Novelist John Irving on the Writer's Craft

Joyce Carol Oates on the thrill of writing/Emily Dickinson

Harlan Ellison's classic Pay the Writer!

Dear Mike: Do you prefer interview writing or another style?

Reader Question: Do you prefer "interview" writing or another style?

Mike: I don’t enjoy doing simple Q&As, even though they're much harder than they look, but I adore profile writing. It allows me to combine my talent as an in-depth interviewer with my skills as a narrative storyteller. I especially love interviewing very well-known people, who have been interviewed a zillion times before, and getting them to say something totally original, if not "drop themselves" so revealingly it makes news.

Guest Blog: Murder Your Darlings (Write for Your Reader)

Murder Your Darlings (Write for Your Reader)
By Rob Parnell

"Murder your darlings" was a phrase coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was referring to what you might call your "best bits." He believed that these are the very "bits" you should always edit out of your work.

As Elmore Leonard once said, "If I come across anything in my work that smacks of ‘good writing,’ I immediately strike it out."

The theory is that writing you’re particularly proud of is probably self-indulgent and will stand out.

You might think this is good. Wrong.

You will most likely break the "fictive dream." (This is the state of consciousness reached by readers who are absorbed by a writer). And breaking your reader out of this fictive dream is a heinous sin!

Editing out "the best bits" is the hardest thing a novice writer has to do – after all, isn’t it counterproductive to write good things down only to cut them out?

Look at it this way…

When you start out, every word you write is precious. The words are torn from you. You wrestle with them, forcing them to express what you’re trying to say.

When you’re done, you may have only a paragraph or a few pages – but to you the writing shines with inner radiance and significance.

That’s why criticism cuts to the core. You can’t stand the idea of changing a single word in case the sense you’re trying to convey gets lost or distorted.

Worse still, you have moments of doubt when you think you’re a bad writer - criticism will do this every time. Sometimes you might go for months, blocked and worrying over your words and your ability.

There is only one cure for this – to write more; to get words out of your head and on to the page. When you do that, you’re ahead, no matter how bad you think you are.

After all, words are just the tools – a collection of words is not the end result, it is only the medium through which you work. In the same way that a builder uses bricks and wood to build a house – the end result is not about the materials, it’s about creating a place to live.

As you progress in your writing career, you become less touchy about your words. You have to. Editors hack them around without mercy. Agents get you to rewrite great swathes of text they don’t like. Publishers cut out whole sections as irrelevant.

All this hurts – a lot.

But after a while, you realize you’re being helped. That it’s not the words that matter so much as what you’re trying to communicate.

Once you accept that none of the words actually matter, and have the courage to "murder your darlings," you have the makings of the correct professional attitude to ensure your writing career.

This is a tough lesson to learn.

But, as always, the trick is…to keep on writing!

Rob Parnell is a prolific writer who’s published novels, short stories, and articles in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a teacher who’s conducted writing workshops, critique groups, and seminars.

Please visit Mr. Parnell’s Web site at:

http://easywaytowrite.com

Writing—QED

Writing—QED
By Rob Parnell

Good fiction is about forward thrust.

It's your job to propel the reader through your story without having them feel they are wading through your writing. In fact, your ultimate aim is somehow make the reader feel they're not actually reading at all.

It's what my friend Kenyon calls transparency—the idea that there is nothing between your reader's mind and your story - nothing as ugly as the text getting in the way!

Q.E.D. is a little acronym you might want to use to help you remember what you need to create compelling fiction on every page of your stories. Q.E.D. stands for:

Question

Empathy

Drama

Questions encourage people to look for answers. When readers read fiction they are asking themselves a series of questions about your characters and about your story.

Only when you satisfy your reader by feeding questions and later on providing answers will the reader feel entertained.

At the beginning of a new sheet of paper, ask yourself, What question am I going to place in the reader’s mind on this page?

