Hello Bookworms!
Alright, so it took me a little longer than I had planned to get this written, but I think it was worth it. Today I am covering a few writing exercises I use when I feel my writing is lacking in something. If I know what my writing is lacking, I just start writing one of the ideas listed and see where it leads. If I don't know, then I'll just pick one randomly and start rambling seeing where my mind goes. These are some of the areas I find myself dealing with, and trying to work past.
My sister once said that the main difference between a short story and a novel or novella is that a short story focuses on one idea, while a novella can focus on several. As such, these ideas are simply inspirations for short stories, and I hope they help you as such. Also, the stories you write are ones you can keep to yourself, or dispose of if you find they aren't helping. (Or just aren't your style).
#1: Dialogue.
Sometimes when I'm writing, I look at the characters, then what they are saying; and they don't really match. So, I will go to the shelf, pull out a book of fairy tales, and start rewriting one in first person. This helps for several reasons. Firstly, it's a story which you already know, so you don't have to decide what's going to happen unless you want to. Secondly, first person is pretty much dialogue on its own, so you don't have to add much for whatever character you choose. Thirdly, you can choose whichever character you want to tell the story from, and also get some experience trying to find the right dialogue for each personality presented.
#2: Humor.
This idea was Esther's however I personally love the concept. Try writing a random list of insane ideas and rules, (Like, rule 9: Cedar wood makes bad spaghetti, go for pine.) then write a story explaining it. Another way to work on humor is not exactly an exercise, but it is a good way to get past the block: Reading Douglas Adams' works. Douglas Adams is best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and his humor is amazing. He balances the insanity of science fiction with the typical experiences of everyday life, and frankly of all the prologues I've read, his are the funniest. (No, I haven't read all his works, I'm working on it).
#3: Fear.
This is one I've been working on for over a year, since I tried writing a haunted forest into one of my books. For some reason, I can't get past a mental block of being too scary, and then I'm not scary at all. If you are dealing with being too scary, this isn't for you. If you can't write anything scary, this should help. In trying to deal with this I started asking a lot of people for help, and it was my dad who finally gave me the biggest hint. "When you give fear an image, it becomes less terrifying." He was probably quoting someone, but the principle is the same. If there is a vicious nameless terror behind one door and a vicious 30 headed dragon with razor sharp teeth behind the other, most people will choose the 30 headed dragon. The unknown is more terrifying than any monster of your own concoction, because you can always imagine something worse. So if you are writing something terrifying, don't say exactly what it is; let the reader's imagination tell him.
That was a rather long introduction, sorry, I'll get to the point now. I came up with a short story idea, and you can come up with whatever ideas work for you. (Yes, my first inspiration came from Doctor Who: the god complex.) Basically, a journalist is investigating an abandoned hotel, and there is one door which he is told up front to never, ever open. And when he goes around to the rooms, he finds that everyone there is insane with a multitude of random psychosis, however they all tell him the exact same thing: Never Open the Door. You can try coming up with whatever closed door scenario you want and experiment with it, it's your writer's block.
#4: Tension.
I've had difficulty expressing the tension of others on paper, so what I often do is write down my own tension. Whenever I'm tense or nervous about anything, I will sit down, and write down exactly what I'm feeling. This accomplishes two things. Firstly, I have a basis for writing other people's tension; and secondly I have something to get my mind off of what is making me tense or nervous.
#5: Death.
Depending on the type of book you are writing, you will probably need to write a death scene at some point or other. Also, depending on how important this character and his/her death is; you might need to spend a lot of time and depth in arranging it. I used to deal with this problem a lot, until I got around it by describing the person's death through through the eyes of someone else. (Yes, I need to get over that; I'm working on it.) This might be a good exercise if you can't seem to convey the importance, or in some cases the unimportance of someone's death. Find a war which intrigues you, write a platoon/garrison/squad in the army, and write how each of them die all within 24 hours of each other. It can be on the battlefield, through poison, assassination, anything. But they all have to die in 24 hours, and you need to include how each particular one died.
