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Super pleased to welcome Writing Coach MJ Bush today. I am a huge fan of her blog, Writing Geekery…if you don’t yet have this site on your writing resource roster, make it happen! (Trust me, you don’t want to miss any of her articles because they contain unique and valuable insight into character arc and story structure.)
MJ’s tackling REGRET, which is key to a well developed character arc. Regret can destroy a person, but it can also motivate, spurring a character to take action when they reach the point where fears, missed opportunities and poor choices lead to unbearable fulfillment and dissatisfaction. Great stuff here on how to use it in your hero’s arc, so please read on!
Regret is a hard motive to wrangle. Shallowness creeps in because actions seem simplistic or pasted on if you don’t establish realism and reader empathy.
Even if your reader wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly why it doesn’t seem realistic now, they’ll know realism when you use it.
And boy, can you use regret to change your character’s life in interesting ways. PLUS I’ve got some tips on creating emotional realism. Read to the end for my gift, a free report on arcs born from regret.
First, let’s clarify what regret is.
It’s an indirect motivator. For example, it can fuel a desire to right wrongs, or a fear that the same thing will happen again.
It’s grieving for what could have been. Even if there was nothing you could have done.
But it also encompasses guilt, remorse, and contrition.
Basic regret is wishing things could have been another way, guilt is blaming yourself, remorse is wishing to make amends, and contrition is acting to make amends.
So, let’s look at five realistic ways regret can affect your character.
1. Looking Ahead Too Intently
Anticipated regret is stronger than the regret itself.
Your character might be disproportionately afraid of missing out, and realize later that it wasn’t so bad. The arc from fear to relief is an especially great option for supporting characters.
►► Avery had a ticket to leave on the next ship out, headed for one of the newly terraformed colonies, but he cut it too close and he can’t get everything ready in time. He transfered to a later launch, had more time to say goodbye, and realized that it was ultimately a good experience.
2. But It’s Not the Same!
This one applies when your character has missed an opportunity. The psychological phenomenon is called inaction inertia. One missed opportunity increases the likelihood of missing another, wishing it was as good as the first.
So make sure your character has a good strong push to take a second opportunity. Or let them pass up the second only to realize that they will really regret it if they miss a third.
…If you want them to take it.
►► Avery landed on his new planetary home and immediately found a great house, but decided to check out the possibilities. Nothing compared, but when he went back, it’d been sold. Later that week, he found another great place but he decided that the first house was his dream home and this other house just wouldn’t cut it.
Desperate after realizing that he should have taken it, he gave up and took the next livable place.
3. The Growth of Resilience (or Not)
Regrets can cause a distorted self-concept, the past reflecting on the self-worth.
It’s possible to learn to see the shame, the guilt, and the situations as trials intended to give you strength. And when your character learns to adopt this worldview, his entire outlook and self-concept will shift.
He will see himself as product of adversity, not the victim of it.
Or you can let one character wallow while another improves. I do like my foils.
►► Before moving to the stars, Avery always saw himself as a victim of his circumstances. His poor upbringing, the demeaning jobs, even the dead-end romantic relationships all fed the idea that the world was against him. When he started to realize that those things made him stronger, he started tackling bigger dreams and challenges.
Until, finally, he stepped on that ship.
4. Comparing Hurts Our Health
As this article states, social comparison is a coping mechanism for regret. And the interesting thing is that it can have an effect on the character’s health.
It’s not just artistic license that has characters getting sick when they compare themselves unfavorably with others. Who knew?
►► Avery’s best friend Daniel slowly wasted away on Earth, alternately railing against the world and castigating himself for not stepping up like Avery.
5. Aged Regret = Different Flavor
We’re likely to regret actions in the short term, but in the long term it’s the things we didn’t do that get us down.
This can make a nice foil, with a younger character regretting an action and an older character regretting an “omission.” Or you can have a character arc from one to the other in the space of the story.
►► Years later, Avery forgot the decision to pass up the second house. Instead, he regretted not encouraging Daniel to see his own strength.
Show It Better Than a Movie
There’s more to regret than arcs and motivations. It’s an emotion, and as an author you need to treat it like one.
You see yourself as having lost something, or the idea of something that is profoundly meaningful to you, and the experience is every bit as real as suffering after any kind of traumatic event. – Suzanne Lachmann, Psy.D.
Your job is to show that grief. The resulting actions aren’t enough. Words spoken or thought aren’t enough.
You have to show a reaction to the pain.
Give it some screen time.
Let it sink in.
It’s Time to Give Your Characters the Depth They Deserve
You’ve got the tools to show your character’s regret, and to make it a realistically integral part of their actions and emotions. Especially if you have The Emotion Thesaurus
.
Your pen is waiting.
Get to it.
HEADS UP! You can grab the free report Seven Arcs of Regret – ONLY AVAILABLE HERE – for more ideas and details. Download it now.
MJ Bush is The Analytical Creative. Her writing advice steps back to take in the whole picture, then dives in to grab the pearls of usable detail. She’s the founder of Writingeekery.com and a full time fiction coach, editor, and writer.
The post 5 Surprising Ways Regret Can Deepen Your Hero’s Arc appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS.
By:
Angela Ackerman,
on 6/11/2014
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I recently read a Huff Post psychology piece on Turning Negative Emotions Into Your Greatest Advantage and immediately saw how this could also apply to our characters. Feel free to follow the link and read, but if you’re short on time, the rundown is this: negative emotions are not all bad. In fact, they are necessary to the human experience, and can spark a shift that leads to self growth.
And after reading James Scott Bell’s Write Your Novel From The Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between
and attending a full day workshop with him a few weeks ago, I can also see how this idea of using negative emotions to fuel a positive changes fits oh-so-nicely with Jim’s concept of “the Mirror Moment.”
But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, let’s look at what a mirror moment is.
Mirror Moment: a moment in midpoint scene of a novel or screenplay when the character is forced to look within and reflect on who he is and who he must become in order to achieve his goal. If he decides to continue on as he always has, he will surely fail (tragedy).
If the story is not a tragedy, the hero realizes he must either a) become stronger to overcome the odds or b) transform, shedding his biggest flaws and become more open-minded to new ideas and beliefs. One way or the other, he must better himself in some way to step onto the path which will lead to success.
Jim actually describes the Mirror Moment so much better than I can HERE, but do your writing a BIG FAVOR and also snag a copy of this book. (It’s a short read and will absolutely help you strengthen the character’s arc in your story!)
To see how the two tie together, let’s explore what leads to this essential “mirror moment.” Your hero is taking stock of his situation, realizing he has two choices: stubbornly continue on unchanged and hope for the best, or move forward differently, becoming something more.
The big question: what is the catalyst? What causes him to take stock of the situation? What causes his self-reflection?
The answer is not surprising: EMOTION. Something the character FEELS causes him to stop, look within, and make a choice.
Let’s assume this isn’t a tragedy. If this moment had a math formula, it would look something like this:
Emotion + look within = change
So what type of emotions are the best fit to encourage this necessary shift toward change? And are they positive emotions, or negative ones? Let’s experiment!
Common positive emotions, taken right from The Emotion Thesaurus:
Happiness + look within
Happiness is contentment, a feeling of extreme well being. If one feels good about themselves and where they are at, it doesn’t encourage a strong desire for change, does it?
Gratitude + a look within
Gratitude is thankfulness, an appreciation for others and what one has. Because again, gratitude creates contentment, feeling “full” and thankful, it doesn’t make the best catalyst for change. However, if you were to pair it with something like relief (such as being given a second chance), then gratitude over being spared something negative could lead to resolving to change.
