Time to Write

Need some inspiration? Look here.

Some days when my Muse seems to be hanging out somewhere else, I find inspiration by looking at some sites with lots of creative ideas, especially visual ones. Here’s a new (to me) site I discovered recently, called “it’s nice that”—it was started in April 2007 by designers Will Hudson and Jez Burows to document and inspire creative talent. It includes animations, architecture, books, fashion, fim, music, photography, sculpture, and more.

 Have a look around, you may find that it gives you some inspiration as well—and maybe you’ll want to submit a work of your own. 

The Lord says deliver us from Political Correctness

In the Telegraph, Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber talks about the restrictive effect political correctness is having on creativity. Referring to “Jesus Christ Superstar,” he wonders:

 “I look back at when I was younger and ask myself [today] would I have written an opera with Tim Rice? So many people nowadays are obsessed with things offending people. Today people say you can't do this because it will offend that community, and then you can't say this because the Muslims will be offended by it and we'll end up being talked out of it. Talked out of ideas. Whereas when I was 20 I didn't think about those things - you could just do it.”

 Of course that musical was controversial at the time, meeting with protests by Christian groups who considered it blasphemous and Jewish groups who thought it was anti-Semitic.

 I think he’s right and the most insidious aspect of this is the self-censorship that becomes automatic to the point where you don’t even know you’re doing it. I felt that creeping in when I was writing for TV in Hollywood—an idea comes up that might be controversial and part of your mind immediately censors it because you know that somewhere along the line a network executive is going to want to smooth that out. Sadly, the things that are most interesting usually are the first to go. You have to consciously be alert to that internal censor and shut it up. At least that way somebody else will be the one stifling you, you won’t be doing it yourself!

(For practical tips on being more creative--despite the tide of pc--sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request to [email protected])

Write a book in a day? They did--watch the video.

“Write a book in a day” is a competition for students in Australia (the four and a half-minute video about it is below). If you work with kids, this could be a great thing to bring to them. It also seems like it would be a good way to cure yourself of a writing block and get back into a writing frame of mind. For the kids its’ a cooperative effort, but you could also do it yourself.

Are you reaching your writing goals?

In my Brainstorm e-bulletin I mentioned that we’re nearing the final quarter of the year—a good time to take stock of how you’re doing with any writing goals you set for yourself at the start of the year. Better to do it now and adjust your activity as necessary, than to get to the end of the year and realize that, once again, we’ve not quite lived up to our own expectations.

 Here’s a quick way to do this: first, list the writing goals you had at the start of the year. Second, estimate what percentage of this goal you’ve reached. Here’s part of my scorecard so far:

Write my “24 Hours” novel: 50%

Fitness: 80%

Reorganization of office & flat: 40%

Write my new non-fiction, creative marketing book: 100%

Marketing goals for the “Focus: the power of targeted thinking” book: 60%

Third, decide what you want to do in the final quarter of the year to address the situation. For instance, have a period of three weeks coming up that I’m going to dedicate to working only on the novel.

 My suggestion is that if you don’t have enough time to get to 100% on all the goals, pick the most important one and commit to getting that one done. You’ll gain more by finishing one than partly-finishing three.

If you need some help with time management, check out my ebook on time management for writers and other creative people--it's in the ebook section at www.timetowrite.com.

Writer: Will they find you on the web?

If you’re pitching projects like books or articles or script to agents, publishers, or producers, they’ll be interested not only in your project but also in you. What will they do? As well as reading your cover letter, there’s a good chance they will use Google or another search engine and type in your name. What will they find? (If you haven’t Googled yourself lately, try it now…)

 If you have a web site or blog, those are likely to come up. If you don’t, an easy solution is to make a little video with your name in the title and the tags and put it up on Youtube. It can be you talking about your project and your life. Make sure it gets across your passion for what you’re doing. If you feel self-conscious, have a friend interview you on video. If you have a common name, be sure to include words like “writer” or “novelist” or “scriptwriter” in the tags.

 When the agent or publisher or producer types in your name, your video should be number one in the results, or at least in the top ten. (If you want to see some of the videos I’ve done, you’ll find them at www.yourwritingcoach.com and www.timetowrite.com ).

 If you want to get tips on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-buletin—just send a request now in an email to [email protected]

Writing history (even recent?) A treasure trove awaits.

The (London) Times has created a searchable archive of every issue published between 1785 and 1985. It includes scans of 20 million articles, pictures and ads and you can save, print, or email articles. Also included are letters to the editor by Thomas Hardy, Queen Victoria, Oscar Wilde and Charles Darwin.

The ads alone constitute a great social history, and the births, deaths and obituary pages also reflect the conditions of the times, from the French Revolution to the Falklands War (more recent issues will be added later). 

