seed, write it down. Even if it just doesn't happen to work for the book you're brainstorming for, it's pretty likely that you'll be able to use it sometime in the future.
For example, you come up with an idea for one of your characters to have a journey with and eccentric customer of theirs that just won't leave them alone. But your character is a kid that doesn't work. So they obviously can't have customers. You can still save the ideas however, and, eventually, it might fit into a current story. Another thing I suggest, is that when you're writing, brainstorming, or even putting down seed ideas, I recommend that every now and again (at least once a month) you look back through your notes and read some seed ideas that you've put down in the past. Even the simplest, most stupid sounding idea at the time, may now sound like absolute brilliance and may (or may not) spark a brand new idea for a book or screenplay. That is the thing with ideas. Even the most dumb sounding ideas may later make a comeback and slap you right across the face.
The first thing you'll probably think is: "Hey, I sure am glad that I wrote that down." The second thing that will go through your mind is that you'll remember next time, that, no matter how stupid sounding the idea is at the time, you'll write it down. Then you'll get down to business with the actual brainstorming part. Everybody actually has a different explanation (or description) of the brainstorming process. Some people play quiet music without words and take a walk. Some people sit down at the table at spurt out words, going back through later to find the gems (kind of like mining), and still others just let the words just flow, not putting a care in the world into them. So, until next time, Write On!
For example, you come up with an idea for one of your characters to have a journey with and eccentric customer of theirs that just won't leave them alone. But your character is a kid that doesn't work. So they obviously can't have customers. You can still save the ideas however, and, eventually, it might fit into a current story. Another thing I suggest, is that when you're writing, brainstorming, or even putting down seed ideas, I recommend that every now and again (at least once a month) you look back through your notes and read some seed ideas that you've put down in the past. Even the simplest, most stupid sounding idea at the time, may now sound like absolute brilliance and may (or may not) spark a brand new idea for a book or screenplay. That is the thing with ideas. Even the most dumb sounding ideas may later make a comeback and slap you right across the face.
The first thing you'll probably think is: "Hey, I sure am glad that I wrote that down." The second thing that will go through your mind is that you'll remember next time, that, no matter how stupid sounding the idea is at the time, you'll write it down. Then you'll get down to business with the actual brainstorming part. Everybody actually has a different explanation (or description) of the brainstorming process. Some people play quiet music without words and take a walk. Some people sit down at the table at spurt out words, going back through later to find the gems (kind of like mining), and still others just let the words just flow, not putting a care in the world into them. So, until next time, Write On!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Developing Characters - Why it's Important
When you're around, surfing the web, trying to find articles or step by step how to instructions on how to write a book, something that you're bound to come across sooner or later is the importance of developing characters. Some people skip this step and jump right into the writing of their book, which in my opinion is a sort of crazy idea. They say that the actual writing of the book develops the characters enough for their taste. But let's put this into perspective. Writing a book without having fully developed characters doesn't do anything but hurt your storyline. Readers can tell. Basically, you're just jumping headfirst into describing a character when you don't even know what they're like yourself. And readers can feel that because it shows in the quality of the writing. You personally don't know how your character would react in a certain situation, thus making it harder to write the scenes that you need for your book.
So now that you know the sheer importance of developing characters, let's dive a little into how you actually do it. A lot of people think that the developing of characters is simply a character sketch, which is pretty much a fill out sheet that lists the bare minimums of a character: eye color, hair color, name, age, build, and sometimes their hair style (if you draw). But that's not at all what developing a character is all about. To go into a little more depth of what this does actually mean, let's start out by looking at the definition of develop. In the dictionary, develop means "to cause to grow or expand", "to elaborate or expand in detail", and "to bring into being or activity." Looking just at these definitions, it sort of starts to make sense and bring it into a bit more detail. Basically, it is the method that you use to start to get to know your characters more - start to feel their more intimate feelings (or at least what they would be if they were real), know how they would react to certain things, etc, etc, etc.
It's not necessarily hard to develop characters, but you do need to have an active imagination and the willingness to be random and simply let the ideas flow. Speaking of that, I think I should call a can of worms on freewriting and probably an entire other on brainstorming. Starting out on the developing of your characters is always the hardest part. A lot of times you may have a rough thought of their personality, (they have a short temper, are always happy, are always willing to crack a joke, is constantly thinking on the positive (or negative) side, is a constant downer, etc.) but you just don't know how to continue. A lot of people (I've already discussed them briefly) think that this simple idea is enough. If it works for them, then great, and, if you are one of these people, please don't be offended. It just doesn't work for me. Even though I just said that a simple idea is not enough, you do need one to start the developing process. Once you have decided their basic personality, then just begin to freewrite. Randomly write down any words, phrases, or sentences that come to mind. Continue this for about a half hour or until you've filled up several pages.
