posted
I just read Terry Brooks new book, SOMETIMES THE MAGIC WORKS. This is a great shot in the arm, motivational writing book. I am going over it again and highlighting a few things for reference.
I have been in a bit of a writing slump the last couple of weeks and this book has given me new energy to write. I highly recommend it. He has some very good life experiences, and some pointers to help in the writing process. There's alot of wisdom in those pages. He stresses organization(among other things) and that is something I need badly.
Has anyone else read it? If so, do you feel the same?
posted
Speaking from experience, there is no real way past the block except for forcing yourself to work. As much as it hurts, sit down and work. Keep working. Refuse to be distracted.
After several days of pure hell, it becomes second nature.
There is no motivation save that which comes from within.
posted
Well, Phanto, you are in a sense correct -- motivation must come from within. But sometimes books like the one TruHero mentioned are like a spoon that stirs up the motivation which has, for whatever reason, settled on the bottom of the soul. For me, the books that do it are Stephen King's On Writing, and John Gardner's On Becoming a Novelist and his The Art of Fiction.
I'm wondering, TruHero, if you could provide some details as to which parts of Terry Brooks' book helped you. I haven't read his book -- and I don't know if I ever will -- but I'd like to know what gems you found valuable. Thanks.
[This message has been edited by Jerome Vall (edited February 16, 2004).]
posted
Well, Phanto, I hate to disagree but Truehero just told us that there *is* other forms of motivation. He was motivated by a book on writing, and if it did nothing else but motivate him to write, then it was a good buy.
I'm not saying that the get the butt in the chair and write approach isn't worthwhile, and ultimately that is what you have to do, but there is a flipside to it. If whatever issue you're having with writing that causes you not to get your but in the chair is not resolved you will end up hating to write.
I find that most of my lack of motivation means I'm just about ready to go to a new level in my writing, that I'm displeased with my work and if I take a breather, read a book (a novel or a book on how to write or whatever) then sooner or later I'm going to get the epiphone I'd been waiting for and be able to write again.
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited February 16, 2004).]
posted
I guess so, Christine, and others. Let me revise my statement:
The way to get past the block is realize why you have the block (whether it be poor characterization, etc.), devise a plan, then use the but in chair method.
And Jerome, you're right as well. Motivation comes from within, but that internal strength can be bolstered from outside sources.
[This message has been edited by Phanto (edited February 16, 2004).]
posted
Truhero, I will be seeing Terry in a couple of weeks and I will pass along your words of praise. Like all writers, he will be pleased to know that someone enjoyed something he wrote. I read his book last year in preparation of attending a Writer's Retreat in which he was the instructor. In person, as well as in his book, he is open and willing to share his personal struggles as a writer.
I particularly liked his chapter on the Dreaded "O" word. I found it very helpful in my work. And his story about publishing, which we hungry students pressed for more at the retreat, is a great inspiration. His is a unique story and he credits luck for all his early success. He had the right book at the right time.
As far as motivational writing books, I think we all need a shot in the arm once in a while. Writing can be a discouraging profession and it is nice to read about success and one man's road to it.
posted
The first thing I took away from this book is ORGANIZATION. Up to this point I haven't outlined a thing. Some well known writers don't, so why should I? I sometimes struggle with stories because I just think they will just flow out of me. So far this hasn't been the case. Maybe for short stories, but not for novels. I get to a certain point and then it starts to fall apart. Terry Brooks relates this to poor planning.
quote: If you want to avoid writing yourself into the box of dead ends or out into the desert of poor ideas or off into the wilderness of ill-concidered plot choices, an outline will help
I used to be in Steven Kings camp about not outlining and just letting the story tell itself, (although I don't really like his style). It has somewhat worked for me up to this point. Until I started to attempt a novel length story. Then I started two stories that I thought would turn out great, but due to poor planning they just fizzled. I got lost in some of the things that are mentioned in the quote above.
He talks about an outline, not in the typical sense, but more like a collection of organized thoughts, a blueprint if you will.
quote:It gives you a working blueprint to which you can refer to later.
(paraphrasing)it take a long time to write a book, not days or weeks, but months or years. That's a long time to remember stuff. Write it down in some recognizable fashion so you can refer to it later.
He also mentions that if you do the proper planning up front it will most likely mean less editing down the road. For me that is great advice. I have always had the mindset in my profession that, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!" I just didn't make that connection with writing until now. DUH!
