#216 The Zoom Lens - A Brief Look At Your Writing

There are many ways to look at improving your writing.  Here's an overview on approaching your craft, no matter what your skill level.  I like to break down the writing process by looking at it through a zoom lens.  Following are the different views:

200mm (Full Zoom) - The sentence (aka syntax):
Syntax refers to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.  Another way to look at this, is the use of words as tools to communicate a simple idea.  Many aspiring writers, and non-writers, feel syntax is the key to writing.  They might argue that talented writers would be masters of syntax, born with a gift for words, a clear understanding of grammar, and thoughts that can express themselves cleanly and eloquently.  I've not met a creative writing class that deals with syntax, which is why most assume it's a gift.

But there are ways to exercise syntax.

• First and foremost is to write.  The more you write, the easier it becomes to use words to convey a message.  Practice makes perfect, duh.  
• A writer can also learn from books.  There are hundreds of writing books.  Many address grammar and style.  These books can be helpful and inspirational, but still, the reality is that a writer must put into practice the principles they may learn from such a book.  
• And finally, the only other way to improve craft is to read writers who have mastered it.  Going classic is fine.  There are certainly things you can learn from Hemingway, Capote, and Salinger.  But consider reading contemporary as well.  There are hundreds of great writers, maybe even thousands, that are putting out books right now.  You can learn from each and every one of them.

80mm - The Chapter or Short Story:

If syntax is understanding the tools, then writing a short story is like building a piece of furniture.  You need to know enough for structural integrity.  You can learn this by writing something small.  A short story or chapter.  It needs to be complete, must be able to stand on its own.  You can also learn the subtleties and elaborations that make your piece of furniture look exquisite.  A carved exterior or stained shelves that give the piece a rustic look.

Writing a scene is different from syntax.  The words and phrases must string together to develop characters and conflict.  A scene embraces mood and pacing.  There must be a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Syntax can move a person about a room, or describe a storm rolling in from the ocean.  A short story tells the significance of this person or this storm.  What does this person do?  What conflicts does this storm present?  To write an effective story, there must be a build up of events.  Descriptions take a reader to a particular place, or describes a unique situation.  And in the end, a reader feels fulfilled, for he or she started someplace and ended up somewhere else.

Similar to syntax, the best way to improve The Chapter or Short Story is through writing.  Write scenes.  Any scenes.  Write a dinner scene or a chase scene.  Write a scene about two guys playing pool when suddenly, one of them farts so ferociously that he ruins his underpants.  I've seen fewer books that discuss writing scenes and short stories.  I think practice is the essence here.  But, one thing you can do is look at how masters write a scene.  Instead of reading Tolstoy's entire works, consider reading one of his dinner scenes.  What does a James Joyce billiards scene look like?

28 mm - The Book:

The widest lens I look through for this post is The Book.  Books are comprised of a series of scenes, of chapters, that fit together to tell a larger story.  No matter how many sentences you write, or short stories for that matter, nothing can prepare you or teach you how to write a novel.  The art of putting together sentences and organizing chapters, so that you can tell a complete and coherent story that is both legible and compelling, is worlds apart from syntax and short stories.  If a short story is like a piece of furniture, then a book is like a house.  There's so much more to think about.  All aspects of the short story are amplified.  Pace, mood, characterization, conflict, and resolution become more important, because a reader has agreed to invest considerable time with your project, and it must stand, intrigue and ultimately impress if you wish the reader to share the experience with other readers.

I've been writing novels exclusively now for nearly a year and a half, and so, do NOT consider myself a master worthy of teaching someone else how to complete a novel.  But I wouldn't start writing a novel without a healthy understanding of syntax and experience writing scenes and short stories.  Learning the tools and learning how to use them on a small scale is the best way to prepare for the daunting journey that is writing a novel.

There is no formula to write a successful novel.  It takes practice.  If you are an aspiring writer and wish to learn the craft, to develop the tools necessary to tell a complex story, then I recommend you begin with the zoom lens all the way out.  Learn syntax.  Understand good sentence structure and practice good grammar.  Write short stories.  Develop characters in one or two scenes.  Start small.  And soon after you'll be ready to open the lens all the way out and start writing your novel.

#210 Identity Revisited, Again

I've written posts on identity and selling yourself as a writer.  And still, I find myself struggling with the concepts in my own life.  I write pretty much every day and I've published (indie-style) two books.  I am close to completing my third and am vigorously working on my fourth.  I've been at it more than a year and will dedicate the remainder of 2015 to getting more books out.  There is no doubt that I'm a writer.  Except for one teensy detail.  I don't yet make enough money to support myself.

