Who's that Guy?

Sarah. John. Michael. Rick. David. Karen. Emily. Nancy. Bill. Bob.

What do the words above have in common? It's an easy answer...you don't have to be a super English nerd and genius in order to answer the simple question. But I won't make you sweat anymore longer and freak out about a simple question that perhaps has caused you to grow anxious. They are all names. Proper nouns. That is the correct answer if you're like me, a crazy-nutty-English-freaky-nerd. But I'm not looking for THAT answer. The answer I'm looking for is, names. The above words are all names. They belong to someone, someone holds that name. 

Okay, so in writing you would call this person a character. Aha! We have reached my most favorite part of all writing. I know that I have caught myself saying this more than once, "Oh I like this aspect of writing! No, dialogue is better. But oh wait...ah, setting is the most fun!" I think ever true writer has their moments of going crazy about a certain something and for me it's characters. I love building my characters. I can sit for hours and just think about one character in particular and describe her from top to bottom. I can tell you exactly what her dislikes are, what irritates her, what's her style like, how does she talk, the way she socializes, her favorite color, what she loves to eat, her peeves, and on and on I go. Eventually I have this perfect picture of my character in my mind and when I'm out and about I sometimes see her in the grocery store. Of course a light chuckle escapes my mouth because I can't believe she actually exists in the real world. You see, my characters come from my world. They live in my mind. When they cry I want to comfort them and make the situation better. There was a point where I was seriously depressed. I couldn't think clearly and felt despondent. Finally my friend asked me what was the matter. When I told her that I killed my favorite character in my past short story she looked at me as if I lost my mind. I believe I did. 

So characters. Dress you characters. Write a character sketch about this person. Perhaps it'll be 4 sentences or 4 pages. It can be short or long. But imagine your character(s) coming alive. Imagine that the two of you are going out for coffee. You don't know this person yet. So on your outing you'll ask every question you can think of in order to build a connection, a feeling. Believe me, this is fun stuff. Building characters is something I enjoy doing. I get the honor to name them. Okay, so sketch it on a piece of paper. The good qualities, the bad characteristics, his/her fashion style, does she take awhile to get ready in the morning, or is he one who stays in bed until the alarm clock rings for the fifth time? You don't have to mention these things in your manuscript, but for you to know while writing who your main character is or actually all of your characters are is very important. 

You don't have to stress out knowing each one of your characters in details. Perhaps all you'll know about the cab driver is: the big rimmed glasses rested on his nose and every time he spoke a hint of alcohol filled the air. That's just an example. But get to know your main characters. Build the connection. Feel connected. If you want to get to know someone you'll ask them. Have this inner-dialogue with your character. And soon you'll realize how enjoyable it really is. Writing is an art. It takes time and patience. The same goes with your characters. Design them along the way and eventually you'll learn that you start dreaming about them and they follow you everywhere. 

Let me tell you a past experience of mine. When I was attending a class in the fall there was a girl who sat behind me. She was tall, sporty, very attractive, blond hair and blue eye ordeal, having the appearance of a barbie doll. The first time I saw her, I laughed. I couldn't believe it. I told myself that this is Jenny, my protagonist in the story I had going on. She was snotty just like Jenny. I figured I was well connected with my characters at that point because I saw them even at school. 

It's not weird. It's actually amazing to have imaginable friends. Because when no one understands you, your characters will. Remember, you are the architect. Create stories that come to life with real characters. And when the descriptive part is all done, search a name book for the perfect name. Make sure the name fits the character and the time era you're in. 

Characters need to live in you! Because when a reader opens your book someday their first question might be, "Who's that guy?" 

Very Important..Very Fun

I don't know about you but when I read any kind of novel I flock to the dialogue. It intrigues me to see how the author weaved his words in writing. There are many different ways you can make your characters speak. Since I tend to write contemporary style, my characters speak informally, almost with a slang. Though, it's very interesting how you can mess with your characters in various ways. You have the power to stir them in any direction. With the words that you choose you can make them do anything you want. The bottom line is what you think is the way your characters will move. Perhaps you want them to yell, well make them do just that. Or maybe the story has hit a deep point, a point where tears seem the most appropriate. Make them cry. I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but one of my favorite things to do with my characters is make them cry. It's amazing how you can make them cry without saying it. You don't have to say, "She cried." Instead say, "Tears fell down her cheeks, leaving wet streaks along the way." This is just one example out of many. So, before I get into the meat of this article I think it's important if I note one very, VERY, important rule. You'll hear this rule over and over again and eventually will get tired of it that you may want to shout, "I know!!!!!" but believe me, it's a VERY important rule.

