Trevor's Writing

An accidental story

No Comments »4th March, 2008; Category: Writing Hints

As I crossed the playground my mind was preoccupied by what was ahead of me. I was lost in thought about the lesson I was about to teach to my class. I was trying to remember the activities I had planned. My head exploded. Well – that’s what it felt and sounded like. The pain was instant. A basketball had hit the side of my face. I had not seen it coming. The ball hit the point of my glasses where the arm connects with the frame. They shattered. It took a few moments to gather the pieces – and my thoughts before proceeding to my appointed class. Shaken but unhurt, the rest of the day was interesting – and challenging as I coped as best I could without glasses. Unhurt? Well, yes – if you discount the shock.

Writing activity:

Think back to a time when you had an accident, or you witnessed an accident.
Recall what happened and how it affected you and other people.
Write a description of the events leading up to the accident.
Describe what happened.
Explain how it affected you and other people.
What were the long-term repercussions of this accident?

Now you have the basis of a fictional story. Change the main character from yourself to an imaginary person. Embellish the story by playing around with the facts and imagining other aspects of the accident. Give it a different ending. Do with it what you want – it really is up to your imagination.

Below is a variation on the incident I started with.

Good writing.

As Peter crossed the playground his mind was preoccupied by what was ahead of him. He was lost in thought about the lesson he was about to teach to his class. He was trying to remember the activities he had planned. His head exploded. Well – that’s what it felt and sounded like. The pain was instant. A basketball had hit the side of his face. He had not seen it coming. The ball hit the point of his glasses where the arm connects with the frame. They shattered, pieces flying in several directions. Peter crumbled to the concrete pathway in a state of shock. He passed out. Students from all over the school yard came racing to the scene of the popular teacher lying on the ground. The last thing Peter heard was the sound of an ambulance siren racing to the school.

An endless fascination with people

No Comments »1st March, 2008; Category: Fiction, Novels, Quotes, Writing Hints

“An endless fascination for others is a prerequisite to being a novelist – despite the common view of novelists as egocentric and self-absorbed. The self-absorption comes when you are at your desk writing. The rest of the time, you need to be pathologically curious.” from A Novel in a Year by Louise Doughty.

I like that.

“Pathologically curious” about people. A novel needs to be occupied by people. Sometimes lots of them. You can’t write about people unless you know about people. Unless you have a curiosity about people you will struggle to portray people effectively in your novel.

Take some time out to visit the local shopping centre, coffee shop or any place where people congregate. Observe the people you see. Take a notebook with you and write down some descriptions of people. Write a sentence or two about a dozen or more people you see. Who are they? Where did they come from? What are they doing here? What hardships have they endured? Why is that person bright, happy and bubbly? Why is that mother frustrated with her child? What events have impacted upon that stooped old man hobbling along the path? Why is that young man walking with such an aura of confidence?

Give the people you see a story. It may be far removed from reality but that is the power of imagination. Use these story outlines as the basis for characters in your novel. If you can’t fit them in, or they are just plain wrong for your plot, don’t despair. They could well be used in a short story, or even a poem. Never throw away any draft writing; you never know when it can be used.

Good writing.

Further reading:

Hint #45: Using your imagination

What are you prepared to sacrifice?

No Comments »29th February, 2008; Category: Quotes, The Writer's Life, Writers

Think what you you are prepared to sacrifice. Writing a novel takes many, many hours, and those are hours you could spend planting roses, raising children, earning money – or even just having a nice life. What, in your life, is going to disappear, to allow you the time to write a book?” Louise Doughty in A Novel in a Year.

Ouch.

That hurts. It is also the reality about writing a novel or a non-fiction book. It takes time – lots of time. Some books can take hundreds – even thousands – of hours of research before even a single word is written. Do you have what it takes – the discipline to see it through day after day, month after month? Do you have the time away from all the other demands on your life?

Sacrifice

For most people attempting to write a novel, something has to give. Will it be your social life? Perhaps you need to give up television, or going to parties or going to see a film. Is it the garden you will totally neglect – or the cleaning, ironing, washing and dishes? Something will need to be sacrificed.

Alternative method:

Of course, you may not be prepared to make any sacrifices at all. You may take the easy road and only write when you have a spare hour here and another there – perhaps an hour or two a week. In that way you should be finished your masterpiece in ten or fifteen or even twenty years. The choice is yours.

Good writing.

Why do you want to be a writer?

