The Apprentice Writer

The urge to write fiction seems God given for some, a learned skill for others.

One thing is certain – it requires practice and a particular mindset. But, if you’re a beginner, where do you start?

The following 10 tips will help kick-start your writing habit, whether you’re a complete novice, or perhaps a pro who has lost their way!

1. Step Away From the Car, Sir.

Slightly detach yourself from your surroundings. Stop participating and begin observing. In social situations, watch people, see how they act and – more importantly - interact.

Don’t pass judgment. Take it all in – and draw on it later when you write.

2. Look Harder, Homer

Stop and look around you. Consciously notice the buildings, what’s underfoot, overhead, and what’s right in front of you.

At home, look at something you take for granted. An iron, for instance. Find yours and study it.

3. Write Thinking Will Be Rewarded.

A simple technique. Your mother is making tea and you are chatting to her. Take a mental step back and describe the scene.

Similarly, when you’re outside, describe your environment as though you were writing it down.

4. What Reasons Do You Need?

Don’t wait for inspiration – just write!

Force yourself to write anything at all. A shopping list. An overheard conversation. Describe your bedroom.

It doesn’t matter how personal it is, or how trivial, just get it down!

5. Wakey Wakey!

Set your alarm clock for an hour earlier than normal.

When the alarm goes off, get up. Don’t dress, bathe or eat. Don’t even make coffee. Just stagger to your writing space and write the first thing that comes into your head for five minutes.

6. Oh God – Not That!

Think of the most awful and embarrassing thing you’ve ever done - the more cringe-worthy the better. Now write about it. All of it, in all its gory, horrible detail.

Then hide it away for a year or so before you read it again!

7. Like Your Style, Baby.

Don’t limit yourself. Write poems, songs, dialogue, fact, fiction, even practice writing advertising copy or horoscopes.

Your expertise improves in all areas – an improvement in one area can reap benefits in another.

8. The Sincerest Flattery

Take out a classic book from your bookcase. Copy out a paragraph. Think about the words as you write them. Don’t get intimidated!

9. Wanna See My Invention?

When you’re not writing, string together stories in your mind. Think of plots, characters, settings, dénouements.

Ask yourself what you should do next to improve your writing.

Develop this technique into a habit.

10. It’s A Goal!

When you start writing regularly, set yourself small goals. Anything from 200 words a day, or just a commitment to writing in your diary.

Later extend to finishing a short story, or an article or a poem. Perhaps one in a week.

The trick is to set goals you can achieve easily.

That way you’ll get the writing habit - and you won’t forget to enjoy it!

This is a three-stage process. 

First, you need to break down your preconceptions about what you think being a genius is.

When you call someone a genius, what do you mean?

That they display characteristics that seem to be above the common herd? That they think ahead of their time? That they seem to be able to create perfect art with little or no effort?

Einstein was a genius they say. So was Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Beethoven and Van Gogh. Why? Because they displayed a unique way of thinking that separated them from the mainstream.

Did genius just bestow itself upon these individuals?

No, every so-called genius is a craftsman first. They learn the basics. They study them, copy them until they are implicit. So that, when it's time to create for themselves, they know and understand their influences.

Good artists express themselves with honesty and skill. They also learn - and keep learning - from other artists. No influence is a bad influence. It all helps.

Genius is a not a thing in itself. It is merely a qualitative judgment made by individuals and critics - usually after the artist is dead!

What marks you out as a “genius” is your willingness to be true – to yourself and to your art. In other words, genius is really about having the courage of your convictions - the courage to be yourself.

Stage two: some practical advice now. 

Clear your mind. To do this, meditate or go for a long walk in the country, undisturbed.

First, try to visualize nothing. No feelings, influences or distractions. Try to find that inner essence that is pure calm, joy and strength. It’s there, inside all of us. Get in touch with it.

Then, calmly tell yourself you’re a genius. Repeat the phrase to yourself until it becomes almost meaningless.

I am a genius.

Do this about three to five times a day for five days. (You can do this with any phrase you want your subconscious to believe.)

For stage three, when you’re ready, take the plunge and write.

Write a paragraph or two about a character or a situation that you totally believe in – even if it’s fictional. Edit it afterwards until all the words represent that particular view of reality, as if it IS true, 100%.

Read it back. Is it convincing? If not, keep rewriting until the logic of each word and sentence is, in your mind, incontrovertible.

That’s the trick. Make your work totally convincing TO YOU on your own terms. Do not write for others. It doesn’t work. Be true to yourself and others will follow.

In the end, it's about how much you believe in your own vision of the world. If you don’t really believe in something then neither will your reader, no matter how clever you are with words.

