Craig Nova's Blog: The Writing Life
June 15, 2019
Things I know About Writing
I know ten things about writing, or these are the things I think I know.
Number 1
The first thing I’ve learned is that fiction is comprised of a series of elements, that is structure, point of view, character, language, vision, story, and the like. And that each one of these things can be a tool, that is if you are having trouble with a story, it is a good idea to take one of these elements, say point of view, and change it. The way this seems to work is that by making the change it is possible to discover something about the story or characters that you didn’t know before. The change isn’t just a way of trying to get a story to work, but a way of discovering things.
This came about from reading an essay by Mark Shorer called Technique as Discovery. He says, more or less, that when someone changes the form of a story, from, say, drama to poetry, the author will learn something that was unknown. It seemed to me that if this worked for changing from one form to another, why then it would probably work when you changed one element, that is, point of view or structure and the like.
For instance, let’s say you are writing a story about a man and a woman who are having breakfast. They are also breaking up. But it doesn’t work. So, the first thing would be to change the point of view. If it’s told from the woman’s point of view, change it to the man’s. If that doesn’t work, change it to the point of view of a neighbor who is listening through the wall of the next door apartment and if that doesn’t work, have him tell the story to his girl friend. Or, maybe tell it from the point of view of a burglar who has broken into the apartment where the man and woman are having an argument, and who is hiding in a closet and listening to them.
Anyway, the idea here is to say that each element of fiction, character, structure, language etc isn’t so much just a word, or a critical notion, but a tool. Almost every aspect of writing a piece of fiction is adjustable, and it is this possibility that makes for really good writing.
Number 1
The first thing I’ve learned is that fiction is comprised of a series of elements, that is structure, point of view, character, language, vision, story, and the like. And that each one of these things can be a tool, that is if you are having trouble with a story, it is a good idea to take one of these elements, say point of view, and change it. The way this seems to work is that by making the change it is possible to discover something about the story or characters that you didn’t know before. The change isn’t just a way of trying to get a story to work, but a way of discovering things.
This came about from reading an essay by Mark Shorer called Technique as Discovery. He says, more or less, that when someone changes the form of a story, from, say, drama to poetry, the author will learn something that was unknown. It seemed to me that if this worked for changing from one form to another, why then it would probably work when you changed one element, that is, point of view or structure and the like.
For instance, let’s say you are writing a story about a man and a woman who are having breakfast. They are also breaking up. But it doesn’t work. So, the first thing would be to change the point of view. If it’s told from the woman’s point of view, change it to the man’s. If that doesn’t work, change it to the point of view of a neighbor who is listening through the wall of the next door apartment and if that doesn’t work, have him tell the story to his girl friend. Or, maybe tell it from the point of view of a burglar who has broken into the apartment where the man and woman are having an argument, and who is hiding in a closet and listening to them.
Anyway, the idea here is to say that each element of fiction, character, structure, language etc isn’t so much just a word, or a critical notion, but a tool. Almost every aspect of writing a piece of fiction is adjustable, and it is this possibility that makes for really good writing.
June 14, 2019
The Key To Getting To The End Of A Novel
My experience, in writing 14 novels, is that I set a certain number of pages that I have to do every day, no matter what. For me, this is 5 to 7 pages, and they could drop the A bomb and I will do the pages. Sometimes, of course, or many times, I will throw what I write away.
Here is a link to my desk in the Atlantic Monthly.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...
You have to scroll down to see the pile of paper, but it is there.
I think, too, that the key to writing is the ability to tolerate imperfection. Most writers I know who give up can’t stand the idea that for many drafts a book will be a mess. They want it to be clean, clear and polished right away, and the only way that happens is by revising. Cold comfort, but there you have it.
Here is a link to my desk in the Atlantic Monthly.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...
You have to scroll down to see the pile of paper, but it is there.
I think, too, that the key to writing is the ability to tolerate imperfection. Most writers I know who give up can’t stand the idea that for many drafts a book will be a mess. They want it to be clean, clear and polished right away, and the only way that happens is by revising. Cold comfort, but there you have it.
The Writing Life
An American Novelist includes details about writing, the writing life (that is the practical details of the life of a novelist), and practical advice for writers.
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