That's all, I hope you enjoyed this post, I hope it helped! If there is an area which you can't seem to get past, please let me know! I would love to find an exercise to deal with it! Leave a comment, share, and be looking for my next post! It will be long, however it is also a Shady Friday, and beyond that it will be a complete Shady Friday! (Meaning that it's not a segment of a story, it's a complete short story!) It might not be next Friday, but it should be in the next few weeks!
dimidium facti qui coepit habet
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Top Ten Quotes About Writing (Right)
Hello Bookworms!
Today I am covering another top ten, this time about my personal favorite quotes about writing. These keep me writing and stave off that dreaded writers block. So, without further ado, let us begin!
#10:
"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but and escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it is to want to escape from these things."
~T.S. Eliot
I love this quote, because too often people write poetry just to express all their pent up emotions, and tell people what they think. This isn't poetry, it is a rambling on paper which happens to rhyme. I often use this quote to remind myself of the reason I write poetry.
#9:
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
~Winston Churchill
This quote summarizes my view on my writing. I go through several mistakes in my writing, however I keep working, because writing, and the thrill of new adventures is what keeps me going in the morning. I use this quote to remember that success doesn't mean that I get something right the first time.
#8:
"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd."
~Max Lucado
This quote serves as an excellent example of standing out, and leading something brand new. Yes, your writing could influence several people, it could be brilliant and amazing, but in order to do that you sometimes have to turn your back on most of society, and ignore what most people say; unless of course they are experts, but that's a different story. I use this quote to uplift my spirits when I think my writing is so random people will never want to read it.
#7:
"If I had only one rule to live by, it would be this: Write to communicate, not to impress."
~Judy Bridges
Shakespeare was a great author, and play-write. (I'm probably spelling that wrong). However, he often wrote to impress his audience, several times using words which he himself made up. He had every right to do so, however a reader should be able to follow the story. I use this quote as a reminder that it doesn't matter if you're a genius, if people cannot understand you, you have bigger issues.
# 6:
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
~Leo Tolstoy
Often as writers we get this idea of how we will change everything, and everyone will be better off. I don't know who first started saying it, but someone started the saying "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place-for me." Something may be wrong, or it may just be our way of looking at it which is wrong. Make sure that you as a writer have thoroughly examined why you think something before you tell other people what you think. This quote reminds me that not every story needs to be told, and sometimes things are better kept secret.
#5:
"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"
~Robert Kennedy
Sometimes, instead of looking at what is in the world and shouldn't be, I like to look at what isn't in the world and should be. Some concepts and ideas of several years ago have been lost, and some were never there to begin with. This quote reminds me that my writing is to bring things into the world, and explore the domino effect of the reactions.
#4:
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
~Scott Adams
To preface, the only thing I know about this guy is he writes a cartoon. I haven't actually read the cartoon, I don't think I would understand the humor. The point is, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes we don't really understand why we made them, sometimes we read something we wrote late at night and think, "I call myself a writer?" And then sometimes we read something we read something we wrote late at night and think, "Maybe I should write more at night." This quote keeps me writing, realizing that maybe my mistakes actually aren't all that bad.
#3:
"Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It's as if they are showing you the way."
~Donal Miller
Close to the Judy Bridges quote earlier, writing is about communicating, and sometimes writing is simply a tinted window, in which one person can be taught how someone else sees the world, and why things mean so much to them. This quote reminds me that writing is less of a planned movie, and move of an observation deck. You never know what's going to happen, but you have to see things differently in the end.
#2:
"If you're willing to fail interestingly, you tend to succeed interstingly."
~Edward Albee, playwright
If you write enough, it's almost a guarantee that you will fail. So, don't write to succeed. Write to have fun. Instead of worrying about whether you will make the list of top one-hundred novels in the nation, instead write something that you could pull off your shelf after reading a hundred times, and still find funny, amusing, and entertaining. This one reminds me that I write not for a crowd of people, or for a generation of far off children, or even to be recognized as a great author; I write because at the end of the day, I want to be able to enjoy looking back over my work.
#1:
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please."
~Mark Twain
Alright, who didn't see me using a humorous quote as my last one. What can I say? This is how I work. Until I get all the facts, there is no way for me to know whether or not someone else has already used my ideas? Once I know how it happened, I can twist it around so that no one sees it coming, but I can drop clues as inside jokes to those who know the truth. (Yes, I'm talking about mystery novels, though it's really good for a parody novel as well:) ) This one reminds me, that in the end my writing is my writing, and no one can take that away from me.
