Etiqueta: How to write fiction in 10 steps

Take 4

7. Write a manuscript:

With the exception of Isaac Asimov (who practically wrote stories in one go and without the need of editiong) and Napaul[1], from whom a famous editor[2] used to say he wrote perfectly and without the need of edition; everyone else we write the best we can and then… we throw it in the garbage bin to rewrite. Whatever you write is a sketch until you self edit or have someone doing it. Editing is a very important step. You might end up rewriting four … or six times more.

8. Be careful with your spelling. If you don’t know how to spell a word, look it up in the dictionary or ask:

This is controversial. Xavier Velasco, Mexican writer, says bad spelling is like having a black bean skin on your teeth. Because you can’t take seriously anyone with bean skins on their front teeth… Yet, then you go to the museum and listen to a probable literary critic praising some Argentinean woman writing a whole book using “b” instead of “v”; as pleased as if he had found oil in his garden…

What you truthfully can, at least, is turn on the spelling of the word processor programme… because spelling is secondary if you’re the cat who defecates the best coffee.

Oh! A writer needs to learn and collect fancy words to impact her readers. Forget that.  

We learn words to know when and where to use them.

A word well used is worth more than five badly chained. Because  of love to the page… research, learn, look up. Writing is an every day business.

9. Read it all over again and ask help from family or friends:

But never ask more than once the same person to do it; they’ll think you’re a pest.. No, for something they’refriends with you or family. But it is better trying after you have read it at least five times and aloud. There is the problem of it being legible, breathless dead avoided, aloud.

It is better to get more professional help. Unless you’re surrounded by crazy ones like you who(or even more passionate than you in the chosen media; they probably have not the faintest idea how to help you to get better asides from saying: “it is boring” or not reading because it is impossible for them.

10. Do write it again with the fixing:

Yeah. Definitely, write it all over again.

WARNING:

This blog tries to answer to the question: How to write fiction step by step. Not in a very orderly fashion but commenting what I’ve read in books about writing, some others totally unregarded books and podcasts or simply listening to BBC podcasts or in Ivoox. All topped with s bit of cinism and ingenuity since I’m not a published author. Which doesn’t mean I’m in possession of the whole truth and only the truth. Hilary Mantel would say reality is distorted in the exact moment it goes through filter: a camera, time, your brain and many other things. GO AND READ SOME OTHER BLOG. There must be one good enough for you to come back and tell us,

Was it fun? Like, subscribe and comment.

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[1] Unknown writer. As soon as you start getting yourself immersed in a topic, you realize how ignorant you are. There are lots of things I haven’t read and will not because life is not enough to read them all.

[2] He is famous but I never memorized his name.

Take 3

4. WORK OUT DETAILS AND MAIN PLOT:

Yes, yes but no. Stephen King must have mentioned in one of his books[1] that a technical detail makes the difference between make believe and failing at making the reader to think you’re an authority (an author). And it’s true. Most readers don’t care the technical detail itself. They’re interested on how much that technical detail can quiet the small voices in their brains. Remember: there are very but VERY EXPERIENCED readers who are smart alecky asses about plots and twists (my mother…). The only difference between an author and a professional reader is that you write and the professional reader hasn’t taken that path YET. You used to be, basically[2], a professional reader.

Nonetheless, it is not just the details. It is related to how you can manage logic. Every decision taken by characters HAVE TO BE LOGICAL and causal. Otherwise, details won’t convince anyone. This is solved by having a work notebook.

A writer own a work notebook where to jot down EVEEEEERY small stuff, doodles, matches main ideas and whatever that comes out after. Writes down what to research And/or their priority list. The site I’m analyzing from, says you need to question a lot. YES. Make questions. The same kind you would as a reader and more. You need to know more than the reader. The size shoe of the Female Leader or her favourite colour. Even if you never mention it in the writing.

5. DON’T COPY FROM OTHER AUTHORS. BE YOURSELF:

In this blog you have seen… how to copy from others is not exactly a bad idea. So long what you copy is not the way they express themselves or their ideas with a CTRL C + CTRL V.

The way an author has to use structure to take you where she wants to, is something you might have to copy, in the very beginning.

Your unique and irreplaceable way to write is not there yet (if you’re a rookie writer). You’re a baby that can’t even put order into your ideas. Put arrogance aside and copy structures… Only structures.