It should come with a warning sign: Danger, abandon all hope of getting your work done, ye who enter here! The temptations to browse and dart from topic to topic are extreme...but what fun for any history buff--or just someone who wants to know what was happening in the world on the day they were born.

Of course for writers it's priceless--and, for the moment, free. Just register and the world is your oyster.

(For tips on writing fiction and non-fiction, see www.timetowrite.com and also www.yourwritingcoach.com and my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey.)

Aha! The source of one common writing mistake

I had an email from Colin Taylor in response to the part of my book, "Your Writing Coach," in which I endorsed Elmore Leonard's advice to use "said" as the standard dialogue attribution, and seldom anything else (Like, "You don't mean it," he laughed/chortled/exclaimed). 

Colin writes, "I have been a primary school teacher for 33 years and over the last 5, a supply (substitute) teacher. The interesting thing is that teachers are teaching children to always use something more interesting than 'said.' In fact anything other than said. Now obviously most of the children so taught will not end up writers, but some will. Did you know about this and could you comment on it, as I have found myself writing a whole variety of synonyms for 'said' in my own writing."

No I didn't know that, but it explains a lot! (That's me, exclaiming.) The thing is that most of the time, we just "say." And if we laugh, it's not exactly at the same moment that we are saying the words, so it's much more accurate to write, for example, "I hope you don't blame me," Lydia said, laughing--rather than, "I hope you don't blame me," Lydia laughed. 

Most of the synonyms for said, such as asserted, babbled, croaked, divulged, hinted, insisted, pointed out, snarled, etc., either sound archaic or just don't fit most of time. When you use them they call attention to themselves rather than to what was said. And after three or four of them, we start to picture the author with a thesaurus in his or her hand.

While a whole bunch of "saids" may stand out on the page, when we read they basically disappear. Most of the time they're attached to a name and that's really what we want to know: who's talking? The best writers write dialogue that itself gives us a clue as to how the words were said.

Another day, another celebrity novelist...ish

The Bookseller reports: Sphere plans to build Sharon Osbourne as a big fiction brand, writing Jackie Collins-style blockbusters. Publishing director Antonia Hodgson has signed up two novels from Osbourne, wife to rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, whose profile as a popular media personality was boosted by her role as a judge on TV's "The X-Factor".

Osbourne will work with a ghostwriter, but will come up with many of the ideas herself, added Hodgson. 

This follows from the news that the novels "written" by model Jordan (Katy Price) have earned millions. 

I hope the ghost-writers involved have a good contract, that's the only bright spot I can see in this phenomenon. I try to have a positive outlook, but must admit that sometimes it depresses me that these days the brand is more important than the writing.

The Digi-Novel--Is this the new way to write novels?

Publisher's Weekly reports that publishing house Dutton has paid "millions" to Anthony Zuiker, creator of the hugely successful "CSI" TV series for what they are calling a digi-novel.

It's actually a three-book series, with the books sending readers to a web site that features video footage relating to the plot. It sounds like the footage will be crucial to advancing the plot, not just the kinds of extras that already appear on many book sites, although it will also have spin-off story lines with additional characters.

Dutton says the site will be a portal where readers/viewers can "consume countless ancillary levels of story enrichment." 

Do people want to go back and forth between a book and their computer screen? How will they feel when--in the middle of the story--the characters they had imagined one way in their minds turn out to be played by actors who look different? Am I being too old-fashioned here? 

(For monthly tips on how to be more creative and productive, sign up for my free Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request to [email protected])

The Insecurity of Writers (and Others)

Who do you think said this in a recent issue of the (London) Times Magazine:

"I've never really trusted what success I've had. I feel it to be fraudulent, chimerical and liable to be taken away from me in an instant."

It happens to be super-successful musician, DJ and producer, Moby. But it could be any one of dozens of successful writers, artists and musicians. This kind of insecurity seems to be extremely common among creative people, so, whether or not you consider yourself successful, if you have these thoughts that it's all coincidence and transient, be aware that you're not alone. (I think Epictetus got it right when he said you shouldn't get too excited about success or failure, because neither one lasts. Stoic philosophy comes in very handy when you're a free-lance writer.)

And if you wish you were famous, here's what Moby said about that:

"Fame is caustic, though. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Initially, it's like you've been invited to the ultimate party, the one that will make you happy for the rest of your life, but it means nothing and answers nothing. These days, I'd rather be with an old friend playing Scrabble than talking to people I've never heard of at the MTV Awards."

Hey, we can play Scrabble whether we're famous or not...

The Secrets of Writing Well (Louis Danziger's ideas - part 2)

These are the other points from a speech that Louis Danziger, a grand master of graphic design, made when he retired from teaching at Cal Arts (numbers one through four are in the previous post). He was talking about design, but I think his ideas apply so well to writing, too, that I wanted to share them. My thoughts are in italics:

5: In the best work there is always a benefit for the audience; the client; and yourself (in this order of importance).

