The world is full of Gonna Do's!

       

 Over the past couple of years I have begun more frequently to define myself as a writer. Since I no
longer work, due to an injury, when people ask me what I do I prefer to have an answer other than "I'm unemployed". No one wants to be defined as "unemployed". So, though I have yet to be published, I tell people I am a writer, if for no other reason than to save face. I, like most every writer, have written in one form or another all my life. I wrote random tales of fantasy as a child, I wrote poetry and arbitrary prose as a teen, and now I write novels. I haven't taken literary courses or been to college, but I have always had a knack for the written word. Since starting the process of writing novels I am constantly seeking knowledge about the art of writing, and I continue to learn every day.
          I don't care if you have written one hundred bestsellers or one chapter of your first book, if you have advice, or an opinion, I will listen with an open mind. I may not agree with you, but I will think about your words and consider your opinion before I make that decision.

          The funny thing about calling yourself a writer is, once you say you're a writer every monkey with a keyboard is, too. Since calling myself a writer, I can't count how many people have told me they "want to write a book", or are "writing a book". There is a way I have found to sort the "Gonna Do's" from the "real writers". Talent aside, because talent is not something we can judge by talking to a person, Gonna Do's want to discuss their writing by telling you how brilliant they are and how much, and how well, they have written. Gonna Do's will always find a way to turn the topic back to their awesomeness, without any discussion of your writing or the trials and tribulations we know accompany this fickle art form. Real writers, on the other hand, want discuss their work, and yours. They want to talk about the brick walls they've hit along the way, the way in which they and their conversational-counterpart (you) have overcome these walls, they want to talk about all aspects of the writing process, like the options for plotting, character definition, plot holes, the pros and cons of character profiles, the challenges of publishing. The list goes on.

          I came across one such "Gonna Do" a few days ago. Now, I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about writing the quintessential bestseller, but I do know the mistakes I have already made, and am happy to pass that knowledge along to someone who hasn't had the displeasure of making them yet. I was happy to hear about his experiences, and what he was writing. But, like all good Gonna Do's, he only wanted to talk about his own writing and how fabulous it was, despite only having written two chapters. Still, I didn't hold this against him, and continued to listen to what he had to say. However, when I tried to interrupt his self-aggrandising diatribe with a suggestion based on my own experience of completely destroying my first novel by doing exactly what he was doing, he politely explained that he knew better. He told me it was just how he wrote. Okay, we all have a different process, I can dig that. But I thought I was just "doing what I do" when I made that same mistake. If someone had given me that same advice when writing my first novel, it would be published now instead of being a beloved project that I poured my heart and soul into which is now doing nothing more than taking up space on my hard drive.

          So, what did I do? I let him go, let him tell me how fabulous he was, and didn't offer another word of advice for him, all the while with the knowledge that he was heading for disaster.

          And that, boys and girls, is how you spot a Gonna Do! Someone who thinks they have all the answers but will never accomplish their dreams for the sake of self-reverential pride.

          I'm ashamed to admit, in the past I have made the mistake of thinking I had all the answers, only to find out down the track how wrong I was. So, for your own sakes, don't dismiss the advice of other writers regardless of their accolades. Just listen, take on board what they have to say, question them if you have doubts. But never be so absorbed in your own knowledge that you can't learn something knew by listening to someone you never thought to seek advice from.

          I guess before I leave you I should tell you what the advice was. He told me he edits as he goes, that, although he's only written two chapters, he's already edited numerous times. I advised him against it, and told him I killed my first novel by doing exactly that. I even quoted Iain Banks, "Get it finished and then you can go back. If you try to polish every sentence there's a chance you'll never get past the first chapter.” But he told me he knew what he was doing. There were other signs, but that's when I knew he was a Gonna Do.

Have you ever met a Gonna Do?

The classic advantage.

When I say classics, what do think of? Salinger, Lee, Austin, Brotne', Orwell, Twain, Alcott (and for horror, Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft etc.)? The list goes on.

Many of you had such classics as part your reading lists in high school and higher education. However, here in Australia these books are not part of our curriculum. And while there is merit in the literature present in our education system, we are dominated almost completely by homegrown authors.

What's my point?

My point is simply this: if we hope to connect to the world on a literary level, shouldn't we have an understanding of the great literary voices of the past? Particularly in this, the age where global sharing of ideas, stories, and lives via the internet is as commonplace as a friendly wave to a well known acquaintance.

I have only recently begun to devour the prose of the aforementioned classics, by choice, and in hopes of gaining something valuable. And I can say I have gained something: I have gained an advantage, not over my fellow writers, but over my previous knowledge of literature.

