According to James Taylor...

I've always equated writing with any other type of creative experience inside "The Arts," most especially music.  Here's a great quote from the legendary James Taylor, about the process of writing music. I agree with him -- this is how writing feels to me, too, many times:

"Writing music is a lot like listening to music, but with a little extra 'something.' Often, the song just comes to me. In fact, I don't feel I've really written a song. I've just been the first person to hear it." ~James Taylor

13 Writing Lessons from Stephen King

Good stuff - link here

The "What If" Stage

For the first time in a long time, I'm getting back to writing.  I'm brainstorming a brand-new novel, and it's absolutely invigorating.  I'd forgotten how much I've missed it.

I'm at that fun "What If" stage, where anything in the characters' lives can  happen.  Where they live, who they are, what their backgrounds are, what they look like, etc.  So much fun.  Because there's all this potential out there, waiting to be discovered.

It's the stage where no ideas are permanently locked in.  Not yet.  It's that lovely and exciting Window of Exploration, where anything goes, anything is possible.

This might just be my favorite part of the process. 

Excellent Advice from a Pro

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite women's fiction authors.  Her work is thoughtful, profound, poetic, and clever. 

Today, she wrote a blog entry about what it takes to be a writer.

Here's the link.  Enjoy!

Calling All Downton Abbey Fans!

Maggie Smith has a new film coming out this month -- it looks wonderful (directed by Dustin Hoffman).

I adore everything British, more especially British movies.  Most especially ones that seem witty, intelligent, funny, and heartwarming.  Like this one does.

Here's the trailer:

Tips From the Master -- Tolkien

I just discovered this wonderful article, examining techniques of Tolkien, and how ALL writers can learn from them.

Here's the link.

Enjoy!

"The Big Reveal"....Not Revealed

I was watching Young & the Restless today (don't laugh -- it's a habit from college days I can't break  :-).

Well, for months, a big secret has been kept, regarding one of the characters.  The audience has been aware of the secret, but many of the characters had not been.  This tension, regarding the secret, has been building and building.  And finally, when The Big Reveal came today?  We (the audience) didn't even get to SEE it.  That's right.  We weren't shown that scene at all.  It was entirely skipped over.  Instead, all we saw was the aftermath of the revelation.  Characters discussing the secret with each other after the fact.

The audience was completely deprived of that moment when the two main characters found out the secret.  We didn't get to witness their expressions, their shock, their dialogue, none of it.

How frustrating!  How anticlimactic!  I do think the writers had a purpose -- to be creative, to think outside the box, to move away from the predictable.  But in doing so, they deprived the audience of the pay-off.  Of MONTHS waiting to see.....this scene.  And we didn't get to see it.

As writers, I think it's great to be creative, to handle things in a new way.  But sometimes, the basics are necessary.  Sometimes, the expected is exactly what the audience wants.  What they've been waiting and waiting for.  And if it doesn't meet their expectations (or worse, it's not shown to them at all!), they will be disappointed.  

The Jesus Painter

I rarely post about religious matters on this blog, mostly because this is a writing blog, and I try to focus on the writing.  But, this is also a blog dedicated to all forms of artistry -- writing, music, painting.  And so, I had to share this today.

My church holds this huge Christmas extravaganza each year, and it's always amazing.  Well, this year, they opted for something a little....different.  At the end of the concert, the house lights went down, and a single spotlight shone on a HUGE white canvas.  A guy showed up -- disheveled, wearing a paint-stained shirt -- and started to paint.  As he did, the choir sang.  And for the next 4 minutes, we watched him complete his masterpiece.  I'll never forget it as long as I live.

We all stood to our feet when he had finished.  Yes, because his incredible talents deserved applause.  But also because, in those 4 minutes, he'd reminded us of exactly why we were there to worship, to sing, to celebrate.  It was Jesus.

I found his video online.

Great Advice!

I came across this blog post which discusses first drafts of a novel, and whether they're worth keeping or should be thrown out altogether.

Link here


I especially liked this part -- how clever!

9) List all of the events in your book backwards, with "because" in between them. This is also a great revision technique. "The hero won BECAUSE she had the golden apple BECAUSE she spared a witch who gave it to her BECAUSE the hero felt sorry for the evil witch BECAUSE she herself had done some bad things BECAUSE she was misled into thinking a hero needs to be ruthless BECAUSE she was young and determined to prove herself." And so on. Do those "becauses" actually make any sense, when you run it like that? Do you care about that chain of cause and effect, as a basic skeleton? If any of those BECAUSE statements are like "because I, as the author, said so," can you fix that without the whole thing collapsing?

Identify the Problem

Often, I tell my Creative Writing students that reading/studying bad novels is as valuable as reading/studying good ones.  There's something to be said for being able to recognize the flaws in a piece of fiction.

Case in point:

I'm a sucker for these cheesy Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies each year.  I get out my hot chocolate and a cozy blanket, my Corgi at my feet, and hit the "PLAY" button.  Each time, I know I'll be disappointed in the quality of writing, but I don't care.  I like the Christmasy decorations, the predictable romance, the sweet storylines.  Even if they are cheesy.

Well, today, I watched one and was able - even more than usual - to spot the writing flaws.  The story had way too many subplots.  In fact, by the end of the movie, I really wasn't certain what the main plot had even been.  Was it the rebel teacher sparking creativity in his wayward students?  Or was it his coming to grips with a painful past?  Or -- was it the new potential love interest coming his way?  OR -- was it the troubled student just looking for attention?  Or was it the "wishing tree," (which brought the film its title, and was showcased at the beginning and end, like bookends, but served pretty much no purpose in the scheme of things).

I think the main problem was focus.  It didn't have one.  There wasn't a clear through-line, one main idea for the viewer to hang onto.  Instead, it was like a mash-up.  A mixed-up patchwork of stories that didn't work well together.  And I think all it would've taken was some tweaking.  Keep most of the subplots, but pick one and emphasize it as the main plot.

Studying writing -- even poor or flawed writing -- is so key for a writer.  Because the better able we are to identify flaws in someone else's work, the better chances we have at recognizing those flaws in our own.