do you ever use a pen and you’re just blown away by how smoothly it glides across the page and how the ink flows out so beautifully like tears of jesus or something
and then the next day you lose it and it’s just all downhill from there
Before You Begin Your Creative Writing
Always be prepared! Here’s a checklist of useful writing aids to have with you as you begin to write – just don’t forget the chocolate biscuits.
- A good notebook
- A decent pen
- Plenty of paper
- A computer or laptop
- A desk or other…
All stories, fiction or non-fiction, need conflict. Conflict propels the story. And if we can get a little grade school for a second, there are 3 basic types of conflict:
- man vs man
- man vs himself
- man vs nature
So as far as constructing character arcs and narrative goes, your largest conflict will be one of those. But when you hear someone say “there should be conflict on every page” they obviously don’t mean there should be a tornado, fist fight, or self-loathing monologue on every page. Here are a few types of conflict on the ‘page-level’
In short, conflict should not be limited to fighting or arguing. Try to think of conflict as ‘contrast’ and it’ll give you a better idea of how to have plenty of it throughout your… written thingy (I am really tired right now, guys).
- dialogue vs interiority (a character thinks one thing and says another)
- a common event or activity set in an unlikely location (getting drunk on a saturday night…in a women’s department store)
- Description where tone of the descriptors contrast noticeably with what is being described (clouds shaped like… dismembered farm animals)
Okaaaaaaaaaay links!
What Is Conflict?
On Conflict in Description
- Writing Powerful Description by John Gingerich
- The Devil in the Details by Craig Clevenger
- Effective Similes by Chuck Palahniuk*
Conflict in Dialogue and Maintaining Suspense
Opening With Conflict
- Annie Mini’s The Short Road Home (conflict avoidance) Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
- When Arguments Are a Good Thing: Conflict in Dialogue by K.M. Weiland
*the document linked to here is actually a group of about 40 essays from Chuck and other writers that teach on Lit Reactor. It covers tons of topics and they are all interesting to read. So don’t hesitate to download the entire file.
Little child
Runnin’ wild
Watch a while
You see he never smiles
Broken home
Father gone
Mama tired
So he’s all alone
Kind of sad
Kind of mad
Ghetto child
Thinkin’ he’s been had
In the back of his mind he’s sayin’
Didn’t have to be here
You didn’t have to love for me
While I…
People don’t realize how a man’s whole life can be changed by one book.
“
| — | Malcolm X, The Autobiography Of Malcolm X (via its-salah) |
A lot of people assume dialogue is easy to write because ‘It’s just a conversation! I have those all the time.’
But real conversations are, for the most part, really boring:
- Lots of verbal tics (uh, um, like, well, I mean)
- Lack of conflict (How was your day? Great, yours? Pretty good!)
- Cliches and repetitive phrasing
Writing dialogue that too closely mirrors real conversation will give you lots of repetition on the page. You don’t want that. Repetition is bad. It’s boring. It sucks. It’s totally lame.
All that said, here are a few essential reads re: writing dialogue that is great and awesome.
On Punctuation
On Saidisms and Dialogue Tags:
- He Said, She Shouted Loudly by Nathan Bransford
- Verbs and Dialogue Tags: Or, Stop Smiling Words by Annette Lyon
On Pacing and Creating Conflict:
- Am I Talking To Myself, Or Is This Guy Not Holding Up His End Of The Conversation? by Anne Mini
- Speak To Me, Protagonist. Or Blink Twice To Let Me Know That You’re Alive by Anne Mini
On Info-Dumping, Hollywood Narration and As You Know, Bob
In learning how to end your novel with a punch, it’s important to know what you can and can’t do to write success novel endings that attract agents, publishers and, most important, readers. Here are the dos and don’ts of writing a strong closer.
Don’t introduce any new characters or subplots. Any appearances within the last 50 pages should have been foreshadowed earlier, even if mysteriously.
Don’t describe, muse, explain or philosophize. Keep description to a minimum, but maximize action and conflict. You have placed all your charges. Now, light the fuse and run.
Do create that sense of Oh, wow! Your best novelties and biggest surprises should go here. Readers love it when some early, trivial detail plays a part in the finale. One or more of those things need to show up here as decisive elements.
Do enmesh your reader deeply in the outcome. Get her so involved that she cannot put down your novel to go to bed, to work or even to the bathroom until she sees how it turns out.
DO Resolve the central conflict. You don’t have to provide a happily-ever-after ending, but do try to uplift. Readers want to be uplifted, and editors try to give readers what they want.
Do Afford redemption to your heroic character. No matter how many mistakes she has made along the way, allow the reader—and the character—to realize that, in the end, she has done the right thing.
Do Tie up loose ends of significance. Every question you planted in a reader’s mind should be addressed, even if the answer is to say that a character will address that issue later, after the book ends.
Do Mirror your final words to events in your opener. When you begin a journey of writing a novel, already having established a destination, it’s much easier to make calculated detours, twists and turns in your storytelling tactics. When you reach the ending, go back to ensure some element in each of your complications will point to it. It’s the tie-back tactic. You don’t have to telegraph the finish. Merely create a feeling that the final words hearken to an earlier moment in the story.
Don’t change voice, tone or attitude. An ending will feel tacked on if the voice of the narrator suddenly sounds alien to the voice that’s been consistent for the previous 80,000 words.
Don’t resort to gimmicks. No quirky twists or trick endings. You’re at the end of your story, and if your reader has stuck with you the whole time, it’s because you’ve engaged her, because she has participated. The final impression you want to create is a positive one. Don’t leave your reader feeling tricked or cheated.
Reblogged for @alwaystalking2myself. You should DEFINITELY do this…
So like many of you guys, I found the 30-Day Letter Writing Challenge Tumblr (personally by way of Bassey Ikpi’s blog) and the concept immediately enamored me. I opened a Tumblr account, I’ve linked it…
Words to keep inside your pocket
- Quiescent - a quiet, soft-spoken soul.
- Chimerical - merely imaginary; fanciful.
- Susurrus - a whispering or rustling sound.
- Raconteur - one who excels in story-telling.
- Clinquant - glittering; tinsel-like.
- Aubade - a song greeting the dawn.
- Ephemeral - lasting a very short time.
- Sempiternal - everlasting; eternal.
- Euphonious - pleasing; sweet in sound.
- Billet-doux - a love letter.
- Redamancy - act of loving in return.
