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mag7wrimoI miss this place!!
I was directed to this article recently, "Tor UK Top Tips: Our Authors on Writing", which is a collection of 'best tips I ever got' from some of the more well-known authors at Tor UK (sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction). Among the ones I like best:
For those of us writing fanfic, this seems, well, self-evident: "John Gwynne: Write for yourself. Something that you want to read. More than that; that you’re desperate to read. Then hopefully some of that passion will leak onto the page." [I think he's probably right about 'leaking passion'. Well, so to speak.]
"
"Neal Asher: When you reach the editing stage, it is often the case that you can get too involved with the story to detect errors. You can see words in your head that aren’t actually there on the page, sentences blur together and errors escape you, and you follow plot threads and see only the images in your skull. One way round this is to read your work backwards." Very sound advice. I often find myself 'leaving blanks' that I was sure I had filled because my brain 'saw' things that weren't there.
"F. R. TALLIS: Beware of tips. I am not against giving tips and advice; however, I think there is always a danger of implicitly suggesting that some working practices are inherently superior to others and will get better results (and this is clearly not the case). Different writers benefit from different methods." [Coincidentally, I also read "What it Means When Someone Tries to Tell You THE Rules of Good Writing" over on IO9 which basically says the same thing - longer and with more detail; that when someone tells you how to write, what they're really doing is telling you what works for them. But we all do things differently and we all have our own 'style'.]
One of the things I found most interesting in this article, though, was that a number of writers said to get a good beta reader: "Leigh Evans: Before you send your manuscript off to an agent with a very long memory, find yourself a beta reader. This person should not be a friend, family member or work-buddy. . . ." And "Cherie Priest: Seek feedback on your work and take it to heart, but be picky about it. Find a small handful of people whose opinions you respect, and see where their thoughts overlap." And the best one: "Paul Cornell: Your aim is to seek out harsh criticism of your work and to then change in reaction to it.".
I was discussing writing with someone today who has over the past eight months or so written a number of stories in the fandom - after a long dry spell - and she said that one of the things that had reinvigorated her muse was that she found a beta-person who demands that six days a week, she (the writer) send to her three paragraphs of writing - not great quality, not even stuff that's going to be kept in the story int he end, but that she sit down every day and write three paragraphs. Her muse has become hyperactive! Anyone interested in sharing something like that, a small group where we submit three paragraphs a day, six days a week?
I was directed to this article recently, "Tor UK Top Tips: Our Authors on Writing", which is a collection of 'best tips I ever got' from some of the more well-known authors at Tor UK (sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction). Among the ones I like best:
For those of us writing fanfic, this seems, well, self-evident: "John Gwynne: Write for yourself. Something that you want to read. More than that; that you’re desperate to read. Then hopefully some of that passion will leak onto the page." [I think he's probably right about 'leaking passion'. Well, so to speak.]
"
"Neal Asher: When you reach the editing stage, it is often the case that you can get too involved with the story to detect errors. You can see words in your head that aren’t actually there on the page, sentences blur together and errors escape you, and you follow plot threads and see only the images in your skull. One way round this is to read your work backwards." Very sound advice. I often find myself 'leaving blanks' that I was sure I had filled because my brain 'saw' things that weren't there.
"F. R. TALLIS: Beware of tips. I am not against giving tips and advice; however, I think there is always a danger of implicitly suggesting that some working practices are inherently superior to others and will get better results (and this is clearly not the case). Different writers benefit from different methods." [Coincidentally, I also read "What it Means When Someone Tries to Tell You THE Rules of Good Writing" over on IO9 which basically says the same thing - longer and with more detail; that when someone tells you how to write, what they're really doing is telling you what works for them. But we all do things differently and we all have our own 'style'.]
One of the things I found most interesting in this article, though, was that a number of writers said to get a good beta reader: "Leigh Evans: Before you send your manuscript off to an agent with a very long memory, find yourself a beta reader. This person should not be a friend, family member or work-buddy. . . ." And "Cherie Priest: Seek feedback on your work and take it to heart, but be picky about it. Find a small handful of people whose opinions you respect, and see where their thoughts overlap." And the best one: "Paul Cornell: Your aim is to seek out harsh criticism of your work and to then change in reaction to it.".
I was discussing writing with someone today who has over the past eight months or so written a number of stories in the fandom - after a long dry spell - and she said that one of the things that had reinvigorated her muse was that she found a beta-person who demands that six days a week, she (the writer) send to her three paragraphs of writing - not great quality, not even stuff that's going to be kept in the story int he end, but that she sit down every day and write three paragraphs. Her muse has become hyperactive! Anyone interested in sharing something like that, a small group where we submit three paragraphs a day, six days a week?
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Date: 2013-02-15 10:47 am (UTC)Yes, it's self-evident, but also in fanfic we often write to request or challenge or prompt... and at times yay! write something somone else wants to read :) I love to self indulge, obviously heh, but I do think it's good how we stretch ourselves here on daybook, so to speak. It's maybe a different kind of passion?
OOH. Your suggestion... scary! *g* But since I have many things making little progress I think this might be a good kick up the pants. Not sure how long I could keep it going though. A trial week or two might be fun!
no subject
Date: 2013-02-16 03:29 pm (UTC)I think of it as the passion to write - better, maybe? Definitely to 'stretch'. I like taking on ideas that are outside of my usual way of thinking about things and the prompts are great for that, as are pairings I don't usually write.
OOH. Your suggestion... scary! *g* But since I have many things making little progress I think this might be a good kick up the pants. Not sure how long I could keep it going though. A trial week or two might be fun!
I think a trial would be awesome! (As I fear that RL will interfere at some point). I'd love to see what can be done. I could post a solicitation as a top post, if Dail doesn't mind, and see if we get anyone else who might want to try with us? Not oo many, but in case anyone else wants to try it for motivational purposes?