WASTED WORDS REVISITED
I’ve talked plenty about tautologies, redundancies and writing tight. After a recent review I spotted of a favorite author (for a book I haven’t read yet), I thought it a good time to revisit this very important subject.
This article originally appeared at Fred Central in 2018. It’s still relevant today. I’m going to add in and update it as needed.
The other day, we were driving home from the bookstore (hey, isn’t that a coincidence), and we were in the turn lane. This was an obvious turn lane with no other option. I had to wonder why everyone had their turn signal on. Even though I suppose it’s a state law, it made me wonder about the redundancy. We obviously can’t go anywhere else, so why do we have to let everyone know where we have to go anyway? We can’t change our minds and go somewhere else.
Redundant info.
Then I thought of the most common tautologies.
To remind you, a tautology is saying the same thing twice.
Stand up.
Sit down.
MYRIAD OF WAYS
There are a myriad of ways we waste words. Though I like to rag on literary writers, as much as they’re in love with words and like to ramble endlessly about description and feelings and inner thoughts, even they have to get to some kind of point eventually. As long as it takes a literary writer to get from A to B, there’s still some sense of word economy they have to adhere to.
On the other hand, if you’re a genre writer, or even a mix of literary/genre, you still have to get to the point eventually. To me, the quicker the better. I want description and characterization as well. However, I believe it can be done in as few words as possible, so the story moves, not at a glacial pace, but with reasonable speed.
The hazard for any writer, no matter how practiced you are, is that those wasted words inevitably creep into the story in a myriad of ways.
You can’t help it. Unless you’re a very slow and rigid writer, when you spit out your verbal diarrhea in a spurt of inspiration as the muse hits, you’re going to throw in wasted words. Your mind doesn’t always translate to the page what your fingers type (or hand writes, or mouth speaks). There’s a certain disconnect between what you’re thinking and what you actually write.
It’s natural, it’s inevitable. It’s why we have editing.
WEEDING OUT WASTED WORDS
This can be tougher than it seems. Tautologies are a good start. However, some of them are so naturally occurring, you may not even be aware of them.
Then there’s the turn signal in the turn lane. While it may be state law in the real world, in the literary world, it may be automatic, but reads poorly. Is it supposed to be there?
A blatant example.
“I think I’m going to get myself a cup of coffee.” Amy stood up, walked to the counter and poured a cup of coffee. She took a sip, sighed, then sat down in the chair at the kitchen table.
Oh…kay.
How about this?
Amy poured a cup of coffee, eased into the chair, leaned her elbow on the kitchen table and took a sip. “This tastes great.”
From 39 words to 24 words, eliminated two tautologies, removed an obvious and unnecessary statement and made it all simpler. Plus, I made it more active.
Here’s another one for you.
Of all the things Scott hated, none was worse than coffee. When he took a sip, his face screwed up, he spit it out, and said, “Aaagh! I wanted tea.”
How about this?
Scott took a sip, gagged and spat it on the ground. “I can’t stand coffee. I’ll take tea instead.”
Cut to the chase. No need for the turn signal when you obviously can’t go anywhere else.
One more.
“Loren, do you want to go to the movies?”
“I can’t stand going out in the traffic, the heat, the dust and wind. The movies are so expensive. The popcorn smell gets to me, and the crowds close in on me. I don’t like the sticky floor in the aisles and around the seats. Oh, and did I ever tell you about the seats? Are you crazy? Why would I want to go to the movies?”
How about this?
“Loren, do you want to go to the movies?”
“No.”
THE REVIEW
Now, to the inspiration for my repeating this 2018 article.
I recently read a review of one of my favorite icky bug authors. Some loved the departure from his usual style. Others, and these were still huge fans, did not.
The big complaint?
He kept repeating the same thing over and over again, ad nauseum.
Say what?
That’s right. He kept pounding in the same plot point over and over again.
This turned off a lot of his fans.
He got several one star reviews that received multiple likes.
Not good.
It’s one thing to repeat or have redundancies in the language/grammar, but to repeat plot points over and over again?
Another vote for a linear plot. One and done. Makes things so much simpler and better for the reader.
