Writing Advice

[russ 1]

READ.

That is my advice. Writing is easy. Quality is difficult, and like any endeavor, it is greatly aided by careful study of what has been done before. We can all write #######. There are precious few great writers in the world. All of them were well read.

I am an engineer. I now make my living expressing ideas in writing. It is not a skill easily mastered, one that I will never achieve. My wife is getting a master's degree in journalism - an impressive feat for a native speaker of Russian now in the US for two years. She loves creative writing, but the reality is harsh. Complete mastery of the language will not happen overnight, and never happens for most native speakers.

Ayn Rand came to the US from Russia as well, much like my wife. It took her decades to write each of her books. It took her outlines, revisions with editors, notebooks, thousands of drafts, and years of research for each novel. They were arguably great fiction, and still have mixed reviews.

In roughly 1,000 years of novels, the Earth has produced a remarkably small number of great works. A writer must know all of them. The United States has had a sad few great writers - Fitzgerald, Faulkner, O Henry, Twain -

most languages have a similar history.

.

.

.

READ.

I have been doing a lot of searches online and have found some good info, but thought I'd ask if any writers on VJ have any advice or can point me to some resources.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The other thing is that books and courses etc are really just tools - rather than magic answers. You really have to find what works for you. The key of course is investing time in writing as opposed to investing time in thinking about writing.

[chri'stina 190]

Thanks again for all the different advice.

Well the day I made this thread, I did end up going to the library.

What they had available there was:

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And how to avoid them)

Creating Fiction

The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction

The first book is helpful and I have read through a lot of it already. The other 2 I have skimmed, but they look useful too.

So I've been reading several books, and already started writing. I'm also reading another children's fiction book I found at the library that I never heard of, which is kind of a Christian fiction book, more blatantly Christian than Chronicles of Narnia. But I want to read different styles of fiction and Christian fiction besides the kind I want to write. I don't want mine to be blatantly religious, but to have some undertones.

LouLou-I tried the typing with the monitor off thing. It worked for me! I didn't keep my monitor off for too long, but I started out that way. It really did make me just think and type and not keep looking at the screen to critique it immediately. After typing a couple pages of part of the story, the next day I was able to go through and edit a little bit. So thanks for that idea!

I have a LOT of work ahead of me, and I hope to persevere to the end.

So thanks again everyone.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Thanks again for all the different advice.

Well the day I made this thread, I did end up going to the library.

What they had available there was:

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And how to avoid them)

Creating Fiction

The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction

The first book is helpful and I have read through a lot of it already. The other 2 I have skimmed, but they look useful too.

So I've been reading several books, and already started writing. I'm also reading another children's fiction book I found at the library that I never heard of, which is kind of a Christian fiction book, more blatantly Christian than Chronicles of Narnia. But I want to read different styles of fiction and Christian fiction besides the kind I want to write. I don't want mine to be blatantly religious, but to have some undertones.

LouLou-I tried the typing with the monitor off thing. It worked for me! I didn't keep my monitor off for too long, but I started out that way. It really did make me just think and type and not keep looking at the screen to critique it immediately. After typing a couple pages of part of the story, the next day I was able to go through and edit a little bit. So thanks for that idea!

I have a LOT of work ahead of me, and I hope to persevere to the end.

So thanks again everyone.

You need a good allegory it sounds like

[Lou Lou 1]

LouLou-I tried the typing with the monitor off thing. It worked for me! I didn't keep my monitor off for too long, but I started out that way. It really did make me just think and type and not keep looking at the screen to critique it immediately. After typing a couple pages of part of the story, the next day I was able to go through and edit a little bit. So thanks for that idea!

Great.

[chri'stina 190]

Thanks again for all the different advice.

Well the day I made this thread, I did end up going to the library.

What they had available there was:

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And how to avoid them)

Creating Fiction

The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction

The first book is helpful and I have read through a lot of it already. The other 2 I have skimmed, but they look useful too.

So I've been reading several books, and already started writing. I'm also reading another children's fiction book I found at the library that I never heard of, which is kind of a Christian fiction book, more blatantly Christian than Chronicles of Narnia. But I want to read different styles of fiction and Christian fiction besides the kind I want to write. I don't want mine to be blatantly religious, but to have some undertones.

