From the Horse's Mouth:

Authors on Writing

Writers, like seasoned comedians, know, not only how to take a swipe at their profession but also how to poke fun at themselves. Sarcasm, self-mockery, and half-truths are some of the ways by which writers offer the public an insight into their take on themselves and the art of writing. When Thomas Mann said that “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people,” he was acknowledging, with great cunning brilliance the complexity of the art of writing even for those who do it for a living. 

Not that poking fun at oneself requires artfulness or subtlety, sometimes straight talk does it just as well. Take Charles Dickens who neither minced words nor offered a tongue in cheek aside when deriding the work of other writers. “There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts,” or Martin Myers who threw in a remarkable self-own, “First you’re an unknown, then you write one book and you move up to obscurity.” Sometimes funny and sometimes delightfully direct, here are writers in their own words:

“There is no idea so brilliant or original that a sufficiently-untalented writer can’t screw it up.” ~ Raymond Feist

“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” ~ Sidney Sheldon

“This morning I took out a comma and this afternoon I put it back again.” ~ Oscar Wilde

“I just sit at my typewriter and curse a bit.” ~ P.G. Wodehouse

“The first draft of anything is shit.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

“There is no mistaking the dismay on the face of a writer who has just heard that his brainchild is a deformed idiot.” ~ L. Sprague de Camp

“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Inspiration is a guest that does not   willingly visit the lazy.” ~ Pyotr Tchaikovsky

“Some stories have to be written because no one would believe the absurdity of it all.” ~ Shannon L. Alder

“When a work appears to be ahead of its time, it is only time that is behind the work.” ~ Jean Cocteau

“There are three difficulties in authorship: to write anything worth publishing -- to find honest men to publish it -- and get sensible men to read it.” ~ Charles Caleb Cotton

“There is no idea so stupid or hackneyed that a sufficiently-talented writer can't get a good story out of it.” ~ Lawrence Watt-Evans

“Writing is a socially accepted form of schizophrenia.” ~ E.L. Doctorow

“Most editors are failed writers - but so are most writers.” ~ T.S. Eliot

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Writer's Block:

Facts & Fallacy

“Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say?”

~ Kurt Vonnegut

Of all the things that have been said about writer’s block, I find the English humorist, Terry Pratchett’s take most amusing: “There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.” I suppose he’s referring to Hollywood, a not-so-subtle dig at screenwriters. But he isn’t the only one who disparages the idea. “I don’t believe in writer’s block,” Peter Arpesella, an award-winning actor, writer, and published author, says. “If I can’t write, I go out and live. Then, if I’m a writer, I’ll find something to write.”

But writer’s block is real. It is a condition in which authors suffer a creative slowdown that causes them to lose the ability to produce new work. It could be poetry, songwriting, fiction, screenplays, et al. And contrary to what many think, it is not measured solely by time passing without writing, it is primarily determined by time passing without productivity in the task an author has embarked on. For example, a writer may choose not to write for a year or more for any number of reasons without necessarily suffering from writer’s block. But a writer who takes on a new project—songwriting, movie script, television show, fiction, or poetry—and produces little or nothing as time passes, is suffering from writer’s block.

When that happens, usually, some writers offer excuses that range from a flight of inspiration to problems with day jobs to family responsibilities to juggling too many ideas that make it difficult to decide on the best approach to the story, which, not surprisingly emboldens cynics in their belief that writer’s block does not exist. The American novelist and journalist, Norman Mailer, who’s written 11 best-selling novels, puts it bluntly, “Writer’s block is only a failure of the ego.”

If that sounds harsh, perhaps a subtle take on the issue by the essayist, Orson Scott Card, might be of some comfort, “Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or unimportant to me, and I solve it by going back and reinventing some part of what I’ve already written so that when I write it again, it is believable and interesting to me. Then I can go on. Writer’s block is never solved by forcing oneself to “write through it,” because you haven’t solved the problem that caused your unconscious mind to rebel against the story, so it still won’t work - for you or for the reader.”