Excitement + a look within
Excitement is the feeling of being energized to the point one feels compelled to act. On the outside, this looks like a good candidate for change, but it depends on the type of excitement. Is the “high” a character feels something that distracts them from self reflection (such as being caught up in the experience of a rock concert) or does it inspire (such as the thrill of meeting one’s sports hero in person)? If one’s excitement propels one to want to become something better, then change can be achieved.
Satisfaction + a look within
Satisfaction is a feeling of contentment in a nutshell. It is feeling whole and complete. As such, looking within while satisfied likely won’t lead to a desire to change anything–in fact it might do just the opposite: encourage the character to remain the same.
Common negative emotions, again right from The Emotion Thesaurus:
Fear + a look within
Fear is the expectation of threat or danger. Feeling afraid is very uncomfortable, something almost all people wish to avoid. Some even try to make deals with the powers that be, so deep is their desperation: if I win this hand, I’ll give up gambling, I swear. So, combining this emotion with some self reflection could definitely create the desire to change.
Frustration + a look within
Feeling stymied or hemmed in is something all people are familiar with and few can tolerate for long. By its very nature, frustration sends the brain on a search for change: how can I fix this? How can I become better/more skilled/adapt? How can I succeed?
Characters who are frustrated are eager to look within for answers.
Embarrassment + a look within
Embarrassment is another emotion that is very adept at making characters uncomfortable. Self-conscious discomfort is something all usually avoid because it triggers vulnerability. When one feels embarrassed, it is easy to look within and feel the desire to make a change so this experience is not repeated.
Shame + a look within
Disgrace isn’t pretty. When a person knows they have done something improper or dishonorable, it hurts. Shame creates the desire to rewind the clock so one can make a different choice or decision that does not lead to this same situation. It allows the character to focus on their shortcomings without rose-colored glasses, and fast tracks a deep need for change.
* ~ * ~ *
These are only a sampling of emotions, but the exercise above suggests it might be easier to bring about this mirror moment through negative emotions. But, does this mean all positive emotions don’t lead to change while all negative ones do? Not at all!
Love + a look within could create a desire to become more worthy in the eyes of loved ones. And emotions such as Denial or Contempt, while negative, both resist the idea of change. Denial + a look within, simply because one is not yet in a place where they can see truth. Contempt + a look within, because one is focused on the faults of others, not on one’s own possible shortcomings. Overall however, negative emotions seem to be the ones best suited to lead to that mirror moment and epiphany that one must change or become stronger and more skilled in order to succeed.
So there you have it–when you’re working on this critical moment in your story when your character realizes change is needed, think carefully about which emotion might best lead to this necessary internal reflection and change.
(And of course, we profile 75 emotions in The Emotion Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, so that’s just one more way for you to use it!)
The post Story Midpoint & Mirror Moment: Using Heroes’ Emotions To Transform Them appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS.
Good news! Plot Whispering guru
Martha Alderson is visiting today as she releases
The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing into the world.
I know that finding inspiration and getting our writing mind running can be a struggle at times, and so having a book that offer s prompts and wisdom on how to connect with our creative inner selves is a great tool for our writer's chest.
Martha agrees, and so is putting 3 books up for grabs to 3 lucky commenters. To win, comment on which danger(s) listed below most plagues you. Share a method you’ve found helpful banishing writer’s block, and your name is in the draw!
The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts gives you the inspiration and motivation you need to finish every one of your writing projects. Written by celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson, this book guides you through each stage of the writing process, from constructing compelling characters to establishing an unforgettable ending. Here's some great answers to an area that trouble's many: writer's block. If you've had it before, you know how terrible it is, and how hard it can be to climb out of it. Please read on!
~~ * ~~
Angela: What dangers are responsible for writer’s block?Martha: I address writer’s block on the first page of my new book, The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.
“But you’re stuck. You can’t seem to get going. And what seemed so easy and so urgent now appears as a huge obstacle sitting in front of you, blocking your path to fulfillment.”
Writers beware of the three major dangers responsible for writer’s block.1) Disorganization
2) Uncertainty
3) Lack of Knowledge about How to Write a Story with a Plot
Angela: How does one pull oneself free of writer’s block?Martha: I have always been fascinated by energy, which is why the Universal Story so delights me. I love the idea of an energetic path that cycles through the beginning and the end of a story, and everything else in life, too. Sometimes the energy builds and sometimes it fades, like the waves near my house. I appreciate that you can’t force a story to come any more than you can force a wave to break. However, there are three magic elixirs, one each to cure the three major dangers for writer’s block. Practice them liberally to ensure the path of creativity stays clear and wide open.
1) Replace Disorganization with Discipline I cringe even writing the word discipline, like I’m writing a bad or even evil word. Yet for writers with jumbled ideas, cluttered workspaces, stacks of stories started and stopped at varying degrees of completion, writing in moments of sublime inspiration followed by weeks and months of writer’s block isn’t working.
Discipline once referred to an avid pursuit. At some point in history, discipline became linked to punishment and quickly fell out of favor, especially with creative and more permissive people. An everyday discipline is not nearly as romantic as being struck by inspiration. Yet every successful writer I know writes daily.
The most successful writers write full-time everyday. Discipline demands self-control. Self-control requires emotional maturity. How does one achieve emotional maturity, you ask? Same way as your protagonist achieves her full character emotional development, through trial and error and trauma and plunging into the dark night of the soul. The protagonist’s emotional development takes place over time and culminates at the end of the story in a lasting transformation. The character’s emotional development can be plotted from the beginning to the end of the story.
Your emotional maturity develops from writing a story with a plot from beginning to end and culminates at the end of the story. This means you write every day. Even when you don’t want to, even when you don’t know what to write and when there are so many more important things to do than write, you sit down, wait and write what comes. Rather than punishment, discipline grants you access to a wondrous world.
At first, establishing a daily writing discipline takes persistence and will-power. You try and fail and pick yourself up and try again. The more consistently you follow-through with the intentions and promises you make to yourself, soon your writing discipline becomes automatic, a habit, a routine. Rather than controlled by whim or strong emotion or wait for inspiration to strike, a disciplined writer writes.
Consistency creates habits and routines. Every time you write repeatedly with strong purpose, intention, and emphasis, the habit or routine enters the realm of a ritual. Finishing happens when you write consistently.
Today I write.
When you’re writing a first draft, committed not to show anyone until you’ve written all the way through to the end and started rewriting, use your critique group instead as a place to publicly state your writing intentions. Having your intentions witnessed increases your likelihood of discipline and success.
2) Replace Uncertainty with Confidence To write takes confidence and energy. Something haunts you—a line of dialogue, a character; an event whispers to you like an invitation to sit down and write. Imagine for a moment that perhaps something in the invisible world wishes to manifest in the visible world. You—yes, you—have been chosen to make that dream a reality. You can always say no. However, once you say yes, the energy and commitment you bring to that task is sure to rise and fall as you follow the path on which your story leads you.
In appreciation of how fragile most writers’ confidence, I added to the PWBook of Prompts daily affirmations reminding you of your goals. Each time you renew your commitment to yourself, you renew your energy for your story. The more committed and highly energized you are, the more successful you’ll be at writing everyday. Suddenly, the ritual of showing up for your dreams empowers you to seize that which you most want.
Learning new concepts and exploring new ideas in your writing can fill or deplete you of energy. Daily affirmations lift your vigor, refocus your beliefs in yourself, and keep you writing. The ritual of repeating an affirmation every day at the same time becomes the anchor that keeps you grounded when life and your story fall apart around you.