SUMMARY
You have to think of your blathering and rambling and how much color you really need and how much of it is relevant to the story. How much of it moves the plot (see The Review too).
Fluff you don’t need, whereas key elements you do. Color is fine. You do need to add life to your story, but not at the expense of wasted words. There’s a way to do it without bogging down the narrative.
Happy writing!
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR?
I just discussed a variation of this last week in Fits And Starts and numerous other articles here at Fred Central.
This is another specific discussion that comes up continually, especially by motivational advisors on the forums.
Everyone wants to give you a kick in the pants.
I say, if you don’t already have the passion and drive to get it done, why are you here in the first place? Haven’t I already made that clear enough times?
FRUSTRATION
Okay¸ Boss, this writing stuff is hard!
Oh yeah?
What’s so hard about it?
The effort?
Trying to get published?
Trying to get something done?
Coming up with ideas?
Navel gazing?
Finding a muse?
BRASS TACKS
You want to be a killer guitar player.
You pick up a guitar and…wait a minute…you sound like crap.
It’s hard to press down the strings.
You don’t know how to play a melody.
What’s a chord?
How do you structure a rhythm?
Do you have a tin ear?
Not so easy, is it?
For some, it’s a natural and you can slide right into it with little effort.
For others, it’s going to be a struggle all the way.
If you love it, are you going to quit in frustration, or plug on until you get somewhere?
Back to what are you going to accomplish this year?
SAME OLE SAME OLE
I’m not going to give you some inspiring motivational speech. I’m just going to tell you either you have it, or you don’t.
As for me, I don’t set goals.
I just write.
That’s it.
I never know what’s going to come out in the wash because I never know what kind of circumstances are going to hit me.
Therefore, I don’t stress about it.
I have things I want to write, and I write them.
Eventually.
Does that sound lackadaisical?
Just look at my record. It speaks for itself.
Nothing to freak out about.
You, on the other hand are not the same as me. You have to do what you do and maybe you need to be kicked in the butt to get going.
I’m not going to do that, but there are plenty of others out there that are more than willing.
SUMMARY
If writing is truly a passion and a love for you, you’re going to get it dun didded no matter what anyone else says. You should not need artificial goals set for you. Should is the key word here. There are no absolutes.
It’s up to you.
Happy writing.
BOOKS ON WRITING
This is something I’ve alluded to countless times here at Fred Central. If you didn’t already know, I’ll go through it again. First, let me bring up the question.
Should you go out and buy books on writing?
There are countless books on writing out there.
The two most popular that I can think of are Writing The Breakout Novel by Donald Maass and of course, On Writing by Stephen King.
There are countless others.
Some will swear by either.
Don’t forget the basics either, the reference books like Chicago Manual Of Style.
All of these are the biggies.
Let’s also not forget the various web sources like here at Fred Central (of course) and the outstanding sites from Richie Billing and others.
All of us do our best to dole out writing advice.
THE QUESTION IS…
If you’re an avid reader, especially if you read more than just fiction, will you, in all practicality, make use of any of these tomes (or web sites)?
Will any of this advice sink in?
That’s the question of the day.
Everyone has a different method of learning. Be it visual, reading, oral, or task-oriented, just like when you get a questionnaire from the doctor or when you get admitted to the hospital. They’ll ask you your best learning method (along with language). The same goes for these books.
Just because you’re a writer and maybe already an author doesn’t mean reading and studying books on the subject is the best way to learn how to hone your craft.
Maybe it is, to a point.
An entire books-worth?
SUPPLEMENTING LEARN BY DOING
The reality is that most of us are deep into writing well-before we have even heard about these books. Then, if we ever pick one up, do we read the entire tome, or just cherry pick what we want? Then, is the book organized so that we can cherry pick?
Or…
Is it a rambling tome with the writer’s thoughts jotted down in a disorganized manner?
Say it’s organized.
So what?
How do you know where you need to look?
How do you know where your problem is?
Is the book organized in such a way as to clearly explain to you what issues you may have? Does the book clearly explain what you need to do to write that next blockbuster? Does it satisfactorily give you what you need? Does that web site allow you to cherry pick the info you want?
