Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 100

CREATING AN OUTLINE

Creating an Outline

by: Milton Trachtenburg

Writing, regardless of whether it is a story, a biography or a recipe, begins with an idea.  The idea may come to you without bidding.  Before turning the idea into the great American Novel of the Twenty-First Century, or whatever format you are writing, there are many steps you might choose to take before you begin writing the manuscript itself.  I am going to focus this article on story writing but the concepts can apply to any writing.

 

The beginning of story writing doesn't appear on page one.  As a matter‑of‑fact, it doesn't appear in the manuscript at all.  The beginning of a story takes place in the mind of the writer, or perhaps in a notebook if you are very organized, which I admit I am not.  I use Post-Its and when I am involved in a project, the walls of my office look like a giant bulletin board.  Organizing means knowing what you are going to do with the major issues that confront a writer and make up the skeleton of any piece of writing.

 

I’ve read so many novels I've lost count.  The best of them have nothing in common except that they use all of the principles I have listed below as part of the development of the work.  The ones that fall the furthest below standards acceptable for publication all have several things in common: flat dialogue in which all the characters sound like each other and like the narrator.  Narration that is boring and repetitive, using the weakest of verbs, strings of adjectives, excessive adverbs including in tags after dialogue ... he said, expressively.

 

Writing by new writers sometimes skip the critical steps I just mentioned and will describe at greater length below.  Some of the writers show that they have all the tools needed to write exceptional prose but what I will discuss are issues no one knows from birth.  It consists of tools that must be learned.  The list below is not in a particular order.  It is important to become familiar with the fact that there are many issues we must deal with before a word is committed to paper.  We need to make the following decisions, amongst others:

 

*  The nature of the protagonist.  We needs to create a three‑dimensional character and set her loose in a plot.  Our character must have many facets that, in combination, can make her unpredictable ‑‑ even to the writer. She needs to be unique in the same way each person you meet is unique. Characteristics are ot labels. They are developed over a lifetime and are always a blend of experience and birth characteristics. You can have two shy people and one ends up hosting a daytime TV show while the other develops agorophobia.

 

*  The basic storyline.  What is the story about?  Here is an example of a storyline that gets the action going but has no input into how it will get to its destination.  It differs from a plot outline in that a plot outline is a detailed account of what is going to happen and who is going to make it happen.  Here is a sample beginning of a storyline:

 

A bank caper.  Three men who met in reform school and the former girlfriend of one of them meet again twenty years later.  Each has a reason for needing a large amount of money quickly or a reason for turning to an illegal activity to get it.  Two meet by co‑incidence and involve the other two as they develop a plan to rob the former employer of one of the four. 

 

 

As you develop the issues below, you begin to develop a plot outline, character descriptions and add to the storyline until it becomes a synopses that you can use to send to a publisher.

 

The beginning of the storyline brings us to the next set of important decisions in the process that takes us from an idea to a written manuscript:

 

* The individual major characters.  What is the back story (history of the character that you may or may not share with the reader) about each one that you need in order to develop the story?  What are their strengths and flaws?  What in their background makes them susceptible to becoming a believable part of the scheme?  What in their lives creates the potential for conflict and chaos when they join with the other protagonists? What in their lives makes them susceptible to making a mistake, changing their mind or taking a different path altogether?

 

*  The narrator.  Now that you have a storyline and the primary characters, you need to pick a narrator that best fits with the style and substance of the story.  Will you use a First‑Person POV (Point-of-View) and choose one of the characters?  Would this story be written best from a Third‑Person limited POV or a Third‑Person omniscient POV?  Perhaps you are overlooking a minor character who hasn't been introduced yet who would give you the best POV.  What kind of voice do you want to give the narrator?  Does the narrator have to have the same kind of background as the characters? Decisions, decisions.

 

*  Plot outlining.  Each decision you make creates a need to make further decisions.  Do you make a plot outline with a conclusion now, or do you allow the characters to develop the story so that the conclusion will become a natural outcome of their interactions with each other, with others who are introduced as the story develops, their strengths and weaknesses and outside elements they can't control?