LouLou-I tried the typing with the monitor off thing. It worked for me! I didn't keep my monitor off for too long, but I started out that way. It really did make me just think and type and not keep looking at the screen to critique it immediately. After typing a couple pages of part of the story, the next day I was able to go through and edit a little bit. So thanks for that idea!

I have a LOT of work ahead of me, and I hope to persevere to the end.

So thanks again everyone.

You need a good allegory it sounds like

Well, kind of. But not like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where it's clear who represents who. But yes, a story that involves some moral issues.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Thanks again for all the different advice.

Well the day I made this thread, I did end up going to the library.

What they had available there was:

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And how to avoid them)

Creating Fiction

The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction

The first book is helpful and I have read through a lot of it already. The other 2 I have skimmed, but they look useful too.

So I've been reading several books, and already started writing. I'm also reading another children's fiction book I found at the library that I never heard of, which is kind of a Christian fiction book, more blatantly Christian than Chronicles of Narnia. But I want to read different styles of fiction and Christian fiction besides the kind I want to write. I don't want mine to be blatantly religious, but to have some undertones.

LouLou-I tried the typing with the monitor off thing. It worked for me! I didn't keep my monitor off for too long, but I started out that way. It really did make me just think and type and not keep looking at the screen to critique it immediately. After typing a couple pages of part of the story, the next day I was able to go through and edit a little bit. So thanks for that idea!

I have a LOT of work ahead of me, and I hope to persevere to the end.

So thanks again everyone.

You need a good allegory it sounds like

Well, kind of. But not like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where it's clear who represents who. But yes, a story that involves some moral issues.

Don't know whether you've read any of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books - I hear the allegorical stuff is a little more subtle than C.S. Lewis.

I liked Lewis as a kid, but I could never get into his prose. Same thing with Tolkien - who I like a little more than Lewis, but not so much now as when I was younger.

[chri'stina 190]

...

So I've been reading several books, and already started writing. I'm also reading another children's fiction book I found at the library that I never heard of, which is kind of a Christian fiction book, more blatantly Christian than Chronicles of Narnia. But I want to read different styles of fiction and Christian fiction besides the kind I want to write. I don't want mine to be blatantly religious, but to have some undertones.

...

You need a good allegory it sounds like

Well, kind of. But not like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where it's clear who represents who. But yes, a story that involves some moral issues.

Don't know whether you've read any of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books - I hear the allegorical stuff is a little more subtle than C.S. Lewis.

I liked Lewis as a kid, but I could never get into his prose. Same thing with Tolkien - who I like a little more than Lewis, but not so much now as when I was younger.

No, I haven't read those. I'll have to look them up.

I didn't read Tolkien until I was older, but I loved Lewis' writing style when I was a kid (and still do). Of course I am not trying to copy him or his writing style, but his books inspire me a lot. I love Lewis' Space Trilogy, Screwtape Letters, and theological books too, not just the Narnia books. But I am not just basing my writing on inspirations through those alone.

Something else I want a little different in my book, is while there is some fantasy and magic, there aren't going to be animals talking everywhere or a witch ruling anything, or witches at all, or dragons flying around, or magical stuff happening constantly. There's going to be some magical/mysterious stuff, but not in every part of the book. Well that's my idea so far. I'll see how much I tweak it. It's going to be an adventure story though.

I like Lewis better than Tolkien. I read The Hobbit, but when I attempted to read the LOTR trilogy, I couldn't get through half of the first book. I found it to be overly descriptive and I got bored. I just couldn't get into it. I love the movies, but that's totally different.

I keep having different feelings. Part of me feels like I am going to fail. Another part of me feels like I can do this. Whether it actually gets published or not, I just have to at least attempt it.

Edited May 11, 2007 by stina&suj

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

...

So I've been reading several books, and already started writing. I'm also reading another children's fiction book I found at the library that I never heard of, which is kind of a Christian fiction book, more blatantly Christian than Chronicles of Narnia. But I want to read different styles of fiction and Christian fiction besides the kind I want to write. I don't want mine to be blatantly religious, but to have some undertones.

...

You need a good allegory it sounds like

Well, kind of. But not like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where it's clear who represents who. But yes, a story that involves some moral issues.

Don't know whether you've read any of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books - I hear the allegorical stuff is a little more subtle than C.S. Lewis.