British comic book writer Warren Ellis doesn’t share such sensitivity. “Writer’s block?” he says. “I’ve heard of this. This is when a writer cannot write, yes? Then that person isn’t a writer anymore. I’m sorry, but the job is getting up in the f--king morning and writing for a living.” Except that some people don’t write for a living, they write for a hobby. But for those who do, the author, Barbara Kingsolver has a word of advice, “I learned to produce whether I wanted to or not. It would be easy to say oh, I have writer’s block, oh, I have to wait for my muse. I don’t. Chain that muse to your desk and get the job done.” Why? Well, because, as the ghostwriter, Larry Kahaner, says, “Professional writers don’t have muses; they have mortgages.” And that probably explains why social activist, Jack London, insists that “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

However, for many writers, that’s easier said than done. For them, writer’s block is as real as day; but then, so is that elusive element called inspiration, both of which can be hampered or boosted by the same factor - adverse circumstances in the writer’s life, such as a broken relationship, financial difficulties, or pressure to produce work not attuned to their natural inclination, like an unsuitable genre, for example. What to do? Sometimes it helps to “walk away” for a while and concentrate on other things, but often, what transforms writer’s block into inspiration is extensive research. It also doesn’t hurt to pick someone’s brain on a particular subject-matter. 

“The wonderful thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting,” says J.K. Rowling. “The terrifying thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting.” 

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The Art of Storytelling

Mastering The Art Of Storytelling In Ten Steps

“The principle of true art is not to portray, but to evoke.”

                                                                                              ~ Jerzy Kosinski

We all have a story to tell is a maxim everyone agrees with. Interestingly, we also all love stories. A good story can convey a life-changing message, entertain us in unimaginable ways, and even ignite a fire within us. As the author, Vera Nazarian puts it, “The world is shaped by two things—stories told and the memories they leave behind.”

However, for a story to have the impact described above, it must be told properly. In nearly every society, storytelling is associated with the social or cultural pastime of sharing anecdotes, myths, and folktales. It is used invariably as a means of cultural preservation, education, entertainment or even instilling moral values, and it is not uncommon for it to be accompanied by embellishments, theatrics, and sometimes improvisation.

In modern society, the art of storytelling can be complex and frustrating for many aspiring writers. These tips might help:

(1)   Know Your Audience

If a school commissions you to teach a class, the students you have in front of you would determine your lesson, wouldn’t they? Are they kindergarten kids or young adults or grownups? You would undoubtedly tailor your lesson towards the specific demographic the school commissioned you to teach. It’s the same with storytelling, that’s why knowing your audience is the first step towards the process. That knowledge determines not just the length and content of the story but the expression used. It is therefore crucial that before beginning a story, an aspiring writer spends some time considering who he/she is targeting. One way to do that is to pinpoint something special in the story to narrow it down to a specific group - is it a love story? Is this love story about a specific demographic? Is it a fit for a certain age or interest group? So, being able to isolate types or groups of people that the story would appeal to is fundamental. It is also important to check out published books comparable to your story and find out who the book’s audience is.

(2)   Make The Reader Care

Why should a reader be interested in your story? How is it relevant to him/her? This is one of the important aspects of storytelling that an aspiring writer should consider. It is fundamental that the writer makes that clear in his/her mind because if it’s not clear to you, it certainly won’t be clear to the reader. Keep in mind that caring doesn’t come by design, you must cultivate it. Just like a filmmaker, the writer must create something that draws attention, like the background music in a film, the romantic element in a tale, or the fear factor in a narrative. He/she should create what some call an itch which could be a particular trait in the protagonist that becomes a defining characteristic, like daddy issues, low or high self-esteem, being a workaholic or a control freak. That way, the writer invokes a common emotional element or a dilemma that the target audience can somehow identify with. A good story should, therefore, have a certain element of reality that makes it possible for readers to relate to even if they haven’t had that particular experience. So, emotionally or intellectually or even aesthetically, the aspiring writer, in crafting his/her story, must make it interesting enough for the reader to care.

