Time to Write

Writing Vivid Novels and Screenplay Scenes

Here's a technique that you can use before or after writing a scene to make sure that it really comes alive. I call it the Roshomon technique, after the classic film that showed an incident from several different viewpoints. Here's how it works:

First you imagine the scene from the viewpoint of your protagonist. How does he see the setting? What would she notice in this location? What would he hear? What would she smell? What feelings would the setting and situation evoke?

Then you imagine the scene again, from as many perspectives as there are characters, including minor ones (for example, the waiter who is serving your main characters dinner).

When you've done this and write (or rewrite) the scene, you'll have a lot more details to choose from and the scene will come much more vivid.

PS: This technique isn't in my new book, but lots of others are: Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey and available from the usual online and offline sources.

Protecting Your Material (Proceed With Caution)

Traditionally it was pretty straightforward to protect material that you created: you automatically have copyright on it the moment you create it, and to document that you could register it with the copyright office, or the Writer's Guild, or even just send it to an attorney who would time-stamp it and put it in a safe place. If you signed a deal with a publisher, the copyright stayed with you and your contract spelled out what rights you were keeping or giving up or sharing.

The new media have made this a more complicated issue. Here's one example: I was looking for a place to host my podcast and ran across a site/service called MyPodcast. It's free and it looked pretty good, until I read the terms and conditions. Here is one of the clauses (stay with me through the terminology...):

"By posting content to any public areas of MyPodcast, you automatically grant, and you represent that you warrant that you have the right to grant, to MyPodcast and its members, an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, fully-paid, worldwide license to use, copy, perform, display, and distribute such information, rights of publicity, and content and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works and other media, such information and content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing."

OK, I'm not a lawyer (if you are, let me know if I'm reading this right) but I assume the "public areas" are all the podcasts, and that "members" are anybody who has their podcast on this service...and that according to this clause, they (or the people who run MyPodcast) can take stuff from your podcast and use it any way the want, including it into, say, a DVD or book they sell and you'd never see a penny. 

Of course, MyPodcast is being honest about this (assuming you read the terms & conditions, which you always should) and for some people the free hosting might be worth giving up rights. But, to me, suddenly it doesn't seem like such a good deal anymore.

Interested in Podcasting, Blogging? Join me!

PodCamps are springing up all over. What's a PodCamp? It's a meeting where people who are interested in podcasting, blogging, and the new media in general assemble to share knowledge over the course of a day or two. Generally they are free and the sessions tend to be panels or conversations rather than lectures.

I'll be attending the PodCamp in Birmingham (U.K.) on September 1-2, and if you're in the area and interested, why not sign up, too? ( I'll be in a session on writing for the new media). There will also be music and food and it's open to writers, musicians, actors, journalists--basically,anybody who wants to find out more about the new media. You can find out more here about a variety of PodCamps coming up (you'll find PodCampUK a short way down the list--click on it to get details of the Birmingham event).

I'm also going to be at a more formal (and not free) event, Blogworld Expo, in Las Vegas, on November 8 and 9--to check out more about that, click here.

Writing In Your Own Style (advice from Ira Glass)

I've posted before about the short videos by master storyteller Ira Glass, and part 4 of his series on the most important things to remember when doing a story is up now and well worth a look (as are parts 1-3 if you didn't see them before).

This time his main message is not to imitate people who are already doing what you want to do. He's talking about radio but it applies equally to writing. We all go through phases of imitating the people we admire, often without even knowing we're doing it (mine was a play with a story that could have been written by Graham Greene on a bad day). But eventually our own voice comes through...and usually scares us, especially if it's not all that similar to the voice of a successful writer.

When that happens, you just have to hang in there. I can't remember now who said it--might have been Peter London in his wonderful book, No More Second-Hand Art--but someone pointed out that what people crave is a unique voice. Of course often a unique voice scares publishers, producers, agents, gallery owners, and other gate keepers, too...that's where the "hanging in there" bit comes in!

Writing Humor (and drawing it, too)

Today a couple of links for those of you who enjoy reading (and writing, and maybe drawing) humor. The first to a half-hour interview with Roz Chazt, a witty, ironic humorist whose cartoons appear in the New Yorker, among other places. The interview was conducted under the auspices of the New Yorker by Steve Martin. That's Roz Chaz on the left, holding up one of her painted eggs--for a while she was gripped with a mysterious drive to paint cartoons on eggs...

The other link is to a site on which Greg Williams draws an amusing comic feature that illustrates a bunch of concepts based on their wikipedia entries. They include: the cashew, the buttered cat paradox, and Mr. Bean. Check it out here.