For most writers, these books, and a lot more end up being supplements to their learning and writing process. None of them are the panacea they need to write their big blockbuster, or even maybe their first anything. They need a lot more. Therefore they (well most of us) end up with a shelf full of books.
MY STORY
Through my decades at this passion, I once ended up with a shelf full of books on writing.
You know what?
I barely cracked open any of them except to smell the pages, glance at a few bits of text, and shelve them.
Yup, that’s right.
I never finished more than a single paragraph of any of them, except one.
The only one I ever kept and used to any extent was the Chicago Manual of Style. I still use it. The rest I donated to the Henderson Writer’s Group.
So, how did I learn, and continue to learn?
READING, WRITING, RYTH’METIK
Okay, not the last part, but I learned by old school hockey. I typed until my fingers bled, hiked to the computer through the snow and tundra, uphill both ways, through the desert (okay it doesn’t make sense but go with it), and you know, hard knocks.
I took one class on college writing for term papers in the Community College Of The Air Force (CCAF) back in 1985 or so. One of my old supervisors taught me the fascist method of writing, which I won’t go into here. Too long of a story.
To make a long story short, I learned by trial and error and with some outstanding mentors and great (and one bad) writer’s groups. I learned by writing, and writing, and writing. The thing is that I never did it as a hobby. It was a passion, and I spent many hours doing it.
While I may have veered here and there, I also kept focused enough and read enough, and worked by example enough that I didn’t stray too far off the beaten path. I studied what I read and worked by example. I mean the stuff I read for pleasure had a great influence on what I wrote for pleasure. The tenses, the point of view, the story flow all had an influence on how I wrote, and still write.
So, when I see others write about how to do it in books, it’s rehashing the stuff I learned on my own by observation and trial and error.
Therefore, sampling and smelling, and shelving those books was going to happen for me.
Should that be what you do?
It all depends on how you learn, how serious you are about this passion (or hobby), and what your goals are.
SUMMARY
If your goal is to gather a library full of books on writing, go for it. If you actually use any of them, so much the better.
If you’re looking for shortcuts, well…not sure if books on writing will help or not. I guess that all depends on how you learn.
If you’re like me, I prefer learning by doing, observing, by example, and by reading others work. Sure, it takes longer, but then again, does it really? I was a reader long before I was a writer. Weren’t most of us? Plus, who says you can’t do both simultaneously?
There are many paths to your goal. Use them wisely.
Happy writing!
JUST START THE STORY WHERE IT BEGINS
I’ve covered this subject countless times via prologues and flashbacks. It’s nothing new.
So, why bring it up again?
Not only does the question keep coming up on the forums, but it did most recently in my personal life, and no, it wasn’t me specifically. Let’s get that off the table right away.
That brings up my main point.
The original title was “Just start the damn story where it begins.”
To be less blunt, I edited it down to “Just start the story where it begins.”
JERKING THE AUDIENCE AROUND
As I have pointed out numerous times, and continue to do so, a popular plot device used in movies and TV is the flashback. They’ll start with the present day, then do a flashback to “six days ago” or “six months ago” or something.
In a book the story might start with the much maligned “Prologue.” It may have a subtitle with a date or a “six days ago” or some such thing. Or…the author may use flashbacks to fill in the blanks.
What this does is jerk the audience around. It disturbs the continuity of the story.
While this seems to be a popular trend for a crowd that gets bored easily, or so everyone thinks, what about just telling the story in a linear fashion?
TELL THE STORY AS IT HAPPENED
Here’s a novel (ha ha) idea.
How about telling the story as it happened?
How about telling the story from A to Z?
How about depicting events without jerking the reader around, like starting with Chapter 1 and ending with Chapter Whatever?
CHARACTER BACKGROUND IS NOT THE SAME AS STORY BACKGROUND
The plot background, in other words, the story, is not the same as character background.
Let’s make this clear.
So in so is solving a murder mystery. They’re after the killer who murdered the butler. Why they’re acting the way they are toward the suspects or the way they investigate isn’t necessarily part of this, unless it’s actually the plot and the murder is secondary.