(3)   Set The Scene

The context in which words appear and scenes develop generally affects a story, and that’s because people experience the world through their senses. Therefore, for a story to captivate an audience, the writer must set the scene and provide them with a context for the account. Where, for example, did the story take place? When did it begin? What was the atmosphere like? What triggered it? Who are the key players? These are a few of the questions which answers can help set the scene, engaging the senses of readers by offering them a more immersive experience. It is called ‘painting the picture.’ One thing that can help a writer start the process is to identify the purpose of the story and the high moment in the tale. It is equally important to determine what is at stake for the protagonist and other characters in the story and to emphasize conflict, both internal and external. Another key point is to highlight character change, making sure not to lose the reader as you illustrate how the events change the players. As the scene unfolds, the reader should be able to determine who has the most to lose/gain in the story. Whose emotional reaction will be the strongest? Which character will change the most and how will that change or reaction impact the plot?

(4)   Use Chronology

A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Once you understand this basic tenet of storytelling, you may choose to abandon the conventions of normal chronology and opt for a creative one, like hurling the reader straight into the midst of the action, or to the end of the story to catch their attention. Done creatively, this can arouse the curiosity of the reader, generate unexpected suspense, or create a searing tension that keeps the reader glued to the pages. Once a reader identifies who to root for, he/she will become invested in the story and a desire to know what might happen next will be one of the easiest ways to keep them reading, if nothing else, to find out how the writer intends to bring together the missing pieces of the puzzle. So, while keeping faith with the basic tenet of a story having a beginning, a middle, and ending, the writer can choose, with ample creative liberty, how to present the sequence of events in order of timing in a way that the reader can follow.

(5)   Create a Punch line

In a comedy set, a punch line is the climactic conclusion of a joke that makes an audience laugh; usually, it is a short line that delivers a humorous reveal, mainly because it is the opposite of what the audience expects. In storytelling, punch lines should follow the same pattern. As explained earlier, a story generally has a beginning, a middle, and an ending; therefore, as in comedy, a punch line in storytelling should follow the introductory framing of the tale, the development of the scenes, and the narrative that sets it up. But unlike comedy, it doesn’t necessarily have to aim at eliciting laughter from the audience unless it’s a humor book, rather it should aim at delivering a dramatic reveal or what is known as a twist in the tale. A punch line can also be poetic, inspirational, or a romantic reveal. While the appeal of some stories may not depend on punch lines, the writer should never lose sight of the purpose of telling the story and must employ all the tools in his/her creative arsenal to make the story interesting and relevant.   

(6)   Don’t Tell, Show 

There is an invisible border between your story and the reader; it is in engaging the reader that that boundary is erased. The best way to engage the reader is to invoke as many of the five senses as possible—seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting—in the story. The reader automatically becomes a participant in the adventure if the story engages his/her emotions, if he/she can identify with the characters, fears for the life of the characters, or loves or hates a particular character enough to desire a certain outcome for them. A writer won’t achieve that by telling the reader what is happening. He/she would achieve it by showing the reader what is happening. As the famous Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov puts it, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

Indeed, when you show the reader what is happening rather than tell him, you engage him, and by engaging him you make him a participant in the adventure. So, rather than having everything imparted to him, the reader can see the events in his mind and then comes to the conclusions you want. 

(7)   Deploy Tension

Tension is the principal reason we describe some books as page-turners. If you’ve ever read a story so intense that you forget about time and feel compelled to continue reading until you finished, then you understand the value of introducing tension into your writing. One way to do that is by getting your readers attached, not only to the plot but also to your main characters. By heightening the stakes and creating character conflict, you get your readers invested in the story. It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that clever use of tension in storytelling is one of the most effective ways of rendering a story irresistible and a book ‘unputdownable.’ By introducing exponential tension into your writing and timing the tension effectively, you engage the reader, and by engaging him/her, you erase that invisible boundary between your story and its audience. Another method of incorporating tension into your writing and getting the reader flipping the pages is using cliffhangers that leave the audience in suspense, making them yearn to know what will happen next. While it is okay for suspense to permeate the pages, cliffhangers, however, should be abrupt and should come at the end of the plot. Cliffhangers are particularly effective in books that have a sequel, but it can also be a great strategy for stand-alone books.    

