Writing a novel is not just about writing well and getting ideas. It's about knowing why you want to write. Are you out to get money and fame? Do you want to tell the world your story? Are you hoping to reach out to people in need?
When you know why you write, then you know what fuels you. And when you know what fuels you, you can use it as a reminder to keep on writing and hoping even when you feel that you've been squeezed dry of creativity. You need to have the right mindset.
This blog will also feature a set of activities that can help you relax and even get back into the writing groove. Sometimes, you just need to remind yourself what got you excited about writing in the first place. Oftentimes, your little reminders can get you excited about writing all over again.
Showing posts with label introductions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label introductions. Show all posts
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Relax – watch a movie!
Now, you must be thinking: I'm being told to read when I can't find the time to write, and now, I have to watch a movie, too?
Think about it: you might not be afraid of watching movies. After all, it's something that you can do every day. It's something that you can do without even batting an eyelash or using a brain cell! But that's the point: you don't always need to be brainless when watching a movie. You can turn your movie watching session into something productive: in fact, what you might be afraid of is a little bit of intellectual exercising while you're trying to relax.
No problem: these kinds of exercises won't come too often, and when they do, they're meant to relax your brain and make you have a bit of fun away from the writing. If watching movies isn't your thing, then go buy tickets to the nearest play or musical; or, if you really don't want to spend money, try your favorite TV show. If all else fails, watch people in the nearest cafe.
The key to these exercises is to step away from words and let your eyes do the thinking. You need to be visually stimulated, and you need new images that you can draw new stories from. You don't need to copy a movie's plot or make a spin-off of the next big show on Broadway. What you need is something to stimulate your mind and make you start seeing things in a new light.
Still bewildered? Wait for the next entry on reviewing movies and you might find yourself having a bit of fun!
Think about it: you might not be afraid of watching movies. After all, it's something that you can do every day. It's something that you can do without even batting an eyelash or using a brain cell! But that's the point: you don't always need to be brainless when watching a movie. You can turn your movie watching session into something productive: in fact, what you might be afraid of is a little bit of intellectual exercising while you're trying to relax.
No problem: these kinds of exercises won't come too often, and when they do, they're meant to relax your brain and make you have a bit of fun away from the writing. If watching movies isn't your thing, then go buy tickets to the nearest play or musical; or, if you really don't want to spend money, try your favorite TV show. If all else fails, watch people in the nearest cafe.
The key to these exercises is to step away from words and let your eyes do the thinking. You need to be visually stimulated, and you need new images that you can draw new stories from. You don't need to copy a movie's plot or make a spin-off of the next big show on Broadway. What you need is something to stimulate your mind and make you start seeing things in a new light.
Still bewildered? Wait for the next entry on reviewing movies and you might find yourself having a bit of fun!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The best writers are also readers
You must be thinking: I can't even find the time to write, so when am I ever going to get the time to read? The answer? YOU HAVE TO MAKE TIME.
Some writers think that they shouldn't read anything or they might “contaminate” their writing style. The contrary is often true: by reading a lot, you don't only expand your vocabulary; you can also expose yourself to different styles, genres, and plots that might influence you one day. The key word is “influence”: one day, you will find that you have your own voice, your own identity, and your own style. It wouldn't hurt to see who else is out there, right?
In this special set of exercises, you will have to force yourself to read. You will be given a set of questions that will allow you to read a book in depth – this way, you can explore a plot, look at the different layers of the story, and isolate characters from their current situation. You might see shortcomings in how authors mold their stories; you might also see strengths in how they write their work. More than all this, you might be made aware of your own shortcomings and strengths, and know how to make your next big work even bigger and greater than you can ever imagine.
So hit the books! Buy them or borrow them! It's time for some reading!
Some writers think that they shouldn't read anything or they might “contaminate” their writing style. The contrary is often true: by reading a lot, you don't only expand your vocabulary; you can also expose yourself to different styles, genres, and plots that might influence you one day. The key word is “influence”: one day, you will find that you have your own voice, your own identity, and your own style. It wouldn't hurt to see who else is out there, right?