Show, don't tell. 

Easy, right? I mean, there are just three words in that sentence and you know what each of the words mean so what's the big deal? Ha, believe me, this can be the trickiest rule ever. There are so many times where you'll catch yourself saying the action instead of writing the action. You'll captivate the reader's interest more by showing it. If you go on and say, "Brit was mad." Okay, we know he was mad, but how mad? Aha, show, don't tell. Try imaging this. "Brit's eyes narrowed, he clenched his fists and took long and steady breaths." You now know what he did and how he felt. He wasn't only mad, he was profusely angry, upset. Make your characters come to live. This is a fun aspect of writing. You need to have fun with it, don't let it pull you down and literally make you pull your hair out. Explore with this. Get to know your characters. This is an important aspect. You cannot write a story if you don't know your character(s). Know how they feel, what they're thinking, what irritates them, what makes them happy, and what're their fears. Understand your characters in and out. Be interested. If you aren't moved as an author, your reader won't be moved. If you didn't laugh, your reader won't laugh. And if you didn't cry, your reader won't cry. You need to build that connection with your writing.

I know I say this often, but allow your thoughts to spill through your words. If you have an overly emotional character, show it through her words. Describe how she's feeling when she talks. Dialogue is important and it shouldn't be abused. Use every word wisely, making it count.  And I know this is a lot of information to digest, but let me make one more point. Don't be too descriptive. It's so easy to get flowery and into your words that eventually it sounds too wordy. Cut. Chop. Kill the one too many adjectives. Be selective, but most importantly, be creative. Dialogue is fun to write. Write as though you are speaking. Readers like it when you're natural and realistic. Relate to them, you'll gain a wider audience that way.

Dialogue. Speak. Show. Entertain. Don't tell me, show me what happened. Make it exciting, so exciting that I can't stop reading.

The List of Genre is Just Starting!

This week I decided to tackle something entirely different. Over the past few weeks I have discussed the many aspects of the writing life and what it takes and what is doesn't take and how to discover such and such. I hope you have a greater understanding for all of this because this week, I'm going to start opening a different topic. Over the course of weeks, I'll discuss the various genres there are and a bit of insight from each. But to start with, I'll talk about my writing experience (I love sharing my side, especially since it drastically changed overnight.)

Alright, before I picked up the craft of writing, I was against all fiction. I didn't like fiction. I ignored fiction. I shunned fiction. I literally disregarded all books that were fiction related. I thought reading fiction was a waste of time, entirely unnecessary and irrelevant. I didn't find enjoying when reading fictional books, so I clearly decided that fiction wasn't for me. I stuck to the nonfiction books, the one that gave me something, a message. Whenever I would pick up a novel, I would stare at the cover and think, "I wish I could learn to like these kind of books." Because to be honest, the covers on most novels are tempting. There's just something amazing that the author masters. They have a way to capture the buyer with their cover, even if the book itself isn't captivating. I would walk through any bookstore and clock to the fiction section and grab a handful of books just to study the covers, not going beyond that. Okay, so without me even reading the book, I quickly learned that the author did a great job with luring me to the book just by having an awesome cover. 

But what got me to read novels? Well, in the summer of 2010, I just graduated and was tired of reading books about facts and books that took more concentration to grasp the message. I wanted to relax. I wanted to be the kind of person who would curl up with a blanket and read for hours on end, not able of putting the book down. I remember pulling out a book I got from the library for the summer. Again, I stared at the cover and understood why I picked this book. The cover alone was mesmerizing. It was incredible. So what did I do? I opened it, probably just like anyone else would do. I skimmed through the prologue, flipped through the middle, and landed on the last sentence (my mistake always). The last sentence alone got me. It made me curious to read the book and that I did. Well, I'm proud to say that after that I haven't shunned a novel in a long while. There have been nights where I cannot set the book down, I have to force myself to do it. 

After that I started having this niche to write fiction, not just any kind of fiction, contemporary and dramatic fiction. You will soon learn that there are a ton of different subtopics under fiction. I won't go into detail right now, I'll save that for another post. But yes, I took up the task that I hated most. I decided to write fiction and honestly, I can't get enough from it. There is always a character stirring in my mind. Sometimes I leave my characters in an iffy situation. I do this on purpose because I cannot wait until I can get back to my story and fix their dilemma. When I write, the world I live in closes down for awhile. Everything that goes on kind of goes on without me. I'm interacting with my characters. I'm having internal conversations, we are getting to know each other. 

