Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "creative-writing"
Write Using Your Life Experiences
No matter who you are, no matter your age, location, or worldview, everyone has a unique life experience that’s worth looking at for stories. It could be a childhood memory that brings you happiness, one that brings you sadness, or it could be something more recent that happened to you that has the potential to be the seed for your next story. Even if that story is a short one, looking through your past to find events that have potential to grow and expand into narratives is a useful tool when you have writer’s block, are looking for an interesting backstory for a character you’ve already created or are creating, or even as a creative writing exercise before you sit down to work on a project for the day.
No matter what the case may be, looking for stories from you own life experience can enhance your stories by giving it a uniqueness and a genuineness that only you can bring to it. After all, it happened to you, and only you know how you felt when the event took place. Use those thoughts, feelings, and emotions to create a dimensional story that has some weight to it when seen by a reader. It may just deliver the impact your story needs.
When developing my novel, The Field, I used my own life experience of being abducted to construct Daniel’s narrative. Then I used my own thoughts, feelings, and emotions from that traumatic event to enhance drama of the story. In doing so, I wanted to bring the reader into that space and truly experience what I did through the character of Daniel, but from the safety of reader’s bedroom, living room, or backyard.
Your unique life experiences can be a powerful tool when it comes to creating strong narratives and strong, dimensional characters. Never be afraid to use the resource that’s always with you. You!
No matter what the case may be, looking for stories from you own life experience can enhance your stories by giving it a uniqueness and a genuineness that only you can bring to it. After all, it happened to you, and only you know how you felt when the event took place. Use those thoughts, feelings, and emotions to create a dimensional story that has some weight to it when seen by a reader. It may just deliver the impact your story needs.
When developing my novel, The Field, I used my own life experience of being abducted to construct Daniel’s narrative. Then I used my own thoughts, feelings, and emotions from that traumatic event to enhance drama of the story. In doing so, I wanted to bring the reader into that space and truly experience what I did through the character of Daniel, but from the safety of reader’s bedroom, living room, or backyard.
Your unique life experiences can be a powerful tool when it comes to creating strong narratives and strong, dimensional characters. Never be afraid to use the resource that’s always with you. You!
Write What You Know
One of the nice things about writing is that we all know something about something. Everyone has knowledge about topics and activities that can be used to either create a story, enhance a story, or give new life to a story in the re-write phase. This concept goes beyond life experience, which I wrote about yesterday, but it does include your opinions and views on topics based on your experiences with them.
Think about something you enjoy. Maybe it’s a sport. Maybe it’s a school subject like history or science. Maybe you know a lot about cooking, or gardening, or arts and crafts. Whatever it is, you know enough about it or you can do research to find out more about in in order to incorporate it into a story. And if you have a fresh take on a familiar topic, you can always dig in and write a how-to book or blog that can help others experience that topic from a new perspective.
The point is that we all know a lot about a lot of topics and things. We all feel we are an expert in something that we are interested in and love. So why not use that information and passion for that topic and make it a part of the plot for your next story? Maybe it can even be the interest of your main character.
Make a list of five or more topics or interests you feel you know really well. Can any of them be used to create a story or character? The next time you feel stuck by writer’s block, look at this list and see if it sparks something that will help you move ahead in your story or just get you writing in order to keep a block from stopping your writing altogether.
Think about something you enjoy. Maybe it’s a sport. Maybe it’s a school subject like history or science. Maybe you know a lot about cooking, or gardening, or arts and crafts. Whatever it is, you know enough about it or you can do research to find out more about in in order to incorporate it into a story. And if you have a fresh take on a familiar topic, you can always dig in and write a how-to book or blog that can help others experience that topic from a new perspective.
The point is that we all know a lot about a lot of topics and things. We all feel we are an expert in something that we are interested in and love. So why not use that information and passion for that topic and make it a part of the plot for your next story? Maybe it can even be the interest of your main character.
Make a list of five or more topics or interests you feel you know really well. Can any of them be used to create a story or character? The next time you feel stuck by writer’s block, look at this list and see if it sparks something that will help you move ahead in your story or just get you writing in order to keep a block from stopping your writing altogether.
The Field - From Word Doc to Paperback, Part One
The manuscript for my novel, The Field, sat in a file on my computer for years before I decided to make the move to get it published. Sure, it was ready to go, but I would occasionally open the Word doc and tweak little things every once in a while. However, I knew it was done when the ideas I had late at night for lines of dialogue or sequences to include were already in the book. I knew then that it was time to take the next step into publishing the novel.But I was afraid. I’ll admit it. I was terrified of having to deal with trolls on social media after releasing The Field to the public. I had already left Facebook and Instagram back in 2016 during the election cycle, so I was overly cautious about jumping back into the social media fray as an author.
And so, I waited…and waited…and made excuses…and waited.
And then one day, as I was getting my haircut, the woman who cuts my hair asked me for the 100th time how my novel was coming along and why I hadn’t published it yet. I finally told her why: I was afraid of what the response would be on social media. She looked at me in the mirror and said, “F**k those trolls! Publish your damn book!” Since she had clippers next to my head I agreed that it was time.
And she was 100% right. It was time to publish the book.
That weekend, I went home and started to do research on how to self-publish. Previous to this, I had sent out query letters the traditional way years prior to no avail. I knew that eBooks were popular – I certainly have a Kindle full of them – so I decided to publish my novel initially as an eBook.
And so the process began, and tomorrow I will tell you what steps I took to take The Field from computer file to published novel.
When Writing a Novel, Don't Rush Your Story
We live in a society where the majority of people want things fast, and they want them now. From food to other products, people demand immediacy, and any time period above that can often result in one-star Yelp! reviews or complaints on social media.
Even with entertainment or news we’ve become accustomed to soundbites, YouTube clips, and quick hits on the News app on our phones, giving us the gist with no real depth or further information. And the majority of society is just fine with this.
So, what happens when you are planning out a novel or screenplay with that mindset of how the world is with its lack of attention and need to get things fast? It can make a writer think they have to deliver story, character, and more at a breakneck pace, which is contradictory to what the point of a novel is.