Affirmations provide inspiration and foster creativity as you follow the more concrete plot elements of writing your story from beginning to end. Every day you repeat an affirmation, you are symbolically focusing your thoughts on your goals. Daily repetition of an affirmation builds positive, upbeat energy.
3) Replace a Lack of Knowledge about How to Write a Story with a Plot by Studying Plot and Structure The more you know about plot and structure, the more confident and disciplined you grow and the more easily your ideas fall into place.
As a plot consultant and teacher, I meet writers who talk about writing but don’t actually write. I meet others who write endlessly but never get anywhere. In every case, it means the writer doesn’t know what to write next. Writers who know what comes next in a story with a plot and have a plan and pre-plot, no matter how vague, are less apt to experience writer’s block than writers who don’t know what goes where in a story with a plot. The writing prompts in the PW Book of Prompts take care of that for you with daily plot prompts to prompt your imagination and expression toward the plot and structure considerations at the exact spot where you are in writing your story. Increase your appreciation and knowledge of plot and structure and move from blocked and frustrated to writing the story all the way to the end.
Thank you, Angela, for allowing me space to share my passion for plot with your friends and followers. I invite you all to join me virtually on March 6th to
Track Your Plot at the Scene Level, a webinar hosted by the
Writer’s Store.
Martha Alderson,
aka the Plot Whisperer, is the author of the Plot Whisperer series of plot books for writers:
The Plot Whisperer Book of Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing,
The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories – a companion workbook to
The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master. She has also written
Blockbuster Plots Pure & Simple (Illusion Press) and several ebooks on plot.
As an international plot consultant for writers, Martha’s clients include best-selling authors, New York editors, and Hollywood movie directors. She teaches plot workshops to novelists, memoirists, and screenwriters privately, at plot retreats, RWA, SCBWI, CWC chapter meetings, at writers' conferences and Writers Store where she takes writers beyond the words and into the very heart of a story.
As the founder of December,
International Plot Writing Month, Martha manages the
award-winning blog for writers, awarded by Writers Digest 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. Her vlog,
How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay covers 27 steps to plotting your story from beginning to end.
Super helpful as always Martha--it is always great to have you on the blog. I have learned so much about writing from your books, blog and videos. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us!**Don't forget! You could WIN 1 of 3 copies of Writing Prompts, so tell me in the comments which danger(s) listed below most plagues you. Share a method you’ve found helpful banishing writer’s block! Print (US only) or ebook (International), the choice is yours!
Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I've bookmarked Mary Ann's Wednesday Writing Workout. What a fun exercise! Now, back to the topic of favorite craft-oriented books. We all have our personal favorites, of course, and there are certainly enough out there to satisfy everybody's tastes. I hadn't even heard of Carmela's pick, Mary Oliver's A Poetry Handbook, but I'm going to have to try to find a copy. I'm more familiar with the terrific books on Mary Ann's list, although I've never had the pleasure of reading Marcia Colub's I'd Rather Be Writing. These two are going straight to my (ever growing!) "must read" list. For my own list, I'm going to stick to those books that deal with writing fiction.
When I feel the need for a writing boost, there are books I go back to again and again. But if I were going to be stranded on a desert isle with only three books about the writing craft to read while awaiting rescue (and praying for a cookbook to wash up: 500 Ways to Cook Coconuts), my picks would be:
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne & Dave King. This little gem was first published in 1993, but it's no less relevant now than 20 years ago. It's packed with information that vastly improved my writing. Vastly. And it's written in a friendly, chatting-over-the-back-fence style that appeals to me. So many illuminating examples are sprinkled throughout – good, bad, hilarious, and cringe-inducing – that there's no way you can read it and not come away a better writer. How many writing sins did Beginner Me commit? That's for another post.
Telling Lies for Fun by Profit, by Lawrence Block. Reading these essays is like picking the brain of a warm and witty, well-published favorite uncle who's willing to cut through the baloney and give it to you straight. He covers every topic I can imagine about writing and the writing life. From selecting a pen name (or not) to speeding up your writing to creating believable characters to "the perils of icebox thinking." I'm not kidding. It's ALL here. An often eye-opening read.
For my third choice, I’d have to go with Stephen King’s On Writing. Half memoir, half instruction manual, candid and, by turns, heartbreaking and funny, this book gives me hope that success can happen for any of us willing to work hard and BELIEVE. And who doesn’t need that?
Many, many other books on my bookshelves beckon, but these three remain my faves. Since I never studied writing formally, they pretty much provided my writing education, helped get me where I am today. How could I not love them?
Jill Esbaum
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 9/28/2012
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Howdy, Campers! Happy Poetry Friday! Info about how to enter today's Book Giveaway is far, far below.
Poetry Friday is hosted today by the
Paper Tigers--thank you!
Years ago, I attended an informal farewell lunch after speaking at a writers' conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was tired and wasn't feeling well and very nearly skipped that lunch. Luckily, I didn't. That's where I met the dynamic and sparkling
Carolee Dean.
I have since had the great pleasure of being on a panel Carolee put together for this year's International Reading Association Convention in Chicago. (That's where I learned how generous, well-organized and cool-under-pressure she is.)
Carolee keeps a gazillion plates spinning in the air at once. She not only works in public schools as a speech-language pathologist, she also teaches writing, helps sponsor middle school and high school poetry slam teams, and is the author of three young adult novels all including original poetry. They are:
COMFORT (Houghton Mifflin),
TAKE ME THERE (Simon Pulse), and the JUST ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED paranormal verse novel
FORGET ME NOT (Simon Pulse, Oct. 2, 2012)--which you, yes
you can WIN in our Book Giveaway--woo-woo (details below)!
So let's meet Carolee in person. Hey, Carolee--how did you officially become a TeachingAuthor?
I've spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist with students of all ages and a variety of challenges. The most difficult thing for most of them is writing, and understandably, many of them hate doing it. I'm always trying out activities to inspire my reluctant writers. Sometimes the activities work. Sometimes they don't. When they do work I like to share them with other educators because I know how difficult it can be to continuously come up with inspiring lessons.
Among some of my better ideas is a twelve step story analysis method I call
The Secret Language of Stories. I've given presentations on it at several state, national, and international conferences including the International Reading Association 2012 in Chicago where I co-presented on an all day panel with you and
TeachingAuthor
Esther Hershenhorn. I have a description of the twelve steps
on a tab at
my blog.
What's a common problem your students have and how do you address it?
It's easy to get stuck staring at a big white page or a blank computer screen. I can't tell you how many times I hear the words, "I don't know what to write." I reply, "writing isn't about knowing. There is no magic right or wrong answer as there is in other subjects.
Writing is about choosing, about considering the infinite possibilities and picking one." To this the student inevitably replies, "I still don't know what to write." Then I usually give the stumped pupil a whole list of suggestions which he or she usually doesn't like because that blank computer screen is still just so darn intimidating.
One strategy that has worked extremely well for me is to create a PowerPoint with directions on each slide for what part of the story to write on that particular slide. I also include suggestions about what kind of accompanying images to select. I usually let kids choose the images first since the pictures often inspire their writing. This has worked extremely well with even the most struggling writers. Kids love power point and they love Google Images.
I have some high school students who read and write at first and second grade levels and they have come up with some of the most amazing stories.
(Directions for Carolee's PowerPoint story along with a downloadable PowerPoint can be found under the Teacher Resources section of
her blog).
Would you share a favorite writing exercise with our readers?
