Monday, August 24, 2009

Back to Basics

The fact that you found this blog indicates you have an interest in writing. More than likely you have had this desire inside you for years. Since I began seriously pursuing writing as a career I have only met one writer who said she didn’t grow up wanting to write. According to her she had a dream one night that transformed into a 700 page manuscript. Every other fiction writer I know—it’s amazing how many novelists you’ll find once you let the world know you want to write a book—claims to hear voices in their heads, imagines plotlines during weddings and funerals, and eavesdrops on strangers’ conversations in hopes of finding a twist for their current work in progress.

It is my hope this blog will offer the tools and helps necessary to bring your dreams of getting a book published to reality. Last time we discussed coming up with a basic idea in which to begin your book. We talked about all the places you can find ideas. There are also all sorts of tools and programs out there that will help you with this process.

While this part of the writing process is the most fun, it can also eat into your writing time if you are not careful. I know writers who have spent twenty years on one idea that has never moved past the thinking stages. Don’t let this be you.

Write something. Play around with plot, red herrings, twists, and character sketches. Don’t get bogged down with one detail. If your villain hasn’t revealed himself or herself yet, don’t let this get you down. Play around with possibilities. Your story might go off in a direction you never saw coming. You don’t want this to happen too late in the process, but in the planning stages, it’s anything goes.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

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