That is one important detail.

We recently went to Vietnam for a two-week vacation.  We met several people on our travels.  Every conversation included the question, "What do you do?"  My wife answered, "Attorney," which garnered a polite smile and a respectful nod of the head.  I answered, "I'm a writer."  This never failed to bring a surprised expression and the follow up question, "Really?"

YES, really!

I don't take offense to the skepticism...I really don't.  Here's the problem.  Doubt exists within the mind of every working author.  And not just within the minds of budding authors like myself.  This includes the moderately successful ones, and I'm convinced it includes the super successful ones as well.  It's tough enough to say the words, "I'm a writer."  Yet for some reason we're made to say them twice.

I'm not trying to complain or change how people respond to writers they meet, both at home and abroad.  I wish to help writers.  So here is my advice: take ownership of the work you do.  Be proud.  Only a small percentage of people can do what we do, just as only a small percentage of people can play professional basketball.  Be confident.  And when someone says, "Really?  You're a writer?"  Nod your head and direct them to your book so that your work finds a reader.  Ultimately, this will lead to you making enough money to support yourself.

#202 The Idea Factory

A friend asked me how I came up with story ideas.  What was my process?  She said, "Do you have a secret notebook somewhere full of great ideas?"  No.  I don't have a notebook.  I have a password protected word document.  And yes, it's full of dozens of future award-winning ideas!

So how do I fill that word document?  Where do my ideas come from?  As generic as it sounds, most of my ideas come from random moments in everyday life.  I'm usually minding my own business, thinking of nothing in particular, when I notice something strange and then I try to figure out the story surrounding what I just saw.  For example, the other day I saw a car stop in the middle of the intersection and a young man jumped out.  He sprinted into the middle of the intersection, waving his arms madly about so that cars wouldn't run him over.  "What the hell are you doing?" I said to myself.  Well, turns out he saw an old pair of shoes in the middle of the street and he wanted them.

I spent the rest of my morning wondering why those shoes were so important.  Were they an old gift from a past girlfriend?  Had a new girlfriend thrown them out the car window because she discovered a secret text on his phone?  Or had those shoes once belonged to Mickey Mantle?  He'd found them in his attic along with other sports paraphernalia, and those shoes were to be sold to the Baseball Hall of Fame for $25,000 so that his daughter could receive proper treatment for her asthma.

I play around with the idea in this manner for hours.  Sometimes days.  These mental exercises entertain me while I'm waiting in line at the grocery store or stuck in traffic.  Or when my brother makes me watch the latest Ironman movie.  Occasionally I'll stumble upon an idea that is truly unique and interesting.  A spark ignites.  At this point I write it into my word document so that it's waiting for me when I'm ready to transform the interesting premise into a vision.

Every writer has an idea factory.  Unfortunately, I've not spoken to anyone else about their own factory.  I would love to know how other writers do it.  The one thing I know about my own process is that it should not be forced.  If I MUST come up with an idea on a deadline, then usually it feels forced.  If I'm having fun and spouting off nonsense, I'll accidentally find something I like.  I know real life is not one big playground, and writers don't have all the time in the world.  But, for idea generation, I find that fun is more productive.  Try and have fun with this part of the process. And understand that not all ideas are meant to be explored until completion.  It's okay to scrap an idea and move on.  You never know when today's bad idea will fit in perfectly with tomorrow's good one.

#189 Small Victories

I became a full-time writer in late October of 2013.  I began with a couple of ideas, my wife's laptop, and no clue how this adventure would play out.  I had no process.  No benchmarks.  No short-term goals to keep the train rolling day to day, week to week.  I knew I wanted to write a series consisting of at least 3 novels, and I wanted to complete it by the end of 2014.  Combined with this monumental task, an Indie Writer must also develop a website, engage in the social media trifecta (FB, Instagram, Twitter), write a blog, develop relationships with graphic designers and editors, and read more books than ever before.

That's a lot to take on.  And a writer must do it with little help.

I'm ten months in and can't tell you how many times I've been overwhelmed by it all.  I've had to keep my frustration in check.  I've had to battle the intimidation with small victories, taking small steps -- marking off assignments from my to do list one at a time.  No step is too small to celebrate, as long as it gets you closer to your final goal.

Following is a list of small victories that, when added up, equal the great accomplishments in the life of a writer: novels.

