For all of you in my Novel Writing Class (and those of you who just WISH you were in my class...I understand, it's gonna be okay) let's make a few thing clear:
1.) Writing is first and foremost about you and what you have to say. You are your first audience member. Before you ask if anyone else is going to be happy with your writing, make sure you are.
2.) Writing is fun. Well, at least I think it should be. I know you're going to run into hard stuff like writer's block, sticky plot points, characters not doing the stuff you want them to. Those are small potatos compared to the joy of making something fun, cool, and worthwhile.
3.) Writing is meaningful. We don't do this for no good reason. We write because it matters to us. It's important enough to spend hours in front of blank screens pecking away at keyboards so that what we have rattling around between our ears will finally be exorcised, will get out of our heads and go have a life elsewhere. If someone else enjoys it, so be it. But a story untold may be undiscovered gold. What good is it?
This should at least be a start.
Peace.
Sam.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Novel Writing Class?
After a conversation with my friend Leslie (The proprietor of Leslie's Tutoring in Port Orchard, WA) I'm strongly considering teaching a Novel-Writing class for her. I have to admit I'm very excited about the possibility. At the same time I'm a little overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.
I love writing and I love teaching so it would seem to be a natural fit. And I had a very good time and great response from the Literary Analysis class I taught for Leslie's Tutoring last year. But there is just so much to writing a novel or non-fiction book that I do reflexively. A lot of the time it just sort of happens. Yet intention is a major player as well.
Additionally there's a lot of different philosophies out there on that emphasize very different aspects of the craft. I just re-read Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft last month and I'm really glad I did. It's brilliant and very "man-on-the-street" in it's ideas. There's a lot to draw from there. But Robert McKee's Story has some exceptional, but VERY different ideas. Plus, I have a lot of other resources I'll probably use, though they don't all say the same kinds of things. Getting this down to a manageable effort may be abit like herding cats. I don't expect to come away unscathed.
Regardless, I'm very excited and hope I get to do it. If I do, I'll probably end up using this blog with for supplimentary lessons and writing ideas and exercizes.
Peace out.
I love writing and I love teaching so it would seem to be a natural fit. And I had a very good time and great response from the Literary Analysis class I taught for Leslie's Tutoring last year. But there is just so much to writing a novel or non-fiction book that I do reflexively. A lot of the time it just sort of happens. Yet intention is a major player as well.
Additionally there's a lot of different philosophies out there on that emphasize very different aspects of the craft. I just re-read Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft last month and I'm really glad I did. It's brilliant and very "man-on-the-street" in it's ideas. There's a lot to draw from there. But Robert McKee's Story has some exceptional, but VERY different ideas. Plus, I have a lot of other resources I'll probably use, though they don't all say the same kinds of things. Getting this down to a manageable effort may be abit like herding cats. I don't expect to come away unscathed.
Regardless, I'm very excited and hope I get to do it. If I do, I'll probably end up using this blog with for supplimentary lessons and writing ideas and exercizes.
Peace out.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Rhythm & Writing
If you write (or create anything at all - painting, sculpting...whatever), it can be helpful to establish rhythms which can facilitate more productive and focused times of creativity. There are, of course, countless ways to do this. You can, for example, establish routines and/or disciplines to your work.
When I write, I, for instance, like to get out at least 1,000 words a day if I can. (As I write this, I just finished such a session - I wrote 1,096 words in my next book, A Ghost of Water, the sequel to A Ghost of Fire.) Sometimes I do way better than this sometimes, not so much. But there are other things we can do which feed our spirits and ennable further creativity.
One thing which helps me is the intake of other people's creativity. It's a common piece of wisdom which suggests that writers should first be readers and muscians should first be listeners to great musicians and actors should first be members of the audience.
Here's what I've been doing for some time now: When I write I like to listen to music at the same time. I love to read, for sure, but I find music really gets me going and itching to create. I'm a mediocre musician myself, but I'm fairly good at writing and so that's whereI like to channel my creativity. Plus, it's sort of hard to read a book and write a book at the same moment.
When I was writing A Ghost of Fire listened to U2's album, No Line on the Horizon over and over and over. Now that I'm working on A Ghost of Water I'm constantly cycling through Lindsey Buckingham's new album, Seeds We Sow (which is really fantastic and indie, if you're into that).
I let the rhythm of the music get me going.