In that case, maybe the story should start with how the character got to this point before the murder occurred. How about that?
Keep it linear. Then you’re not jerking the reader around.
If it’s part of a series, same thing. If the reader is familiar with the character, past character development should’ve already explained this stuff or if not, start there with this part of the story before delving into the murder part of the plot.
Now, back to character background as color for the story.
As part of the normal goings on, there’s nothing wrong with throwing in bits and pieces of background, which is a normal part of the narrative. However, bringing the plot to a screeching halt for scenes and chapters, especially long ones to flash back to the past throws continuity out the window. A paragraph or two sprinkled into the narrative doesn’t do this, or dialogue between the MC and another character as well. This can all be leaked out effectively without destroying the timeline.
THE SMOOTHER THE TIMELINE, THE EASIER THE READ
While it’s no hard-set rule, the fact is that the more linear the story, the easier the read. For some individuals, this may scream boredom, but for most, it spells more enjoyment. Among other things, it means there are more chances the writing will not get in the way of the story. Before you know it, you’ve finished the book, hopefully with a smile on your face. That’s the goal of every author.
Jerking the reader around may work for some, but for many, a linear story gets to the point better and faster.
SUMMARY
I repeat my well-used mantra: nothing here is a hard-set rule. You, as a writer and/or author, can do what you want. You may be bristling with ideas and want to get them out, in the easiest and most unimpeded fashion possible. This may be without rules or any restrictions. Go for it.
What you may end up with is a huge mess, a hit, a no-seller, pure torture to read, or a pure pleasure to read.
It’s up to you.
Happy writing!
HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR BOOK TITLE?
The original article came out in early 2013 and was titled “Does Your Title Have Anything To Do With Your Book?” The second version came out in 2019 and was simply called “Titles.”
As long as Fred Central has been around, it was inevitable that this subject come around again. Now here it is, the third time.
Why?
As much as I read, write and observe, I’ve about seen it all, and since then, more and more examples have popped up.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A TITLE
The original article was a sequel to a previous article. I’d talked about how not to punish your reader with words. To be exact, make your prose succinct and to the point. Don’t drone on and on. In that same vein, how about making the title somehow correspond to the subject matter?
That thought still applies today, almost nine years later.
The inspiration for the original title article came from an Amazon review I did of the book that inspired that previous article. Though the title played some part in the book, that was hardly the focus of events. I had to stretch to tie it in. My guess was that the author had to slap some title onto his lecture, because that’s ultimately what this tome turned out to be, a lecture on British occupation of the Sudan with a quest for treasure thrown in. Thinking back on it now, I avoid this author like the plague. I’d just as soon read a college textbook than his subsequent titles. While classified as fiction, they were quite a drudge to get through. To this day, all these years later, he still puts out an occasional book, so he has his fans. Good for him.
To me, the title came off as a poor choice. It was an underlying theme, I guess, a common thread, but the majority of the story was about something else entirely. I could’ve thought of a hundred different titles, (some of them not so complimentary), but let’s not get off the track.
Also, since then, and more to the point here, I’ve run across multiple examples of a title that had nothing at all to do with the story. If it did, I could not recall it…at all.
GETTING TO THE POINT/MARKETING & TRUTH IN ADVERTISING
When I title my stories, I like to make sure the title has something to do with the actual story, something significant to do with the story, not just a minor thread to tie it all together. I suppose, given the original example and using the authors logic, the title DID tie it all together, but maybe it was because I wasn’t really happy with so much of the book that the title didn’t ring true.
That still brings up my point about being careful to title your story. There have been plenty of cases of titles that didn’t fit (some glaringly so).
What’s the purpose of the title anyway? It’s a form of recognition, a way for people to identify with what you wrote, a marketing tool. At the same time, that title should have something to do with what’s between the pages and not just a minor part, but a significant part. In the case of the book that inspired the original article, the beginning mentioned it, with an occasional reference here and there, and the very end in the author’s notes, which mind you, were just as droning and endless as the narrative! I guess that’s better than some others I’ve run across, but still a poor choice, in my opinion because the actual subject matter had nothing to do with that title.
