Some Thoughts on Writing Fiction, Part 3
In my previous two posts (here) and (here), I talked about setting up a structure and a process for writing fiction, and I mentioned that the details could be filled in at a later stage. So let’s look now at how one goes about filling in the details and what sort of details they might be.
Here are a few ideas and examples for bringing characters to life. Think about real people you know. What do you notice about them? What do you already know about them?
Marcia wears a ring that’s a little too big for her. She twists it around and around and seems to do it more when she’s upset. I think the ring used to belong to her mother, who died a couple of years ago. Maybe touching that ring gives her comfort.
Not only did I tell you something about Marcia that you can picture as you read, but I gave you some detail about her past and her state of mind.
How do you think your character would react in certain situations? And how do people in your story carry on their lives?
Jack was horrified when he heard that I’d bought myself a dress that cost three hundred dollars. It seemed like such an unnecessary extravagance to him. Jack is one of those guys who knows how to squeeze every penny’s worth out of a dollar. He’s always looking for bargains, and seems to consider it a major victory if he buys something at a deep discount. Maybe Jack is right. He never worries about how to pay the rent or whether he’s going to be able to retire when he reaches 65. Jack has peace of mind. But me — I’ve got the most perfect little dress I’ve ever seen. I’m the one smiling today. So what if I have to skip lunch for the next three years?
You learned something about Jack and you learned something about the “me” character. He’s very frugal and plans for the future. She’s more interested in instant gratification even if it means she ends up paying for it later. (This truly is fiction, by the way. In real life, I’m a lot more like Jack.)
What has happened in the past that helped build each person’s character? What experiences have influenced the events of today?
Melanie stood in her garden looking at the roses. The bushes were full of buds — the promise of bouquets that would soon grace her little house. Every summer, Melanie was overcome by a mixture of sadness and nostalgia. Rick had carefully planted each of the bushes and tended to them like a doting parent. After the divorce, her first inclination was to tear them out of the ground, one by one. But she never could bring herself to do it. And as time passed, she had come to love those roses, which now represented what she and Rick had shared in their early years. It didn’t last forever, but it had been very good.
Can you picture Melanie standing there? Can you see the garden? And now you know that she’s divorced, that it’s been a while, and that she’s mellowed about it. You’ve got lots of information about Melanie in that little passage.
I’m just writing these examples off the top of my head. They’re not Shakespeare, but I hope they show you the type of narrative that adds dimension and the kinds of details that paint a more complete picture for your readers.
Some Thoughts on Writing Fiction, Part 2
I know you’ve been holding your breath waiting to find out what my young aspiring novelist said in reply to my questions (see Part 1) and how I answered her. The wait is over.
Most of my questions concerned the atmosphere in which she writes and whether she’s been doing the necessary prep work. I wanted her to think about what really goes into any serious writing effort. In a nutshell, she told me that she has only written a few short stories before attempting the novel, that her general writing skills need work, and that perhaps these are the main causes of her difficulties. She’s not following a set process or method, but she is trying to apply some sort of organization to the work.
Her biggest concern however, and one which I believe many authors share, is doubt over whether she will ever finish. At times she feels overwhelmed by what she has set out to do. Welcome to the world of writing!
Here’s what I wrote back to her.
Writing a novel may seem like a huge task, and that’s probably a reasonable thing to think. But there’s no magic or mystery about how it’s done. Writing is a discipline like any other art. You need talent, but most of it is just plain work.
You said you’re having a hard time with everything there is to do. The better organized you are, the less overwhelming it will seem. Good organization involves breaking things down into manageable pieces and that gives you control. We already talked about keeping notes for various plot points, characters, and details. That’s an important part of organizing. You also need a method for how to proceed. Here are two possible suggestions:
1.Start by writing the entire story in outline form. Decide the events that will take place in each chapter. Use bullet points instead of full sentences. The outline becomes your road map. Then go back and write each chapter, filling in the details. Go back again and fill in more about the characters. It’s writing in layers. Each layer adds something to make it better.