In brief, to be a potential “genius” you must trust your instincts, believe in yourself and write from the heart. To do any less is to cheat yourself – and your readers. 

When you first decide you’d like to write, I believe a slight shift takes place in your brain. You are no longer a mere participant in life - you are now an observer and recorder of it.

And that makes you different, special if you like.

Some writers are drawn to writing for its own sake – and get sucked into the sheer joy of being creative, of making something out of nothing, order out of chaos if you will.

Others have been inspired to write by events that have happened to them – usually unpleasant ones.

Many great writers, from Shakespeare to Stephen King have been scarred in some way – whether by life or by themselves. There are countless other examples.

Feeling like an outsider is common amongst writers, especially novices. But I suspect most of us write to assert some kind of power over something we don’t like or don’t approve of, or something we think is wrong.

In a way, all writers try to create a perfect world for themselves (even those who write non-fiction) perhaps because they see nothing but imperfection and inconsistency around them.

The urge to write would therefore seem to be borne out of a sense of dissatisfaction: with life, with its apparent lack of meaning and happy endings. Perhaps mostly, we are dissatisfied with ourselves, and how we never seem to live up to our own expectations.

But this is not all bad.

Because I believe that out of this dissatisfaction can come objectivity, and from that can come some degree of enlightenment – and great art in the process.

Becoming a writer is a statement you make to the world.

You are no longer passive, taking what life throws at you. In a sense, you become a controller of your own reality, and by implication, your destiny.

My mother once told me she thought writing a novel was a triumph of tenacity over intelligence. Who would want to do it? And why, she wanted to know. Only a writer really knows. 

The irony, of course, is that my mother reads avidly – and all sorts of fiction. Romances, thrillers, crime novels, whatever she can lay her hands on. When I ask her why, she says…to escape.

Exactly, I say to her, that’s also why writers write.

To escape...and by doing so, perhaps create a better world.

©robparnell 2003
http://easywaytowrite.com

Famous people tell us fame is not so hot. You get mobbed, hassled, your privacy is shot, you’re always having to look your best and perform. 

Okay, it’s not quite so bad for a writer. You can hide to a certain extent. You don’t have to put your picture on the jacket. You don’t have to go on Oprah. But…

Increasingly, in our modern age, it’s difficult to become successful if you don’t actively promote yourself, whether by signing books at the mall or doing local radio spots. 

And everybody accepts that fame – though not great in itself – is supremely useful as a tool for creating success.

But it’s getting so that you can’t even compete unless you’re willing to promote yourself along with your writing.

This is not such a bad thing.

It’s obviously hard to make a shift from solitary wordsmith to debonair chat show guest. But you’ve probably noticed that the writers that do force themselves into the limelight do sell a whole load more books!

But it’s not the pursuit of fame that really matters. As I’ve mentioned many times before, it’s goal setting that is the key.

The next time you sit down to write a book and short story, go the extra nine yards.

Write down your goals for your work. Do you want it published in the local rag? If you do, and you study what that market requires, chances are you’ll get there. By why stop there?

Why not imagine your story or book on TV or as a movie? Or maybe as a franchise, a series, or even a set of kid’s toys. Look at your work from this perspective and sometimes you can see EXACTLY what’s wrong with it. After all, if you can make your story work in a big way, it will probably make far more of an impression on agents and publishers in the short term, let alone a couple of years down the track.

Don’t be afraid to think big.

Let your imagination soar in your writing, yes. But also try seeing yourself as one of those famous writers you see on TV. Why not? They’re not so different from you. It’s a myth that famous writers are cleverer, wittier and possess some secret you do not.

Have the courage to be the best you can be. Not just as a writer but as a person, and perhaps as a 'personality' too! 

©robparnell 2003
http://easywaytowrite.com

You pick up a book by an unknown author. From the cover you have some vague idea it’s a thriller of some sort. You start reading.

Two sisters, Pat and Jo, are on their way back to their mother’s house. They’re arguing, unhappy they shared the same boyfriend but have now both lost him.

(You’re thinking, maybe this story’s about love, loss and forgiveness.)

When they arrive at the house, the mother’s not there.

(Maybe it’s murder mystery.)

They call the police but they won’t act on a missing person for 24 hours at least. The phone’s suddenly cut off and they hear scuffling outside. It’s dark now, and the sisters are terrified.

(Gasp! Maybe it’s a psycho!)

The window upstairs smashes. Timidly, they go to investigate. In the main bedroom, the wind is howling through the broken window. In a mirror, they catch a glimpse of a shadow darting down the corridor. Jo follows but discovers nothing.

