There is no first draft worse than a blank page. - Neil Gaiman
Today is the first day of Camp NaNoWriMo and so I’m reminding myself and everyone else out here that any work you do on your WIP is good work.
Even if you write 50,000 words that you end up deleting, those words helped you hone your craft, get to know your characters, explore possible directions the story could take. The hours you spend sitting down and typing help make writing a part of your daily routine. And just getting little black marks on your screen or paper or stone slab help you overcome the fear of writing the wrong thing. And if you’re afraid of writing the wrong thing, you’ll never get the chance to write the right thing.
Go out and write that first draft you’ve been agonizing over for ages. It won’t be perfect. It may not be “good.” But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its value. If you’re waiting to draft until you have the perfect story all ready to go, you’ll be waiting for a very, very long time. If you’re waiting until you can surpass the “bad first draft” stage to start drafting, you’ll be waiting a very, very long time.
And now, I’ve got some drafting to do, and I’ll bet you do to.
Conflict is the basis of any story and what it means to have a meaningful sequence of events. Without character or physical conflict, there isn’t anything to base your story on. How would your characters grow or change? How do you know that your audience will keep reading? These questions are answered having conflict in your story that forces your characters to adapt and change. It is also essential as a writer to understand that your characters reactions to the conflict in your story will create your character’s identity and make them a rounded person. So how will your character react to conflict and how will that characterise them?
Reactions to Conflict
There are several reactions to conflict that you can use in order to create character, but I am just going to stick to three: submit, use logic and get angry. I have used extremes to illustrate the lengths you can use with these reactions. Submit Put simply your character lets it go. They let the other person get away with any misdeeds and wrongdoings that your character suffered from. Often this character avoids conflict as much as possible and finds themselves suffering from the hands of others. Your character could grow and react differently as the story goes on to show character growth, but you could also let them fall into despair with all the problems that they could have prevented. Use Logic Using logic to put forward a reasonable argument characterises your protagonist as careful, objective and rational. I often use this reaction in a character who value objectivity over emotion and investment in the cause. This kind of reaction can cause your character to be a cold logician often lacking emotional investment in the conflict of your story. This can cause a bit of a disconnect between your reader and your character, but with the right conflict, your character will be forced to react differently. Get Angry This character is brash, impulsive and are based on emotion. Your character, instead of submitting, forced the other person that they are in direct conflict with to submit instead. This can be interesting when your character is faced with another that has the same type of reaction and could create a fresh dynamic. As well as this your character could lack the objectivity of the using logic or the peaceful nature of the submitted character showing a whole new range of emotions.
Using all Three
Often your character won’t always stay on one reaction as they will them become a surface level character, pulling any complexity that they could have had. Instead of this your character will instead use all three in different situations; showing what is important to them. For example, your character might submit when in conflict with a loved one, rather wanting peace rather than tension. That shows that family is important to them. They want nothing but to keep their family close to them even it means their suffering. Maybe they Get Angry when someone disrupts that peace, lashing out on those threatening the peace in their family that they have suffered for. See! You get a motivation and a well-rounded character by using this concept.
Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Character
-When faced with specific conflict how do they react? - How does your story force your character to change their reactions for character growth? - What is their preferred reaction to conflict? - What are the stages or first reaction and second reaction when they start to get desperate?
Extra Notes
I hope this was helpful! Have a lovely Monday (if you can)!
At some point in your life, you’re going to have to give someone constructive criticism. Whether it be on an original work, a fanfic, or if your English teacher forces you into peer editing, you’re going to have to find a way to state your opinion on a piece of literature in a manner that won’t dampen the spirits of the person being critiqued.
Note: These rules don’t really apply to beta reading and editing; in those cases the writer may be asking for your strict opinion and is prepared for the criticism that may come (though it can never hurt to be polite!)
1. If a Person Doesn’t Want Constructive Criticism, Don’t Give it
It could literally be the worst piece of writing you have ever read in your entire life. It could be riddled with grammar and spelling errors and have no paragraph spacing at all, but if someone EXPLICITLYSTATES that they DO NOTWANT constructive criticism, DON’T GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.
If they don’t want constructive criticism, it doesn’t mean they think they’re better than everyone else; people have a variety of reasons to deny constructive criticism.
It could be a throwaway fic that they just wrote on a whim, not something they wish to develop and improve.
They could be a new writer that is just getting a hold of the hobby and isn’t ready to be corrected yet
They could’ve recieved a ton of constructive criticism on it already; it’s really disheartening when you spend a ton of time and effort only to have your only comments be constructive criticism
This last reason comes as a result from poor constructive criticism etiquette; had the readers followed these rules, this probably wouldn’t have happened.
If someone doesn’t state that they don’t want constructive criticism, then it’s fair game; however, you still have to be polite about it, which I’m getting to next.
2. Follow This Format
(Yes, I know it’s Comic Sans)
The key here is providing a cushion; you want to let the writer know that you didn’t think the story was terrible and that you liked some parts and think others may need improvement.
