Galactic Writer » Life

A Day Of Days

thom — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:29:51 +0000

I dread days like today. Days where it seems nothing goes your way. You try hard to rise above, but the water just keep coming.

Though much of this day, and much of the week, was stressful, I still found time to write. After all, it’s my outlet. The thing that helps me gain new perspective.

That’s my message today. Keep your chin up and your pen down. Write when you least want too.

Dealing With Tough Writing Decisions

thom — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:44:14 +0000

A few days ago I connected with Guy Rosen on Twitter. Guy has a lot of great things to say, and I wanted to talk about one of his recent posts.

Guy gives some advice on how to handle tough decisions. We all face these from time to time, and as a writer, I face them often. When to cut a paragraph, or a sentence, or even a word, out of the story. In his book The 10% Solution, Kend Rand talks about cutting, and cutting and cutting, until you have eliminated all the bloat.

David Allen’s Getting Things Done calls for you to make a decision on something right then. If you are unable to complete the task in under two minutes, defer to a later time or date. Guy suggests something a little different. He suggest you sit on it for a bit. When it comes to writing, I would agree. Write something then let it simmer. Don’t edit right away.

Guys next suggestion is to confer. Don’t make any hasty decisions, brainstorm you ideas. I couldn’t agree more. When I am mapping out a new story, I like to throw out ideas to my family and friends to see what they think. I can usually get a reality check from someone. I want to gauge the reaction. I want to see what someone is going to say just from my elevator pitch.

Choice can cause people to become comatose. For some people, making a choice, is very difficult, especially when it comes to writing. Which characters die. Which live. What part of the plot to re-write, which to change or remove. But you do have to make a choice. Don’t be afraid to make them. That’s the cool part about writing, I get to choose what happens. I give characters a world to play in then direct them, including their destiny. It can be empowering.

The fourth piece of advice Guy gives is to choose the lesser evil. OK, so you just can’t choose what to do. Choose the lesser evil. Or turn it around, choose the greater evil and shock the reader. Not too much. But a twist isn’t a bad thing. If you think the reader is going to expect one thing to happen, do the complete opposite. See what happens.

have you ever met someone who over analyses things? Maybe you are one of these people. It takes a lot of research, and the opinions of others for you to feel comfortable. I’m probably the complete opposite. I tend to make decisions based on as little information as I can. If I feel it’s a good choice based on what I have discovered, then I don’t wast any time moving forward. This type of analyzing has its draw backs, but I can’t stand to agonize over something. I prefer to take it head on and move forward.

The final piece of advice Guy give is to use your instincts. And I couldn’t agree more. No one but you knows what the right thing is. If you do it someone else’s way, you’ll probably be disappointed. You’ve grown up listening to your gut. Don’t stop. It’s the best guide you can have.

What is your advice for handling tough decisions?

When You're More Than Just A Writer

thom — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 04:12:43 +0000

It has taken me years to figure out how to answer people when they ask me what I do. There is actual pain in my stomach when I hear that question. Not because I don’t want people to ask, but because I have been afraid of what peoples reactions will be when I tell them.

For most of my adult life I’ve been writing computer software. So I’ve been a writer, of machine language. A few weeks ago it hit me. I’m a split writer. I write code by day and prose by night. That seems like a great compromise. Saying I write prose has prompted the next question; what is prose? That’s what I want to hear. Gives me a chance to talk about my story writing and not just my code writing.

A couple interesting things I have adopted to give myself more time to writing prose. First, I’ve made sure that when I sit down to write my family knows that’s what I’m doing, and to keep interruptions at a minimum. Second, I look at my schedule, where I’m going to be, and plan blocks of time to write. Third, I’ve started to carry a notebook specifically for writing. This way if I’m somewhere and have some extra time, I can write my thoughts down. I love writing on paper. It’s a great break from pounding on the keyboard.

Will I ever make enough money in my life from just writing? Probably not. I would venture only a very small majority of writers actually make a living writing. So, I’m good with having this day job writing code, as long as I can write my prose any other time.

Are you more than just a writer? How do you handle both at the same time?

Picture courtesy of OmarC.