Showing posts with label ditch the publisher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ditch the publisher. Show all posts

Thursday 30 January 2014

Writing Exercises

Much like an athlete, it is essential that you exercise before the marathon that is writing a novel, script or poetry/short story anthology. Even non-fiction writers need to warm up or you will find yourself exhausted with only a blank page to show for your efforts.
Writing exercises, however, not only serve to enhance discipline and stamina, they are paramount in generating ideas and improving your skills in certain areas (e.g. developing characters, writing dialogue, etc). Listed below are tried and tested writing exercises for you to dip into:
Adjective Free
Adjective free is an exercise which explores style and language choice. Write a scene or chapter, maybe just a few pages, without using adjectives. Introducing this limitation is a great demonstration of the power of word economy and the over-reliance of certain words. It will also get the cogs turning in a uniquely challenging way.
Chain Writing
This exercise is great fun for two or more writers. One person starts by writing a few paragraphs then passes it on to the next person to continue (maybe by email). This can provide a great break in a heavy writing session, introduce you to collaborative work and produce amusing results.
Character CV
The better acquainted you are with your characters, the more rich and believable they will appear to your reader. As the title of this exercise suggests, write a character CV for any character you are writing about. The CV should not simply include work and education details; include as many of the following as possible: Height, body shape, hair colour, skin colour, method of transportation, favourite saying, accommodation, typical outfit to wear, friends, pets, upbringing, favourite food, drink, book, film, moral attitude, financial situation, hobbies and anything else you can think of.
Eavesdropping
This exercise is specifically geared towards improving dialogue writing. In a public place (maybe a café), sit, listen to and record as much natural dialogue as possible. The importance here is to write it exactly as it was said. In addition to improving dialogue writing, interesting people translate into interesting characters for future writing.
Go out into the World
It is so important to take breaks from writing and this is a productive way of doing so. Go out into the world (the city, beach, forest, etc) and bring back one or more items that you find. These can be, for example, an interesting leaf, a brick, an item of rubbish, or anything that takes your fancy. Write vivid physical descriptions of the item(s) and develop a back story to how the item(s) ended up where they were. This is good as a general exercise and may generate story ideas.
Liars
This is a great exercise which encourages writers to show and not tell in dialogue. Write a scene where two characters are lying to each other without stating that this is the case. The reader must be able to figure out that both are lying through your use of language alone.
New Endings
This exercise is great for identifying writing influences in your style and distancing yourself from them. Select a favourite novel, script or short story and rewrite the ending. When completed, examine how your voice differs from the original author. As writers our voices need to be as individual and original as possible, so actively practice abandoning outside influences.
News to Fiction
This idea has been used by many writers to inspire stories and films. Select a news story of interest (local news stories are quite good for this as they are not too dramatic and leave lots of scope for embellishment) and write a fictionalised account of it. As an extension of this exercise, choose an ad from the classified section of the local paper and write the back story of the sale.
People-Watching
People-watching is an endless source of entertainment and, as a writer, it can also be a great source of inspiration. Spend some time in a public place and select one person to be your central character; writing a detailed physical description can be a great creative exercise. Taking this one step further, create a life story for this person and they could create the foundation of your next big idea.
Pick an Object, any Object
Starting small, chose an object and work outwards to create a scene. You may, for example, choose a chair. What does this chair look like? Who sits in it and when? What room is it in and what is it like? Make your descriptions vivid and this exercise has the potential to generate wonderful plot and character ideas.
Random Words
This is a great exercise for working with specific restrictions and will often produce zany writing. Collect words from the dictionary by opening the pages and blind-pointing. Alternatively, ask a friend to give you a list of words. Now write a story containing every one of these words. It can be challenging when you have to include hovercraft, daffodils, X-ray, Oxford, stereo, liver, ice-cream and prostitution in the same story.
There’s no I in fiction
Okay, there is an I in fiction, but this exercise will help to separate your personality from your characters’. Select a character from a story/script you are working on. Write an unrelated scene/chapter where you interact with your character. It could be that you’re having a meal together, giving a job interview or even that your cars smash into each other and you are having an argument. This exercise will highlight areas where you are using your own personality in the place of genuine character development.
Timed Free Writing
Set the clock for 10 or 20 minutes everyday and just write. Pay no attention to what you are writing; just let it flow. This will get those muscles working and will produce surprising results.
Visual Stimulation
Many great literary works began with a visual seed of inspiration, so try it for yourself. Choose a painting or image and bring it to life with words. You could write about what you see or what you feel. Who is in the picture? What is this world like? How does it make you feel? You could also select a few different images and combine them in a piece of writing.
Workshopping
Although not technically a writing exercise, workshopping your writing will help you to improve your technique and your critical skills. A successful way of doing this is to set up or join a small group (perhaps online). Everyone should read a piece of writing written by one of the participants and discuss their responses constructively.

