4 Ways to Sift Through Writing Advice

There's a plethora of writing advice out there in bookstores, on the internet, at writing conferences, in critique groups, within the circle of family and friends. We are surrounded by well-intentioned people with opinions on how we should write. Some of the advice is sound, some of it contradictory, some baffling and some seems to make sense but you're not so sure a few months later. To find out how you can sift through all that information to know which advice to follow, click on over to the IWSG website where my post is today.

--
I'd also like to share Carol Kilgore's exciting cover reveal. I love this cover!

Coming September 2014

You can connect with Carol and her books here:
blog . website . facebook . twitter . goodreads . amazon

--
Congrats to Mark Noce who has a fabulous short story, "Meet Me at the Waterfront" on Every Day Fiction. It's well worth the read so pop on over.

--
Last week I forgot to mention the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Milestone. I don't know how I forgot. The IWSG Facebook group hit the amazing milestone of one thousand members! We're up to 1081 now! Big thanks to everyone who have made this possible.

Just a reminder about the IWSG Facebook Guidelines:

1. Since the focus of IWSG is support, the Facebook page should reflect this ideal.

2. You are encouraged to support your fellow IWSG'ers who share their writerly-related experiences, which include accomplishments/disappointments/challenges, with the rest of the group. Keep in mind that writers are at different points of their respective writerly journeys. Some lurk for a long time, before finding the courage to share with the rest of the group. Since the IWSG is all about community, a word of encouragement or advice may be just what somebody needs. Or even just a smiley face/thumbs up...

3. News and Promotional Saturday is your opportunity to add a link. The IWSG administrators reserve the right to remove promotional links, especially if they are posted haphazardly. 

--
After all this exciting news, don't forget to visit me over at the IWSG website! I'd love to see you over there.

Guest Post: The natural order of writing

Today I have the lovely Jocelyn Adams visiting. She is the author of The Glass Man and Shadowborn, which is a new release. Take it away, Jocelyn:

--
Writing a story is complicated. What, you ask? Just slap down a bunch of words onto a page and voila!

If only it were that simple, we’d all be J.K. Rowling and be rolling in the dough, right? :)

There are certain rules that often—not always—should be followed to make a story work. The one I’m going to talk about is how to create a scene—which is an event that takes place within a book. A novel is a collection of scenes that progress the story from beginning to climax.

Scenes need a natural order. In life we do things in a certain sequence, and we usually have a reason for doing them.

First, our character—let’s call her Jane—needs a goal in this scene. It makes for a more compelling story when there are obstacles making it hard for her to reach that goal.

Goal: Jane is trying to get to work on time. Simple, right? Goals don’t need to be complicated, and one goal can span multiple scenes.

Conflict: The phone rings. Without thinking, she answers it.

Disaster: It’s a woman who asks for Jane’s husband, and when Jane asks who’s calling, the woman hangs up.

Here’s where we get into the natural order.

In real life, when faced with a crisis, we tend to follow this sequence:

Emotion: Perhaps Jane cries or whips the phone against the wall because she assumes her husband is having an affair. Her stomach clenches, maybe she rants.

Thought: Maybe she overreacted? Maybe it was the florist confirming a delivery her husband had arranged for Jane’s birthday? Or maybe it’s that floozy two doors down who’s always making eyes at him? Jane could *69 the call to find out who she is. Or call and confront her husband. Either one would make her late for work, and she’d probably end up fired since she was late every day this week.

Decision: Although Jane is furious, she decides work comes first, and she’ll worry about the mystery woman later.

Action: She gets her butt to work. The next scene begins with a new goal, to find out who the woman is.

Even though each of these elements may not appear in every scene, the ones that do should be in order, creating a magical ebb and flow in the story.

Back of the Book, Shadowborn:
Why me?
That’s the question Lila Gray asks every time yet another bad guy tries to destroy the earth, and she learns she’s the only one who can stop it. Once again, something’s on the prowl, leaving hundreds of comatose, soulless victims in its wake.
Couldn’t the deadliest assassins of the Otherworld go after someone else instead of the brand new Queen of the Seelie? One who still hasn’t adapted to her new role.
Lila would ask Liam Kane, King of the Unseelie, for advice, but something’s off with him, too. He’s holding back. In some way. About some thing. In fact, he refuses to tell her what’s going on.
The truth holds Lila back from the greatness of her role—the people she was born to lead—the man who she desperately loves—and the solution to the latest war raging around her.
To find the answers, she’ll need to fight through her own darkness and embark on a journey through her psyche.
If she doesn’t succeed, the Shadowborn will claim not only her world, but her soul.

Connect with Jocelyn Adams:
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter
Website
Blog

 
Shadowborn: Amazon, Barnes & Noble
The Glass Man: Amazon, Barnes & Noble


.

Style vs Formula

Often the 'rules' of writing a good book can cause a writer to fall into the dreaded realm of formula. Let's all shudder together. *Urgh!*

You know the rules I'm talking about: Start the book with a hook, make your characters likeable, cut back the walls of descriptions, don't load down the story with backstory dumps, show don't tell. And so forth.