A lot of times those bits of sentences won't be that helpful, but you will find beautiful gems in there instead of just dirt if you just do a little bit of searching (especially if you've done a couple of pages for a single character). You'll have a huge description of their personality and what they might do in a situation. Don't ever doubt the words that are coming to mind. Don't ignore them. Sometimes you might come across a scene idea. Write it down. Your brain will automatically connect certain things together, so, if you come up with a scene idea, most likely your brain is telling you that it would fit perfectly into your story. This is the kind of thing that I'm directing you not to ignore. They are important. Also, the more you write, the more ideas will come to you. It's fact. Repeat this whole process for each character. I know that it sounds strenuous and repetitive right now, but, when it actually comes time to write your story, you'll thank me. So, until next time, Write On!!
So now that you know the sheer importance of developing characters, let's dive a little into how you actually do it. A lot of people think that the developing of characters is simply a character sketch, which is pretty much a fill out sheet that lists the bare minimums of a character: eye color, hair color, name, age, build, and sometimes their hair style (if you draw). But that's not at all what developing a character is all about. To go into a little more depth of what this does actually mean, let's start out by looking at the definition of develop. In the dictionary, develop means "to cause to grow or expand", "to elaborate or expand in detail", and "to bring into being or activity." Looking just at these definitions, it sort of starts to make sense and bring it into a bit more detail. Basically, it is the method that you use to start to get to know your characters more - start to feel their more intimate feelings (or at least what they would be if they were real), know how they would react to certain things, etc, etc, etc.
It's not necessarily hard to develop characters, but you do need to have an active imagination and the willingness to be random and simply let the ideas flow. Speaking of that, I think I should call a can of worms on freewriting and probably an entire other on brainstorming. Starting out on the developing of your characters is always the hardest part. A lot of times you may have a rough thought of their personality, (they have a short temper, are always happy, are always willing to crack a joke, is constantly thinking on the positive (or negative) side, is a constant downer, etc.) but you just don't know how to continue. A lot of people (I've already discussed them briefly) think that this simple idea is enough. If it works for them, then great, and, if you are one of these people, please don't be offended. It just doesn't work for me. Even though I just said that a simple idea is not enough, you do need one to start the developing process. Once you have decided their basic personality, then just begin to freewrite. Randomly write down any words, phrases, or sentences that come to mind. Continue this for about a half hour or until you've filled up several pages.
A lot of times those bits of sentences won't be that helpful, but you will find beautiful gems in there instead of just dirt if you just do a little bit of searching (especially if you've done a couple of pages for a single character). You'll have a huge description of their personality and what they might do in a situation. Don't ever doubt the words that are coming to mind. Don't ignore them. Sometimes you might come across a scene idea. Write it down. Your brain will automatically connect certain things together, so, if you come up with a scene idea, most likely your brain is telling you that it would fit perfectly into your story. This is the kind of thing that I'm directing you not to ignore. They are important. Also, the more you write, the more ideas will come to you. It's fact. Repeat this whole process for each character. I know that it sounds strenuous and repetitive right now, but, when it actually comes time to write your story, you'll thank me. So, until next time, Write On!!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
A Writer's Notebook - What is it?
So yesterday in my post, I said something about a writer's notebook, and how I would talk more about it later on. Basically, a Writer's Notebook is a place for a future author to keep and organize their ideas and thoughts, planning out books and short stories, and saving random plot ideas for later on. I tend to use the regular, basic 70 page, single subject notebooks that students use in school. It really depends upon the particular person, though. Some people are quite fond of finding a specific kind of specialized notebook, and only use that kind. Ever. (Normally these are quite expensive ones, such as moleskin notebooks.) Some people like a bound composition book, as it gives it a permanent feel. And, still others, enjoy sketchbooks, diaries, and notepads. Some people even use the computer. So firstly, find a format that works for you. The reason I'm so fond of 70 page notebooks is because of the spiral binding. At least that's one reason. I can simply flip to a page, wrapping some of the pages behind. I don't have to worry about my surface not lying flat (a composition notebook), or anything else. I work on both sides of the pages.