I like to get kids talking about stories before they write them. There is a strong connection between oral language and written language and it often helps to verbalize ideas before putting them down on paper.
One of my favorite activities is to cut out unusual pictures from magazines. Advertisements often contain images that may be interpreted in a variety of ways. I play music and then ask students to walk around the room. When the music stops I tell them to sit down in front of a picture and describe to the class what they think is going on.
We do this several times and I've found that the random nature of the activity takes off the pressure to think of something good. After they've all come up with two or three ideas, we sit down to write. I often use the structure of poetry for this stage of writing because the focus is on ideas rather than grammar.
I LOVE that idea, Carolee. I can see using it in my classes for adults writers, too. Okay, so tell us...what's on the horizon for you?
I'm in the process of writing up
The Secret Language of Stories as a teacher sourcebook and I just wrote
an article for Cynsations exploring the history of verse novels going all the way back to Homer and the Iliad and the Odyssey.
In the immediate future, FORGET ME NOT, my paranormal verse novel, is coming out October 2! It's about a girl who has been cyber bullied and hides out from her tormentors in a deserted part of the school only to find herself stuck in a hallway full of ghosts.
(
Read the great Kirkus review of FORGET ME NOT here and another terrific review of her book here.)
Sounds wonderfully SPOOKY, Carolee--and just in time for Halloween!
And finally, since it's Poetry Friday in the Kidlitosphere, would you share a poem from your new book with our readers?
Absolutely. Here is an excerpt from FORGET ME NOT:
WRITE IT OUT
That's what Ms. Lane,
my writing teacher,
would say.
Spill it out onto
the page.
Sometimes it's
the only way
for thoughts heavy
as bricks
to become feathers
and fly away.
I could go
to her class.
Get my head
together.
I'd sit next to
Elijah.
I wonder if
he's heard.
Even if he has,
I know
he
wouldn't say
a word.
poem © 2012 Carolee Dean. All rights reserved
Wonderful! Thank you SO much for stopping by to talk with us, Carolee!
Here's the exquisite book trailer for FORGET ME NOT:
Campers! Join Carolee's
Ghost Tour which starts Oct. 3, and check out the
original jewelry made especially for Carolee's book launch!
Carolee has generously offered to autograph a copy of her about-to-be-published book for our
BOOK GIVEAWAY. Yay! To enter, just follow these rules:
You must follow our
TeachingAuthors blog to enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean. If you're not already a follower, you can sign up now in the sidebar to subscribe to our posts via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs.
There are two ways to enter:
1) by a comment posted below
OR
2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.
Just for the fun of it, tell us a true ghost story of your own in 50 words or less. This is optional!
Whichever way you enter, you MUST give us your name AND tell us how you follow us. If you enter via a comment, you MUST include a valid email address (formatted this way: youremail [at] gmail [dot] com) in your comment. Contest open only to residents of the United States. Incomplete entries will be discarded.
Entry deadline is 11 p.m. Thursday, October 4, 2012 (Central Standard Time). The winner will be chosen in a random drawing and announced on October 5th.
Good luck, Campers!
I’m a TeachingAuthor, right?
So, the Teacher and the Writer in me can combine
their high opinions and enthusiastically award Lisa Cron’s WIRED FOR STORY (Ten
Speed Press, July, 2012) two Thumbs Up!
Both parts of me were actively, indeed
compulsively engaged while I read this book, subtitled “The Writer’s Guide to
Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence.”
I’m happy to say: the book proved providential.
I’d just begun what I hoped would be
a final revision of a middle grade novel.
Thanks to the beginning chapters, I instantly saw I still had Back Story
to discover.
Maybe that fact explains why my copy of WIRED FOR STORY is now inked
and yellow-marker-ed from cover to cover, the “Aha!’s” circled and starred, the
turn-me-around explanations of and insights into key story elements underlined at
least twice. Page corners are bent, both
top and bottom.
Just to make sure I truly got these Story Truths - Truths now showcased in a whole new
neuroscientific light, Truths I knew cold and fervently taught, I first copied
them into my Write’s Notebook, next into my ongoing novel revision, then finally
into the body of emails I sent several of my writers and students presently
immersed in their storytelling and revisions.
As a teacher, I relentlessly remind my children’s
book writers to think about their readers.
Where
are they cognitively, emotionally, chronologically?
What
questions are they asking at the end of the chapter?
What
keeps them caring and turning the pages?
But now, thanks to Lisa Cron and WIRED FOR
STORY, I’ll exhort them to keep in mind their reader’s brain!
It’s wired, it turns out, to grasp the
architecture of story; it’s wired to expect its necessary building blocks.
“Fire,” the author reveals, “is crucial to
writing; it’s the very first ingredient of every story. Passion is what drives us to write……but there
is an implicit framework that must underlie a story in order for that passion,
that fire, to ignite the reader’s brain.”
Lisa Cron is an instructor at the UCLA Extension
Writer’s Program. She’s worked in
publishing, as an agent, as a TV producer, as a story consultant for film.
In other words, she’s a TeachingAuthor too.
And it shows.
The book illuminates “the intricate mesh of
interconnected elements that hold a story together, letting it build seemingly
effortlessly,” while zeroing in on how the brain works.
Its twelve-chapter organization is pure Show,
Don’t Tell, from “How to Hook the Reader” to “What Does Your Protagonist Really Want?” to “Courting Conflict, the
Agent of Change” to “Cause and Effect” to “The Road from Setup to Payoff” to
“The Writer’s Brain on Story.”
Each chapter begins with a Cognitive Secret and
a Story Secret. For instance, when
digging up our protagonist’s inner issue, cognitively we see the world not as it is, but as we believe it to be. Story-wise, Cron tells us, we must know precisely when, and why, our
protagonist’s worldview was knocked out of alignment.
Each chapter ends with a summarizing Checklist
usable at any writing stage.
Cron parcels out the techniques and tips in
delicious bites that build, using familiar examples from literature, movies and
television for further concrete explanation. Within
each informational segment, she distinguishes between the Myth and the Reality.
Her tone is warm, friendly, personal, because
she too is a writer who knows the challenges of story-telling.
Each chapter’s opening quote, many unknown to
me, begs to be copied and shared.
Lisa now contributes to WriterUnboxed, a blog about
the craft and business of fiction.
Visit her website to learn more about her and WIRED FOR STORY.
And, Good News: YOU can enter to win an autographed
copy of WIRED FOR STORY. Be sure to see the details below.
So, thank you twice, Lisa Cron.
The Writer in me now embraces her current
revision more confidently, knowing the story parts my reader’s brain expects in
order to live and breathe and care (!) inside my novel.
The
Teacher in me now has a new gift to bear.
Esther
Hershenhorn
BOOK GIVEAWAY!
You must follow our TeachingAuthors
blog to enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of Wired
for Story by Lisa Cron. If
you're not already a follower, you can sign up now in the sidebar to subscribe
to our posts via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs.
There are two ways to enter:
- by a comment posted
below
OR
- by sending an email
to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway"
in the subject line.
Just for the fun of it, see if your cortex is working. Along with your name, share the name of a
part of your brain!
Whichever way you enter, you MUST give us your name AND
tell us how you follow us. If you enter via a comment, you MUST include
a valid email address (formatted like: teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com) in
your comment. Contest open only to residents of the United States and Canada.
Incomplete entries will be discarded.
Entry deadline is 11 p.m. Tuesday,
Sept. 25, 2012 (Central Standard Time). The winner
will be chosen in a random drawing and announced on Sept. 12. Winners will be posted on September 26.