I liked Lewis as a kid, but I could never get into his prose. Same thing with Tolkien - who I like a little more than Lewis, but not so much now as when I was younger.

No, I haven't read those. I'll have to look them up.

I didn't read Tolkien until I was older, but I loved Lewis' writing style when I was a kid (and still do). Of course I am not trying to copy him or his writing style, but his books inspire me a lot. I love Lewis' Space Trilogy, Screwtape Letters, and theological books too, not just the Narnia books. But I am not just basing my writing on inspirations through those alone.

Something else I want a little different in my book, is while there is some fantasy and magic, there aren't going to be animals talking everywhere or a witch ruling anything, or witches at all, or dragons flying around, or magical stuff happening constantly. There's going to be some magical/mysterious stuff, but not in every part of the book. Well that's my idea so far. I'll see how much I tweak it. It's going to be an adventure story though.

I like Lewis better than Tolkien. I read The Hobbit, but when I attempted to read the LOTR trilogy, I couldn't get through half of the first book. I found it to be overly descriptive and I got bored. I just couldn't get into it. I love the movies, but that's totally different.

I keep having different feelings. Part of me feels like I am going to fail. Another part of me feels like I can do this. Whether it actually gets published or not, I just have to at least attempt it.

Expect not to succeed on the first attempt. Perseverance and general stubbornness is the only way to succeed in this game.

[chri'stina 190]

Bumping this because I have a question.

The ppl who responded already in this thread could help me out with opinions.

The name I picked for my main character girl, who will be around 14-15yrs old, is a name that is possibly overused in stories.

Tell me what you think.

I picked "Ella", because it's short and cute, I like it, and it's my Grandmother's and aunt's middle names. After I started writing with her name being Ella, I thought "oh no!"

Cinderella....Ella enchanted...

Is that what popped into your minds when you saw Ella? Do you think it would be the first thing in ppl's minds?

I need to figure out a new name soon if I change it, but I really don't want to! But might have to. I'm already attached to the name. I've been asking ppl I know and they all want me to use Ella anyway.

But I don't want ppl to think, "not another Ella!".

Edited May 25, 2007 by stina&suj

[Alex+R 0]

Lots of kids these days are named Ella. Could be a good thing or a bad thing.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Bumping this because I have a question.

The ppl who responded already in this thread could help me out with opinions.

The name I picked for my main character girl, who will be around 14-15yrs old, is a name that is possibly overused in stories.

Tell me what you think.

I picked "Ella", because it's short and cute, I like it, and it's my Grandmother's and aunt's middle names. After I started writing with her name being Ella, I thought "oh no!"

Cinderella....Ella enchanted...

Is that what popped into your minds when you saw Ella? Do you think it would be the first thing in ppl's minds?

I need to figure out a new name soon if I change it, but I really don't want to! But might have to. I'm already attached to the name. I've been asking ppl I know and they all want me to use Ella anyway.

But I don't want ppl to think, "not another Ella!".

Well to be honest - the character's name probably isn't terribly important at this point - as you can do a "find and replace" at any time

I don't think its cliche... if that helps...

[Alex+R 0]

Bumping this because I have a question.

The ppl who responded already in this thread could help me out with opinions.

The name I picked for my main character girl, who will be around 14-15yrs old, is a name that is possibly overused in stories.

Tell me what you think.

I picked "Ella", because it's short and cute, I like it, and it's my Grandmother's and aunt's middle names. After I started writing with her name being Ella, I thought "oh no!"

Cinderella....Ella enchanted...

Is that what popped into your minds when you saw Ella? Do you think it would be the first thing in ppl's minds?

I need to figure out a new name soon if I change it, but I really don't want to! But might have to. I'm already attached to the name. I've been asking ppl I know and they all want me to use Ella anyway.

But I don't want ppl to think, "not another Ella!".

Well to be honest - the character's name probably isn't terribly important at this point - as you can do a "find and replace" at any time

I don't think its cliche... if that helps...

Eh, who knows, it could be a good jumping-off point.

[chri'stina 190]

Thanks guys...

Yes, I'm finding "find and replace" to be very helpful.

[Lou Lou 1]

Agreed the name is low priority at this stage. Glad to see you are getting along!