SLOW IT DOWN!
Your story can be fast-paced, but if you start to rush through chapters just to get to what you think is the “fun stuff” it can cheat your reader – and yourself, the writer – out of delving deeper into the world you are creating. Take your time and deliver chapters that have meaning to the story, develop character, and bolster the themes you want to communicate. Don’t be afraid to slow it down a bit.
As a writer, I often find myself doing this, especially if I know that something really fun, action-packed, or exciting is coming up soon. You get the feeling to just gloss over things in order to get to the fun stuff. But if you cheat the story, you cheat the reader, and that’s the last thing you want to do.
The big sequences should be earned, and the reader needs to feel that they have taken a journey with the characters where both get the big sequences when they are deserved in the story. Not because the author got impatient and wanted to jump ahead.
That being said, if you are a writer – like myself – who likes to write those sequences when they pop in your head, don’t be afraid to just write them. You can always write the connective tissue that comes before and joins the fun stuff to the rest of the story. This can also help you as you write the chapters prior to the scene create momentum that drives the story and the reader toward the big event.
It’s also key when you’re writing to give your reader as much information about what’s going on as possible. Utilize the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. And also the sixth: thought. As the author you can describe all of these things and use them to teleport your reader into the world you have created for them. Put the reader there with your characters, in their heads, and make them feel like they are part of the story.
Novels are meant to be long. They are meant to take their time to tell stories that have a lot of moving parts, the delve into the psyches and inner-workings of the characters, and give the reader an immersive experience. While we do live in a world where it seems like less is more and faster is better, don’t forget that novel readers don’t want to take a trip in a car going 150mph, they want to take the train with it slower pace and multiple stops.
Take your reader on a journey they don’t mind being on for a while. They’ll be happier when they get to the final destination, and as the writer you will be satisfied that you wrote them a quality that took its time a really delivered.
What do you think? Does taking your time and developing story, character, and description still matter? Or have readers become impatient with novels that take their time? Leave a comment and let me know.
Even with entertainment or news we’ve become accustomed to soundbites, YouTube clips, and quick hits on the News app on our phones, giving us the gist with no real depth or further information. And the majority of society is just fine with this.
So, what happens when you are planning out a novel or screenplay with that mindset of how the world is with its lack of attention and need to get things fast? It can make a writer think they have to deliver story, character, and more at a breakneck pace, which is contradictory to what the point of a novel is.
SLOW IT DOWN!
Your story can be fast-paced, but if you start to rush through chapters just to get to what you think is the “fun stuff” it can cheat your reader – and yourself, the writer – out of delving deeper into the world you are creating. Take your time and deliver chapters that have meaning to the story, develop character, and bolster the themes you want to communicate. Don’t be afraid to slow it down a bit.
As a writer, I often find myself doing this, especially if I know that something really fun, action-packed, or exciting is coming up soon. You get the feeling to just gloss over things in order to get to the fun stuff. But if you cheat the story, you cheat the reader, and that’s the last thing you want to do.
The big sequences should be earned, and the reader needs to feel that they have taken a journey with the characters where both get the big sequences when they are deserved in the story. Not because the author got impatient and wanted to jump ahead.
That being said, if you are a writer – like myself – who likes to write those sequences when they pop in your head, don’t be afraid to just write them. You can always write the connective tissue that comes before and joins the fun stuff to the rest of the story. This can also help you as you write the chapters prior to the scene create momentum that drives the story and the reader toward the big event.
It’s also key when you’re writing to give your reader as much information about what’s going on as possible. Utilize the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. And also the sixth: thought. As the author you can describe all of these things and use them to teleport your reader into the world you have created for them. Put the reader there with your characters, in their heads, and make them feel like they are part of the story.
Novels are meant to be long. They are meant to take their time to tell stories that have a lot of moving parts, the delve into the psyches and inner-workings of the characters, and give the reader an immersive experience. While we do live in a world where it seems like less is more and faster is better, don’t forget that novel readers don’t want to take a trip in a car going 150mph, they want to take the train with it slower pace and multiple stops.
Take your reader on a journey they don’t mind being on for a while. They’ll be happier when they get to the final destination, and as the writer you will be satisfied that you wrote them a quality that took its time a really delivered.
What do you think? Does taking your time and developing story, character, and description still matter? Or have readers become impatient with novels that take their time? Leave a comment and let me know.
Keeping Your Characters Off-Balance
Should your main characters ever feel comfortable? Should they ever feel like everything is okay and their life is going just fine? Of course, the answer to these questions – especially when dealing with fictional characters – is an emphatic NO. Over the course of the story, it is your job as a writer to keep them as off-balance as possible.
In the real world, we often have a strong desire for balance and calm in our daily lives. Too much stress or anxiety can take its toll on the human mind, body, and spirit, so we often escape to places where we can refresh and recharge. With fictional characters, this sense of calm should be a constant struggle to obtain. It not only can make them more in-depth as characters, it can also make for a better story.
The old adage is that Conflict = Drama. And drama is what drives the story forward. Like most writers, I tend to want to protect my main characters from harm. But in doing so you do a great disservice to your characters and your readers. Putting your characters in harm’s way, giving them impossible situations to get out of, and relentlessly giving them obstacles to overcome makes for a better story and can help strengthen and add dimension to your characters.
This is where the concept of the Character Arc comes into play. Your characters should evolve and change over the course of the story, and keeping them off-balance and having to find ways to try and resolve their problems helps them grow as characters. Don’t forget that your main character should go through some sort of change or metamorphosis over the course of the story.
Granted, you want to give the reader a sense of what is a normal day for your characters before the inciting incident turns their world upside down. That’s fine. It’s what Joseph Campbell refers to as The Ordinary World. But once that Ordinary World is thrown off, it’s time to take your characters on a very bumpy ride.
Your main character’s primary goal – aside from the goals your set forth for them once the story gets underway – is to return to their normal as fast as possible. Don’t let them get there. And even once the goal of the story has been achieved and their world seems to be back to normal, the journey they have taken over the course of the story has forever changed them ion some significant way.
