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Archive for August, 2009

Generating Ideas

August 27th, 2009 No comments

This is never something I’ve had a problem with. I’m not saying they’re all terribly good ideas. Some are downright awful in fact. I have files full of half baked ideas, stories I’ve started and haven’t gone anywhere, characters, titles even – with no stories to go with them – but I’ve never hit a spot where I’ve thought “I’m all out of idea’s”. Read more…

Categories: Inspiration Tags: ,

Let it simmer

August 20th, 2009 No comments
Okay, so your first draft. You have written your masterpiece. You’re aware that now begins the honing and chipping to get everything just so. But you’ve read it over and read it over again, and apart from a few tweaks it seems fine. But is it really?<!–more–>
One thing teachers and my mother always told me when it came to editing – leave it for a bit. Of course, then it mostly applied to schoolwork – essays and their ilk. So it was not always practical to leave the work and not look at it for a while, especially if the woprk was done at the last minute! But it does help to file it away somewhere for a couple of weeks; a month if you can, and let it simmer.
The problem is you’ve had your head right in it for weeks (or months for longer projects), and you’ve completely lost your objectivity. Ideally you should be coming at it as if it’s someone else’s work (I don’tknow about you, but I always find it easier to edit someone else’s efforts), as if you are reading it for the first time. Now, it may be impossible to reach that ideal, but you can get pretty close. You will find a lot more things to change and it will be a better piece of work because of it.
I reckon the best time to do it is when you think the work is finished. Do a quick round of editing perhaps, to pick up anything obvious, and when it feels like you’re just about done, put it away. It’s not like you’re going to be twiddling your thumbs for the next month – start a new project. Keep reading, keep writing. And this may go on for several rounds. I like to do one extra round just in case anyway, but if you’ve made sweeping changes, re-written whole pages, you might want to check that they still ring true after another month.
Who amongst us does somehting similar? How long do you leave your work for, and do you show people before or after you’ve finished editing?

Okay, so your first draft is done. You have written your masterpiece. You’re aware that now begins the honing and chipping to get everything just so. But you’ve read it over and read it over again, and apart from a few tweaks it seems fine. But is it really? Read more…

Categories: Editing Tags: , ,

The dreaded block

August 15th, 2009 No comments

I find it almost impossible to write these days. I’m not too sure why. Read more…

Categories: Editing Tags: , , ,

13 websites for writers

August 6th, 2009 No comments

I thought it was about time I shared some links on other writing sites. At some point I will do a top ten list for writers, but for now, this is what I have. Read more…

Categories: Resources, Techniques and tips Tags: , , , , , ,

Confidence in my voice

August 2nd, 2009 No comments

I have recently been reading Contact, by Carl Sagan. So far it is an excellent science fiction story (that leans heavily on the science end of the spectrum), and I am enjoying it immensely. Plus, the “voice” of the author has given me some confidence in my own style of writing. Read more…

Categories: Motivation Tags: , , , , , , ,