2.Start by writing it as a short story. Write full sentences and include some details about the characters and events, but don’t worry that it isn’t long enough. After you’ve written it as a short story, you can expand it by adding scenes, sub-plots, and more detail. You can add narrative to describe locations and settings. You can elaborate on the characters’ actions and make it more real with dialog.
As for the work itself, here’s where discipline comes in. If you can, set aside a certain period of time each day just for writing. Make an appointment with yourself and don’t break it. Create a quiet atmosphere and clear your mind of everything else. Even if you have no idea what you’re going to write that day, keep the schedule. If you plan to write for an hour and you sit there for 50 minutes unable to think of anything, but in the last 10 minutes you have a great idea and get it down on paper, you’ve accomplished something. It’s not always about quantity.
Don’t worry about correcting grammar and spelling as you write. Get the story and details down. You’ll have to go back and polish (all writers do) but the first and most important thing is to put your ideas on the page. You’ll be surprised how writing flows once you get started.
Have a great resource for grammar and spelling. As long as you know where to look things up, you’ll be okay. Learn from what you’ve looked up and develop good habits. The more you write, the more you’ll learn, and your skills will increase over time.
Keep studying about writing. One of the best ways to do that is to read lots of novels. Choose good authors and learn from them. When you read, pay attention to style. Note how the writer uses dialog and makes it sound natural. Notice how he or she plants information early in the book and then returns to it later, tying up loose ends. Look at the structure and how the story unfolds. Does it take place in sequence, or are there flashbacks? Is one character the narrator, or is the author the narrator? Is there a narrator at all? There are so many things to notice.
Whether you do any of this or not depends on how much you really want to write your novel. Know the answer to that before you start.
I hoped these points would give her a foundation for her work — at least enough to get going. I also offered some ideas and examples for filling in the details that bring a story to life. I will share those with you in Part 3, so stay tuned.
Some Thoughts on Writing Fiction, Part 1
Last summer, I received an e-mail from a young aspiring author. She was determined to write a novel, but was having a problem getting the story out of her head and onto paper. She asked me for some tips. Perhaps what I said to her will interest you.
Before I could offer advice, I needed information. I asked her questions like these:
•What is your actual experience when you sit down to write? Can you get the first sentence down on the page? What happens then?
•What kind of atmosphere are you working in? Do you have a quiet place where you can focus? Do you have music or a TV playing in the background? Are you interrupted by phone calls or texts? In short, are you dealing with outside distractions?
•The first step in writing is deciding what you want to say. Have you thought in advance about all the details that paint a full picture of each character, location, and event? Do you know what your characters look like, what they’re wearing, how old they are, where they live, how they spend their time? Nobody wants to read a story about stick figures. An author needs to think these things through. Are you doing that work?
•Do you have the plot all figured out? Do you know how you’re going to set up situations, create conflict, connect scenes and characters? Are you prepared to tie up loose ends? Do you have answers for all the questions your reader wants to see resolved? Have you written an outline or a summary, or are you planning to wing it?
•Is this your first serious attempt at writing fiction? Have you already written some shorter things? Understand that a novel is a huge undertaking and may take months or years to complete. Do you have the patience and commitment required?
•Are you confident about your grammar and spelling? If not, do you have good sources when you need to look something up?
Writing requires prep work — thinking, planning, decision making — before the first word goes down. Just knowing the kinds of questions to ask yourself will make the process easier.
Next time, I’ll talk about her reply and what I told her.
Check Out My New Website
For a few years, I’ve used this blog as my website. It serves as a good sample of my writing style and gives me a place to express my philosophy about writing. And this is where I offer tips to fellow writers and receive your comments. But the blog doesn’t contain enough detail about my professional services, and for that, I need a “real” website.
So now I have one!
Take a look at the official Judy Rose Custom Writing & Writing Repair Services website.
I hope you like what you read there.
Not So Fast
Don’t Abandon Formal Writing Skills Just Yet
I’m old. There are three ways you can tell.