On the other side, if you’re already an author with their own voice; you might benefit from knowing that Balenciaga would go and buy a Channel, Woodsworth and unsown it apart to know how it was made. Not to copy the design. BUT to improve HIS own designs.

My brain tells me you’re here because you know you need to be yourself but don’t know how, hubble things or you guffaw to my nonsense. You might feel empathy. Or maybe Monday patchwork alleviate the monotonous regularity of the everyday concur. Or… what the heck do I know about why you come here without your comments?

6. DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO WRITE A SHORT STORY OR A NOVEL. HOW MANY WORDS?:

True, there’s a standard out there. But it is not always measured in words. According to the contest or the publishing house and mainly the language, you might have to write 50,000 word or a settled number of pages. And such a thing, at the beginning, shouldn’t be as important. Focus in writing a good plot. Because to fill in 60 000 words of short stories, you need more than a plot. And for a novel, every scene is like a mini-plot. So… why to stress yourself setting a number of words? At least at the beginning. Remember, the best friend of a writer is called Delete, of a drawing person Supr and of a designer or engineer I don’t know what key it might be, but I’m sure you also erase unnecessary stuff.

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[1] I’ve only read two and I can’t remember which ones. So it must have been in one of those… Sorry. I didn’t like the guy.

[2][2] Unpaid… I presume.

Take 2

And here I am, trying to explain what doesn’t work and what does asbriefly as posible about the 10 steps how to write a good fiction book (and from ones I might have, perhaps, a bit, no idea)

1. BE CREATIVE! IMAGINATION HAS NO LIMITS. DON’T LET OTHERS TO STEAL YOUR IDEAS.

Sarah Domet in “90 days to your novel” explains taking the first thing into mind as an idea is so not a good idea. Which reminds me of my classmates who complained about a teacher whom made them draw about a 100 variations of a logo in the “Open house to the Wind[1]”

True to a T, the first idea is probably to fail. Why? Because a mere idea as idea, has no worth regarding writing a plot/tale. To write a plot or tale or novel, we need a conflict and an idea “I’d like it to portray a vagabond castle” doesn’t solve the whole plot of Howl’s moving castle. And the idea wasn’t Diana Wynne Jones in principle. If I remind it correctly, it was a student at a school she was calling at who mentioned it[2].

And it isn’t likely anyone might steal ideas from a nobody (not meant as derogative) just like that. It can happen and has happened but for somebody to read you, you need a certain amount of fame or promotion.

Which doesn’t invalidate the fact; it can really be your first idea coming to you after reading a book, garden or howling the whole choreography if Lady Gaga. The best ideas are not the ones we sit on but those who happen when you’re not thinking over and over about THE IDEA. Let’s say if you can identify this: “the one we don’t call upon[3]”

More than “creativity”, what you need is to learn what is conflict and which are the genre requirements BEFORE you have a rain check idea session or start writing for the sake of writing.

2. GET AN IDEA. SIMPLE, IT CAN COME IN A DREAM OR ANY DAILY HAPPENING YOU HAVE NOTICED.

Here w ego again with the notion of getting an idea. According to Sarah Domet in “90 days to your novel”, we need to review an idea for there are those who look as pure genious but won’t withstand the toll of a long conflict. At least long enough for a book.

Writing a book isn’t a “Ohm I think the inspiration muse has beat me with her tactical baton”. It requires something that were you not to do on the pleasure of doing by the pleasure of doing it; you shouldn’t write. It requires to study.

Study what? You tell me. Starting for the genre you want to write. Clichés are fun until someone stretches them out too much and it definitely shouldn’t be you who does it. Specially if you ARE an author. Authors note patterns in other narrative texts. Something most people doesn’t (not because they’re simple but because we all are different and can do different stuff). Cinnammon on top of the cinnamon roll, we need a “controlling idea” and “reality” alone is not enough for a good narrative text. Despite it looking as such being the case at times.

ONCE YOU KNOW what is your genre, then it is easier to identify the ideas that are worth from the ones which aren’t. Where the ideas come from, doesn’t matter.

IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to acquire the habit of writing.

