Questions

If you want to learn a lot about writing take a stab at a Fiction Writing course.  My instructor was great and the students all eager to improve upon their writing.  It was an intenstive course where we had 10 stories to be completed in a 10 week course.  The April course was perfect for me as it finished before all the hot weather.  Eagerly I would wait in turn to read my truly wonderful fiction story.  You should never take the critiquing that follows to heart as every student is there to learn where they can improve in their writing.  I would listen and write down the comments from both the students and the instructor.  By critiquing other students work I would learn through them what I was doing right or wrong.  The course taught me how to examine my writing as well as how others wrote.  Some of the things that come to mind that make you a better fiction writer are the following:

write in the active voice keep it short its not an novel put some good little details into your characters like how she twirled her hair and moved her lips in that funny way she had make sure you don’t put too many characters in your story and enough information so your reader knows who the protaganist is don’t name people with the same letters like James and jim, it gets confusing put lots of emotion into your character show it don’t tell it try to stay in the same tense try to stay in the same time sequence if your a beginner mix it up, some scenery, some plot, don’t drag it out too long write something that inspires you, it will be more passionate try not to end with a sermon (although a morale to the story can shine through) do every assignment show up for every class enter writing contests

Remember, in order to succeed you must first be willing and able to accept that sometimes you will fail.  Most great writers, Stephen King comes to mind, was rejected a lot before he became famous.  Hope you find this both inspiring and helpful. Good luck to all you novice writers.  I wish you great success. 

 

 

 


- Gladys Bates

I began writing my first novel in 1997. Six years, five drafts (give or take), two sons, and one major surgery later it was finally complete. Then it took another two years to get Cryptid published and on bookstore shelves. And don’t even ask how much Cryptid has earned me. The gravy train is certainly gaining speed, but don’t ever fool yourself that writing novels is a get-rich-quick scheme. Even the big boys like Crichton, Koontz, and Cussler will tell you that. The best-case scenario is a get-rich-slow—eternally slow—scheme. Which is to say, don’t quit your day job.

Ah, but then where does one find the time, resources, energy, and muse to write after coming home from slaving for the Man (or Woman) all day?

Well, that’s the million-dollar question. Actually, it’s only half the question. The whole question is where does one find the time, resources, energy, and muse to write after working all day… and then cooking dinner, doing the dishes, helping the kids with their homework, paying bills, cutting the grass, washing the cars, checking your email, doing your nails, going for a run, seeing a movie, getting the flu, finishing your degree… need I go on?

We all have twenty-four hours in the day, even the big boys like Crichton, Koontz, and Cussler. Life happens to us all. Just ask Stephen King what a crimp his car accident put on his writing.

We all have a list of reasons to not write. They’re not excuses, really. Life doesn’t leave much room for excuses. So don’t add guilt to that list. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve only written a thousand words in the past six weeks, does it? Then what’s the answer? How did I do it?

Well, it took me six years. So one answer is simply that I didn’t quit. Little-by-little, day-by-day, year-by-year I worked at it until it was done. But be more specific. Exactly how did I find the time? OK, well another answer is that I woke my computer every night at 9 PM, Sunday through Thursday, and worked until midnight or 1 AM. I did this religiously for six years, sometimes working seven days straight.

I took a two-year commercial fiction course at the University of Washington. I was part of a weekly critique group for three years. I immersed myself in the craft. I did everything I could to make myself the best craftsman possible. Does that help?

No, I’m sure it doesn’t, because you’re not me. You will not be able to work at the craft in the same way I do. You may work a double shift for the Man and the Woman and not be able to write from 9 PM to 1 AM every night. So here’s the answer you’re really after, though you’re not going to like it because it means there’s no short cut, no magic recipe that you can simply follow and be assured success.

You see, the million-dollar answer is that I quit.

Or at least I tried to; many, many times I tried to. But I couldn’t. You know why? Because writing is not something I do, it is something I am. I’m a writer. So there is no quitting. I cannot quit being who I am. I can only accept who I am. And once I did, I never failed to find time to write. My cars may not sparkle, I hired someone to cut the grass, and I often sleep less than eight hours a night, but I write.

So my advise to you is to quit. And if you can, then you’re not a writer. It’s OK. Not everyone is. Then find out what you are and do that, but don’t go back to writing. The craft is too hard and the rewards too slow in coming to labor at it unless you have to. And writers have to.

However, if you can’t quit then you are a writer. And once you realize that you can only find joy in life if writing is a part of your life, then you will find the time. I promise you. And it won’t be my way; it’ll be your way. Just don’t quit your day job. It may not be who you are, but it will pay the bills until who you are is a writer whose name is listed in the same sentence with the big boys.


- Eric Penz

The world of creative writing is an ever expanding one as stories or genres continue to evolve in a natural reaction to the changes in time. Having confirmed writing skills, however, is not enough to succeed in creative writing. Having passion for it is more important than having technical expertise. Love for creative writing, and not adherence to the grammatical elements, is what will ultimately guide you to doing things properly and successfully.

