Some Inspiration for the Lizards

[kymahalei]

I found this on Facebook. It contains sage advice from a handful of well known writers. Enjoy the read! Hope you can find something you can use.

I can't put it behind the cut 'cause I don't know how.

www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/19/zadie-smith-10-rules-of-writing/

We should start a contest for who gives the best advice ...
Or maybe you've got some sage advice of your own!

[oshun]

Thanks for the link. There are some other interesting writers that I respect in that same series who say some interesting things. I particularly liked a couple points by Susan Sontag:

The only story that seems worth writing is a cry, a shot, a scream. A story should break the reader’s heart

Personally, I am not sure about the first part--the screaming and shouting--but I really like the part about breaking a reader's heart. I prefer to disarm the reader first, to let them think it is just another silly romance or a humorous story, or maybe a cute-little-Feanorians-behaving-badly fic, and then deliver the killing blow.

She really does try too hard (I could write an whole article about Susan Sontag and what I think of her*), but here is another one that has a bit I like:

know everything about adjectives and punctuation (rhythm) have moral intelligence — which creates true authority in a writer

I know one thing about adjectives and that is that I use way too many. One needs to work really hard on mastering punctuation; it's harder than it appears and changes from place to place and style to style. Working in law firms almost killed my sense of it entirely.

But the part I like about the second is her concept of "moral intelligence"--that cannot be faked. Spewing platitudes or blind acceptance of dogma will never replace it.

One last one:

If I am not able to write because I’m afraid of being a bad writer, then I must be a bad writer. At least I’ll be writing.

I was writing with great difficulty for a while, thinking I was so bad. Then a couple of months ago, I came to the above conclusion on my own--that I needed to write more again despite being so awful. There is no other way to write well except to keep doing it.

*I met Susan Sontag once. She was stunning, so beautiful. But very pretentious. Maybe she let that down with friends, but she gave me the feeling that the mask was the person--kind of a show-off. Hey, the other side of that was she insisted on being treated like one of the guys; it leaves some scar tissue.

[tanis]

What fun, Ky! And so good to see you out here again! Hope you are all recovered and good to go again.

I'm with Oshun; I don't know about breaking a reader's heart, per se, but I certainly as a reader subscribe to the idea of having my heart engaged. Though I don't require the first sentence to yank me to the edge of my seat and keep me there like Sontag.

I'm willing to give an author a couple of pages at least; sometimes, if the premise seems intriguing, even a whole chapter. I put down Diana Gabaladon's first book after the third chapter - didn't come back to it for several years. And then I only perserved because there was nothing else in the house to read. At about chapter five, I really began to get into the book, and then devoured the following three or four. I lost interest again when Clarie and Jamie passed the torch to their kids.

It was very interesting in these writing tips, to see that not everyone agreed about the way to go about writing. Nor did I find myself in agreement with much of what was said. Particularly the part about adjectives and never use anything but said to tag dialogue. UGH.

Obviously that's a style of writing that's much appreciated in some circles, or there would be no Dan Brown or Janet Evanovich. But I can't imagine any lover of Tolkien's books appreciating that style of story conveyance. I rarely read past the first page if the author can't be bothered to give me a clear idea of the world s/he wants me to live in for the next two hours.

I want adjectives in my reading! I want color and texture and visuals, I want snappy dialogue that reveals characters and descriptions that make me wish I'd come up with that particular simile or metaphor. I want to feel what I'm reading, to be in the story as an invisible character hearing and seeing and tasting the world I've been invited into. I want lush landscapes and even lusher emotional content. I want the whole experience, especially if I'm paying for it with money I slaved over a client reconciliation to earn.

But I am also drawn to those fan fic stories that revel in language as well. The ones that draw pictures, that I can see unfolding in my mind's eye as I read. The ones that engage my head and my heart.

Had to laugh at Vonnegut's give the readers as much information as possible, as soon as possible. Apparently not a lover of mysteries. I find I prefer a story that layers in the information subtly - like the discussion of The Persian Boy a couple of years ago - or was that only last year? And I occasionally enjoy flexing that old brain muscle trying to figure out the puzzle before the end of the book.