(Oh no, what if it’s a ghost story.)

Pat decides to leave but Jo won’t let her. The door slams in Pat’s face as she tries to leave. They fight but Jo restrains her sister. Books fly around the room and furniture overturns.

(This is some kind of weird telekinetic thing going on right?)

The sisters talk. Maybe there’s nothing sinister going on. It’s just like when they were kids and their mother thought they had a poltergeist that one time.

(Phew!)

Then, the door is broken down by a hooded figure with an axe.

(Oh no – it IS a psycho!)

They’re chased around the house until the figure is pushed off the balcony. When they get down to the rain soaked mud outside, it’s their mother.

(A twist? Okay, it’s a strange story but there were clues, weren’t there?)

“Where the cloak?” Jo looks up and there’s someone else there. The psycho’s still alive! They run back into the house, bolt the doors. Oddly, everything’s quiet.

The phone rings. Wasn’t it cut off? They answer it. To their relief, it’s the ex-boyfriend. But then he says, ‘Won’t you let me in? I’m just outside.’

They look out of the window and sure enough, there he is, grinning, hooded, with the axe in his hand…

Okay, this example is a little crass and melodramatic but the same ‘shock and twist’ style of storytelling can be used in any genre... and frequently is nowadays.

The trick is to make various any intervening steps between actions as credible as possible. Don’t give out too many clues and use internal monologue to focus on what’s happening in the present rather than helping the reader to second-guess the plot.

There are two ways of doing this.

 1. Make it up as you go along.

The trouble with doing it this way is that you’ll end up with all kinds of inconsistencies. Okay, some authors do it. They deliberately put their characters in situations they can’t possibly resolve and then, through skill or luck create events to get them out of them!

However, with this approach, you’ll likely spend much of your time repairing mistakes in your text – after you’ve finished your first draft.

2. A much better way is by planning.

Right from the start, do a rough template in note form of where the plot goes, where the twists are and how you will end the story, especially if you’re going to have one final twist that throws the whole story into another, more profound light.

You must know the twist before you start!

It’s the only effective way of diverting attention away from it all the way through the story.

It’s a great technique – and it’s not only popular with readers, it’s a surefire hit with agents, publishers and, of course, movie producers!

The double twist is even better - a real favorite.

Use it and you’ll be successful before you know it.

©robparnell 2003
http://easywaytowrite.com

“Murder your darlings” was a phrase coined by F Scott Fitzgerald (or Quiller Couch or Stephen King, depending on who you believe). They were referring to what you might call your “best bits.” The very “bits” you should always edit out of your work.

As Elmore Leonard once said, “If I come across anything in my work that smacks of ‘good writing,’ I immediately strike it out.”

The theory is that writing you’re particularly proud of is probably self-indulgent and will stand out.

You might think this is good. Wrong.

You will most likely break the “fictive dream.” (This is the state of consciousness reached by readers who are absorbed by a writer). And breaking your reader out of this fictive dream is a heinous sin!

Editing out “the best bits” is the hardest thing a novice writer has to do – after all, isn’t it counterproductive to write good things down only to cut them out?

Look at it this way…

When you start out, every word you write is precious. The words are torn from you. You wrestle with them, forcing them to express what you’re trying to say.

When you’re done, you may have only a paragraph or a few pages – but to you the writing shines with inner radiance and significance.

That’s why criticism cuts to the core. You can’t stand the idea of changing a single word in case the sense you’re trying to convey gets lost or distorted.

Worse still, you have moments of doubt when you think you’re a bad writer - criticism will do this every time. Sometimes you might go for months, blocked and worrying over your words and your ability.

There is only one cure for this – to write more; to get words out of your head and on to the page. When you do that, you’re ahead, no matter how bad you think you are.

After all, words are just the tools – a collection of words is not the end result, it is only the medium through which you work. In the same way that a builder uses bricks and wood to build a house – the end result is not about the materials, it’s about creating a place to live.

As you progress in your writing career, you become less touchy about your words. You have to. Editors hack them around without mercy. Agents get you to rewrite great swathes of text they don’t like. Publishers cut out whole sections as irrelevant.

All this hurts – a lot.

But after a while, you realize you’re being helped. That it’s not the words that matter so much as what you’re trying to communicate.

Once you accept that none of the words actually matter, and have the courage to “murder your darlings,” you have the makings of the correct professional attitude to ensure your writing career.

This is a tough lesson to learn.

But, as always, the trick is…to keep on writing!

You have thoughts. You write them down as words. Later, others read them and your thoughts become theirs. Spooky, eh?

I’m sure it was once, when the Druids roamed prehistoric Europe, exchanging information in the form of archaic symbols.