You must be comfortable with your writing. You need to feel right doing it, knowing that this is something you can write/talk about all day. Know the topic you're writing about. Maybe you're into nonfiction, the facts. Or perhaps you like to read articles and would be interested to write for a magazine or newspaper. You don't have to seclude yourself to just one specific type of writing. Be open to anything and everything. Try a bit from here and some from there, but I assure you, there will always be that one kind of writing you'll enjoy more than the other. You're human. We tend to have favorites. 

Different topics lead to different interests 

I love fiction. You might be different. But that's why there are a wide variety of books, because everyone has a different taste and there are those authors who like to tackle the things someone like me wouldn't dare handle. Next week we'll talk about the many aspects of fiction (short story, novel, novella). 

Explore. Experiment. Challenge yourself. Write. 

Who Said What?

Have you ever caught yourself reading a book and then saying, "Hey, this sounds just like (fill in the blank)..." or, "Isn't this one of his/her books?" You then flip the book over and your eye glances at the author's name and sure enough you're right. Credit goes to both you and the author. You have practiced distinguishing the words and the author has been stable with his choice of words--diction.

 So what makes someone's work recognizable?


                         Voice.

Voice simply is the style and the way you talk in print. It's the words that you craft that make others say, "Oh yeah, that's so and so."

So how do you become recognizable? Practice. Practice writing different things. Try writing in a humorous way, dramatic, mysterious, romantic, and contemporary/casual. Try various writing techniques. Experiment with your words. Remember, each one of us are different. You talk differently and act differently from everyone else, so your writing too will be different. The worst mistake that you can do is to pretend to be someone else. Don't try to sound like a best selling author. They have their own techniques and styles, you need to compose your own kind of words. Let your thoughts form the words, you have your own unique way to sound, so you too will achieve that recognizable voice. You don't want someone to read your work someday and say, "Hey that doesn't sound like her/him!" It's not only disheartening to you but the original author. Write anything and everything and explore the many options of writing.

How to make your voice YOURS!

1. Write as much as possible
2. Write in a journal
3. Write in a letter format (a letter to a friend perhaps)
4. Write about your day
5. Write the things you see and experience daily
6. Write about the thoughts going through your mind
7. Don't worry how your words sound, just write
8. Write like you talk--be yourself
9. Write what you know
10. Write about your personality 

The examples above can help stir your voice and make it come alive. The grammar and style will come after, you first need to establish a stable voice. Your writing will shine because of this. It will blossom like a young rose. I find that the most rewarding aspect is that it becomes recognizable. Recently someone told me that they picked up an article I composed. They didn't know that I wrote it at first but by the second sentence, they said, "Yeah, that's Vanessa alright!" For me, that's encouraging. It tells me that finally all of the practice and action I have put into my words not only are alive but they are mine and someone just noticed it. 

Writes tend to worry. Don't worry. I know that sounds like an understatement but there isn't any other explanation. Don't worry what you sound like through your writing, you may not sounds as professional as Bob or as slick as Susie. IT'S YOU. This is your writing and your voice, the one you were born with. Experiment with different writing tools. Try writing long sentences, the ones that flow and go on and on forever and eventually can lose you if you don't stay on track but they are the sentences that still carry a lot of meet. Or write short. To the point. Powerful. 

Remember your goal for writing as well. You're writing because you CAN'T NOT write and you're writing because you have message to share. Think of your writing in this context. You're a proud parent of what you have just written. It's beautiful and it's your own voice and words. Don't let anyone else tear you down with their harsh criticism. You may eventually notice that you'll gain more than one voice. You may sound formal in your historical novel, tacky in the article for New York Times, casual in your short story, or wild in the comic. There are many different voices and once you find them, you'll be amazed. It'll be an experience that's overwhelming but exciting at the same time. You're voices are there, they are waiting for you to open up and crawl out of your shell. 

Come alive and write!

Write Even When It Doesn't Feel Right

It's been a long day. Perhaps you worked a 12 hour shift today or maybe you were stuck at school for more than half the day. Maybe you were caught up in traffic for hours, wasting that precious extra time in your evening. Or maybe just maybe you are sick and tired of the same routine day by day. Ever feel that way? Do you ever feel that you are walking the same path each and every day? It can get kind of daunting, can't it? Boring isn't the word I like to use, so what about aggravating? It is aggravating. You work so hard to earn money, study so hard to achieve high scores, and try so hard to do just about everything right but it doesn't feel right. You feel unsatisfied, displeased.

