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Limyaael-- rants about all things fantasy.

Inspiration

This is what comes before the long, hard, grueling work of writing. Yes, work. An idea will only take you so far; after that, you have to sit there and try things and revise and cut and rewrite and then write some more until it works. You cannot, and should not, expect to get anything done if you wait for inspiration. Sometimes you just have to work your way through things. Sometimes, working is the only way to make sure inspiration comes again.

Essentially, this means: writing only when you're inspired is a recipe to never finish anything. Most writers lose steam after the beginning of their novel or story; after that, it's just grinding through, with a couple of major crises of faith ("Oh god, I suck, I can't write, why did I ever start this story, it'll never be as good as that story that won 1st prize in 5th grade, oh woe, oh agony!" wink (I do this, too) and a couple of second winds until the end.

Further, don't let inspiration drag you by the nose from one project to another. If you're inspired by a new story, but are working on an old one, take some notes and set the new story aside if you can. Finish what you're doing. Then start on the new story. I know it's always more exciting to start something new, but it's infinitely more rewarding and useful to finish what you start.

Oh, and this is really hard for all of us, but remember--inspiration isn't always right. Just because an idea feels brilliant and new and lovely doesn't mean it's the right way to go about things. Work and idea, see if it fits, and if it doesn't throw it out.

Writing is hard work. Inspiration is just that clicky noise you get when you turn your gas stove's nobby bit all the way to the end. Yup. xd

Written by Carrot Ironfoundersson

Related Links

Encyclopedia Mythica-- a searchable collection of folklore and myths

Neil Gaiman answers the question--Where do you get your ideas?

Bartleby.com-- a large resource site with fiction, non-fiction, dictionary, etc.

Characters

Types of "good" characters

Good stories have good characters, but different people will define "good character" in different ways. Some possibilities are a character that is likable, that the reader is able to empathize with, that is complex and interesting.

Interesting, I think, is one of the keys. Some people will only read a character they like (Samwise Gamgee, for example, is a likeable sort); others think a character is good even if s/he is not particularly likeable at all, but is still a complex and interesting such as Hannibal Lecter. Figure out what you're aiming for and focus on that.

It's generally important for the reader to understand the character and why they do what they do. Enigmatic characters can be interesting, but rarely (if ever) do they succeed as a Point-of-View character--without understanding/empathy/connection the reader feels like s/he is reading a collection of seemingly random events, and feels no attachment to the story.

Making Unique Characters

A character is not made unique by his or her powers, lineage, or physical description (at least not physical description alone). A character is distinguished by personality and action. Readers want characters that think and act; through these thoughts and actions a character is created.

What this means in practice is that writing out your characters statistics and life story doesn't mean you have a good character. A good writer can, in one sentence, create a better character than a bad writer with 100 pages of background material. You begin to truly create a character once you have that character reacting to things, making decisions, taking action, etc. In general, have your character do things. Have there be a reason--a reason based in the personality you want to project--for why that character is doing that, or saying that, or thinking it, or whatever.

Sometimes this process is as simple as giving the reader something about the character that interests them, be it some bit of dialogue or a physical description, and then proceeding to make the character complex through thought and action.


Flat vs. Complex/Developed Characters

A well-written flat character is one that acts consistently in the role s/he is meant to play. So you might have a witness that the detectives need to interrogate. It's a likable guy who answers some questions, gives the detectives a vital clue about his old roommate, and then is never heard from again. He isn't badly written; he serves his purpose, and thus requires no complexity. If we need him later, we can develop him into a more complex character then.

A complex character should able to contain contradictions and extremes. The better you establish the solidity of a character through good writing, interesting action, dialogue, etc. the more that character will be able to do and still feel like s/he hasn't done something out of character. It helps if this is backed up by what I'll call dramatic logic. In moments of high tension and stress--basically moments of high drama--people are much more likely to act in ways they normally wouldn't. You can use this principle to have your characters act in ways the reader might not predict, so long as they have a feel for the character. Essentially, once the reader has a feel for a character's boundaries, these boundaries can be stretched.

The final piece to the complex character puzzle is character change. People like characters to change in stories. Complex characters _should_ change--we all change over time, and everything we do affects us somehow. How do you change a character? By stretching their boundaries! Whee! 3nodding

Written by Carrot Ironfoundersson

Dialogue

So, you want to write interesting, realistic dialogue, and you want it to convey personality and plot information at the same time.

There are a few things to remember. Dialogue can be one of the most important parts of your story. It's said that children look for pictures, adults for dialogue. When a reader is getting bored with your description, they may just look for the next bit of dialogue. What does this mean? Well, it means that you should try to make every part of your story engaging, and of course dialogue is a part of that.

One thing to avoid is back-and-forth dialogue. Sure, it might be how people talk, but it's not very interesting to read. It's very low tension, it often doesn't allow the personality of your characters to come through, and it can come off like you're just trying to dump information.

What I mean by back-and-forth is dialogue where people ask and answer each other's questions in a very linear way, often with a lot of yes or no questions. "Hey, did you hear what happened the other day?" "No, what?" "I almost got hit by a car!" "Oh my gosh, really? Are you okay?" "Yeah, it was speeding around the corner when I was about to cross." Etc. Answering each other's questions, responding directly to only things that are said (as opposed to all of the things we leave unsaid in our conversations every day-- think about it!).




Related Links

BabyCenter-- Find names by sex, ethnic origin, number of syllables, etc.

Behind the Name- the etymology and history of first names

Style

There are a lot of things style can do, so I'll take the cheap way out and say that style should not 1) Annoy the reader and 2) Confuse the reader.