They can never return to the Old Normal they had before the story began. And that’s a good thing. They have grown as a character. They have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. And they have come out the other side a stronger, more realized person because of their journey.
It is often during times of great stress or trauma that real people show their true colors. It is your job as a writer to create these types of situations for your characters to keep them off-balance. It doesn’t have to be a life-threatening event, but it should be something that will forever change them for the better…or worse.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know.
In the real world, we often have a strong desire for balance and calm in our daily lives. Too much stress or anxiety can take its toll on the human mind, body, and spirit, so we often escape to places where we can refresh and recharge. With fictional characters, this sense of calm should be a constant struggle to obtain. It not only can make them more in-depth as characters, it can also make for a better story.
The old adage is that Conflict = Drama. And drama is what drives the story forward. Like most writers, I tend to want to protect my main characters from harm. But in doing so you do a great disservice to your characters and your readers. Putting your characters in harm’s way, giving them impossible situations to get out of, and relentlessly giving them obstacles to overcome makes for a better story and can help strengthen and add dimension to your characters.
This is where the concept of the Character Arc comes into play. Your characters should evolve and change over the course of the story, and keeping them off-balance and having to find ways to try and resolve their problems helps them grow as characters. Don’t forget that your main character should go through some sort of change or metamorphosis over the course of the story.
Granted, you want to give the reader a sense of what is a normal day for your characters before the inciting incident turns their world upside down. That’s fine. It’s what Joseph Campbell refers to as The Ordinary World. But once that Ordinary World is thrown off, it’s time to take your characters on a very bumpy ride.
Your main character’s primary goal – aside from the goals your set forth for them once the story gets underway – is to return to their normal as fast as possible. Don’t let them get there. And even once the goal of the story has been achieved and their world seems to be back to normal, the journey they have taken over the course of the story has forever changed them ion some significant way.
They can never return to the Old Normal they had before the story began. And that’s a good thing. They have grown as a character. They have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. And they have come out the other side a stronger, more realized person because of their journey.
It is often during times of great stress or trauma that real people show their true colors. It is your job as a writer to create these types of situations for your characters to keep them off-balance. It doesn’t have to be a life-threatening event, but it should be something that will forever change them for the better…or worse.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know.
Using Empathy & Sympathy in Your Writing
What’s the difference between Empathy and Sympathy? When it comes to writing, should we use one over the other? Should we use both? Do they even matter?
The short answer is yes. They do matter. And both can help your reader connect with the problems and conflicts faced by your main character over the course of the story. So, let’s define each word.
Empathy - the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.
Source: Merriam-Webster
Empathy allows the reader to jump into your main characters shoes and experience what they are experiencing even if they never have. It helps create an emotional bond between the reader and character. A way to connect them on a deeper level that in turn keeps the reader caring about the main character and their situation.
Sympathy - an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other.
Source: Merriam-Webster
Sympathy allows the reader to feel bad for the plight or situation of a character even if they can’t directly identify with the experience. This is much more surface level emotion, while empathy digs deeper into the feelings and emotions of the reader.
If you want your reader to have a full immersive experience in your story, ensuring that they can either empathize or sympathize with your main character is key. Whether the reader has gone through a similar situation as your main character or not, making them invest their emotions and feelings into the struggles and conflicts your main character is going through will keep the reader engaged and invested.
It all comes down to the concept of caring. Does the reader care about the characters? Do they have a level of compassion for them? Do they hope they succeed and want to be there with them when they achieve their goals?
If you as the author don’t care about your characters, the reader won’t either. Take the time to give your characters emotional weight and put them in situations that will create a sense of empathy or sympathy for them with the reader. Readers need someone to root for and identify with in a story, and adding these levels of emotional connectivity can ensure that your readers and characters will connect over the course of the story.
Do you utilize Empathy and Sympathy in your writing? Is one more important to you than the other? Is it important for the reader to empathize or sympathize with your main character? Leave a comment and let me know.
The short answer is yes. They do matter. And both can help your reader connect with the problems and conflicts faced by your main character over the course of the story. So, let’s define each word.
Empathy - the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.
Source: Merriam-Webster
Empathy allows the reader to jump into your main characters shoes and experience what they are experiencing even if they never have. It helps create an emotional bond between the reader and character. A way to connect them on a deeper level that in turn keeps the reader caring about the main character and their situation.
Sympathy - an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other.
Source: Merriam-Webster
Sympathy allows the reader to feel bad for the plight or situation of a character even if they can’t directly identify with the experience. This is much more surface level emotion, while empathy digs deeper into the feelings and emotions of the reader.
If you want your reader to have a full immersive experience in your story, ensuring that they can either empathize or sympathize with your main character is key. Whether the reader has gone through a similar situation as your main character or not, making them invest their emotions and feelings into the struggles and conflicts your main character is going through will keep the reader engaged and invested.
It all comes down to the concept of caring. Does the reader care about the characters? Do they have a level of compassion for them? Do they hope they succeed and want to be there with them when they achieve their goals?
If you as the author don’t care about your characters, the reader won’t either. Take the time to give your characters emotional weight and put them in situations that will create a sense of empathy or sympathy for them with the reader. Readers need someone to root for and identify with in a story, and adding these levels of emotional connectivity can ensure that your readers and characters will connect over the course of the story.
Do you utilize Empathy and Sympathy in your writing? Is one more important to you than the other? Is it important for the reader to empathize or sympathize with your main character? Leave a comment and let me know.
Are You Holding Back in Your Writing Because of Social Media?
In a world where people seem to be offended by anything and everything, it can be a daunting task for a creative person to navigate the choppy waters of what will and won’t evoke controversy hour-by-hour. No matter the topic, it seems like someone can find a way to twist it into their own meaning pretzel with plenty of negative connotations. And when the world seems to be backfilling with these types of oftentimes innocuous offenses, many creative types may be afraid to truly express themselves.
The solution: Don’t allow hashtags and comments on social media to dictate what you want to express in your story. If you have an idea for something a character does or says, then you start to think about how Twitter or Facebook of Reddit will react, the trolls have won even before you’ve expressed yourself.