Next you decide what kind of pen you want to use. I know this sounds kind of pathetic and weird, but really, find a pen that works for you. Try out as many different kinds as you can find until you locate the one that's perfect for you. I have two personal favorites. Number one on my list are blue Papermate pens. The old kind that are all blue casing. The ink flows perfectly, especially when it's been used a lot, and, best of all, the ink is blue! Can't go wrong with that one. At least not in my opinion. My second choice, if I was forced to are Bic Roundstik. They work very well, even though the ink is black. :D. Personally, I just think that the blue ink makes it a little more interesting. For Christmas this year, my parents bought me a 60 pack of the blue Papermates - you know; the huge boxes that they normally get for offices. And I'm one person. Haha.
After that, I would recommend leaving three or four pages at the very beginning of the notebook empty, for a Table of Contents. That way you can find exactly what you need, exactly WHEN you need it. It feels amazing to be so organized, even if it isn't as good as a book TOC. Now we come to the actual CONTENT of the notebook. Different people put different things in their notebooks, but I'll list a few of the things that I have in mine. First off, and probably most importantly, I have seed ideas. I talked a lot about seed ideas in my last post; how they are the basic idea that eventually turns into a plot. In my notebook, I don't label it as seed ideas; though you could if you so desired. Instead, I label them as Random Ideas I, Random Ideas II, etc. So far, I'm thinking I've got somewhere around 10 pages full of these little tidbits. You can also include: name ideas (first and last; I have a page for each), brainstorming sessions, freewriting sessions, random words, prompts, quotes, lyrics, conversations, and whatever else your mind can think up that may be useful in your all too near writing future. So, until next time, write on!!
Next you decide what kind of pen you want to use. I know this sounds kind of pathetic and weird, but really, find a pen that works for you. Try out as many different kinds as you can find until you locate the one that's perfect for you. I have two personal favorites. Number one on my list are blue Papermate pens. The old kind that are all blue casing. The ink flows perfectly, especially when it's been used a lot, and, best of all, the ink is blue! Can't go wrong with that one. At least not in my opinion. My second choice, if I was forced to are Bic Roundstik. They work very well, even though the ink is black. :D. Personally, I just think that the blue ink makes it a little more interesting. For Christmas this year, my parents bought me a 60 pack of the blue Papermates - you know; the huge boxes that they normally get for offices. And I'm one person. Haha.
After that, I would recommend leaving three or four pages at the very beginning of the notebook empty, for a Table of Contents. That way you can find exactly what you need, exactly WHEN you need it. It feels amazing to be so organized, even if it isn't as good as a book TOC. Now we come to the actual CONTENT of the notebook. Different people put different things in their notebooks, but I'll list a few of the things that I have in mine. First off, and probably most importantly, I have seed ideas. I talked a lot about seed ideas in my last post; how they are the basic idea that eventually turns into a plot. In my notebook, I don't label it as seed ideas; though you could if you so desired. Instead, I label them as Random Ideas I, Random Ideas II, etc. So far, I'm thinking I've got somewhere around 10 pages full of these little tidbits. You can also include: name ideas (first and last; I have a page for each), brainstorming sessions, freewriting sessions, random words, prompts, quotes, lyrics, conversations, and whatever else your mind can think up that may be useful in your all too near writing future. So, until next time, write on!!
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Seed Idea
When you are writing something - a novel, a short story, a poem; even a paper for school, you have to have an idea. I tend to refer to them as a seed idea, as that is basically what they are. They start out as a tiny idea, and then, as you work with them more and more, you start to discover that they are actually more than they seem. They start to sprout into new ideas; sub-plots and, sometimes, you even mix two or more seed ideas together to make an entirely new, exciting plot. You develop it, and brainstorm ideas for it, discovering what it was actually meant to be in the first place. After a while, you start to find that you have discovered an entire idea for a book - and you begin to outline a bit, creating your own magical story; arranging all of the elements into a full, developed plan. That's the bud. After a little longer of simply watching the "plant" grow, you start to work on it. You write the actual story, using the outline "bud" as your blueprint. When the first draft is completed, that is the bloom.
But, as often happens with flowers, the first bloom is not as big and beautiful as the flower actually gets. Each day, that first bloom gets larger, and more full, as more petals grow. That represents the editing process. After all of the edits are complete, and the finished manuscript is polished to it's perfection; you start to realize that, just like a flower, it has bloomed. So that's why I refer to them as seed ideas. A lot of other explanations are given, each by their own author. Each and every person has their own description of these simple ideas; and we all know that some are just a bit more complex than others. For example, a very simple idea is that a boy and girl fall in love and eventually, after a few struggles, they live happily ever after. You see how simple that idea is. But it's also a very common one. The more complex ideas are often more unique, and come from the imagination, not what other people think.
