Monday, February 20, 2006

On Writing Books

I have a stack of books just waiting to be read--over fifteen of them. Now this isn't my to-be-read-for-pleasure stack. These are books on writing--everything from structure and dialogue to a guide on writing proposals and query letters.

I do experiment with some of the techniques suggested in some of the books. I'm always looking for new ways to improve my writing. But I'm realistic. Not everything in those books will work for me.

An example, plotting an entire book before even beginning the first chapter--that doesn't work for me. I've tried it.

I can see the advantages in plotting a book fully down to the last subplot. The lovely middle of the book "Okay, I'm stuck" thing that sometimes happens to me just might be avoided. The story and characters just don't come to me that way. I love letting the characters loose to do their worst--or best, depending on what they're trying to do.

Trying to force myself to write that way just frustrates me and kills the enthusiasm for the story. I've never gotten past chapter three with that method.

Write, have fun, go with what works, but never be afraid to try a technique or method. Even if you don't find all of it useful, you might find some small bit of it that will make writing easier or sharpen your skills.

PS: Just a bit of advice. Never experiment while the ideas are flowing. The wonderful scenes just faded and I couldn't get them back. Hopefully, you don't have this trouble. It's taken me three days to get back on track.

Posted by Unknown :: Link :: 1:25 AM :: 3 Comments

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