The point is, before you try to prepare a meal for other people with your creativity, it's important that you get fed yourself first.
Warning: be careful when doing this. In one respect you might find your work too strongly taking on a flavor of whatever is "inspiring" you at the moment. In his fantastic book, Story, Robert McKee, a guru on story, plot and pacing, says that the screenwriter must be careful of this because sitting on the top of your brain is every movie you've ever seen, so it's very easy to steal someone else's work, even without really realizing it. The same is true for writers nd artists of every type.
But don't let that stop you. Allow it to challenge you to dig deeper to the themes and veins of resource buried deep in that strange, complex little head of yours.
Go, listen, watch, pay attention, eat it, soak in it, digest and process it.
Then go and make something.
When I write, I, for instance, like to get out at least 1,000 words a day if I can. (As I write this, I just finished such a session - I wrote 1,096 words in my next book, A Ghost of Water, the sequel to A Ghost of Fire.) Sometimes I do way better than this sometimes, not so much. But there are other things we can do which feed our spirits and ennable further creativity.
One thing which helps me is the intake of other people's creativity. It's a common piece of wisdom which suggests that writers should first be readers and muscians should first be listeners to great musicians and actors should first be members of the audience.
Here's what I've been doing for some time now: When I write I like to listen to music at the same time. I love to read, for sure, but I find music really gets me going and itching to create. I'm a mediocre musician myself, but I'm fairly good at writing and so that's whereI like to channel my creativity. Plus, it's sort of hard to read a book and write a book at the same moment.
When I was writing A Ghost of Fire listened to U2's album, No Line on the Horizon over and over and over. Now that I'm working on A Ghost of Water I'm constantly cycling through Lindsey Buckingham's new album, Seeds We Sow (which is really fantastic and indie, if you're into that).
I let the rhythm of the music get me going.
The point is, before you try to prepare a meal for other people with your creativity, it's important that you get fed yourself first.
Warning: be careful when doing this. In one respect you might find your work too strongly taking on a flavor of whatever is "inspiring" you at the moment. In his fantastic book, Story, Robert McKee, a guru on story, plot and pacing, says that the screenwriter must be careful of this because sitting on the top of your brain is every movie you've ever seen, so it's very easy to steal someone else's work, even without really realizing it. The same is true for writers nd artists of every type.
But don't let that stop you. Allow it to challenge you to dig deeper to the themes and veins of resource buried deep in that strange, complex little head of yours.
Go, listen, watch, pay attention, eat it, soak in it, digest and process it.
Then go and make something.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Rediscovering discovery.
I sat down last night after having not done any writing for a while and started plunking away. It was not long before I rediscovered why I love this.
It's been a few months since I finished writing A Ghost of Fire, my first novel (but my third book), and I started in again on chapter two of "A Ghost of Water." To be honest I had a fair bit of anxiety over starting the sequel. I had the first chapter done a while ago and it's available as a preview at the end of A Ghost of Fire, but I began to wonder: can I really do this? I was afraid I'd exhausted everything I had to say about these characters. As it turns out that's not the case.
Because writing (fiction or otherwise) isn't always about putting things on paper which you already know that you know. In large part it's about the art of discovery. Stephen King in his fantastic book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, explains that for him writing is a bit like archaeology. It's more about uncovering things, sweeping away the dirt to discover things you were unaware were there.
So in a way I'm rediscovering discovery.
I'm discovering that, for me at least, the writing process is just as much about learning something about these strange characters as it is about teaching these characters to the audience. There are moments when I'll write something...and be surprised by it.
Now, I do work from an outline. I have a basic idea where the story is headed but sometimes things crop up which may change that. As I wrote last night I discovered one of the sub-themes of the story I didn't know I was going to have to help the characters wrestle through. And I'm excited to see where it goes.
So as you write (or create whatever it is you create), don't get stuck on just getting the characters or ideas from A to B. Let them live a little. Let them have some run around time. Let them play in the mud and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.
______________________
To read my writing:
Website: http://samwhittaker.webstarts.com/
Smashwords E-Books: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/samwhittaker
It's been a few months since I finished writing A Ghost of Fire, my first novel (but my third book), and I started in again on chapter two of "A Ghost of Water." To be honest I had a fair bit of anxiety over starting the sequel. I had the first chapter done a while ago and it's available as a preview at the end of A Ghost of Fire, but I began to wonder: can I really do this? I was afraid I'd exhausted everything I had to say about these characters. As it turns out that's not the case.
