Thursday, December 8, 2011

Just Write? Distractions?

Good morning and Happy Thursday! Let's take a journey through my mind today. Just remember to hold on because it could get quite bumpy and turn upside down and...




Okay first I love reading my horoscopes every morning. This is one of the many for today and I thought it might work for my blog post today...

You could toss hours of work at this project, and it would look only slightly different in the end. However, let it roll on without much supervision, and you'll deserve the righteous feedback coming your way.

I interpret it as JUST WRITE!




I want to talk about writing, especially if you are planning on becoming a writer.




I guess I should put my disclaimer in here! I am new to writing, I am not an expert, everything you read here is just my opinion and take everything with a grain of salt. :-))




I was 3 chapters into my first book when I decided, "Hey I should search the web and see, "How to write a book" Okay so I'm a little backwards."




And that's where my distractions began. If you have a story stuck in your head, my advice to you is either




#1 Sit down and write it, just write it however it is in your head. Write from your heart, your mind, and your soul. Don't go searching for writing tips, just write. Then after you have finished your story, then find all the help blogs and edit your story using all the tips you find.




or




#2 Before you even put that first word on the paper, search all the help blogs and make a short list as to what to look for as your are writing. POV, transitions, character development, etc. Then as you are writing your story, you can refer to your list.




NaNoWriMo has the concept right. Just write! No matter if it goes off in every different direction, just write, no editing, no deleting sentences, just write straight through.




And Stephen King agrees;







"Upon being asked by a fan how to become a writer, Stephen King replied, "Write."

Stephen King







We have enough distractions to deal with. There are the cleaning house, doing laundry, cooking, and all the other every day distractions that pop up.

Then you have your twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. And the blogs are my biggest distractions, because...

I follow a lot of writers, author's and agents help blogs. And when you are writing these tend to be big distractions because...You stop writing and start going back over what you have written and start editing. Wondering did I do this right, or should I have said he said/she said, or...




So either write first, then find all the help blogs and edit, or

Find all the help blogs first, then write your story.




A word of caution. Every person has a different writing style, everyone has a different way of looking at how stories should be written. You need to find your way, your inner voice and as Stephen King says,




"This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit. Fiction writers, present company included, don't understand very much about what they do -- not why it works when it's good, not why it doesn't when it's bad. I figured the shorter the book, the less bullshit."

Stephen King, On Writing"

Stephen King




Anyway, I do love the help blogs and one of my favorites that I follow is Paul Dorset's Blog called "Utterances of an Overcrowded Mind"




He has written a book on becoming a writer and shares some great insights on how to write a book.


http://blog.pauldorset.com/p/wfs.html




Okay now that I've told you how I feel, Maybe I should be writing...Or finding another help blog to share to help you on your way. Nah It's time for me to get busy and write

2 comments:

  1. Hi Karen! I saw you over on romance author and bloggers. I agree with just write until I send my ms to my editor. Until then I avoid distractions bcz everything falls apart when I start going going off in different directions. There are many great opinions out there, but I stick with what works for me. I always sit down write the first copy as it comes to me and then do a rewrite and polish it up. After that I send it off to my editor. Once she has looked at it and has given me suggestions I work through the edits until my story is complete.

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  2. Hi Candice!
    Distractions? What are those? LOL
    As for opinions, everyone has their own thoughts and views and their ,"Own Voice" that they write in. I know that not everyone will read what I write, but I do write what I feel. If you read my "Success" post down there somewhere, I went into detail on opinions. I love to read, but normally read mysteries, thrillers, and suspense.
    Hopefully I will get a chance to read Stephen King's new book 11-22-63 I hear it hit the top ten worst sex scenes written in a book. So it seems none of us can please everyone!
    Hope you are having a great week!

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Leave a comment. I'd love to hear your viewpoint