Some of you know that i was hit by the writing bug a few years ago when a friend introduced me to Nanowrimo.
i have always been an avid reader and have always loved the world of words; words are very important to me; i love how they can convert an idea, share an emotion, flesh out a character, reveal a secret, paint a picture, create an entire world and so much more.
Nanowrimo made me realise how much i liked to write as well. So i made a resolution to keep writing. Unfortunately, it remained a resolution. i have written in the last 3 Nanowrimos but can’t seem to keep up with writing daily or weekly or monthly or even with finishing any of the stories i have started writing.
i have, however, started following quite a few writing blogs and one of them is The Write Practice. And this recent post, Don’t be a resolution writer, made me sit up and think hard. And i know i am just that, a resolution writer.
It’s the days that don’t inspire that separate an in-shape writer and an unhealthy writer.
So i have been an unhealthy couch-potato writer, sitting in front of my computer reading about writing and about other writers instead of actually putting words down on to paper or in these days, in file.
Why? i was tired, sick, not inspired, too hot, too cold, stressed, too late, too early, wrong music, didn’t feel like it etc… If i am honest, the simple answer is that i have an ideal in my head about how/when i would write; i was waiting for the so-called perfect circumstances to meet that unstoppable inspiration.
BUT…
“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.”
The Write Practice is so right! The will of the writer needs to prevail!
And these are the points i will bear in mind on days i don’t “feel” like writing:
Calling yourself a writer is a privilege that many wish to do, but never will. When that privilege is understood, you’ll take a new approach to your writing.
Look at those times you don’t feel like writing as gifts to practice – like swinging a weighted bat before stepping up to the plate.
Writers write. If it’s who you are, you won’t be able to make any decision other than to write.
So i am writer (not amateur writer, simply writer) and therefore i will write!
syc
PS: i’m thinking of posting snippets of what i write… sometimes, not all the time, to keep me on track, accountable so to speak. Would that be a good idea?
Edited Version of First Book (Photo credit: TheCreativePenn)
… which i really shouldn’t be thinking about at all because i do NOT yet have a finished manuscript! But i went ahead and read this article – Red Pencil Round-Up: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, which i had bookmarked at the beginning of Nanowrimo 2012.
It’s a long article but has many gems. Here are some of the ones which i would like to highlight:
Does that mean you’ll be making fifteen or more passes, beginning to end, through your entire manuscript? Yes, it does.
i read that and my heart sank. It looks like it would take a whole lot more time with head bent low over paper and red pencil in hand than i had thought.
But i see her point. There are so many aspects of a story to look at, trying to look at all aspects in one sweep is just not going to cut it. Can you imagine thinking about plot, characterisation, grammar, narrative, dialogue, setting etc. all at once? Makes my head spin just looking at that checklist of items. :p
i love how the article is written with lots of tips and examples which clearly show you what she means and these examples could even help to generate ideas for your story. Take a look at the example she writes when explaining about the Bread Crumb Trail:
For example, if your character is experiencing cryptic nightmares and you need to convey that her grandparents raised her on a farm built atop a sacred Indian burial ground, don’t launch into a block of exposition about her childhood. Place her in a scene at the farm, have her call her grandmother and question her experiences, create a scene where she digs a secret-filled box out of the attic—choose something active that moves the plot forward and gives you the opportunity to reveal that information in an interesting way.
Here’s one i didn’t know about:
Take a look at your character list. Change any names that start with the same letter or have a similar sound when read aloud. I had one client who didn’t realize she had such an affinity for “J” names until I pointed out that she had Jonathan, Josh, Jackson, Jenny, and Jessie (along with Carolina, Connie, and Kristen) cavorting through her script and it was quite a challenge to keep track of them.