3. WRITE YOUR IDEA. NO MATTER HOW STUPID IT SOUNDS LIKE:

In “The creative writer’sworkbook[4]”, Cathy Birch will tell you to get a working notebook where to jot down all the ideas and possible relationships connecting them. Besides writing your ideas, you will have to trace charts and write descriptions of characters. Some authors draw maps to north themselves within their worlds. Others, plan a true structural mapping of the scenes, one by one just for fun, before writing anything else. 

Write no matter how stupid it sounds or how much you can compare it with the genious of ______________ (fill in with the name of your favourite author). Every single book is nonsense, after all. Comparing yourself to others (this author is god and I0m just a lowly maggot…) only HOLDS YOU BACK from doing. Repent more of doing than of not doing.

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[1] Casa Abierta al Viento…. Given tha fact that it was built after the student movement in 1968 in Mexico, to avoid more student associations who might question political issues; my “alma mater” has this wonderful phrase to note that the geographical imposition of its buildings has the marvelous trait of allowing very cold wind streams. Specially on the mornings. This phrase is a free adaptation of the slogan “Incalli Ixcahuicopa” or “Casa Abierta al Tiempo/Time welcomed house”. Obviously, it has been a while since the last time I had a stand in there and possibly architectural situation may have changed. When I finished school, a series of refurbishing and windings had taken place already.

[2] For disambiaguation, leave our comment….

[3] No, it ain’t Ha… It was Tolkien. Boromir and Faramir call Sauron this way.

[4] I repeated the first one book just to emphasize that getting the idea isn’t it all…

Yeah, that’s right. Before I got myself entangled into the amusing task of writing seriously… I didn’t read a single book, a sole webpage or tried to get myself into any of the many, overflowing courses out there.

Disgraceful? Let’s say that any other way; I wouldn’t have learnt a thing. Why? Cause failing, teaches us we must learn. Which is why TODAY, I can review the 10 steps to write fiction you can find in Wikihow (with images). All from my own inexperienced unpublished author, in a congenial way.

So… do the 10 steps work? I’m going to review it in a easy access content table and afterwards, I’ll think to explain it all detailed to an I’s dot.

THE 10 STEPS TO WRITE FICTION WITH THE OCASSIONAL INTERRUPTION

	Advice from the renown webpage	According to me
	Be creative! Imagination has no limits. Don’t let others to steal your ideas.	Creativity has nothing to do with veing able to finish a plot. Artfully, you require it to start one, you are going to need a lot more knowledge to write a novel. And lots and lots of stubborn energy. Learn to start and see through things.
	Get an idea. Simple, it can come in a dream or any daily happening you have noticed.	Always, always, always, do have something to write on reach. It doesn’t matter if digital or analog. Though, an idea alone can’t be stretched as chewing gum if what you might is to write a novel. Turn that idea into conflict.
	Write your idea. No matter how stupid it sounds like.	You just write. Don’t think how stupid or bad the idea is as step number 3 says. Thinking something as stupid will only deter you from doing.
	Work out the details and the main story. Create unique characters.	Whatever it is you will write is determined by what you have read or seen. As a scientist said: “we stand on the shoulders of giants” Whatever you do will never be absolutely original. What makes it unique is your own voice.  Study and research.
	Don’t copy from others. Be yourself.	Copy. Learn how it Works and why it Works. Once you know, you can and will use your own voice. It might not sell to write as a XIX century writer but it certainly helps to know how it works.
	Decide if what you want is a short novel or a novel. How many words? (In the Spanish speaking world, you will be counting pages)	Be yourself. There are authors who write little and authors who write 400 pages just to choose a plot.
	Write a manuscript	EVERY single job is an sketch until you have reviewed it or given it to a skilled editor for help.
	Review your spelling and gramar. In case you don’t know how to write something, check it up in a dictionary or ask.	Write every single day but take everything calmly. Life tends to get in the way. And YES, BUY YOURSELF A DICTIONARY.
	Read it again and ask help from a friend or family	Learn to trashcan. NO matter how much youlike a scene, if it doesn’t work… IT IS GARBAGE. It is better to get a beta reader, frequently friends or family have no time or are not cultured enough in plots to give a useful review. Plus, you need someone to tell you stuff.
	Write it all over with the corrections.	Have fun. Even if the process makes you scream, feel like washing the dishes or clean the cat’s litter. If you don’t have fun, no one will want to read you. (This and number one are interchangeable).

Next entry, why and how is it the such advice works. And why to keep an eye in other stuff.

IT WILL CONTINUE