Advice for a First Time Author

The only advice i have gotten that i have utilized frequently was from a college prof of mine that is getting a book published. She said one word to me, Detail. She explained how her book went from 100 to 300 pages just by adding more detail she never thought of. I always tried to be very detailed but it was at this juncture that i realized how important it was.

 

Interesting. I read that every time you write another draft, it gets shorter, the idea being that all of the unnecessary detail gets taken out.

But you still need detail, so I can see 200 pages of detail, although maybe 100 of "other" is too little to have that much extra detail.

 

Yah i know. I was amazed at how much more she got into her book. But it makes sense in a way, i know that i like as much detail as possible when i read so i get a good sense of what the author is trying to convey in a scene,

 

Less is more—Mr. Skaggs 7th grade English teacher.
Be honest – when someone takes the time to help you... listen and then have the guts to fix the problem they pointed out. – On this forum
Believe in your writing, even when no one else does. – My husband
Never stop writing. -On this forum

 

Simple, cliche, perhaps uninspired, but timeless:

Write what you love.

 

This is something I came up with myself a while back, when I was suffering from 'writer's depression' since I wasn't getting any feedback on my stories: "Write for yourself and no one else. Because in the end you will always be your biggest fan."

 

"You have to be the character." -drama summer camp counselor.

I've found that this works just as well as writing. Knowing your characters isn't good enough. You have to BE your characters for them to really be alive.

 

I guess this is just an open-ended brainstorming topic ...

When I'm not busy butchering the reality of 18th-century pirates and privateers, I'm outlining and writing the umpteenth incarnation of a historical political intrigue that's been haunting me ever since I conceived it a year or so ago. I guess it's no surprise, but as a writer intrigue is hard as hell to navigate, let alone write! Aside from reading up on the genre and outlining very carefully, do you guys have any advice for effective intrigue writing? To those of you who have read this genre: What makes a novel of intrigue stand out, beyond especially gripping mysteries and machinations? Do you have any recommendations for pillars of the genre? Any other input?

Thanks,
Ice

 

Morning :]

At the moment I'm in the middle of my two week Christmas break.

My intention was to begin writing but to be honest I've just enjoyed relaxing at home with my partner, something I very rarely do.

Needless to say I haven't done much.

At the moment I'm in the middle of directing a play I've written - a story I'm keen to follow through as a book - given I'm in the middle of the production, now would seem the perfect time to start work on it.

Yet - at the same time, I also have a non-fiction project...it's something I have a real passion for but it's a lot of work and it's ambitious. Given the current financial crisis I think it's something for the future but it's something I believe in heart and soul, it's something that could do a lot of good for a lot of people (me included) and it's something I can write about from experience.

I suppose the problem is two-fold.

On the one hand I feel I should be doing SOMETHING (despite the fact I'm directing the play I've spent the last two years writing).

On the other hand I wonder if it wouldn't be better for me to wait till March when the play is over and I will have a clean plate to start a new writing project a fresh, without distractions.

I have numerous ideas for fiction I could write. Do I go with trying to turn a play script into a novel? Something tried and tested? Will a script work as a book? Or do I think up a brand new idea that I might feel more enthusiastic about? What about my non-fiction project?

My real passion is with the non-fiction project I must say.

Do I wait till the play is out of the way rather than have two projects on the boil? (plus work)

So many questions...am just frustrated.

Thanks in advance.

 

lol, first of all, congratulations on your play! And on spending time with your partner... great job.

Next, you may want to take a deep breath or two or three. There's probably no rush to get either project started as long as you do get them started... if not today or next week, "soon" whatever that means to you.

My real hint besides breathing? Take a moment or a day to just be grateful.

Works for me,

A

 

I think this is case to follow your instincts. Literally. This is what i do: If i want two things, i just grab for something. It doesnt matter what led me to grab to it. The fact that it was what was my decision even if it was on my mind, proves it was instinctive...i think.

If you reach for your computer and start your non-fiction, then that's what you want to do, so do it.

My logic is most likely twisted but i'm just offering my POV. Have fun.

 

hopefully this isn't a repost.

http://www.webook.com/WritingTips/GeneralWritingAdvice


I found this site purely by accident one day. I was trying to hit refresh and hit my "stumble upon" button instead (addon that will bring up a random website)

I thought it was pretty helpful. it has some good tips from some good writers. I benefited especially from the first paragraph which is all about how bad, and why you dont want to micromanage your readers imagination. sometimes less is more, that sort of thing.

 

That was a good read. Thanks for sharing.

 

Can someone explain how to tap into the unconscious? I used to be able to do this, but it got lost somewhere down the road, and I think that's the major issue here. Too much thinking. Can someone shed a little light on how to get this back, if it's not lost forever?

 

This might come in handy for me. Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

I drink... I dont recommend it.


seriously though. look up "lucid dreaming"


its a way to train your mind to harness the power of REM sleep and use you dreams to explore your subconscious.

 

Good info! Thanks for sharing. Very usefull!

 

Don't get me wrong, I've come across and been given some really invaluable advice on this forum by the wise maia, cogito et al, but I've got quite an amusing critique dossier that's built up over the past few years. Today I was talking with a colleague, who, like me, is a wannabe novelist of several years standing.

We pooled ideas on terrifically terrible advice that hasn't worked. His was:

'Keep writing, you can edit later.' (120 words of **** later?)

Mine was:

'You've already got a great literary style. Just build on that, don't worry about getting into kitchen-sink English.' (Yeah, just keep on writing like I live a century ago).

Anyone else been given advice that was no good FOR THEM (maybe it works for others, but...)

 

Personally, I don't think either of those are bad pieces of advice....The "write now, edit later" advice is something I happen to follow.

But like you said, some advice can be bad for you, but work for someone else.

An example of that for me, is "use more adverbs." I HATE adverbs. I don't know why, really. I just think they sound and look terrible and so I try never use them at all in my writing - or, at least not use them often. That seems to bother some people, but I think you can never go wrong with deleting an adverb. What do others think about that?

 

Really? It seems like I get ten verbal lashings for each adverb found in one of my stories/chapters. I was under the impression one of writing's #1 credos was that adverbs be the Devil.

That might be my least favorite advice. I miss adverbs, and I'm still a fan of adding them in sparingly.

 

Remove all dialogue tags... Always use 'said'. Worst advice I have been given (though not on this site). This has been discussed in the annoying words/phrases thread, so no need to start another discussion. But lets just say I'm on the side of balance in all things.

Good advice is where and when. Going to any extreme only inhibits the writing, IMO. Unless you are making stupid SPaG errors, the word 'never' should not apply.

 

I'm with spook on "write now, edit later."

Someone once told me that it was a bad idea to change pov within a story (any story), and couldn't give me concrete reasons why it was bad for my story, after having read only twenty of what ended up being over 100 pages.

 

'Don't describe too much. Think Stephen King.'

- Well that's great. I don't want to write like Stephen King! When I posted parts of a memoir I was writing I got the above advice...but in a memoir, you can't avoid description, and not everyone aspires to be Stephen King

 

Though many would aspire to be as rich as him.

 

Yes, I've been warned off adverbs. I can see why 'he ran quickly' type sentences are rubbish, but I do crave them sometimes.