1. I have more gray hairs than brown ones.
2. I remember the theme music to St. Elsewhere.*
3. I write using complete words and sentences.
Social networking sites like Twitter and the phenomenal popularity of texting have changed the way people communicate in writing. All the old rules are out the window. Now, the faster you can write it, the better. The more acronyms you can use in your message, the less likely your parents or your boss will understand what you’ve said. It’s a new language – a useful language – driven as much by the capabilities of electronic devices as by the need to express information or thoughts. And by itself, it’s a good thing. I’ve already hinted that I’m a purist when it comes to writing, but even I can appreciate the practicality of being able to say in a few thumb taps what I might choose to convey in an entire luxurious line of carefully constructed prose.
So what’s the problem? You write your way, I’ll write mine. But there is a problem, and it’s reflected in the growing numbers of people who can no longer write in the formal, professional style that businesses and academia demand. It may be fine to text a buddy in ten keystrokes about meeting at a favorite hangout, but that sort of shorthand doesn’t cut it when you want to explain or discuss anything of substance or depth. It certainly won’t suffice for college application essays, letters to prospective employers, or the content on your website (if you’re trying to sell to anybody over the age of 18). And the more young people use the short writing style, the less practice they get using correct English.
I’m not just guessing about this; I see it every day in my work as a Writing Repair consultant. People who are unable to write clear, correct English are limited in their careers and in dozens of ways necessary to simply conduct the business of life. Schools aren’t doing enough to impress upon students how very important it is that they develop strong writing skills. Too many teachers are more interested in having the kids feel self-esteem than in having them earn self-esteem through achievement. So they avoid pointing out writing errors, choosing instead to praise the content – as though content and the ability to articulate it well were two unrelated things. They send young people out into the world with an unrealistic idea of what is acceptable. What a huge disservice they are doing! You can probably tell that this is one of my pet peeves.
Texting-style short writing is probably here to stay, and that’s fine. If all you want to say is: GF, R U THERE? NE14KFC? BBFN**, then use whatever means you like and enjoy that delicious salty, crispy, greasy meal to your heart’s content (or heart attack – whichever comes first). But if you want to serve up ideas that can’t be contained in the 140 characters that Twitter allows for, if you want to be able to handle nuance, explain a process, build one thought upon another until you’ve said something worth reading, worth thinking about, then please recognize that there’s another way to write that’s just as practical and just as useful as the short style you’re so adept at. Remember that English contains immense variety, subtlety, emotion, and beauty that enables us to express in the most precise way, every shade of meaning imaginable; and that the more capable you are of using this fantastic language, the more you will connect. And isn’t that the purpose of writing, after all?
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* A great little piece, by the way. You can feel the heartbeat in the bass line. Click here if you want to hear it.
**Translation: Girl Friend, are you there? Anyone for KFC? Bye bye for now.
What will you come up with?
Your English is Your Face to the World. How Do You Look?
The Earth is getting smaller. The internet has shrunk the entire planet down to the size of your computer screen. Businesses all over the world are going global, and, as the title of this blog says, English is the international language of business.
Whatever the language of its home country, a company that wants to attract customers beyond the limitations of geography must use an English version of its website to inform, promote, convince, and sell. But there can be a huge difference between English written by native speakers and the English written by people who use it as a second language. I have nothing but admiration for people who master a second language. It takes years of dedication. But no matter how much effort one puts into learning English, it is the rare person indeed who can write it like someone born to the task.
Companies who want to sell to English-speaking customers need to pay close attention to the quality of writing that appears on websites, in brochures, and in product literature. Language, skillfully used, has the power to make a connection between writer and reader. That’s a valuable asset in marketing. Well organized, error-free text, written in a pleasing style, will make potential clients feel well informed, comfortable, and confident – and more likely to buy.
