Grant Morris's Blog, page 5
January 15, 2012
Write what you like...
How many times have you heard theadvice: Write what you know? Well, I'm here to tell you I rarely follow thatadvice. Sure it makes sense for John Grisham—he's a lawyer and therefore writeslegal thrillers. Exciting stuff! But I've worked in retail most of my life andI'd rather poke needles into my eyes than write about obnoxious customersroaming the aisles in search of the next clerk to verbally abuse.
I'd rather write about places andsubjects that are new to me. It gives me a chance to explore areas I've neverventured into. I'd rather spend my free time fathoming the possibilities ofother worlds and the fascinating creatures I might find there.
And sometimes I get to researchoccupations unfamiliar to me. For instance, I have a short story called The Plumber and the Goat Sucker about aplumber who gets called to remove a slimy alien creature from his ex-wife'stoilet. But I know nothing about plumbing! Or ex-wife's, for that matter. Goatsuckers, however, are not a problem.
Time to do the research. One ofmy favorite sites to peruse is howstuffworks.com. I now know more about atoilet than I ever thought possible. And the hour or so I spent absorbing theintricate movements of levers and floats during the flushing process totallypaid off. My character came across as a bona fide plumber.
So don't get boxed in by the write what you know mantra. Instead,explore subjects that interest you. Revel in the research. Grow with yourcharacter. Every story should be an exciting journey—not just for the reader,but for the writer as well.
For now, keep reading andwriting.
I'd rather write about places andsubjects that are new to me. It gives me a chance to explore areas I've neverventured into. I'd rather spend my free time fathoming the possibilities ofother worlds and the fascinating creatures I might find there.
And sometimes I get to researchoccupations unfamiliar to me. For instance, I have a short story called The Plumber and the Goat Sucker about aplumber who gets called to remove a slimy alien creature from his ex-wife'stoilet. But I know nothing about plumbing! Or ex-wife's, for that matter. Goatsuckers, however, are not a problem.
Time to do the research. One ofmy favorite sites to peruse is howstuffworks.com. I now know more about atoilet than I ever thought possible. And the hour or so I spent absorbing theintricate movements of levers and floats during the flushing process totallypaid off. My character came across as a bona fide plumber.
So don't get boxed in by the write what you know mantra. Instead,explore subjects that interest you. Revel in the research. Grow with yourcharacter. Every story should be an exciting journey—not just for the reader,but for the writer as well.
For now, keep reading andwriting.
January 13, 2012
Thoughts on writing...
Writing isn't just a hobby to me.It's part of my daily routine. Like brushing my teeth or combing my hair, Icouldn't imagine a day without putting words on paper. Writing is my bowl of ice cream. It's my Christmas morning and I'm eight years old. It's the firstthing I think about when I wake up.
But getting started isn't always easy.I have to sort of psyche myself out before I can begin pounding away at thekeyboard. Everything has to be perfect. My workspace has to be clean andtidy—the room must be quiet and the cat off in her room. There can't be asingle dirty dish in the sink. I know…OCD, right?
I've learned not to stare at ablank page. You have to start typing. That's the only way you'll get anythingaccomplished. Once I have the protagonist, the setting, and what it is he orshe wants to accomplish, I begin pummeling my character with obstacles toovercome. Soon other characters join in—some helpful and some downright nasty.But all serve to either help the protagonist along or stand in his or her way.They are the story.
Hemingway says to stop writingwhen you know what's going to happen next. But I can't do that. I stop wheneither my eyes get too tired or life interrupts me. Or, the dreaded but all soreal, writer's block rears its terrifying face. Writer's block for me is whenmy character arrives at a fork in the road and the right direction is unclear.That's when I stop and think about other things. I usually have to sleep on it.
The next day I do my best tocontinue where I left off. What about you? What does writing mean to you? Bythe way, my eyes are getting tired so this looks like a good place to stop.
For now, keep reading andwriting.
But getting started isn't always easy.I have to sort of psyche myself out before I can begin pounding away at thekeyboard. Everything has to be perfect. My workspace has to be clean andtidy—the room must be quiet and the cat off in her room. There can't be asingle dirty dish in the sink. I know…OCD, right?
I've learned not to stare at ablank page. You have to start typing. That's the only way you'll get anythingaccomplished. Once I have the protagonist, the setting, and what it is he orshe wants to accomplish, I begin pummeling my character with obstacles toovercome. Soon other characters join in—some helpful and some downright nasty.But all serve to either help the protagonist along or stand in his or her way.They are the story.
Hemingway says to stop writingwhen you know what's going to happen next. But I can't do that. I stop wheneither my eyes get too tired or life interrupts me. Or, the dreaded but all soreal, writer's block rears its terrifying face. Writer's block for me is whenmy character arrives at a fork in the road and the right direction is unclear.That's when I stop and think about other things. I usually have to sleep on it.
The next day I do my best tocontinue where I left off. What about you? What does writing mean to you? Bythe way, my eyes are getting tired so this looks like a good place to stop.
For now, keep reading andwriting.
January 11, 2012
Lift Off
Why write? I ask myself this question sometimes. Why do I write stories?What good does it do me to sit down and pull out what little hair I have left?
The answer I come up with is the same answer to the question: Why read? I doit for entertainment. To satisfy curiosity. To learn. To explore. To escape.
Though reading is a lot easier and takes little effort. Writing, on theother hand, can be both excruciatingly painful and terribly satisfying. Thatfinal sentence that ends months and months of carefully weaving the perfectstory makes all that brain pain so worth it!
I think anybody can write. If you can read, you can write. You learn theelements of storytelling by reading good stories. Just remember, you write toentertain--yourself and your reader. So avoid clichés and easy way outs. Yourcharacter should go through hell before things work out at the end. Don't beeasy on him or her. Where's the fun in reading about a guy who gets everythinghe wants at every turn?
Have fun but don't bore the reader with mundane tasks. Each chapter shouldhave a purpose that propels the story forward and launches your charactertoward his ultimate goal. We don't want to read all the tedious details ofJack's life: how he brushes his teeth, takes his shower, clips his toenails.Please get to the point. Unless Jack's a werewolf and those toenails are a footlong, don't mention them.
Later I'll talk about the two very different approaches to novel writing.
For now, keep reading and writing.
The answer I come up with is the same answer to the question: Why read? I doit for entertainment. To satisfy curiosity. To learn. To explore. To escape.
Though reading is a lot easier and takes little effort. Writing, on theother hand, can be both excruciatingly painful and terribly satisfying. Thatfinal sentence that ends months and months of carefully weaving the perfectstory makes all that brain pain so worth it!
I think anybody can write. If you can read, you can write. You learn theelements of storytelling by reading good stories. Just remember, you write toentertain--yourself and your reader. So avoid clichés and easy way outs. Yourcharacter should go through hell before things work out at the end. Don't beeasy on him or her. Where's the fun in reading about a guy who gets everythinghe wants at every turn?
Have fun but don't bore the reader with mundane tasks. Each chapter shouldhave a purpose that propels the story forward and launches your charactertoward his ultimate goal. We don't want to read all the tedious details ofJack's life: how he brushes his teeth, takes his shower, clips his toenails.Please get to the point. Unless Jack's a werewolf and those toenails are a footlong, don't mention them.
Later I'll talk about the two very different approaches to novel writing.
For now, keep reading and writing.