You can’t let that happen.
You have a story to tell. And you cannot let anonymous people online dictate what you want to say in your story. You just can’t allow that type of false pressure to squelch your creativity. Even before the internet there were people who hated and were offended by things they read or saw. Just because those people have a larger more vocal platform now doesn’t mean you should allow them to get into your head and beat down your ideas.
Maybe your story has controversial elements or themes. Maybe you explore domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, or other hot button topics. Maybe you have a character who is a racist or sexist; who uses language that you wouldn’t use but they do. As a creative person, you need to do what’s best for your project. If it evokes anger, offense, or hashtags against you and your work, so be it.
Hey, you can’t please everyone.
And that’s the main thing you have to remember. More people when they dislike something are likely to comment on it than those who like or enjoy something. And what is odd is that usually when reviews or comments are negative, people tend to want to find out the truth for themselves instead of just going off of what some person has posted online.
And example: Joker. Here’s a recent film that was maligned in the press, by many critics, by people online, and other groups for weeks prior to its release. The star and director were hounded with questions about the film’s violent content, the red carpet premiere did not allow the press to ask questions, and the fear of the film spawning violence led to the U.S. military issuing a warning, and some theaters adding extra security.
All pretty negative things against the movie, and yet it was the highest grossing film for an October release and is set to break other R-rated film box office records. There’s also Oscar buzz around Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Joker.
The filmmakers didn’t hold back. They didn’t listen to the critics and edit the film down to a safe PG-13. They stuck to their vision of the film and released it as is. And the results were effective and the negative outcry probably had a positive outcome for the film overall.
Joker is the perfect example of how as creative individuals we need to do what’s best for our story. We need to tell the story we want to tell. Tell the story you want to tell without the fear of social media backlash churning in the back of your mind.
Tell your story. Not theirs.
Do you find yourself editing and toning elements of your story down due to fear of what may be said about you or your story on social media? Leave a comment and let me know.
The solution: Don’t allow hashtags and comments on social media to dictate what you want to express in your story. If you have an idea for something a character does or says, then you start to think about how Twitter or Facebook of Reddit will react, the trolls have won even before you’ve expressed yourself.
You can’t let that happen.
You have a story to tell. And you cannot let anonymous people online dictate what you want to say in your story. You just can’t allow that type of false pressure to squelch your creativity. Even before the internet there were people who hated and were offended by things they read or saw. Just because those people have a larger more vocal platform now doesn’t mean you should allow them to get into your head and beat down your ideas.
Maybe your story has controversial elements or themes. Maybe you explore domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, or other hot button topics. Maybe you have a character who is a racist or sexist; who uses language that you wouldn’t use but they do. As a creative person, you need to do what’s best for your project. If it evokes anger, offense, or hashtags against you and your work, so be it.
Hey, you can’t please everyone.
And that’s the main thing you have to remember. More people when they dislike something are likely to comment on it than those who like or enjoy something. And what is odd is that usually when reviews or comments are negative, people tend to want to find out the truth for themselves instead of just going off of what some person has posted online.
And example: Joker. Here’s a recent film that was maligned in the press, by many critics, by people online, and other groups for weeks prior to its release. The star and director were hounded with questions about the film’s violent content, the red carpet premiere did not allow the press to ask questions, and the fear of the film spawning violence led to the U.S. military issuing a warning, and some theaters adding extra security.
All pretty negative things against the movie, and yet it was the highest grossing film for an October release and is set to break other R-rated film box office records. There’s also Oscar buzz around Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Joker.
The filmmakers didn’t hold back. They didn’t listen to the critics and edit the film down to a safe PG-13. They stuck to their vision of the film and released it as is. And the results were effective and the negative outcry probably had a positive outcome for the film overall.
Joker is the perfect example of how as creative individuals we need to do what’s best for our story. We need to tell the story we want to tell. Tell the story you want to tell without the fear of social media backlash churning in the back of your mind.
Tell your story. Not theirs.
Do you find yourself editing and toning elements of your story down due to fear of what may be said about you or your story on social media? Leave a comment and let me know.
As a Writer, Has This Ever Happened to You?
At work this evening, a coworker of mine asked me what I was doing this weekend. I told them I was working on my second novel, to which they replied, “You’re still working on that? What’s taking so long?” I started to laugh, telling them that writing is a process that takes time. As I was talking, a classic scene from Family Guy flashed into my mind, which I promptly found on YouTube and showed to them:
https://youtu.be/d-BfjHbHj60
No matter where you are in the writing process, people often will be amazed that you’re still working on something. But the important thing is that YOU ARE STILL WORKING ON IT. In progress is better than no progress, and what matters most is that you know that work is being done and that you will finished with it when you know it’s ready.
So, that novel you’ve been working on? Keep writing, and never stop creating!
https://youtu.be/d-BfjHbHj60
No matter where you are in the writing process, people often will be amazed that you’re still working on something. But the important thing is that YOU ARE STILL WORKING ON IT. In progress is better than no progress, and what matters most is that you know that work is being done and that you will finished with it when you know it’s ready.
So, that novel you’ve been working on? Keep writing, and never stop creating!
Staying Creative and Focused When Everything Seems Crazy
It’s been over eight months since the Coronavirus pandemic shut down businesses and schools, locked down communities, and created a culture of wearing masks, caused us to use hand sanitizer everywhere, and made us wary of being close to anyone we don’t know. Add to that protests for social change, a crazy political climate, and financial uncertainty for millions, and the very thought of sitting down to write and be creative can be off-putting to some.
While I understand that the world has its ebbs and flows of chaotic news and events, as writers, artists, musicians, and other creatives, we have an obligation to ourselves and our own mental health to continue to indulge in the creative process. Through our art, we can help ourselves and others make sense of the world, understand our emotions and feelings, and get our thoughts out in a tangible form.
