EXERCISE: and so we meet again

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 28 December 2008

One thing that happens at holidays is that we encounter old friends and relatives -- people that we haven't seen in a while. And although we usually reassure each other that "you haven't changed at all" in many cases they have changed. Lost weight, gained weight, trained their hair into a cockatoo crest, colored it purple or green or perhaps had all the color vanish somewhere along the way. Changes...

Today's exercise is really simple. Take one person -- it may be an actual person that you met this holiday season or a figurative character dwelling in your imagination. And pick some change. Physical, mental, whatever you like. Now write a scene -- action, dialogue, etc. and other characters at your choice -- where you describe to us how they appear now. And in that description, that display of their current appearance and activities -- also show us how they used to be.

You can even use meeting them under the tree... well, under the mistletoe, or perhaps with a glass of New Year's cheer or whatever. And in that exchange of reappraisals, let us know how they've changed and perhaps how the point of view character has changed.

Is it time for New Year's resolutions yet?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot...

TECH: Resolved?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 29 December 2008

Lessons from an agent

Writer's Digest, February 2005, pages 38 to 40 have an article by Laurie Fox. She's a literary agent, and also a writer. In the article, she reflects on lessons that she's learned from working both sides of the field. Here's the six points:

1. Be a tough critic. You need to be able to identify and articulate what's not working in a story. "Overreliance on dialogue (or description or plotting), cliched or underdeveloped characters, monotonous syntax, dull language, or an absence of emotion or drama." You need to be able to pinpoint the weaknesses, spot them in your work, and correct them.
2. Announce your writing schedule to the world and enforce it. Whatever your quota or writing time is, be ruthless about doing it and getting back to it when you slip. Keep at it -- Laurie talks about four years to write her first draft.
3. Distance your writing from your day job. One way or another, you need to have emotional separation between your day job your writing. It doesn't have to be a writing asylum on the other side of the world, but you need enough distance to focus.
4. Embrace revision. "Fiction manuscripts require an average of two (sometimes radical) revisions, which can take months or even years, followed by a purely cosmetic rewrite."
5. Enlist the help of experts. You need experts in writing and editing, and in your subject, to really make the best story you can. You don't have to take it every suggestion, but think about what they're saying.
6. Remember why you write. Regularly, focus on what writing means to you. Publishing is an exercise in endurance, and you need to keep your goals in mind. "By sharing your work, you give it away to the world."

Kind of interesting. In a sense, these might be your New Year's resolutions? I'm going to set myself this quota, and work on it over here. I'm going to learn to identify problems in my writing, do the revision to make it better, and get expert advice on what needs to be done. Last but not least, I'm gonna remember that it's the process of building the story, of making the discoveries and enjoying working with the words, that are at the heart of writing for me. Not the money (hah!) or the fame (double-hah!).

Something like that at least.

And it's one for the money, two to get ready, and . . .