Now, sometimes the title is a pun, a cutesy play on words, a metaphor. What’s wrong with that?
Part of the reason for a title is to have some significant connection with what the story is about. At least it should. It’s just like the back cover blurb. There’s another sore spot for me. Truth in advertising. The back blurb is designed to draw the reader in. However, it shouldn’t be there to drag in a reader under false pretenses. The blurb should describe something that’s actually in the book. It should not just be “click bait.”
SOME PEOPLE DON’T CARE
Regardless to content or writing quality, when it comes to misleading titles, that just adds insult to injury. Then again, back in the seventies, I remember plenty of the goofy psychedelic-era tomes with nonsensical titles that didn’t have a thing to do with the content. They’re out there, and some of them are probably considered classics.
The title is extremely important. It sets the whole premise for the book. If the title is called Horse and the book is about bank robbers who use VW Beetles and a horse is only mentioned once as a side comment somewhere in the middle, that’s a crummy title. If the book is called All The Boatmen yet the book is about a lumber mill, and the only reference to boats are two lovers in the story going on a canoe trip one weekend, that’s a misleading title.
Those two examples I completely made up, so don’t think I took them from real examples. If they happen to be real books, that’s pure coincidence. If so, that really makes my point!
I’ve seen more real examples but don’t want to disparage any authors directly, so I won’t go there. There are plenty of books titled after some off-hand comment, some zinger of a line that’s uttered by a character that has nothing to do with the rest of the story. Some of them are classics, many are not.
HOWEVER…
If it’s a catchy, nonsensical title, and the story’s great, it still might just work. There are examples out there with that wonky title attached to a great story. It does happen. Nothing in this world is absolute. If a catchy title draws in readers, regardless if it’s relevant to the story, more power to you. However, I still go back to the truth in advertising thing. Most people like to know what they’re getting up front. Honesty works better most of the time.
Please do your readers justice and give them an accurate title!
After a few recent experiences, I thought this was worth repeating.
Happy writing.
DO YOU FIND THE HOLIDAYS INSPIRING?
Since we’ve been talking about inspiration lately, what with traveling and all, and now this being the holiday season, I thought I’d expand things a bit.
Do you find the holidays, whatever they are, inspiring?
For me, I just take them as another day off, or wanting to get them overwith!
THE MEANING
Without getting specific, some people get all into the meanings of each individual holiday. There are many, some which we get off, while if you are in retail, you may not get any off. In fact, if you work retail, holidays may be the worst or the best days of the year for you.
The meaning of these holidays can be inspiring for various reasons.
A particular holiday may be integral to the plot line of your story.
It can be atmosphere to color your story.
It may not be part of the actual story but the inspiration for something completely different.
WHEN A HOLDAY INSPIRES SOMETHING ELSE
When one thinks of the “holiday season” which we usually refer to as the end of the year from Halloween to Christmas, many stories may be inspired from this both directly and indirectly. Yet, the story itself may have nothing to do with the holidays. It may not even take place during that time of year.
WHEN A HOLIDAY DIRECLTY INSPIRES THE STORY
When the holiday directly inspires a story, there are plenty of examples. I don’t even have to name them as there are so many titled movies, for example.
I just did a short story for a holiday themed anthology that was published in late October.
USING HOLIDAYS IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
I’ve brought this up before but it’s worth a mention. Using holidays in made up worlds to color those worlds, such as in world building is a good way to make these worlds more realistic. However, has any holiday directly inspired you if you write this type of genre?
Personally, no holiday has ever inspired me in either my science fiction or fantasy novels.
That’s just me.
Has one of the holidays inspired you in one of your made up worlds?
THE BIG PICTURE
As writers and authors, we draw inspiration from wherever we can get it. This can include holidays. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. If it works for you, use it!
Personally, it hasn’t worked for me yet, but while right now, I have a different view of the holidays from a lot of people, that doesn’t mean that one day, it might not happen for me.
For some of you, the holidays, whatever they might be (even the obscure ones) might be the perfect inspiration for your next great novel.