 

*  Back story.  How much of the information about the characters do you need to share with the reader?  How do you share it in a manner that doesn't impede the forward motion of the story?

 

*  The major problem or obstacle to the success of the protagonist.  How do you introduce the protagonist's major problem/s without being too obvious about it?  How do you pull the reader into the conflict without appearing to force the issue?

 

*  The hook.  How do you get the reader to want to read on to the end?  The first hook is a key that you want to develop that represents your style, the nature of the manuscript and will help the reader suspend disbelief. If you do not present some kind of a hook before you have finished page one, you are in danger of losing the reader.  A hook can be as simple as sneaking in a question for which the reader must have the answer and will read a considerable distance into the work to find it.  Later hooks keep the action flowing as characters are forced to make choices. In my most recently published book, a psychological mystery, my first hook was a four-word opener that created a question and a shock. It was, "Sometimes I hear voices." That forces the reader to read on because it is the kind of statement that raises questions.

 

*  The introduction of the characters.  How do you plan to bring your cast on to the stage?  You want to be realistic, yet not waste too much time with introductions?  How do you plan to build the characters so that they change as events and other characters impact upon them and they impact upon events and other characters? How do you make their inclusion seem realistic and not just hammered 9n as an afterthought?

 

* Developing each character's voice: Developing dialogue styles between the characters.  Does your writing immediately distinguish your characters’ voices from each other and from the narrator?  Does their dialogue contribute mightily to the progress of the storyline?  Is there tension and conflict in the dialogue to move the story forward?

 

* Character’s thoughts.  Do you use inner thoughts as part of the development of the protagonist and perhaps one or two additional characters?  What do you reveal in inner thoughts that makes it worthwhile to use instead of dialogue and description?

 

*  Description.  Does your description of the characters list all their attributes and characteristics like the slats of a picket fence or do you allow your character to grow in the mind of the reader?  Does  your description of events and locale overwhelm the reader with adjectives and minutia?  Do you show your story rather than tell it?  All of these issues make the difference between a flat, dull waste of time and a live, exciting manuscript.

 

*  Setting.  Where have you placed the action?  Does your story need a particular locale?  If it does, do you know enough about the locale to describe it and use it accurately?  The example I always recall regarding the description of locale bears repeating.  The writer not knowing his facts killed the veracity of a mystery I once read.  A particular scene took place on Fourteenth Street in Philadelphia.  There is no Fourteenth Street in Philadelphia.  Between Thirteenth Street and Fifteenth Street is Broad Street.  Without that knowledge, a careless writer and editor allowed that faux pas to pass muster and be printed.  One error in 400 pages of writing ruined an otherwise competent story for any reader who ever lived in Philadelphia or vicinity.  After all, you think, how many other mistakes of carelessness did the writer include that I didn’t catch?

 

*  The time frame and date.  Another task is to set the time-frame you will use to conduct the business of the story: Hours? Days? Years?  Also, you need to set the era in which it takes place: Now?  Some identifiable time in the past?  Some identifiable time in the future?  Is time relevant to the story?  If you are writing the biography of God, time is not an element except in describing some of His accomplishments.  In other stories such as the classic mystery novel, DOA (dead on arrival), the protagonist has 24 hours until he dies of poison to catch the person who killed him.

 

*  The format.  Are you writing a book‑length project, a short story, a short‑short, a novelette?  How you approach the material will vary according to what format you are writing in.  How many characters you introduce, who will narrate, the time span, the focus will depend on what kind of writing you are doing.  You wouldn’t present a short story with twenty-eight characters.  You would spend too much time trying to introduce them and nothing else would be accomplished.  You wouldn’t try to write a complete novel with only two characters unless your name was Daniel Defoe and your character was marooned on an island with a manservant.  I still believe that Robinson Crusoe would still be selling if Defoe had marooned him with a chambermaid, but that is a story of a different texture.

