your turn

Well, hopefully my tips are helpful to you. And I thought, "What if the next post is something everyone wants to hear from/about me?"

      Therefore, it's your turn to pick something for me to write about next post. Everyone can comment something they would like to know from/about me, and I'll discuss it all in one post next week.
       You can ask me a question about me, comment tips that you want me to share, ask about something and what helps me overcome it...etc. Basically whatever.

     I thought this would a fun idea, so comment however many questions/tips/etc. you want! I'll probably post some writer-inspiring pictures as well while I'm at it.


Savo'lass a lalaith!
-The Writer

little tips

From a previous post...
" Did those first lines grab your interest?

Did you want to see what happened next? "

Hannah said: ...And yes, I am interested in what happens next, because I think it would be funny.

Sarah answered: I really liked the lines you put at the beginning. They were funny, and I did want to know what would happen next.

That's it. That's what I wanted. I wanted to grab the reader's interest, and keep it. In those moments in stories, you want your reader to want to know more. If they start out interested but later get bored, then you aren't doing a good enough job keeping the story suspenseful. I want to be a reader that can't wait to turn the page and finds out what happens next. Not because every single chapter ends with the hero's life in danger, but because it's a good story. I want my interest to be kept.

Well, sometimes you may ask, how do I do this?

One problem-solver: stop writing and start reading. Find something with a part similar to the one you're currently trying to write and read it. Figure out what's keeping you reading it, and what isn't.
Everything makes sense in your head. You're the one writing, you're probably interested in your story.
      So that's probably why you don't realize that not everything makes sense to the reader.
Of course, these are my own personal opinions. I'm not trying to force my opinion at you. ;)

--

So. Next month on February 14th is the end of my short story contest.
Y'all ready?
I'm excited to see what everyone's come up with! Also, you can send it anytime you want between now and the 14th, just so you know! (please send it to thewriterofponderings@gmail.com whenever you want)

--

Savo'lass a lalaith,

-The Writer

Saying Goodbye

Hello, All!

I was very enthused by the responses I got about the Short Story Contest! One person couldn't comment so she sent me an e-mail instead, and I enjoyed that. So thank you!
      I did want to say, that although you have 3 1/2 months to work on your story, feel free to send it any time you want between now and then. And, you'll have to allow a little longer than that before I post any stories, so that way my family can read them. I can't wait to read them!
      February 14th is the deadline, end of contest. It seems so far away, but it will creep up really fast! I also was a little surprised to see it ended on Valentine's Day; no, it wasn't planned. Yes, I'm okay with that. :)


     Anyhow, I've been working on a story for another contest called the Five Glass Slippers. It ends December 31st, and I haven't even sent it in yet (hence the I've Been Working). I'm hurrying, but really, the truth is, I didn't want it to end.
     Eventually every one of them has to, of course. You can't keep up the story forever. Go ahead, make a series out of it. But let's face it. That ends too.
     One of my favorite series is the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Brilliant series. That was what really got my little brother to like reading. I've read the series twice. I couldn't wait for more to come out!
      And that's when my sister delivered the devastating news. Eoin Colfer had written the last book already. It was the only one we didn't own. I still haven't read it. I've been putting it off a little bit. "Oh yeah, I got this book and this book and this book to read."
      The truth? I don't want to say goodbye. I love the twelve-year-old genius that grows up to be a mess. I love his sidekick-but-not-really elf friend who has the awesome red hair and crew cut. I love his bodyguard and bodyguard's sister. I don't want to see them leave.
*small spoiler alert!!*
      I've already seen one of the characters leave (because honestly, all the authors with these amazing books WILL KILL A FAVORITE CHARACTER) and it was sad. It's funny in a way, because when I watched that character leave, I later learned that I gave the same reaction as the rest of my family who had read the books.
      "WHAT ON nooooo he didn't leave! He's coming back at the end of this book. Of course he...has...to..." and then we finish the book and it's
      "Oh...he really IS gone. I..."
      
      Truer words have never been said. (And excuse the mistype. Wasn't me. :p)

Sometime or other, I'm going to set down my pen, close the book, and say, "Goodbye." It's going to be hard. I'm not going to like it. But hey, there's nothing I can do about it.

 So it will be with my 'Beauty and the Beast' retelling. I want to see their lives lived out, but really, I can only see so far and know that the rest of the way, although I won't see it, they will live Happily Ever After.
      Let's remember that when you're saying goodbye. You saw them this far, you'll see no more. But they'll live Happily Ever After. And then you'll know: You've done your job. And well done.