Never forget the big picture. While plots do come out of thin air, something gives you that spark. Never ignore it. Even I won’t ignore a good holiday if it nudges me the right way.
SUMMARY
Inspiration can come from anyplace. All it takes is your imagination.
Use it wisely.
Happy writing!
ARE YOU A WRITER OR AUTHOR?
This question has come up numerous times in my wanderings across the web, and again lately since I first published this article in 2017. Therefore, a revisit is warranted.
Are you a writer or an author?
What’s the definition of each?
The prevailing opinions have been relatively consistent. Oh, sure, there’s always someone contrary. You have to expect that when you’re talking about hundreds to even thousands of people.
FIRST OFF
Writing itself. I’ve stated many times that writing for me is a passion. It’s not a hobby or a job. It’s something I love to do. I’m going to do it whether I’m published or not. I’m going to put it out there either for pay or for free. If I can get paid, so much the better, but one way or tuther, it’s getting out there for the one or two of you to see. Some would consider that self-publishing. Okay, I’ve already done plenty of that unofficially over many years. Never paid a dime for any of it except with my time and effort. Is that still self-publishing? That’s a whole ‘nuther discussion.
Writing has been a job for me. In that case, I still loved doing it, so it almost wasn’t even work, though by definition, it was employment, and I was getting paid to do it. In my other work, long before I took up writing, I did plenty of writing as part of my job as an Air Force maintenance puke. Once I found my muse, so to speak, I often liked the writing part a lot better than my “real” job!
In all of that, I considered myself a writer.
WHAT’S A WRITER?
By the generally accepted definition, a writer’s someone who writes. Whether for fun, or work, they write. For purposes of this discussion, we’re talking about stories, whether short, long, fiction or non-fiction, poetry, projects, etc.
A writer is someone who writes and writes and writes. Their goal may or may not be to get published.
I’ll tell you right now that if you’re a prolific writer and put in at least a little effort, the chances are, you’ll get at least something published.
However…
Writing and being good at it doesn’t necessarily go together.
You remember the old computer term, garbage in/garbage out?
That can apply to writing as well, if you just write with no regard for honing and improving your craft. If you slap your stuff down on paper (or in the ether), with no regard for cleaning it up or getting feedback—no attempts to improve your work, don’t ever expect to get anywhere with it.
A small caveat I needed to get out of the way.
WHAT’S AN AUTHOR?
Now, this is the meat of the matter. An author is a writer that gets published. When you see your name in lights, so to speak, you’re now an author.
That pretty much sums up the difference between a writer and an author.
A writer writes, while an author is a writer that’s published.
How many of you are both?
To get technical, I’ve been an “uncredited” author since the late 90’s when I wrote all those preventive maintenance manuals for the rubber extrusion plant in Frederick, Oklahoma. However, my first piece, credited under my name, was a short story for an anthology by the Highland Writer’s Group in Highland, Indiana in 2002. Now that was my first real credit as a named author.
Even though I was writing much earlier, I first considered myself as an official writer for what I do now, fiction, since 1995 when I got serious about writing novels. Why? I guess it’s because I found my real muse and realized writing was a passion and not some passing thing. That time was my golden moment when I knew it’d be a lifelong thing for me.
Here I am, twenty-six years later (as I re-write this), and I’m both a writer and an author. I’m loving every minute of it (well, except the marketing). After all, nothing’s perfect.
How about you?
Happy writing!
TRAVELING FOR INSPIRATION PART TWO
This article piggybacks on my article, earlier this year on a trip to San Francisco. This time it was a trip to Disney, the happiest place on earth!
I’ve discussed inspiration a total of 11 times here at Fred Central, and to me, there’s something about this subject that never gets old. It’s important for you, as a creator to always have this tool in your box.
INTRO
It’s not just COVID that restricts travel for my family. It’s time and budget. Given that, we don’t get out all that much. When we do, it tends to have an impact.
Back in the day, traveling meant something different. My job, the Air Force, gave me golden opportunities in the time before continual deployments. When we traveled, it was more or less permanent from one place to another. That’s why we lived in places like Spain and Turkey. When not overseas, we were able to live for several year time spans in different states. However, while overseas, when we took a “weekend trip,” it had an entirely different meaning.
