Week 14 Story Lab: Advice to Writers
More advice to writers! I really love this website and all their quotes.
Give Them What They're not Expecting
"The advice wasn’t to me personally, but I recall hearing Jay-Z say something along the lines of, don’t give people what they want, give them what they’re not expecting. It’s what I’ve always believed and it’s powerful to have your philosophy endorsed. I never want to deliver a novel that I think people are expecting, I love the challenge of creating something unique and surprising. It’s so important to write with freedom."
- CECELIA AHERN
I think this is an important milestone in writing - the ability to subvert expectations. It's why some of the most beloved stories of all time are beloved. Yes, they are well-written, but they're also unique from their generic contemporaries. Who doesn't love a good plot twist? Or a story that causes you to go back and read it again and again to pick up the clues that were there the whole time? If the reader's expectations are met, it's almost as if they're taking credit for it in their own minds. But if you deliver something outside their expectations, their appreciation skyrockets, for it's something outside the realm of their own imagination.
Writing is Hard Work
"Writing is hard work. It is gathering ten times as much material as can ever be used. This information has to be gleaned to get the best possible use from it. The reader has to be convinced that the writer knows what he is writing about."
- JOHN STEINBECK
Man, if that isn't a summary of this class...I would add a caveat to this one - writing WELL is hard work. It's hard to come up with ideas. To forge something out of your own mind and express it in a way that is digestible and enjoyable for others. If a writer writes with no confidence, the reader is immediately turned off and bored with his writing. There's so many facets to writing well. Surely anyone can throw some words down on a page in a semi-coherent manner. But to really capture the reader in the story that's being told, to draw the reader and make them feel as if they are a part of it, to evoke some kind of emotion and satisfaction....THAT is hard work.
Give Them What They're not Expecting
"The advice wasn’t to me personally, but I recall hearing Jay-Z say something along the lines of, don’t give people what they want, give them what they’re not expecting. It’s what I’ve always believed and it’s powerful to have your philosophy endorsed. I never want to deliver a novel that I think people are expecting, I love the challenge of creating something unique and surprising. It’s so important to write with freedom."
- CECELIA AHERN
I think this is an important milestone in writing - the ability to subvert expectations. It's why some of the most beloved stories of all time are beloved. Yes, they are well-written, but they're also unique from their generic contemporaries. Who doesn't love a good plot twist? Or a story that causes you to go back and read it again and again to pick up the clues that were there the whole time? If the reader's expectations are met, it's almost as if they're taking credit for it in their own minds. But if you deliver something outside their expectations, their appreciation skyrockets, for it's something outside the realm of their own imagination.
(writing a blog, from PxHere)
Writing is Hard Work
"Writing is hard work. It is gathering ten times as much material as can ever be used. This information has to be gleaned to get the best possible use from it. The reader has to be convinced that the writer knows what he is writing about."
- JOHN STEINBECK
Man, if that isn't a summary of this class...I would add a caveat to this one - writing WELL is hard work. It's hard to come up with ideas. To forge something out of your own mind and express it in a way that is digestible and enjoyable for others. If a writer writes with no confidence, the reader is immediately turned off and bored with his writing. There's so many facets to writing well. Surely anyone can throw some words down on a page in a semi-coherent manner. But to really capture the reader in the story that's being told, to draw the reader and make them feel as if they are a part of it, to evoke some kind of emotion and satisfaction....THAT is hard work.
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