This is my last piece of writing advise for now. So here it goes...
As a writer this is probably the hardest thing to think about, but one day your work will be read by other people. Now you should not write for your audience. But do keep your audience in mind when you are writing your story.
There is a diffrence between the ending that you, the writer, want and the ending that the reader wants. Sometimes, as the writer, you can choose to piss of your audience. However, most of the time you want to cater to the sudience. Not necesarily change the story to fit what the sudience wants, becasue you can never please everyone. However when faced with the option of pissing off your entire following (the ones that indirectly pay you to be good), and choosing to please them (so they buy more of your books). Then the second option is better.
So you need to keep your integrity as a writer, but also please your audience. It is an interesting balancing act. Just remember that if you are writing a Young Adult novel, make sure it is appropriate for high-schoolers. If you are writing a book for adults, don't use childish language and descriptions.
My biggest tip for writing effectively? Just make sure that, above all else, you remember that it will be YOUR name on the cover. So just keep thaqt in mind when you write and you should be golden.
CIAO!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
More On Writing: Genre
How to pick your genre.
So, I could not think of what to write about. But after asking a young "pupil" of mine what to write about she exclaimed "Write about how bad Nicholas Sparks is! And tell peole never to write like him!"
Well, I'm not one for bashing other genres, but I personally do not like Nicholas Sparks or the sappy romance genre. So this is how you should pick your genre.
After you determine length of story, novel or short story, then you have to go about finding what to write about. Now, you may have thought that we already covered this in determining the length, but sometimes it is a totally separate issue. For example: I am writing a novel that is about a vampire. Then I had to categorize it. I chose that instead of writing a really horror-stricken or gory or even action-filled book, I would write a paranormal romance.
Now, that is not to say that any one genre is better than another. But you need to write in a genre that you feel comfortable in. I like writing romance, mostly paranormal romances, tho I have dabbled in other areas of romance. That is a genre that I feel like I can write effectively in.
So, basically choosing a genre is probably the easiest part of writing. It is just the subject that you feel the most comfortable writing about. Usually when people say "genre fiction" they are refferring to horror, fantacy, and sci-fi. But those are not the only genres that people can write, there are probably hundreds of genres and sub-genres that people write in.
Sorry that this wasn't more helpful, but genre is really not something you can teach. You can choose to dabble in many diffrent genres, or you could choose to stay in one genre. Whatever you choose, just remmeber to stay true to the story.
Ciao!
So, I could not think of what to write about. But after asking a young "pupil" of mine what to write about she exclaimed "Write about how bad Nicholas Sparks is! And tell peole never to write like him!"
Well, I'm not one for bashing other genres, but I personally do not like Nicholas Sparks or the sappy romance genre. So this is how you should pick your genre.
After you determine length of story, novel or short story, then you have to go about finding what to write about. Now, you may have thought that we already covered this in determining the length, but sometimes it is a totally separate issue. For example: I am writing a novel that is about a vampire. Then I had to categorize it. I chose that instead of writing a really horror-stricken or gory or even action-filled book, I would write a paranormal romance.
Now, that is not to say that any one genre is better than another. But you need to write in a genre that you feel comfortable in. I like writing romance, mostly paranormal romances, tho I have dabbled in other areas of romance. That is a genre that I feel like I can write effectively in.
So, basically choosing a genre is probably the easiest part of writing. It is just the subject that you feel the most comfortable writing about. Usually when people say "genre fiction" they are refferring to horror, fantacy, and sci-fi. But those are not the only genres that people can write, there are probably hundreds of genres and sub-genres that people write in.
Sorry that this wasn't more helpful, but genre is really not something you can teach. You can choose to dabble in many diffrent genres, or you could choose to stay in one genre. Whatever you choose, just remmeber to stay true to the story.
Ciao!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
More On Writing: Length
Happy November, All!
So, last time I started telling you about the writing process, now I'm going to make that a little more refined. I will tell you how to write a short story versus a novel, and how to write certain genres.
Now, I don't always sit down and say "this story will definitely be a novel," Likewise, I rarely sit down and say "this is a short story." Sometimes I do, like when I'm writing for my school's literary journal. However, most of the time I sit down with the story and just let the characters take it from there.
