[stylist] questions

Sat Dec 29 05:50:56 UTC 2012

I wish I could do that, but I have such strange dreams that most of the time 
it's hard to put into words the sequence of events that occurred.  But every 
year, keeping a dream journal is one of my resolutions for the new year.
Barbara

Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance. -- Carl Sandburg
-----Original Message----- 
From: Lynda Lambert
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 3:33 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] questions

Yes, Vejas, this is so true. Dreams can be so important, can give us images,
and ideas, take us places we have never been, and teach us things we could
not know in any other way. I would bet that you can find many examples in
literature of authors who wrote their pieces from dreams. Instantly, the one
who comes to my mind is Franz Kafka...I am wild about Kafka! His story, _The
Trial_ is unforgetable - as well as all of his works. He wrote down his
dreams, immediately as he dreamed them, waking up during the night many
times to write what he was seeing and experiencing in his dream life.

I have written many poems during the night, in the dark, as I sat at the
edge of my bed, recording my dream. My husband does not even ask any
longer - he knows, if I am sitting up on the edge of the bed in the dark and
making notes, I am writing down dream images. They come into my writing all
the time.

Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "vejas" <brlsurfer at gmail.com>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 4:19 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] questions

> Hi,
> Another interesting thing that comes to me too is when I'm creating a 
> story, parts of it appear in my dreams.  These dreams give me new ideas 
> for scenes that I can add to the story.  (Of course, I can always change 
> what I want-it doesn't have to be exact.) But I love that ability.
> I agree that you don't really know your character until you're well into 
> the story.
> Vejas
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:26:04 -0500
> Subject: Re: [stylist] questions
>
> Lynda,
> My pleasure; I'm glad you liked it.  You're right; there is some sense in
> which we find the creation by pursuing the craft.  I've heard many writers
> say that their characters seem to take on a life of their own and dictate 
> to
> the writer what they will and won't do.
> Donna
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynda 
> Lambert
> Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 1:23 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] questions
>
> 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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