It can also allow you the opportunity to escape the negativity of the world for an hour or two, to embrace an activity that provides a sense of normalcy in a world that keeps throwing pessimism at you 24/7. Like you, I get overwhelmed with the news, the images, the statistics, and the political noise, which is why I’m happy to share some of what I do to keep the world out and keep my sanity and creativity in play.
Unplug
This has become a ritual for me on Saturdays. I turn off my phone, put it out of view, and either read, write, or do something that doesn’t involve continually scrolling my newsfeed or social media. It seems like a crazy idea at first since we all seem to be glued to our devices, but it can be mentally refreshing to distance yourself from your phone and not have the constant beeps and chimes of alerts attacking your brain every few seconds.
Even if you can only sit down and write, read a book, or even binge-watch a couple of episodes of something uninterrupted for an hour (not the news) or two, you will find that a lot of the noise in your mind will dissipate. You quite possibly will feel a bit calmer thanks to your phone being off and away.
Remember, even if you turn off your phone for a few hours to write or do something else, it’s not like the chaos will go anywhere.
If you have a family and they all have phones, plan a few hours each weekend to do things without phones and other devices. Connecting with people and not screens is a challenge these days for sure, but it’s a welcome respite from the constant barrage of news, politics, and pandemics.
Create a Creative Space
Maybe you’re not ready to sit down and write or create at the moment. That’s fine. Unplugging can benefit you no matter what you do with the time away from your phone. However, if you are looking for an escape to a creative place, I recommend creating a space for you to work and be creative in your home or apartment.
It doesn’t have to be big, just a place where you can go and sit with a laptop, a pad and paper – or, if you’re really old school, a typewriter – and write for an hour or two. This should be a space void of your phone, social media, and the internet (yes, you can turn it off on your laptop or desktop), especially the news.
In this space, you are the boss. You make the rules. And you are there for one job: to create.
So, I have a studio apartment, but I have a space where I keep my laptop and a VARIDESK to stand if I feel like it. I have a comfy chair, as well. I have a legal pad and pen to jot down questions to look up later online, and a bottle of water. That’s it. Everything in the space is geared toward writing and creating with as few distractions as possible.
Now, once you’ve created your space, choose a time that best suits your schedule. If you have young kids, this might be in the evening once they’ve gone to bed, but the key is to enter the creative space and make the time to create. I write best at night, so I usually work for a couple of hours in the evening as often as possible.
Use Music/White Noise to Stay Focused
I just started doing this this past year and have found that it really helps me stay focused when I’m reading or writing. There are many, many ambient noise choices available on YouTube, but devices like Alexa also provide a library of ambient noises as well (and yes, if you want to use the ambient noises found on YouTube, you can leave the Wi-Fi on on your computer, but do your best not to go down the dreaded YouTube rabbit hole and become distracted).
Personally, I prefer listening to a thunderstorm or snowstorm, but there are hundreds of these ambient noise videos to choose from that you can have on in the background as you write. Most of these videos range from one hour in length to ten hours, and the ones I have used don’t have ads that blare to life in the middle of the video. I highly recommend headphones or earbuds to help immerse yourself and block out any external noises.
Music is also a great choice, but make sure what you choose isn’t distracting. It should be music that helps you focus on your creativity and not pull you out of it. Music can also be a great way to set the tone or mood for what you will be writing.
Consider Your Time Writing as an Escape for Your Own Mental Health
Being creative is not a selfish act. It is a way to refresh yourself and your mind. We use films, TV, and books to escape reality, so being creative should be seen as another form of healthy escapism.
As a writer and artist, you form new worlds, new characters, new stories, and new relationships. You can’t control the world around you, but you can – even for an hour – be the creator of your own worlds and give the real world a timeout.
Stay Positive. Enjoy the Time Creating
Even though 2020 hasn’t been a great year for most of us, we have to remember to stay positive. It is the arts that have sustained societies for generations through song, dance, painting, sculpting, the written word, theater, film, and TV. Humans who love to create and have a passion for creating must take the time to create.
You must give yourself permission to enjoy the time when you are writing and creating. It’s a welcome respite from the chaos that has enveloped us this year. You can’t let doom and gloom consume you. It’s no way to live, it’s not a healthy way to think, and it can be detrimental to the creative process.
There’s an exercise I once read about for people who overthink when they are trying to sleep. They are to keep and pad and pen by their bed, then write down what is keeping them up, and that is supposed to help them sleep better, knowing they can now save that worry for the next day. In the spirit of that exercise, if you feel the world creeping into your creative space, keep a pad and pen handy and jot that item down. Then if you want to think about it later, it’s written down for you to think about once you’re down writing or creating.
Finally, If You Still Have Anxiety or Anger About What’s Going on In the World…
Write about it. Get your thoughts, your emotions, your solutions down on paper or on your computer screen. Venting about the world is okay. It’s a healthy way to process what you are feeling, and you should take the time (maybe the first ten minutes of your creative time, if needed) to get these thoughts out.
You could also practice journaling as a way to express these thoughts and ideas.
I’m human, just like you. I see things on the news or read about events in the U.S. or around that world that upset me, anger me, and sadden me. But as I said before, you can’t allow those negative emotions to consume you, especially if you need to write and create. If you can channel those feelings into what you’re writing, do it. Just don’t let the world creep in and prevent you from being creative.
I hope you found these tips insightful and helpful. If you have other tips about how you have stayed positive and focused on creativity during 2020, please leave a comment.
While I understand that the world has its ebbs and flows of chaotic news and events, as writers, artists, musicians, and other creatives, we have an obligation to ourselves and our own mental health to continue to indulge in the creative process. Through our art, we can help ourselves and others make sense of the world, understand our emotions and feelings, and get our thoughts out in a tangible form.
It can also allow you the opportunity to escape the negativity of the world for an hour or two, to embrace an activity that provides a sense of normalcy in a world that keeps throwing pessimism at you 24/7. Like you, I get overwhelmed with the news, the images, the statistics, and the political noise, which is why I’m happy to share some of what I do to keep the world out and keep my sanity and creativity in play.
