Week 15 Lab: Final Advice to Writers
The final story lab, and with it, my (and other writers') parting words:
Make Trouble for Your Character
"When in doubt, make trouble for your character. Don’t let her stand on the edge of the pool, dipping her toe. Come up behind her and give her a good hard shove. That’s my advice to you now. Make trouble for your character. In life we try to avoid trouble. We chew on our choices endlessly. We go to shrinks, we talk to our friends. In fiction, this is deadly. Protagonists need to screw up, act impulsively, have enemies, get into TROUBLE." -- Janet Fitch
Without the characters, the story can't really happen. But a common pitfall I come to when creating characters is to make them too tame. Just as we sometimes need some suffering to grow, so they need that "push" of detriment to really spur their development. They a way to deal with my problems rather than a living, breathing part of the story they're in. When I'm reading a story, I want to get lost in the world that's being told, not act as a therapist for the author. Don't be afraid to give them a push!
Inspiration is Merely a Pretty Phrase for Work
"I have learned, as has many another better writer, to summon inspiration to my call as soon as I begin my day’s stint, and not to hang around waiting for it. Inspiration is merely a pretty phrase for work. And it can be cultivated by anyone who has the patience to try. Inspiration which will not come at its possessor’s summons is like a dog that cannot be trained to obey. The sooner the both are gotten rid of, the better." -- Albert Payson Terhune
This is a really cool analogy and especially pertinent to those that think inspiration comes randomly (cough, me, cough). In fact, I would probably say that that line of thinking is more of an excuse to be lazy than actually "waiting for inspiration." Like good 'ol Albert said, it's better to get rid of it!
Writing a Novel is a Painful and Bloody Process
"Writing a novel is a painful and bloody process that takes up all your free time, haunts you in the darkest hours of night and generally culminates in a lot of weeping over an ever-growing pile of rejection letters. Every novelist will have to go through this at least once and in some cases many times before they are published, and since publication itself brings no guarantee of riches or plaudits, it’s not unreasonable to ask what sort of a person would subject himself to such a thing." -- Alice Adams
Oh man, if this isn't the experience of a student in this class! Writing can have a high payoff, both financially and in appreciation, but that doesn't show the immense amount of work and (probably) failure that went behind it. You see the best-selling authors signing their books, all smiles, but after the awards, after the smiles, after the joy comes the "painful and bloody process" all over again. What should come next? Should there be something that comes next? How should it be presented? Who should it be presented through? Then there's the pressure of your work, even after it has initially been accepted, to continue to be loved. I loved getting feedback in this class on my stories because even though they were mostly the generic "good job", or "great story," there were some that I could tell actually read it and actually gave good, specific and constructive criticism. What kind of person is a writer, except one that goes through such pressure?
(questioning, taken from MaxPixel)
Make Trouble for Your Character
"When in doubt, make trouble for your character. Don’t let her stand on the edge of the pool, dipping her toe. Come up behind her and give her a good hard shove. That’s my advice to you now. Make trouble for your character. In life we try to avoid trouble. We chew on our choices endlessly. We go to shrinks, we talk to our friends. In fiction, this is deadly. Protagonists need to screw up, act impulsively, have enemies, get into TROUBLE." -- Janet Fitch
Without the characters, the story can't really happen. But a common pitfall I come to when creating characters is to make them too tame. Just as we sometimes need some suffering to grow, so they need that "push" of detriment to really spur their development. They a way to deal with my problems rather than a living, breathing part of the story they're in. When I'm reading a story, I want to get lost in the world that's being told, not act as a therapist for the author. Don't be afraid to give them a push!
Inspiration is Merely a Pretty Phrase for Work
"I have learned, as has many another better writer, to summon inspiration to my call as soon as I begin my day’s stint, and not to hang around waiting for it. Inspiration is merely a pretty phrase for work. And it can be cultivated by anyone who has the patience to try. Inspiration which will not come at its possessor’s summons is like a dog that cannot be trained to obey. The sooner the both are gotten rid of, the better." -- Albert Payson Terhune
This is a really cool analogy and especially pertinent to those that think inspiration comes randomly (cough, me, cough). In fact, I would probably say that that line of thinking is more of an excuse to be lazy than actually "waiting for inspiration." Like good 'ol Albert said, it's better to get rid of it!
Writing a Novel is a Painful and Bloody Process
"Writing a novel is a painful and bloody process that takes up all your free time, haunts you in the darkest hours of night and generally culminates in a lot of weeping over an ever-growing pile of rejection letters. Every novelist will have to go through this at least once and in some cases many times before they are published, and since publication itself brings no guarantee of riches or plaudits, it’s not unreasonable to ask what sort of a person would subject himself to such a thing." -- Alice Adams
Oh man, if this isn't the experience of a student in this class! Writing can have a high payoff, both financially and in appreciation, but that doesn't show the immense amount of work and (probably) failure that went behind it. You see the best-selling authors signing their books, all smiles, but after the awards, after the smiles, after the joy comes the "painful and bloody process" all over again. What should come next? Should there be something that comes next? How should it be presented? Who should it be presented through? Then there's the pressure of your work, even after it has initially been accepted, to continue to be loved. I loved getting feedback in this class on my stories because even though they were mostly the generic "good job", or "great story," there were some that I could tell actually read it and actually gave good, specific and constructive criticism. What kind of person is a writer, except one that goes through such pressure?
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