So my advice is this: if you haven't yet, by requirement or by choice, read a good number of the classics then get at it. You will find stories that will break your heart or lift you up, that scare you, and that make you think. And it might even make you a better writer.

What classic literature have you read, and what did you take away from it?

BACK TO BASICS: Tips for beginners.

My fourteen year old daughter came to me last night with a piece of writing she was very proud of. She has the potential to be a great writer, a natural talent. So, my critical cap went on without my noticing and I gave her notes on it instead of simply praising her for her effort –I did praise as well, I’m not a monster.

But, this got me thinking: what is she not learning in the classroom that I can help her with? A lot, I decided. I see a lot of tips and advice for writers who already have a fair grasp on the craft. Not so much for the young, or those who are new to writing. So I’ve compiled a list of some back-to-basics tips for the beginners out there.

#1 First of all, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. I’m sure all the other seasoned writers will agree with me when I say, we all look back on our earlier work and cringe. Like anything else in life, our mistakes teach us, so learn from them.

#2 Write what you know. This doesn’t mean you can only write about a family that is just like yours, or you should stick to writing about high school kids, because you’re in high school. It simply means that you draw from what you know to create your characters and their relationships. For example, if one of your characters has an abusive father and you have never experienced this first hand, draw from some other experience in your life that has made you feel scared and unsafe.

#3 If you don’t know, ask. Sounds simple enough? Not always. Sometimes you may feel your question is stupid. It’s not, just ask. There are hundreds of writers out there who are willing to answer your questions, so have at it. Failing that, use Google. I still use it when I feel a question I have is far too amateurish for someone who has been writing as long as I have. And no matter how long you have been writing you will still find yourself asking questions, even if it’s simply a matter of checking something you already know because you’re second-guessing yourself. Second-guessing one’s self is how you know you’re a writer, by the way.

#4 Always be open to advice. This may sound like just another way to say number 3, but my point here is a little different. When our kind –the self-critical, and sometimes-narcissistic kind that is– share our work we tend to be a little sensitive to the critique of others, even when that’s exactly what we’re asking for. After all, you pour your heart and soul into your work, not to mention the hours. So when someone pulls it apart we usually do one of two things: get pissed at the person offering advice and call them names, not usually to their face; or decide that we’re just not good enough, our writing stinks and we should just give up. Here’s the good news: there’s a third option. You can take it for exactly what it is –advice.

The thing to remember is, they are not criticizing you. They are offering an opinion. If it’s an opinion on the technical side: structure, punctuation, grammar etc. I suggest you take it. If you are not sure that they are correct –no one is infallible, so you will get the bum-steer often enough– again, Google it. Check that the advice you’re getting is correct. Now, if it’s an opinion about style, take it into account and maybe review your piece. But remember that style is subjective, just look at the difference between the styles of John Connolly and Dean Koontz. They both write thrillers, they are both international bestselling authors, their styles are very different.

So, take the critique of others with an open mind and a subjective eye.

That’s it for the emotional writing tips. I also want to give you some practical advice. This next list is basic advice of a more technical nature.

#1 If you want to write well, you need read, a lot.

#2 When you read and you see a word you don’t know, don’t just skip over it. Look it up. Then use it. Even if you just write a random sentence or paragraph that has nothing to do with anything you are working on. I still do this myself.

#3 Don’t treat your readers as though they are stupid. If you just said that you were sitting on your bed, you don’t need to tell us you got up from your bed. Just tell us you got up.

#4 Nobody likes redundancy. If you like the word superfluous, use it in the most appropriate place then don’t use it again for at least another chapter or two. This is most important for adjectives.

#5 Don’t over-describe. Your readers don’t care that the toast was slightly burnt, or that the toaster was fire-engine red, or that the smell filled your nostrils, unless the toaster is about to burst into flames and burn the entire house down killing everyone inside. If it does not contribute to the plot or the characters, leave it as short as possible. Over-adjectising (Yes, I just made that up. What of it?) used to be called Flowery Prose, it’s more commonly known as Purple Prose these days. So if someone says your writing is a little purple, or a little flowery, this is what they mean.

#6 A lot is two words.

#7 A while is two words, except in the place of for a while. If for a while is grammatically incorrect, then awhile is also grammatically incorrect. For example: You wouldn’t say, “I will be there in awhile,” because you are essentially saying, “I will be there in for a while.” Get it?