I imagine the illiterate masses looked on with awe and not a little fear, convinced these markings the magicians called “words” had power in themselves.

It’s interesting that the echo of the magical context of writing is still with us, contained in the word “spell”, with its double meaning.

If you think about it, the question, “How do you SPELL that?” literally means, “How do you conjure that image with symbols?”

The science of semiotics is a broad subject – one that is way outside the scope of these lessons, but I want to share with you its basic premise:

Ahem. The human brain needs to NAME something before it becomes REAL.

The idea is that, before something is named, it doesn’t really exist because either our awareness of it is too dim to understand it, or, if we haven’t noticed it yet, it might as well not be there.

BTW, I’m not making this up, honest, this is Major level philosophy!

Anyway, the important thing is that once named an object can then “exist” to someone who hasn’t actually seen it!

This is a pretty neat trick, unique to the human race, but also one we take completely for granted.

It’s only words that make this possible.

And it’s also why writing works.

Your job as a writer is to place objects, images and emotions into other people’s heads. Do this well and your career will prosper.

Good writing is a form of hypnosis. You use the rhythm of words to put your readers into a kind of trance, so that they are more receptive to your ideas.

When a reader is happy to experience this, they are said to be in the “fictive dream”.

In order to keep your reader “entranced”, there must be nothing in your writing that might startle them out of this dream.

Your reader must trust you and be able to give over their imagination to you. You, in turn, must honor that trust by playing by the “rules” of good storytelling.

Anything that jars the reader out of their dream is bad.

There’s one technique in particular that can destroy a reader’s confidence in your storytelling skills.

"Authorial intrusion” is where you express a personal opinion about a character, situation or scene. Or where you describe anything your characters could not be aware of.

Although you, the author, is considered to be an omniscient viewer and recorder of events, you must also be seen to be objective – and invisible. Though it would seem to contradict common sense, the reader should be unaware of you, the writer.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase, “Willing suspension of disbelief”. This is the state of consciousness you’re after.

The reader “knows” that they’re being told a story but, because, they like and trust you, they are willing to make a slight shift in their minds and accept what you’re saying as the truth - for the time being. 

Therefore, during storytelling, you must never break the spell - that word again – by offering witty asides, stating your views or commenting on the action.

Of course, rules are made to be broken. There are times when authorial intrusion does work.

Some authors use it as a way of introducing a story but quickly retire to the sidelines. A technique as old as storytelling itself!

Others use it at the end of a story, to wrap up events like some movie voice over. It works sometimes - as long as you don’t sound over smart or condescending!

But if you really want your reader’s trust, keep them in the fictive dream. Let them live the characters and situations without distraction. Let them enjoy the feeling of being swept along by a story and taken out of themselves for a while.

They’ll love you for it.

©2003 robparnell
http://easywaytowrite.com 

Some would have us believe that when it comes to Written English, there is always a right answer, when in fact certain ‘rules’ are to some degree flexible.

Yes, when it comes to grammar and spelling, there are ‘rules’. The novice is obliged to listen and learn them. However, there comes a time in most writer’s lives when they realize that most of these rules are broken – and perhaps should be broken – often and regularly.

Experimentation and refinement is not altogether a bad thing.

Yes, errors jar. But a good writer can – and should – occasionally break the rules for effect and to show up the inadequacies of the language.

There’s nothing wrong with inventing new words either. It’s actually a great literary tradition. Shakespeare did it, as did James Joyce, even Stephen King often uses the word ‘insectile’ which I have yet find in a standard dictionary! But it’s a great word, isn’t it? And I’m sure you can guess exactly what it means.

The point I’m trying to make is that once you consider yourself a writer, and you know the rules, you are perfectly entitled to go your own way.

Words are your tools. You are the craftsman. Use them as you see fit.

And it’s not just words.

There are lots of theories about how you should construct plots and prose. Some teachers can get very uppity about them. They’ll tell you in what order to introduce elements like scene setting, description, internal monologue. When you can and can’t do certain things. The same teachers usually have a battery of texts (from dead authors) to quote from to prove their point.

Don’t listen to them!

Take on board what they have to say but ask yourself if these rules are appropriate to your own writing. If not, ignore them!

Of course sloppy and undisciplined writing is unforgivable but a fresh new voice with the occasional gaffe can be a joy to read.

Writing is not a static art. Nothing is set in stone.

Writing is a lifelong learning experience. If writing is to be good, challenging and of value, it should be as refreshing and liberating as life itself.

©robparnell 2003
http://easywaytowrite.com

How many times have you heard people say this about a book? Have you ever analyzed the books that people say this about?