Greeting
Introduce yourself. Be friendly. Tell the writer how you stumbled across this fic/work and, in the longer cases, tell them how long you’ve been reading/following it.
Doesn’t have to be long if you don’t want it to, a simple “hello!” will suffice.
Compliment(s)- Part One
Tell the writer what you liked. The characters, the plot, the setting, the description, the dialogue, and don’t spare the details! Writers love hearing compliments!
Constructive Criticism
Tell them what they think they should improve on. The grammar. The spelling.
(Note that you shouldn’t write a review for ONE spelling or grammar mistake; this should only be for consistent and numerous errors)
Tell them if the dialogue is stilted or if the description interrupted the flow of the story. If you yourself are a writer, suggest how they can fix it.
Don’t be too harsh! Your cushion compliments will do nothing if you phrase your criticism too meanly!
Compliments(s)- Part Two
Tell them some more things you liked. Tell them your predictions for the next chapters (I can assure you, writers LOVE this). Tell them specific sections and events that really made you get lost in the writing.
Farewell
Say goodbye and tell them you’ll be back for the next update! This is an optional step, but it’s nice to know when one of your readers will be coming back.
As you can see, it corrects the mistake without completely crushing the writer.
The point of constructive criticism is to help the writer improve and to inspire them to strive for better technique; if your “constructive” criticism makes them never want to write again, then you have failed as a reviewer (not to mention how you should be pretty damn ashamed of yourself for making people abandon what they love.)
Just follow these rules and you should be set to review any piece of writing you come across ! Happy reading!
Keep something with you to write at all times! You never know when inspiration might strike and it’s always a terrible feeling when you forget an idea. Seize the moment!
Going off that point, write whenever you’re inspired and motivated! If your circumstances don’t permit it, at least try to jot down a quick summary of your thought.
Don’t worry about writing in chronological order! Write whatever you feel inspired or motivated to write before the moment’s gone.
Don’t be afraid of writing a “bad” first draft! You can always change things later. It’s best to get your ideas down first and revise later.
If you find yourself unable to write, look for inspiration on the Internet or in books. Draw some of your characters or settings, make mood boards, take personality tests as one of your OCs, etc. There are lots of activities you can do to get your creativity flowing.
Stay organized! If you’re anything like me, organization is the bane of your existence. However, be sure to keep all of your resources together in a spot you will remember later. This includes both digital and physical things you might have.
Make backups of your digital resources! I cannot stress this enough. Technology is wonderful but also unreliable: you never know when something might go wrong. Make lots of copies of things in case something gets deleted or lost. Better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t delete your work! Even if you think it’s the crappiest piece of work you’ve ever did, it’s still nice to keep a record of everything you create. You never know if you’ll one day need it. Even if you never do, perhaps one day you’ll look back at it and feel good about how much you’ve grown.
I got pretty fed up with looking for words to replace said because they weren’t sorted in a way I could easily use/find them for the right time. So I did some myself.
I’M DRUNK OR JUST BEING WEIRDLY EXPRESSIVE FOR A POINT/SARCASM Hooted Howled Yowled
I WONDER Pondered Voiced Wondered
OH, YEAH, WHOOPS Recalled Recited Remembered
SURPRISE BITCH Revealed
IT SEEMS FAKE BUT OKAY/HA ACTUALLY FUNNY BUT I DON’T WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD Scoffed Snickered Snorted
BITCHY Tattled Taunted Teased
Edit: People, I’m an English and creative writing double major in college; I understand that there’s nothing wrong with simply using “said.” This was just for fun, and it comes in handy when I need to add pizzazz.
– Here are some tips on the daunting task of description and descriptive writing. I’ve compiled my most straight-forward and useful advice on the subject to aid you in your writing.
Don’t go back and edit each sentence with a thesaurus in hand. Put clarity before prestige and pride in your skills as a wordsmith. Chances are, your reader will notice a pretentious, misplaced adjective more often than they’ll complain about clear, accessible language. Your job is to describe and create an image, not impress the reader with how many words you can look up in a dictionary.
Be Clever About It
Description shouldn’t be obvious or overbearing to the reader. There shouldn’t be large blocks of description. Much like backstory, description should be sprinkled in periodically, when the detail becomes necessary, and at about the same pace as someone were noticing it in the moment. For instance, if you entered a room, you wouldn’t take 30 minutes to notice the pattern on a silver hairbrush sitting across the room on a dark stained oak desk from around the 1870s if your calculations are correct. You’d notice the color of the paint on the walls, whether the blinds were open or closed, and whether anyone was in there. The rest would be noticed during lulls in conversation or in between unrelated thoughts. The reader should never have a second where the thought “wow, when’s the conversation gonna start” crosses their mind.
Metaphors & Similes
Using figures of speech are really effective when they’re pulled off, but they must be very accurate and well executed. Anyone can say “My man was a fish”, insinuating that he’s slimy and cold, but unless you surround that with a clever use of other description and context, it won’t go over well on its own. Approach these very cautiously, and when the moment is optimal.