All these rules can be crippling. Yes, there are things that work best in a novel, but should we always stick to the rules because we're afraid to veer off the righteous path of thou shalt nots? Should we quash our writing style in the quest for publication?

There's a lot of pressure on new writers to catch the eye of agents and publishers. If we can't follow the rules then how will our books be any good? The rules are there for a reason--because they work.

And yet I think the best writers break the rules--but I will add they do it with caution. They find a way that works for their stories. They hold onto their personal style and create the story only they can write. These are the writers that stand out. For example, China Miéville writes copious amounts of meandering description and yet his work is a delight to read. Suzanne Collins wrote wads of backstory and yet it worked in the Hunger Games.

I'm not suggesting to ignore the rules. I am saying be true to yourself and your stories. Writing is an art. And the best art requires bravery, honesty, and hard work.

Do you agree? Can you think of other favourite novels that broke the rules?

Note: On Monday I have to head to the Supreme Court for jury duty. I'm told if I'm picked it could take up to three weeks. I won't have time to post during that time, but I'll try and pop around the blogsphere a little.

Call for help: I'm looking for some critiques for a science fiction short story I've written. It would be best if you like and understand the genre. I'm happy to return the favour in any genre for the equal number of words (3300). If you are interested please send me an email or leave a comment. A huge thanks in advance.  
 
M Pax of Wistful Nebulae has released her debut novella, Semper Audacia, this week, available from Amazon or Smashswords. Check it out.

Thank you to The Writing Nut for the Seriously Cute Blogger Award. It's not one I've received before. It's much appreciated.

Language and a Writer’s Responsibility

The love of language and all it can do for us is a love born from our need to communicate. Is that all it is? Is language simply a means to share concepts, to voice our wants, to record our history?

Language is an expression of who we are. It evolves over time and varies over locations. Through language we have stories and imaginings. Through language we are made greater by communal ideas. Through language we reveal so much more about ourselves.

That’s why I think writers in particular have a responsibility to use language with care and respect. This is not to say we have to always cling to correct grammar and sentence structure. However, we do need to learn the rules so we can mould language into the best means of offering understanding to our readers. Language is a precious tool.

Is it a writer’s responsibility to preserve language? To an extent. Language is an ever evolving creature. In the last twenty years we’ve seen massive changes in the way we communicate. We’ve seen the advent of emoticons, text messaging and abbreviations that have made it into the spoken word. We’ve become less formal. There is no point getting snobbish over these changes and no point holding onto the past.

I think it is a writer’s responsibility to fight complacency and laziness. I think we should utilise the best that language can offer, not the worst. It is a gift, after all.

Do you think it’s a writer’s responsibility to preserve language?

--
Note: I have decided to reduce the number of my posts to two per week (Mondays and Thursdays) so that I’ll have more time for writing and blog visits. Thanks to all those who left comments and encouragement on Facebook.

Award: Huge thanks to Carrie Butler for the 7x7 link award. Please visit her fabulous blog and say hi from me.

Reminder: The Insecure Writers’ Support Group, started by Alex J Cavanaugh, will post on the first Wednesday of every month. You can sign up here.

Writing Rules? What Writing Rules?

I’ve read many dos and don’ts of writing. There seem to be so many rules it’s hard to keep track of them all. And many contradict each other. For example, I’ve heard you shouldn’t start your book with dialogue and yet many proclaimed writers do. These contradictions can be confusing and frustrating for the new writer.

After much research, I’ve come to a conclusion: In terms of writing, there are no absolute rules. I’ll say it again:

THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTE RULES

If you write your story well enough, then rules shouldn’t matter. It’s the story that matters. The majority of your readers won’t know the rules, but they’ll be able to recognise a good story.

Sometimes in the quest to ‘get it right’ we lose the power of the story. Grammar and punctuation can become a straight jacket. This is why you might hear the advice to write the first draft as fast as possible. And even that ‘rule’ can be broken. You have to find what works for you. To do this you’ll need an open mind, the freedom to experiment, and the bravery to be different.

I’m not saying don’t bother learning the rules. The more equipped we are, the more able we’ll be to make a good story great. What I am saying, however, is not to fret too much.

Are you a stickler for the rules or a rebel? Do you think there is such a thing as worrying too much about breaking the rules? How do you justify a broken rule?

--
I’m heading to a Children's and Young Adult Literature Festival on Saturday. It is run by the NSW Writers’ Centre. It should be fantastic.

Pic: When I took this photo I overheard a passerby scoff at me for taking a photo of shadows when I had the grand view of Sydney Harbour laid out before me. I guess I broke a ‘rule’ for the sake of creativity.

How to Know when to Break the Rules

First and foremost, to know when to break the rules of writing we must first learn the rules of writing. If the thought of all that grammatical gobbledegook makes your brain leak out of your ears, get over it and learn it anyway. You want to be a skilled writer, don’t you?

