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The 5 Year Journal
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Scribble Articles
Confessions of a First-Drafter
by Angela Giles Klocke
Hi, my name is Angela and I am a first-drafter. Yes, thank you for the applause and for not booing me for using the same line so may of us often use when confessing to a habit or problem. Or is this a problem? I am not sure of all of its blessings yet, but I am sure part of this is a problem.
First, what is a first-drafter?
When you sit down and write an article that ends and is complete without further need of editing, besides perhaps a misspelling here or there, you could be a first-drafter. While some writers write and rewrite and rewrite again, a first-drafter writes it and is done with it. We don't often look back. It's written, read over and either submitted without much delay by e-mail, or printed and quickly sealed in an envelope.
Sounds nice, doesn't it? The problem with being a first-drafter is we rush. Or, we are perfectionists as we go.
The Rusher is used to tight deadlines, so they write fast and furious, only sometimes to later find out they left out some vital important parts. This isn't always the case, but when it is, it can be scary. The Rusher has many times become one because they were reporters at some time in their life.
The Perfectionist cannot make it through a whole sentence if they make one simple mistake. The need to have a sentence read perfectly almost reaches obsession. In fact, many first-draft perfectionists can take twice as long to complete that first draft as compulsive rewriters do. When typing along and one simple misspelling is
made, the perfectionist must, must, must go back and correct the spelling. It is often advised to ignore errors when in the heat of writing, but the perfectionist cannot do this.
I happen to fall into both of these categories. My background as a small-town newspaper reporter taught me how to write well and quickly. But it also instilled in me a need to make it right the first time. And to make it right the first time required fixing errors along the way.
How does this affect me now?
It's a blessing sometimes because I can write something and be done with it. Other times, though, such as when I am writing on my book, I am hindered by the need to make it right the first time through. Stopping to correct a
misspelled word or weak sounding sentence causes me to lose the momentum that was building for the scene I was writing. However, no matter what I try to avoid this, I am not able to. It is in me and does not seem to want to leave.
What can you do if you are a first-drafter?
First, just accept it. If you are one, you are one, plain and simple. Since I don't know how to help myself with this "problem", I'm not sure how to tell you what else to do but accept it. Sure, you can try to get out of it or pretend like this isn't one of your own afflictions, but denial will get you no where. Just admit it and move on.
One piece of advice handed to me once was if you are able to turn your
computer monitor to a point where you can't really see the screen, do that and then type away. Type and type until you've run out of something to say or run out of time. Then, hit Save and close the document. Don't read it or even glance over it. Doing so will only send you into a frenzy of need to clean it up right then and there. Don't. Save that for an editing day. For now, just leave it be.
There. Simple enough, right?
Yes, it's really great advice. Turning down the screen brightness to where you can't see the mistakes your flying fingers make is great for many, but it didn't work for me. I couldn't handle it. So I do have a problem, but I'm here admitting it and accepting it. I might not be able to change, but you can . if you want. Otherwise, join me and we'll
first-draft our way all the way to the best-seller's list.
Angela is the owner of Klocke Publishing, the site that publishes several popular zines and newsletters.
http://klockepresents.com This article first appeared in the zine Inside the Mind of a Crazed Writer, available free by sending an e-mail to
CrazedWriter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
FREE E-BOOK FOR WRITERS MARK MY WORDS: More Write Advice
http://www.klockepresents.com/markmywords.html
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= |
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS AN ORIGINAL IDEA!
by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta
Every idea we may have stumbled upon one time or another has already been thought of and done by another person.
A story idea you may be thinking of writing into a full-fledge novel right now has a good chance of having been thought of by another writer. She may already be writing about it; he may have already published it.
This is what makes writing interesting -- it's like a big spin-the-bottle game where we -- the writers and authors -- take a stab at putting our own brand of originality (or uniqueness) in a theme that's been used so many times.
It's like beating something up until it turns into a pulp; or wringing out a piece of cloth until there's not a drop of water left. And because we're writers, there's no letting up -- we'd continue to write about things that have already been written about the same way that an obsessed Beatles fan would play "Hey, Jude" over and over on his old phonograph and get absolutely high while singing, "Na na na na na na
na...na na na na...Hey Jude..."
