Learning to be a Creative Writer

#869271

December 25, 2015 at 9:39am

I have never really gone away from WDC, but for the past few years I have not participated much. As I assess my place in the world of writing (something I do at the end of each year), I realize I want to review others' writing. Not only has it been a great learning activity for me, not only do I enjoy it, no only do local writers seek me out for my harsh feedback, but something tells me I am about ready to charge money for my opinions. If I am ever going to take that step, I am going to hav... [Read more]

#753023

May 17, 2012 at 7:27am

I write daily at 750 words dot com, just because it forces me to write. I've struggled with making it creative and fun, and our writing should be creative and fun, so I decided to try some fun exercises. The first one I didn't find so fun or easy but I found it useful. I'll set my current book by my keyboard and open to a random page. I'll randomly find a sentence [I like] and write it. Then I will rewrite it in as many ways as I can think of with the freedom to roam. Here'... [Read more]

#752262

May 4, 2012 at 12:14pm

It's been awhile since I've posted here, too long, really. I've been writing a lot, a whole lot. Every day I write 750 or more words at 750words.com, numerous forum posts on health and nutrition, 94, 500 words of a novel since NaNo, and over thirty poems. I'm also reading both novels and writing-books. Of course I also review other peoples' work here at WDC. I think it's safe to say that after almost six years of progressively intense and diverse writing and learning, ... [Read more]

#743112

January 2, 2012 at 1:31pm

My 2011 novel enters its penultimate chapter today. It will be finished, hopefully, within the next ten days. Finished isn't really finished. After a break, I will spend February editing a readable first draft. I'm at 68k words and will probably top out around 75-80k for this cut. Instinct says little needs to be edited out, but some may need to be added. 90k? This is a first person story, a completely original character, and is very much in the literary genre. I read my first chapte... [Read more]

#725234

June 1, 2011 at 9:37am

Re: Short Stories: Plotting to a Conclusion The June 01 Short Story Newsletter suggests writing to a known ending. (sorry, no link yet) It's an ageless dilemna. Ultimately we have to do what works best for us both in the quality of our end products and in our own fulfillment when writing. There are problems both ways. Writing without a known ending can lead to plot trouble. We do need some sort of direction. I feel that writing to a known ending though can be restrictive. "I ca... [Read more]

#710375

November 4, 2010 at 10:18pm

I didn't exactly revisit chapter 3, I combined 3, 4, and 5 into one cahpter. These were my MC with converstions with three different people. It made sense at the time to do three chapters, but reflecting told me one was better. No big deal. I did some editing while there and added some more words. I've discovered -- I already knew this -- that my rough drafts tend to be thin. Again no big deal. My ideas were sound. I felt no need to change them.I just had some gaps that needed to be fill... [Read more]

#710259

November 3, 2010 at 11:05pm

This was not a good day. It was a good writing day, and most here would say that's all that counts, but they don't live in my shoes. I recently started my 36th year as a type 1 diabetic. It's been a battle. I won't write a documentary, today; though some of it would make interesting reading. Think naked gyrating John. I was awakened at 4:30am this morning by a weird siren type sound. The search for it led under my blankets and to my insulin pump. This $7k toy is both my lif... [Read more]

#710146

November 2, 2010 at 10:16pm

I spent some time doing some more thinking about where I am, the pace, the character and scene development, the tension. I agreed with my earlier conclusion that I need to stop and focus on my MC, build some empathy and build the tension up slightly (or more) about her future. It's too early for action of any sort; though I'm tempted. I asked myself whether I was up to writing this chapter. I wasn't. Why? I asked again. Because I suck at this type of writing. I just wa... [Read more]

#710067

November 2, 2010 at 11:55am

I pondered my needs from this chapter from 2am to 3am this morning as I was trying to fall asleep. It's been on my mind much of today too. My tempo has started fast. If I draw a line of average tempo I want to write to, it would go like this 1 at tempo 2.5 2 well above tempo 4 3 above tempo 3 I need to slow down, draw the reader back into some introspection. I need to work on building some empathy for MC, foreshadow changes she well experience, and build on her conflicts creating m... [Read more]