Good luck!
.
For the second year running, Plot Whisperer blog is awarded 101 Best Websites for Writers by Writers Digest magazine -- quite a thrill.
Last year, we fit in Publishing Resources which resulted in a shift in my own personal take on this blog. In order to be published, writers need a solid structure and sound plot for their novels, memoirs, and screenplays. I got it....
This year, we fall under Writing Advice. I am in the company of 16 other blogs/websites. Having been chosen out of more than 3500 nominations is a high honor indeed.
Thank you Writers Digest for the help you offer writers everywhere. Thank you for finding Plot Whisperer a "valuable website for the writing life." Thank you for believing I am "always inspiring." Ha! No, really. Thank you. You make me feel like an insider. For one who routinely hovers on the sidelines, I am honored. Your recognition fuels my passion to keep at this plot and structure work I do with writers.
Thank you writers and reader for following this blog, commenting, and sharing your success stories along the way.
Deepest gratitude to you...
ImageChef.com Poetry BlenderSo, did my title for today's blog catch your attention? Did it make you wonder what the topic was about? I hope so, because I'm trying to apply what I learned about tension from my second breakout session with Author Mark Johnson. (Yes, we're now back to notes from my SCBWI Carolina's conference)
We were given a list of 10 rules for creating tension. I'm just going to focus on the first one. Maybe I'll touch on the other points on another day.
Rule #1 Start the tension ASAP!
So, I decided to look at the first paragraphs of two current books that many people are calling "page-turners" "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson. I wanted to learn how they create tension right away. Here's what I learned from their opening lines:
THE HUNGER GAMES:
"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of reaping."
WHAT THIS TAUGHT ME ABOUT TENSION:
Create Tension by leaving hints. Make the reader wonder . . .: We don't know what the day of reaping is, but we know it's bad enough to cause bad dreams. We also know by the set up that there is a tenderness in the relationship between the protagonist and Prim. The reader is left to wonder about Prim and what may happen to this character later in the book.
THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX:
"I used to be someone.
someone named Jenna Fox.
That's what they tell me. But I am more than a name. More than they tell me. More than the facts and statistics they fill me with. More than the video clips they make me watch.
More. But I'm not sure what.
"Jenna, come sit over here. You don't want to miss this." The woman I'm supposed to call Mother pats the cushion next to her.
WHAT THIS OPENING LINE TAUGHT ME ABOUT TENSION:
These simple lines burst with relational tension and leave us wondering and wanting to know more.
Who is Jenna Fox? Why doesn't she know who she is? What happened? What more is there?
We immediately see inner conflict in the protagonist as well as conflict with her mother. These end up being key issues throughout the book.
WHAT THESE OPENING LINES HAVE IN COMMON:
1) Neither hit us over the head with facts nor melodrama. They reel us in nice and slow.
2) Both "hint" at the conflicts that drive the action forward through the entire book.
3) They start out making the reader wonder what's going on and makes us ask "questions"
Are there any other insights you can gain from these opening lines? I'd love to hear your insights!
For those of you write articles for children, here's a super nice gal, Liana Mahoney, who compiles magazine theme lists and updates them every month! Isn't that nice?
Here's her link www.lianamahoney.com/8.html
Rhetoric has a bad wrap. At first, the concept puts me in mind of sleezy politicians, boring college lectures and heated debates.
All stereo-types aside, I listened to Modern Scholar's course "A Way with Words" taught by Prof. Michael C. Drout at Wheaton College. (available for check out through your local library) This man certainly has a way with words! He's the first person I've ever listened to who has a fervor for rhetoric. It's infectious!
Like it or not, rhetoric is a powerful and effective (if used well) form of communication. A Super Power! Able to change hearts, move nations and create a reality that was once believed impossible.
As writers, don't we all want to grab our reader so that they want to sit back and buckle up for the entire ride?
So, I asked myself, "How can the children's writer use this power for The Good in our novels?" Can the principles of rhetoric be used to capture the reader like an orator would want to capture their audience?
Here's how I applied the knowledge from the course "A way with Words"
Rhetoric as it applies to novel writing:
1) Find a starting place of common ground: What do we all care about? What makes us want to stay with the speaker (aka main character) It's not the action that draws us in as much as caring about/ relating to the character.
2) How do other authors do it? Example: In "A Wizard of Earthsea" the main character, Ged, isn't necessarily likable. He's an arrogant, careless and prideful youth. Yet, I was drawn to the character because I (as I'm sure many others) can relate to the consequences of youthful error. And Ged's redeemable qualities? He changes. Now humbled, scarred and regretful, Ged seeks to make right his wrongs.
So, I guess in a nuttshell, give your character both flaws and strengths as well as circumstances that most readers can relate to, not just at the beginning but scattered through out the book as well.
Now, go grab your Super Hero Cape or your Lasso and Go get 'em!
Here's a great writing resource from Carnegie Mellon.
This site lists all kinds of useful info like:
tricky words
commonly misspelled or misused words
plurals and possessives
punctuation
and much more.
A great place to go when you have a question about
the "rules of writing"
THE SURROGATES, based on the GN by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele, has gained a top line star in Bruce Willis, the trades report. Jonathan Mostow directs. It looks from the story that the film has missed the strike cut-off, assuring this and other websites a steady stream of news items on comics-rekated films in the coming months.
Michael Ferris and John Brancato scripted “The Surrogates” based on a graphic novel from Top Shelf Comix. They collaborated with Mostow on the last film he directed, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” The scribes also wrote “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins,” the Halcyon-financed sequel that McG will direct at Warner Bros.
Via PR, news that Top Shelf will be republishing Brit comic Marshal Law, and a TV sighting of Lost Girls, believe it or not.
The government has commissioned living weapons of mass destruction to wage war on terror. The survivors return home broken, bitter, insane. Some form gangs, some go psycho. Some turn into ‘A’ list celebrities with ‘A’ bomb fists. The city is now a war zone.
San Futuro needs a Super Cop to enforce summary justice. His eyes will reflect the rocket’s red glare. He is Twilight’s Last Gleaming…
MARSHAL LAW
A bad choice is better than no choice at all.
Top Shelf is proud to announce that it has just signed Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill’s MARSHAL LAW, and will publish a MARSHAL LAW Omnibus next year — THE all-up one-volume, full-color, 500(+)-page definitive MARSHAL LAW collection.
And only Canadian TV is bold enough for the Moore/Gebbie erotic oddessy, it seems:
Tanya Spreckley of the Canadian TV show “SexTV” has just aired the one-and-only filmed TV segment on LOST GIRLS. Flying over to Northampton England, Tanya and her crew filmed and edited an amazing interview with Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie. And they’ve just posted a streaming-video version of it at their website.
TO WATCH THE TV SEGMENT ON LOST GIRLS, JUST CLICK HERE: (Recommended for Adults Only)
The segment is © 2007 SexTV (Canada).
Top Shelf publishers Chris Staros and Brett Warnock will continue their 10th Anniversary Celebration at the San Diego Comic-Con this year with a dozen cartoonists in attendance — all available to sign their new releases. Drop by the booth, meet the whole gang, and pick up a free 10th Anniversary Poster and Seasonal Sampler while you’re there!
