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Post by waldenwriter on Jun 2, 2011 2:21:29 GMT -5
I want to try to get some writing discipline and work on my craft this summer, since I'm on break from "Darkly Bound." But I've never tried to do that before. I know every writer has their way that works for them, but I have no clue where to start. Any suggestions?
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Post by metalikhan on Jun 2, 2011 10:21:01 GMT -5
Writing short stories, flash fiction, and vignettes is an excellent way to work on both discipline and craft. With them, you have to tighten up the scope of a story and make every word count. There's little room to meander down side plots and you learn to sketch minor characters in only one or two sentences. You can also experiment with different styles and voices without dedicating months/years to a single project. It helps if you approach it as though you actually plan to submit the stories to particular magazines. Write according to their guidelines and word count limits. And as you develop the ability to tighten your focus, write as though you were trying to meet submission deadlines (for examples, a contest with a mid-July deadline or a magazine that only takes submissions in even numbered months). Another excellent exercise is to write according to a milieu/topic an editor has established. It's a little like fan fiction but you have to come up with the actual stories that dovetail into that milieu/topic. Study the framework of their world and use some piece of it as a springboard for a story. Try it on the Cross and the Cosmos' worlds of Dias Domhan (fantasy) or the Bermuda Expanse (science fiction). Or try a short-short story/vignette for Splashdown's Avenir Eclectia (I think those are supposed to be under 1000 words or so -- have to check the guidelines). What this kind of exercise does is develop the ability to write according to assignment; and this is the kind of writing editors want when they put out calls for anthology submissions. Also write short side stories about minor characters either from Darkly Bound or from the world of that story (even if they never appear in Darkly Bound). This adds dimensions/perspectives to your story world that you may not have considered when you were focusing on your MC. The pay-off when you do return to Darkly Bound is that you'll be in the practice of writing "tight" in the way you put scenes, paragraphs, and sentences together. It will help you look at the chapters as though they are short stories in themselves, complete with character and story arcs. And, of course, by the time you done some of this, you'll also have some short stories submission ready.
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Post by waldenwriter on Jun 10, 2011 9:19:56 GMT -5
Sorry for not replying...
Your idea about writing short stories/flash/vignettes sounds like a good one. I need to work on being less wordy anyway. Plus, as you said, I'll have stuff that's submission ready. That should be useful because I am currently playing catchup and typing up all the places I'd underlined in my Writer's Market books ("Christian Writer's Market Guide" 2009 and the secular "Short Story and Novel Writer's Market" 2010).
Funny you should mention fanfiction. I used to write it a lot when I first got into anime, but my attempts weren't very good (except for a couple "Tenchi Muyo" fanfics I no longer have copies of). I did a little better later on with a couple fanfics for the French animated show "Code Lyoko." I've never tried to write a fanfic-like story in a non-animation milieu, but I know people do (as evidenced by all the "Star Trek" fanfiction a friend of mine reads). So it might be interesting. I was planning on writing a sort of episodic fanfic-esque story this summer anyway, which would be written in the "fan Sailor Senshi" vein (i.e., with original characters with powers and storylines similar to the heroines of "Sailor Moon") but with a more fantasy-like style.
Also writing about the world of "Darkly Bound" is a good idea, especially since another book I have planned, "The CYA Files," is set in the same world (though it is not a sequel to "Darkly Bound").
Thanks for the tips!
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Post by fluke on Jun 10, 2011 12:00:19 GMT -5
Renee,
Another thought for you practice. This would be along with not in place of.
Identify your weakness in writing. (Is it dialogue? Do you skimp on description like I tend to?) Focus on that and work to change it by writing scenes that focus on it.
I hope that's clear enough.
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Captain_Riposte
Junior Member
Don't mind me, I'm just a mad historian.
Posts: 54
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Post by Captain_Riposte on Jun 10, 2011 13:40:53 GMT -5
I write in play-by-post roleplaying games, where you play the role of a character in a shared world with other players by writing what that character does. I noticed that back when I used to post everyday on some RPG forum or another, that my writing sharpened just by writing something fictional everyday. Posts don't even have to be long. I run a Christian site for this and I have a friend with another one, if you are interested in joining any of these, shoot me a PM.
Not really practice, but I also like to read writer's magazines and listen to an excellent free podcast: Writing Excuses (many books on fiction tend to say the same thing all over again, but this show does more than the basics by often treading advanced subjects).
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Cat
New Member
Crafting worlds one inkspot at a time
Posts: 40
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Post by Cat on Sept 19, 2011 13:46:50 GMT -5
Sounds like good advice. It's amazing the kind of great stuff you find by lurking.
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Post by yoda47 on Sept 20, 2011 8:18:20 GMT -5
I like to read writing books when I take a break from writing. I learn a lot, and most of them have exercises to do.
I also like to go back and re-read my favorite books and look to see how my favorite author did things.
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