What should you do?

WRITE!

When everything feels like it's crashing down on you, when you feel as if your emotions are over the top and just ready to explode, write. Many don't even know the power writing has. It sounds ridiculous because it's your own mind talking but that's the point. It is very therapeutic when you can freely write your own thoughts down, your feelings. There are so many thoughts running through your mind daily and many of those thoughts can spur into ideas. But it all starts with writing. You cannot write until you decide that you can do it. That last sentence might have just left you confused so read it again. You cannot write until you decide that you can do it. If you constantly doubt yourself saying that you aren't made for this or you just don't have it in you, then it's time that you stop saying those lies.
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So your long day is nagging you now. You feel hopeless and despondent. You're not sure where to start or where to go next, you feel very low. But what can writing do, you may think. How does writing your thoughts down help? It actually sounds more like a burden because you have to do something in order to relieve the stress. Wouldn't it be easier to just pop a movie in, grab some chocolate, and pout in your depression? Maybe. But what will it do for you in an hour from them? Tomorrow? Learning to feel your thoughts and hear them is something so important. When you are in sync with your mind you can then freely let go of the sensations and know that you have a destiny. And once you find that connection with your mind a list of ideas can start. You may finally realize that writing is the bridge to the broken road you have been walking along.

Journal whenever you need to

Writing is peaceful. I'm not talking about writing for work or school. Writing just on its very own is peaceful. It's enjoyable, relaxing, and free. Imagine having the ability to write without having to think. Just think of it as you are writing in your journal. There are some things the whole world can know about you and then there are some things that no one can know, not even your closest friends. But writing can become your closest friend.  When you're upset, depressed, flustered, or plain out frustrated, you need to know that your journal is near and your thoughts are ready to be written out.

You'll write. You'll learn. You'll stop and see that what you just wrote is exactly the sensations flowing in your mind. And you did it. You wrote out what was bothering you. This is the start to all of writing. If you can't express your emotions in words then you'll have a hard time going anywhere else. It all starts with you. Yes, I'm sorry to say that YOU are the origin once again. But you can do it and you'll learn to love it.

Because the next time that crummy day comes, or the unmerciful morning arises you can know that before long you'll be with your journal and writing down all that has bothered you. And then you'll see how much better you feel. Writing in your journal helps. It soothes your mind and calms the angry soul.

Writing is medicine. Writing brings peace to your mind. Writing lies within you.

"I Refuse to Listen to You!"

So you made yourself some tea, baked some sweets, turned off the phone, and sat down to write. Your fingers swift across the keyboard and the ideas show no sign of stopping. But you stop! You notice mistakes after mistakes and can't possibly overlook them. There are too many for you to go on so you hit that backspace key on the keyboard and delete. Before you notice it, you have deleted more than necessary, all because you were flustered at what you wrote. You feel ridiculous and incompatible to write anything and might even give up. What went wrong? You listened to your inner-critic.

That small voice in your mind is your "inner-critic" he/she told you that what you're writing is worthless and won't get anywhere. That voice is trying to convince you that you can't write and what you just wrote needs to be revised RIGHT NOW. You feel upset, confused, disappointed, and frustrated. You probably thought that what you wrote was perfect, well at least semi-perfect, but then you were torn down with those critical thoughts. But whose thoughts are they and whose words are they?

 None others but yours.

 It is your very own mind that is telling you these things and of course you believe it. Because obviously if you don't listen to yourself you just might make a fool out of yourself, right? It's always better to listen to yourself the first time through than make a fool out of what you just said--maybe? Well don't feel like you're the ONLY one who has done this. Believe me, when it comes to anything that we do, say, or think, we are our very own best critics. We are either too self-centered or insecure about what was just done. Okay, so how does this relate to writing? Easy. We write and our words go public if we share it. But before it even gets there we think, "Wait a second, does that make sense? No. I don't like this either.." So we can be blindfolded and our fingers know exactly where the delete key is. 

It's time that you STOP listening to your inner critic. When you write you need to turn off that small voice in your mind and tell it to come back when you're done. There is a time to rewrite what you just wrote but there is also time to just write and come back later to your work. When you write you should just write. Don't look back at what you just said and don't think how you can fix it. Save that for later. Right now you need to just write and worry later. Your inner critic is strong. It wants you to believe that you can't make it out there in the writing world. If you listen to that stubborn voice you will soon believe it. You have to learn to fight against it and go with what your gut is telling you--YOU CAN WRITE. 