But the opposite is also true. Text that is difficult to understand, or that contains distracting mistakes, will fail to connect with native English speakers. They’ll notice the flaws, such as misspellings and improperly used idioms, and their attention will be shifted away from your message. Most people will only give a website a short time before moving on. If understanding the text requires too much work, people will leave. Every time someone stops reading your site because of poor-quality writing, you’ve lost a potential customer.
Let’s look at some examples. The following are excerpts borrowed from the English versions of websites put up by companies outside the U.S. In these case studies, the first version is verbatim, the second version merely corrects errors and phrasing, and the final version is the transformation into a style that is designed to make a connection with English-speaking readers.
BEFORE (as written)
Talented people are our treasure
Producing the first-class brands and satisfying our customers are made only possible by people. If our employees are not capable to make such products or if they have no will to do so, not only such goal cannot be achieved at all, but also there can be no room for promise, growth and development. Therefore, management always need to remind itself that employees of XYZ with capable and enthusiasm are the asset of XYZ, and should always support development of employees’ ability and to inspire their enthusiasm.
AFTER (correction of errors and phrasing only)
Talented people are our greatest asset
Achievement of our primary goals – producing first-class products and satisfying our customers – is only made possible by our employees. If our people are not capable of making fine products, or if they haven’t the will to do so, then not only will XYZ fall short of our goals, but there will be no hope of growth and development. Management must always remember that capable and enthusiastic employees are our greatest asset, and must always support further development of their abilities and inspire their enthusiasm.
BEST (effective text for English readers)
Talented people are our greatest asset
Our talented employees make it all possible. They are the reason we can achieve our primary goals: to produce first class products and to satisfy our customers. Our people have the capability and the will to keep us on the right track and to ensure our continued growth and development. Management never loses sight of the vital contribution our employees make to our success. We work hard to inspire their enthusiasm and to support them in meeting the exciting new challenges they face every day.
Here’s another example:
BEFORE (as written)
Without using any chemical agent or tooth pest just water treated brush will eliminate all harmful bacteria inside mouth which cause bad odor, gingivitis, different type of gum desease, infections etc, ,
No need any kind of tooth paste, ,
Good for health, specially good for chemical sensitive person also good for enviorment, ,
Our product has been tested and certified by dentist but dentists do not want to see the brush on the market, , simple reason, less dental patients to treat, ,
We have a live salaiva test video under microscope to satisfy all of our skeptical customers,
AFTER (correction of errors and phrasing only)
Without using any chemical agent or toothpaste, just adding water to our treated brush will eliminate all harmful bacteria which cause odors, gingivitis, gum diseases, infections, etc.
There’s no need for toothpaste.
Good for your health – especially for chemical-sensitive people. Also good for the environment.
Our product has been tested and certified by dentists. But dentists don’t want to see this brush on the market because they’ll have fewer patients to treat.
We have a live saliva test video showing microscopic proof that will satisfy all our skeptical customers.
BEST (effective text for English readers)
Throw your toothpaste away! Just add water to our Magic Brush toothbrush, and eliminate all harmful bacteria which cause mouth odors, gingivitis, gum disease, and infections. People who are sensitive to chemicals will love this toothbrush. It’s good for your health, and the health of the environment too.
Our product has been tested and certified by dentists. But dentists don’t want to see this product on the market because they’ll have fewer patients to treat.
Are you skeptical? Let us send you our saliva test video showing microscopic proof.
Many people can learn to take text from the first stage to the second. Very few can create the third stage, but this is what companies should strive for. When someone translates from a language that is structured differently from English, the resulting version may still sound “foreign.” If you or your in-house people aren’t capable of producing natural sounding, effective English writing, then get help from somebody who is. It’s a worthy investment.
The type of transformation illustrated above is what I do professionally, and what I promote as part of my philosophy regarding the importance of good writing. Let the text on your website or brochures carry your reader along the path you set for him, and keep him on track. Good writing has the power to do that, and more. It has the power to convince, and to encourage action. And in this case, the translation of ACTION is SALES.
السبت أبريل 16, 2011 11:30 pm