Did anyone notice that Vonnegut agrees with Steinbeck that author's should write to a single person?

I liked that one a lot. For me, that's a truism especially in fan fiiction. If I'm trying to write something that doesn't interest me, whether it's characters or settings, I'm not particularly good at it. My best work always happens when I'm engaged by the characters in a setting I like. So I write for myself, and then, if someone else tells me they appreciate something I've done, it's suddenly a bit like weed-enhanced sex.

I supsect - for me, at least - that will hold true if I ever get around to writing an original novel as well. Why write if I'm not writing something I love?

Thanks for sharing the link, Ky.

[oshun]

Had to laugh at Vonnegut's give the readers as much information as possible, as soon as possible.

I definitely can relate to that school of writing. I am a spoiler freak--the more the better. So a story that tries to tease me along often loses me. I like development and setting and ambiance, but not tricky little teases and shell and pea games. If I am in the mood to read a mystery story I want that and know where to find it. The bait and switch thing does work for me in other genres.

I do think all of these points are very individual and a lot of them can work better with some stories than others. I think people need to know their audience and realize also that certain methods are legitimate but have a particular and limited audience. Don't work with everyone all the time.

[Spiced Wine]

A story should break the reader’s heart

I agree with that; probably why I love the Silmarillion; and at some point Silmarillion fanfic is going to break my heart.

I want lush landscapes and even lusher emotional content. I want the whole experience, especially if I'm paying for it with money I slaved over a client reconciliation to earn.

But I am also drawn to those fan fic stories that revel in language as well. The ones that draw pictures, that I can see unfolding in my mind's eye as I read. The ones that engage my head and my heart.

I want to read a story the way I watch Shakespeare and listen in a kind of hungry, awed ecstasy to the language. I don't expect people to write like Shakespeare or Milton, but to love language and show they do. I don't want white sheets, I want embroidered tapestries.

I write for myself, and then, if someone else tells me they appreciate something I've done, it's suddenly a bit like weed-enhanced sex.

Yes. I do tend also to be most 'influenced' or rather to write *for* the people who review me and are supportive; if they like something, I'll generally try to write for *them*.

[oshun]

Sept 23, 2012 6:23:20 GMT -6 Spiced Wine said:

A story should break the reader�s heart

I agree with that; probably why I love the Silmarillion; and at some point Silmarillion fanfic is going to break my heart.

I want lush landscapes and even lusher emotional content. I want the whole experience, especially if I'm paying for it with money I slaved over a client reconciliation to earn.

But I am also drawn to those fan fic stories that revel in language as well. The ones that draw pictures, that I can see unfolding in my mind's eye as I read. The ones that engage my head and my heart.

I want to read a story the way I watch Shakespeare and listen in a kind of hungry, awed ecstasy to the language. I don't expect people to write like Shakespeare or Milton, but to love language and show they do. I don't want white sheets, I want embroidered tapestries.

I write for myself, and then, if someone else tells me they appreciate something I've done, it's suddenly a bit like weed-enhanced sex.

Yes. I do tend also to be most 'influenced' or rather to write *for* the people who review me and are supportive; if they like something, I'll generally try to write for *them*.

I totally agree. The kind of heartbreaking I want is totally different than the ff net-style story, "Warning: Angst!" which is usually just dreary, emo self-indulgence written by kids yet to experience a real loss or heartbreak. I like high stakes with victories and defeats, struggles well fought, and if it doesn't have a storybook happy ending that is OK, because that's what life is like. But I need some emotional scope.

I guess I write for myself as a bottom line, but am always on the prowl for like-minded souls who enjoy the same things. I have found when I meet writers whose work I enjoy we have so much to talk about!

[Spiced Wine]

I like high stakes with victories and defeats, struggles well fought, and if it doesn't have a storybook happy ending that is OK, because that's what life it like. But I need some emotional scope.

When writers open up the characters, and I consider what will happen to them later, I have to go off and mourn for a while. It's even more tragic when you get to know the characters in-depth.