 

*  A working title.  Sometimes a title can serve to develop the parameters around which you will build the story.  It may not be the one the marketing department of a publisher will use, but it allows you to get the story in focus and to the editor.

 

*  The opening line.  If it is:  "It was a dark and stormy night," your name better be Snoopy or you can forget it.  It may be raining, cold and windy, but you better find a unique way to bring it into your story.  You can develop the same concept in from a personalized place.   A note about introducing the weather at all: Unless the weather is germane to the story, the less said the better.  In late Nineteenth Century writing, almost every novel would begin with a ten-page introduction to the season, the weather, the kinds of trees and the rest of the setting.  In today’s world, people have television, movies and access to the internet and know what a mansion on lovely grounds looks like.  The readers know the effects of a thunderstorm.  If rain or sleet, heat or cold, city mouse or country mouse are elements of the story, introduce it ... in brief and in a memorable manner.

 

I arrived at our rendezvous wet, cold and angry.  My first thought: Throw in the towel . . .  but not until I use it to dry myself off.

 

Ok, that was pretty loose, but you get the idea.  Be original; no clichés --- not even in your outline.  If you write your best in an outline, imagine what the manuscript will look like!  A cliché is like an old friend.  You call him with the news that you are getting married, but you don’t take him on the honeymoon.

 

I intentionally left more questions unanswered than answered in writing this piece. Learning to write is not learning answers. It is learning to formulate better questions.  Outlining doesn't write your story but it provides the parameters around which your writing can focus. It can continue to poke you with reminders of what you intend to do and how to stay on track to do it.

 

 

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Freelancers! How To Build Your Writing Brand

Starting out on your own as a freelance writer can be a daunting experience. But it's hugely exciting too. Many writers who also love to write fiction embark on this path as a way to earn extra money while working on their novel.

When it comes to making it as a successful freelance writer, there are lots of things you can do, and one of them is building your writing brand to showcase your expertise and gain bigger and better clients! Here are some tips to help you:

Think about what you want and where your talents lie

What kind of writing do you want to do? What are you passionate about? Do you have any specialist knowledge? Do you have any particular talents? Before you even start setting up your freelance business think about this and work out exactly what it is you want to do and what you are hoping to achieve.

Capture your USP and what makes you valuable

To have a successful freelance writing brand, you need to be able to sell yourself. What makes you unique? Why should a client choose you over another freelancer? What experience do you have? Why do you bring value? Asking yourself these questions and being able to capture the answers succinctly and precisely will help make your brand clearer and win you more jobs.

Create a great website

A great website is your platform to showcase exactly what you can do and make your brand very clear. Spend some time on your website, get outside opinions. Make sure people’s impressions match what you want your brand to be.

Specialise and create a particular style

While there is nothing wrong with having fingers in lots of pies, if you specialise in a particular genre or area of writing and have a very specific style this will help you with your branding and your marketing too.

Reach out to people

Don’t sit and wait for people to come to you. You need to make your brand known, and the only way you will do this is by contacting relevant people and showing them what you are made of!

Build a portfolio

A great writing portfolio speaks volumes about your writing brand, so make sure you have one, and always ask for reviews and recommendations from satisfied clients too.

Learn about marketing and SEO

Being knowledgeable about how to market your brand and make your website more visible will prove invaluable when it comes to promoting your brand and winning more clients. So do your homework and learn how best to market yourself, and you’ll reap the rewards of the effort you put in.

These tips will help you shape your brand and get it out there and into people’s minds. As soon as you begin to build up your brand and the more time and effort you put into doing so, the more noticeable and memorable your brand will become. Soon you’ll be the go-to freelancer for whatever it is you’ve decided to specialise in - and what could be better than that?!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How to Get Started with Your Writing Career

Omit needless words. Edit out the fluff; brevity wins. Introductions aren’t necessary. Writing is barely necessary. Everything worth saying can be communicated in 140 characters. Twitter is everything. Don’t tweet.

