The Writer's Connection, ^SM
a publication of The Virtual Writing Coach ^SM

 

"The Creative Process of Writing is a
Liberating and Therapeutic Experience"
 
www.virtualwritingcoach.com

August 2004
 
In This Issue:
 
1. Preview

4. Getting into Action
 

 

1. Preview
 
The Writer's Connection ^SM explores the creative process of writing and the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and actions. We are an interactive community of authors and readers who share ideas to enhance our knowledge, skills, and experiences in writing fiction in any genre, but our emphasis remains mystery and suspense thrillers.
Published monthly, the Newsletter offers writing tips for authors, coaching suggestions, editing, and marketing information.
 
Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on producing your first manuscript, and are provided to the general public. Because we are an interactive community of writers, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.
2. Publisher's Note
 
August, 2004
 
Dear Writer's Connection ^SM  Subscriber,
 
This month features information about The Craft of Writing.
 
3. The Craft of Writing
 
This month we will focus on the craft of writing. Bob Mayer has written an excellent resource book, The Novel Writer's Toolkit: A Guide to Writing Great Fiction and Getting It Published, Writer's Digest Books, 2003. His first chapter deals with the internal psyche of a successful author. Don't believe that it's easy: it takes skill (which can be learned), perseverance, and luck. Many authors started in the trenches and have numerous unpublished manuscripts before their "first big break." Mayer says that somewhere between the third and sixth manuscript with proper editing and critique provides the "real world" learning experience for "would be" authors. Even Grisham hawked his first book, A Time to Kill, at the mall before making it big with The Pelican Brief.
 
I like to focus on the "craft" of writing because there is a schema for successful writers. One has to have structure, patience, and discipline to be an accomplished author. Some questions to ask yourself: Why do you write? Where do you write? When do you write? What keeps you from writing? Let's take these questions one at a time.
 
Why do you write? Many of us write for the pure joy of weaving a story carefully crafted from our imagination. Others write for therapy and many writers began with a journal of life events (first person) or their observations of life (third person). Some of the memories are painful and result in self-disclosure, understanding, and catharsis. Those of us who saw the Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of the autistic brother of Tom Cruise in "Rain Man" can attest to disabilities and their effects on others. The more recent portrayal of a schizophrenic by Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind" is a more recent attestation to pathos and triumph over a mental illness. Others write to entertain and provide elaborate settings and narratives as "back story" for plot and characters. James Michener's books speak to local customs, dialect, and beauty of a people and their world as evidenced by "Hawaii" or "Texas." Still others write to weave a plot to baffle and snare the reader into turning more pages to find out who might be prey to a mass murderer or conniving insurance scam. Others want to be romanced by fantasy heroes and heroines who fall in and out of love. Still some want to visit places unfamiliar to the planet earth. All our curiosity is but a story awaytucked away in someone's imagination.
 
Where do you write? Most writers write in a quiet, home office setting. Others choose quiet, public places like coffee houses, libraries, or courtyards on sunny days. Whatever works for you should be comfortable and feel like "your writer's den." Imagine yourself looking down on your storyboard from above. You have total control over the plot, characters, scenery, pacing, level of intrigue, or the ending. This omnipotence feeds the writer's ego and fantasy of controlling events, normally beyond our control. Some writers speak of being "in a zone" and glance at three pages, freshly written, without remembering how the words got there. Suddenly an hour has elapsed and it felt like three minutes. Wherever you choose to write, pick a place that is comfortable and feels like you.
 
When do you write? Mystery writers might prefer evenings while fantasy authors might pick an unusual time after sleep deprivation to experience the "lightness and spacey affect" required for getting into character for an arch villain from another solar system. Some of our more literary writers wrote during a drunken stupor to capture the highs and lows of the aristocratic south. Keep in mind, I'm not advocating alcohol and drug abuse but some writers get their inspiration from new emotional experiences. Many writers I talk to write early morning between nine and noon; sometimes they might go to three after a short break but then use the rest of the day to unwind from the mental strain. Still others prefer to write in the late evening after the family is bedded down and the house quiets for the mind to take over.
 
What keeps you from writing? If you're like most of us, it's a lack of discipline. How do you expect to be a successful author if you don't write on schedule and with passion. Writing should not be drudgery but allow the mind to explore dark recesses of raw emotion and drama. If you're not excited about what you write about, chances are neither will the reader. Some writers have employed the services of a writing coach to inspire and hold them accountable for their manuscript preparation. This service is especially useful to those writers who lack a structure and discipline and tend to think of writing as more esoteric and "artsy."
 
Finally I hope you have a sense of environmental cues that may be helpful to nudging your brain to produce printed words. Experiment with different writing times and places and measure how this affects creativity and output. Once you have a system, stay with it. Remember to take frequent breaks, at least one every thirty minutes. Get yourself a beverage, stretch your legs, and walk around the room. Don't take more than five minutes or you will lose your momentum. I hope these suggestions were helpful. Please feel free to email me if you have a favorite writing approach and we will publish it in a future newsletter. Good luck, writers.
 

4. Getting into Action
 
"Getting in to Action" is a monthly feature of The Writer's Connection ^SM . In this section of our Newsletter, we will discuss action steps the writer can take to improved his/her knowledge base in writing novels.
 
This month's recommendations:
 

 

1. Find a quiet place to write and practice writing at differrent times of the day; measure your output and ease of writing.
2. Join a local writer's group. Ask other writers where they choose to write and how successful they've been. Practice some of their suggestions.
3. Review your own anxiety about writing; visualize a nice quiet place where you are in total control and see the words flowing through your mind; practice stream of consciousness writing on a personal topic to demonstrate to yourself that you're in command of your topic and audience. 
 

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