writing process

Sinking Into The Bog

March 8, 2019 By David Corbett 37 Comments

In my last post (“Inspired to Emulation—or Preparing to Jump“), I talked about The Rule of No Rules, and how reading other writers you admire will provide the best writing advice you will ever receive.

Not long after the post went up, one of my favorite novelists, Adrian McKinty—who writes brilliantly about Northern Ireland during the Troubles from the perspective of a Catholic detective serving in the overwhelmingly Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary—posted the following letter on Twitter. He composed it to an aspiring author who had asked his advice on this whole writing business. This is what Adrian wrote in response (the recipient’s name has been removed for the sake of privacy ):

I’m tempted to end this blog post here, because I couldn’t possibly say anything as perfect, but that would be cheating, or lazy, or both. So instead, I’m going to talk a little about my writing process, and in so doing I ironically intend to prove that Adrian is absolutely right—there are no rules. (Incidentally — for more on Adrian and his truly wonderful books, visit his blog The Psychopathology of Everyday Life.)

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The In-Between Stages of Writing

September 7, 2018 By Natalia Sylvester 11 Comments

There are so many in-between phases in the writing life.

There’s the time before you begin writing a story, but have already felt the beginnings of a story simmering inside you.

The time between finishing a draft and revising it.

The time between finishing that draft and revising it yet again. (Repeat as necessary.)

The time between finishing a story and starting a new one.

What do you do with that in-between time? I’ve discovered this must be what non-writers call hobbies. Things that bring you joy, that you do purely for fun and pleasure. Which isn’t to say that writing is not something that brings me joy or that brings me pleasure…it’s just that I don’t quite see it as a hobby so much as a part of my life. Like breathing and reading.

I’m learning that the most nurturing hobbies for me are the ones that allow me to turn off my writer’s brain for a bit. Walking through my house the other day, I realized something. [Read more…]

Beyond the Gates – Challenging Yourself, Your Characters and Your Readers

July 23, 2017 By John J Kelley

An Old City Marker in Washington, DC. Photo by John J Kelley.

Leaving the Old City

My partner and I recently became outsiders, quite by accident. You see, this spring we took up residence in a modern building several blocks from our prior home in a converted row house in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, DC. We knew the move would bring changes. Indeed, we welcomed them. But it wasn’t until unpacking boxes several days later that I had an unexpected epiphany. Scanning the urban landscape from our new living room, the Washington Monument hovering on the horizon, I realized our current building sits just outside the boundaries of the “old city,” those streets and avenues built in accordance with architect Pierre L’Enfant’s original city plan.

In the weeks since, I’ve continued pondering this juxtaposition, enamored by the idea of hovering on the periphery, observing the comings and goings of inhabitants of the preordained community laid out literally before me. I think to myself, “Isn’t this the role of writers, ultimately, to step beyond the turmoil, all too abundant these days, and to incorporate the insights we gain into our work, consciously and subconsciously?”

It seems to me that it is, and in that regard the move has awakened my writing. Somehow moving out from the tended gardens and streetscapes of an established historic district to the more bohemian buzz of our new neighborhood has given me freedom to sprinkle a little grit into scenes. My characters have grown thicker skin. They are more prone to speak up or act out in pursuit of their goals, which don’t skew quite as noble as they began. And while the overall plot trajectory may not have altered (yet), the tone has undergone a notable shift.

This ongoing evolution has me thinking about how change impacts the writing process, nudging writers, characters, and ultimately readers in new directions. Here are a few observations on the act, and consequences, of “shaking things up,” both on and off the page.
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The Number One Subject to Study for Writing Success

February 3, 2017 By Cathy Yardley

Sorry – that’s a bit of a clickbait title, I know. But how often have you seen that kind of writing article? How often have writing reference books stated their stances in stark, all-or-nothing, my-way-or-the-highway terms?

Cut out all prologues.

Burn all adverbs.

If you don’t plot, you’re a mess.

If you do plot, you’re a robot.

(Did I mention that the advice is often conflicting?)

I am a contrarian. Much of my writing career has been motivated by sheer spite. I’m not proud of this, but I know myself, and I know that if you tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to laugh and wave at you with my proof of accomplishment at some point. It’s just my nature.

I’ve been writing professionally for nearly twenty years now. In that time, I’d like to think that I’ve learned some things, about the industry, about writing, and about writers. In that time, there is one fact I believe, profoundly, when it comes to writing and publishing. [Read more…]

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On the Road to a Rough Draft: If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, Any Road Will Do

July 30, 2016 By Guest

Please welcome guest Katharine Britton, author of three novels: Her Sister’s Shadow, Little Island, and Vanishing Time (2016). Katharine has a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College. Her screenplay, Goodbye Don’t Mean Gone, on which Vanishing Time was based, was a Moondance Film Festival winner and a finalist in the New England Women in Film and Television contest.

When not at her desk, Katharine can be found feeding baby birds at a local wild bird rehabilitation center, or in her Norwich garden waging a non-toxic war against the slugs, snails, deer, woodchucks, chipmunks, moles, voles, and beetles with whom she shares her yard. Katharine’s defense consists mainly of hand wringing after-the-fact.

Connect with Katharine on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and see a book trailer for Her Sister’s Shadow and Vanishing Point on youtube.

On the Road to a Rough Draft: If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, Any Road Will Do

I love road trips. This is partly because air travel is such a chore, but also because I enjoy the planning process. I always know where I’m starting, of course, and where I’m going to end. Then I pour over maps, measure distances, and look for interesting stopping points to determine the best route. Being directionally challenged, I’m a big fan of Google Maps. I approach rough drafts the same way.

Pre-planning

Some writers proudly claim to have no idea where their story will end until they get there. Directionless but undaunted, they write a first line, and then a second, trusting their characters to get them to the finish line. I stand in awe. As when I travel, I require both a beginning image and a final image for my stories. My characters get some say in the route we take to get there, and I’m flexible about who gets to come along on the journey, but the adage, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do” holds altogether too much uncertainty for me.

Each manuscript starts with a motivation: some purpose for this virtual (and rather long) journey. It could be an image that moved me, a tale recounted by a friend, a scene witnessed, a question I want answered. Then I muse. I don’t know if I have a muse, but I definitely am a “muser.” On long walks I imagine the story around that image, scene, quotation or question. This is both freeing and terrifically anxiety producing. Freeing because nothing is committed to paper. The story is as ephemeral as the weather. Anxiety producing because nothing is committed to paper: What if I forget all those pivotal plot points and all that riveting dialogue before I get back from my walk? [Read more…]