Find inspiration. Only write when the muse speaks to you. Watch another episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Watch another season. Browse Netflix. Watch episode 16 of season 5. Cry. Hate Joss Whedon for what he did to you. Not because it’s sad, but because you feel inadequate. Don’t write about it.

Dream big. Wish you could be Joss Whedon. Wonder why you’re not yet. Look up how he got his big break. Resolve to write the next cult hit. Check your phone. Scroll through Instagram for 20 minutes. Like every photo. Get annoyed when nobody Likes yours back. Post another selfie with higher contrast.

Find your voice. Pull a book from the shelf. Only read Facebook. Make jokes about only reading Facebook. Don’t use it as an opportunity to change. Every joke buys you another week of procrastination. Give into internalized pressures and read the news. Get angry about something you’ve read. Don’t write about it.

Dedicate yourself to writing. Only leave the couch to make yet another box of macaroni and cheese. Live in your underwear to save time on laundry. Tell yourself you’re an environmentalist. Skip showering, too. You probably smell fine. Remind yourself Grace Helbig barely showers too. Wonder why you’re not Grace Helbig. Watch Grace Helbig videos for several hours.

Surround yourself with brilliant people. Post on Facebook to let everyone know you’re going to see a movie. Invite people. Get disappointed when they say they’re at work. Force yourself to put on pants and see a movie alone. Park outside the theater and cry while listening to Toto’s “Africa” instead. Go through the drive-through on the way home.

Give yourself time and space to create. Ignore the call from your credit card company. Ignore the email from your editor. Ignore the text message from your mom asking how your article is coming along. Respond to the troll who made fun of your comment on one of Grace Helbig’s videos.

Enlist help. Ask your boyfriend to proofread your work. Frantically scramble for a new piece when he agrees. Realize you haven’t written in a month. Show him the piece you wrote a month ago. He’s already read it. Rats. Tell him you need it edited “for tone” this time. Ask him for merciless feedback. Defend your work from the two criticisms you heard before you tuned him out. Don’t fix or note the issues.

Be persistent. Congratulate yourself on a day of self-care you so desperately needed. Scribble a few ideas in your notebook while you brush your teeth. Look at your vision board again. Visualize your someday in the limelight. Resolve to write tomorrow. Smile. Your big break is just around the corner.

Michael Noker is a freelance writer, comedian, and LGBTQ activist based in Albuquerque, NM. You can also find his work published on Talkspace. 

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It’s a Hat, It’s a Broach, It’s a Pterodactyl!

Blogs, everyone has one. Everyone takes time to write them, SEO optimize them, each one is like a baby- that you eventually let the internet see, and hopefully love. Or at least thinks isn’t ugly, but what happens when the traffic slows down?

And you can’t make brand new, original content every day, what do you do? You can’t keep recycling babies! Can you?

In the case of blogs, you can. Blogs, and articles can have life beyond just being a post.

Videos

Having to write a script for a video is just more work, and why do it when you already have a script? One that you could break up into multiple parts, multiple videos? Not to say you shouldn’t write or edit it, for a different format, or have semblance of a script.

You can add more information, elaborate or sum your blog up with a video, or videos. Just take notes, the outline- or the entire blog, and talk to you’re a camera, you already have one on your phone or computer, or make it a more detailed production.

If you’re camera shy, there’s tools like Lumen5, just copy and paste, choose music, pictures, and voila. Adobe Spark is similar, but there’s less free music and there’s no copy and paste option, there’s also no free video. However, if you want to narrate, and can keep it under 25 slides, try Adobe Spark.

Freebies

People love free stuff, and will subscribe if you offer it. Blogs are quite easily turned into ebooks, and tools like FlipHTML5 allow you to make interactive ones. Ebooks take more work, and are less popular than videos. But a well-made ebook for a specific niche can be quite successful.

Infographics

They can be a, well, but people love them. They take time, and skill, so don’t choose your blog lightly. Infographics are also a great way to sum up information. All visual content is, people who watch your visual content are much more likely to buy your product.

