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“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.” — Annie Proulx
“I kept always two books in my pocket: one to read, one to write in.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” — Samuel Johnson
“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” — Orson Scott
“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” — Madeleine L'Engle
“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” —Robert Frost
“On first drafts: It is completely raw, the sort of thing I feel free to do with the door shut — it’s the story undressed, standing up in nothing but its socks and undershorts.” — Stephen King
“You fail only if you stop writing.” — Ray Bradbury
“A writer is a world trapped in a person.” — Victor Hugo
“Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.” — Margaret Chittenden |
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Authoristic: A writer suffering (or exhilarating!) with this condition displays a variety of symptoms.
Blankpagitus. Deadline (real or imagined) LOOMS largely. Ideas skitter and fall to unseemly deaths into the knotted black wires behind the desk. Thoughts appear then vanish into the void. The screen glows whiter and brighter, blindingly so in its emptiness. Vacant looks cross the writer's face which may well be slack-jawed, furrowed or sagging in dispair.
Catatonic statues. Authors have been known to stare at blank walls for hours at a time. Unmoving, just quietly staring into the void until, suddenly, as if a plug has been plugged in, they come to life and type maniacally for a period of time. (Such periods may encompass a few moments or stretch to engulf them for days.)
The voices. They may be silent. Muses wafting in the deep, darkened valleys of cranial crevasses. They may be boisterous, arguing over what they may or may not do. Characters, those voices heard in our heads can scream, holler and be demanding if their desires are thwarted. Occasionally, they come to life, taking over their human's bodies clear down to the fingertips; typing away what they know is supposed to happen; regardless of what the human may have anticipated/planned/wanted.
Manic Typing. When the right words are appearing on the 'mind-screen' and the writer's fingers can barely keep up. When the voices are having the exact conversations needed and every nuance must be captured. A timeless period when hours may fly by. They may stop typing for a few seconds, flexing fingers that are worn down to nubs. This is, NOT, I repeat NOT the time for them to have their mindstream interrupted because they may fly at the offender with justifiable murder and mayhem in their eyes because the scene, mood or moment is then lost forever!
The Spazz. Pleeeease read it for me??? Pretty Please??? I don't know if it is any good, I mean I think it is, but I don't know. So I neeeed you to read it, like, NOW! We've all gotten that text, phone call or email. That drop whatever you are doing and go read one that you go do because it is what one does, after all. We've all sent them too. (Probably to the one that just sent it to us!) Convulsive doubts raise their sore-ridden and despicable heads to taunt and dismay. Perfectly normal, intelligent writers succumb and become blithering idiots. Even when they KNOW they are good!
The Antispazz. This is the supreme opposite of the 'spazz' in that the author knows, without a doubt that this is the most brilliant piece of writing ever set to page and wants you to read it NOW! They want/need that instant validation that it is perfect as is --even when it isn't! Taking self-confidence a step beyond the pale into the 'arrogant zone.'
The Deep End -- In the best possible of ways. This is when a writer first opens the magazine and sees their work, or when an author holds their finished book for the first time. Nothing coming out of their mouths makes sense. It's garbled, or the volume is set to shriek and they are crying, bawling their eyes out, and jumping up and down. They may simply have quiet tears streaming as they stand there petting (Yes, PETTING!) their book cover. They will blather on about their perfect cover, the amazing layout, their perfect cover, how great the whole thing looks, their perfect cover ad nauseum. No one is safe around either of these individuals. Best thing to do is agree, be happy and buy their book! *grin*
Stage-spazz. Book signings. Shaking hands, upset tummies. The creepy and snarky 'what-ifs' that buzz around the head. 'What if no one comes? What if no one likes it? What if someone writes a bad review? What do you mean I have to stand in front of a group of total strangers and talk about my book?'
Happily, all these phases come in fits and starts. There are perfectly calm and lucid moments in-between. We get it or at least we figure it out eventually, I mean there as to be a reason we act these ways, right? Of course write! :)
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flyfishercacher  writes: Two other tools I use:
1. I search Google Images for a picture that fits the image I want for the character, then use those features/characteristics to describe him/her and keep the picture as part of the file.
2. For personality, I use the signs of the zodiac. Should this guy be a Libra or a Pisces? Then what should the antagonist and the love interest be? That helps with compatibility and conflict.
Good ideas :)
hbk16 says: Characters are like actors . They should well be emphasized.That is why characters should be live. The full description of them allow the reader to be completely adhered to the story. To high light characters is important to make the story credible and logic in a certain scheme of the story concept. This is a featured issue indeed!
Quick-Quill  adds: I love this NL and am saving it to use on my own character development. I'm always looking for questions that show the character not just a description. My True Crime Podcasters look that the victim and perp's background, parents and their parenting. It develops the character and add a dimension to the story. The character might have a skewed vision of society based on their upbringing. Parenting molds your characters, don't forget that.
Mara ♣ McBain  comments: Love this idea. Can't tell you the number of hours I've spent reading back through a manuscript or even a published book looking for a detail I know is there and I need! |
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For Authors: September 18, 2019 Issue [#9766]
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