Nour Zikra's Blog, page 2

The 3 Types of Writers: Which Are You?

Just like books, writers are diverse. In fact, there are at least three types of writers. You’re probably thinking, “But, Nour, a writer is a write. What do you mean there are three types?” True, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are at least three types of writers.

The Dreamer

This writer loves to write a book. They claim they are writers but haven’t written anything longer than a couple of paragraphs in years. They might have a talent for writing; however, their head is in the clouds and their thoughts neve make it on paper. You hear them discuss their plans for writing a book, though it never happens.

The Over-Achiever

They are a writer, there’s no doubt about that. They have several compete novels, some of which they’re writing at the same time. They are probably editing one of their novels while they write another with the other hand! Okay, I’m exaggerating. But seriously, the over-achievers write a lot!

The Realist

This writer has a long-term plan. They write, but they also have a job to sustain them. A novel is definitely in progress, and it’s probably a well-thought out one. Goals are important to this writer. They have a five-year plan, and they can vividly tell you what they’d like to do in ten years. They are aware that writing is tough and publication is even tougher, but they work hard and have a strong vision.

Which one of these three types of writers are you? Can you guess which one I am? Let me know in the comments!

If you’ve enjoyed this blog, make sure to check out my others for some awesome writing tips! I also have a YouTube channel where I share extra tips and writing humor every Wednesday and Friday. Check it out!

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5 Healthy Habits for Writers

It should not be told that writers must write for sanity’s sake. It’s kind of a given. Writing is to the writer what heroin is to a drug addict. However, there are at least 5 other healthy habits for writers.

Doing Other Creative Hobbies

Writers often benefit from creative tasks that utilize other parts of the brain not used during writing. For example, drawing, coloring, or painting is a perfect way to connect to the colorful part of your creativity that doesn’t think with words. Simultaneously, some hobbies, like sewing or gardening, require very little mental work, allowing writers to have an outlet for stream of thoughts to wander. This is a great way for writers to relax and generate creative ideas.

Getting Some Exercise

Writers sit for many hours behind a desk. They need exercise every once in a while if not once a day. Taking a walk or going to the gym is helpful. Even stretching for five minutes is beneficial.

Sleeping at Least 8 Hours a Night

It’s not a shocker that writers forget to sleep sometimes. Yes, writers consider sleep optional. Though, that’s obviously not true. One of the 5 healthy habits for writers is definitely sleep. Otherwise, they would be too tired to write well or generate ideas.

Talking to Friends

Like I said earlier, writers sit for hours behind a desk. This leaves them tired, inactive, and without much social life. It’s vital for a writer to go out with friends at least once a week. Even talking with friends or loved ones on the phone can re-energize the mind and soul.

Having a Personal Day

Writers neglect themselves all the time. They forget to eat or shower, and they are awful to their well-being. So taking a personal day to rest is necessary. Writers can use some time to pamper themselves.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to check out my others for more writing tips! I also have a YouTube channel where you can find awesome writing advice and writing humor. Check it out and subscribe!

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Why It’s Necessary for a Writer to Not Write Sometimes

A writer writes. That’s a fact. However, a writer also stops writing sometimes to make sense of her thoughts, just like how an architect stops drawing a structure to analyze it. Or how a chef stops cooking to look up a recipe. Or how a singer stops singing to rest his voice.

It is certainly important not to stop writing. Otherwise, the creative juices slow down and so does motivation and rhythm. Still, what exactly is writing? Writing can happen in the mind without any words making their way onto paper. Does the writer not think of his characters while out on a walk? Does the writer not create an in-depth plot in her mind while driving? Writing can take place solely in the mind of a writer, allowing the him to write and not write at the same time.

This is the kind of healthy habit that every writer should have. While taking a break from physically writing is vital for the renewal of thoughts, mental writing should take place instead.

How Long Should A Writer Not Write to Regenerate Thoughts?

How long a writer should not write to regenerate his thoughts is completely up to him. For instance, I haven’t written a word since I finished writing my novel, Divinity Falling, almost six months ago. Nevertheless, I’ve been generating new ideas for my next novel. It is too early for me to begin writing the novel since a few plot holes remain in the story. But I do make progress with this plot every week.

Still, if you haven’t written anything in over a year, you should probably consider ending your writing vacation and getting back into the game. There is a fine line between writing in your mind and being too lazy to do any work. If you are not plotting or writing, then you are failing to do your job.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to check out my others for more awesome writing tips! I also have a YouTube channel where I share additional writing advice and writing humor.

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To Outline or Not To Outline Your Novel

Outlining a novel always prompts a debate among writers. Should you outline your novel or leave the task of figuring our your novel’s plot to the impulse of your mind? I think the answer lies in the middle. While you should outline your novel, you shouldn’t outline every single event taking place. Some of it should be left unplanned so that your characters can show you the direction of the story.