Why to Avoid Following Trends in Novels or Screenplays

In my talks and workshops, I'm often asked whether it's a good idea to try to capitalize on current trends in novels or screenplays. The answer is no, and the reason is encapsulated in this quote from Humphrey Neill, author of The Art of Contrary Thinking:

"The crowd is right in the trend, but wrong at both ends."

At the start, the crowd would probably say, "Wizards? Kids today aren't interested in reading about wizards!"

At the end, they'd say, "Yeah, wizards are where it's at--the more the better!"

See, wrong at both ends. And in both publishing and film production, the development and lead times mean that it's very hard to come into a trend in the middle, when there is profit to be made from some "me, too" products. Usually the people who do come in at that phase either happen to have already written something in tune with the trend and get it into the marketplace super-fast, or they are commissioned to crank out something by a publisher or studio ready to move fast.

The best advice still is to write what you believe in...who knows, you might just create something that is the start of a new trend!

Finding Settings for Your Novel or Short Story

The Internet is a tremendous boon to writers who are using settings they've never actually visited. Here are a few tips for finding out as much as possible about a setting, going beyond the usual guidebook stuff:

* look for web sites that will introduce you to interesting places other than what a tourist might typically see. One example for London locations is www.uniquevenuesoflondon.co.uk, which features a dozen or so unusual places for meetings, including 195 Picadilly, the home of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, pictured;

* look for photos on Flickr and other sites that feature shots of locations from all kinds of angles and positions;

* look for blogs on which people describe their visits and impressions of the locations you have in mind--these are a great source of the kinds of details that make a place come alive on the page, especially information you can't get from pictures alone (smells, sounds, temperature, etc.).

Writing Advice from an Editor

I asked the editor with whom I'm working on my new book (who doesn't look at all like the cartoon on the left, not least because she's a woman...) whether there is a standard format for their personal development line. She said no, but passed along some general guidelines:

* Always write for the reader rather than the topic

* Always frame from what you are saying with the outcome first - so use subheadings to achieve this throughout

* Features such as summaries, opener, tips, lists, self assessments etc.should be used throughout

* Write simply and directly to the reader - as if you were explaining it them

* Keep your content as tightly focussed around the reader's needs as possible and write in terms of taking them from X to Y, rather than simply giving them information.

Thanks, Sam, I think these are excellent points for any kind of self-help or personal development articles or books.

What Writers Can Learn from Homer (the Yellow One)

Most people have been astonished by the huge success of the Simpsons movie. There was a concern that having been free on TV for twenty years, the Simpsons wouldn't be able to draw people into theatres. There could be a few lessons for writers in this phenomenon. Consider:

1) What have you written previously that might be reconfigured into a new format? For example, I have ten years' worth of Brainstorm magazines and e-bulletins that I'm going to draw upon to come up with a new book called "Let Your Mind Explode--With Ideas!" I also have a scriptwriting book that's now out of print but is still full of valid information and I've come up with a new format different from the format of the rest of the scriptwriting books out there (that proposal is with an agent at the moment).

2) How can you add value to something you've done previously? Obviously The Simpsons movie can tell a bigger story and use effects that couldn't be done on a TV budget. Is there a way to expand something you've written before, either by adding to its length, or illustrating it, or combining it with new material?

3)  The Simpsons movie (like the TV show) is a collaborative effort. Can you come up with a better version of something you've done before by involving collaborators--for example, co-writers, illustrators, designers, software experts?

Keep Track of Your Writing Progress

Jon Benson is a fitness expert whose books include "Fit Over Forty." He underwent a tremendous physical transformation himself, so he's writing from experience (his site is www.jonbenson.com). He says that one of his most important tips is to wear a heart monitor so that you know exactly what you're doing when you exercise. This isn't a fitness blog, of course, but I thought that advice really translates well to writing, too:

If it's a challenge for you to take the time to write, it's important to set goals for yourself and keep a record of how much time you spend when you're in the research and planning phase, and then how many words you write when you're in the writing phase.

Jot it down on a calendar daily and at the end of each week and month you'll know whether you've reached your writing goals.

We can take another idea from the exercise world: they say that to lose fat, you should exercise at roughly 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. In terms of writing, figure out how much you'd write if everything went exactly to plan. If you hit 65% to 75% of that maximum, you'll do well--because nothing ever goes exactly to plan.

Writing is All in the Details

I ran across a wonderful quote from Anton Chekhow:

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."

That's the coolest version of "show, don't tell" I've ever read.

In my writing workshops, I lead people through a memory of someone who has influenced them, getting them to remember how the person looked, sounded, moved, even smelled, and what kind of feelings he or she evoked. When they then give a one-minute description of this person to the rest of the group, they automatically describe details that make their memorable person come alive for the rest of us. Yet when I ask them to describe the fictional character they're writing about, the descriptions often are much paler.