As a writer, or a person in general, you will always feel under pressure and criticism. Criticism comes with living. It comes as a second nature thing for writers. If you cannot block it then I fear that you'll never get anything written down. There is a time to listen to that voice but also a time to say, "Not right now! I have to write." You will not know if your writing is worth it until it's all written out and if you constantly erase how will you ever know? Ignore! And write! 

 Remember that you're writing because you can't not write. You're writing because you have too much to say. You're writing because you want to make a difference. You're writing because you want your voice to be heard. You're writing because you want to see your name out there. And if you listen to those hurtful thoughts about your work, the thoughts that tell you this isn't good enough, you aren't good enough, and nothing you write will be good enough, you will stay in your bubble forever. Because you're not a loser, you are valuable and you can do whatever you set your mind to. Get back up and nip that voice. Kill it and tell it to come back later when everything is done!

And it might just help to know that mistakes will come. You're a human. Did that surprise you? You're not perfect, but you can still refuse to listen to anyone else telling you that what you're doing is senseless--even yourself. 

The Big "C" in Criticism

Criticism can be discouraging 

Ouch! Did someone just say that about MY work? But I thought what I wrote was perfect. How can someone be so harsh, inconsiderate, and heartless?

As a writer the above probably sounds like some of your own thoughts. After all, what you wrote is your work, the words that took you so long to think of, the sentences that took awhile to form and then someone has the audacity to criticize your work? It sounds unjustifiable, wrong, and unfair. But it happens to the best of us. The top bestseller authors still go through this all the time and continuously will. Criticism goes hand in hand with writing. We write, we will get criticized. When we write we are basically putting ourselves out there. We have to develop a strong skin and blow off the hits that come at us. If we take every single rejection slip and critical comment personal, we will never get anywhere. Everyone is looking at us as writers. Some will lightly read our work whereas others will read it with a microscope, looking closely at every word. The people that do that don't understand the hard work that comes with writing, they don't appreciate it. Many times they read because they want to find something wrong in what you're writing.

But then there are the others who criticize and it should be accepted. They say what they say with a purpose, wanting you to be a better and stronger writer. Criticism can make you a better writer in many ways:

• Criticism can teach you how to be more humble about your writing
• Criticism is valuable because it teaches you when your work isn't good enough and must be made better
• Criticism makes you climb steep mountains and walk rocky paths in order to finally achieve what you're aiming for
• Criticism can give you a better picture about your writing 
• Criticism can show you who you really are by the way you handle the situation 
• Criticism encourages you to resubmit that piece in a better way
• Criticism tells you to change the quality of your work
• Criticism makes you a real writer
• Criticism toughens you up; this is your part to stand back up
• Criticism is proof that your work is out there 

Criticism can make you a better writer!

The moment you decide to become a writer and share your work you must expect some sort of criticism to come your way. It is always easier for an outsider's first response to be negative rather than positive. But this will happen. When I received the very first criticism on a short story, I was appalled. I was upset, hurt, devastated, frustrated, flustered, and annoyed. I didn't want to speak with the person who looked over my work. I refused to accept anything this person said and couldn't get myself to talk with them either. It took me a few days to realize that criticism will come but it counts how we deal with it. I dealt with it in an immature way, almost losing a friendship. We must remember that we write because we can't not write. We also write because we have too many ideas freely roaming in our mind. If someone tells you that you can't simply write then I say it's time you look elsewhere for friendships. 

Criticism will come in many different forms. There is the kind of criticism that will do us good. The kind that will grow you as a writer, making you aware of simple mistakes and things that need some rewriting. But then there is the criticism that is senseless to adhere to. It's the kind where someone has nothing better to do than find something wrong with your work. Remember, in order to become perfect in what you do you'll always have to try harder and aim for the best. Certain people will come in your life to help you become that better writer. They will give you tips and hints on how to make the best possible manuscript. However, you must also be aware that just because someone says something doesn't mean it's always the best option to change what you originally stated. Follow your voice and thoughts. 

But yes, the next time that harsh and hurtful critique comes, accept it with an open mind and smile. It's hard. It hurts. And it seems all so wrong. It takes time. It takes time just like everything else, but I promise, eventually those terrible words will come your way and you will have the strength to fight it off. May it be years, but there will come a day where you will know that YOU write because YOU can! And no matter what people say about your work doesn't matter. You're doing this because you simply CAN'T NOT write. Pick up your pen and a paper right now and jot ten things you're thankful for. Remember that everything starts off with a blessing and then the rest will come from there.