#710010

November 2, 2010 at 12:35am

I was not comfortable with the idea of writing this chapter. I farmed my farm and played some poker. Procrastination or letting the mind work out whatever it was bothered with? This is a tension building scene. My MC talks with buddy about buying spy equipment. He puts her off citing legalities then gets called out onto the shop because of some suspicious characters. The conversation is in the back room and the MC gets to witness buddy's own spy gear kick in. I'm foreshadowing more... [Read more]

#709990

November 1, 2010 at 9:03pm

This is a setup chapter of a major player with not many scenes, key to the conflict resolution. It's a sports team. I have it labeled as a catalyst. Some questions arise: - Is this chapter too strong for someone with a short number of scenes? - is the chapter too early? - how can I weave them in more to achieve better balance? Well let's write it out first and see where it takes me. I did an outline. I had planned a fight between two players to trigger future action. As I wrote... [Read more]

#709980

November 1, 2010 at 8:39pm

For the next 30 days, this is my NaNo log. I will make an entry for each chapter describing my planning, thoughts, preparation, execution, surprises, changes in direction, and anything else that comes up. I will probably write a lot early -- I am primed -- and not so much later as weariness takes over. I couldn't wait. I started at midnight and hit 2170 at 2am. Chapter 1 is done. I've been thinking about my story and characters for some time now. I have rooms full of information wa... [Read more]

#709128

October 23, 2010 at 6:11pm

I've done it. I've committed to writing a novel dring November 2010, the NaNoWriMo event. A completed novel of 50,000 words or more between Nov 1 and Nov 30. Wow. I've been working on conceptual models for a couple of weeks now, an outline. I use the term model because that's what I see an outline is, a model of what I'm going to write. I know what I write will become different. Writing has a will of its own, and if it wants to take a few detours, well that's where the... [Read more]

#707665

October 4, 2010 at 8:15pm

"Where are we going?" my wife asked. "I have a few routes I like to follow. Today we'll head downtown." "Remember my bad foot. I don't want too many hills." St. John's Newfoundland is built on the side of the very tip of the Apalachians looking east towards the lands of its settlers. "All my routes are pretty tame. I don't like working up a sweat at lunchtime," as we walked steadily down Gower St. into the low, noon-time sun. "You'... [Read more]

#707023

September 26, 2010 at 1:09pm

I'm living alone right now, and I will be until med-December. It's work, that nasty daytime interruption. So I'm in a strange city in an Extended Stay Hotel, a room with a kitchenette, some four miles from my work, but it's on a direct bus route. Still, I'm walking a lot to the grocery store, pharmacy, coffee shop, and of course the liquor store. This is Canada eh; smoke all the pot you want, but we'll control your alcohol intake. I'm getting bored quickly on t... [Read more]

#706543

September 20, 2010 at 9:44pm

So I started writing my novel. It's a bucket list journey, a science fiction alternate universe thing. I'm not a real sci-fi nut, but I do enjoy reading it. I enjoy reading any fiction that takes me into a new world. Herbert's Dune is probably my favorite piece of work of any genre. I've read his six books four times. I've read his son's books once each up until his book seven of his dad's series. I like Frank's; I don't like his son's. What I rea... [Read more]

#706322

September 17, 2010 at 8:55am

Social Media has saved my life. Seriously. You see, I am a type 1 diabetic. I am almost through my 35th year of fighting this beast. It has not been easy, and I have experienced complications. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a condition I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Being blind is no fun. Well I'm not blind, not anymore. I did lose sight in one eye for a couple of months. That was pure hell. Surgery fixed it up though. But the real improvements are in my daily control. A... [Read more]

#706070

September 14, 2010 at 4:39pm

I've had a fairly busy week. I haven't written much, but I have been able to think a lot, read some, and research some. I moved to St. John's Newfoundland, temporarily. I'm here on a project for work until the end of November, give or take. I also bought a book, and I started recording ideas and doing some basic research for a novel that's in my head. I was at our local university, UNBSJ, with my daughter returning a book she purchased on my credit card. It's five m... [Read more]