 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Home | More Articles | Join as a Member! | Post Your Job - Free! | All Translation Agencies | |
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
Techniques, Tips and Advice for New Writers (from Online Writing Course)
"My
greatest good fortune was that I didn't know that
I was doing everything wrong. If I'd have done a single
right thing I probably would have failed. If I'd known
how hard - statistically speaking - it is to get a
first novel published, I might have given up. What
success means is really looking failure in the
face and tossing the dice anyway. You may be the only
person who
knows the dice came up, but in that knowledge you
have something
that millions of people will never have - because
they were
afraid to try." "There is no perfect time to
write. There is only the present." "Dreams are the stuff that make life worth living. Give them up and you give up all that truly matters." "The art in writing is rewriting." Never fall in love with your first draft - rewrite. "You
MUST believe in yourself. If you don't believe in
yourself and your talent and your ability to succeed,
then you can't expect others to believe in you."
People often write to preserve a family's history. You too can learn about the richness of your family background. Nice word dat 'dingbat'. Marie invented it to describe some of the dear and kindly inhabitants of "Sleepy Hollow". Write what you care about and understand. The simple truth is that all good books will eventually find a publisher, if a writer tries hard enough. The central secret is to write a book
people like you will enjoy reading. "Write
from your own passion, your own truth. That's the
only thing you really know a lot about. Anything else
leads you away from the pulse." "Courage
matters as much as talent. A real writer doesn't consider
giving up as an option." "Gustave Flaubert said it best:
'We do not choose our subjects, they choose us'." "Writers
come from every walk of life and every background.
An excellent editor once told me the secret of good
fiction is to place flesh on the bones of an ordinary
story and to drive it
with strong characterisations." Write about the most embarrassing moment in your life. Write a poem of 10 lines, then discuss the next day in class. ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE was initially rejected by 122 publishers. Since then it has never been out of print. Ideal length of a book is +- 200 pages. Publishers have rejected previously published novels, eg. "controversial" NZ writer, Alan Duff. "You can't build a reputation
on what you're goin to do." Story
flows from character. Character is the most important
ingredient in any fiction story. A good plot with
lousy characters is a lousy book. But a mediocre plot
with strong characters makes enjoyable reading." "Listen to the way people talk.
If your characters sound real the rest is easy."
Edit and rewrite - until you get it down on paper, there's nothing to work on. "Even garbage can be improved." There
is no shortcut to writing a good novel. The publisher
doesn't want to hear about the idea, but to see the
book." "My
manuscript is the only thing over which I have absolute
control." "Writing
is hard work. But very enjoyable hard work and completely
satisfying - even though one is never completely satisfied
with one's efforts." Trust your own instincts. "Be
bold. Thrust forward. Have the courage to make mistakes,
even to fail. Nobody is going to die, if your efforts
aren't perfect." When you want to quit: Put
your manuscript away for a time. Go off and "shoot
pool", watch TV, fish - do whatever you want
to do and see what happens. If the urge to write goes
away, you have no problem. If it doesn't, you'd better
resign yourself to the idea you'll never be happy,
unless you are a writer." "If
you have a masterpiece within you, you'd better save
it on paper. Otherwise one thing is for sure - none
of us will ever miss it." "Courage
matters as much as talent. A real writer doesn't consider
giving up as an option." A glimmer of hope for me then! "When
a new writer says to me 'I give up - it's too hard',
I reply, 'Fine, give up' and if the recipient of this
advice takes it without flinching, I know there was
no real writer there to begin with." "Write
for yourself, not for social recognition or financial
success. If you're any good, they will come. But the
work itself must be your primary and major satisfaction."
Mastering the technical bits: "Begin
with a great opening sentence. Make frequent use of
sensory perception. Use strong active verbs. One good
verb is better at description than a clutter of adverbs
and adjectives." If
you have a wonderful idea, don't talk about it to
friends and relatives. Write it down. Don't discuss,
nor spend too much time with writing groups. "Start
each fresh day by rewriting the last page of where
you stopped yesterday." "Always
stop for the night at the point where you know exactly
what the next paragraph will be. "It avoids the
blank stare when you're rewriting." Dont tell - SHOW "Don't
be too miserable, if your first efforts aren't any
good. Stick at it. Keep reading and writing and learning,
as it's the only way you'll improve." "Don't
be afraid to discard work you know isn't up to standard.
Don't save junk, just because it took you a long time
to write it." "Keep
writing. Keep learning. Keep believing. You may never
make it big; but at least you know you gave it your
best shot." And to end off, here is a wonderful philosophy for new writers... "There
is no perfect time to write, there is only the present.
She's right. If we wait for everything to be perfect,
we can spend our whole life waiting." and finally... "I write because something inside myself, inner and unconscious forces me to." That is the first compulsion. The second is one of ethical and moral duty. I feel responsible to tell stories that inspire readers to consider more deeply who they are." I hope that the above tips from Thomas Clark are helpful to you and that is why I am sharing them. Happy writing Craig Lock All proceeds go to needy and underprivilileged children - MINE! "The
world would have you agree with its dismal dream of
limitation. But the light would have you soar like
the eagle of your sacred visions." Writing Course: http://www.craiglock.com/downloads/cwcourse.html (the "original" online creative writing course) P.S: Don't worry about the world ending today... it's already tomorrow in "little" scenic and tranquil New Zealand
E-mail this article to your colleague! Need more translation jobs? Click here! Translation agencies are welcome to register here - Free! Freelance translators are welcome to register here - Free! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Legal Disclaimer Site Map |
"The
foundations of successful writing are within anyone's
grasp. The only way to do it is to do it." -
