Writing – Page 9 – trippingdifferently

October 25, 2012

7 Days Till The Start Of…

… Nanowrimo! Hurray! Can’t wait! Very excited! Anxious too. Brain in overdrive with all sorts of ideas, wondering which one is good, what to include, where’s the plot going, who’s who etc…

If you don’t know what i’m talking about, then you need to check it out; it is National Novel Writing Month, aka Nanowrimo! It happens every November, when the weather is all grey and rainy (which i dislike). One attempts to write 50,000 words in 30 days! Is it a challenge? Yes! Is it impossible? No! i have met the target twice so if i can do it, anyone can.

Here’s some professional writers giving some advice about Nanowrimo:

i’m still in two minds about which story i wanna write this year. i could start a whole new story. Or i could do a re-write of one of my old stories. Still not sure…. ahhhhh…. and there’s only a week left!

If you have never tried something like this and are finding your fingers itching, the gears in your brain turning, then why not have a go at it? There is nothing to lose and you may yet find a great writer within yourself. Here’s a trip down memory lane: My First Nano Write-In…

To those of you who are joining me on this wild adventure, Inner Editor locked up? Plot and Characters lined up? Pen and paper at the ready? Or maybe it’s Fingers and Keyboard for you?

Ready, Set, WRITE!

syc

October 1, 2012

The Naming Game…

It has been a while since i wrote about writing. Actually it has been a while since i actually wrote! Period.

My brain has been trying (keyword here) to get into gear because in 30 days is the crazy yet much-loved time of the year… Nanowrimo!

So i have a choice this year… i can do a new story or i can do a complete rewrite of an existing story (which is in dire need of a rewrite).

i had a look at both story ideas and then realised that my characters’ names suck! One of the stories (the rewrite one) already has named characters but i’m not happy with the names. The other one has characters’ names such as Main Character 01, Bad Person 2, Husband etc…

Names are very important to me. They need to mean something. They need to tell or at least give a sense of who the character is. Of course, i know names and the feelings they evoke in people are subjective. But it doesn’t stop me obsessing over them… sometimes… :p

i found this useful article (see link below) and the most amusing idea, which i might just use, is the one where you use Google Maps to find character names 😉 Have a read.

The Naming Game | The View Outside.

Do you have a method of naming your characters? Any advice?

i wish you lots of fun naming your characters. And if you have any idea what to name a discontented wife and a busybody peacemaker, let me know 🙂

syc

July 20, 2012

Stop Apologizing for Your Art…

i read the article below and i thought, “Wow! We, or at least i, don’t just do this about my work (be it writing or art or photography) but i also do this in a lot of aspects of my life.”

There are times and in certain things, such as my writing, i don’t really think people want to read or want to hear what i have to say. i don’t believe in myself enough in certain areas of my life. After reading Goins, i’m determined to, at the very least, start believing in my writing. Have a read and let me know what you think.

Stop Apologizing for Your Art | Goins, Writer.

Oh there is one statement he made at the end,

But whatever you do, don’t apologize. We don’t have time for that.

i don’t quite agree completely with it.

If our art had offended people by making fun of their culture or background for no other purpose than to make them the butt of jokes, then i feel that an apology is owned, even if you did it unknowingly. If, however, the piece was making a social/political point, then i can see the use of such jokes… but we really need to be careful there…

i say the above because i really dislike distasteful jokes about a certain culture or race of people, just because they are who they are.

But having confidence in your craft (completely different from making meaningless jokes) is an important thing and i want to thank J. Gions for pointing that out to me.

i hope you would be inspired too.

syc