Secondly, we have to be sure to break a rule for the right reason. If we break it out of ignorance, laziness, or the elusive search for cool, then we should think again. There’s no point breaking a rule for the sake of it, or because it’s all the rage. There has to be a valid reason. Below I’ve listed a few possible reasons to break the rules:

For Clarity
The writing rules of grammar and punctuation are put into place to clarify meaning. Without them sentences often become ambiguous. For example: ‘Let’s eat Dezmond.’ Without a comma before Dezmond, that sentence means we want to eat the poor guy. Of course, if we gain more clarity by breaking a rule, then we can break it.

For Emphasis
A broken rule will often stand out in text and emphasise a point we might want to make. Be careful, however. Overuse of broken rules will quickly lose any impact we hoped to achieve.

For the Rhythm
For the sake of the music of our prose, it’s good to break a few rules. For example: A series of fractured sentences create a clipped, sharp rhythm which can add a certain agitated vibe to the prose.

For the Art
When I worked in a bookshop I had so many returns on one particular book because the readers misunderstood the artistic opening. The book started after twelve blank pages and, on the thirteenth, the first word was a lower case ‘and’. People thought the book had been misprinted. The author took a risk. Personally I thought it was genius.

Which rules do you like to break? Which rules do you break too often?

Note: This post is part of the A-Z Challenge. To learn more about the challenge click the image on my sidebar.

Reminder: I’ve entered my blog into the People’s Choice Award as part of the Sydney Writers’ Centre Best Australian Blogs Award 2011. If you haven’t already, please vote for my blog here. It is listed under W.I.P It: A Writer’s Journey -- Lynda Young.

Reasons to Research

When we write, our stories often take over. We allow the characters and environments to command their own direction while we get caught up in the magic of the process. Sometimes we might forget to do any research or we tell ourselves we’ll do it later. And sometimes we realise we should have done it sooner.

Below I’ve listed reasons we shouldn’t put it off:

Research to save time. Novel writing is a time consuming endeavour. It’s good to research the market before we throw ourselves into our masterpiece because what we have in mind may not be right for the market. Armed with the knowledge of standard expectations, we can save ourselves some heartache.

Research for rule bending. We need to know the rules so we can learn which ones are bendable and which are not. For example, acceptable story length: we can get away with 120k words for a historical, but not crime.

Research for plausibility. A novel which lacks plausibility will rip the reader from the story realm. Science Fiction writers often need to research science facts and theories. Fantasy writers often have to research mythology, or historical elements. We all need to research different personalities for our characters, different vocations, and different settings.

Research for inspiration. Research opens our minds and it can often lead us to areas we wouldn’t have gone otherwise. I’ve gained so much inspiration while doing research.

When in the novel writing process do you do your research? What are some strange things you never thought you’d research?

Using Writing Devices

I often hear the rule, “Don’t use too many metaphors”. I was never convinced about this advice. For starters it’s a little simplistic. What’s too many? One could be too many if it’s not the right one. Instead, I think it would be more accurate to say, “Be careful when you use metaphors – or any other writing device.”

When used incorrectly writing devices, such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and so on, can hang in prose like Christmas decorations in April. They are more than pretty baubles. They are tools to help the reader gain a deeper understanding of the things we want to say, the worlds we want to share, the emotions we want to explore. Their purpose is to bring our stories alive, to inject richness, flavour, and depth. These devices help us weave images in the readers’ mind. They play with rhythm and sound. They tease the senses.

Writing devices need to add to the prose, not detract from it. Clichés will detract because they’ve been so over used that they’ve lost their effectiveness. To avoid clichés the writer needs to make the extra effort and get inside their subject. The writer needs to ask themselves, “Does this clarify my meaning, or is it just extra words that I could toss?”

By keeping this in mind, these devices become a powerful tool.

Do you use many writing devices in your prose? Do you have any favourites? Can you think of other ways of keeping these devices in check?
--
Over the weekend N R Williams held a blogging Halloween Party. It was lots of fun. I'm still visiting all the party-goers. (I'm a little slow in my Hobbit costume). Double choc chip chocolate cupcakes for all those in costume!

Write What You Don’t Know (Part 1)

When I first started writing in my teens the one piece of advice I most frequently heard was write what you know. I struggled with this rule. If I could only write what I knew then my work would end up as dull and boring as I believed my life was at the time.

I didn’t want to write only to reflect the mundane. I wanted to write to escape the mundane! And this meant writing what I didn’t know.

I’d never had an adventure, I’d never investigated a crime, I’d never met a dragon, I’d never battled supernatural armies. I wanted to make the ordinary extraordinary.

It wasn’t until later I learned it wasn’t about the unknown worlds I created, it was about the characters. What engaged me most about the stories I read was the fascination for people and their struggles. We all have that fascination. People are interesting, even the dullest people. It’s because we are made up of so many layers and contradictions.

Writing is a journey of discovery. We want to know why a certain person acts a certain way. We want to follow them on their journey. The more we can relate to the characters, the more their journey becomes our own.

And so we write -- and we sometimes write what we don’t know.

Next post I will explore how we write what we do know even when we don’t realise it.

Are there other rules on writing you’ve struggled with? Do you often write what you don't know?

Pic: As a teenager I drew a lot of dragons. Here is one I did in coloured pencils.