For the majority of those times, I wasn’t a writer or an author. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t able to catalog a vast “wyberry” of memories and photos from which I could draw inspiration. My memory is just fine.
Nowadays, travel is not the same. Back then, a short jog almost always ended up in someplace interesting. Here and now, it usually means a long trip of one, two, or three days with hotels to get to someplace different. Plus, with COVID in the mix, we have to be more careful. Even being fully vaxxed and wearing a mask, we have to do our best to avoid crowds when we can. As our recent trip to Disney can attest, that was close to impossible.
WHAT CAN TRAVEL DO FOR YOU?
It all depends on your level of inspiration.
I’ve talked about inspiration multiple times here at Fred Central. What it boils down to is what your imagination threshold is and how you exploit it. If writing is something you have to do and it’s a compulsion, you should be brim full of stories waiting to get out. Everything inspires you. You have way more ideas filling your head than you can write down in a lifetime.
Does that mean you’ll try and use all of them?
Not likely.
Does that mean you’ll use most of them?
Not likely either.
What you’ll do is cherry pick some of the best. When it comes down to actual practice, your adventure, wherever it takes you, will end up someplace that’ll probably surprise you. Even going to Disney, a place that I literally know like the back of my hand, despite an always changing landscape, always gives me a new spark.
Then, you, like me, will end up with a head full of ideas. This trip to wherever is a little more inspiration for something new and different that won’t hurt to add to your extensive library.
If everything you have in your head is all imagined, getting out and traveling is a great way to see something for yourself. Nothing beats reality instead of books or viewing it on the net. It breaks the cycle of myopic thinking.
Now, what about those of you just dabbling, where writing isn’t a passion yet, or may never be?
For you, inspiration is a mandatory requirement for you to write.
Travel is an excellent way to spur your imagination.
Maybe it’s time to have a convenient excuse to take the family or yourself out of the house and go to that place you were thinking of seeing for real, instead of just on Memorex. You may be surprised what it’s like in real life.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but seeing it for real is worth a million words.
SUMMARY
There are many reasons to travel. For writers, it can be for research or inspiration.
The key is not to think of it as a mandatory thing for legitimacy for your craft. That’s bull. Get that right out of your head. There’s no law or unspoken rule that says your writing isn’t legitimate unless you travel to the places you use in your books!
The purpose of travel is to get away from home if you can afford it!
Then again I have to think back to that old song by the 60’s band The Seeds. It’s called Travel With Your Mind. You can do that by staying at home or going there.
Never forget that!
There are some of us that will never be able to afford to travel. Some of us can barely afford to travel to the store, let alone across town. Therefore, the wyberry or TV is our only resource. Use it the best you can. There’s no fault and no shame in doing so.
Second, while you’re there, whether for real or in your head, as a writer, it can be a place of great inspiration or research for something you are currently or may write in the future. A positive outlook and the desire to tell a good story is all you need. Use it wisely.
Happy writing!
SHOULD YOU WORK ON MORE THAN ONE PROJECT AT A TIME?
This subject comes up a lot on the forums and I was surprised to discover that I haven’t specifically dedicated an article to it. I’m pretty sure I’ve discussed it at some point, at least I think I have but I couldn’t find it, so here goes.
MULTITASKING
Multitasking is a relatively new word, but it applies to a whole host of different things. In writing, it could apply to multiple projects. What does that mean exactly?
We’re going to delve into that.
IN GENERAL
Whenever one does a single project, there’s a certain amount of multitasking involved, or there can be, depending on the individual.
If it’s just writing, you, as the writer, whether a pantser or a plotter, do the writing. You may do some editing, just write, stop and do a bit of research. You may keep writing and do research on the side, go back and fix something already written to tweak, then stop and rewrite something. Or, you may think of something great and research before you get to that point while still catching up to that spot, bla bla bla.
All of this is a form of multitasking. While it isn’t working different projects, it’s in the same vein. The complexity isn’t on the same level.
