Brian Yansky's Blog, page 27
December 17, 2010
Do What You Do Well
On the other hand, continuing with my last post about story being the poor cousin to other elements of fiction and beautiful prose being sort of the prince or princess among them, if I could write beautiful prose, I would. I think I can write clever prose. There are many excellent writers who write great and powerful books whose language is not extraordinary. It's always good, mind you, but not the main way they get their power. I would say that's true of most writers really.
I think what you have to do is figure out what you do well and make that work for you. I think what bothered me in graduate school was how many of my classmates focused on language to the neglect of story and other elements of fiction. The truth was maybe one or two could write beautiful prose (and this was in a large group of talented writers). Most just didn't have that gift. But instead of struggling to develop what gifts they did have they got caught up on language because that was what all the teachers praised most.
I was lucky. I got more than my share of praise and attention in my MFA program. But I think sometimes teachers and others might actually slow down development. Yes, we always have to try new things as writers. Yes we have to push ourselves. But we are what we are, too. Whatever talents or skills we can use to make our writing powerful and entertaining should be used.
And with that I wish you good writing and a happy holiday. I'm taking a little blog break until after New Years.
If you're bored and looking for some writer talk, here's a new page on my website with blog interviews I've done recently on Aliens and Writing. http://www.brianyansky.comblog-tour2010.html
Finally, I thought I'd try asking if any of you have questions or topics you'd like me to write about. I'd be happy to give my two cents on any topic I've got two cents worth of comments to make. Leave a comment here or at any future post or email me at brian@brianyansky.com if any topics or questions come to mind.
Thanks for reading,
Brian
I think what you have to do is figure out what you do well and make that work for you. I think what bothered me in graduate school was how many of my classmates focused on language to the neglect of story and other elements of fiction. The truth was maybe one or two could write beautiful prose (and this was in a large group of talented writers). Most just didn't have that gift. But instead of struggling to develop what gifts they did have they got caught up on language because that was what all the teachers praised most.
I was lucky. I got more than my share of praise and attention in my MFA program. But I think sometimes teachers and others might actually slow down development. Yes, we always have to try new things as writers. Yes we have to push ourselves. But we are what we are, too. Whatever talents or skills we can use to make our writing powerful and entertaining should be used.
And with that I wish you good writing and a happy holiday. I'm taking a little blog break until after New Years.
If you're bored and looking for some writer talk, here's a new page on my website with blog interviews I've done recently on Aliens and Writing. http://www.brianyansky.comblog-tour2010.html
Finally, I thought I'd try asking if any of you have questions or topics you'd like me to write about. I'd be happy to give my two cents on any topic I've got two cents worth of comments to make. Leave a comment here or at any future post or email me at brian@brianyansky.com if any topics or questions come to mind.
Thanks for reading,
Brian
December 11, 2010
Story
In Austin, Texas, it gets hot in the summer. You can fry an egg on the pavement. You can cook a whole five-course meal. If you stand in one place too long, you start smoking. Hot.
How do you get that heat in writing? Everything has to be working in your writing and that includes the oft maligned element, story.
Story isn't easy. People realize it's hard to write well, to use language well. It's hard to develop character, create an interesting setting, etc.. But story doesn't really get its due. It lives in the worst fictional neighborhood and isn't invited to the fictional elements' parties. Its job is undesirable. It's the garbage collector of fiction.
Story is, in fact, seriously undervalued, particularly in MFA programs (at least that was my experience and seems to be the experience of many others). A lot of writers who write beautifully fail miserably because they have no story to tell or what faint story they do have to tell isn't told well. They expect us to read their work because they write pretty sentences.
I'm here to tell you—pretty sentences aren't enough( even though I love beautiful writing). You need all the elements of fiction, including story, to be working. I need them anyway—I need all the help I can get.
How do you get that heat in writing? Everything has to be working in your writing and that includes the oft maligned element, story.
