TECH: Building as writing?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting 22 July 2010

Writers Digest, February 2008, pages 36 to 40, has an article by Jon Robertson with the title, "Write From The Ground Up." Basically, Jon suggests thinking about writing a book as being like building a house.

Start with the blueprint -- your outline. "We all work in different ways -- our writing habits, the tools we use to stay on track and how we organize the writing day. An outline can be as simple as a few notes scribbled on a napkin or a single premise filed in the mind. Super brains can keep it all in their heads throughout the duration of the project. For others, the detailed outline is a must."

Pictorial flowchart, visual grid of topics, keywords -- whatever helps you organize the work.

Next, excavation and foundation -- research. Dig around, find out what's out there. Pick the location, check out the surroundings, make sure you know where you're going to build.

Framing -- fill in the outline. Knock together scenes, sketch things out, and start filling in.

Plumbing, heating, electrical? Foreshadowing, flashbacks, and all that stuff that helps to tie the story together. That's transitions, surprises, hooks.

Wallboard plaster and paint -- cover up the rough edges, double check the grammar and the spelling, rewrite polish and refit. Do a final inspection to get rid of redundancies, tighten up the words, and make sure that the sights and sounds and feelings bring your story to life.

It's an interesting example of using an extended metaphor to walk through the process of writing a book. What metaphors do you use to keep yourself on track? If writing a novel is like building a house, what is the short story? Building a doghouse? Or maybe putting together a temporary shelter in the woods? What about poetry? Sharpening a sword? Or just breaking down the walls between our minds?

TECH: Top 10 Pitfalls?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 28 July 2010

Huh...

The Subject line in the mail said: "Top 10 Pitfalls Writers Should Avoid."

The article, over here, http://writersdigest.com/article/productivity-pro has the subject "Top 10 Productivity Pitfalls for Writers to Avoid." An extra word "productivity" and a bit of grammatical tinkering, I guess?

Just for fun, here are Sage Cohen's pitfalls (note that his text seems to say this is his personal list, and the focus is on making good use of time. aka commentary is from tink...).

1. Unclear big-picture vision. aka know where you are going!
2. Lack of short-term goals. aka set intermediate milestones.
3. Fear. aka To grow, you have to take risks and sometimes fail. Fear can keep us from taking that leap into the unknown.
4. Trying to force productivity. aka learn to do it your way, at your own pace and time.
5. Shabby systems. aka get organized!
6. lack of awareness of time. aka keep track, so that you know what you've done.
7. Transition turbulence. aka beware of getting lost in interruptions and shifts.
8. Perfectionism. aka waiting for perfection means never finishing. aim for professionalism -- do your best, learn as you go, and use mistakes and failures to push you on.
9. Isolation. aka social, professional, community support can encourage, guide, and bring openings your way!
10. Negativity. Pessimism is easy. Pay attention to what worked, and appreciate the good in each moment.

Y'a know, I think the best way to use this article is as a prod to make your own list of best 10. What problems do you face? Or what practices do you want to make sure you use? What kind of best 10 list do you want to make -- and hang over your workplace?

Go ahead, feel free to make your own!
Write.