“But characters aren’t real, Nour! How can they show you the direction of the story?” Characters may not be real like you and me, but they can speak through the story. If you know them inside and out, what makes them tick, their likes and dislikes, who they love, who they hate, what drives them crazy, you’ll be able to listen to their guidance. Characters will most certainly let you know how your novel should go. Often, your characters have a mind of their own and tug at you in a direction you weren’t even planning on in the first place.

For that reason, you should never outline your novel completely. Outline the key points. Your story needs to go from point A to point E. Leave points B, C, and D to your character’s discretion.You will find your novel more natural this way, and your reader will feel pulled into the story.

However, at the end of the day, whether you outline your novel or not is your choice. If you feel more comfortable outlining from the beginning to the end and you usually get better results doing that, then go for it. And if you feel that your creativity functions the best when you are spontaneous with your story, then don’t outline. You know you best. In other words, there is no one correct way to planning your novel. Do what’s most natural to you.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to check out my others for more awesome writing tips! I also have a YouTube channel where I share additional writing advice and writing humor.

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How to Write a Well-Rounded Antagonist in Fiction

A well-rounded antagonist can take your story to the next level, as it should. If your story is lacking a strong conflict, take a look at your antagonist. Is he, she, or it well-rounded? Does the antagonist have a motive, a backstory, and emotional depth? If not, then you have some work to do. After all, a well-rounded antagonist is just as important, if not more important, than your protagonist. Nothing interesting would ever happen to your protagonist without the antagonist. The antagonist makes the book.

Should the Antagonist Be all Evil?

Your antagonist should never be all evil, just like your antagonist should never be all good. A well-rounded antagonist has some good and bad aspects. It just happens that his bad aspects outweigh his good. Your antagonist could be as simple as rain. Though rain is typically good, if it pours nonstop, it could become bad and create flooding.

Any antagonist you create should be similar to rain. Perhaps your antagonist has an evil plan, but his weakness is his love for his daughter. Or maybe your antagonist thinks her actions are for the greater good despite the fact that she might be killing thousands of innocent people. Your antagonist could be taking revenge for an incident that occurred years ago and traumatized her. There are many ways to add depth to your bad character without making him, her, or it completely evil.

How Can You Add Backstory to Your Antagonist?

A backstory is your character’s past. What made them the way they are now? What is driving them to do what they do? When historians study the mind of Hitler and what led him to wreaking such havoc, they look at his past before he rose to power. They analyze his mind, the situations he went through, how he was raised, who hurt him, etc. All these details bring us closer to figuring out what went wrong in this evil person’s mind.

Your antagonist should have a backstory too. They are a living thing with a motive that arose over time. They didn’t just wake up one morning with the need to kill. Something drove them to that mentality one step at a time. Figure out what makes your antagonist tick, what their pressure points are, and what breaks them. Like your protagonist, your antagonist has feelings, unless their souls have been ripped out of them for good. In which case, they might be all evil and this rule may be broken. Still, always create a backstory for your antagonist to help us better understand them.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to check out my others for more awesome writing tips! You can also find me on YouTube, sharing extra writing advice and writing humor.

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Can You Have Multiple Main Characters in Your Story?

Having multiple main characters in a story is not too common; however, it is not unusual. In fact, there are many popular books with several main characters. Think The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, to name a few. These two books feature four or more main characters. These characters face antagonists together or each on their own, forming one big conflict made up of smaller conflicts.

Multiple Main Characters

So, can you have multiple main characters in a story? Absolutely! In Divinity Falling, the novel I’m currently working on publishing, I have two main characters, a male and a female. Adriel and Adelaide each have chapters in their own unique point of view, showing the differences in their perspectives of each other and everything around them.

So while we are often used to a single main character, there is definitely room for more. Besides, third person point of view often brings us into the lives of many. This indicates that you can have multiple main characters in a story. Of course, just because a narrative is told in the third person perspective does not mean that there are multiple main characters. We could learn intimate details of more than one character but still have only one main character. Nonetheless, that is not always the case, and sometimes we get treated to multiple main characters in a single third person point of view novel.

Two other novels with multiple main characters you probably recognize are A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. With so many ongoing narratives, it is easier to learn more when we can follow the lives of all the important characters.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to read out my others for more writing tips and tricks! I also make two YouTube videos every week, sharing extra writing advice, tips, and general writing humor. Check it out and subscribe to my channel!

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When Does a Writer Become an Author?

Some people argue that anyone who writes stories is an author. Others argue that writers become authors once their works are published. However, the former point is the correct one. After all, the definition of an author is “a writer of a book, article, or report.” So, once and for all, let’s put the debate when does a writer become an author to rest.

You could also argue that if a writer wrote a novel on a deserted island of which he was the only citizen, then he would have to be an author because there is no one to print and publish his work. He would still be able to read his novel, though, despite it not being famous. Thus, a writer is an author even when only one person has read their work.

Plus, in this day and age, a lot of writers publish their work online, either on a blog or on the kindle app and other e-readers. So even though their books aren’t physically printed, they are still considered published authors. This can only imply that a writer becomes an author when his book is written.

