[stylist] Short article=-=- What it Takes to Become a Master Writer
Donna Hill
penatwork at epix.net
Fri Dec 4 22:53:33 UTC 2009
Robert,
I think there would be some commonalities, though I'm sure the number of
stages or re writes would probably vary greatly. The first stage would
probably be the same for everyone -- get down your ideas without getting
into thinking too much about the finished product. In other words, just
write. Oddly enough, I think many writers still nneed to be encouraged
to really just let it fly the first time through. It's so easy to think
things like "Ooops, that shouldn't come yet!" "This is way too wordy"
or "Do I really want him to do that?"
One thing I wrestled with a lot when I was beginning the re write
process for my fantasy novel was what not to say. Every description you
give, every explanation you offer is two things. It is information for
the reader and it is a limitation for you the writer. I found myself
caught between the love I had for the way a certain passage turned out
and the recognition that the story would have more suspense if I didn't
say so much up front. One thing I did was to create a Stray Scenes
folder into which I copy all of those scenes and descriptions which I
can't bare to part with but don't really need.
The corrilary to this is making sure that you do give enough information
so that things you will be presenting down the road don't strike the
reader as contrived.
I think fine-tuning the balance between dialog and narrative is as big
of an issue in editing as making the story concise and building the
suspense. I don't see these stages, at least in my own writing, as being
separate. I'm doing a little of each all the time.
One thing I've learned from JK Rowling's example -- well, one of many
things -- is the incomparable value of thinking things through before
beginning to write. I know that stream of consciousness writers just go
with the flow, and I employ that technique oftten, but I already know
the basic plot, the subplot, the back stories of the major characters
and the important landmark scenes along the way to the final resolution.
Rowling was stuck on a train without a pen and paper when she came up
with Harry Potter. She didn't have the "luxury" of writing down her
thoughts, which would have merely slowed her down. I had a teacher once
who used the expression -- and I don't know where this comes from --
that unclear writing is the result of unclear thinking. You can't
overknow your characters or what is going to happen to them.
Donna
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Robert Leslie Newman wrote:
> Donna
>
> Seeing the stages of editing would be interesting. I wonder how many
> different stages a person will have? And if each person will have the same
> basic stages?
>
>
>
> Robert Leslie Newman
> Email- newmanrl at cox.net
> THOUGHT PROVOKER Website-
> Http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Donna Hill
> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 11:06 AM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Short article=-=- What it Takes to Become a Master
> Writer
>
> Amen to that, Judith. I think this article is right on. I've been thinking
> about something though after posting my critique of Keitei's story "Angel
> Light."
>
> In this article she states that she can't tell people how to do some of the
> things they ask, because she's now doing it by instinct. I think I'm in a
> position that I can share something about the writing/editing process -- a
> comparison of different stages of editing the same material. I have not
> saved everything along the way, but I have saved my manuscript at different
> stages. I can explain what troubled me about the initial draft of selected
> passages and show how I changed it.
>
> My question to all of you is: would that be of any value to other writers?
> Donna Hill
>
> Read my articles on American Chronicle:
> http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>
> Follow me on Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/dewhill
>
> Join Me on LinkedIn:
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
>
> Or, FaceBook:
> http://www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>
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>
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>
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
>
> Judith Bron wrote:
>
>> I've said for years that if you can't take rejection, don't become a
>> writer.. To success, Judith
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Leslie Newman"
>> <newmanrl at cox.net>
>> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 6:39 AM
>> Subject: [stylist] Short article=-=- What it Takes to Become a Master
>> Writer
>>
>>
>> STYLIST members- this was emailed to me and it struck a cord in my
>> writers instrument.
>>
>> What It Takes to Become a Master Writer
>> This is a guest post by Mary DeMuth. She is an author,
>> speaker and book mentor with seven published books and several more on
>> the way. Mary also mentors writers on her Wanna Be Published blog. She
>> is also active on Twitter.
>>
>> As a writer who loves the craft, I look for clues
>> everywhere to improve. In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, he
>> elaborates on the importance of sustained hard work as a condition for
>> success and mastery.