Quote Blocks

These perfect little social media snippets have already written themselves, just make them look good in Photoshop, Publisher, or Canva- it already has the standard sizes and it’s mostly free. You can buy some elements, and upgrade to pro as well, at significantly less expense than other options.

You can also make blog titles, an ebook, and everything a blog or you could need.

Blogs don’t have to be another article, or post on the internet. They can be so many other, interactive, enticing things. Give your blogs a life beyond what they have now, your new audience will appreciate you for it.

 

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How To Make Book Editing Easier

Many authors dread the editing stage of the book writing process. The elation of actually having finished your novel soon dissipates when you are faced with the mammoth task of editing your book. You realise how far from finished it is and how painfully depressing it is going to be to have to strip it right back, cut out massive passages, cringe over all the clunky, awkward, boring bits and have to rewrite a great deal of it.

Yes, book editing can be somewhat daunting. However, it is an essential part of crafting your work. As we all know, unless you are a one-in-a-million exception to the rule, your first draft isn’t going to be very good, and certainly won’t be ready to send off to agents or publishers, or even to publish yourself.

So what can you do to help yourself when it comes to book editing? These tips will help get you into a positive frame of mind and make the whole process a lot easier.

Take a break

Don’t launch yourself straight into editing mode as soon as you have written your final sentence. Just leave your manuscript for a couple of weeks, take a break or work on something else. Gaining a little distance and perspective can be invaluable.

Have the right attitude

Even if you hate editing, try and approach it with a positive frame of mind. Try to trick yourself into enjoying it, and get motivated. Imagine you are donning your boxing gloves and stepping into the ring, play some inspiring music, meditate - do whatever works for you to get into the right headspace for editing, and then just go for it.

Read it aloud (or have your computer do it)

Reading your story aloud can be so helpful and will help you not only pick up mistakes but also notice where sentences just don’t sound right and need more work. Both Mac’s and PC’s have options to read text aloud, so if you don’t want to do it yourself, have your computer do it for you.

Know your weak points and crutch words

If you overuse a particular word, are lazy with certain descriptions, spell the same word wrong all the time - do a search for them and then change them to something else. You’ll often be shocked at how regularly you drop in your favourite crutch words without realising, and weeding these out can make a big difference to the text.

Use a spelling and grammar editor to help you

Even if you have a pretty good handle on your spelling and grammar, a good online editor can be so helpful. You might have to pay, but seeing how many errors it pulls up can get your manuscript in much better shape. Obviously, hiring a professional editor to look at your manuscript before you send it to publishers is a good idea, but if you choose not to, this is the bare minimum you should do.

Format according to industry standards

Every agent and publishing house will have precise submission guidelines that you should follow. However, formatting your manuscript to industry standards beforehand will make it a lot easier to tweak it here and there to meet them, and therefore save you time and effort later on.

Know when enough is enough

You are never going to make your manuscript perfect and flawless, and the sooner you accept that, the better. Recognise when you have done enough and be confident in your work. No publisher is going to bin a brilliant manuscript because of a couple of errors or clunky sentences. So don’t keep editing forever, chances are there is a point where you will probably start making it worse.

We know that using the above tips won’t necessarily make editing your book a walk in the park, but they will help keep you on the right track and hopefully make the whole process a little easier. Remember, when you are done editing your book will be in so much better shape and then it’s time to start getting excited about what to do with it next!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Top Tips From Famous Authors

As authors, one of the best things we can do to help ourselves is be open to learning more and more, and listen to advice from people who have 'been there and done that' already.

Writing a novel, or even a novella, or short story can take considerable effort. There can be days where we find it impossible to get motivated. There can be moments where we question our sanity. There can be times where we just get stuck and don’t know how to continue.

In these moments of panic or despair, it can often be helpful to turn to other authors for advice. If nothing else, it’s good to know that we are not alone and that even famous and successful authors have had to cope with the same struggles and problems as we have.

So if you are having a terrible writing day, never fear! Check out these top tips from famous authors to see if they can help you.

"It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way."

- Ernest Hemingway

"Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you."

