[stylist] questions

[Donna Hill]

Hi Wallace,
I'm not much of a poet, but have written many articles and one novel. I
believe that an extensive thought process/fantasy is the best ground-work,
which it sounds like you have already tackled. In terms of translating your
ideas into an actual work of fiction, I would recommend that  you just sit
down at your computer and start a document. Don't worry about anything just
write down your ideas. You can start with "In this story, ..." and say what
happens or "My main character is ... " and get a character profile going.
It's really important to just write, let the thoughts come, even if you
start thinking "hey that can't be right because ..." just write that down
too. The important thing is to keep going and don't go back to correct
anything. It can take the form of an outline, if you're more comfortable
with that. It can even start with you talking your ideas into a recorder. If
you start with an outline and then sense yourself going into a different
form like maybe writing out a conversation, just go with it; get it all out
into a form you can revisit.

Once you're done with that, save it as is. Then, go back and edit it for
clarity. Always use the "save as" function to save your work, and do
something different in the title to differentiate the new draft from the
last one. I date mine, but you could have them numbered. This becomes more
important as you go, since you may include a scene or plot thread in one
version, and then you think that maybe you don't want to use it. The thing
is, though, you may change your mind. It's more liberating if you know you
can change things totally around and still go back, if you think there was
something in an earlier version that worked better. 

In order to make things easier to find, I created a folder for "stray
scenes" where I kept all the little scenes I didn't think I needed. Some of
them were re inserted; others are sitting there waiting for a possible place
in the next book. I have eliminated things only to realize later that I was
right at the time that the scene or thread didn't belong where it was, but
now that I'm further along, I realize that it does have a place -- just not
what I had originally thought.

The beginning of a story is so important that I advise not stressing over it
till you're really a lot further along. Just start with something. Remember
that every story starts in the middle. Even the Bible -- what was God doing
before creating the universe? The trick in fiction is to find that perfect
point  to begin writing, and that often presents itself down the road. 

Since we both write articles, I'm thinking that some of what I do in that
area has spilled over into my fiction writing and it might be useful to you.
The basic questions that a fiction writer has to answer are exactly the same
as those a journalist must answer -- who, what, when, where, why and how. In
fact, my mind-set for the two forms doesn't differ much, except that in
journalism, I look for the answers outside myself.

As an article writer, I have often interviewed subjects and typed out what
they are saying as the conversation proceeds. I like to go over it right
after the interview, so I can flesh out my shorthand. I add things that
clarify what I asked and add some context that didn't make it onto the page.
Then I start writing around the notes, putting the information into the
kinds of sentences that  will eventually be in the article. I don't worry
about order until I have everything I want to include in the article in one
document. Then, I start moving things around by cutting and pasting and
grouping information into sections. 

This same process can be applied to what you write up during your original
brainstorming. You might, for instance, end up with several things -- an
outline, one or more character profiles, a description of the surroundings
and a bunch of thoughts and ideas that you don't really know how to
categorize. As they start to come into focus, create separate documents for
them -- always keeping the original, of course.

Most of the work I did on my novel was editing. I find that liberating as
well. Once you have the idea in your mind down on paper, the rest of the
process is to put it into a form that will best communicate that idea with
the reader. It's not like it won't require some creative thought, but your
analytical brain can aid you greatly by pointing out what is either missing
or what is necessary to move the story forward and keep the reader's
attention. You might look over your notes and think, "I don't really have
much here about the physical surroundings," or "I'd like to get some of the
character's background in here, but I don't want to just say what he went
through 20 years ago." In those cases, I like to go for a walk and just look
around for the scene in my mind. Once you've thought it through, getting it
on paper is simply a matter of style. 

One thing I was particularly conscious of as I did my many revisions
concerns the timing of and the way in which information is parceled out to
the reader. Deliberateness in this area can create and sustain the tension
of a mystery. Do you really want to let the reader know, for instance, that
your hero has already decided not to load the gun? Information does two
things beyond that; it educates the reader, and it limits the writer. You
may say something that you feel is completely immaterial to the plot or
character development in the beginning of the book only to realize that you
may have boxed yourself into a corner later. Some of those well-crafted
descriptions that get you going in the writing process are the very things
that need cutting or revising later on. But, you don't want to try to figure
all of that out in the first draft.
HTH,
Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kyle woodard
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 7:27 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: [stylist] questions

Hey all Wallace Kyle Woodard here just had a few questions for you wanting
to get some peoples advice and opinions from those of you who may have some
advice to share. I have always been a poet and a writer of articles and have
had some success in these areas as shows my job and my book, however I have
always wanted to write fiction and stories and have some really great ideas
however am struggling to form those ideas and scene images into words on
paper. I was looking for advice on processes and techniques that work for
you as well as any other advice you may have thanks in advance.

Wallace Kyle Woodard
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