It was Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher who said, "We cannot cross the same river twice." And it's true because the second time we cross a river we've crossed before, we're different and so is the water. Of course, he was talking about the theory of the communication process -- that the change in the person who crossed the river a year ago was caused by his intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships over time: his field of experience has changed since then. Thus, a year later and he happens to cross the same river (or a similar
experience/person/situation) again, something has already changed, and it's not the same as it was a year ago.
We can apply Heraclitus' philosophy to writing -- there can be thousands of romance books, articles dealing with health care, or books on how to write well, but not one of them are going to bear an exact similarity to another book or article dealing with the same subject.
For starters, take a look at the shelves in your favorite bookstore. How many books do you see in the romance genre? in the mystery genre? in the sci-fi genre? Why is it every year, thousands of books just keep getting published? It's because writers and authors have this innate ability to fashion something out of an old theme and turn it into their own unique creations.
And if 100 writers bought the same book, say a book on how to start their freelance writing careers, none of them would have the exact experience as a result of having read the same book. Their experiences would vary. Even if most of them achieved success, it would be in varying degrees.
Yes, there really isn't any original idea, much less a plot, left on earth that none of us hasn't thought of yet, written about, made money on, and proudly claimed as our own. The fact is, every idea has already been thought of by someone else, or has been simultaneously thought of by a number of people who have never even met.
Yet in spite of this, we continue to write. Hey, there might not be any original idea left on the face of this planet but as writers, we have developed the inventiveness to shape old stones and turn them into shiny diamonds, and none of them would have the same number of facets.
There's no such thing as an original idea, but there are such creatures as writers with great and different doses of imagination, inventiveness and experience!
Copyright © 2001 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta
mailto:publisher@ewritersplace.com
==================================================
Resource box: Shery is the creator and author of the exciting new series of
ebooks for writers, SEEDS: Ideas for the Everyday (Non-Fiction) Writer. You can download a FREE sampler at
http://ewritersplace.com/seeds.html. The July SEEDS ebook contains 82 idea seeds, all based on historical events. Visit
http://www.thepublishedwriter.com/report1002.html. |
Writing for Children - Getting Started
by Irene Taylor
So, you want to write children's stories? Here are some tips to get
you started.
Be Prepared
It is important to know the market, and to have an idea of what is
popular with children. Good ways to do that are to read current best
selling children's books, study children's magazines and online
E-zines, and see what the publishing markets are looking for.
A visit to your local library is a great place to start to start your
search for what's new in the world of children's writing. Read reviews
of current children's books to see what others say about them. Booklist
by the American Library Association and School Library Journal
are great starting places. Booklist http://www.ala.org/booklist/ reviews
current children's book by age group and category. School Library
Journal http://www.slj.com/
has articles about what's new, reviews of the top books for each of
the past five years, and many related links. One other great place to
get ideas is to search the Children's Book Publishers guidelines at
Writer's Digest http://www.writersdigest.com/
Reading the guidelines from publishers will give you an idea of the
kinds of stories and articles they are looking for. Children's
Writer's Marketplace http://bookbarn.odsys.net/childmkt/
is another place to check. It has useful information on the latest in
this market.
Of course, it is always good to get your ideas from kids themselves.
Talk to your children, their friends, your nieces and nephews,
children in the neighborhood. Start to see what sparks their interest,
and what sparks yours. You should also begin to investigate the age
level you'd like to write for. Are you interested in picture books,
stories for emergent readers, or full-length chapter books?
Keep an Idea File
As a writing teacher I taught my students to create an idea file. This
is a useful tool for all writers. Use a small notebook, a file folder,
or an expanding file to collect ideas for stories.
Jot down those great ideas you've picked up from the children next
door. Clip interesting ideas out of the newspaper for magazines.
Gather pictures that trigger ideas. Keep a written list of things that
"pop" into your head. Some of these may turn into seeds for
a great story.
Practice, Practice, Practice
The best way to become a writer is to "be a writer." It
doesn't matter who your intended audience is, to perfect your writing
skills you need to write. There are some great sites on the Internet
to get guided practice and feedback for your writing. Wordweave http://welcome.to/Wordweave
is one of my favorites. This site offers excellent free workshops and
a host of free writing activities to get your creative juices flowing.
