NANOWRIMO: Pixar #11: Get it out there!

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Original posting November 11, 2013

Now here's one that really matches the nanowrimo ethos! Take a look at this.

"#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone."

Put it on paper. Get those words out there, keep going, get that first draft finished. Then you can start fixing it. Then you'll see what it is. Sure, rolling it around in our heads is safer, no one can make fun of it there, but... You can't really share it, either.

Put it on paper. Take a look at it. Revise it. Let somebody else look at it! Who knows, they might like it, too.

So, in the midst of nanowrimo, keep those words coming. One, two, three, how far are you along? Let's see, day 11, one third roughly? One third of 50,000 is 20,000? Pump those words, get that black gold rolling onto the white page, or even black bits against a white background?

Just write, okay?

NANOWRIMO: Pixar #12: Surprise!

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Original posting November 12, 2013

There's a part of me that really likes this one, and there's another part that says sometimes you need to just keep writing, even if it is kind of obvious... Here's the advice from Pixar:

"#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th -- get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself."

This is one of the creativity staples, go ahead and recognize the obvious, and then go beyond it. If you're making a list of possibilities, go ahead and put down all the obvious ones, and then you'll start to hit the good ones. The twists, the surprises, the really cool stuff usually comes after all the obvious ideas have been exhausted.

The problem is that working through all those obvious ideas can take time. And during nanowrimo, you may want to just go ahead and go with the obvious. There's kind of a balance between pushing for something brand-new and surprising, and going ahead with some obvious stuff. Remember, readers like a little bit of comfortable overstuffed chairs in the middle of the off the beaten track wild and woolly.

Perhaps part of the trick is how often you want to apply this. You may not want to do it with everything. After all, you want people to recognize your genre, the characters, the setting, and using some obvious bits and pieces can help with that. You do want some surprises and twists. This is a good way to get there. Go ahead and start with the obvious stuff, and keep going. You may be surprised what pops out after the last thing you expected.

Remember that Sherlock Holmes advised us, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." In this case, the obvious is just impossible, so whatever remains, improbable and odd as it may seem, surely is the truth.

So get ready to take the one less traveled by, and see if that makes all the difference. Write!

NANOWRIMO: Pixar #13: Characters need opinions?

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Original posting November 13, 2013

another one that works well for nanowrimo. Even if it is number 13, here's the advice from Pixar:

"#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience."

Strong characters who have opinions and express them? That's right, you need to make your characters stand out. Go ahead and write them too strong. You can turn it back later, but especially during the first draft, make them opinionated. You may find that when you read it over again later, it just makes them characters who have their own ideas, and that you want to leave it the way it is.

It's a little like seasoning in soup. The cook often thinks there's too much salt or spice, but the folks who are slurping it down say it's just right. Sometimes you need to go a little overboard for those of us who aren't quite as delicate with the palate. Slather that mustard on there, get the horseradish ready, and don't hold back on the garlic. Make sure we know there is flavor in the dish.

The point is that you want your characters to be three-dimensional, to have real presence. Characters that just kind of agree with everything and don't say very much are likely to fade into the background. That's not the kind of character we need. That's not the kind of character that will make readers turn pages to see what happens.

So give your characters opinions. Let them have strengths, weaknesses, foibles, hobbies, good ideas and bad ideas – make them people that we want to know. Not the faceless stranger in the crowd, but a person who stands out against the crowd.

Right? Write!

NANOWRIMO: Pixar #14: Put your heart in your story!

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Original posting November 14, 2013

Two weeks, 14 days, and now we're going to talk about heart? Well, yes. I know you're probably halfway to your 50,000 words, and happily crunching along. Which is a good time to think about putting the heart in your story. Here's the Pixar advice:

"#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it."

Take a look at your story. You probably have a pretty good idea of where it's going. And you probably have feelings within you that are helping to shape this story. The advice here is to really pay attention to your own beliefs, your own feelings, your own ideas, and use that to give your story heart. This is YOUR story, and we should feel your belief burning through it. So go ahead and write those words, show us the characters, their conflicts, their actions and reactions, but don't be afraid to shape it so that we see your heart beating in the middle of the words.

Whether you're just slogging through the middle, or perhaps skipping ahead and writing the climax, or even slipping back and rewriting the beginning (don't forget the forward progress! Finish the first draft first!) remember, put yourself into those words. Make it something you are proud of.  Make it yours.

I think that's part of the old advice that says, "Writing isn't hard. Just open a vein." Whoops. I decided to find the quote, and I see Red Smith apparently said, "All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." Thomas Wolfe said, "Writing is easy. Just put a sheet of paper in the typewriter and start bleeding." But wait, someone else says Red Smith said, "Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed." And while I'm shaving yaks, there's a whole posting by the quote investigator exploring just who said it and what the heck did they say.

What was I going to say? Oh, that's right. Writing with blood. You want to put feelings, emotions, beliefs, whatever you are into the story. That's what makes a story really come to life.

So open that vein. Bleed all over the nanowrimo words! Set fire to the story, and let it be a blazing beacon.

WRITE!

NANOWRIMO: Pixar #15: Honestly?

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Original posting November 15, 2013

Halfway! That means 25,000 words? More or less? And here's some advice for injecting credibility, making the most incredible, unbelievable, weird situation feel real! Which is probably just what you need as you add more words and head for the home stretch! Right? Here's Pixar:

"#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations."

Imagine being the character in that situation. How would you feel? Falling out of a zeppelin? Sneaking through the enemy lines? Dancing with the Prince as the clock strikes 12? Whatever the situation, be honest about how that feels. That's what makes it feel real. The emotional reaction, the scramble to understand, trying to figure out what to do... As the character walks us through those very human reactions, we believe there really is magic in the air, a chance to fight for the right, something real underneath the words.

Put yourself in the character's place, and tell us how it feels to be there. Grabbing that dangling rope, looking at a sleeping guard, feeling your ball gown turn into rags... whatever it is, show it to us through the character's eyes and ears and feelings and reactions. And be honest about just how scary some of that stuff is.

Be honest about the relief, the joy, all of those good feelings, too.

Now back to the keyboard, and let's make nanowrimo jump! Words, words, words...