Hmmm… i have to go check my character list. i love names and i enjoy giving my characters names which are full of meaning or at least reflect their personality. It’s one of my favourite parts of the writing process: character creation. Have you come up with some great names for your characters? Wanna share?
i had to smile at her paragraphs discussing dialogue tags. Here’s the one line we all should keep in mind when writing:
Remember: You can’t smile, nod, or wink dialogue, or do anything else physical with the words.
i have never really come across the term “talking heads”. Ok, i have not read a whole ton of how-to-write books yet. But i found the idea hilarious, just thinking about it: a room full of heads just talking. She mentions talking heads in relation to grounding your characters so that the reader gets a sense of place.
This next one is would be interesting to do:
Now, put your plot to the cause and effect test. Start at the end of your story. How did your character arrive at that resolution? What happened before that? What caused that event? What came before that? Work backward from the end to ensure your plot doesn’t go on unrelated tangents. Work backward to make sure there is a logical progression that leads your character from one action to the next.
i suppose if your story makes sense going backwards, it would work going forwards as well. It has never crossed my mind to think about story plot like that.
She also covers research, grammar and punctuation.
And at the end, in Pre-submission Proof, which i most definitely will do when i have finally written and edited my story, i learnt something new and fun to do:
Yes, you need to do an audio check too. Pour yourself some tea, hot or iced. Lean back in your chair, turn up your computer speaker volume, and set the Speech function to read your manuscript aloud. The voice may be a bit robotic, but listening to your story read aloud will help you catch errors even the spell checker missed.
Now i was wondering what is this program she is talking about. i looked at my Open Office Writer and it didn’t have that function. Then i did a quick search on Google and found that Windows itself has a Narrator! Wow! Shows how little i have explored the functions of my computer. So click on your ‘Start’ button, then go to ‘All Programs’, ‘Accessories’, ‘Ease of Access’ and there you will find ‘Narrator’. It should read out loud the on-screen text. BUT…
… i could not get it to work right. It reads out loud all my keystrokes and tells me what window and what buttons are there but it would not read my text document; even though it is a saved file and there is clearly text on the page, it keeps telling me, “Empty Page/Paragraph.” i checked Help, it was no help.
Yet there is hope, i found that you can download a free program to read back to you if you like. See here. i may try that another day.
Well, i hope this has been helpful to you. It has certainly given me a push to finish my story asap, if editing the story is going to take 18 times as long as writing it!
Do go read the whole article, follow the link in the first paragraph of this post.
What makes a family–a family??? Is it blood? Is it marriage? Is it friendships so strong…what is it exactly? Well, it can be a lot of different things that MAKE a family…and at the core of each of them–it’s always LOVE.
Yes it is indeed true. Love makes a family and a family is made to give love.
i have seen that so clearly as we have spent the last 10 years living away from our home country. We have made for ourselves a family here – the friends and neighbours we have come to know and love. And in the recent few years, the many international students we have had the privilege to befriend and sort of play host to. We have become their family – a family away from home. We care for each of them and do try to stay in touch and involved in their lives even after they leave because we love them; they have become family.
i have online families too. Most recently and most prominent at the moment is my RR (Reece’s Rainbow) family. i may never have and may never get to meet many of these families i pray for and these orphans i cry out for and all my fellow-advocates but they have become family. i love them and want the best for all of them.
i want the best for Sophia too, an orphan with Down Syndrome, living in an orphanage, likely facing life in an adult mental institution as she has no family.
Sophia awaits the day she has a family to call her own.
Sophia was not chosen by her birth family to remain with them. Why? We may never know. But what is important is that this Christmas Sophia comes to know that love truly does make a family. She needs to be shown that people do care for her and love her. You and i can become the family she never gets to meet. You and i can pray for her; pray for her daily needs and for her forever family to come and bring her into the loving folds of a family. You and i can share her story so that her family might spot her sooner and come bring her home.
She has a virtual family member working hard for her now – her Angel Tree Warrior, working to raise awareness for her and to raise her adoption grant. Go over to My Journey Through Life and have a read.
You and i can also make a contribution to her adoption grant so that it would make her forever family’s journey to her easier. You can donate by clicking on her name or picture. If you make a contribution of US$35 or more, you will be given a lovely Christmas Ornament with Sophia‘s picture for your tree.
trippingdifferently 