Story isn't easy. People realize it's hard to write well, to use language well. It's hard to develop character, create an interesting setting, etc.. But story doesn't really get its due. It lives in the worst fictional neighborhood and isn't invited to the fictional elements' parties. Its job is undesirable. It's the garbage collector of fiction.
Story is, in fact, seriously undervalued, particularly in MFA programs (at least that was my experience and seems to be the experience of many others). A lot of writers who write beautifully fail miserably because they have no story to tell or what faint story they do have to tell isn't told well. They expect us to read their work because they write pretty sentences.
I'm here to tell you—pretty sentences aren't enough( even though I love beautiful writing). You need all the elements of fiction, including story, to be working. I need them anyway—I need all the help I can get.
December 4, 2010
intuititon
Technique is important. Learning craft is important. But it isn't enough. Of course you have to learn what you can, and then you have to bury it in your subconscious and find a way to get to that place when you're writing. But there are times when you should ignore technique, ignore your hard won techniques of craft, in favor of intuition.
Intuition is highly undervalued in our culture. We want to know the steps to accomplishing a goal. We want to reason our way to success. It just doesn't work that way in writing. Prescriptions for success in writing are published all the time, so why don't we have more great books? Successful people in many other fields, very smart people sometimes, who read these prescriptions for success, try writing fiction and are surprised and disappointed they don't work. Why aren't more of these people who are accomplished in other fields published? Why aren't more of them writing spectacular fiction?
Because there is no formula for writing a good novel.
Nope.
Writing is intuitive in many ways. You find what works for you through trial and error, study of craft, hard work, luck, but there is always an aspect of writing that remains mysterious. Sometimes you have to take chances. Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition.
Or so I think today.
Intuition is highly undervalued in our culture. We want to know the steps to accomplishing a goal. We want to reason our way to success. It just doesn't work that way in writing. Prescriptions for success in writing are published all the time, so why don't we have more great books? Successful people in many other fields, very smart people sometimes, who read these prescriptions for success, try writing fiction and are surprised and disappointed they don't work. Why aren't more of these people who are accomplished in other fields published? Why aren't more of them writing spectacular fiction?
Because there is no formula for writing a good novel.
Nope.
Writing is intuitive in many ways. You find what works for you through trial and error, study of craft, hard work, luck, but there is always an aspect of writing that remains mysterious. Sometimes you have to take chances. Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition.
Or so I think today.
November 28, 2010
So You Want to Write a Novel
Got this from David Kazzie's blog. I think it's pretty funny. Take a look.
November 27, 2010
writing advice
Here's my best advice about writing. Don't take anyone's advice about writing.
Not without the proverbial grain of salt or maybe a hundred grains anyway.
I love Robert Olen Butler's book about writing FROM WHERE WE DREAM. I think it is one of the best books about writing I've read (there are a lot of bad ones out there it has to be said) but there are many things in that book I don't agree with and can't use.
Why? All writers are unique. Writing is one of the most personal, idiosyncratic activities around. What works for one writer might take the life out of another writer's writing or at least lead them to do things that weaken some aspect of their writing.
Each writer has to find his or her way and take what he or she can from every source and leave the rest. It's hard but finding your own way requires going the wrong way a lot.
So should you take my advice about writing to not take anyone's advice about writing?
Not without the proverbial grain of salt or maybe a hundred grains anyway.
I love Robert Olen Butler's book about writing FROM WHERE WE DREAM. I think it is one of the best books about writing I've read (there are a lot of bad ones out there it has to be said) but there are many things in that book I don't agree with and can't use.
Why? All writers are unique. Writing is one of the most personal, idiosyncratic activities around. What works for one writer might take the life out of another writer's writing or at least lead them to do things that weaken some aspect of their writing.
Each writer has to find his or her way and take what he or she can from every source and leave the rest. It's hard but finding your own way requires going the wrong way a lot.
So should you take my advice about writing to not take anyone's advice about writing?
November 20, 2010
publishing
Forgive me. I'm in a ranting mood today.