In this special set of exercises, you will have to force yourself to read. You will be given a set of questions that will allow you to read a book in depth – this way, you can explore a plot, look at the different layers of the story, and isolate characters from their current situation. You might see shortcomings in how authors mold their stories; you might also see strengths in how they write their work. More than all this, you might be made aware of your own shortcomings and strengths, and know how to make your next big work even bigger and greater than you can ever imagine.
So hit the books! Buy them or borrow them! It's time for some reading!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
An introduction to completing something
Before you can learn to complete your novel, you need to learn how to complete smaller parts of it. How about a sentence? A paragraph? Sometimes, the most difficult thing to write is something short and sweet, something that means something to you without having it taking up an hour (or more) of your time.
Brevity is the soul of wit, indeed, Master Shakespeare says; so if you want to be a great novelist, you need to start off with something small and start building until you get higher up the ladder of Literary Greatness. Who knows? Maybe one of your smaller sentences could be the root of a big novel later on!
With this brand of exercises, you will be asked to fill in several blanks. You might be asked questions about yourself, or your friends, or even your characters. You can train yourself to know your characters better, as though they were real people. You might be asked to examine situations in your prospective novel in greater detail so that you can produce writing that is realistic, not something that looks like it was coughed out of the Bad Writing Cat's Hairball Collection.
Fill in those blanks and start writing! Happy Thinking!
Brevity is the soul of wit, indeed, Master Shakespeare says; so if you want to be a great novelist, you need to start off with something small and start building until you get higher up the ladder of Literary Greatness. Who knows? Maybe one of your smaller sentences could be the root of a big novel later on!
With this brand of exercises, you will be asked to fill in several blanks. You might be asked questions about yourself, or your friends, or even your characters. You can train yourself to know your characters better, as though they were real people. You might be asked to examine situations in your prospective novel in greater detail so that you can produce writing that is realistic, not something that looks like it was coughed out of the Bad Writing Cat's Hairball Collection.
Fill in those blanks and start writing! Happy Thinking!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
An introduction to making a mess!
We'll call this exercise GOO. Your job is to make a mess, and then fix it. All you need to do is to follow a few instructions, and then watch how your mess can turn you into a writing whiz. After all, not all messes are bad; and not all messes are un-fix-able. In fact, if you can find order in chaos, you might get yourself a ticket to some great writing.
Conversely, if you can find a way to turn order into chaos – well, you're going to get into rather thorny, complicated issues that might make you go crazy. On the other hand, if you can make drama come out of nothing, then you could turn your drama queen (or king) tendencies into something productive.
So what does goo do? Well, you might get a mess of words, and you might be asked to find something common among them so that you can come up with an essay or a story. You might be asked to unscramble a sentence, or scramble an already decent one to come up with a piece of writing that borders on insanity. Whatever the goo, you can turn it into writing, too!
Monday, May 19, 2008
A New Class of Tips: Photos!
If a picture speaks a thousand words, can a picture also generate a thousand words? If I presented you with this picture, what would you write about?
This is a fresh category of tips for you to use as you practice writing. What does a picture tell you? How did the objects in the picture get there? Where will they go next? Is there more to this picture than meets the eye? What's really happening? Is there something that you know that no one else does?
All you need to do is look at the picture, maybe follow a few directions - and then WRITE.
Watch this site for more photos and prompts!
This is a fresh category of tips for you to use as you practice writing. What does a picture tell you? How did the objects in the picture get there? Where will they go next? Is there more to this picture than meets the eye? What's really happening? Is there something that you know that no one else does?
All you need to do is look at the picture, maybe follow a few directions - and then WRITE.
Watch this site for more photos and prompts!
Monday, May 12, 2008
A New Class of Tips: NaNoWriMo!
http://www.nanowrimo.org
National Novel Writing Month happens every November. Participants have to write a 50,000-word-or-more novel within the month. The prize? The fulfillment of having written a novel. The drawbacks? Insanity, sleep deprivation, caffeine overload, and a general air of being pumped with nowhere to go. The excitement, however, is priceless.
If you want to get that novel right out of your head, read more about NaNoWriMo and how you can actually force yourself to get started. I will also post more NaNoWriMo tips as November nears, so watch out for updates!