Unplug
This has become a ritual for me on Saturdays. I turn off my phone, put it out of view, and either read, write, or do something that doesn’t involve continually scrolling my newsfeed or social media. It seems like a crazy idea at first since we all seem to be glued to our devices, but it can be mentally refreshing to distance yourself from your phone and not have the constant beeps and chimes of alerts attacking your brain every few seconds.
Even if you can only sit down and write, read a book, or even binge-watch a couple of episodes of something uninterrupted for an hour (not the news) or two, you will find that a lot of the noise in your mind will dissipate. You quite possibly will feel a bit calmer thanks to your phone being off and away.
Remember, even if you turn off your phone for a few hours to write or do something else, it’s not like the chaos will go anywhere.
If you have a family and they all have phones, plan a few hours each weekend to do things without phones and other devices. Connecting with people and not screens is a challenge these days for sure, but it’s a welcome respite from the constant barrage of news, politics, and pandemics.
Create a Creative Space
Maybe you’re not ready to sit down and write or create at the moment. That’s fine. Unplugging can benefit you no matter what you do with the time away from your phone. However, if you are looking for an escape to a creative place, I recommend creating a space for you to work and be creative in your home or apartment.
It doesn’t have to be big, just a place where you can go and sit with a laptop, a pad and paper – or, if you’re really old school, a typewriter – and write for an hour or two. This should be a space void of your phone, social media, and the internet (yes, you can turn it off on your laptop or desktop), especially the news.
In this space, you are the boss. You make the rules. And you are there for one job: to create.
So, I have a studio apartment, but I have a space where I keep my laptop and a VARIDESK to stand if I feel like it. I have a comfy chair, as well. I have a legal pad and pen to jot down questions to look up later online, and a bottle of water. That’s it. Everything in the space is geared toward writing and creating with as few distractions as possible.
Now, once you’ve created your space, choose a time that best suits your schedule. If you have young kids, this might be in the evening once they’ve gone to bed, but the key is to enter the creative space and make the time to create. I write best at night, so I usually work for a couple of hours in the evening as often as possible.
Use Music/White Noise to Stay Focused
I just started doing this this past year and have found that it really helps me stay focused when I’m reading or writing. There are many, many ambient noise choices available on YouTube, but devices like Alexa also provide a library of ambient noises as well (and yes, if you want to use the ambient noises found on YouTube, you can leave the Wi-Fi on on your computer, but do your best not to go down the dreaded YouTube rabbit hole and become distracted).
Personally, I prefer listening to a thunderstorm or snowstorm, but there are hundreds of these ambient noise videos to choose from that you can have on in the background as you write. Most of these videos range from one hour in length to ten hours, and the ones I have used don’t have ads that blare to life in the middle of the video. I highly recommend headphones or earbuds to help immerse yourself and block out any external noises.
Music is also a great choice, but make sure what you choose isn’t distracting. It should be music that helps you focus on your creativity and not pull you out of it. Music can also be a great way to set the tone or mood for what you will be writing.
Consider Your Time Writing as an Escape for Your Own Mental Health
Being creative is not a selfish act. It is a way to refresh yourself and your mind. We use films, TV, and books to escape reality, so being creative should be seen as another form of healthy escapism.
As a writer and artist, you form new worlds, new characters, new stories, and new relationships. You can’t control the world around you, but you can – even for an hour – be the creator of your own worlds and give the real world a timeout.
Stay Positive. Enjoy the Time Creating
Even though 2020 hasn’t been a great year for most of us, we have to remember to stay positive. It is the arts that have sustained societies for generations through song, dance, painting, sculpting, the written word, theater, film, and TV. Humans who love to create and have a passion for creating must take the time to create.
You must give yourself permission to enjoy the time when you are writing and creating. It’s a welcome respite from the chaos that has enveloped us this year. You can’t let doom and gloom consume you. It’s no way to live, it’s not a healthy way to think, and it can be detrimental to the creative process.
There’s an exercise I once read about for people who overthink when they are trying to sleep. They are to keep and pad and pen by their bed, then write down what is keeping them up, and that is supposed to help them sleep better, knowing they can now save that worry for the next day. In the spirit of that exercise, if you feel the world creeping into your creative space, keep a pad and pen handy and jot that item down. Then if you want to think about it later, it’s written down for you to think about once you’re down writing or creating.
Finally, If You Still Have Anxiety or Anger About What’s Going on In the World…
Write about it. Get your thoughts, your emotions, your solutions down on paper or on your computer screen. Venting about the world is okay. It’s a healthy way to process what you are feeling, and you should take the time (maybe the first ten minutes of your creative time, if needed) to get these thoughts out.
You could also practice journaling as a way to express these thoughts and ideas.
I’m human, just like you. I see things on the news or read about events in the U.S. or around that world that upset me, anger me, and sadden me. But as I said before, you can’t allow those negative emotions to consume you, especially if you need to write and create. If you can channel those feelings into what you’re writing, do it. Just don’t let the world creep in and prevent you from being creative.
I hope you found these tips insightful and helpful. If you have other tips about how you have stayed positive and focused on creativity during 2020, please leave a comment.
You Finished Your Manuscript! Now What? – Part One
You did it! You stayed focused, sat down at your laptop or computer, and finished the manuscript of your novel. This is an exhilarating moment. From Chapter One to The End, you have written a complete story that you’re proud of, and you know readers will love.
I know from experience that once you get to the end of the manuscript, you can feel a sense of relief. You’re done. It’s over. Now you can go and binge-watch Pawn Stars. But, this is not the end of your manuscript’s journey. Far from it. So, let’s explore how best to proceed when getting ready for your manuscript’s adventure.
[Writer’s Note: When saving your manuscript files, always put the title and the revision date as the filename (Example: TheField_06102018). This will help when you start rewrites, and you can keep track of various drafts.]
1. Take a Month Off!
Now, you can binge-watch those shows you’ve been putting off. You’ve earned it for all your hard work. But there’s a reason behind this month: to give you distance from your material. It’s hard to be objective right out of the gate when you’ve worked so hard and for so long on something as massive as a novel manuscript. During this time, don’t open the file, and don’t retrieve it from a drawer if you’ve printed it out.