Jeffrey Brown (Incredible Change-Bots)
Renee French (Micrographica)
Matt Kindt (Super Spy)
Jeff Lemire (Tales from the Farm)
Andy Hartzell (Fox Bunny Funny)
Jeremy Tinder (Black Ghost Apple Factory)
Christian Slade (Korgi)
Andy Runton (Owly)
Robert Venditti (The Surrogates)
David Yurkovich (Death by Chocolate)
Jose Villarrubia (The Mirror of Love)
& last but definitely not least:
Eddie Campbell (Fate of the Artist)
It’s another exhausting run of events for the next few days. Make sure the Metro card is filled up! The following list is indebted to Bill Kartalopoulous, who gave us permission to adapt his own email listings. The whole list is in the jump. Saturday is particularly rough, but we know we’ll be hitting the Top Shelf 10th Anniversary party…that’s the one “must do” on the list!
(Above “Space cadet” by Souther Salazar, another must do.)
FRIDAY, 6/22
7:30 pm: A SPECIAL GAY PRIDE SIGNING FEATURING THE BEST OF COMICS GLBT TALENT!.
ALLAN NEUWIRTH; Chelsea Boyz / IVAN VELEZ JR. ; Ghost Rider (writer), Dead High Yearbook (editor, writer, designer), Tales Of The Closet / ABBY DENSON: Tough Love, Power Puff Girls, ED EDD and EDDY / TIM FISH: Young Bottoms In Love, Cavalcade of Boys / JOSE VILLARRUBIA: The Mirror of Love w/ Alan Moore, Ultimate X Men, Crossing Midnight, Army @ Love (colorist) and ROBERT AGUIRRE SACASA: Spiderman, Nightcrawler, Marvel Knights (writer). Come get your stuff signed in rainbow colors, get the dirty lowdown on the big companies, and find out which character ‘is and isn’t’ in your favorite mainstream Universes.
JIM HANLEY’S UNIVERSE; 4 West 33rd St. , New York, NY 10001, (off 5th Ave. - opposite the Empire State Building)Tel: (212) 268-7088
7-9 pm
“New Mutants” opening reception
at Canada
55 Chrystie Street
CANADA presents an exhibition of imagist paintings by emerging North American artists. This group of artists is linked by its unabashed use of representative imagery in service to surreal and oblique narratives.
8 pm Windy Corner release Party
at Union Pool, 484 Union Ave. Brooklyn
8 pm Paul Hornschemeier Art Show and Signing
at Rocketship, 208 Smith Street, Brooklyn
Start the weekend off right by getting your new copy of THE THREE PARADOXES signed, and see some amazing art by Mr. Hornschemeier!
6-9 pm Jeffrey Brown signing at
GRNY, 437 E. 9th St, Manhattan
SATURDAY, 6/23
6 pm — ? Top Shelf 10th Anniversary Party
at Gstaad, 43 West 26th Street
If you live in New York or will be at the MoCCA Art Festival this June, be sure to join us on Saturday evening, June 23rd, for our 10th Anniversary Party. Food and drinks will be there for all who attend. Come help us celebrate that we’re still here 10 years on!
5 - 9 pm Souther Sazalar opening
Jonathan Levine Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, 9E New York
Jonathan LeVine Gallery is proud to announce Space Cadets, a solo exhibit of new works by Souther Salazar. This show will be the artist’s first solo show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery and his largest exhibition to date. Souther Salazar presents an alternate universe, where nothing is realistic and yet everything is familiar. His exhibition includes large-scale mixed media works on panel, ink renderings on paper, and sculptures created using a variety of materials and found objects.
6:30-10 Free Ice Cream Day exhibit opening reception
GRNY, 437 E. 9th St, Manhattan
Giant Robot is proud to present a group show featuring original art by indie-comics notables Jeffrey Brown, Allison Cole, R. Kikuo Johnson, Anders Nilsen, and Daria Tessler at GRNY.
8 pm Mauled #4 release party/MoCCA after-party
at R Bar, 218 Bowery, Manhatan
SUNDAY 6/24
Mark Newgarden & Megan Montague Cash
2 pm “Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug” presentation and book event
Mini Jake, 178 N. 9th St. (b/w Bedford and Driggs Ave.), Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 782-2005
First, let’s clarify what regret is.
Your pen is waiting.
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Can’t wait!!!!
I struggle with disorganization. Goals give me the hives, so I set milestones (i know another word for goal) and dates. The path might be windy to get me to the milestone, but I'll get there.
Yes! Another book on writing for my list!! This sounds awesome. Thanks so much for sharing, Martha!
If anything, it's uncertainty that clouds my vision and judgment. It bleeds into everything I do, if I let it. I'll have to work on this, for certain.
Indiscipline is my problem, I think. It is either that or lack of organization. Watching movies, reading on writing, or just doing some exercise works best for me to get rid of the writer's block.
Plotting - without a doubt! I don't or can't (one or the other. All of my published stories have formed from the seed of an idea as I've written them.
Fortunately my family understands my need to write every day. I'm not a happy camper if I don't. I'm super organized when it comes to my writing. If only that were true for my house. :P
What I struggle with most is this elusive concept of discipline. Where can I find it? I am working on my first fiction novel and I am in love with it, I think about it all the time, I dream about, I am living it - yet when it comes to getting myself to just sit down and focus and type I find the ADD and distractions come knocking.
It is also overwhelming because I am at the point where I have quite a bit of disjointed pieces written and now they must be fixed up and woven together. It's a daunting mountain of words.
This comment has been removed by the author.
The method most helpful to me for moving through writers block is to write about the writers block. Then as I work through it on the page, a spark appears and leads me on to something else.
I know about Martha. She's got some great advice.
My plots can rarely get off the ground just because life gets in the way. Plus, I always go the long way around, but that's another story entirely....
Maria
A struggle I have is getting stuck in my own head. I spend too much time trying to work out the invisible kinks in the story inside my head instead of on the paper.
A method I've found helpful is writing a short "prompt" for the next days writing. This give me time to think about it and causes me to wake with fresh ideas for the day's task.
*waves* hi ladies! :)
Definitely number one for me. I need organization to write a kicking plot, and time, lol. I'd have to say time is the biggest one. Maybe if i reorganize my schedule to allot a few hours per day I'd get more writing done.
I try to write a minimum of two or three hours a day, but that usually ends up an hour a day. I'm a plotter too, so I always have a "game plan" or "road map" before I start.
Need to start setting extra time aside for about 15 minutes of free writing before I write the novels too.
One thing I've found the most useful is to focus one one novel until it's rough drafted, then I can work on another while the first is sitting.
Trying to juggle writing three and four at a time wore me out, and I ended up blocked more often than not.
One thing I didn't see mentioned is stress. That can really block you on writing too.
Excellent post! Thanks Martha, Angela, and Becca. :)
[email protected]
I believe lack of consistency is th egreatest block in completing my novel. I tend to write in several genres 9poetry, novels, flash fiction) and though I write every day I'm not always working on the same piece. I lose the thread of my novel's arc, forget character traits, and lose momentum
Disorganization can also block me as I prefer to write without outlines or pre-plotting. I'm a pantser and love to run with an idea. That works well for poems and flash fiction but not so mucb for novels.
I look forward to using your new book as I find prompts often set my characters on new adventures that add textures to the novel I hadn't thought of before.
This is probably going to sound awful, but sometimes my issues with writer's block come with the problem of having too many ideas. I have so many ideas swirling in my head, when it's time to start a new book, sometimes I get stalled out by trying to decide which one to tackle first!
Uncertainty. That unleashes all the "un" words, I fear I am unable, unqualified, and unworthy. That all the hours, days and 20 years will, in the end, be unsatisfactory in the greater scheme of the universal plot! Yikes!!
I struggle with disorganization and uncertainty. My desk is a total mess right now and I can't find things. If I write something down on a piece of paper and put it on the desk, it seems to disappear for ever.