     Unless you're that kind of ridiculous person who lets your favorite character die.
 And the next one and the next one and the next one until there's NO ONE LEFT except the main characters.
Really, Suzanne Collins?

See you on the other side of the wardrobe.
-The Writer

Solving the Little Mysteries

Yesterday I was randomly writing, when I thought, “I’ll draw something instead."
     I like to draw characters with the wind howling around them, leaves spraying here and there, and soon, I had drawn a scene.
      Not any particular scene, but you could make a story out of it. You can make a story out of anything, really.
     But the thing about the picture is that there are so many unsolved mysteries in it.

Who is the girl?

What is she doing?

What is she holding?

Why does she give that look?

Whose arm is that? What is it doing?

Where is she?

What is the place she is in?

What’s happening?


How do we solve these mysteries?
     The answer: Ask yourself questions and answer them.
     In stories, the reader needs to know what’s happening. It can’t just happen, even though you understand; the reader doesn’t!
     Who is your character? What is her goal?
     What does she hold that is dear to her?

     What are is the turmoil inside of her? How does she feel about whoever she’s with, what’s happening right now?
      What is your obstacle character, your antagonist? What are they doing to be who they are?
      All this is good to know. But, we do like a look at the scenery. Not too descriptive; you’ll bore the reader.
      What is happening right now? Why does the protagonist find themselves in this situation?
      Don’t skip over a mystery, you need to solve it or the reader might not understand. You don’t want your reader asking all these questions, because they don’t have the answer. You do. It’s your book.

     You don’t want to be overly detailed, either. Seriously, no one wants to know that the backpack that carries the map has intricate figurines stitched on the side, and a pocket in the front with a double zipper carrying the key to the chest. Also, a latch for the light brown, leather cover so the map doesn’t spill out.
     That’s just not going to cut it.
     Also, don't mention something particular if you're not going to use it later on; it could be a mystery you solve later on. It might even be the character just looking around.
     'She glanced down and saw he was holding an object of a curious size. She tried to figure out what it was, but nothing came to her mind. It was a small, glowing object with little indentations.'
     Either I'm going to use this object later in the story, or the character is avoiding something and putting her mind on other things. I'm not just randomly throwing it in there. (actually I am for the post, but that's not important)
     
     You get what I'm saying? These are things I'm trying to work on; not being overly detailed and mentioning things I'm not going to use. I do this quite often and my sister is constantly telling me, "Seriously, what is up with that?"

     My brother came up with the question thing. When you get stuck in one part, ask yourself all sorts of questions, answer them, and use that to help you along. It's worked for me once, and I'm sure it could work again.

     Anyhow, I hope y'all enjoyed the last Wednesday Wonder! I got a lot of delightful comments, and Clara has replied to every one of them, so if you commented check back for a reply! We had quite a bit of fun. :)

Savo'lass a lalaith,

-The Writer
     

The First Draft

It's time to haul that dusty manuscript off the shelf, and start writing again.
When's the last time you even looked at your story? You know you have to finish it, right?
    There are so many ideas bursting in my head right now--I'm actually starting two stories, one story from two character's point of view.
     But ack! I have my Five Glass Slippers story and my Cinderella retelling to finish!

It's time to dig into your love of writing and keep up the good work. I know, it can be tiring to write of the story when you know you have all that editing and things to do.
     Do not go back and edit your story. 
     It's tempting, it really is. Don't even look back on what you've written so far. Today, even, I wanted to do that to my current story, but I'd heard from another author not to.
     I figured out pretty quickly why she said this.
     You'll go back and read what you've written, and you'll get caught up in editing it. There are so many patches that need rewriting. If you don't go back and read it, you won't edit anything. And if you don't edit anything, you won't spend the time rewriting it when you could be writing more.
     Don't stop. Don't look back. Just write.
     Keep the ideas flowing, keep writing them down. Even if it's horrible, just write it down. Finish the first draft.
     It's a first draft. Don't worry about it. Finish the story first. There's a process in writing: The first draft, the rewrite, the editing, and polishing.
     Even if your story really stinks, it's okay. Write and write and write until you hit the end. Then and only then can you even start to think about reading it.
     But here's a tip: When you finish the first draft, maybe even the rewrite, leave it be for a while. Take a month off, forget about the story.
     Then you can come back. Then you'll notice what you have to rewrite (even after the rewrite, rerewrite) and everything that needs editing. It helps so much.
     I have a story from last year's NaNoWriMo I wrote. I didn't finish it, but I came very near to the end (I started late and was new to NaNoWriMo), and you know, I thought it was pretty good. I looked back and editing, and was thinking, "Yeah, this is great."
     Christmas came and I completely forgot about it. I left it for literally months before I remembered it. Actually, it was about three-four months ago that I remembered it.
     That stuff was absolute crud. It needed (needs) major rewriting and I obviously didn't think about some scenes, I just wrote.
     And that's okay.
     That's the stuff you want to see. You need to see what needs fixing--rewriting--and that's how your story becomes better. Things you never noticed before will just pop up.
    