- Zadie Smith

“Remember – the first draft is as bad as the book is ever going to be.”

-Emily Friendship

"In the planning stage of a book, don't plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it."

- Rose Tremain

"Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper, you can lose an idea forever."

- Will Self

"It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction." — Jonathan Franzen

"Interesting verbs are seldom very interesting.”

- Jonathan Franzen

"Read it aloud to yourself because that's the only way to be sure the rhythms of the sentences are OK (prose rhythms are too complex and subtle to be thought out—they can be got right only by ear)."

- Diana Athill

"Listen to the criticisms and preferences of your trusted 'first readers.'"

- Rose Tremain

"Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money."

- Jonathan Franzen

"Be your own editor/critic. Sympathetic but merciless!"

- Joyce Carol Oates

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand."

- George Orwell

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”

- Toni Morrison

"The reader is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator."

- Jonathan Franzen

"Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful."

- Elmore Leonard

"The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-it on the wall in front of my desk saying ‘Faire et se taire’ (Flaubert), which I translate for myself as ‘Shut up and get on with it.’”

- Helen Simpson

“To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. No great and enduring volume can ever be written on the flea, though many there be that have tried it.”

- Herman Melville

Remember, every single author has had a tough time with their writing at one point or another. So just keep going, and take inspiration from these powerful quotes and tips from famous authors, and you’ll soon be back on the right track.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Get Through The Second Draft Of Your Book

Finishing the first draft of your novel is an exciting and elating experience. This applies in particular to first-time writers, and there is nothing quite like writing the final line of the last chapter and realising that you’ve done it, you’ve made it to the end!

Well..sort of.

Of course, as we all know finishing writing your novel does not mean that you’ve finished it. While it’s good and indeed necessary to celebrate having done so, many authors believe it is only when you have finished your first draft that the real work begins.

Surviving the second draft of your novel is a challenge. It’s where you realise that quite a lot of what you initially wrote was in a sleep-deprived stupor, that your book is full of inconsistencies, spelling and grammar mistakes and a fair bit of it is actually  quite boring!

Writing the second draft is where your book begins to take shape, where it becomes something exciting, something that actually might just appeal to an agent or publisher. However, it is also the most difficult and draining part of writing a book. Trying to shape everything you have written, being able to distance yourself from this piece of work that you poured your heart and soul into, being open to criticism and able to spot mistakes, is truly hard.

So what are the strategies you can put in place to get you through your second draft?

Embrace chaos

It can be a bit overwhelming to start ploughing through your first draft, particularly if you aren’t feeling too positive about it. However, now is the time to embrace the chaos. No one’s first draft is slick and sleek and brilliant - remember that. Sure, it will take some time to work through everything and get your book in order, but now is the time to persevere and stay positive.

Find useful apps

There are LOADS of useful writing apps there that can help you with the editing process. Simply have a search online and look at what’s on offer. Many writers swear by using these tools to keep them organised and on track.

Create goals and deadlines

You are never going to get through your second draft unless you set some useful, well thought out goals for yourself. Think about what you need to do to get your book in good shape and then give yourself reasonable, realistic deadlines and make sure you prioritise this over everything else. Otherwise, it’s all too easy to lose interest in your book and see all that hard work go to waste.

Worry about one thing at a time

Trying to edit your book all at once may be a good idea. Concentrate on content, structure, and plot at first - this is probably the hardest part. Then look at spelling and grammar later. Spelling and grammar is the easiest thing to check so wait and do this last otherwise you might run out of steam before you’ve even tackled the tough stuff.

Don’t go over and over the same piece trying to make it perfect

It’s so easy just to keep reading and re-reading your first five chapters, tearing them apart and building them back up again over and over again. This is not an ideal way to edit your book, and you’ll end up with a knockout beginning which then trails off. Go through each chapter once at first and then come back to it. You can always go over it again later if needs be.