6 Tips for Your First Jab at Creative Writing

Don’t Stop Reading - It’s impossible to become a writer, much less a creative writer, without being a reader first. Discovering your love for writing shouldn’t stop you from further devouring reading materials but should instead encourage you to diversify your taste. If you want to become good in creative writing, you need to broaden your horizons. Don’t limit yourself to reading one genre because this can only provide you with limited knowledge. If you want to improve, read everything that you can get your hands on.

Don’t Stop Learning - You can ask Stephen King, Danielle Steele, Dan Brown, and JK Rowling, and all of them will surely tell you that they’re not perfect writers and will never be. No one can be perfect in any way, and if you allow your writing to stagnate, readers will soon get bored with your work. Of course, before you can continue learning about creative writing, you first have to acknowledge the fact that your writing is definitely imperfect. Get past your ego if you want to be a successful creative writer.

Choosing a Topic - You’ve heard countless people tell you that to be a successful writer, you need to write about you know, and that’s true. But more importantly than that, you have to write about something you love or something you hate, just as long as it’s a topic that arouses passion in your heart and brings your pen aflame! If you find something that interests you but you don’t have adequate knowledge about then research it by all means! Research, research, and research, until you can safely say that you’re writing something you know and love.

Build Your Vocabulary - True enough, Ernest Hemingway earned fame by using poignantly - but sometimes brutally - simple words for narrating events in his stories. But building your vocabulary surely wouldn’t hurt, would it? Broadening your vocabulary and discovering its etymology can be one of the ways for you to develop a story idea or an effective way of setting the tone or mood for a particular chapter. But more important than that, building your vocabulary will reduce the instances when you can’t just quite say the word you want but it’s already in the tip of your tongue.

Don’t Let It Get Away - If an idea suddenly occurs to you, and it seems excellent for a future story, write it down. If you’re walking down the street and you suddenly think of a good dialogue for your characters, write it down. Don’t let anything get away because the human mind is a tricky thing, and it might be impossible for you to recall exactly what occurred to you just three minutes ago. Good story ideas are a dime in a dozen, but great ideas are definitely few, and who knows if what you’ve written down will one day become one of the latter?

And last but not the least, NEVER STOP WRITING. Don’t make publication of your work the ends and means for your writing. Write because you love to write!


- Mario R. Churchill

Which are the best authors, in writing in that sort of genre?
I love Stephen King also, I want to stockup on books right now, so, thanks for the lists!
- loulnaav.luna

Learn the DeBowen short story system, the newest writing rage.

Every story has one climactic conflict, and this is where you are going to start your story. You might be saying, huh? What about the setting and theme? What about the plot and resolution? All in due time.

Think of action scenes. The action is what makes the story. Without it, you don’t have a story. Think of Stephen King’s stories. Someone has a knife and they gain entrance through a window. The woman is in the shower, and their intent is not only to murder her, but also to slaughter her in the most gory way possible. He sneaks through each room making little noises here and there. He stops. Does she hear him approaching? The entire scene is prolonged, drawing out the suspense as long as possible until he actually does the slaying.

The entire story leads up to that point, and then it fades back a little to let the viewer catch his breath. Then it builds again to a resolution with fever pitch excitement, and it finishes with a huge climax.

Writers have a hard time working up to a climax when they don’t know what the climax is going to be, so you are going to determine that right now. Things like train wrecks, a parent being murdered, a bomb in a school, someone just inherited ten million dollars, etc. Think of six good or bad action scenes before you read on. The more action, the more drama, the better.

Let’s say you think of a person who just inherited a large amount of money. The conflict could be in receiving the money, how he spent all of it foolishly, and went back into credit card debt.

Or think of a boy who was brought to the United States for an education by a charity group. The group houses and feeds him throughout his formative years. Graduation day comes. He’s on his way to the ceremony when his car stalls on a train track and he is killed.

1. Now it’s your turn. Think of an eye-popping conflict, or a gut-wrenching scene. How would it change a character’s life? This scene can be up to 700 words.

After you have written the conflict scene, you will automatically know how many characters are going to be in the story. You should have no more than three main characters, (preferably two), and three secondary characters. All of these characters will not be involved in the conflict scene you are writing, but you will know they are coming at some point.

2. Next, it’s time to write the ending scene. How do you want to resolve your conflict? (At this point, these two scenes will not be connected. Keep in mind that you are writing rough drafts - the bare skeleton.)

3. Thirdly, write the beginning of your story to introduce your characters and set the scene.

4. Last, connect the scenes, and edit your story. Yes, it’s really that easy!

See below for more free writer’s tips.


- Deborah Owen

Stephen King says he starts his novels with a “What if?” question. What if a woman and child are trapped in a car by a rabid dog? What if a family pet buried in a Pet Semetary came back to life? What if a young girl could start fires with her mind?