Thank you for reading these, I really hope they helped! What are your favorite quotes? How do you stave off writers block? And what would you like me to talk about? My next post will be on small writing exercises which help me with stories, character development, and just experimenting with new writing styles. I will be posting it sometime next week, so keep a weather eye out!
dimidium facti qui coepit habet
Today I am covering another top ten, this time about my personal favorite quotes about writing. These keep me writing and stave off that dreaded writers block. So, without further ado, let us begin!
#10:
"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but and escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it is to want to escape from these things."
~T.S. Eliot
I love this quote, because too often people write poetry just to express all their pent up emotions, and tell people what they think. This isn't poetry, it is a rambling on paper which happens to rhyme. I often use this quote to remind myself of the reason I write poetry.
#9:
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
~Winston Churchill
This quote summarizes my view on my writing. I go through several mistakes in my writing, however I keep working, because writing, and the thrill of new adventures is what keeps me going in the morning. I use this quote to remember that success doesn't mean that I get something right the first time.
#8:
"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd."
~Max Lucado
This quote serves as an excellent example of standing out, and leading something brand new. Yes, your writing could influence several people, it could be brilliant and amazing, but in order to do that you sometimes have to turn your back on most of society, and ignore what most people say; unless of course they are experts, but that's a different story. I use this quote to uplift my spirits when I think my writing is so random people will never want to read it.
#7:
"If I had only one rule to live by, it would be this: Write to communicate, not to impress."
~Judy Bridges
Shakespeare was a great author, and play-write. (I'm probably spelling that wrong). However, he often wrote to impress his audience, several times using words which he himself made up. He had every right to do so, however a reader should be able to follow the story. I use this quote as a reminder that it doesn't matter if you're a genius, if people cannot understand you, you have bigger issues.
# 6:
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
~Leo Tolstoy
Often as writers we get this idea of how we will change everything, and everyone will be better off. I don't know who first started saying it, but someone started the saying "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place-for me." Something may be wrong, or it may just be our way of looking at it which is wrong. Make sure that you as a writer have thoroughly examined why you think something before you tell other people what you think. This quote reminds me that not every story needs to be told, and sometimes things are better kept secret.
#5:
"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"
~Robert Kennedy
Sometimes, instead of looking at what is in the world and shouldn't be, I like to look at what isn't in the world and should be. Some concepts and ideas of several years ago have been lost, and some were never there to begin with. This quote reminds me that my writing is to bring things into the world, and explore the domino effect of the reactions.
#4:
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
~Scott Adams
To preface, the only thing I know about this guy is he writes a cartoon. I haven't actually read the cartoon, I don't think I would understand the humor. The point is, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes we don't really understand why we made them, sometimes we read something we wrote late at night and think, "I call myself a writer?" And then sometimes we read something we read something we wrote late at night and think, "Maybe I should write more at night." This quote keeps me writing, realizing that maybe my mistakes actually aren't all that bad.
#3:
"Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It's as if they are showing you the way."
~Donal Miller
Close to the Judy Bridges quote earlier, writing is about communicating, and sometimes writing is simply a tinted window, in which one person can be taught how someone else sees the world, and why things mean so much to them. This quote reminds me that writing is less of a planned movie, and move of an observation deck. You never know what's going to happen, but you have to see things differently in the end.
#2:
"If you're willing to fail interestingly, you tend to succeed interstingly."
~Edward Albee, playwright
If you write enough, it's almost a guarantee that you will fail. So, don't write to succeed. Write to have fun. Instead of worrying about whether you will make the list of top one-hundred novels in the nation, instead write something that you could pull off your shelf after reading a hundred times, and still find funny, amusing, and entertaining. This one reminds me that I write not for a crowd of people, or for a generation of far off children, or even to be recognized as a great author; I write because at the end of the day, I want to be able to enjoy looking back over my work.
#1:
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please."