National Novel Writing Month happens every November. Participants have to write a 50,000-word-or-more novel within the month. The prize? The fulfillment of having written a novel. The drawbacks? Insanity, sleep deprivation, caffeine overload, and a general air of being pumped with nowhere to go. The excitement, however, is priceless.
If you want to get that novel right out of your head, read more about NaNoWriMo and how you can actually force yourself to get started. I will also post more NaNoWriMo tips as November nears, so watch out for updates!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
A New Class of Tips: The Last Sentence
And so the end had come, but the last sentence had no other sentence before it.
Here's an extra challenge in this class of tips: write the start that leads to the last sentence! You can write an essay, a short story, or even a novel chapter - just make sure that you get to the last sentence that I give.
Wait for last sentences, right here on this blog!
Here's an extra challenge in this class of tips: write the start that leads to the last sentence! You can write an essay, a short story, or even a novel chapter - just make sure that you get to the last sentence that I give.
Wait for last sentences, right here on this blog!
A New Class of Tips: The First Sentence
Once upon a time, a sentence stood, all by itself, waiting for a second to come by and join it.
This is your new class of tips, ladies and gentlemen: a sentence. The first sentence, for that matter. I will be sending sentences your way, and all you need to do is take your thoughts from there. You don't have to be profound, your work doesn't have to be perfect, and you don't need to get it published. You just need to write.
Watch for more first sentences!
This is your new class of tips, ladies and gentlemen: a sentence. The first sentence, for that matter. I will be sending sentences your way, and all you need to do is take your thoughts from there. You don't have to be profound, your work doesn't have to be perfect, and you don't need to get it published. You just need to write.
Watch for more first sentences!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A New Class of Tips: The What Ifs
Sure, every novel's plot really begins with a "what if" - but what if you couldn't think of a "what if" at the drop of a hat?
These special tips will present you with a "what if" that you can use to start writing. What if you could spend just an hour writing every day? What if you could squeeze in some writing hours and have fun with your pen or word processor? What if you could set your novel free?
These special tips will present you with a "what if" that you can use to start writing. What if you could spend just an hour writing every day? What if you could squeeze in some writing hours and have fun with your pen or word processor? What if you could set your novel free?
Monday, May 5, 2008
A New Class of Exercises: Unblockers
Writers' block is something that everyone has. A block happens for many reasons: a person is tired, a person doesn't think that he or she can write, or a person can have so many ideas bottlenecking into each other so that they block the actual writing process.
So, then, here's a chance for you to take out that block and get yourself writing. Sometimes, it isn't the writing that's hard, but getting the writing started.
Watch this blog for unblocking exercises and free writing work where you can get the chance to just write.
So, then, here's a chance for you to take out that block and get yourself writing. Sometimes, it isn't the writing that's hard, but getting the writing started.
Watch this blog for unblocking exercises and free writing work where you can get the chance to just write.
A New Class of Exercises: Orchestrated Searches
Ever been on a treasure hunt? Now, have you ever tried writing about it?
What if I told you to look for the third word in the first line of the hundredth page of the fifth book on your bookshelf? And what if I told you to use that word as the first word of your story?
What if I told you to load your songs onto your media player, set it to random, and write an essay about the eighth song that plays?
There are many ways to get a treasure hunt going, and they can lead the way to a lot of novel exercises. Watch this blog for more orchestrated searches and guided treasure hunts!
What if I told you to look for the third word in the first line of the hundredth page of the fifth book on your bookshelf? And what if I told you to use that word as the first word of your story?
What if I told you to load your songs onto your media player, set it to random, and write an essay about the eighth song that plays?
There are many ways to get a treasure hunt going, and they can lead the way to a lot of novel exercises. Watch this blog for more orchestrated searches and guided treasure hunts!
A New Class of Exercises: Triads
If I gave you a penny, a pencil, and a pig, what would you do?
Well, you could sit and ponder on the profundity of the three-item situation - or you could write about it.