This means, don't use overly complex structures when simpler ones will do. This kind of thing gets in the way of the story, the characters, and the general idea of wanting to keep the readers attention. Don't say things like "Erushar stormed through the doorway like a furious wind in the midst of a great sea-storm, surprising all those waiting within, their hearts beating quickly now skipping a beat as they wondered--was there any mail?" etc. etc.

Don't pepper your prose with metaphors just to make it "sound pretty", because all it will do is create clutter and confusion. The trick is to remember that not everything needs the same amount of dramatic attention! Someone walking through a door should not hold the reader any longer than it takes to read the line "Erin walked through the door, mail in hand." Save attention for the parts that actually need it.

Also, don't sacrifice a reader's patience because you think it somehow mirrors the situation. Yes, the character may be in a fragmented state of mind. But that. Doesn't mean you. Should write. This. Annoying very. Very quickly your point is lost and the reader no longer sees the story, because they're too annoying. They put your story down and find something else to read. Things like this, if you want to try to pull them off, are best done subtly, and should _not_ interfere with the reader's following of basic events.

Good writing can be a lot of things--it doesn't require sentences that go on for half the page or a metaphor in every other line. Less is more. (And even less means you don't even have to write! Whoo, day off! whee )

Written by Carrot Ironfoundersson

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Poetry

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Dealing with Criticism

Grin and bear it. If you get a harsh critique, you will probably feel like crap. That's natural. Don't be rude--say thank you, smile politely. Alone, or in the company of trusted compatriots, you may rave about the absolute morons infesting your critique group, or forums, or whatever. Get some sleep.

The next day, you should realize that the people in your group are trying very hard to help you be a better writer, and you should read over what they said carefully. Think about their comments. Do you agree? Why or why not? Can you convincingly argue against the changes they want you to make? Of course you can, you're the writer. Regardless of your reasons, is it possible that the story would nevertheless be better served by following those changes?

Again, don't follow things blindly. Try to really understand why you're making the changes you're making. If you don't, you won't begin to make those changes subconsciously (and consciously, for that matter) as you write. The goal, after all, is to have stories that don't require major overhauls before they're good. Besides, the more problems in your writing you manage to conquer, the more new problems you'll be able to identify--a lot of time, too many problems in a story means people can only see one or two major ones, and the rest are buried somewhere underneath. (So terrible sentences can easily hide something like, say, lack of distinct voicing for characters.)

Do not ask for a critique if what you really want is some support. Don't say "Can you read this and tell me if it's okay?" to another writer if what you really mean is "Can you read this and tell me that it's good, because I really need to feel good about my writing?" There is nothing wrong with saying the second one directly. Many writers, myself included, have people they turn to for the hardcore crits, and the people who are cheer-leaders, who read unfinished rough drafts and say, "Wow! Go you! This is great, you should finish this, whoo wtf lol gtg bbq111"

If you don't want a crit, don't ask for a crit.

Also, a good rule for yourself is that there's no such thing as a mean critique if it's addressing the story. If it's critiquing you personally ("The characterization was really off. And you smell funny, you need to bathe more." wink then you can say it's mean. Abusive people do sometimes crit; however, they usually do not bother to actually give good crits, so you can quickly identify and ignore them.

If you're getting love-letter "critiques" from someone, perhaps it's best to consider them cheerleaders instead of crit-givers.

If all the writers you love tell you there's nothing wrong with your story and you win a Nebula and Hugo award, then you probably shouldn't worry too much about it. Still, there's always room for improvement.


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Writing Workshops & Critique Groups

Workshops can be helpful for writers of any level. There are all kinds, so do your research. A writing workshop can last a weekend, a week, or even six weeks, depending on the intensity of the program. Some are more expensive than others; you can also join online workshops.

A writing workshop is, basically, a setup in which professional published writers pass on their experience and knowledge to newer, less experienced writers, including market and publishing knowledge. This can be done in lectures, critiques, or open discussions. Most workshops have all three. Below, I've linked to several workshops that I know of, but this is not an all-encompassing list-- if none of them seem to fit, try google.

Keep in mind that a writing workshop won't baby you-- if your story is awful, it will be shredded. But the point of a workshop is to make you improve, and if you listen to the advice you're given, you'll come away a better writer.



Writing groups can be a mix of workshop and general critique group. This can be a group of friends who get together every month, an online group, etc. Joining a critique group can mean you have people who will give honest advice and feedback on your stories. Keep in mind that some groups require a minimum level of activity-- if you want your story read, you have to read and critique other stories. It's only fair-- and finding problems in stories you didn't write can help you find problems in your own.


Related Links

Odyssey Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Workshop-- an intense, six-week writing workshop for genre writers, held at Saint Anselm College, and run by Jeanne Cavelos.

Clarion-- a six-week workshop for science fiction and fantasy writers, located in Michigan. See also:
Clarion West-- located in Seattle, Washington
Clarion South-- located in Australia

Alpha, the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Workshop for Young Writers-- a ten day writing workshop for writers aged 14-19, located in Pittsburgh, PA. (I can put you in touch with people who have attended this workshop in the past, and know many of the staff members, so feel free to PM me with any questions)

Critters Workshop-- an on-line workshop/critique group for serious writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.

Writer's Groups & Workshops-- compiled list of many workshops and writing groups

Critique Circle-- a free online critique group

Seventh-Element Forums-- A forum with an area for discussing writing, as well as a (publicly accessible) critique section.