From one of my favorite authors, the creator of Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren
Tag Archives: writer’s advice
Desire Defines Us
Advice from a master
It keeps me up at night…trying to figure out what a character wants. They are born and living only in my brain until I relinquish them to the world at large. I think this snippet of advice from Mr. Vonnegut is true. And as simple as it sounds, actual human beings are pretty complex and often times have no idea what they really want. Our friends may be better at knowing what we want than we do ourselves. I say I want a different job, but what do I *really* want? More money? More security? To be my own boss? To not have anyone to tell me what to do? Freedom?
Consider what your character(s) want/s. If it isn’t clear to you, workshop that character until they have it: desire. For something…anything. If they do already “want” something and it is something simple (like a glass of water), why is this simple thing so important? Does your character get what they want or not? Do they even understand this about themselves, or are they, like most of us, oblivious to this driving force? If they DO get it, is it everything they hoped it would be?
After pondering these questions…write for 15 minutes and see where you, and your character, end up. Good luck!
Filed under Writing
“Write What You Know”
From Astrophel and Stella, 1591
I cross-stitched this in fancy script once upon a time. Framed and matted, it hung over my bedside table so I would see it when I woke up in the morning and when I went to bed at night. What a sappy romantic, right?
It reminds me that I have something important to write, and where to look to find my source. And I don’t mean that in a lovey-dovey way, of course. One of the things you will hear from other authors and teachers is to “write what you know.” When I was younger, I had a real problem with that advice because I was at least self-aware enough to understand that I didn’t know much. And how do sci-fi, fantasy, crime thriller, etc. writers write what they know when what they want to write about requires time-travel or alternate universes or to BE a murderous phychopath? And if I’ve had a pretty crappy life, that is quite frankly, the LAST thing I want to be writing about.
For me, it means, “write your truth.” And when you strip your life’s experiences down to the nuts and bolts, whatever this life has taught you is what you should be writing about. Of course, you can apply it literally, which will add the richness of first-hand experience to your craft, but again, that is because it is true.
For me, these truths are stored in my heart, and that is where I should look when I am wondering, “what do I write next?”
Filed under Writing
NaNoWriMo and A Word of Advice
Imagine: Fanfare, trumpets, and a snazzy drumroll!
I registered for NaNoWriMo! Huzzah!
Yesterday was the official NaNoWriMo “prep day.” I have already recently stocked myself with fresh ballpoints and pencils and five or six new notebooks (overkill, I know). The only thing left to do is set up some folders on the old laptop and I am ready to rumble! I *have* also informed my family that I will be writing from 10-11 (or longer) every night in November, so they are all aware and, not so surprisingly, on board with my plan. Huzzah, again for supportive family-members (although the dogs are probably not going to be so understanding when they are ushered into their crates about 30 minutes earlier than usual)! Oh well!
And I have been trying to glean from other writers what they do for time management, in pursuing the writing life…the first kernel of advice: from a Writer’s Digest article by Carolyn Marsden, “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far.”
“4. Write anywhere and everywhere. In working on my first books, I found myself faced with revising the plot from the foundation up a couple of weeks before copyediting. I learned to be extremely flexible about where, when, and how I worked. I have written on cruise ships, while having an operation on my toe, in lines at banks and at the DMV, and even at red lights. If you want to be a writer, don’t wait for the muse to strike. Don’t be too particular about working conditions.”
On one hand, it is a relief to hear that I am not the only one who writes at red lights (only as necessary to not lose ideas), but on the other hand, it also reminds me to stop daydreaming of the “perfect writer’s office”…which, right now, is dominated by image searches of “treehouses.” This one, in all of its rustic seclusion, keeps catching my eye, though there are far more luxurious ones…
So, now…only thing left to do is…write.
Write Under Your Nose 