Jumping In Blindly

I’ve done this before and I’ll probably do it again. But sometimes I just can’t help myself.

Here’s what happened …

I was out for a walk. It was one of those nights when I couldn’t sleep, so 3:30 am rolls around and I decide I might as well take my walk instead of staring at the ceiling. So I go out walking and fifteen or twenty minutes in, I get this idea for a story.

It’s not a full-blown idea. Those rarely arrive in my experience. But it’s an opening scene and an emotional push that really excites me. My usual routine when I get an idea is to write it down and drop it into an idea folder. But I didn’t want to lose my enthusiasm for this one. All too often when I return to a story idea weeks later I stuggle to regain that original magic I felt. In fact, I often find myself wondering what the hell was I thinking and I toss it.

I didn’t want that to happen with this particular story, so as soon as I got home, I sat down and started writing. In a couple hours it was done, and I was happy with what I had created.

I put it away, went to bed, and woke up several hours later with this sudden cold realization – there was no conflict in the story. At least none that was meaningful. I didn’t really have a story at all. I still had an idea.

A long idea at that, but still nothing more than an idea.

This isn’t the first time I’ve jumped in blindly, and as I mentioned in my lead, I’m sure it won’t be the last. Sometimes that’s just the way my writing gets done.

I’ve since figured out the conflict for the story and though I haven’t finished it yet, it shouldn’t take me more than a couple of hours. Better yet, the story has all that initial excitement I brought to it. So while the road map to completion took a long detour, in the end I will still arrive at my destination.

And the readers will never know the difference.

The point?

Accept your stories when they come to you. Even those that aren’t perfect.

Your Most Important Writing Tools

Now, I’m willing to bet that as soon as you saw the title of this post, you figured I was going to sing the praises of some computer or word processing software or the ability we all have to send our work around the world in the blink of an eye by the Internet. All very helpful tools, no doubt about it, but not your most important writing tools.

Curious?

Hope you aren’t going to be too disappointed.

Here they are, your most important writing tools …

A pen and a notebook.

These should be with you wherever you go. Why? Because you never know when inspiration is going to hit. It may be an overhead conversation or the sight of a street vendor or a newspaper headline that triggers a “what if.” Without a pen and notebook handy, odds are you’ll forget by the time the first distraction comes around.

So keep them with you at all times.

You’ll be glad you did.

Oh, and if you insist on living in the digital age, you can feel free to replace your pen and notebook with a digital recorder.

Imitating Your Favorite Authors

Writers are born of readers. We’re inspired by the authors and the stories that came before us. Some authors more than others, of course. But for the most part, when we find an author we admire, it’s natural to try to read everything that author’s written. And quite unconsciously, we begin to absorb a sense of the author’s use of words, the author’s voice, the author’s images.

When it becomes our turn to write, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to imitate these authors we admire so much. Most beginning writers do this without even being aware of it, until eventually they begin to find their own voice, their own style.

If you catch yourself trying to write like your favorite authors … make a concerted effort to put an end to the habit. Be yourself. Tell your own stories and tell them in your own voice. One John Grisham is enough. One Elizabeth George is enough. One Stephen King is enough.

Step up and let the world hear a new voice.

Your voice.

How To Become A Writer

Have you ever been told that the best way to become a writer is to write? Not much of a surprise, of course. It’s true.

But putting words on paper is only one element of becoming a writer. You have to believe in yourself as a writer, too. And that’s not always easy to do when you’re just starting out.

When you don’t feel like a writer, writing becomes that much more difficult.

So what can you do to overcome this?

Consider these suggestions:

1. Write For Yourself

Writing is about passion. It doesn’t matter if you love to write magazine articles or science fiction or screenplays. As long as you remain true to your vision, you’ll have a steady foundation to build from. The result will be less second-guessing and more confident writing.

2. Put Your Work Out There

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that writing is a form of communicating. It doesn’t do you any good to lock your writing in the bottom drawer of your desk and forget about it. By the way, I’m not referring about journal writing, where you’re struggling to deal with personal issues. I’m talking about putting words down on paper for other people to read. So …

Show your work to someone. It can be a a close friend, or a family member, or even other members of a small writers group.

Just go for it.

Yes, it’s risky. You may even get a ton of advice you really don’t need. But that’s the risk you have to take if you want to call yourself a writer.

3. Act Like A Writer

If you want to feel like an author, play the role of an author. Set up a regular writing schedule and stick to it. Set a daily goal. Maybe it’s an hour a day. Or perhaps you’d prefer to have a goal of so many words each day. It doesn’t matter which approach you choose as long as you choose one and go for it.

4. Send Out Your Work

Professional writers submit their work to publishers. Is your work going to get bounced back to you? Yeah, there’s a good chance of that. Won’t that mean you’re not a real writer? Not in the slightest. Receiving a rejection is a sign that you’re doing the work.

Rejection is going to happen, even if you’re the greatest writer alive. Don’t let it frighten you. Use your rejections to your advantage. Build relationships with editors and agents and publishers. Tape them to the wall as a way to motivate yourself.

Bottom line: don’t keep your work hidden in the bottom drawer of your desk.

Writing Short Fiction

I’m not sure I’m ready to declare the short story a dying art form just yet, but I will say that it’s seen better days. Which, I have to admit, surprises me.

You might wonder why I’m surprised, and I’d have to tell you it’s because the world around us is so much faster than it was ten years ago. People are impatient. They want their news and entertainment in their hands the moment they express an interest. Cell phone Internet access. Movies on your laptop. MySpace and Facebook. Fast food twice a day. No time to waste.

You would think that short fiction would be perfect for a world that doesn’t want to invest the time it takes to read a novel. Unfortunately, publishers often find it difficult to sell short story collections, so the markets are limited to mostly small press magazines and anthologies.

Does this mean you shouldn’t write short fiction?

Not at all.

Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison built their careers around the short story form. In addition, publishers are often more open to short story collections once an author has a proven track record and an established audience for his or her novels. Consider Stephen King, Jeffry Deaver, Joyce Carol Oates, and others.

If you love to write short stories, write short stories!

Just be aware that the market has its limitations.