Moderation
Learn where the line is when it comes to where to stop incorporating more precise detail. As Stephen King said, “it’s not a question of how to; it’s a question of how much to”.
Show, Don’t Tell (Mostly)
In most cases, you want to describe what’s happening to the reader through imagery in order to form a clear scene in their head, rather than telling them what’s going on as if you’re rehashing a story over brunch, because the latter falls flat very quickly and loses the reader’s attention/engagement. I have a full article on this that goes over pretty much every “but what about-” you’re thinking of.
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“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” -Dr. Seuss
Shows & Films depicted (from top to bottom): Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part One, Pan’s Labyrinth, Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring, Beauty & The Beast, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Game Of Thrones, American Gods, Supernatural, Wings Of Desire, Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Anonymous: Any tips for NaNoWriMo? It’s my first time and I’m getting anxious
I’m not a NaNo-er by any means. I’ve never seriously participated because I think there are a lot of pitfalls, which I’ve always been somewhat sassy vocal about. But, I do think there are ways you can get through it and avoid those pitfalls.
1. Plot your novel.This means make an outline– it can be as complicated or simple as you like, but you should have one. This includes things like world and character building. If you start at complete zero on November 1, you’re going to have a hard time producing anything that can carry a whole book over a month. Your end result will also be 10x more solid than pantsers. (And yes, I accept hate on this because I aM FIRMLY RIGHT FIGHT ME.)
2. Realize your draft will suck. The whole point of NaNoWriMo is to get your first draft out without thinking about it. Recognizing this from the start (this goes for all writers, but especially NaNo-ers) is a weight off.
You have to give yourself permission to suck in order to force yourself to write without inspiration. And when you expect yourself to write a book in a month, you’re going to have to force yourself to write without inspiration. That’s a skill that I very much admire NaNoWriMo for teaching.
3. Don’t kill yourself. If you don’t make your word count for a day, don’t beat yourself up. It happens, life gets in the way. I notice a lot of time ametuer writers participate, but even professional writers find it difficult to write an entire book in a month. Plan a day to try and catch up at the end of each week. You’ll learn at a much faster rate than most writers that guilt only slows you down.
4. Be prepared for extensive edits. This is especially true if you decide to pants it. NaNoWriMo winners tend to find themselves with a tangled knot at the end, and while editing is generally a long process, these novels tend to take a lot more effort to straighten out. So while you might get out a quick rough, you’re going to spend more time polishing overall. Which is fine, but being aware of this is important. Writing a book doesn’t end December 1st.
5. Commiserate with fellow writers. Seriously, to me, this is everything November is about. Talk to other writers. Learn, grow, and hone your craft. Most writers tend to be pretty active during this month, so take advantage of it when you get stuck! Find a buddy to help push you through. If you’re feeling stuck, troll the Nano forums/tags for others in the same spot as you are and talk until you find the spark you need to continue. If you have any IRL writer friends, definitely set up write in’s with them.
6. Take advantage of the tools you have.NaNoWriMo’s site has a lot of fun tools and badges for you to use– why not check them out? You can track your work through it and I’m pretty sure they offer a prize if you win? Seek help if you need it! There are many tools available online and my ask box is always open if you need some advice when you’re feeling stuck!
7. Don’t edit. Seriously, don’t get caught in this trap. This goes for first drafts in general (I mean, a little is okay provided you don’t get trapped in editing purgatory on you first chapter), but especially for NaNo-ers if you’re trying to hit that word goal. Some people find it helpful to start a new file for each chapter to avoid the temptation to scroll back to the very top or get stuck the second you open your document.
8. Set a routine. Give yourself breaks, set up rewards, keep your energy up. If you drive yourself into the ground the first week by writing non-stop, you’re gonna have a bad time. Figure out how many words you need to do everyday and set aside a time period to do it. Certainly, if you feel the urge, write more than your goal, but maybe don’t force yourself unless you’re behind. Sometimes having to stop halfway through a scene you’re really into will be enough to keep you going into the next session.
Make sure you also schedule breaks that are physically active and away from screens to help get the blood flowing. Reward yourself with your favorite show when you’re done, a hang out session with friends, or a bowl of ice-cream. Whatever keeps you motivated.
…………………………………….
Overall, NaNoWriMo can be a really positive experience.
If used right, writers can learn a lot of skills that they can use to fuel their writing the other 11 months of the year. Writing a book takes time, so even if you don’t “win,” don’t give up. Keep writing, keep applying those skills you’ve learned, and don’t stop that energy your cultivated in November just because it’s over.
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” -Dr. Seuss
Shows & Films depicted (from top to bottom): Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part One, Pan’s Labyrinth, Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring, Beauty & The Beast, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Game Of Thrones, American Gods, Supernatural, Wings Of Desire, Guardians Of The Galaxy.