I have.

They all share one ‘secret’ in common.

Questions.

Reading is not a passive exercise. Not to the brain, anyway.

As you read and take in the information on the page, the brain is trying to work out where the story is going, what significance certain actions might have. It’s also trying to work out puzzles and generally try to second-guess the plot.

This is human nature. It’s what makes reading an interactive experience--where you have a kind of relationship with the author for as long as you’re reading

Stories that don’t make the reader ask questions are unsatisfying to read, as are stories where the reader guesses the outcome.

Many writers forget this and write aimlessly in the hope that the reader will like their style and want to read on, no matter what.

This is not a strategy for success! In order to be in control of your story--and your reader, you, the writer should feed them questions.

This is not as difficult as it sounds.

First you need the major question--your book’s reason for being, if you like.

This is in essence the ‘theme’ of your novel summed up in one sentence.

Questions like ‘Does money create happiness?’ or ‘Will good triumph over evil?’ You should subtly place this question in the mind of your reader quite early on in your book, so that the reader is already on a kind of quest for the truth.

Next you have chapter questions that are more specific to your characters. Like ‘Will Alex overcome his problems?’ or ‘Will Sally win the love of her father?’ This gives your reader a reason to read on--just to find out!

Then, you should have smaller questions at every point you can - at least one every 500 words.

Here’s an example:

‘Lucy went to see her father. He was angry that she was seeing Brad but she told him there was nothing he could do about it’

Obviously this is flat and lifeless prose that invites no great speculation. How about this?

‘Lucy stared at her father’s implacable face. When he was like this, she couldn’t gauge his feelings. She swallowed hard. If he was angry, she’d end up with nowhere to live.

‘I won’t stop seeing Brad,’ she said, not quite believing her own words.’

You see the difference?

In the second passage the reader is forced to ask three questions.

1.         What’s her father thinking?

2.         Will Lucy get kicked out?

3.         Will she carry on seeing Brad?

Rather than simply stating what your characters think and do, always try to leave an element of uncertainty in the reader’s mind as to what will happen next.

The trick is to get your reader asking questions constantly. Yes - on every page, so that there’s a compulsive need to turn the page, if only to find out the answers.

Good novelists do this unconsciously--they know it’s the best way to tell a story.

Good crime novelists deliberately get you to ask all the WRONG questions so that their plot twists are far more effective.

People keep turning the page in best selling novels because they are in a constant state of limbo--ignorant of what’s coming next but eager to find out. In effect, it’s almost a state of agitation, even frustration that will keep a reader turning the page.

Has this happened to you?

It’s weird because you almost HATE what you’re reading—there are so many unanswered questions--but you just can’t put it down!

©2003 robparnell
http://easywaytowrite.com

There are some strange folks out there who don’t like fiction. Or rather, they don’t understand its purpose.

Robert Mitchum--otherwise an actor I greatly admire--said he never read fiction because it wasn’t true, so there was no point.

To any budding novelist this attitude is as heinous as it is incomprehensible. Unfortunately it is also surprisingly common.

My father for one thinks that novels are too hard to follow so he never bothers with them.

‘If it’s any good, they’ll make a movie out of it,’ is one of his favorite lines.

How many times have you heard this?

The implication here is obvious. To non-readers, it’s not the writing that’s important. It’s the story.

Whilst great writing might profoundly impress you or I, most people just want the message, rather than the medium.

People like stories for 4 main reasons:

1.            Entertainment

2.            Enlightenment

3.            Validation

4.           To gain hope & salvation

These reasons have been the ‘point’ of telling and listening to stories since the beginning of time.

As a species, we need them.

They divert our attention from the mundane and take us out of ourselves for a while.

They can show us things we didn’t know about ourselves and others. We may gain valuable new perspectives to help us to better understand our neighbors, foreigners, even our enemies.

We need stories to make us feel better about ourselves--as human beings, as well as personalities. That’s why we like to identify with heroes and warriors--indeed, anyone who can show us how to overcome obstacles.

Finally we need stories to help us make sense of life and the world around us.

In real life, there are no beginnings and endings, just infinite sequences.

You know how it is. You listen to the news. Everything is a segment, a teaser, a sample of every day life. Nothing makes sense because there’s no structure.

Without the confines that fiction offers us, we are drowning in a bewildering sea of actions and feelings and urges with no meaning.

Stories ‘frame’ real life into manageable chunks that have tangibility, involvement and purpose, whether for us individually or as a race.

Surely that’s what we were placed on this earth to do!

To make sense of who we are and why we are here.

THAT'S why fiction matters!

©2003 robparnell
http://easywaytowrite.com