Get a second opinion

Useful critiques of your book are invaluable at this stage. Find yourself a writing partner who can support and advise you, or be brave and find people you know will give you an entirely unbiased opinion to get some feedback (there are websites and forums online for this). Getting constructive criticism and using it wisely will help you see your book through another person's eyes and shed light on errors that you may not have otherwise seen.

By following the above, you can successfully navigate your way through the minefield that is drafting your second book. We can’t promise that it will be perfect by the time you have finished, but you’ll have chipped away sufficiently that you’ll be able to see the clearing through the trees.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Why Writing Is Important

Sometimes it is good to take a step back and contemplate how crucial writing is to the world. For many writers the process of writing, while at times, inspirational, joyful, cathartic and exciting, can also often seem like a thankless, tireless task, and we can find ourselves wondering why we keep doing it!

However, actually appreciating the impact that writing can have, on ourselves and our readers is important to consider and appreciate from time to time, particularly in those darker moments where we despair and wonder whether we are wasting our time.

So what are the reasons that writing is so important? Can it actually build a better world and help people find a clearer path, a better way? I think so. Here are some of the ways why writing is so important.

Because life has meaning

Writing explores the meaning of life. In many different ways, and however big or small, each story we write has a meaning, a lesson to be learned or a thought to be examined. Writing helps us to find more meaning in the everyday things. It can make ordinary lives extraordinary, and that’s incredibly inspiring.

Because stories help us find our truth

Stories explore lots of different truths. For writers, the process can be incredibly cathartic, and the process of writing helps us be completely honest with ourselves and explore thoughts that perhaps we would hide from ourselves in other situations.

Because escaping to another world can be the one thing we need

Reading is one of the best forms of escapism out there, and it’s cheap and healthy too! When writers do their job well, readers are transported into another world, and if they, as we all sometimes do, are looking for somewhere to lose themselves and forget their problems for a while, reading can be the perfect vessel to do just that.

Because stories explore emotion

We all struggle with our emotions from time to time. Good books explore and express many different kinds of emotion, and the fictional characters created come to life because of it. In doing so they also become people whom readers feel close to, who get exactly what they are going through, and that can be incredibly helpful and healing.

Because we are all on a journey

A good story takes us on a journey, and, wherever that journey ends up, because of that very fact, stories reflect real life. We are all on a journey of some kind after all, and reading can help remind us of that, help us believe we can overcome our obstacles and that we should keep moving forward no matter what.

Because well all need heroes

Everyone needs someone to look up to, to inspire them. The heroes and heroines we find in literature have the power to make us think differently, to inspire change. They can become incredibly meaningful to the reader and can move them, motivate them, and, in some instances even save them!

So there you have it, if you were ever doubtful that your writing is worthless or meaningless then think again. So what if your story hasn't been read by millions? So what if your writing scares you a little? Writing truly is a gift, and if you have that gift and that passion, you shouldn’t hide it. Instead, share it, set it free, and even if you reach one person, that’s surely something to be immensely proud of!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Why Writing Is Important appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Want To Be A Better Writer? Become An Editor!

Many writers, unfortunately, are unable to give up their day jobs to write full-time. However, while finding ways to make money through your writing can take time and considerable effort, there are some fantastic career options out there. Ones that can help pay the bills and contribute to improving your writing at the same time.

One of these is becoming an editor. Considering a career as an editor is a smart move and can not only become a lucrative and rewarding job that you enjoy day to day, but it can also help you advance your writing career as well.

So how does being an editor help you become a better writer? Let’s take a look.

You read lots

The more you read, the more you’ll naturally absorb good writing lessons. Being an editor, of course, requires a lot of reading - and while everything that gets sent your way might not be mind-blowing fiction, you’ll get a lot of exposure into different genres and styles of writing which you can use to inspire and influence your own.

You'll have perfect grammar

Of course, one thing that is hugely off-putting for agents and publishers is a poorly edited manuscript. Becoming an editor will require you to be an absolute perfectionist when it comes to spelling, punctuation and grammar - key requirements of any manuscript that wants to stand a chance of being taken seriously. Becoming a grammar buff will mean your writing will include fewer mistakes from the outset, but also you’ll easily be able to identify them when you edit your own work, and then present a flawless manuscript to agents and publishers when it’s time to send yours off.