For a pantser it’s a lot different than for a plotter. Usually, I can only go by anecdotal evidence, since I’m a pantser. A plotter maps most everything out before they ever start writing. If, while in the process of writing what they carefully mapped out, they’re struck with another brilliant idea that upsets the entire process, do they stop and regroup? Do they stick with the plan? I don’t know for sure. I’ve talked with some, and the answers vary from sticking with the original idea, to scrapping everything past that point, to coming to a full stop and re-plotting past that point. The multitasking takes on a different aspect.
Keep in mind that this is still the same single project. No other distractions are interfering.
DROPPING IN ANOTHER AND MAYBE ANOTHER PROJECT
Some people are bursting with ideas. They can’t settle on one, or work on one at a time.
Is this you?
To me it seems like an easier task for a pantser.
For a plotter, you must work multiple plots and draw energy away from each path. Then again, I suppose it isn’t any different from the pantsers deal either.
CONFUSING THE STORY LINES
The biggest issue that comes up, which I’ve wondered about, is confusing the story lines.
Luckily for me, I’ve never had this issue. While as a pantser myself, I usually stay focused on one major project at a time. That’s usually all I can handle in my head at a time. That’s not to say I haven’t tried multiple major projects, and successfully. It took a bit of juggling, but consider this.
TIME
To work multiple projects takes time.
To most of us, especially those of us that work for a living and have families, our writing time is precious. That means when we do get not only the time, but the motivation to write, that time must not be wasted or squandered. Spreading it out through multiple projects can dilute the creativity, despite our heads bursting with ideas.
DILUTING THE IDEA POOL
While it might’ve seemed like a great idea at first, once you dive into the mechanics of it, is what you’re doing on each story all that different? Are you spreading yourself too thin?
Maybe, maybe not.
CREATING ARTIFICIAL DEADLINES
Once into these multiple projects, do you find yourself rushed to get one or both or all of them dun didded? Do you find yourself trying to get them overwith and rushing some or all of them just so you can say you completed something…anything?
Does the quality of the work go down just to say you finished?
Maybe, maybe not.
LOSING THE THREAD
If you’re a pantser, in all the rush and initial bursts of ideas, did you somehow lose the original inspiration? Did you forget? Did the idea somehow blend in with the plot or idea from one of the others? Did you just rush (see above) and throw in the kitchen sink to make one work to get it done?
MY STORY
I always like to end things up with my personal experiences. In 26 years, for the most part, I’ve stuck with one major project at a time. I have, in the past, tried multiple projects at a time and I ended up shelving the one to finish the other. It was just too much to concentrate on at one time. All of the above came into my head as I tried working the multiple projects and I just couldn’t let them happen. As a pantser, I had to stick with one. Then again, those others I started, at least some of them, I went back to and gave them a proper finish so in that way, I worked multiple projects and successfully completed them. I initially worked them together but ended up stopping to work one and finish the rest later. That’s what really happened so I wasn’t spreading myself too thin. That’s what happened with The Greenhouse and Lusitania Gold.
On the other hand (a cliché phrase I use a lot in Fred’s world), that hasn’t stopped me from tossing in the occasional short story. When I do that, my main project comes to a cold stop for a few days while I whip out the short story.
Why do I do that?
Because it’s a short story!
Usually, I get the idea, ponder what I want to write about, probably while I’m in the middle of writing one of my major projects, then I sit down one day or two, and whip out the story. That means taking an hour or two to write it, then on another day read it to the writer’s group, use their feedback to tweak it, then turn it in to one of the anthologies. Sometimes I just self-edit them and never turn them in.
Then I go back to the major project.
There are a few cases, where I’m working on a major project and have resurrected an older MS to edit at the same time. That’s not the same as writing something completely new. The older MS is already written. I just have to tweak it. That’s multitasking but not creating something out of the blue.
SUMMARY
Working on multiple projects is, as usually taken in the context on the forums, writing two or more separate novels at the same time.
However, multiple projects can be a lot more nuanced than that.
I personally recommend one major project at a time for most people. It makes life simpler and the quality of the project better.
Not everyone is built that way, but I guess most are, especially new writers.
It’s up to you.
Happy writing!
The Worlds Of Fred Rayworth 