Practice, patience, Perserverance
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Every once in a while I read something that really irritates me under the dermis. I’ve finally reached a point at which I feel compelled to comment. No one can teach you how to write. There that's said. What people can teach you is methods, components, things to keep in mind. Many authors offer ideas on how to create dynamic characters, how to make exposition interesting, what they consider a better method of communicating mood. In other words there are a lot of writers who are very good at explaining how they write. Their books are useful. If you are a beginner I highly recommend reading as many as possible. But with a grain of salt. Not everyone is an expert on writing just because he is published, or indeed, because he's popular. Plus teaching is a different art, and not all writers can do both.* |
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There are also many resources solely dedicated to plot development or pacing, etc. Some of them can be great at giving you an idea. Some are useful for fleshing out what already exists. I keep “The Writer’s Guide to Character Traits” on hand; not because I use it to create new personalities, but because the buggers show up fully formed in my head and the book helps me understand them.
However, there is one thing everyone agrees on – even contentious, rebellious me.
It is important to read.
Some authors explain we need to read to keep up with current trends. To me, that’s not a good reason. There is a real possibility you could change everything if your work is different, stands out, and is popular.
No. The real reason is to have something to compare your work to. Analyze what it is you like about an author’s book, what it is he does. And see if you match, not in style, but in impact.
You may at this point be wondering, “If no one can teach me to write, and books on the craft can only hasten the process not promise it, just what is an aspiring author to do if he wants to become a writer but has yet to hone his abilities?”
Write. Write a lot.
In order to develop your voice, learn the craft, increase your skills as a writer, you need to go through the garbage phase that frustrates every developing artist. It will look like crap. You know in your heart it doesn’t work. But it’s just a phase. Keep practicing and eventually you will break through. You’ll reach the right place in your mind, all the pieces will click together and you will think to yourself “I’ve got it.”
It may take longer than you would like to get to that point. But you’re not in competition with anyone but yourself, so give yourself a break and accept some people publish at 17 some at 80. You can only go at the speed your life lets you.
If you find this disheartening, if there is a story you’ve been burning to tell but you know you can’t quite spit it out in a way that satisfies you, please don’t worry. Keep the tale, keep working on it, rewriting it, adding to it. Even if you are distracted by other ideas, let it sit on your computer.
Some of my characters have been waiting seventeen years for their chance to see daylight. Nothing ever goes to waste. Save every draft, throw nothing away. You never know what gems you might have until you gain perspective.
What if you never seem to finish a story? Again, don’t worry. It’s not a sign you never will. You’re experimenting, practicing, toying with ideas. Nothing is wasted. Actually I recommend spreading you wings and trying as many different tales as possible. (And as I said, keeping them all)
When you’ve reached the point of satisfaction it’s important to focus. But I’ve found that will happen naturally. One story will emerge as the contender for your first full book. (Or, erm, series) Don’t narrow the field too early and miss out on the fun part. Play with your words and enjoy the process.
All that said, I recommend one very important thing.
Take a screenwriting class
I’m not kidding. Yes I’m a novelist, and the class proved I would be better served helping a screenwriter than actually being one. But it taught me to think about storytelling in a whole new way and I promise you it made me a better writer.
How?
It’s a simple concept. If it’s a good class the whole focus is to teach you the musts of movie dialogue which is to further the plot, reveal character, create conflict and illicit emotion with every sentence.
The class will also teach you a lesson I wish many writers would learn: your character’s conversations should not match those of real people.
We mere mortals stammer, we say the wrong word, we use "um" and "ah" too many times. If you recorded two people talking and presented it on screen the pauses, the dropped thoughts, the tangents would waste precious minutes and your audience would be horrendously bored. The same truth applies to other forms of fiction. Clean up your sentences and make them pop.
Some people have a natural ear for dialogue, others don’t. A screen writing class will help you either way because on top of those two lessons the sheer economy of a script teaches you pacing, how to pair down to the bones and really make you think about what you need and what you don’t.
In other words, it reduces bloat.
The critique I received the most was, “You think like a novelist, but the dialogue is good.” Boy did he have me pegged. I had the hardest time revealing the story in script form despite the fact the whole thing played like a movie in my head. But I’ve applied the rules of dialogue to every sentence in my book. I’ve changed aspects, but the class was invaluable.
I won’t bore you with the details of my craft and style. I don’t want to make little copies of me, I want you to find what works for you. The important message is: take the class, a workshop, or you might find you need only read a good screenwriting book*.
Maybe you’ve already figured out what you need but you’re stuck on the plot. Just remember my suggestion is simply another author telling you what worked for her. At its heart learning to write takes, practice, patience, and perseverance. Getting through the three “p”s takes experimentation. Everything else is just guidance. Some of it good, some of it dire, you’re the only person who can decide.
You’re not Icarus, your wings won’t melt. Take flight and see how far you get. You might just surprise yourself.
*Take a look at my library for information about Terry Brooks, even if you don’t read fantasy I urge you to read “Sometimes the Magic Works”. I haven’t read any of his other books, but that one is an absolute must. As for the screenwriting class, I would recommend the book I used but it’s out of print. It was written by Richard Walter who seems to have updated and retitled his book.