     So basically, the steps.
     1. Write. Do not read what you just wrote. NEVER look back at what you wrote.
     2. Let it be for a month or more.
     3. Read it and be horrified. "What was I THINKING?!"
     4.Rewrite.
     5. Edit.

     I recently got a new writing buddy, and I think that's a great thing to also have. Join a writing group or something. You need views from different people to tell you what they like and don't like.
     You might want to finish writing your story and doing the writing process, and send a little bit of it at a time to a writing buddy, but you can also send it as you go along. It helps!
    
     You can comment your thoughts and we can discuss it, or maybe you have another tip you can share. Feel free to say anything, I'd love to hear it!
      Also, a post by a favorite author and great blogger, Janice Hardy, about First Look at the First Draft. It's great, and I recommend reading it!

 

This is underneath my header and it's just great, so I'll share it again:
     "There is no idea so stupid or hackneyed that a sufficiently-talented writer can't get a good story out of it."--Lawrence Watt-Evans.

Tell me your thoughts!

-The Writer

What about the Villain?

It had been a blissful Wednesday on the boat that day. We had played on the beach and swam a little, then were herded back onto the boat because of the clouds.
     The clouds looked dark and foreboding. I watched them as we boated back home, thinking, Now those are storm clouds!
     Then I had a thought. I lifted up my sunglasses and the clouds were a pearly white. Yes, it was dark right behind the white, a sure sign of a storm, but...

     Would you guess villains are like this? On the first impression, they are dark and foreboding. But wait, you take a closer look at their life and see that they aren't so bad on the inside after all. Something made them bad, it wasn't just them.
     
             Develop your villain.

The story may be interesting--villain kidnaps damsel, hero saves the day. (or heroine saves guy)
     But what about the villain?
     Normally, we learn of what happened in the damsel's life, how she gets kidnapped. We learn of the hero's story, how he met said damsel, and how he's going to rescue his love.
     But in lots of instances (such as a few of my dreadful stories), all we know of the villain/antagonist is that he's a badguy and he kidnapped the damsel.
     That's not always going to satisfy the readers. This is also something I need to work on; I normally get to know my heroine/hero well enough to know their backstory, what led up to meeting their love, blah blah blah.
     But what if I'm the one reading it? What would I like to see?
     I want to know what the villain's past life has been, what caused the storm in his life to come and make him the badguy. Maybe he was raised in a badguy territory, and that's all he's known. Maybe something happened such as his family died and he remained angry for the rest of the life. Maybe he's an Anakin Skywalker and he turned to the Dark Side, but for different reasons.
      I want to know more than just a kidnapping, I want to know why he did the kidnapping.

     Of course, there are instances when the story's perspective comes from the villain themselves. A few stories I've read comes from the villain's perspective and it's really quite neat, but see...they have a story. The author had to develop the story.
     This is something new I've yet to try, but I'm going to take the villain from my book and start a separate story--even a short story will do--all about the villain. His family, his raising, the people in his life--and then I'm going to take this and work it into the story. Not necessarily the entire short story, but enough that the reader gets why he's so evil. The story is to help you understand your own villain so you can help the reader understand.
     
     Gillian Adams is an author who writes funny and helpful posts about writing, too. I recommend reading her Villainy 101 to help you (and it's hilarious, so why not?)


-Le fael, Hannah/Eruanna! I thought the names were funny. I'm going to keep searching for a bit longer before I give a definite decision, though, and I was thinking something with 'Writer' in it somewhere. 'Whimsical Writer'?
Galu!-

-The Writer