(8)   Paint A Picture

The hardest part of writing is the presentation, and a good presentation requires clever use of words. It is not enough for writers to construct the whole story in their heads, they must be able to present it in a way that makes sense, not only to them but to the reader too. In view of that, it might seem as if the easiest part of the process is the story’s conception. For those with a fertile imagination, it certainly is, after all, that’s what distinguishes a creative mind from a non-creative one. But storytelling, for a writer, must show elements of craftsmanship and finesse. A picture, according to an English adage, is worth a thousand words, which is a notion that just a single picture can convey some complex ideas. So, unless a writer is presenting a picture book, he/she must paint the picture with words to make the reader see and hear and smell and touch and taste whatever he/she puts out. It is the writer’s descriptive power that takes the reader on a journey that gets him/her invested in the story and makes him/her feel what the characters are feeling, forcing him/her to partake in whatever dilemma the characters are facing. As a writer, you have no other weapon but words, so don’t limit yourself in deploying them.  

(9)   End With A Bang

As in films and theatrical performances, a grand finale in storytelling keeps readers thinking or even talking about the book long after they’ve finished reading it. Whatever the plot development, whatever tension or suspense that builds up in the story, the resolution should not be slow in coming. If for reasons of a possible sequel, the writer does not want to end with a cliffhanger, he/she should ensure that there’s closure in the story by resolving the plot and leaving no questions hanging in the air. For stand-alone novels that end with a cliffhanger, the writer should add some creative magic to the story in a way that leaves the reader with a sense of awe, like the feeling one gets when leaving the cinema after watching a great motion picture or the theater after watching a great production. The writer can achieve this by leaving his/her readers with a ‘big puzzle’ to solve in their minds or with a profound take on life, on humanity or the theme of the story.

(10)   Have Fun With It

Often in interviews, writers are asked, why do you write? The answer may differ from one person to another, but the cardinal point in writing is to ‘get something off your chest.’ Writers, like most people, are often plagued by convoluted thoughts, mental burdens, and ideas that they find difficult to shake off. Writing provides them the ultimate release. So, while you are at it, why not have fun with it? First, though, to enjoy the process, you must have something to say. Not everything that goes through the mind ought to end up as a book because a written work should have a keen aesthetic sense. It should be distinguished as a literary culture of value. If you have something to say, if you have a unique story to tell and have the words with which to tell it, if you create a wonderful world for others to enjoy, you might as well relish the experience. Cultivate a sense of purpose, develop a creative mindset, view challenges as opportunities. Read, read, read, it’ll give you the tools you need. And, above all, enjoy the process.    

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Creative Writing - Challenges & Drawbacks

“Writing is so difficult I often feel that writers, having had their hell on earth, will escape all punishment thereafter.”

~ Jessamyn West

       The Downside of Studying Creative Writing

/ KRISTINA ADAMS /

I studied Creative Writing for my undergraduate degree and continued studying it into my postgraduate degree.  I am proud of my degrees and I enjoyed studying the process of writing, but as with everything, there are downsides to studying Creative Writing.

Studying Creative Writing isn’t as simple as writing a story and getting a grade for it. Pieces are marked on their originality, their use, and control of language, and your ability to explain your writing process.  You must approach your writing from an academic perspective whilst maintaining the creativity that you need to carve a piece out of a blank piece of paper (or screen).  Studying Creative Writing is not a walk in the park, nor is it for people who class Fifty Shades of Grey as the greatest book ever written.

It Can Take the Pleasure Out of Reading

Once you know the technical rules of writing, it becomes hard to sit and enjoy a book — particular a mainstream one that was written/bought for the sake of profit, not because of its quality.  The rules that you’ve learned studying Creative Writing will make it difficult for you to switch off your editor mode, meaning that unless a book is incredibly well written, you won’t be able to help but dissect it.

Some courses also contain Literature modules — you can also study Creative Writing with Literature — and those modules are often compulsory.  It is impossible to study writing and not change the way that you approach reading particularly once you have begun to workshop.