The moral of the story: look for that glinting glass!

Writing: Keeping the Magic Alive

The other day my imaginary friend, Doc (hey, why should kids have all the fun?) said "Having an idea is like sex. Making it real is like marriage."

Every project has its ups and downs and requires work along the way, but if you hang in there it gives you rewards beyond the buzz of the original infatuation. Here are three ways to keep the magic alive:

* When you're in the middle, vividly imagine the end: how great it will be to have your printed book in your hand or to see actors on a stage or screen saying your words. The more you add all your senses to this, the more powerful it is, so picture the scene, imagine what people are saying and any other sounds (applause?), and also the feelings. Maybe even taste (some might choose caviar, I'll stick with champagne) or smell (the delightful odor of freshly-printed pages, perhaps).

* Pick your favorite completed project. Remember how that one felt in the middle--most likely exactly the same way you're feeling now. You got past the bumps on that one, you'll get past the bumps of this one.

* Alternate working on it with working on a project in a different phase, ideally one where you're still in the honeymoon stage. Let some of that energy flow into the project that's at a more difficult stage.

Your Two Imaginations

In an article in the Boston Globe, Dale Dauten tells about overhearing a conversation between a father and son about what might be the next generation of the Wii video game system (the one where you move a small controller around in the air to make things happen on screen). The son suggested that it might be gloves, with the movement of each finger creating a different response. The Dad replied, “Yeah, but what about somebody who’d lost a finger?”

What’s amusing in this instance is the far-fetched nature of the objection. Would missing-finger people put a dent into the sales of the glove? Would they organize a protest at being excluded on the basis of their other-digitedness? But it also illustrates one of our basic impulses: to jump immediately to what could go wrong.

What strikes me as interesting is that as writers, we are probably well-served by being able to imagine what could go wrong. At least in fiction, we’re in the business of making stuff go wrong for our characters. The more the better.

The problem may be turning off this side of our imagination when we go about the business of being writers. When we think about sending our work out to agents and publishers we’re equally quick to imagine what could go wrong, and sometimes that inhibits what we do.

Maybe it’s useful to remember which times it pays to be the aware of what could go wrong, and which times to focus on what could go right.

Are You a Gifted Writer?

In a previous post, I quoted Mary-Elaine Jacobsen, PhD, author of The Gifted Adult about the the fact that sometimes talented people have qualities that set apart from others, and that work against you if you fight them, but help you if you embrace them. Here's a bit more about that.

In her book, and in an article in the Talent Development Resources website, Dr Jacobsen further discusses the normal components of the gifted personality:

* Harsh self-scrutiny
* Complex thinking and verbal acuity
* High energy and intensity
* Varied school experiences and learning styles
* Asynchronous development (time lag between idea and development of abilities)
* Exceptionally high standards & perfectionism
* Extra-sensitivity and arousal
* Independence and perceptivity (can come across as arrogance or unsociability)
* Driven goal-orientation
* Chronically misunderstood
* Self-doubt
* Imposed self-sufficiency

On the one hand, this sounds like a description of a neurotic personality, but if you look closer, you can probably see how each of these also can be a plus. For example, don't you wish that certain of our leaders had a bit more self-doubt? Can you see that extra-sensitivity and arousal can lead to the kind of empathy that lets great writers get inside the skins of their characters so well that the characters really come alive for the reader?

If some of these descriptions apply to you, rather than considering them drawbacks, maybe it's time to see how they can also help you be an outstanding writer!

Time to Write

“I have trouble finding time to write” is one of the most common refrains I hear from aspiring writers. I’m a big believer in the power of language and I think maybe part of the problem is in the phrasing of that statement.

In fact, time to write is not playing peek-a-boo with you; a more accurate statement would be, “I am not choosing to take any time for writing.”

Harsh, but not untrue!

Here are three suggestions:

1) Into your TV guide put a sticky note that reads, “7.30-8.30pm The Writing Hour, starring myself.” Then replace an hour, or half-hour, of TV watching with a writing session. A year from now, what would you regret more: not having seen a season of America’s Got Talent or not having written the first draft of your novel?

2) On your shopping list, add “20 Minutes of Writing.” When you go out to shop, take twenty minutes before or afterward to go to a nearby coffee shop and work on your writing project.

3) The next time your kids or partner want you to go to a movie that you’re not really keen to see, go to the theatre with them, let them go in, and go to a nearby coffee shop and write until it’s time for them to come out, then take them for an ice cream and let them tell you all about the film.

Want more? Go to www.timetowrite.com where you can buy my downloadable book on time management for writers and other creative people.