You'll understand what works (and what doesn't)

Being an editor will help you figure out what makes a great story. The more manuscripts you edit, the more you’ll become aware of patterns and elements of those you enjoy and don’t have to correct much, and those you can’t get into and that need a lot more work. Understanding the distinction is invaluable when it comes to writing your own stories.

You'll find the editing stage a lot easier

If you are already a professional editor, when it comes to editing your own work, you are going to find this a lot easier. Being an editor, you’ll have a trained eye and a better ability to step back from your work and look at it objectively. This will help you be more ruthless and be able to cut down and spot inconstancies and errors easier which will make the process of editing your book a lot quicker and more satisfying too. Plus you won’t have to enlist and pay for the services of a professional editor - so it’s a win-win!

Do you think you have got what it takes to become an editor? Doing so could be the ideal career for a writer and will pay the bills  - until you become a bestselling author yourself that is!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Want To Be A Better Writer? Become An Editor! appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Turn Your Creative Ideas Into Realities

All writing usually starts with a creative idea. It could strike you at any moment, be it on the bus on your way to work, upon waking from a dream in the middle of the night, or even when you’re, ahem, daydreaming in the midst of the working day.

Ideas feel exciting and inspiring. We furiously write them down, full of the adrenaline that comes with the feeling that we might be onto something good.

However, when it comes to turning those ideas into a reality, i.e. an actual piece of writing suddenly all the excitement and adrenaline can come to a grinding and starling halt. For it is not as easy as simply freely writing whatever comes next into your head. To craft a good piece of writing your idea needs to be explored, developed, even tamed to make it work.

Of course turning creative ideas into a reality is difficult, after all, if it were easy then everyone would be doing it! That’s what sets writers apart - their ability to understand what is required of them to turn those ideas into something more.

So what can you do to turn your creative ideas into realities? Let's take a look.

Brainstorm

Once you have had that initial flicker or lightning bolt of an idea, you need to brainstorm around it. This can be a good way of trying to keep that creative spark going without imposing too many rules on yourself at first. Get everything out and then step back and look at what you have got to work with.

Craft and shape

Now you need to craft and shape your idea, group words and phrases together, ask questions about your characters, pick out themes and start to develop your plot. Create a skeleton outline of what your story will look like - does it work, does it make sense? This is where you’ll find out if your idea can actually make it.

Sell your vision

A writer is a salesperson, and if they don’t believe in themselves, and aren’t able to sell their work and ideas, then all could be lost. Imagine you are pitching your idea to an agent or editor - you should be able to describe it succinctly while delivering the biggest impact possible.

Understand that it will take time

Being patient is so important. Just because you have that eureka moment it doesn’t necessarily mean your book will come to you in one great outpouring of creativity. Take your time, figure out what works and what doesn't, and be patient and willing to spend time developing your story.

Get a second opinion - and a third

Sometimes we can become so invested in our ideas it’s hard to find solutions when we hit obstacles along the way. Getting outside opinions or having someone look at your work with a fresh set of eyes and offer you their thoughts, can be extremely useful. So don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Change is OK

Some ideas will turn out completely different to how they started - and that’s OK. It’s all part of the creative process. It may be that as you write your initial idea almost becomes defunct. But if that happens just go with what your instincts are telling you, don’t keep trying to turn your writing back to link to the original idea if you have to force it somehow.

Learn to let some ideas go

Unfortunately not all ideas, however great they first may seem, have the legs to turn into fantastic stories. Learning when to let an idea go and go back to the drawing board is so important and will stop you wasting your time.

Coming up with new ideas is one of the most exciting parts of being a writer, and watching them develop and grow can be so rewarding. Follow the above tips to turn your creative ideas into actual, real pieces of writing and see where your work takes you!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post How To Turn Your Creative Ideas Into Realities appeared first on Writer's Life.org.