Another great free online writing workshop is offered by Suite 101's
Sheila Ann Manuel-Coggins. You will find the start of an eight part
free writing workshop at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/reading_on_writing/39722
Also The Craft of Writing http://www.inkspot.com/craft/
at Inkspot is a wonderful resource for writers who want to improve
their writing. Also at Inkspot, Writer's Workshop http://www.inkspot.com/admin/workshop.html
has links to many helpful feature articles, research links and
resources for the writer. The Inkspot website is no longer active, but
these great articles are still accessible, so check them out.
Getting started as a writer for children takes as much effort,
commitment and inspiration as writing in any other genre. Use these
tips to get started as a writer, and soon those children's stories
will be flowing.
Copyright 2000 Irene Taylor All rights reserved.
BIO:
Irene Taylor is a former teacher turned writer who lives in upstate
New York. She has written for various teacher magazines
including those published by The Education Center. Currently
Irene writes for a local town newspaper on topics both educational
and informational. She also writes a monthly column for the
web-based Suite 101.com and maintains a website for teachers.
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VIVID WRITING: Not just a matter
of vivid adjectives
by Laraine Anne Barker
Contrary to popular belief, you don't get vivid writing by using
vivid adjectives. Your writing is more likely to be vivid when you
delete unnecessary words (especially unnecessary adjectives) and use
more specific rather than general words. Unfortunately, this statement
really needs to be demonstrated--and of course you can't do without
adjectives altogether, whatever stuffy so-called writing experts may
say. However, compare
It was a beautiful Autumn day. The large trees in the park were bare and
dead leaves covered the grass. Dan's dogs galloped ahead of us,
scattering coloured leaves behind them.
WITH
It was the type of perfect day only Autumn can bring. Dan's Irish
setters, galloping through the leaves discarded by the park's ancient
pin oaks and liquid ambers, sent up showers of gold, red and purple in
their wake.
Don't automatically reach for obvious words like tree, fruit, polished
furniture, food, drink. What sort of trees do you want your reader to
visualise? Fir, pine, redwood all conjure up dark, virtually changeless
evergreens, completely different from, say, oak, liquid amber, elm and
poplar, which change with the seasons. And to say your hosts' home was
full of expensive polished furniture and they entertained you with
exotic food is nowhere near as evocative as describing the
eighteenth-century burr walnut (or mahogany or rosewood) table on which
you dined on Lobster Mornay, Boeuf Wellington and Crepes Suzette; the
wing-backed chairs of burgundy leather in which you afterwards relaxed
with your Remy Martin and freshly brewed espresso coffee.
So, in summary, instead of vague adjectives and nouns, use more specific
ones and your writing will come to life.
© L A Barker Enterprises
Laraine Anne Barker writes fantasy for young people. Visit her web
site at Fantasy for Children &
Young Adults for FREE stories and novel excerpts. Sign up for the
NOVELLA OF THE MONTH CLUB, absolutely FREE! |
| FINDING WRITING IDEAS THROUGH YOUR
READING By Mary Emma Allen
"Where do I find ideas for my writing?" writers often are
asked.
Some ideas come from what they read. That doesn't mean reading so you
can copy the work, but rather to use books, magazines, etc. as
springboards to stimulate your own ideas.
READING......
*enables you to research and learn about many topics.
READING......
*gives you an information about historical events to include in your
story or use as the background.
READING....
*gives you an idea for an alphabet book.
READING....
*gives you information about a setting for a story.
READING....
*opens up other cultures, countries, customs, and centuries to you to
give you more to write about.
READING...
*may be in depth research for authenticity or simply skimming to
glean ideas for expanding your knowledge.
READING....
*gives you information about people in your family history who would
make interesting characters to research and write about, either for a
non-fiction or fiction work.
READING....
*gives you an idea for a ghost story.
READING...
*provides information about animals so those you include in your
story are realistic.
READING...
*may include books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters and online
zines and sites with their multitude of information on many topics.
READING....
*exposes you to new forms you've never tried...poetry, plays, a diary
novel.
READING...
*provides pure pleasure, which you in turn want your audience to
experience when reading your work.
(c)2001 Mary Emma Allen
(Mary Emma Allen is a multi-faceted writer/illustrator and teacher,
who researches and writes about many topics for children and adults.