>>
>>
>>
>> A study orchestrated by K. Anders Ericsson who looked at
>> musical prodigies found the common denominator for mastery and
>> success: 10,000 hours of practice. "The emerging picture from such
>> studies," says neurologist Daniel Levitin, "is that ten thousand hours
>> of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated
>> with being a world class expert-in anything."
>>
>> Think about that for a moment.
>>
>> If you work hard at something for twenty hours a week, in
>> ten years, you'll have mastered it. And yet, when I teach and evaluate
>> manuscripts at writers conferences, it seems very few understand this
>> or embrace this.
>>
>> When I share my publication story, that I spent ten years
>> writing in obscurity, folks inevitably want me to share the "fun part"
>> when
>> I met my agent at a conference and my success seemed to blossom
>> overnight.
>> So many want to know the secret of instant publishing success.
>>
>> Those who write novels ask me how to deepen
>> characterization, or create a character out of a setting, or evoke
>> mood, or widen suspense. I usually can't answer that. Why? Because
>> most of what I write now is instinctive, born from years of
>> experimentation and failure. It's something I cannot teach. It's
>> something an author must do on their own behind a desk, in quiet
>> places where rewards of publication seem far off.
>>
>> In evaluating nonfiction and fiction pieces, I see the
>> disparity. Some naïve writers think they can bank on their
>> friend/parents/kids' over-the-top praise, believing themselves to be
>> an instant prodigy. Or they'll invoke God's name, saying He told them
>> to write.
>> And yet some of these "geniuses" won't receive critique. Some are
>> unwilling to count the cost by practicing BOC (butt on chair).
>>
>> While it is true that some publishing sensations happen
>> overnight, it is more true that most authors spend years and years
>> toiling over craft, trying techniques and failing, submitting to
>> smaller entities and suffering from perennial "rejectionitis." That's
>> the reality.
>>
>> With all that as the backdrop, here is a checklist I've
>> created to determine if you're the type of person who will invest
>> 10,000 hours to become a master writer:
>>
>> 1. I am willing to write unpublished words.
>>
>> 2. I am thankful when a writer farther along the journey
>> offers critique.
>>
>> 3. I understand that honing my voice is not merely a
>> weekend exercise, but a decade-long fight.
>>
>> 4. I am developing thick skin with each rejection, while
>> maintaining a tender heart. (I realize that rejection can make me
>> bitter and
>> entitled.)
>>
>> 5. I see obstacles to my publishing journey as hurdles to
>> jump over, not walls to stop me.
>>
>> 6. Folks who describe me use the words tenacious,
>> dedicated, and disciplined. I am a lifelong learner of the craft.
>>
>> 7. I set word count goals or production goals each week.
>> Then I meet them early no matter what.
>>
>> 8. In the beginning of my journey, I write pieces for
>> free,
>> understanding the importance of apprenticeship.
>>
>> 9. I am passionate about helping others in their writing
>> journeys even if it means they surpass me. Because when I teach, I learn.
>> And when others succeed, I rejoice because I'm expanding my writing
>> ministry beyond myself.
>>
>> 10. I understand the beauty of God's sovereignty in the
>> midst of the journey. He gives and takes away. Blessed be His name, no
>> matter what happens-published or not.
>>
>> How did you do? Are you a ten? Are you willing to put in
>> 10,000 hours to master your writing?
>>
>> This journey is not for the casual. It's a disciplined way
>> of life. This is one reason I'm so thankful my first book didn't
>> catapult me to success. I believe God kept me slow-going to prepare me
>> for each new project, for each new height.
>>
>> I'm still not a well-known author, but I do believe that
>> each book I write is better than the last, perhaps because I'm working
>> on my twenty-thousandth hour.
>>
>> Question: Are you willing to make the investment necessary
>> to become successful?
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>> What It Takes to Become a Master Writer
>>
>> Related posts:
>>
>> 1. The Sovereignty of Readers
>>
>> 2. 7 Ways to Build Your Author Brand Online
>>
>> 3. How Can You Get Published If You Don't Have a
>> Platform?
>>
>> 4. How NOT to Pitch Your Book Proposal
>>
>> 5. The Importance of Building Your Platform
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Robert Leslie Newman
>> Email- newmanrl at cox.net
>> THOUGHT PROVOKER Website-
>> Http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
>>
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