• Finishing a chapter.  Breaking up a novel into chapters gives you natural milestones to strive for.  Understand that finishing a chapter is a good thing.  It's a great thing!  Feel proud that you are one step closer to finishing that project.
• Weekly word counts.  I set manageable weekly word counts instead of daily word counts.  If you have a particularly difficult writing day, you can make up words on a different day.  Likewise, if you have an aggressive Monday and Tuesday, then taking a Friday off every now and then is not such a bad thing.  Of course, I've found that when I have aggressive days early in the week I tend to have great days later in the week as well.  In this profession, success breeds more success.  I write 10,000 words per week.  If you have another job and you scramble to write on the side, look to get 5000 words per week.
• 5 blog posts per month.  Keeping up with a blog is a great way to engage readers, practice writing and develop content (outside of the novel) that will help connect you to readers.  Blogs can be fun.  Let your personality shine through.  Explore your passions and connect with readers who like the same things you do.  But you must keep up with it.  You must be consistent.  If readers like what you have to say, they will stay with you.  If they find you quiet for extended periods of time, they will find something else to read.
• Finishing the first draft.  This is a big one for me.  I celebrate this more than I celebrate the novel actually being published.  Not sure why that is.  The novel is far from finished.  There are many remaining steps that must be taken after the first draft.  But there is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of a new novel, no matter how imperfect it is at that point.
• 5-7 tweets per day.  I'm still new to twitter and have not mastered engaging prospective readers through social media.  All I know is from what I experience.  When people over tweet, it can get on my nerves.  When people do not tweet enough, I'll miss them in my news feed.  There is a balance in here somewhere.  I'm still searching for that balance.  Until I learn definitively what that number is, I generally tweet 5-7 times per day.  Check out my post on tweeting for more info on what to tweet about.
• Read 2 books per month.  Ideally you should read more than this.  Reading is essential to becoming a better writer.  It's part of a writer's life that can easily be overlooked.  Many writers read for fun, and NO writer should be having fun when there's a novel to be completed. Not true!  An inspired writer having fun puts out a higher volume of better work.  Reading other writers helps develop your own style, and it inspires.  Don't get so bogged down in your own work that you ignore the work of others.

#187 Tweetness

Been working hard recently to understand and utilize Twitter to help increase awareness for my 2 novels.  I think it will help me with my writing, and I think it will ultimately help me find readers.  Twitter is an interesting tool.  It makes complete sense for people trying to break stories in real time.  It also seems like a natural way to share pop culture information like: movies, music, gossip, etc.

The big question is how do newbie writers use twitter effectively?  I am new to Twitter, but have noticed a few things that I'd like to comment on.

• Many writers Tweet self-promotion.  This includes reminders to buy novels, announcing deals, promoting other authors doing the same, excerpts from works.  Many of these tweeters have massive amounts of followers so it seems like a natural way to get your message across.  However, I find myself skipping over tweets from people who promote too much or exclusively.
• Other writers Tweet inspiration.  These fill cyberspace with encouragement meant to help writers during wanderbreaks throughout the day.  As a writer whose mind wanders to Twitter almost every time I reach a new paragraph, I find these inspirational quotes helpful, though sometimes I think they are overdone or too well crafted as if they came from a book of inspirational quotes.  Genuine encouragement is always the best, in my opinion.
• Next I find writers who Tweet other's articles, blogposts, words of encouragement.  These writers stumble upon something they found useful and wish to share with their followers.  I like these as well, as I often find myself reading articles because they are right there for me, instead of me having to spend time searching for them myself.  Not all articles are worthwhile, but it only takes a moment to decide if a read is worth the time or not.  And at the end of the day, I am educating as well as entertaining myself.
• I also see humorous/cute tweets.  These include funny/cute pictures or witty comments meant to break up the feed and bring a smile to anyone's face.  I like these, as I am always ready to smile.  Not all of these are funny, but I do not fault anyone trying to be funny or thoughtful.
• Finally, there are many tweets that I simply do not understand.  Perhaps I am not smart enough.  Perhaps I am too old.  But I do not understand what they are saying or the cryptic code in which they are written.

So, in my initial analysis, I believe that a newbie writer looking to break into Twitter should execute a  well balanced attack that includes, but is not limited to, self-promotion, inspiration, articles, humor, and cuteness to help entertain as well as educate.  That way, people do not follow then mute you.  They may be inclined to retweet you and ultimately they may one day visit your website where they will buy and read your wonderful books.