You must have one - it's what makes the reader keep reading.
Without constantly stoking curiosity, a reader will simply get bored and not read on.

Empathy is crucial too. We looked at this. Not only is it important that you create empathy for your characters early on, you will also need to keep reinforcing it as you go.

Hopefully the actions that your characters make will take care of some of this. But you should be aware that if you feel your characters slipping away from you, it's probably because you're not keeping them human enough to be compelling.

A reader's total empathy with a character can be powerful. It is the hallmark of all good fiction writers. To create a hero that is credible and popular is the goal of most leading authors. Because once you've done that, you can take your readers almost anywhere with them.

When it's done well, the reader is totally in the your thrall and will trust you to take him further, on the adventure that is your novel, or series of novels.

Use it consciously. Readers rarely spot that you're doing it deliberately. They only know what they like and that is, for the time they are reading, they like being your lead character.

Lastly, D is for Drama again. It's important that you create drama, conflict and tension at least once on every page. It's the way of modern fiction.

People want to be entertained. But they've seen it all before. On
TV and at the movies. Try to think of new ways of being dramatic.

Don't get bogged down with description. You don't need long explanations or descriptions of things they are familiar with. It’s just not necessary.

Readers want to be thrown into the thick of things immediately.
There are a hundred ways to do that but most of them involve action, conflict and drama. If you find yourself wandering from the point and nothing in particular is happening, cut back to where the last piece of conflict was, delete all the verbiage and static writing and move off again—this time at high speed!

Imagine you're a soap opera writer where every scene counts, and every exchange is emotionally charged. Try not to sink into melodrama - but be aware that you're writing primarily to entertain.

At the beginning and ending of every new page ask yourself:

Q.E.D? Have I fulfilled the three requirements of compelling fiction?

If the answer is yes then you're probably on the way to becoming the next bestseller writer!

Guest blogger Rob Parnell is a prolific writer who’s published novels, short stories, and articles in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a teacher who’s conducted writing workshops, critique groups, and seminars.

Please visit Mr. Parnell’s Web site at:

http://easywaytowrite.com

Becoming a Fiction Writer: A 10 Step Guide

Becoming a Fiction Writer: A 10 Step Guide
By Rob Parnell

The urge to write fiction seems God given for some, a learned skill for others.

One thing is certain—it requires practice and a particular mindset. But, if you’re a beginner, where do you start?

The following 10 tips will help kick-start your writing habit, whether you’re a complete novice, or perhaps a pro who has lost his or her way!

1. Step Away From the Car, Sir.

Slightly detach yourself from your surroundings. Stop participating and begin observing. In social situations, watch people, see how they act and—more importantly—interact.

Don’t pass judgment. Take it all in—and draw on it later when you write.

2. Look Harder, Homer

Stop and look around you. Consciously notice the buildings, what’s underfoot, overhead, and what’s right in front of you.

At home, look at something you take for granted. An iron, for instance. Find yours and study it.

3. Write Thinking Will Be Rewarded.

A simple technique. Your mother is making tea and you are chatting to her. Take a mental step back and describe the scene.

Similarly, when you’re outside, describe your environment as though you were writing it down.

4. What Reasons Do You Need?

Don’t wait for inspiration—just write!

Force yourself to write anything at all. A shopping list. An overheard conversation. Describe your bedroom.

It doesn’t matter how personal it is, or how trivial, just get it down!

5. Wakey Wakey!

Set your alarm clock for an hour earlier than normal.

When the alarm goes off, get up. Don’t dress, bathe or eat. Don’t even make coffee. Just stagger to your writing space and write the first thing that comes into your head for five minutes.

6. Oh, God—Not That!

Think of the most awful and embarrassing thing you’ve ever done - the more cringe-worthy the better. Now write about it. All of it, in all its gory, horrible detail.

Then hide it away for a year or so before you read it again!