Leave. It. Alone.
This doesn’t mean you can’t THINK about the novel, and this is when your brain will start to work in mysterious ways. You’ll be on a walk, or watching TV, or reading, or in bed at 3AM, and all of a sudden, a new section of dialogue that links two sequences will pop into your head. A better sequencing of events, a better description of a character or location, even the idea that a chapter can be cut will all flow through your mind.
If you think of something during the time away, write it down. Have a legal pad, the notepad app on your phone, or a separate file on your computer available to write down any and all ideas, edits, additions, etc. that come to mind during this month away. You’re still creating, still working on the manuscript, but in a periphery way that allows you to think clearly about changes you might consider once you return to the manuscript.
Like it or not, that great draft you just wrote has a lot of problems, and your brain knows it and during this time will slowly begin to tell you what the issues are and ways to fix the problems. I know this from experience, and it’s 100% true that this phenomenon happens. “What if…” “Maybe I should…” “If I have them go right instead of left…”
If you think of it, write it down. Even if you look back at it later and go, “That was a dumb idea!” at least you won’t be mad at yourself for not writing it down.
Now that it’s been about a month…
2. Welcome Back!
You have your new set of ideas and notes. You have written down notes on revised chapters, character moments, and description. Now is the time to start fleshing those out – again separately from the manuscript – indicating at the top of each new section where it goes in the story (Example: [Dialogue right before the campfire scene]).
Write it all out in any way you feel is best. Then, once you have all the new content written, rearrange the sections in the order they will be added to the manuscript. Take a day or two away from these, see if anything else pops into your head (inevitably, it will), and then make any revisions you need to these new sections.
3. Time to Return to Your Manuscript
It’s been a while. You haven’t seen each other for a long time, but the feelings are still there. You’re a bit nervous - butterflies are fluttering in your stomach – as you begin to read the first chapter…and it’s not as good as you remember.
Don’t panic.
The good news is that you A) recognize that there’s an issue, and B) you can resolve the problem at this early stage of the editing/rewriting.
As you read, if you find section you don’t like and want to rewrite them, highlight them in BOLD, and keep reading. That way, when you come back to start the rewrite process, you know what areas to focus on.
I recommend doing this initial read over a series of days. If your manuscript is 300 pages, read through 30 to 40 pages a day. This is your opportunity to dig deeper into your story and see opportunities to fix issues. Read too much in one sitting, and you begin to gloss over things, and this exercise requires your full attention.
While you’re reading, you can now drop the new material into the areas of the story where it belongs, or you can indicate with brackets, ALL CAPS, and in bold where these new sections will go: [ADD NEW CAR CHASE ENDING HERE]. Sometimes, when I’ve noticed a chapter hits a dead end, I’ve added [MORE HERE] to indicate there’s an issue.
Now, you’ve read the whole manuscript. Let it sit for a week, then come back to it again.
4. Time for a Deep Dive
Only you know your story. What you want to say. How you want to tell the story. Who your characters are. It’s all in your head. And now is the time to really start focusing on these things and making sure the story you want to tell ends up on the page.
This can be a lengthy process but a rewarding one. As you begin the rewriting process, you are wearing two hats: WRITER and READER. Your story should be something you enjoy reading as much as you enjoyed writing it.
During this phase, take your time. Read each chapter closely. Does it convey information about the characters and story? Does the chapter move the story forward? At the end of the chapter, do I feel the need to keep reading? These are good indicators that your story is working, and it’s essential to take the time to make sure that every piece of the puzzle fits how you want it to.
Make sure to add in the new stuff you wrote during your month off if you still like it. Some you may decide you don’t need, or what you wrote doesn’t work with the new direction you’re taking the chapter. That’s fine. Your goal here is to do what’s best for the story.
As you rewrite, you will feel compelled to rewrite entire sections, revise dialogue, and maybe even cut sections or chapters entirely. Maybe there’s a character who’s just there with no purpose. Time for them to go.
These are all positive things for your story and your manuscript. You are taking steps to make your story better, have more clarity, and flow smoother. All good things.
Again, take the time to work things through. This could take a month, three months, six months. Whatever is needed to get the story to be exactly how you want it to be.
If you finish and want to take another pass, take a week off and start again.
5. Remember, Writing a Novel is a Marathon, Editing is Exploratory Nature Hike
Outlines. First Drafts. Second through Sixth Drafts. You’re confident that you’ve got a solid story. That’s great. Now, the real fun begins.
Editing!
This is the technical part of the process. Yes, you would think that your writing software catches grammar and spelling mistakes 100% of the time, but it doesn’t. It also doesn’t catch when you’ve used the wrong word, put the wrong character name, or left a line in from one draft that now makes no sense in the context of the latest one.
I have two pieces of advice as you begin this process: Pace Yourself, and Avoid Skimming.
Pace Yourself
Take your time to explore and read each chapter thoroughly to catch as many errors as possible. Break the novel down into manageable chunks so you can go into each section with a clear head and focused mind. Find it and fix it. And, trust me, you’ll find stuff.
Avoid Skimming
An easy thing to do, especially if you know your story and novel, but skimming could mean a missed extra word, the wrong tense, incorrect word usage, or other issue goes unfixed. Read. Every. Word.
During this process, if you do feel something is missing and should be added, do so. Since you are reading the story so closely now, you may find that there’s a story problem or a set-up missing a pay-off that you missed. Fix it now.
I have also started to use the program Grammarly to assist with editing my manuscripts and writing. It’s been a great resource and help, but even it has missed one or two things. The trick is to implement as many tools as possible to weed out as many errors as possible.
Next week, we’ll delve into the world of Continuity. See you then!
I know from experience that once you get to the end of the manuscript, you can feel a sense of relief. You’re done. It’s over. Now you can go and binge-watch Pawn Stars. But, this is not the end of your manuscript’s journey. Far from it. So, let’s explore how best to proceed when getting ready for your manuscript’s adventure.
[Writer’s Note: When saving your manuscript files, always put the title and the revision date as the filename (Example: TheField_06102018). This will help when you start rewrites, and you can keep track of various drafts.]