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Why Keeping a Journal As a Writer Is Important

When you’re a writer, a journal does not necessarily mean you will be writing your diary. You could, of course. You might think, I’ll record my everyday happenings so that one day they could film a biography about me. However, a journal has many other uses. Keeping a journal is a powerful tool for a writer, just as looking through a camera lens is important for a photographer.

Writing Down Observations

Instead of only writing about your life, include what you observe from the life around you. This is one of the very first lessons I was taught when I took my first creative writing course. Looking within is great, but looking outside is grand. Plus, you might just come across something or someone that inspires your future novel. Not to forget that this part will help you write better settings in your stories. When you notice sights, sounds, and smells, you can expect to write about those important observations.

Writing Down Bizarre Dreams

We all dream in our sleep, even if we don’t recall anything upon waking up. Though, if you are keeping a journal and you start recording the dreams that you do remember the moment you wake up, even if in the middle of the night, you’ll start remembering more and more dreams. You might also experience vivid dreams. The importance of writing down these dreams is that it’ll help you gather lots of inspirations for your stories.

Writing Down In-the-Moment Quotes and Story Lines

Have you ever thought of a brilliant line to include in your story only to forget it later? We’ve all done this. When keeping a journal, you are less likely to lose all these quotes and story lines. You’ll be able to record your inspirations as they come to you!

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to check out my others for some awesome writing tips!

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What Should a Writer’s New Year’s Resolutions Include?

Happy new year, you beautiful people, you! If you’re reading this after 2018, consider yourself a time traveler. That’s how that works, right? Anyway, 2018 has just greeted us, so you’re all probably wondering what your new year’s resolutions are. If you are a writer, here is a list of resolutions you must work on.

Start or Finish Your Novel

Have you been working on a novel? This is the year to finish what you’ve started. No excuses! Think of writing your novel as your part time job. You must write often, in between breaks, during your lunch break, whenever you are home, and so on. Writing should be an essential part of your life. Finish that novel!

If you haven’t gotten started yet, what are you waiting for? Write your brilliant novel! Get the creative juices flowing, work hard, and make that story come to life.

Revise a Novel You’ve Completed

Do you have a novel sitting on the shelf or left untouched in your computer? These stories are craving attention. Reread them and revise them! You never know, a story you wrote years ago might just turn into something you could publish.

Be a Healthy Writer

As writers, we often forget to take care of ourselves. We sit at out writing desks and write away. Coffee (or tea) is our source of energy. However, this is not healthy. Sure, drinking coffee or tea isn’t harmful, but you need food too. And exercise. Write like the wind, but do take time out of your day to keep yourself in a healthy shape. Remember, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a nice walk will keep your creative ideas coming. Don’t skip them.

Read Books Outside Your Genre

Writers are a little biased toward the books they read and don’t read. Nevertheless, the greatest writers read everything, even if this means they must read some books they don’t like. Reading a variety of books expands your knowledge and your quality as a writer. So, don’t skip out on this essential resolution!

Have More Fun

Like I said, writers sometimes take life too seriously. They must finish that novel and edit that chapter and they cannot leave their writing desk until they’ve written a thousand words. Still, removing oneself from the hard work that is writing a novel is crucial to finishing the novel. Why? Because relaxing and having fun lets you re-energize and organize your thoughts. It helps you see what’s lacking about your novel, or what you have too much of. Thus, distance yourself from your beloved manuscript for a few hours and enjoy your life. You’ll come back to the story with more enthusiasm and direction.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, check out my others for some awesome writing tips and be sure to check out some of my YouTube videos as well for awesome content!

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How Often Should a Writer Write?

A writer should write everyday to improve their skill and advance their craft. Whether you are writing in a private journal, working on a story, or blogging, writing must be an essential part of your daily life as a writer. Who knew?

How long should a writer write? There is no specific time limit. However, a minimum of one hour a day is a good starter. Still, a serious writer should set time out of their day to write, and this should be identical to having a part time job (or a full-time job if you have no other work and this is your sole means of an income).

Writing for many hours will help you improve and gain creativity. The longer you are at your writing desk, the better writer you will be. Besides, writing is a therapeutic activity, especially for those of us whom are called to write. What better way to satisfy the tick in our brain that keeps on urging us to write than to write? For many writers, writing (even if it is all fiction) helps them sort through their emotions and come out healthier and stronger.

Sure, there are tales of writers whose careers destroyed their mental well-being and pushed them to the edge. Though, I must argue that those writers simply had tragic lives, were alcoholics, and did not learn how to deal with what was around them. In this day and age, a writer can write while remaining stable mentally. In fact, this is the norm now. You can thank therapists and a better understanding of the human brain!

So, remember, write daily! That’s the trick to becoming a professional writer.

If you have found this blog helpful, be sure to check out my others for some helpful writing tips and more!

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