In a face-to-face class I get to talk to the Young Scholars about writing and what-all—but!—now that we’re all on Pandemic Zoom, basic interaction is more limited. So I have the students post written questions about writing or about the readings. Here are some of my answers from this week….
(Yes, just the answers—no questions).
(Yes, just the answers—no questions).
- Who are the characters? Are you going for comic or tragic?
- The answers to each of these questions will lead to an ultimate answer....
- But don't be afraid to change the outline when you get better ideas! It's not a contract!
- Once you figure out what might sort of happen, start—writing.
- It might help to think of the story as a photograph—a moment caught in time.
- This exercise really is writing practice—it's to get you used to thinking in words and images.
- Like with any skill you're practicing (and writing is a skill, not a talent), you will get better at it.
- I love it when students relate their writing to the world around them.
- What's the world around us like right now? It's sadly messed up, with a lot of material.
- Just keep moving forward. (Until it’s time to revise).
- You are going to live a long time—you have time to write all the stories. For today, just choose one.
- Too much information will kill your story. (Creative writing teachers have a term for this: "the page two info dump" though often the info dump will take place about halfway down page one).
- Does the reader need all the background info? Really? Probably not.
- People have been trying to figure that out for a long time!
- People are individuals and respond individually to what appeals to them. But—time moves on, the culture moves on, and what appeals to people moves on.
- The libraries are full of books by excellent writers who are totally forgotten now....
- I like to know where I'm heading—on a trip or in a story—but I have free will and can change my destination at any time.
- Still I start with an objective in mind.
- I'm not especially witty, but some few people think my writing is funny. I just put people in incongruous and difficult situations and let everything fall apart for them....
- I wouldn't worry about it too much...?
- Your personal style will develop over time—and change over time, too.
- There are a lot of things at stake for all of us, all the time. Look out the window—we live in an increasingly dystopian society in the midst of a pandemic. What's at stake?
- Sure, you can put a Dad character in there wherever you want. A good dad, a bad dad, a drunk dad, a sad dad—all these different dads would add depth to your story...
- Clichés are popular because they are often true were maybe at one time satisfying. But you probably don’t want to write a cliché.
- We live in a world where all the stories have been written except the one you’re about to write.
- Try turning a stale idea around. The buzzer beating shot clanks off the rim….
- It might be a very difficult story to write. But give it a try—ambition counts!
- For our stories, you're limited by a very tight narrative space. So you might want to hold back on all the subplots.
- Love your writing! But always read it like a writer. Don't be afraid to cut and cut and cut….
- (And when I say cut—I don't mean delete. Save those words—you might want them later...).
- Do you care about your story? If not, find a way to care about it.
- Pretending to care about it will work until you really do come to care.
- The real danger is not making any forward progress because you go over and over the same passages trying to get it "perfect."
- If your characters cuss, then use real actual cuss words.
- I'm thinking romantic love. You can do a lot with human emotions.
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