It Can Take the Pleasure Out of Writing

Before studying writing, Meg Cabot was warned that it would take the fun out of it for her.  You have to really love writing to study it.  Not only that, but you have to make sure to study the right kind of writing for you — if you’re a poet and you don’t feel comfortable

"There are really only two reasons to write: desperation or revenge." 
~ Elizabeth Hardwick

writing short stories, make sure to go somewhere that you can focus on poetry and won’t be forced to write things that you’re uncomfortable with.  It’s good to experiment, but if you already know which area(s) you enjoy writing the most, don’t study the areas you enjoy less — you’ll go from less fun to no fun.

The more we’re forced to do something, the harder it is for us to enjoy it: our appetite for it can become saturated to the point where it’s no longer fun.  If you’re worried about this happening to you, think about how you approach writing.  Do you do it for fun?  Is it a hobby for you, or is it your life?  If you approach everything in life and think about what angle you could approach it from were it a piece of fiction or a poem, or you carry a notebook around for ideas, studying Creative Writing may well be for you.

Commentaries

Speak to anyone that’s studied or is studying Creative Writing, and most — if not all — will go off on a five-minute rant about how annoying commentaries are.

Commentaries go hand-in-hand with studying Creative Writing and often amount to 50% — possibly even more — of a grade.  They are just as important as your creative work, sometimes even more.  In commentaries, you have to justify why you’ve made certain creative decisions, referencing theories that back up your choices.

Commentaries are an entirely different skill to creative work.  They’re much closer to essay writing than short stories, scripts or poetry.  If you’re planning on doing any form of degree in Creative Writing, writing commentaries will be mandatory and will go with most pieces of creative work that you submit.  If you’re not comfortable writing essays, I would seriously think before deciding to study Creative Writing.

Workshopping

Workshopping is one of those things that you either enjoy or you don’t.  Many people — particularly if they’re new to writing — dread them.  They’re intimidating environments,

particularly if some or all of the people you’re workshopping with have more experience in writing than you do.

Writing is seen as a solitary craft, and the initial process is, but if you wish to improve, it is necessary to workshop, and workshop as much as you possibly can.  The more people you workshop your work with, the more perspectives you’ll get.  The more perspectives you get, the more likely you are to find things to change or to find out how people interpret your work (and it may not be how you intended).

If you don’t enjoy group work, workshops can be difficult.  Likewise, it might be the way that the workshop is led that you’re uncomfortable with.  There are many ways to lead a workshop, and many ways to give and receive feedback.  How it’s done will depend on where you study, who your teachers are, and what your peers are like.

Some Teaching Methods

The place that you choose to study Creative Writing will have a huge impact on you.  Some of it will be conscious, some of it won’t be.  Some places are much more involved in the local — and wider — literary community, and those places are where you want to go because it will help you long-term as well as short-term.

Like with everything we study, how something is taught to us can and will affect our opinion and approach.  Do your research on where you want to study before you decide, because some places have a focus on certain areas such as fiction, whereas others will be more diverse.

Conclusion

Studying Creative Writing isn’t for everyone.  Just because you love writing, that doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy studying it.  That’s ok — studying Creative Writing is much more academic than many people think.  It’s also much more difficult.

It may seem like I’m against people studying Creative Writing, but this isn’t the case.  I enjoyed and am proud of my degrees, and wouldn’t have chosen to do a postgraduate degree in Creative Writing if I didn’t enjoy it.  However, I have seen many people fail or drop out because they choose the course as an easy option, or they pick it because they had an idea for a story.  Having an idea for a story is not enough to study Creative Writing — there is much more to creative writing than just one story.  To study it, you must have a never-ending supply of ideas that you can dip in and out of at any time.  If you struggle to come up with new ideas every week, you may be better working on your sources of inspiration before you look into honing your craft.

If you’d like to pursue creative writing but I’ve put you off above, why not consider joining a writing group instead?  Writing groups are much more laid back, and there’s less pressure because there’s no assessment involved.  You can still meet like-minded people, but with the pressure off it gives you more time to hone your skills and less time working on essay writing.

Did you study Creative Writing?  Did it take the fun out of writing for you, or did it make you love it more?

About KRISTINA ADAMS

Kristina Adams is an author of fiction and nonfiction, writing and productivity blogger, and occasional poet. She has a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Derby and an MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University. She can be found under a pile of books with a vanilla latte.

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