Basic Training Tuesday

I'm experimenting with posting a consistent blog entry each Tuesday.
I've been second-guessing some material I've written and almost got to the point of trashing it all.

It helps to refocus and remember the basics. Here's my bootcamp basic for the week.

#1.) Know why you are writing

Back up the truck if needed, look at the road again, get your bearings. Are you steering your story off a cliff of cliches, predictable plotlines, and cardboard characters? Has finishing the story become more important than telling a story? Wasn't telling a story the reason you began writing in the first place?

One of my favorite attention-getting openings to a book comes from Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life in which he starts off with "It's not about you."

Try infusing some purpose-driven writing. It's not about you (unless it's an auto-biography or memoir, perhaps). It's about the story. Tell it.

Now drop down and give me fifty pages.

Building Character

When thinking about some of my favorite characters from books, television, film, I notice I seem to like those with a good degree of complexity.

Some examples:

Star Wars: Luke? No, I'll take Han.

The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn? Nope. Boramir. He's a haunted dude.

Les Miserables: Valjean? I'd like to pick his redeemed brain after I challenge him to an arm wrestle, but I really want to know what makes Javert tick beneath his Arby's-looking hat.

I like the characters with their humanity on display. Give me a character without flaw, and I'll give you a yawn in return.

I find when writing characters into existence, I have to be careful not to like the character too much at first. I may want to sing his praises and it will show in the writing. The last thing I want is for a reader to say, "Wow, this author really likes this character. He hasn't let me stop knowing it since page 1."

I see the need to spend time identifying the flaws of my character-to-be. What was their childhood like? Do they have annoying habits? Do they have six fingers on their right hand? What will make them deep enough to sink into for a few hours?

A bit of time answering these questions ought to lead to a well-formed character who doesn't stink of carbon copy ink.

Who are some of your favorite characters?

Do you prefer those with a few scars on their less-than-perfect faces?

Thoughts Rowling Around In My Head

From a recent article about the final two Harry Potter movies:

Author Rowling has said she was devastated after finishing the final "Harry Potter" book, which was published in July 2007 by Scholastic Corp in the United States and Bloomsbury Publishing elsewhere in the world.

Rowling has also remained involved throughout the making of the films, reading scripts before shooting begins and offering suggestions

(Director David Yates) "She's really gracious, she's not territorial. She kind of recognizes the challenges of adapting (a book for a film) and she's really sympathetic to that."

Three thoughts strike me:

1. The thought of completing a written work (or set of works) so dear to me, I grieve at the final keystroke. I'd like to know that feeling.

2. I would struggle with releasing my prized works to someone else and see those works take on a different form (with or without my involvement). I need work in that area. I guess it's my OCS (only-child syndrome) coming through. That's for a later post.

3. I'm reminded of the grief of Jesus at the cross where he declared his work finished. I'm thankful for his involvement, grace, and sympathy while he lets me play a part in the greater result of telling his story

Rowling fan or not, kudos to an author who can invest and divest themselves from their cherished work for the greater result, in this case, a cinematic thrill reaching wider audiences.

As to the author of life, giving up your one and only son so we might live, eternal thanks.

Expellipostus.

Bring In Da White, Bring In Da Strunk

I loved writing in elementary school until the introduction of grammar.

In one year, I went from my hippie, hiking-boot wearing, creative writing teacher spurring me on to "explore the space" of my recess-smoking mind to the mothball-scent of Mrs. Christiansen's English and Grammar class.

Power down.

Rules applied. Poems needed structure. Stories needed scenarios (which sounded a little frightening and quite Italian). Gone were the days of Kool-Aid and roses.

I haven't fully recovered.

Many years later, when I decided to dust off some imagination by beginning to write again, I didn't have any anxiety when a writer suggested I read, live, and love "Elements of Style" by Strunk & White.

Elements of Style, man. It sounded hip, cool, tight, what-have-you. I couldn't wait to pinch it to have it give up its secrets.

What did I derive from Mr. Strunk and Mr. White, instead? The Grammar Hammer. Mothballs.

Or so I thought at first.

Part of recovery is seeing the truth for what it is. With a little accountability from some friends in a creative writing class at Dallas Seminary (yes, there is such a course at such a place), I was reminded "Writers write. Writers who want their writing read by editors write with correct grammar."

Do I love it? No. Is it important? Yes.

I think I've found a compromise in churning out a rough-rough-draft (read only by me) where I don't care about grammar as much as getting through a large chunk of writing. As my friend Justin once said, "Build the house. Decorate it later." After, I come back through and clean up the scrap wood before letting other trusted eyes on it.*

My questions for you authors out there:

Do you tap the brakes on your first pass, or do speed on through to edit later?

What tips would you share on how to keep a little funk in your Strunk?


* - Yes, you will notice grammar mistakes on this blog. I'm more in favor of the building than the decorating around here.**

** - Yes, I will end up obsessing over the mistakes and eventually correct. Even if nobody notices. Maybe years from now.

Take a Seat

Consider me unpublished.

You won't find anything I've written on Amazon.com. If you Google my name, you will find I used to play tailback for the Michigan Wolverines. I don't remember doing that. I hope I ran like a freight train.

But, let's talk about you.

If you have stumbled upon this blog looking for the magic-pill advice which grows your writing career overnight, enhances your ability to earn and spend millions of bucks, and drop-kicks Stephen out of his King-sized chair, you don't want any of this.

Keep chumming the waters, mate (and uh . . . keep me posted if you happen to find anything).

If you are an author who has weathered the storms on the high seas of publishing and feel like regaling us with some of your tales, there is a seat (or stool) for you. Provide your own pint, howling wind, and hook-for-a-hand for better effect.

Or, if you are like me, trying to siphen some sense out of the nebula of writing for a living and frequently fight the same Four Horsemen of Writing Doom (lack of discipline, motivation, networking, and admin skills) then by all means, you're my kinda people.

Take a seat and join me. We may not produce any quick-fix pills for blockbuster novel success, but, we just might produce a little magic of our own.

Maybe enough for Amazon, perhaps.