No, this is not one of them Hong Kong Gangster triads - it's a writing exercise that's meant to bring out the creative genius in you. "Once upon a time, a pig was sold for a penny to a pencil maker..." "Once upon a time, a penny-worth pencil dreamed it was a pig...."Once upon a time, a pencil sharpener fell amongst pigs in a pig sty - and there, it met a penny..."
Triads are meant to make you start thinking about how three things can come together logically (even illogically) in one story, essay, or even novel excerpt.
Hang on for more triads!
Well, you could sit and ponder on the profundity of the three-item situation - or you could write about it.
No, this is not one of them Hong Kong Gangster triads - it's a writing exercise that's meant to bring out the creative genius in you. "Once upon a time, a pig was sold for a penny to a pencil maker..." "Once upon a time, a penny-worth pencil dreamed it was a pig...."Once upon a time, a pencil sharpener fell amongst pigs in a pig sty - and there, it met a penny..."
Triads are meant to make you start thinking about how three things can come together logically (even illogically) in one story, essay, or even novel excerpt.
Hang on for more triads!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
A New Class of Inspiration: Stuff to Chew On
A good quote can get your writing going, or it can simply open your mind to new things that you might want to write about. Watch this site for quotes such as:
"Why do writers write? Because it isn't there."
- Thomas Berger
And quotes as desperate as:
"The work never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with."
- William Faulkner
No matter how funny or sad or totally blah your writing day is, you can stop over for something to chew on.
A New Class of Inspiration: Stuff to Read
I will be posting article summaries from time to time, along with links to the original article. I hope you can get inspiration on how you can write better, or simply get started with your writing. We writers are here to help each other, and you may find that the best writers on the planet are not just those who can open the eyes of your heart, or amaze you with their word-smithing - they're the ones who are willing to help other writers succeed.
Happy reading!
(after all, it takes a lot of reading to make good writing happen)
Happy reading!
(after all, it takes a lot of reading to make good writing happen)
Want to Write Your Novel Now?
Welcome to the blog that will help you through it!
Of course, I can't tell you how exactly you can do it, and how you can type out words in a heart beat. But I can help you with exercises on getting your imagination going. After all, it's your book, your story, and your words. Nobody can tell you how and when to write it. But you can be guided.
***
They say that everyone is born with a novel in their heads, and all they need is the right time to set that novel free. A novel, however, is not just words and words of a story, and there isn't any trend to follow words or length-wise. Some of the best classics are quite short (Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter) or long (Tolstoy's Anna Karenina); some of the newest bestsellers also span the continuum of brief (Segal's Love Story), lengthy (there are lots of these!), and even serial (Ludlum's Bourne Series). There is no trend, no best plot, no single way to follow.
Don't let the "critics" tell you otherwise. Bestsellers may have a formula, but once in a while, a great one comes out to shatter all records, and buck all trends.
Could that novel be yours?
***
Why wait to find out? Start writing! Watch this blog for exercises, useful links for writing, and articles that can help you through the novel-writing process.
Now, it's time to pick up your pen, or open your word processing software and set your fingers on the keyboard.
Let's pick the locks on the prison of your novel.
We're about to set it free.
Of course, I can't tell you how exactly you can do it, and how you can type out words in a heart beat. But I can help you with exercises on getting your imagination going. After all, it's your book, your story, and your words. Nobody can tell you how and when to write it. But you can be guided.
***
They say that everyone is born with a novel in their heads, and all they need is the right time to set that novel free. A novel, however, is not just words and words of a story, and there isn't any trend to follow words or length-wise. Some of the best classics are quite short (Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter) or long (Tolstoy's Anna Karenina); some of the newest bestsellers also span the continuum of brief (Segal's Love Story), lengthy (there are lots of these!), and even serial (Ludlum's Bourne Series). There is no trend, no best plot, no single way to follow.
Don't let the "critics" tell you otherwise. Bestsellers may have a formula, but once in a while, a great one comes out to shatter all records, and buck all trends.
Could that novel be yours?
***
Why wait to find out? Start writing! Watch this blog for exercises, useful links for writing, and articles that can help you through the novel-writing process.
Now, it's time to pick up your pen, or open your word processing software and set your fingers on the keyboard.
Let's pick the locks on the prison of your novel.
We're about to set it free.
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