7. Like Your Style, Baby.

Don’t limit yourself. Write poems, songs, dialogue, fact, fiction, even practice writing advertising copy or horoscopes.

Your expertise improves in all areas – an improvement in one area can reap benefits in another.

8. The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Take out a classic book from your bookcase. Copy out a paragraph. Think about the words as you write them. Don’t get intimidated!

9. Wanna See My Invention?

When you’re not writing, string together stories in your mind. Think of plots, characters, settings, dénouements.

Ask yourself what you should do next to improve your writing.

Develop this technique into a habit.

10. It’s a Goal!

When you start writing regularly, set yourself small goals. Anything from 200 words a day, or just a commitment to writing in your diary.

Later extend to finishing a short story, or an article or a poem. Perhaps one in a week.

The trick is to set goals you can achieve easily.

That way you’ll get the writing habit - and you won’t forget to enjoy it.

Rob Parnell is a prolific writer who’s published novels, short stories, and articles in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a teacher who’s conducted writing workshops, critique groups, and seminars.

Please visit Mr. Parnell’s Web site at:

http://easywaytowrite.com/

Dear Mike: Tell Me about The Writing Life

Reader Question: Will you always remember your very first acceptance into publication?

Mike: Not really. In fact, I’m having difficulty remembering it now. I think it was a story about a failed Olympic sprinter named Steve Williams for a small track & field magazine, but I’m not 100 % sure. Strange how I don’t recall, isn’t it? Although, after you’ve published nearly 10,000 stories—a rough estimate of my career output—you definitely blur on a lot of things.

Reader Question: Do you just start writing or outline your idea?

Mike: I think the proper way is to outline, because it clearly tells you where the story is going and prevents egregious ramblings on tangential points. But, please, do as I say, not what I do. I’ve tried hard to outline, many times, and it simply doesn’t work for me. My MO is this: As I’m working on a story, I’m constantly thinking of my opening and ending, and by the time I sit down to write, I usually have one or, hopefully, if I'm especially lucky, both. If I have both beginning and ending, I know I’m “in”; the story will write easily. If I have only the opening, that’s fine too. It jumpstarts me into the piece [BTW—My openings are often anecdotal and very sensual—meaning they include as many of the five senses as possible. I also like movement. The total impact: the reader is pulled right into the story.] If I only have an ending, I’m admittedly concerned, because I know the writing will be a struggle. In the rare case I have neither an opening nor ending, aside from falling into a sweaty panic, I know something’s wrong. I need to go back and research more, or interview more, or observe more.

Reader Question: What is your favorite genre to read?

Mike: That has changed so much over the years. Early on, when I thought I’d be a short story writer or novelist, I read nothing but classic literature. William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, John Steinbeck, Albert Camus, Leo Tolstoy, to name only a few. In one year, in fact, right after I left college, I read, believe it or not, over 300 short novels - all by the masters! Albeit reading them only to LEARN, not to ENJOY. I was around 20 then. I’d say in all the years since I haven’t read even 50 novels. I hardly read fiction at all anymore. My reading these days is isolated to a few major magazines (Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Time, The New Yorker, The New York Times Sunday Magazine), one NYC daily newspaper (I switch around from one to the other), and 3-5 nonfiction books (usually a biography or about world history).

Poet Diana Garcia on Writing Poetry

Dear Mike: How do you handle rejection?

Mike: I handle it like most, if not all writers: Not very well.

I despair.

I curl up on my couch and wolf down a pint of Häagen-Dazs butter pecan ice cream.

And I endlessly go over and over in my head: What did I do wrong? How could I have done the story better? Do I really suck? Should I try another profession

But you should remember that sometimes the rejection has absolutely nothing to do with you the writer.

It’s merely the individual taste of the editor. And, believe me when I tell you this, some editors have NO TASTE. Or talent. Or writing ability. I can count on one hand the great editors I've had over my career.

So do yourself a big favor and try hard not to take rejection personally. Don’t dwell on it.