Here is another quote I found interesting, regarding beginnings.
quote:The single biggest problem with openings is that writers have a tendancy to want to begin at the beginning. But nothing starts at the beginning, at least not since the time of Adam and Eve. So you might as well jump in somewhere interesting as somewhwhere boring, and bring the pieces of the story and its characters together as you go along
I thought that was intersting after all of the talk about beginnings we throw around on this site.
These are just a few examples of the book. There are alot of things I could quote but you should get the book and find out for yourself. It just gave me a good feeling and some much needed motivation. I know in the end it is up to me, but this was the shove I needed at this point in time.
I guess Terry Brooks was just speaking my language, and it felt good to hear it!
Marianne, say hello for me too!
[This message has been edited by TruHero (edited February 16, 2004).]
posted
In his book On Becoming a Novelist, John Gardner gives very similar advice that Terry Brooks does. Gardner says:
quote:When you write a novel, start with a plan—a careful plot outline, some notes to yourself on characters and settings, particular important events, and implications of meaning. In my experience, many young writers hate this step; they’d rather just plunge in. That’s O.K., up to a point, but sooner or later a writer has no choice but to figure out what he’s doing. [Emphasis mine.] Consider doing for yourself what movie people call a “treatment,” a short narrative telling the whole story, introducing all the characters and events but skipping most of the particulars, including dialogue. Carefully studying and revising the treatment until the story has clear inevitability, you will find yourself understanding the story’s implications more fully than you did with just an outline, and you will save yourself time later....
The last step before the actual writing may be the chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the plot. It’s here that the writer figures out in detail what information, necessary for understanding later developments, should be working on in Chapter One, what can be slipped into Chapter Three, and so on.
The sentence I put in bold is really the most important point I’ve ever read on the subject of organization. Writers can argue all day about outlining. What writers cannot argue about is that sooner or later the writer has to figure out what he or she is doing. Writers who don’t outline have chosen to figure out what they are doing after their first draft is complete. In the end, there is no right or wrong. This may be the only case where the end (writing a novel) does justify the means (outline vs. drafting). Each writer must find his own way.
One thing I like about writing a treatment before writing a draft is that it allows me to focus on the two central aspects of writing separately. When I write the treatment, I can focus on coming up with a good story. And when I write the first draft, I can focus on the details that brings life and vividness to the story—those details that make the story seem real. I’ve found that I write a better draft when I know the story beforehand instead of developing the story as I write. And though I haven’t finished my novel, I have a suspicion that I’ll discover new aspects of the story as I work through my first draft.
That reminds me—for those of us who do “write a treatment,” John Gardner also gives additional advise:
quote:Except in extremely simple novels—novels almost not worth writing, in my opinion—the most careful plan in the world won’t actually work. Things intended for one chapter turn out to take two.... But an inadequate plan is better than none. Writing a novel is like heading out to open sea in a small boat. If you have a plan and a course laid out, that’s helpful. If you drift off course, checking the stars can help you find a new course. If you have no map, no course laid out, sooner or later confusion will make you check the stars.
That’s the one thing I hope Terry Brooks mentioned—your outline might not be sufficient. You might be forced to reconsider everything.
And this brings me to my last quote—a quote from John Irving’s novel A Widow for One Year. The main character is a writer, and she says:
quote: A novel is always more complicated than it seems at the beginning. Indeed, a novel should be more complicated than it seems at the beginning.
I love that, because it really helped me understand that it’s hard to write a good novel because good novels—novels with good plots and subplots as well as twists and surprises—are intellectually stimulating because they’re, well, complicated.
[This message has been edited by Jerome Vall (edited February 17, 2004).]
posted
"It gives you a working blueprint to which you can refer to later."
Did Terry Brooks really write this?
"...to which you can refer to.."???
That is pretty poor. Not that I am the world's greatest grammarian, but that just stuck out like a sore thumb.
I will check out the book for motivation (I like the author and the ideas presented here), but obviously I will stick to my other grammar books for technical help. =)
posted
Sorry, That was my typo, he did it correctly, I added the second "to" by mistake. [Bad Newt! Bad Newt! I deserve a spanking] Terry Brooks is a fine technician, no worries.
your outline might not be sufficient. You might be forced to reconsider everything.
I read somewhere (can't remember where unfortunately) that you should treat an outline like signposts on a roadtrip. You'll generally follow them if you want to get to the end, but that shouldn't stop you investigating detours along the way, or presumably finding another destination altogether.
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