One thing that can help with writer's block is doing some freewriting before you start the day's writing. It helps to clear the cobweb thoughts from the mind.
Martha, CONGRATS on the release of your book! Another great one to put on my list of books to get.
: )
I don't know that I've ever experienced writers block, per se, but I will hit times when the scene I'm struggling with isn't working. It needs to be there but it's just not taking form the way I want it--but I'm not quite able to say exactly why. I just know it's not right.
I just tweeted this last night (it was something I highlighted from a Wil Wheaton book I was reading):
"What if I sucked? What if I thought something was good, but it was actually garbage?"
So, yeah, #2 is definitely the one thing that occasionally leaves me blocked.
I struggle with uncertainty and a bit of disorganization. I get great ideas,decide they're not that good, after all, quit and start on another idea. I'm getting better, now that I've identified the problem. Staying organized and working through an idea usually results in a decent story.
Uncertainty. Why am I taking time from my family to write? What does it matter? I am most alive when writing--but shouldn't I just suck it up and get a cube job?
Self doubt can be so powerful, can't it? That is one of the biggest things I think we have to overcome in order to get unblocked. For me that's why having strong connections with other writers is so important--they help us through these moments when we feel paralyzed.
I really enjoy the process of brainstorming, so this keeps me focus and excited about writing. I can be distracted though, especially by the internet, so I need to really focus and keep my butt in the chair and eyes on Word, not anything else.
The one time I had bad writer's block, I started to journal. This was helpful to me. I would try to focus on the description of small, every day things. This allowed my creative brain to start functioning without feeling the pressure of "writing a great story" if that makes sense.
Great insight, Martha--thank you so much!
Uncertainty. I have trouble judging whether an idea is going to work over a longer piece, or if the initial concept will run thin.
I'm happy I got a copy of Martha's book. This is a great interview, and I love the tips she gives out here.
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
I am a pantser and I LOVE prompts. My current WIP is primarily built into novel length through many many many prompts. So I have tons of scenes that I know have to linkup or add to.
The problem is getting inspired to write that extra stuff to finish it off. I just have to DO IT, I can't rely on a prompt to do it for me.
This book might actually be evil for me to own;) So many prompts...I'd never get anything done!
Thank you, Angela and Becca, for hosting me on your blog today. Fascinating to read how universal our fears and uncertainties.
To flip what Amber quoted:
What if you succeeded? What if what you thought was bad is actually brilliant?
Rewrite the story in your head to one of support and belief in yourself. Most importantly, keep writing!
Today, I write...
Uncertainty is my culprit. When I'm feeling this way, I write about why I'm feeling this way at that particular time. I never lift the pen from the paper and keep writing about any anxieties, doubts, etc. Before I know it, I can apply these feelings to a character and develop a story from there. I realize then that I have tricked myself into writing.
I just finished reading The Plot Whisperer a few days ago. I loved it! Exactly what I needed, since I have been sick lately and my writing has suffered. Needless to say, I've been very disorganized lately. One thing I do is just open up Scrivener (which is the program I use for writing). Seeing the icon on my computer's toolbar is an incentive to go into the program and get the work done. I can't wait to read the prompt book. I LOVE writing prompts. :)
discipline, which i'm usually so good at, has been my pitfall lately. i believe it is mostly due to stress re: family member's chronic illness and how it impacts me, but it is still frustrating. i beat up on myself about it, too, even though i know that is counter-productive. ugh. ugh. ugh.
Carrie,
Each prompt in the PWBook of Writing Prompts gets you one step, scene nearer to reaching your goal of finishing a story with a plot. Follow the prompts and you will get done!
Happy plotting,
martha
While all three apply I rapidly rotate between disorganization and lack of knowledge about how to write a story. Nothing new there – the same applied to writing rather dry technical archaeological reports before I retired. I find just writing something and reading either a new novel or revisiting an old favorite book or story helps.
Uncertainty, without a doubt. I get over myself by using an outline. If I feel uncertain about something, I move on, and come back to it. Usually, the situation resolves itself, or not...either way, I've kept on writing.
What a wonderful post! The last couple of days I have been afflicted with some terrible writer's block, so your post was just the thing I needed to refocus my thoughts this morning before delving into my writing.
Although I struggle with each of the three major dangers, the greatest of the threesome for me would have to be uncertainty. I am always amazed at the amount of ideas my muse consistently pours forth, but I have found uncertainty is the vine that creeps in and squelches it more viciously than the other two.
For this uprooting this menace I have three weapons of choice.
The first is setting challenging, but attainable goals for myself, on a daily, weekly, and ongoing basis. I have found that though challenges, when made too lofty, can themselves add to discouragement, more often than not they remind me of my loftiest dreams, and encourage me to press on into the fray of the unknown, into places I might never have ventured if I had not been challenged in the first place.
The second weapon, which hones and sharpens the first to a deadly point is to read often. This brings me inspiration, a natural antidote to uncertainty. When it hits the bloodstream of my muse it produces a drive to overcome my fears and write like nothing else can. Reading gives my muse a clearer picture of what I wish to attain, and is daily proof that finishing my drafts -and publication!- is an attainable goal.
My third weapon which I have saved for last, however, is the greatest. It is knowing when to take a break. I don't mean becoming complacent in my writing -as you said in your post, consistency and discipline is key! But what I do mean is taking that time to stretch every once and a while, going take a walk and getting some fresh air will get your blood moving, help you refocus your thoughts, and invigorate your muse. Whenever I hit a stone wall in my writing and, try as I may to lay siege against it, can not break through, I will take a short break for some fresh air. Being outside, in any sort of weather, reminds me of the innumerable ways my senses are affected by my surroundings and when I go back to my writing, I find that the wall's foundations have been undermined with reality and it is much easier to break through.
Uncertainty is definitely my problem. Solution? Take a break from what I'm doing and come back to it with a different perspective. I will also plow through it. Then I'll return to the problem and sort it out based on how my plot is evolving.
At times I struggle with all three, although not necessarily at the same time - thank goodness! But I think what helps me most is knowing that for me, writer's block is like a road block telling me I'm following the wrong path, hence the dead end. Usually this means I need to go backwards and find the right path. The trouble of course is recognizing the correct path :)
Pick one? Are you kidding?
Discipline: I've tried the first thing in the morning, which was great while it lasted. I've tried when I finish work before I go home, which was great while it lasted. And I've tried lunchtimes, which ... etc.
Confidence: I have had a story idea sitting in my notebook for about three years. I thought it was a light funny piece, then I started to sympathise with the main character and think it deserves a more serious treatment. Thing is, I am not sure I have the skills to turn it into what it deserves to be.
Plot and Structure: I've got a disc full of unfinished stories waiting for me to decide whether they are short stories or short novels.
So yeah, I could use some help.;)
Thanks for the post.
I struggle with a lack of knowledge. I can come up with starts but have problems coming up with story worthy problems. It's possible I actually struggle with lack of confidence that my story worthy problems are worth writing about.
UNCERTAINTY is a big stumbling block.
I tried writing for just fifteen minutes a day for a month. Less pressure to perform. Everyone can find fifteen minutes.
I found as it became a daily habit the words flowed easier and I did gain confidence. Practice is the only way to become a confident writer.
Prompts are a great tool to open up creativity too.
This is all such good stuff, Martha. I don't know that I've ever struggled with writer's block, but I do struggle with Lack of Knowledge about How to Write with Two Toddlers Running Around the House. :)
I NEED THIS BOOK!! I am so disorganized, but when I do put my house in order, I can be pretty productive. I also have confidence problems. It's a miracle I get anything done! Thanks for this post and good news that this book is available.
