I've received in the past two weeks FOUR messages from old friends, asking me to evaluate their manuscripts, requesting tips on writing better. I am by no means an expert. I have no degree in this subject, although I feel like it's a natural gift of mine. I myself have written one full novel (still tucked away--editing it once broke my heart so it's waiting for the emotional connection to be broken) and have several halves of other novels, waiting for their own days in the sun. I've just embarked on a new writing project, with two good friends serving as my allies... and my accountability.
Which leads me to the point of this post. I've compiled some of my thoughts and tips on writing better. Now, I think these apply to any form of writing, whether it is long, epic fiction, poetry, even song lyrics. Take them, consider them, or laugh at them--either way, they are my offering to my fellow writers. And I am always, ALWAYS happy to read your work.
1. Silence your inner editor until your last word is on the page. Remind the nasty, critical little bitch that she will have a job to do very soon--but now it's your turn. Nothing is incorrect or bad until you're finished and it's time for a second draft.
2. Don't necessarily write in order. If there's a chapter or a scene you're dying to write, write that first. If you try to start with your first sentence, you are stalling. Just write.
3. Outlining is a good idea if you want to keep your sanity, but don't worry about filling in details you're not sure about--write everything else that you DO know and come back.
4. Write Biblically--pick a day of rest each week and let your mind reset itself. On that day, try staying unplugged as much as you can. This way your mind can process the story on its own time without any influences.
5. Keep it simple. Think Hemingway, think Vonnegut. As Brad Pitt says in Ocean's Eleven: "Don't use seven words when four will do."
6. Trust your instincts--or write them down before you have a chance to second guess. So your character has purple hair, or instead of forgiving her brother like you thought she would, she ends up shooting him.
7. Make a deadline for a first draft. I personally prefer to have it be a tight deadline, like less than six months. This way my mind stays submerged until I am finished.
8. Be careful who you let read the bits and pieces you're working on. One "I don't get it" regarding your first chapter can crush your spirit. Seriously consider waiting until you have an entire first draft before you do any revealing.
9. Unnecessary details can bog you down. You don't need three adjectives for every noun. You don't need to, as my friend Breeann puts it, "describe the sunset like its never been described before." We know about sunsets. If you write it in there, make sure it's significant. Anton Chekhov said, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired."
10. When it's time to write, write. Don't make playlists for your characters. Don't use a thesaurus. Don't try to multi-task. I think it's okay to have some background music or mindless TV, just to give your brain a rest every few minutes, but if you are stalling, recognize that you don't want to write and either buckle down and do it--or come back later.
11.When editing, Breeann (and here's the link to her fantastic blog which demonstrates how to write the perfect query letter) points out that you have to determine your genre right away, and tweak your novel to fit into that category perfectly--or else you have no chance of publishing. They will throw away your query letter so fast.
12. The unbelievably wise Natalie Goldberg tells the secret to great writing--keep writing. When you sit to write, just write. Don't edit as you go along. Don't delete. Don't cross out. Free write if you run out of things to say. Literally write ridiculous things that come through your head. Trust this process and as soon as your mind snaps and unlocks, good things will come.
13. For inspiration when you're feeling like your attempts are pathetic, research some original drafts of famous bestsellers. I love reading Ayn Rand's original version of Anthem, which is a very simple novella. Her first draft is included at the back of the paperback version. It's terrible. It's crossed out, scribbled on, chunks are rearranged, whole sentences are re-written--but it became amazing through the process of editing and polishing. Yours can, too.
14. Write the book that's inside of you--and then let it go. Get it all out--all your emotions surrounding it. Make your characters do everything you want them to do, and then let it go. Detach emotionally from it. Say good-bye and be prepared to see it hacked to pieces. Move on to the next great book that is inside, begging to be released.
15. Be grateful to the ideas that come to you. Give them a voice. Tell the stories. Treat them like living beings, who just want to be recognized and coddled. I keep an idea folder--it started as a binder, with one idea on each page. This way I can open up to that idea and jot down notes for it whenever I am struck with inspiration. Now it's my laptop that houses all those baby ideas. None of them are neglected. Hopefully I have time to give them all the attention they deserve, so I can have a bookshelf in my house dedicated to all fifty of my novels.
Writers, creators of all sorts, I love you. You are my soul mates. You are the ones who push me to go deeper, give more, be more.
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