As writers, we might think of the publishers or producers as the clients. Unless they can see the benefit, they won't buy the project, so it's useful to start thinking about this right from the start. Convincing them is getting more difficult, but that's balanced by the fact that going around them (for instance, by self-publishing) is getting easier.  

6: Always strive to give value. Be fair, honest, and responsible.

7: Have the nerve to fail. Fear of failure is the biggest obstacle to creativity and growth. No one ever built or ruined a career on any piece of work. In the scheme of things, one's failures or successes for that matter don't count for a hell of a lot. A sustained body of failures or successes is another matter.

I think this is the toughest part of what we do. I know failing isn't bad...but it sure feels bad!

8: A great deal can be learned about creativity in studying the sciences and in developing the scientific attitude: i.e., Question, Hypothesis, Experimentation, Evaluation, etc. 

Lissitzky gave his equation for design as follows: Problem, Invention, Art. 

My own view of his equation is that the first two are primary and the third is a function of how well one has dealt with the problem and invention. 

'Art', like talent, is out of your hands, don't even think about it. Develop a deep and abiding commitment to excellence. The rest will take care of itself.

9: Nobody's perfect.

Amen.

The Secrets of Writing Well (Louis Danziger's ideas - part 1)

I recently came across a speech that Louis Danziger, a grand master of graphic design, made when he retired from teaching at Cal Arts. He was talking about design, but I think his ideas apply so well to writing, too, that I wanted to share them. He made nine points; here are the first four, along with my thoughts in italics.

1: Design is a problem-solving activity. 

In writing, the problem is how to tell the story most effectively.

2: The solution to the problem is in the problem itself.

3: If you are having difficulty in finding a solution, it seems to be most productive to go back to clarifying and enlarging one's understanding of the problem. Restating it, paraphrasing it, asking the questions in other ways, gathering additional information all seem to help. The form is in the in-formation.

When you're having problems telling a story, don't look for a formula. Look deeper into the characters and the story. I've always found that in writing a script, if the middle isn't working, the problem is actually earlier, in the way I've set up the characters or the situation. 

 4: In the best work, form and content are inseparable. Always seek to find the perfect balance.

Again, it's tempting to make the story fit a formula or paradigm, but the best work comes when you let the story define its own shape. That's why I'm skeptical of courses or books that say 'a romantic comedy must have these 14 steps' or 'a horror film must always have this shape.' Of course letting the story define its own shape is harder.

There's more Danziger in the next post.

(If you'd like to get tips and techniques for being more creative and productive every month, sign up for my Brainstorm e-bulletin. It's free, just send a request via email to [email protected])

David Milch on writing and the duplicity of drinking and drugs

In an interview TV producer and writer David Milch ("Deadwood") had some interesting observations about the relationship between writers and drinking or drugs:

" I think that people who have less of a stake in the given reality, risk-takers, are drawn to experimentation. They feel less inhibited, and oftentimes they feel driven to an alternative reality. I think that one doesn't create because one takes drugs. I think one creates in spite of it. Saint Ignatius said whom the devil would tempt, he tells not a lie but a lesser truth. Drugs are a lesser truth.

... And Jung said that spirits--there is spirit--and there are spirits and that spirits are offered to us by the devil as a shortcut to reaching out to God...but that the indwelling with the spirit is achieved by humility. We're looking for ego-suppression in either case. And so creativity, I think, is a separate process, but what happens is we associate--I used to say, 'Well, I can't quit smoking because I wouldn't be able to write. I can't quit drinking because I wouldn't be able to write. I can't quit dope because I wouldn't be able to write.'"

Walter Mosley on why you should be writing (even if you're scared)

Detective author Walter Mosley ("Devil in a Blue Dress") was interviewed a while back by Tavis Smiley. Here's what Mosley said about why you should be writing--even if you fear you're not good enough:

"You have to do the work. It's like you wanna box, but you’ve never boxed before. Well, there's certain things gonna have to happen. Now, are you gonna be the champion boxer? Are you gonna win the title? I don't know. You could learn how to box. (Laughs) You know what I mean?

...Archie Moore was once asked what he thought about Rocky Marciano. They said, "Well, Archie, did you always respect Marciano?" And he said, "I respect every boxer." He said, "'Cause you can never tell at which moment they may burst into bloom." Meaning to say, "When they might knock me out."  And it could be anybody. So the thing is is that I don't - and even in that book, in the very beginning, I say "I don't know if you're gonna get this book published. I do know you're gonna write it. Are you a great novelist? We'll find out."

[Note: Mosley's book on writing is "This Year, You Write Your Novel"]

For more on how to write despite the seven fears you may encounter, see my book, Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing in the US and UK, 2007.