I have also heard many other bestselling novelist such as Jodi Picoult, Janet Evanovich and Nicolas Evans lay claim to the same thing.

And I have heard others say they just saw an image in their mind, or had a persistent sentence knocking on the inside of their brains, and they just followed that to where it lead them.

And while their insight and tutelage is invaluable, when I was a budding writer it left me with another question.

What’s next?

It’s all good and fine to have a starting point. In fact a starting point is imperative. But in answering the question of “What next?” you will lift your novel from “What if?” to “Howzat!”

So in answer to the “What next?” question, I defined the five essential elements of any good story, whether it’s a novel, a short story, a play or a screenplay. Use these five elements to plan your story and you’re guaranteed to write a bestseller everytime.

Step One: Desire

It is essential that your main character want something. Even if it’s only a glass of water, they must have an “object of desire” to pursue. It can be anything from a way of escaping their predicament, or a way to bring their world back into balance, but the key is that your main character must want something. Without that you will not have a story.

This “desire line” is the golden thread that will run through your story.

For example, in a love story, the object of desire is the beloved. In a story of illness, the object of desire may be anything from a medical specialist who can treat the patient, to a specific medicine guaranteed to cure. In a failing marriage, the object of desire could be the best divorce lawyer in town, or an apartment of their own. It’s your choice and will be dictated by the type of story you are writing.

Step Two: Conflict or Opposition

You will undoubtedly know that nothing ever moves forward in story except through conflict. So once your main character knows what they want, there has to be something or someone around to stop them. And the most powerful person, or thing, to oppose the main character is the one who can put the most pressure on them and force them to change.

It’s critical to remember this: the strength of any story is directly related to the strength of the opponent. If it’s easy for the main character to reach their goal, then where’s the challenge? Where’s the drama? Where’s the struggle for growth and change?

The Harry Potter novels kept us on the edge of our seats for seven books and ten years because of the promise of a showdown between Harry and Lord Voldemort. The success of Star Wars hinged on the multilayered battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. The Bourne series enthrals us because it’s one man against the CIA.

In our earlier examples, the opponent in the love story is always the lover. If boy meets girl and they get together and live happily ever after, where is the story? There isn’t one! So the lover must resist in some way. In the case of the illness, the main opponent could be a government department that is withholding approval for a drug that will cure you, or it could be a lack of funds to travel overseas to see that one specialist who can treat you. And in the failing marriage, the opponent would be the other marriage partner, who is either trying to send you broke or stopping you from moving out.

Really take the time to explore your opponent. They can often be the most interesting character in the story!

Step Three: Moral Dilemma

The conflict must build so that your main character is forced into a corner, where they must make a decision that challenges their values.

There is only one question you need to ask yourself at this stage, and that is, “how can I push my main character into a place where they feel as though they are stuck between a rock and a hard place?” The decision they make here must be a true test of their core values, and whatever decision they make needs to tip them into the most intense conflict of the story, where they battle the opponent in a do-or-die climax to your story.

For example, in the love story, your character may be forced to choose between love and security, or love and family, as they enter new territory in the relationship stakes. In the illness story, your character may need to choose between health and authority, or health and pride, if they are forced to ask for charity to finance their overseas trip. And in the case of the divorced couple, your main character may be forced to choose between freedom and control, or financial security and love, depending on the scenario you choose.

One way or the other, your character has to make a choice and this choice sends your story into its most intense conflict.

Step Four: The Battle or Climax

You are now entering the most intense conflict of the story and the action here must take place between your main character and the main opponent. This is the classic “fight” scene, or where the great revelation comes out, where you can otherwise surprise or shock your readers. Push it out there! Allow whatever comes out to come out onto the page. Remember you are just exploring your story here. If it goes too far you can pull it back in the writing or the editing. Just remember that the most powerful climax will be one that brings about absolute and irreversible change.

It’s a good idea to explore your character’s highs and lows at this time. By this I mean look at how they can behave really badly, as we often do when we are pushed into a corner. Does your character come out swinging, or do they submit and surrender? Neither answer is wrong or right. It will depend entirely on your story.

Step Five: Resolution

Every good story asks a question at the beginning. Whether it’s a Stephen King “What if?” question, or something entirely different, it’s imperative that you answer the question here. How can you show your character having learned their lesson? How are they seeing themselves clearly for the first time? What impact does that have on those around them? What is the “solution” to your story?

I recommend not spending too much time planning this final step, as it almost always simply comes out in the writing. Stories that you are meant to write have a way of just coming out the way they need to, and too much planning of the ending will make it seem contrived.

So those are our five simple steps to great fiction. Have a character who wants something, add something or someone who tries to stop them, put them in an impossible situation, watch them fight their way out and see what they learn in the process!

Simple really!


- Suzanne Harrison