I've been out and about more lately because my book just came out. I've heard various versions of this a lot lately, "I've written an awesome novel. I've been writing for six months or a year or two. No one will publish it because I don't know anyone. You know, it's the gatekeepers. It's a great book that would be a bestseller but I can't get past those gatekeepers." They go on to say everyone else is getting a big deal (but if you ask them who they know that got a big deal they will say they don't actually know anyone but they've heard, they've read someplace—big deals, everywhere). Why not them? Why not them? I think we all do the "why not me?" thing sometimes, so I sympathize, but I also think that media attention to a few big deals skews new writers notions about publishing.
I've got a few things to add to that.
The first is that I read an article not that long ago that said the average published writer wrote a little over ten years before he/she published his/her novel. Now, of course that's the average. You might do much better than that. I hope you do, but I didn't. And it says something, doesn't it, that it takes most writers that much time working on their craft before they publish. So, that's one thing. Learning to write well is a slow process. If you've written for a year or two, even if you've written some good work, maybe your work isn't quite ready to be published. Some writers do get to writing well very quickly but if you're not one of those writers, and obviously most of us aren't, you will get there if you keep writing with passion and a desire to improve.
Another thing: these deals people keep reading about are few and far between. People think there are deals being made all over the place and they're missing out. They read about the big deals online every week or two so it seems like they're the tip of iceberg, like there are many of these deals being made, but they're, um, actually the whole iceberg. Those few big deals every month are in the news because they are so few. The much, much more common small deasl aren't made a big deal about (ha) and the thousands of manuscripts that are rejected every week—you already know this—are not mentioned at all. I heard an agent speak recently. He said he got 5000-6000 queries a year. Last year he took on two new clients. I think that's about the number of queries my agent got last year, too. Now, to put things in perspective that agent said about 90% of the manuscripts he got, he could dismiss right away for various reasons, but still. Lots of rejection out there and very few acceptances. That's the norm. The big deal happens to someone, of course, and maybe you'll be that person but it's always a matter of luck and skill and the luck part, I'm afraid, is out of your control. Working hard to improve your skills though—that you can do.
Finally—are the best books always published and the others rejected? No. You may look at a published novel and think your manuscript is better than that. Maybe you're right. (Of course, it has to be said that writers are not always the best judges of their own work). However, a number of other factors are always involved in publication besides quality. And also we all view "quality" subjectively so it's a little hard to measure. For example, a person who hates all romance novels isn't going to be able to judge a good one from a bad one. BUT all of that aside, I think some bad books or so-so books get published and I'm sure a lot of very good manuscripts get rejected. It's the nature of publishing that manuscripts get overlooked and that some very good works that would only appeal to a small audience might not be published for that reason. That sucks.
BUT here's the thing. If you let yourself get too distracted by dreams of being published to acclaim and big checks, you'll miss out on what is most fun, most satisfying, most rewarding about writing-- the writing itself. And I believe that every writer with just a bit of talent can eventually, through hard work, through fighting to grow as a writer and writing a lot of words and reading, become a writer that agents and editors can't ignore.
Or so I think today.
I've been out and about more lately because my book just came out. I've heard various versions of this a lot lately, "I've written an awesome novel. I've been writing for six months or a year or two. No one will publish it because I don't know anyone. You know, it's the gatekeepers. It's a great book that would be a bestseller but I can't get past those gatekeepers." They go on to say everyone else is getting a big deal (but if you ask them who they know that got a big deal they will say they don't actually know anyone but they've heard, they've read someplace—big deals, everywhere). Why not them? Why not them? I think we all do the "why not me?" thing sometimes, so I sympathize, but I also think that media attention to a few big deals skews new writers notions about publishing.
I've got a few things to add to that.