For me, these ideas start coming to me when I'm in the midst of something else. Reading, watching television, riding in the car, browsing the internet, and, most of all, when I'm writing my own work. A lot of times I'll come up with seed ideas that I think might relate to my book, though only slightly. Sometimes I end up using these in my current manuscript, though, normally, I end up writing it down in my Writer's Notebook for later use in another story. I realize that I haven't exactly explained what a writer's notebook is yet, even though it is the title of my blog. I promise that I'll touch on that soon. But, basically, it's just a notebook that I write in every day, putting down my ideas and thoughts, for use in books later on. But get this straight. It is NOT a journal, nor a diary. I'll explain that in more depth another day.
One more thing though, before I leave. I once read something about writing, that said that to create a great book, you must combine the mundane and the extraordinary. Right now, I'm calling a can of worms on that (I'll write about that later), but I feel like it fits perfectly right here. At least a really simplified example. Basically, when you combine what seems normal (a high school kid) and then add something extraordinary (his teacher, is say, a ghost, or something similar) it adds an interesting touch. I realize that this is a very old example, and, it has been done a whole lot, especially in manga comics, but that was the example that was simply on the top of my head at this very moment. So, until next time, write on!!
But, as often happens with flowers, the first bloom is not as big and beautiful as the flower actually gets. Each day, that first bloom gets larger, and more full, as more petals grow. That represents the editing process. After all of the edits are complete, and the finished manuscript is polished to it's perfection; you start to realize that, just like a flower, it has bloomed. So that's why I refer to them as seed ideas. A lot of other explanations are given, each by their own author. Each and every person has their own description of these simple ideas; and we all know that some are just a bit more complex than others. For example, a very simple idea is that a boy and girl fall in love and eventually, after a few struggles, they live happily ever after. You see how simple that idea is. But it's also a very common one. The more complex ideas are often more unique, and come from the imagination, not what other people think.
For me, these ideas start coming to me when I'm in the midst of something else. Reading, watching television, riding in the car, browsing the internet, and, most of all, when I'm writing my own work. A lot of times I'll come up with seed ideas that I think might relate to my book, though only slightly. Sometimes I end up using these in my current manuscript, though, normally, I end up writing it down in my Writer's Notebook for later use in another story. I realize that I haven't exactly explained what a writer's notebook is yet, even though it is the title of my blog. I promise that I'll touch on that soon. But, basically, it's just a notebook that I write in every day, putting down my ideas and thoughts, for use in books later on. But get this straight. It is NOT a journal, nor a diary. I'll explain that in more depth another day.
One more thing though, before I leave. I once read something about writing, that said that to create a great book, you must combine the mundane and the extraordinary. Right now, I'm calling a can of worms on that (I'll write about that later), but I feel like it fits perfectly right here. At least a really simplified example. Basically, when you combine what seems normal (a high school kid) and then add something extraordinary (his teacher, is say, a ghost, or something similar) it adds an interesting touch. I realize that this is a very old example, and, it has been done a whole lot, especially in manga comics, but that was the example that was simply on the top of my head at this very moment. So, until next time, write on!!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Power of Words
I've been thinking a lot lately about words. I've been writing a lot - blog posts, journal entries, fiction stories; but I realize that none of that could be possible without words. Words have great power in all aspects of life - both the written word and the spoken word. When you write down words on paper, in the form of a fiction story, you are simply trying to explain the feelings and emotions that you have for your story right then and there. And you are also trying to progress the story in as few words as possible. Words are powerful things. They help us through life; if we couldn't talk and converse with each other, I'm thinking that the world would be a very hard place to live it. Nobody would ever know what the other wanted, or if help was needed. Or even appreciated.
Also, in writing, I've found that there's not only the problem of getting the right words out. There's also the struggle of finding a format for them that gives them the correct "tone". You know, the way that they would be spoken if it was real life, or even a movie. I know that when I write stuff, and people read a line with the wrong tone, it kind of frustrates me. Mostly because I know that I worked so hard to portray the emotions. That's another thing. Emotions. That is actually what the tone of a piece of work is. Depending on how you're feeling that day, you'll speak differently than you would when you're feeling something else. When I'm reading a book; out loud especially, I try to think of how that character would be feeling at that time, and then change my voice accordingly.
I'm not really sure if it makes that big of a difference to others, but, in my opinion, it helps me, because I know that I'm letting the emotion of the author show through. I'm encouraging the writer of the story, even though they will probably never know if I do so. I think that it has something to do with being an author myself, and knowing how it feels when your book is wrongly read. I don't know. If you're an author, you probably know what I mean. So, anyways, until we meet again, go write something!!