Because writing (fiction or otherwise) isn't always about putting things on paper which you already know that you know. In large part it's about the art of discovery. Stephen King in his fantastic book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, explains that for him writing is a bit like archaeology. It's more about uncovering things, sweeping away the dirt to discover things you were unaware were there.
So in a way I'm rediscovering discovery.
I'm discovering that, for me at least, the writing process is just as much about learning something about these strange characters as it is about teaching these characters to the audience. There are moments when I'll write something...and be surprised by it.
Now, I do work from an outline. I have a basic idea where the story is headed but sometimes things crop up which may change that. As I wrote last night I discovered one of the sub-themes of the story I didn't know I was going to have to help the characters wrestle through. And I'm excited to see where it goes.
So as you write (or create whatever it is you create), don't get stuck on just getting the characters or ideas from A to B. Let them live a little. Let them have some run around time. Let them play in the mud and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.
______________________
To read my writing:
Website: http://samwhittaker.webstarts.com/
Smashwords E-Books: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/samwhittaker
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
"A Ghost of Fire" NOW AVAILABLE!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Free Sample Chapters (1-5) of "A Ghost of Fire"
To help with the wait, here are Chapters 1-5 of "A Ghost of Fire," the new Paranormal Thriller coming out in September. They are free to read/download: Here.
Description.
Steve Nicholas wasn't looking for drama. He was just looking for a job. But when he lands a position as a Janitor at a respectable data processing company strange things begin to happen. There's the smell of smoke and the echoes of childlike laughter. But these inexplicable things may only be the beginning of something much more menacing.
He soon begins to have increasingly terrifying nightmares and to experience ghostly encounters while awake. It won't be long until Steve finds himself caught between warring supernatural forces.
If he isn't careful he might get burned...or worse.
List Prce: $14.99
5.5" x 8.5"
328 pages
Coming: September 2011
Description.
Steve Nicholas wasn't looking for drama. He was just looking for a job. But when he lands a position as a Janitor at a respectable data processing company strange things begin to happen. There's the smell of smoke and the echoes of childlike laughter. But these inexplicable things may only be the beginning of something much more menacing.
He soon begins to have increasingly terrifying nightmares and to experience ghostly encounters while awake. It won't be long until Steve finds himself caught between warring supernatural forces.
If he isn't careful he might get burned...or worse.
List Prce: $14.99
5.5" x 8.5"
328 pages
Coming: September 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
The Narcissitic-yet-Humble act of Publishing
Arguing with Myself
I sometimes wonder if every author goes through the same internal argument I do when getting ready to publish a new work.It goes something like this: I say something to myself like, "This is the most brilliant thing I've ever done -- how can it fail?" Then about three seconds later I reply, "This junk is never going to go anywhere, is it you loser?"
I feel like Gollum in that scene from The Two Towers film where he's arguing with himself. It's kind of messed up.
It's true what they say, we can be our own worst critics. But at the same time we can be our own highest praisers. I doubt whether either of these options is healthy.
Not even the praise of close friends or loved ones can always change the course of this mental melodrama. "Oh, this was brilliant!" Someone says. then you respond, "Thanks... are you just saying that because your my mom?"
A Touch of Reality Helps
I think the key here is not to be too hard on ourselves while at the same time not to think too highly of ourselves either. I mean, you know how annoying it can be to be around people who can either say nothing positive about themselves ... or who are so in love with themselves that you wish they would take a long walk off a short pier. Why be either of those people? Or worse, both?
In our own analysis of our work we must neither be too afraid to let our written work out into the open nor be too narcissitic with our work that it gets set loose before it is ready, before we have had a chance to cut and/or strengthen its weaknesses.
Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own
Find honest people who will read what you've written, analyze it and tell you what they liked and what they didn't, what worked and what didn't. And LISTEN to them for the love of all that's holy.
All three of my books (The Exiles Next Door, The New Book of Acts, and A Ghost of Fire) have had at least four different people proofread and edit. They brought four different perspectives and gave four different sets of observations. And that's what you want. You want variety in review.
I hope that helps.
Does it my Precious?
It does, it does...Gollum.
To read more of my writing:
sample/purchase ebooks: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/samwhittaker
Purchase print books: The New Book of Acts & The Exiles Next Door.
Facebook for A Ghost of Fire (Coming Soon!)
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