1. Take a Month Off!
Now, you can binge-watch those shows you’ve been putting off. You’ve earned it for all your hard work. But there’s a reason behind this month: to give you distance from your material. It’s hard to be objective right out of the gate when you’ve worked so hard and for so long on something as massive as a novel manuscript. During this time, don’t open the file, and don’t retrieve it from a drawer if you’ve printed it out.
Leave. It. Alone.
This doesn’t mean you can’t THINK about the novel, and this is when your brain will start to work in mysterious ways. You’ll be on a walk, or watching TV, or reading, or in bed at 3AM, and all of a sudden, a new section of dialogue that links two sequences will pop into your head. A better sequencing of events, a better description of a character or location, even the idea that a chapter can be cut will all flow through your mind.
If you think of something during the time away, write it down. Have a legal pad, the notepad app on your phone, or a separate file on your computer available to write down any and all ideas, edits, additions, etc. that come to mind during this month away. You’re still creating, still working on the manuscript, but in a periphery way that allows you to think clearly about changes you might consider once you return to the manuscript.
Like it or not, that great draft you just wrote has a lot of problems, and your brain knows it and during this time will slowly begin to tell you what the issues are and ways to fix the problems. I know this from experience, and it’s 100% true that this phenomenon happens. “What if…” “Maybe I should…” “If I have them go right instead of left…”
If you think of it, write it down. Even if you look back at it later and go, “That was a dumb idea!” at least you won’t be mad at yourself for not writing it down.
Now that it’s been about a month…
2. Welcome Back!
You have your new set of ideas and notes. You have written down notes on revised chapters, character moments, and description. Now is the time to start fleshing those out – again separately from the manuscript – indicating at the top of each new section where it goes in the story (Example: [Dialogue right before the campfire scene]).
Write it all out in any way you feel is best. Then, once you have all the new content written, rearrange the sections in the order they will be added to the manuscript. Take a day or two away from these, see if anything else pops into your head (inevitably, it will), and then make any revisions you need to these new sections.
3. Time to Return to Your Manuscript
It’s been a while. You haven’t seen each other for a long time, but the feelings are still there. You’re a bit nervous - butterflies are fluttering in your stomach – as you begin to read the first chapter…and it’s not as good as you remember.
Don’t panic.
The good news is that you A) recognize that there’s an issue, and B) you can resolve the problem at this early stage of the editing/rewriting.
As you read, if you find section you don’t like and want to rewrite them, highlight them in BOLD, and keep reading. That way, when you come back to start the rewrite process, you know what areas to focus on.
I recommend doing this initial read over a series of days. If your manuscript is 300 pages, read through 30 to 40 pages a day. This is your opportunity to dig deeper into your story and see opportunities to fix issues. Read too much in one sitting, and you begin to gloss over things, and this exercise requires your full attention.
While you’re reading, you can now drop the new material into the areas of the story where it belongs, or you can indicate with brackets, ALL CAPS, and in bold where these new sections will go: [ADD NEW CAR CHASE ENDING HERE]. Sometimes, when I’ve noticed a chapter hits a dead end, I’ve added [MORE HERE] to indicate there’s an issue.
Now, you’ve read the whole manuscript. Let it sit for a week, then come back to it again.
4. Time for a Deep Dive
Only you know your story. What you want to say. How you want to tell the story. Who your characters are. It’s all in your head. And now is the time to really start focusing on these things and making sure the story you want to tell ends up on the page.
This can be a lengthy process but a rewarding one. As you begin the rewriting process, you are wearing two hats: WRITER and READER. Your story should be something you enjoy reading as much as you enjoyed writing it.
During this phase, take your time. Read each chapter closely. Does it convey information about the characters and story? Does the chapter move the story forward? At the end of the chapter, do I feel the need to keep reading? These are good indicators that your story is working, and it’s essential to take the time to make sure that every piece of the puzzle fits how you want it to.
Make sure to add in the new stuff you wrote during your month off if you still like it. Some you may decide you don’t need, or what you wrote doesn’t work with the new direction you’re taking the chapter. That’s fine. Your goal here is to do what’s best for the story.
As you rewrite, you will feel compelled to rewrite entire sections, revise dialogue, and maybe even cut sections or chapters entirely. Maybe there’s a character who’s just there with no purpose. Time for them to go.
These are all positive things for your story and your manuscript. You are taking steps to make your story better, have more clarity, and flow smoother. All good things.
Again, take the time to work things through. This could take a month, three months, six months. Whatever is needed to get the story to be exactly how you want it to be.
If you finish and want to take another pass, take a week off and start again.
5. Remember, Writing a Novel is a Marathon, Editing is Exploratory Nature Hike
Outlines. First Drafts. Second through Sixth Drafts. You’re confident that you’ve got a solid story. That’s great. Now, the real fun begins.
Editing!
This is the technical part of the process. Yes, you would think that your writing software catches grammar and spelling mistakes 100% of the time, but it doesn’t. It also doesn’t catch when you’ve used the wrong word, put the wrong character name, or left a line in from one draft that now makes no sense in the context of the latest one.
I have two pieces of advice as you begin this process: Pace Yourself, and Avoid Skimming.
Pace Yourself
Take your time to explore and read each chapter thoroughly to catch as many errors as possible. Break the novel down into manageable chunks so you can go into each section with a clear head and focused mind. Find it and fix it. And, trust me, you’ll find stuff.
Avoid Skimming
An easy thing to do, especially if you know your story and novel, but skimming could mean a missed extra word, the wrong tense, incorrect word usage, or other issue goes unfixed. Read. Every. Word.
During this process, if you do feel something is missing and should be added, do so. Since you are reading the story so closely now, you may find that there’s a story problem or a set-up missing a pay-off that you missed. Fix it now.
I have also started to use the program Grammarly to assist with editing my manuscripts and writing. It’s been a great resource and help, but even it has missed one or two things. The trick is to implement as many tools as possible to weed out as many errors as possible.
Next week, we’ll delve into the world of Continuity. See you then!