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Tuesday 15 January 2013

Five New New Year’s Resolutions for Writers

Yeah, I know; it’s mid-January. You’ve already decided on, set and broken all of your New Year’s resolutions. You didn’t quit smoking, lose 5 stone or magically become or sleep with Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt. You probably hate me already for reminding you that we even started a new year with so many broken promises littering the pathway to February, but do not despair; we live in a disposable culture: if things break, we don’t fix them; we get more things. And so it is with New Year’s resolutions. Sweep away your broken promises and conjure up some new ones. Better still, you can use these… Five New New Year’s Resolutions for Writers.     

1. 
I will not write Tweets, check my emails, respond to pokes, see how my items are selling on eBay, watch clips of dancing babies, download tunes, check my emails again or buy things that I don’t need from Amazon when I am supposed to be writing. I will commit to disconnecting the internet at certain times of the day for my writing sessions and for the greater good.

2.
Conversely, I will learn to tolerate interruptions in my writing sessions that thoughtlessly sever the brittle link between myself and my imaginary world by thoughtless non-writers who think that the real world is the only one that matters. I will not kick the cat, headbutt Jehovah Witnesses, scream at phone sales people, file for divorce or have my children put into care.

3.
I will commit to considering that this ‘real life’ sometimes plays a valid role in my existence and remember that writing is not a substitute for food, water, company, sunshine and exercise. Also, when I am engrossed in writing, my body does not become a self-cleansing entity.

4.
I will look on other writers’ successes with good grace, even if they are talentless upstarts who were lucky enough to catch a break and are now living the life of my dreams even though they’re talentless and don’t deserve it and it’s not fair… And breathe!

5.
I will remember everyday how lucky I am to have the ability to imagine, to explore the worlds of this imagination, to have a voice that will be heard long after I have left this planet and – if I’m even luckier – to get paid into the bargain.

Happy New New Year x
 



 


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Wednesday 21 November 2012

A Love Letter to Anyone Writing a First Novel



Dear *Insert your name, you brave and crazy adventurer*,

I just wanted to write you a quick note to express my love for you and everything you’re doing at the moment.
You know when you’re stuck in a waiting room for hours and all there is to read is a copy of last week’s Daily Mirror? Well, that would be what my whole life would be like without you and your kind, plunging headfirst into your wondrous and mangled minds and bringing back the bounty.

You may think me insincere, and I apologise for being forward (I hardly know you). It’s just that for every book by Kurt Vonnegut, Donna Tartt, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Jane Austen and *insert your favourite author* there are hundreds of thousands of half-finished, abandoned, unloved manuscripts sitting, embarrassed and cold, in boxes in attics around the world, and I don’t want this to happen to yours. Imagine just how much great fiction has been swallowed up by the great self-doubt epidemic of our times. It may be brash and forward of me to write to you in this way, but I don’t want you to give up. The world needs to hear your voice, taste your truths and play with the stickle bricks of your creation.

If you’re flying high, writing lots and pushing forward then I hope that you will still appreciate my message of love (I salute you), but if you're struggling to make it to the page on yet another cold November morning, when there are bills to be paid and a hundred nothings out of the window to distract you, there may be a few ideas I can offer to help.

First of all, get in first; kick your doubts in the balls before they can drag you into the dark alley. You can meditate, try some self-hypnosis or write a letter to yourself to be opened at times of ‘Why am I doing this? I’m crap’. Don’t be alone; join a group or take a course. And then of course there’s the internet, keeper of a relentless haul of porn, skateboarding kittens and writing forums, groups, Twitter, etc. Just make sure that your doubt doesn’t become procrastination in the hands of social-media addiction.

Sometimes it’s not just doubt though; it could be that personal pressure is causing you to freeze at the sight of a biro. It could also be that your idea isn’t quite developed enough to plunge into the writing stages and more planning or research is needed. Try some writing exercises. No amount of staring at a blank piece of paper is going to turn a creative void into a bestselling masterpiece. Another problem could be the strength of your idea. Writing a mega slab of fiction could take years and is daunting even to the most experienced practitioner, but if you’ve chosen to write something that you only have lukewarm feeling for, you’re going to struggle.

And then there’s comfort. Take regular screen breaks, stretch, go for a walk, go and find inspiration. If you find that none of the above is affecting you, it could simply be that you've been overdoing it, or that you’re not comfortable in your environment. Setting up a writing space that is just for you – maybe even the kitchen table when the kids are at school – is essential to the wellbeing of you and your work.

Remember that there is no right or wrong way to be a writer. If writing at night works for you, then great. If starting at the end of your novel and working backwards is for you then do it. Maybe you find that working on more than one project and alternating your attention between the two will keep you interested. Writing is one of the few professions where you can suit yourself and that is something to be celebrated. If you have personal problems in your life that you think may be clashing with your ability to immerse yourself in the creative process then it may be that some life evaluation is necessary before you begin. I don’t want to pry into your life, but if there's an elephant in the room that you’ve been trying to pretend is not there, it’s not going to be any less visible when you're trying to get down to some writing.

Finally, if all else fails, it's discipline that will see you through. Plan working times and deadlines and stick to them. You chose to write for a reason; remember that reason as often as you can and just write.

I hope that this letter has helped.
Lots of Love

Hayley xx


 


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Blood, Sweat and Ink:
The Pleasure and Pain of Writing a Novel 


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