The first is that I read an article not that long ago that said the average published writer wrote a little over ten years before he/she published his/her novel. Now, of course that's the average. You might do much better than that. I hope you do, but I didn't. And it says something, doesn't it, that it takes most writers that much time working on their craft before they publish. So, that's one thing. Learning to write well is a slow process. If you've written for a year or two, even if you've written some good work, maybe your work isn't quite ready to be published. Some writers do get to writing well very quickly but if you're not one of those writers, and obviously most of us aren't, you will get there if you keep writing with passion and a desire to improve.
Another thing: these deals people keep reading about are few and far between. People think there are deals being made all over the place and they're missing out. They read about the big deals online every week or two so it seems like they're the tip of iceberg, like there are many of these deals being made, but they're, um, actually the whole iceberg. Those few big deals every month are in the news because they are so few. The much, much more common small deasl aren't made a big deal about (ha) and the thousands of manuscripts that are rejected every week—you already know this—are not mentioned at all. I heard an agent speak recently. He said he got 5000-6000 queries a year. Last year he took on two new clients. I think that's about the number of queries my agent got last year, too. Now, to put things in perspective that agent said about 90% of the manuscripts he got, he could dismiss right away for various reasons, but still. Lots of rejection out there and very few acceptances. That's the norm. The big deal happens to someone, of course, and maybe you'll be that person but it's always a matter of luck and skill and the luck part, I'm afraid, is out of your control. Working hard to improve your skills though—that you can do.
Finally—are the best books always published and the others rejected? No. You may look at a published novel and think your manuscript is better than that. Maybe you're right. (Of course, it has to be said that writers are not always the best judges of their own work). However, a number of other factors are always involved in publication besides quality. And also we all view "quality" subjectively so it's a little hard to measure. For example, a person who hates all romance novels isn't going to be able to judge a good one from a bad one. BUT all of that aside, I think some bad books or so-so books get published and I'm sure a lot of very good manuscripts get rejected. It's the nature of publishing that manuscripts get overlooked and that some very good works that would only appeal to a small audience might not be published for that reason. That sucks.
BUT here's the thing. If you let yourself get too distracted by dreams of being published to acclaim and big checks, you'll miss out on what is most fun, most satisfying, most rewarding about writing-- the writing itself. And I believe that every writer with just a bit of talent can eventually, through hard work, through fighting to grow as a writer and writing a lot of words and reading, become a writer that agents and editors can't ignore.
Or so I think today.
November 13, 2010
The End
I think that writers sometimes go on too long after the denouement of a story. They want to explain things and tie things up and there's a temptation to have this go on for a few chapters beyond the point where the story has reached its true conclusion. If it's over, it's over. I know I've done this before in early drafts and had to figure out where the true ending should be. I think it's worth being aware of this temptation to go beyond the true ending and wrap things up more neatly than they maybe should be wrapped up. Your true THE END probably comes pretty quickly after the resolution of the story.
OR so I think today.
OR so I think today.
November 7, 2010
dream analysis
One of the things I always say about writing and remind myself when I write is not to think, not to force it, to try to find the place in myself and in the story where it unfolds as it would if I were in the story. I want to get in the zone or what Robert Olen Butler says is the "place we dream", a kind of dream state. I go there every day when I write and I try to live moment to moment in my story. I do all that. Yes.
BUT there comes a time in revision when thinking is required, when you must puzzle over every aspect of a scene, a chapter, a section, the whole. You have to use your mind in a different way to analyze whether something is working or not working or how you might make it work better. How is what's happening significant? How does it fit with the rest of the story? Why is it necessary? These are some questions that come to mind but there are many more and there are always those that are idiosyncratic to the manuscript I'm working on. Main point: you need that analytical and evaluative side to step in at some point and chide, advise, and order the more dreamy side that has, with luck, made the story and characters vivid and alive.
Or so I think today.