No Comments »26th February, 2008; Category: The Writer's Life

I was reading a book about writing a novel* a few minutes ago. The author challenged her readers to write a simple one sentence statement: “Why do you want to write a novel?” This started a train of thoughts in my mind about the whole concept of why I am a writer – a much broader theme than that proposed by the author of that book.

Why do you want to be a writer?

I assume you are reading this blog and this post specifically because you are interested in writing. Perhaps you are looking for hints and ideas for writing – I’ve written plenty of those over the years – just go to the contents section in the sidebar. Whatever your motivation for wanting to be a writer, there are some common themes amongst would-be writers. These could include:

Enjoyment: many people write purely because they enjoy the process of writing.
Creativity: most writers love the creative aspects of writing, carving out poems or stories or ideas through their writing.
Communication: there are many writers who have strong or burning opinions that they want to share with others. Communicating these ideas through their writing is very important to them.
Money: Money? What money? Seriously though, professional writers are those who depend on getting paid for their words. Putting food on the table is a serious motivator for them.
Fame: This is a slippery one. I do not think this is a serious reason for most people, though some might be motivated by it.

Most of the above reasons are quite valid. For me, however, there is yet another burning reason.

Because I have to write

I have to write. This is who I am. This is the way I have been created. From a very early age I have been a writer. I am a storyteller. The urge, the passion, the vision, the desire – call it what you will, but I must write. Without writing I am less of the person I am meant to be.

I must write.

*”A Novel in a Year” by Louise Doughty

Further reading:

Why do I write? Another article I wrote some time ago on this theme.

Good writing.

Writing Hint #45: Using your imagination

1 Comment »24th February, 2008; Category: Quotes, Writers, Writing Hints

“A lady’s imagination is very rapid: it jumps from admiration to love. From love to matrimony. It a moment.” Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.

I am writing this post in my daughter’s office. She is a avid Jane Austin devotee. The above quote she has on a bookmark pinned to her notice board in front of her desk. It started me thinking.

Now let me set the scene:

I am not going to write about “admiration.”
I am not going to write about “love.”
I am not going to write about “matrimony.”

Instead, it was the part about imagination I wish to address. Imagination is very rapid. We can have great leaps of the imagination that can take us soaring with the eagles, flying through the stars or swimming with the whales.

Imagination is the stuff of writing. Without imagination, writers are in a barren land. Without imagination readers would have no reason to read. Imagination is the land of mystery, it is the mighty ocean of the mind, it is the vast expanse of infinity. And we can access our imagination in an instant.

Writers and the imagination

Now for some practical hints about using the imagination.

Writers can tap into this vast storeroom of the imagination to come up with ideas for their stories, novels and poems. Learn to draw from life and all that you come in contact with for the seeds of stories. Always be looking, looking, seeking those gems of ideas that will spring into life as a story. How do writers do this? Let me tell you some ways you can do it.

People: We meet or see people every day. Sit in a shopping mall and observe the people you see. Choose one of them. Jot down a few ideas about the person. Use your imagination to create a character. Where do they live? Why are they here? Where are they going? What are they worried (or happy) about? Let your imagination run riot.
Photographs: Pick up a newspaper or magazine. Choose a photo – any photo. Don’t be too fussy; any photo will do. Now let your imagination run wild. (Do not read the caption or the story it accompanies; it will narrow your imagination.) Let your imagination come up with suggestions about a story involving the scene featured in the photo. For example, a photo shows a fisherman sitting in a boat. Who is this man? What problems have driven him to seek the solitude of fishing alone? Why is he looking so anxious?
News headlines: Skim through a newspaper. Choose one headline; don’t read the article. Let your imagination loose so that it can come up with a story idea as a response to that headline. For example, the headline is about a boy genius entering university at age twelve.Your imagination jumps to thinking you are that boy. How did you get there? What happens to you at university? How do you cope with the rejections of your peers who think you are a freak?
Household object: Go for a walk around your home. Choose any object that grabs your imagination. Come up with a story idea revolving around the object. For example, you pick up a pair of scissors.Your imagination leaps to murder. How did this murderous weapon come into your home? How are you involved?
Listen for sounds: On a walk you stop to listen to the sounds around you. The wind is moaning through the trees. Let you imagination take you to a land of mourning, a place of tears and much distress. Why do you feel so sad? Who or what has died, been lost, destroyed or ruined forever?

Look for writing ideas everywhere. In the ordinary things of life. In the mundane objects and experiences. In the commonplace and familiar. And then let your imagination loose.

Good writing.