Visit her web site: http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea,
me.allen@juno.com) |
VIEWPOINT or POV (POINT OF VIEW)
by Laraine Anne Barker
There are many different viewpoints from which you can tell your story:
1. OMNISCIENT
In this viewpoint you can jump into the head of every character. Although omniscient viewpoint is considered the most "natural" one for storytelling, it does pose problems.
a. Because it isn't a good idea to tell a story from too many viewpoints (it can make the reader feel distanced from both the story and the characters) it's best to reveal the thoughts and feelings of minor characters through action and dialogue. However, if this isn't possible, an occasional look into a minor character's head won't be noticed by the reader if it's well handled.
b. In omniscient viewpoint, it's all too easy to change viewpoint in the middle of a paragraph, or even the middle of a sentence. Editors don't like this. Keen-eyed readers notice it too. Critics call it "head-hopping".
Example of viewpoint change in the middle of a
sentence/paragraph: ... she could only shout hopelessly as loud as she could, in frustration, expecting no answer.
"Lyo!"
"What?" he said beside her. Her shout turned into a scream; she seemed to levitate before his eyes. He bent quickly to pick up the mussels she had dropped. She came back down to earth finally and glared at his shaking shoulders.
From The Changeling Sea by Patricia A McKillip
("She seemed to levitate before his eyes" abruptly switches the viewpoint from her to him and is very disconcerting.)
2. LIMITED VIEWPOINTS
a. First Person:
The main difficulty here is that the narrator can tell the reader only what the "I" character knows. If, to heighten suspense, you want your readers to know that someone is stalking your narrating character, you have to go to great pains to give the narrator some clues and make him less smart than your readers (without annoying them; readers don't like stupid protagonists).
A second problem occurs only in books for children, because the narrating character is nearly always a child and needs to speak with an appropriate voice. This rules out any chance of writing with wisdom or poetic elegance. Even making your character a bookworm and top of the class in English doesn't work very well. You might get away with it if writing "social realism", but fantasy needs special elements of style and wisdom to create that mysterious, indefinable air of magic--elements that you can't use realistically with a child narrator. How would I deal with the problem? Well, I'd probably start the book with a short scene that reminded the now middle-aged narrating character of what happened when he was 11 (or whatever age the character is meant to be) and give him a reason, even if just an overwhelming urge, to write down his story.
b. Second Person:
I've yet to see a whole book written in this viewpoint, but have occasionally seen a paragraph or two something like the following, usually in books written in first person.
"You can't imagine what it's like until it happens to you. It's as if a bomb hits you. You wake up to find the sun streaming through your window when it shouldn't have reached that far. That means you're late for school. And Mr Mitchell's class is first today. He'll be furious. How come your mother forgot to call you? When you rush downstairs you find out. Your father has walked out and your mother is little better than a bawling baby. There's no breakfast ready, no packed lunch waiting for you on the sink bench. You promptly forget Mr Mitchell. Even his worst punishments are nothing compared to this. Perhaps a cup of tea might calm your mother. That's usually what adults suggest when someone's upset. But the kitchen looks as if your parents were throwing things at each other. You have to fight your way through the mess to the kettle."
(In this example, the child narrator has used second person--unconsciously suggested to her by the burst of bitterness that causes her to address the reader directly in the first sentence--in an attempt to distance herself from what she is narrating. This is not happening to HER but to you.)
c. Third Person:
In this viewpoint the story is told almost exclusively through the eyes of the main character. One of the biggest difficulties for beginner writers is STAYING in it. It's all too easy to slip into the omniscient viewpoint without realising. Because of this, beginners are advised NEVER to slip out of third-person limited viewpoint. However, if the break is necessary for the story to work, there's no reason why this rule can't be broken. The story is ALWAYS paramount, particularly in books for children. Just make sure your break doesn't jar (as in the example under Omniscient Viewpoint). In writing for younger children it's particularly important to stay within third person limited viewpoint as much as possible or readers are likely to skip until they find the main character again. (Even worse, they might put your book down and not return to it.)
NEVER break this viewpoint, however, if you're writing category romance. Publishers of this genre DEMAND that you stay in the heroine's viewpoint.
So if, on reading through your completed story, you feel it has an unfocused air, or the main character comes across more as a minor one, then look first for accidental shifts in viewpoint before changing anything else. Fixing these might even be all your story needs.
