Questions

I love writing fan fiction. It has been one of my obsessions for about 3 months now, but i realised the other day that i would just about die of shame if any of my friends or family found out that i read/write it. Does anyone else feel like this? Or am i just being oversensitive about what other people would think?
(I dont mean if they read what i wrote, just the fact that they would know i wrote it would be humiliating.)
- Tilly T

There is a path to fiction writing success that is quick and sure, even obvious. It’s a path that’s simple to explain. In fact, I’m going to explain it in this short article. And when I’m finished, most of you who read this will nod and say to yourselves, “I knew that.” Then you’ll move on without giving it another thought. And you won’t do it.

And that will be a shame.

As with any profession, writing good fiction requires a learning curve. It begins with the very basics - the rules of proper grammar. From there, you’ll want to learn all the aspects of storytelling. These can include everything from setting to character development, from dialogue to plot, and more. And when you become comfortable in your knowledge of storytelling, you’ll want to learn about the business end of writing … how to build your career, working with agents, what all those contract clauses mean, etc. Learning will be a life-long journey.

But if you learn all of the above, inside and out, even become an expert at it, it won’t mean a thing toward writing successful fiction unless you do one more thing.

You know what it is, don’t you?

Yes.

You have to write, and you have to write everyday.

It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable or how talented you are. If you don’t write regularly you’ll never be successful. Having edited a newsletter, a small press magazine, and several anthologies, I can tell you from experience, it’s not the most talented writers who succeed. It’s the most persistent writers. The writers who work on their craft with a passion. Who pour their souls into their work.

And it’s not how much time you have, it’s the routine that matters. Writing success comes from placing your butt in the chair and putting words down on a piece of paper or your computer screen on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter if you only have fifteen minutes a day, as long as you fill that time writing.

The best way to do this is to make an appointment with yourself, set a specific time everyday that’s reserved for nothing but writing. It might be the first thing in the morning before the rest of the family wakes up. It might be during your lunch hour, or late at night after everyone else is in bed. It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s the same time everyday, and the only thing that happens is that you write.

By the way, researching isn’t writing. Plotting isn’t writing. Developing a character isn’t writing. Those are all important aspect of developing good stories, and they need to be done, but they are not writing. Don’t let them get in the way. It’s easy to get caught up in all the details of your story without ever actually putting a word on paper.

So there you have it.

The quickest, surest path to fiction writing success.

Write everyday.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

And you already knew it, didn’t you?

So now the question is this: what are you going to do about it?


- David Silva

 

When it comes to a highly cognitive and self-revealing writing practice, psychologists suggest that it is best to enjoy and limit yourself to a pithy 25 minute writing session per day and no more, at least not in this method. So here are some ways you can wrap-up—by giving answers to the basic proprioceptive questions:

a) When coming across any unanswered underlined words or phrases (such as “mother” or “having a pet” or whenever a question pops into your mind ask, “What do I mean by _____?” Give a short briefing in a few lines or words since now is not the time to give all the answers, ask yourself again in the next writing session. This is how you will slowly be able to tap your mind and discover buried secrets.

b) Next, ask yourself “How or what do I feel now?” Again, keep a short recording of your exact feelings. Just find the exact word or phrase related to your truest feeling. Again, never be judgmental. Whether it’s shame or guilt or a bag of mixed emotions, just write them down!

c) Here you will ask “what larger story is this article a part of?” Most probably, this is initially going to be a mixed experience of confusing thoughts racing through your mind with greater undertones of something more specific, as with childhood experiences or the loss of a loved one. Generally, we relate to things that have affected us most emotionally, but as we go on with more writing practices, our confusions settle down and often enough we relate to a specific incident or experience. Whatever writing stage you might be at, think it over a little, and find the larger story that your mind first settles for itself.

d) Ask yourself, “What ideas come up for future writing from this stage?” Then record them, and when you come back to writing the next time, look into those ideas for future exploration. Put a few words or expressions you may find to give you adequate information for the future, and close your writing there.

Neatly pin-up your pages, but one point to remember here is that loose sheets are always preferred as they lead to maximum unleashing of thoughts. Keep a file especially for this purpose, and keep your sheets in chronological order.

Do not start up a writing session looking just at the sheets. You can look through them when searching for inspiration and ideas for creative input, not meant for other purposes. It is only after about a month of proprioceptive practice that you should look through your file and scan it for unanswered questions, and unravel concepts for something more complete and creative, such as a plot for a short story, a monologue or even a novel!  Use your personal experiences, plots and twists to mold the real characters in your life, revealed through your writing, and create a great story with a character sketch at the center. Over time, you will experience unbounded sense of freedom and energy with a higher sense of confidence and well-being. If you have followed the proper regimen, trust me, you will feel the difference!

The most important thing when you finish your writing thouhg is to have your work proofread and edited.  Having a professional editor look through your work will mean that no mistakes are made when you publish it.


- Nick Sanders

Poetry is the mastery of words in all their variations and subtleies to express in an eloquent manner that which cannot be expressed in silence. Emotions of the heart, a looking glass into the soul, a way to make amends, and a way to build vistas exploring humanity and all it’s relationships. Poetry is all this an much more. Poetry is also much less, and in a more simplified manner, it is only words. Just words. But used in such a way, as to make us think and feel about others, events and things in a way we could never have imagined. Poetry cleanses, fortifies and inspiries the reader, while at the same time fuels the creative passions and allows for cathartic emotional release on the part of the writer. Poetry is powerful, poetry is petty, poetry is loving, and poetry is hateful. But above all, poetry is human, it is a reflection of of the human experience in all it’s glory and all it’s shame. But, it’s something else as well. It’s words.

It’s Only Words

Words are what define the internet. It’s not technology, it’s not servers, it’s not protocols, it’s not browser wars. The internet is made up of words. And words are poetry. So, is the internet poetry? In a sense yes. Sure it’s pictures to, but words were there long before there were pictures. An internet of pictures would be pretty, but it wouldn’t be poetry. It would be thousands of words yes, but what would it say? Words are a business now online. We bid on words, we sell words and information. We sell poetry. Entire industries have sprung up based solely on words. Google is in the word business, as is Yahoo, and MSN. But, these guys are no poets, and long before them their were others in the business of words.

Words Are All I Have

For generations, authors and poets have been in the business of words. For that matter musicians were to. Music is really just poetry with a beat. And these guys and girls have never really prospered from a financial perspective. Oh sure, a few like Shakespeare and Stephen King did pretty well. But just being the tip of the ice cube, there were countless thousands of creative literary genuises languashing in poverty. Starving artists include poets, writters, and musicians. But hey, it’s a new day, and all that can change. The internet has open the door for artists of all inkling to support themselves with their passions of calling. Few have taken up the guantlet though. Perhaps, for poets and the like, suffering for their art is core to their being. A cruel but inspiritional muse. Dosen’t have to be that way though. It’s time for the poets to embrace the world wide web, and voice their words to the masses. The internet is about words, and words are about poetry. Arise poets, your time has come. Write you poetic fools, write.


- Chris Campbell