No matter how crushing it is, move beyond it. Don’t let it paralyze you. Get right back on that horse and begin riding again, even with the same project but maybe with another publication. Or star anew on another project.

Assume the law-of-averages attitude of sales people: They doesn’t get down after a rejection. They simply know they're that much closer to a sale.

Good luck! And keep the faith!



Please check out Debbie Ridpath Ohi's wonderful site:
http://www.inkygirl.com/
Click here

Dear Mike: How do you deal with writer's block?

Reader Question: Does someone like you ever get “writer's block?” What are some of your tried-and-true ways to get around it? It drives me crazy.

Mike: Listen, every writer has had times where he/she can’t get the words down easily, if at all. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared at a blank computer screen for a half-hour at a time and couldn’t think of a thing. It’s natural. And that’s what you should understand. Unless you’re on deadline and need your story in within minutes, don’t panic. In fact, I never use the phrase “writer’s block.” It’s the equal of an epithet to me. I don’t allow others to use it around me. It’s negative and only heightens your anxiety about not producing words. Simply view slow periods as a natural part of the creative process. Unless you have some sort of psychological problem, you either have nothing to say at the moment. Or you’re trying too hard. Or you’re just too tense, in which case I would recommend drinking your favorite beverage (for me, espresso with milk), or putting on your favorite music (for me, it could be anything; depends on my mood), and think positive, peaceful thoughts (I love imagining soft ocean waves). If all else fails, write about the writer’s block, which, of course, is a built-in contradiction. It also HAS to work, right?

Writing Prompts of the Day

Write about…

Your favorite and least favorite news show.

Vice President Biden.

The best meal you’ve ever had.

The biggest risk you ever took.

Your favorite single line of movie dialogue.

Your best and worst indulgences.

The best gift you ever received.

The funniest joke you’ve heard recently.

What bothers you most about the world of politics.

Your favorite time of the day.

Dear Mike: Do you ever procrastinate?

Are you kidding me? I’m the King of Procrastination. Writing is so difficult for me—I’m what they call a bleeder, which means I write painfully slow and at great pain to my psyche—I’ll do almost anything to avoid it. I’ll watch TV, make phone calls, eat, curl into a fetal position in my bed, anything other than sitting down and staring with dread at my computer. It’s mostly, I feel, about the insecurity, the self-doubt, and the utter pain looking at a blank screen trying to create something out of nothing. It can be terrifying at times. But in recent years, I’ve turned this negative into a positive by understanding that my procrastination is merely a part of the creative process and that knowing, in the end, that the insecurity, pain, and self-doubt actually give me something of an edge. I’m so scared to death to be bad that I’m convinced it makes me write better. Which makes procrastination my friend, not my enemy.

Novelist John Irving on Writing

Kurt Andersen on the Struggle of Writing

Marc Pachter: The Art of the Interview

Writing Habits

Responding to my post about writing habits, blog reader Lora Mitchell sent me hers:

1. I write at my desk or comfortable recliner.
2. I also do my best writing at night - often until dawn. (a benefit of being retired).
3. I often take time to read something before I sit down to write.
4. I like this, Will work on it.
5. Great idea. Which vocabulary books do you suggest?
6. Lucky you. No caffeine for me. Doc's orders.
7. I take walks during the day to get exercise and fresh air.
8. I often write 5-6 hours straight or until the bum gets sore.
9. I catch up on my reading while taking long bubble baths.
10. A notepad is always at my bedside table. First thing in the morning, still in the lazy, dreamy state, I often get a solution to a current project ~ or struck by a fresh idea for a story A few weeks. ago, I had such an unusual, vivid dream, I quickly jotted down a synopsis, got to my laptop after a quickie breakfast and gave birth to a lovely short story.

Check out Lora's journal at:

http://triplemoonstar.blogspot.com/
Click here

What are YOUR writing habits?

Moby on Creativity