One thing that I have learned about writing length is that, sometimes, you are restricted. So, in the case of short stories here is my advise: plan ahead. I started writing a story that was meant to be under 12,000 words. Currently said story is closer to 20,000, and still going strong. This has taught me an important lesson about what I can, and Cannot, include in short stories.
I have just finished the first draft of a "real" short story. It is a vignette, and it is 3,000 words. I will be submitting that to literary magazines soon, I just need to edit it a few times. What I have learned from my first attempt at writing short stories is that some things are just better left unsaid. For example: a short story is not the place for subplots. You get one plot, no more.
My first story, about a vampire, has about three or four subplots built in. It just did not make it as a short story. i had to change the ending, because it just didn't end the way it should have. I killed off characters before my audience could even know them. That was a big mistake. Fantasy does not make a good short story genre. Why? Because you have to spend so much time establishing the world and the dynamics, that your word count is used up before you even get to the embellishment.
Some genres, in my opinion, are just better as short stories. For example: romance, certain kinds of horror, "realistic" fiction, and historical fiction. All of these genres have a world pretty much built up around them. You don't need to spend great amounts of time explaining the normal world to your reader, because they already know it and live it. Plus, you know the setting. Now you just need to put some characters in there with a little conflict. Nothing major. You shouldn't do a dystopian as a short story (unless it is 'The Firefighter' by Ray Bradbury, then do it) because, like fantasy, you need to spend time introducing your audience to the "normal" world that you have created for them to inhabit.
Pretty much: learn as you go, but short stories are meant for little pieces of life that people can relate to. Make a little conflict (to drive the story) but nothing too epic. Learn how to sacrifice detail where it is not needed. But don't get discouraged if you can't write short stories. I have successfully written all of two in the last five years that I have been writing.
Novels and books are needed, so write those as well. But writing short stories can be more of a fun exercise. Because, let's face it, all writers need a little outlet. Something that we can write just for our eyes alone, and to keep our sanity.
On that happy note, I leave you.
Ciao!
So, last time I started telling you about the writing process, now I'm going to make that a little more refined. I will tell you how to write a short story versus a novel, and how to write certain genres.
Now, I don't always sit down and say "this story will definitely be a novel," Likewise, I rarely sit down and say "this is a short story." Sometimes I do, like when I'm writing for my school's literary journal. However, most of the time I sit down with the story and just let the characters take it from there.
One thing that I have learned about writing length is that, sometimes, you are restricted. So, in the case of short stories here is my advise: plan ahead. I started writing a story that was meant to be under 12,000 words. Currently said story is closer to 20,000, and still going strong. This has taught me an important lesson about what I can, and Cannot, include in short stories.
I have just finished the first draft of a "real" short story. It is a vignette, and it is 3,000 words. I will be submitting that to literary magazines soon, I just need to edit it a few times. What I have learned from my first attempt at writing short stories is that some things are just better left unsaid. For example: a short story is not the place for subplots. You get one plot, no more.
My first story, about a vampire, has about three or four subplots built in. It just did not make it as a short story. i had to change the ending, because it just didn't end the way it should have. I killed off characters before my audience could even know them. That was a big mistake. Fantasy does not make a good short story genre. Why? Because you have to spend so much time establishing the world and the dynamics, that your word count is used up before you even get to the embellishment.
Some genres, in my opinion, are just better as short stories. For example: romance, certain kinds of horror, "realistic" fiction, and historical fiction. All of these genres have a world pretty much built up around them. You don't need to spend great amounts of time explaining the normal world to your reader, because they already know it and live it. Plus, you know the setting. Now you just need to put some characters in there with a little conflict. Nothing major. You shouldn't do a dystopian as a short story (unless it is 'The Firefighter' by Ray Bradbury, then do it) because, like fantasy, you need to spend time introducing your audience to the "normal" world that you have created for them to inhabit.
Pretty much: learn as you go, but short stories are meant for little pieces of life that people can relate to. Make a little conflict (to drive the story) but nothing too epic. Learn how to sacrifice detail where it is not needed. But don't get discouraged if you can't write short stories. I have successfully written all of two in the last five years that I have been writing.
Novels and books are needed, so write those as well. But writing short stories can be more of a fun exercise. Because, let's face it, all writers need a little outlet. Something that we can write just for our eyes alone, and to keep our sanity.
On that happy note, I leave you.
Ciao!
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