And if you want more writing talk from me, here's an interview I did with E. Kristen Anderson about writing and aliens:
BUT there comes a time in revision when thinking is required, when you must puzzle over every aspect of a scene, a chapter, a section, the whole. You have to use your mind in a different way to analyze whether something is working or not working or how you might make it work better. How is what's happening significant? How does it fit with the rest of the story? Why is it necessary? These are some questions that come to mind but there are many more and there are always those that are idiosyncratic to the manuscript I'm working on. Main point: you need that analytical and evaluative side to step in at some point and chide, advise, and order the more dreamy side that has, with luck, made the story and characters vivid and alive.
Or so I think today.
And if you want more writing talk from me, here's an interview I did with E. Kristen Anderson about writing and aliens:
November 1, 2010
selection
Can you select the right things to be in the foreground and the right things to be in the background? Can you focus on the important parts of the story? Can you make the less important parts but necessary parts pass at an appropriate pace, one that will make them present but not distracting?
Novels work and don't work for many reasons. But this seeing what's important and giving it dramatic focus and expression in scenes, and summarizing the less important, and leaving out the unimportant, is a critical aspect of structure.
Or so I think today.
Also, in case you live in Austin, I'm doing a book celebration/signing with these two lovely ladies:
Mark your calendars to Holler Loudly about Alien Invasions and Truth with a Capital T!
Authors Bethany Hegedus, Brian Yansky and Cynthia Leitich Smith will celebrate their latest books at 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at BookPeople in Austin, Texas.
Novels work and don't work for many reasons. But this seeing what's important and giving it dramatic focus and expression in scenes, and summarizing the less important, and leaving out the unimportant, is a critical aspect of structure.
Or so I think today.
Also, in case you live in Austin, I'm doing a book celebration/signing with these two lovely ladies:
Mark your calendars to Holler Loudly about Alien Invasions and Truth with a Capital T!Authors Bethany Hegedus, Brian Yansky and Cynthia Leitich Smith will celebrate their latest books at 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at BookPeople in Austin, Texas.
October 27, 2010
beginnings
Beware the false beginning. It's easy to start in the wrong place. A lot of times we authors even need to start in the wrong place. We need to get out some ideas or ground ourselves in the story or think to the tap tap tap of our fingers hitting the keyboard. We need to find out who are characters are and what they're doing. So we write a lot of back-story in our beginnings.
What we need to do later is look to see if we really began the story where it should begin or are the first few or ten or twenty pages really just a dump of information or a stumble in the dark? Always be a little suspicious of your beginning. Not necessarily the first line or two which might be perfect, but the first ten pages where your story is trying to get started. You want to jump into your real story as quickly as you can. You want to start your story as close to the heart of the story as possible.
For example, you don't want to tell all about Bubba's troubling childhood and fights he had and the wins and losses and his fascination with Sumo Wrestling (a sport he has always loved even though no one in Cowtown, West Texas, knew anything about it) for the first fifty pages if your real story is about Bubba opening a flower shop and meeting Wild Wanda, the woman of his dreams, when he turned fifty. Maybe you want to work in the Sumo Wrestling (who wouldn't?) but the reader should feel momentum in the beginning and confidence that the writer is taking them someplace. Most of the time this means starting the novel as close to the heart of story as possible.
Or so I think today.
What we need to do later is look to see if we really began the story where it should begin or are the first few or ten or twenty pages really just a dump of information or a stumble in the dark? Always be a little suspicious of your beginning. Not necessarily the first line or two which might be perfect, but the first ten pages where your story is trying to get started. You want to jump into your real story as quickly as you can. You want to start your story as close to the heart of the story as possible.
For example, you don't want to tell all about Bubba's troubling childhood and fights he had and the wins and losses and his fascination with Sumo Wrestling (a sport he has always loved even though no one in Cowtown, West Texas, knew anything about it) for the first fifty pages if your real story is about Bubba opening a flower shop and meeting Wild Wanda, the woman of his dreams, when he turned fifty. Maybe you want to work in the Sumo Wrestling (who wouldn't?) but the reader should feel momentum in the beginning and confidence that the writer is taking them someplace. Most of the time this means starting the novel as close to the heart of story as possible.
Or so I think today.