Sounds like a great book!
Plot is my biggest stumbling block. I can easily spot and describe the plot structure of finished works, but in my own writing, before I write it... not so much. I do wind up with plots, they're just not very "on purpose".
No problem with the beginning and end of plotting. I can write Ch 1 and after about 20,000 words, write the end. It's where the road will take me on the middle bit. So I guess uncertainty is my bugbear. Is it exciting enough, rational? Where can I put a twist on this? I just get bogged down in it. I remember a great line in 'Life and Loves of a She-Devil' - something along the lines of "her writing hand trembled and stopped". That's me!
Ooh! I'd love to win an e-copy of this book.
I'm a pantser and can only write part time, so disorganization is definitely the biggest danger to my writing.
At the moment, I'm trying to get back to writing every day, but it's not happening just yet, so I definitely need this book. ;-)
I have a full time job hat drains me and takes up a hell of a lot of my life. I'm definitely disorganised.
I have little free time to spend so what free time I have wants to be spent with my partner and friends.
This gets in the way of my writing. The way I cope with it is set myself achievable goals like write 1000 words and I get to do something.
My partner helps. He gives me massages if I write 5000 words in one day. Great for motivation.
It's all about getting into the habit too.
Interesting thoughts in regards to energy. I find that actually *doing* something when you feel like your energy is too low helps generate energy, and that includes writing. The act of sitting and putting a few words on paper tends to wake me up a bit so that I can keep going.
I haven't really had any issues with writer's block. I am horribly disorganized, though. My desk is a mess.
Creating a captivating and believable plot is really difficult. My only tip is to read anything you can get your hands on: newspapers, novels, ads, text books etc. You can find inspiration in the most unexpected places. When I feel uninspired and blocked, I usually turn to art books and history books; I don't know why, but I immediately feel inspired.
Plot is the weakness I need to address. I have bought The Plot Whisperer's book and workbook and I am going to improve my writing skills.
True, writer's block is something of a myth, I think, a mask for laziness or perhaps clinical depression. Its simplest cure is to get a job as a journalist or ad copywriter. Produce or get fired!
Another cause of blockage is a futile search for perfection. Write quickly. Get it 90% right, then come back later and perfect it. Or, if you're an established author, let the copy editor sort it out!
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Uncertainty is a huge obstacle for me. I never know where to go with a story and instead of figuring it out I have a tendency to just leave it. Last year I participated in NaNoWriMo and, to my surprise, it helped me enormously. The whole concept of just putting words down on paper and just running with it, not really thinking about where it has to go was really motivating!
I DO find that when my desk's a mess, I tend to not be able to focus on what I'm writing.
If I had to pick, I'd say number one. I tend to get sucked into social media (not that visiting you guys is wrong!) and before I know it I've lost hours when I could have been writing. I need to focus on discipline.
I definitely struggle the most with uncertainty. If I don't feel like an idea if ready yet or "perfect" yet, I freeze. In those cases, I do two things. I ask why I feel like the idea isn't good enough because if I can identify it, I can fix it. Once I've done that, I just write it knowing that I can always fix it in revisions.
My biggest problem would have to discipline. I try to write each day but things seem to get in my way and I wind up not writing as planned. I also struggle with beleiving that what I'm writing isn't good enough or where I want it to be. I have prompts before and really like them.
Uncertainty is my biggest problem. I wonder if the plot is strong enough to carry the story to the end. If the h & h are flawed and still likeable. But, you have to push past these issues to finish your book.
Plotting. My goal last year was to learn to plot, and that is still my goal in 2013. Because I still haven't got it down!
It's always so tempting to put other things ahead of writing and uncertainty is definitely one factor that helps push me away from my desk.
Thanks for posting about this one!
Uncertainty and discipline are the one that I struggles with. And although I know plot and structure, I need more conflict and tension in my story.
I struggle with discipline. One tactic that worked for me was signing a writer's contract with a friend, who I had to check in with every day to report on my writing. Having an outside source ready to call me out if I didn't write helped me find the time each day.
I let myself get unorganized, especially when life gets in the way. I need to plan and balance my day better so I get more writing time. Discipline, yes.
Disorganization of my time is the most bothersome to me. I get so scatter-brained and pulled in so many directions. -Am I reading the right writing books? (I've got 5 going at the moment, including The Plot Whisperer); -Am I reading the right fiction works? (I've got 3 of those going at the moment as well); -Am I paying enough attention to all the blog articles that I should?
There's a lot of clutter in my daily activities, and I have trouble sorting and prioritizing. I often find that when I try to make difficult time-use decisions, that by the time I'm actually assigning priorities, the time is gone and the next day is upon me.
As far as actual writing goes, I've found that the only thing that works for me is to 1) remove the distractions as much as possible, including everything on the internet; 2) to just push everything else aside as if it wasn't even there; and 3) pick a time when other inhabitants of the house are not usually needing my interaction with them. Of course this usually means getting up way early before the day job, or staying up after everyone else has conked out. Either seems to work fine, but my energy levels seem to be highest in the early morning. I guess I just need that "discipline" that you speak of to follow through and just do it. Thanks.
Lots of great strategies here to work around writer's block. What I am struck by is how universal the plague is and how everyone seems to find ways around or through it. Everyone, at least all of you who commented, seem aware of your weaknesses and still, you write.
Congratulations!
Today, I write.
Martha, TY for the facebook post prompting me to return and share more comments--universal plague--you are not only first aid for writers, but a long term guide. Yes, write on.
The one "tip" shared in this article that really works for me is replacing a lack of knowledge about how to write a story with a plot by studying plot and structure. Someone has said, "Your never to old to learn." I say your never to good at writing to learn! Learning more about plot and character development excites and stimulates the buried and burdened emotions and rev's up the idling writing engine. A well written article, blog or book on the subject can get me going like nothing else and remind me of why I choose to write in the first place...it's just plain invigorating! Thanks for your tips, books and blogs! They inspire me to greater writing!
I think I struggle most with lack of knowledge. If I'm not sure what's supposed to come next, it becomes very easy to procrastinate and ignore the problem, but making lots of notes before I start writing has helped, and also putting the other projects so I can focus on the particular challenge facing me.
I am an overachiever. I struggle with all three. Disorganization, uncertainty and lack of knowledge about how to write a story with a plot.
Disorganization because I don't have a real workspace to sit down and crank up my word count. Uncertainty because the minute I DO sit down and write, it all seems forced, contrived, horrible drivel. And of course, half the time I have no idea what is going to happen with any character or how it should happen.
Sigh.
Plotting is my biggest worry. So, I do an initial plot outline based on eight plot points. it helps me get a better grip on my plot.
I have a work-in-progress with about 20,000 words written. The vignettes are similar to a quilt I started for my baby. I now have a good 30 quilt squares in Grandma's Garden pattern...all separately stacked, not linked, not quilted. She's a sophomore in college!
I'm sooo stuck! Disorganized is No. 1, yep. Lack of knowledge to stitch it all together with a compelling plot, mmm, yep.
But uncertainty? Hmmm. I think I've managed that one. I experienced uncertainty with the need for this story, but after researching it--it's historical fiction--I had no doubts on its necessity. I felt uncertainty on whether I could write it, but as I've grown as a writer, writing for newspapers and magazines and teaching poetry, my self-confidence has grown, too.
I could use this new book of Martha's. I already own Plot Busters and Plot Whisperer Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master.