A lesson for all, and my favourite quote, from the late Steve Jobs:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
There is much debate over whether doing an MFA is crucial to the experience of a writer.
There are two schools of thought (pardon the pun):
While the advantages to both are notable, and the combination of workshops and writerly real life experiences is ideal, the MFA is not the be-all end-all of your writing career. An MFA is expensive and often requires full-time attention leaving little time for a job or your family. However, it makes you focus and dedicate much needed time to work on your craft.
On the other hand, taking a course does not mean you are a writer. Spending money on a certificate to give you the credibility is not enough. An MFA, and any workshops you attend as a writer, should help to develop your craft not define it. Be wary of programs that offer weighty promises.
If you can buy Stephen King’s On Writing and set aside time to write daily, then all the power to you. You might get more out of that than an MFA program. (more…)
You’ve heard Faulkner say “you must kill all your darlings” and Stephen King say “it’s always easier to kill someone else’s darlings than it is to kill your own”, so how does this help you when it comes time to get out the red pen?
Camilla Gibb, award-winning author of Mouthing the Words and The Beauty of Humanity Movement, recently told the CBC about the harshest thing an editor ever said to her: “‘It’s not the reader’s job to indulge you, Camilla.’ She was specifically referring to a chapter of a manuscript that I had enjoyed writing more than any other chapter. Yowza. Joy killer. And yet, it was probably also the wisest thing an editor ever said.”
When you love a passage or a chapter too much, it shows. It might stick out because it demonstrates a POV that we don’t need, it might introduce new themes that don’t fit in, and however beautifully written the passage is–and the darlings usually are–it needs to be cut.
You’ll know it’s a darling if: (more…)
Do you write with a strict outline or a loose concept?
While there’s no right or wrong answer there are pros and cons to each strategy. A strict outline can keep your thoughts on track and provide you with motivation even when writer’s block may hit. And a general concept might be too broad and leave you without a narrative arc. However, being strict with your outline can give you tunnel vision and you might be missing out on a new, more truthful path for a character, which is something a loose idea lets you play around with.
Still confused about backstory, how much to include, and where to add it? Think of the plot like an engine pushing the story along:
“Because fiction requires a mighty engine to thrust it ahead—and take the reader along for the ride—backstory if used incorrectly, can stall a story. A novel with too little backstory can be thin and is likely to be confusing. By the same token, a novel with too much backstory can lack suspense. [...] Remember this: The fantasy world of your story will loom larger in your imagination than it will on the page. (more…)
Are you too close to your characters?
You’ve engendered, given traits, and brought your characters to life on the page. It’s not surprising that writers find themselves attached to their characters and are afraid of putting them into complicated situations.
If you’ve created complex and compelling enough characters they will falter and they will hit obstacles. You’re writing a book not a description of the type of friend you’d like.
Think of the most memorable characters in fiction. Jay Gatsby. Elizabeth Bennett. Holden Caulfield. Lisbeth Salander. None of them are perfect. Perfect characters are 2D and forgettable. (more…)
Taking feedback and criticism is never easy. Especially when the feedback directly relates to the body of work you have put so much time, effort and emotion into. Stepping back from the immediate reaction of a) ‘They only read 3 chapters, what could they possibly know?” b) “I just received an editorial letter, I must revise immediately” or c) “How am I supposed to make sense of all these revision notes and feedback?”
Whether the feedback comes from beta readers, agents, or editors, no matter what stage of the publishing process you are in you must be patient with yourself, don’t jump to conclusions and take everything with a grain of salt. There will be extremes; someone will think you need to cut and revise 100 pages to speed up pace and someone else will think the pace is great but the characterization needs work. Joni B. Cole says it best: (more…)