#8 Commas are subjective. Just pick up two books by different authors and open each of them to a random page. You will notice that their use of commas will differ. There are some hard-and-fast rules for commas, though, such as using commas when writing names. When writing dialogue for instance, “What are you doing, Ray?” is correct. When mentioning someone mid-sentence you use a comma when describing a person but not when including them in an action: My best friend, Ray, is a real hoot. When Ray slipped over, I laughed my ass off. These are both correct.

There are more rules to learn, so learn them. One tip to deciding how to use subjective commas, however, is to read you material out loud. Wherever there is a natural break, use a comma. Or end the sentence and start a new one. (You see how I could have put a comma in and made that one sentence, but I chose to start a new one. That’s what I mean by subjective.) But remember, you don’t want your readers to have to get to the end of ten lines before they can take a breath. This is why reading it out loud is a good tool to learn where to use commas.

#9 Always check your spelling before you show your work. I won’t even post a comment or status update on Facebook without rereading it, twice.

There are a lot more points I could give you here, but, well… information-overload.

If you have any questions, ask me. 

All the tips here are based on areas I am helping my daughter with, so I invite all the other writers with any tips they should like to add, to go ahead and write a comment for our friends who are starting out.

LITERARY SYMMETRY

One thing I truly love is literary symmetry. As you’re reading a book and myriad characters are introduced, all having independent experiences, you begin to wonder why you need to know that John went to the pub after dinner. Nor do you feel it pertinent to know that he has a girl on the side. After all, the story is about Mary and her family, John is merely an acquaintance. It seems as though you are being fed this information for no other reason than to add another dimension to John as a character. And that’s all well and good.

However, we all know there must be more to it. But what?                      

As you continue to read you discover Mary’s son is in a wheelchair, and has been for only a short time. Soon you come to find out that he was injured on the same night that John went to the pub. Yes, that’s right. John hit him with his car while driving home from the pub.

Furthermore, John’s love interest is Mary’s daughter. The premise of John’s extracurricular activities suddenly makes sense.

This is a poor example, but for the purpose of making my point, it will do just fine.

So, what is my point?

It is simply this: literary symmetry creates a dynamic between characters and events which might otherwise be purposeless and bland. It can be satisfying for the author as much as the reader.

To create this symmetry I sometimes use a visual aid. I don’t know what you would call it, but let’s call it a character tree. I first used it to explain a story to my cousin (yes, the same cousin with whom I discuss my characters and their personalities), when I found how much more it could be.

I begin with pen and paper, because I can’t think about my characters and plot while trying to decipher One Note or Power Point. They are evil, I tell you.

Anyway, once I know who everyone is, I can see which characters are just hanging around the edges, offering no great contribution to the plot. Now I can create connections for them with the major players in my story.

The example below is part of one I have made. If you look at Amanda you will notice she is Brad’s sister, Danny’s lover, and Louis’s girlfriend. Before I started this process she was nothing more than Brad’s sister and a possible suspect for murder. By connecting her to Danny (my MC) and Louis, I have given her a much larger role and added symmetry to my plot. Similarly Holly was merely a receptionist at Brad’s and Danny’s place of work. By making her friends with James (Brad’s boyfriend) I have given James access to the other side of Brad’s life, and the investigation, while giving Holly’s place in my story much more meaning.

I am being a little vague about the exact reasons for these connections because I don’t want to give too much away, as this is my character tree for Before I Wake.

Using this tool gives me a greater view of my characters, allowing me to create the symmetry between them, thus symmetry in my plot. In this way it also helps weed out plot holes.

 

I don’t know about you, maybe you are more logical about your stories than I. But myself, I have this strange little quirk. An idea will hit me, any time of the night or day, and I think it’s genius. It’s not always genius, let me tell you. Most of the time I only end up sending my story into a spiral of incoherence.

So, once I have my characters drawn into my character tree, while I am creating the connections between them –that all-important symmetry– I notice an amazing thing happening: all those unanswered questions I had about how John and Mary’s daughter met (sorry, I’m back on my terrible John and Mary analogy), and why their relationship is important to my readers, they answer themselves. All the little if’s, but’s and maybe’s you have about your plot become clear.

The connections between the characters are, after all, the backbone of the plot. No matter the genre (except maybe Sci Fi), your characters are what your readers care about, what keeps them reading. So, perfect your characters and their relationships, perfect your story.

Some of you may have other ways of doing the things I mention. If you do please share, I’m always looking for new tools and strategies for my writing. But if you are struggling with anything, be it simple character relationships, plot holes, literary symmetry, and anything in between, give it try.

What’s the worst that can happen?