Also, in writing, I've found that there's not only the problem of getting the right words out. There's also the struggle of finding a format for them that gives them the correct "tone". You know, the way that they would be spoken if it was real life, or even a movie. I know that when I write stuff, and people read a line with the wrong tone, it kind of frustrates me. Mostly because I know that I worked so hard to portray the emotions. That's another thing. Emotions. That is actually what the tone of a piece of work is. Depending on how you're feeling that day, you'll speak differently than you would when you're feeling something else. When I'm reading a book; out loud especially, I try to think of how that character would be feeling at that time, and then change my voice accordingly.
I'm not really sure if it makes that big of a difference to others, but, in my opinion, it helps me, because I know that I'm letting the emotion of the author show through. I'm encouraging the writer of the story, even though they will probably never know if I do so. I think that it has something to do with being an author myself, and knowing how it feels when your book is wrongly read. I don't know. If you're an author, you probably know what I mean. So, anyways, until we meet again, go write something!!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Addicted to Reading
I've been thinking lately about a couple of things, and I've discovered that reading, when you do it often enough, and you get into a certain book, it's almost a compulsive obsession. It's kind of a strange compulsion to have at first, but, when you get used to it, it's actually pretty fun to play around with. I'm on a goal to write a million words by October (since I started my year in November of last year), and, also, to read 100 books this year. I've actually only started on my first book (The Hobbit), but I've also figured out a few more that I'm hoping to read. For example, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (since The Hobbit is the prologue to that), the whole Narnia series, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I've been wanting to read the latter for a while, and it was sort of MIA when it was actually Christmas season. It is a hilarious book, and I would highly recommend it.
So, getting back to the actual update of my actual writing process, I've been doing fairly good, I think - I wrote part of another chapter on Double Trouble, and, even though it's going pretty slowly, I'm thinking that it is going to be a fun book to write once it's fully outlined. I think that also may be part of my problem. Not all of my book is outlined - actually not much of it at all was; probably only a chapter; when I actually started to write it, just because I was so eager to. I know that I probably shouldn't have, and it probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world, but I'm still going to go with it - you know what I mean? Sometimes, you just know that something's a good idea, even when it might not seem like it at the time. Take this example for instance; if I hadn't started writing it, I wouldn't be able to get my 3k words a day for my Milwordy. And, even though it is going very slowly, it gives me words.
I think that the main idea of Milwordy is actually a really neat one and actually pretty encouraging. You see, there is this famous writing quote that says that that 'the first million words are practice." Might as well get them over with as soon as possible. :P. I don't know why, but that's the way that my mind just happens to work. I start to relate things to others, and then I want to look at things about that subject. That's why I love the whole idea of Wikidpad. I don't think that I've talked about that yet, but, quite frankly, I highly recommend it. It's a free program that you download and put on your desktop - it's almost like Wikipedia, only simplified greatly. Basically you just make your own wiki. I've been putting all of my writing information (book names, characters, locations, systems of magic, etc.) in it. So yeah. Well, anyways, until next time, go write something!!
So, getting back to the actual update of my actual writing process, I've been doing fairly good, I think - I wrote part of another chapter on Double Trouble, and, even though it's going pretty slowly, I'm thinking that it is going to be a fun book to write once it's fully outlined. I think that also may be part of my problem. Not all of my book is outlined - actually not much of it at all was; probably only a chapter; when I actually started to write it, just because I was so eager to. I know that I probably shouldn't have, and it probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world, but I'm still going to go with it - you know what I mean? Sometimes, you just know that something's a good idea, even when it might not seem like it at the time. Take this example for instance; if I hadn't started writing it, I wouldn't be able to get my 3k words a day for my Milwordy. And, even though it is going very slowly, it gives me words.
I think that the main idea of Milwordy is actually a really neat one and actually pretty encouraging. You see, there is this famous writing quote that says that that 'the first million words are practice." Might as well get them over with as soon as possible. :P. I don't know why, but that's the way that my mind just happens to work. I start to relate things to others, and then I want to look at things about that subject. That's why I love the whole idea of Wikidpad. I don't think that I've talked about that yet, but, quite frankly, I highly recommend it. It's a free program that you download and put on your desktop - it's almost like Wikipedia, only simplified greatly. Basically you just make your own wiki. I've been putting all of my writing information (book names, characters, locations, systems of magic, etc.) in it. So yeah. Well, anyways, until next time, go write something!!
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