~Mark Twain
Alright, who didn't see me using a humorous quote as my last one. What can I say? This is how I work. Until I get all the facts, there is no way for me to know whether or not someone else has already used my ideas? Once I know how it happened, I can twist it around so that no one sees it coming, but I can drop clues as inside jokes to those who know the truth. (Yes, I'm talking about mystery novels, though it's really good for a parody novel as well:) ) This one reminds me, that in the end my writing is my writing, and no one can take that away from me.
Thank you for reading these, I really hope they helped! What are your favorite quotes? How do you stave off writers block? And what would you like me to talk about? My next post will be on small writing exercises which help me with stories, character development, and just experimenting with new writing styles. I will be posting it sometime next week, so keep a weather eye out!
dimidium facti qui coepit habet
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Book idea, mildly normal insanity (Both)
Hello Bookworms!
Ok, so today I am writing about yet another book idea I had, and this one actually sounds good! (That would probably be because I have absolutely no idea where it's going; if I did I probably wouldn't even attempt to write it.)
The basic premise is a non-romantic zombie apocalypse story in second person, describing not only the apocalypse, but also where the plague originated, and the cure that the main characters search for-which they may or may not find-and also the many ways in which different people and personalities would react to such a disaster. The main character is a female, by the name of Athena Celine Blake.
One of the fascinating parts about the story is that the main character herself is slightly insane, and therefore no one knows if the apocalypse is really happening, or if she just thinks that it is, which depending upon which way you take it, the story could be the tale of a disaster, or an examination of a psychosis.This is a tiny sample of the work.
~
dimidium facti qui coepit habet
Ok, so today I am writing about yet another book idea I had, and this one actually sounds good! (That would probably be because I have absolutely no idea where it's going; if I did I probably wouldn't even attempt to write it.)
The basic premise is a non-romantic zombie apocalypse story in second person, describing not only the apocalypse, but also where the plague originated, and the cure that the main characters search for-which they may or may not find-and also the many ways in which different people and personalities would react to such a disaster. The main character is a female, by the name of Athena Celine Blake.
One of the fascinating parts about the story is that the main character herself is slightly insane, and therefore no one knows if the apocalypse is really happening, or if she just thinks that it is, which depending upon which way you take it, the story could be the tale of a disaster, or an examination of a psychosis.This is a tiny sample of the work.
~
Nicole stops, stunned by the
suddenness. Her eyes grow wide as she stares in disbelief.
“No, Theo, not you!” The creature
your friend has become is rising up to kill your other friend, so you need to
take action. Quickly, you pull out your gun and shoot two rounds into his head.
Nicole staggers back. “What, what
have you done?” Her voice is shaking, and you can see the tears welling up in
her eyes. You’ve seen this before in the field, and have no time for it. The
stress of the battle, the shock of losing someone close is shutting her down
and her mind is freezing up. You grab her arm to get her out of the danger
before it’s too late; only the girl you’re holding on to isn’t quite as
shell-shocked as you had imagined. Quite the opposite, as her mind which had
been shutting down is now firing up with anger at you.
“How could you, to your own
friend?!” She screams at you. She tries to pull away but you keep holding her
arm; if she were to make a false step it would be her last.
“If I hadn’t killed him he would
have killed you.” You try to reason. “I did what had to be done.”
“Is that how you rationalize it?
Killing one of your closest friends? They were right, you are insane!?” She’s
crying now, but she’s still thinking rationally.
“He wasn’t my friend any more, he
was already gone. The virus had already claimed him.”
“He could have been cured,”
“But at what cost?!” You snap at
her. “Even if we somehow made a cure, and somehow cured him, when he woke up he
would have had to live with killing you, there was no way around it. How would
you like to know that you’re closest friend just died so you could live a nightmare?”
“Isn’t that what you did just now?”
She accuses you. You fall silent, wishing you had an answer, but there isn’t
one. Nothing can excuse what you’ve done, she’s right. You take a deep breath.
“All I know, is that Theo would have gladly died for you to live. If it was
wrong of me to act as I did, then forgive me. But write now our main goal is to
find shelter.”
~
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I'm still working on how the second person relates to dialogue, but it's coming together rather well.The next blog post will be another top ten, but I won't be doing a Shady Friday this week. (My next Shady Friday is going to be long, but I hope you find it worth it!) Have a great week!dimidium facti qui coepit habet
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