© L A Barker Enterprises
All rights reserved
Laraine Anne Barker writes fantasy for young people. Visit her web site, Fantasy for Children & Young Adults, at http://lbarker.orcon.net.nz for FREE stories and novel excerpts. Sign up for the NOVELLA OF THE MONTH CLUB, absolutely FREE! |
INTERVIEW WITH MARY EMMA ALLEN
We have an interview with Mary Emma Allen in this issue. She's been a published writer for more than 30 years and has experience in many types of writing, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and business writing. In addition, Mary Emma teaches writing workshops in schools and at writers' conferences. A wife, mother, and grandmother, she often writes about family matters and contributes to inspirational publications, both online and in the print media.
RDC: You have had experience in many areas of writing. Do you find this an advantage?
MEA: I've discovered I enjoy doing many types of writing and have been open to new opportunities whenever they arise. Also, the writing world is an uncertain one with editors changing, publishing houses ceasing operation, newspapers consolidating. So if a writer is willing to work at many different types of writing, she has more outlets for her work and more opportunities to write.
RDC: What is your favorite type of writing?
MEA: Writing to encourage, help, and entertain others. I like to uplift people. So stories and articles that do this are fun to write.
RDC: You write for both print and online publications. Which do you recommend?
MEA: Both. In this Internet age, we must look at all opportunities. You'll often find that print publications have an online presence. Also, when you're published online, you reach people all over the world with your writing.
RDC: What is your most recent book?
MEA: "Tales of Adventure & Discovery Coloring Book" This coloring book features illustrations and excerpts from my children's anthology of that name. The book can be used by itself or in combination with the anthology. Teachers are using the coloring book to accompany the anthology in writing and reading programs, like Reading Buddies.
RDC: What types of writing workshops do you teach?
MEA: I teach workshops for youngsters and adults. These workshops raw upon my experiences as a writer, so I offer many types. When giving workshops in schools I often try to adapt them to the curriculum. Since I have a teaching background and have taught for many years as a substitute teacher, I'm familiar with the needs of the classroom.
RDC: What advice would you give to beginning writers?
MEA: Write, write, write and don't give up on your dreams. However, be willing to try different types of writing when the opportunity arises. Being a reporter for a newspaper can offer you great experience, as I found when I worked for a weekly newspaper.
RDC: You're also an illustrator. How did this come about?
MEA: When I was looking for illustrations for my children's anthology, "Tales of Adventure & Discovery," I was doodling one day and discovered some of my sketches would work. I had sold oil and water color paintings in the past and designed note paper. But I really hadn't considered myself as the illustrator for my stories until this point. Upon request from a teacher for autographed enlargements of my illustrations, I've begun to offer these, too. My coloring book evolved from this.
RDC: What is your typical writing day like?
MEA: I don't have a typical writing day. I've learned to write wherever and whenever I can. In addition to my writing, I'm involved in a family business and help care for grandchildren. My husband and I often travel for business. As a reporter, I learned to write in the midst of a busy newsroom, so find I can concentrate almost anywhere I am. Ideally, I like to arise before the rest of our multi-generational household is awake and write when it's quiet. But to meet my writing deadlines and work on new projects, I must work wherever I can take my laptop or find a notepad to scribble on.
RDC: What projects are you presently working on?
MEA: I write two weekly newspaper columns, "Country Kitchen" and
"Refunder's Hotline," and monthly articles for a New Hampshire tourist publication. I'm compiling a book of writing activities to accompany "Tales of Adventure & Discovery." I've been asked to prepare a study guide for "The Magic of Patchwork," so this can be incorporated into homeschooling projects. When I have time, I'm working on a YA Civil War novel, "Papa Goes to War," inspired by my genealogy research. A longer range project is "Tales From a Country Kitchen," based on my more than 30 years of writing this newspaper column.
RDC: Do you have any upcoming books?
MEA: "Finding the Joy in Alzheimer's" , compiled by Brenda Avadian and published by North Star Books is due out in September. I have two stories in this book. Some book signings and talks will be scheduled in connection with its release.
(c)2001 Mary Emma Allen
(Mary Emma Allen is the author of "Tales of Adventure & Discovery," "When We Become the Parent to Our Parents," (a chronicle of her mother's journey through Alzheimer's), "Writing in Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont," (a resource for writers, publishers, teachers, and librarians), "The Magic of Patchwork," and nine manuals for writers. Visit her web site:
http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea; mailto:me.allen@juno.com) |
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