On Writing

Writer’s Wisdom 93

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To Snack or Not to Snack … That is the question.

Many of us have good or bad snacking habits.  Most freelance writers are glued to the computer ten or more hours a day and snacking becomes a habit.  It becomes a bad habit when we start snacking on the wrong food choices, such as candy, potato chips, and other stuff.  As long as we have to snack why not feed the brain with food items that fuel it?  Some of this brain power snacks are Trail mix, nuts, healthy carbs, whole grains, fruit, veggies … A few suggestions are apple slices with peanut butter,grapes, oatmeal with pecans and cinnamon, fruit smoothies, and eggs, turkey and whole grain bagel for lunch. 

This is good but we must keep these foods around so we don’t end up reaching for the quickest fix.

Writer’s Wisdom 92

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When a Book Happens

When does a book happen?  I thought about that for a while.  Many writers have manuscripts piled, many rejected, others awaiting completion, others just waiting … stories waiting to be read.  This got me thinking, a story has been put into paper, in a way it has been told, even if it has not been read yet by many.  In that sense, a story brews in the writer’s mind and it is born once it is put on paper (or PC).  A book is more complicated than that.   A book is born when it is read – a book happens when someone reads it.  The story has been dormant for how many years it might have taken, and the simple act of reading awakens it.

Writer’s Wisdom 91

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Magic Versus Grounding

How do you like to write your fiction?  Do you like magical settings and characters, or do you like some grounding elements that may give the story more realism?  I would choose one or the other for good continuity.  The Harry Potter books are a good example of magical worlds.  Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga is an example of grounding a magical and fictional world.  She gave her vampires and werewolves characteristics of nature or used cultural folklore to make her settings and characters more real to the reader.

To ground a fictional story you can utilize science as well.  You can stretch the imagination of the reader but still keep a small piece tied to the ground.

Writer’s Wisdom 90

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Essentials in my writer’s library

Every writer has his/her favorite books, and the one that inspire the daily grinding.  I love books, but some of the ones that make my list and that I recommend to any aspiring writer are the following.

A copy of the current Writer’s Market (you can subscribe online as well)

Everyday Spelling – Laurie Rozakis

Grit for the Oyster – Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Complete Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron

How I Write – Janet Evanovich

Everyday Professional Writing – Rozakis

The Complete Book of Contemporary Business Letters – Round Lake Publishing

The Office Professional’s Quick Reference Handbook – Sheryl Lindsel – Roberts

Keys to Great Writing – Stephen Wilbers

I also keep a  dictionary and a thesaurus at hand.

This is just a list of some helpful writing tools that I recommend.

Writer’s Wisdom 89

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What came first, the book or the movie?

Usually a book is written and the movie follows, but with The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, it was a different case.  In an interview with Borders, Nicholas Sparks said that he was writing the screenplay at the same time that he was writing the book.  They wanted to release the movie fast so he actually was writing the screenplay first.  I thought that was amazing, and it must have required so much on his part.  I wonder how many best-selling authors would be able to do that if asked.  In my humble opinion, even that it is the same story, there are such different environments, that the process of writing the book would be affected.  Obviously, this did not happen to him, and I admire him for being able to do this.  I am sure that his fans and the movie fans as well thank him for doing this.

So, what came first the book or the movie?  In the case of The Last Song, it seems that the movie came first.

Writer’s Wisdom 88

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James Patterson – Genius of all Trades

I cannot think any other way when thinking about Best-selling author James Patterson – the man is a genius, not only as a writer but as a business man in the writing business.  He seems to know what readers want, and he seems to love what he does.  I love his lay-back demure and every time I see him being interviewed he conveys this message thru his attitude and personality – “All is well” – no matter the deadlines and pressures of everyday living – “All is well.”  He is truly the Valium of all writers.  If I feel a bit crazy and anxious about what’s going on at the moment or any projects, I play an online interview with James Patterson, and it truly relaxes me.  It may sound weird, but it works for me.  You should give it a try, if you are feeling tense with your work or any other daily craziness.

James Patterson is a Genius of all trades.  He has managed to please and captivate readers of all ages and literary likes.  Here is an example of what I mean.  With Miracle on the 17th Green, he manages to be inspirational.  He manages to capture young readers with the Maximun Ride series, and gives them kid adventure.  Worst Case is for the mystery lovers, who like cops and homicide cases.  Witch and Wizard is loved by kids and young adults, but by adults too.  Is there anything he can’t do?

One thing is for sure, the man knows what he is doing, and he is an inspiration to aspiring writers.

Writer’s Wisdom 87

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When Cities Take Life

Many times, authors write a novel and most of it takes place in a particular city or spot – being that city real or imaginary is not important.  Sometimes the soul of the city comes alive and the city itself becomes a character, an important part of the story.  The city breathes and even talks to the reader as he/she follows the story.  This always fascinated me – how a city or place awakens and sometimes takes over its place in the story and the readers minds.

A good example of this is the city of Forks in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga.  Forks is a real place in Washington, but it also became real in the minds and hearts of readers.  The real city of Forks has seen a flock of Twilight fans visiting and touring while reminiscing about their favorite parts in the books.

Another good example is the city of Barcelona, Spain in “The Angels Game” by Carlos Ruiz Safon, and what better example to illustrate this point than the island in the TV series Lost.  The island becomes the main character, in my opinion.

Such is the power of words and description, conveying feelings, emotions, smells, sounds … that they become spells that give life to cities and places, and those places continue to grow and develop infinitely in the mind of readers – an amazing and extraordinary event.

Writer’s Wisdom 86

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A Reader’s Game

At one point, you probably have asked yourself – “How do best-selling authors do it?”  “How do they keep their readers coming back for more?”

An easy answer to that question is with another question – What keeps us coming back to our favorite authors? 

However, part of their magic is that they know how to play the reader’s game – they challenge their readers.  They give them more of what they want, but at the same time, best-selling authors seem to know when to stop, and how to encourage readers to look for more inside the story.  They feed the story slowly, and they give the readers morsels of mystery and awe, of emotion and feeling, and the readers love the game.

But most important is that they seem to love the game of writing as well, they love what they do, they are true to the story and their characters, and they respect their readers.

Metropolis

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The other day, I was watching a silent movie from the 1920’s called Metropolis.  It lasted for over an hour, and I was surprised that it kept me interested despite not having any words or sounds, just the occasional line on the  screen.  The movie was full of symbolism, both, religious and political, and reflected many trends of the time.  I was glued to it, at one point.  Then, I started thinking, what is it about this silent movie that captivated my attention?

Soon, I understood, it was the symbolism throughout, despite no words.  Then, I thought that this same principle is applied in writing.  In writing, when words don’t suffice, a writer must use symbolism to keep the reader interested.  A writer must keep the reader discovering. 

This certainly brought a new awareness to my writing, and the funny part is that it came from a silent movie.

Writer’s Wisdom 85

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Of Books and Movies

There seems to be two teams of authors when we talk about books and movies.  The authors who enjoy the process of working and collaborating in the making of their best seller into a movie, and the authors who will leave the process entirely up to the director and the movie industry.  However, there is one unifying and common opinion of both groups – both agree that movies are a complete different animal, and as long as the integrity of the story is kept, they can deal with any other changes.

I tend to agree with this.  If a movie where to be made exactly as a book was written, it would actually be boring on-screen.  A movie needs a soul of its own, and that is what Directors do best – they give a different kind of life to the written word, a reincarnation  (if you can call it that), a second incarnation for the book lovers where they can appreciate other levels and dimensions of the same story.