[stylist] questions

Fri Dec 28 18:22:54 UTC 2012

Donna,
This is absolutely excellent. I have copied it and put it in my word 
document file so I can look it over again and again as time passes. You have 
given us all an "end of the year" gift. Thank you.

So often, I have found the beginning of the story as I was writing the end 
of the story. In fact, we really find the "story" as we write, usually. I 
may begin with an initial idea and theme, then as I get into the writing it 
takes on a life of it's own and takes me on a journey I never anticipated 
when I began. This is true of all of the arts, when the perceptual passes 
into the conceptual.
Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 12:05 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] questions

> 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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