Write Well Me

It's More About the Question, Not So Much the Answer

As I've been struggling with the concept behind the antagonist of my newest short story, I realized that I was asking the wrong questions. Once I asked the right questions, things just fell into place.

I felt like Detective Spooner in I, Robot, when Dr. Lanning's holograph tells him, "THAT, Detective Spooner, is the right question."

Once you ask that right question, the answers just seem to fall into place.  I've had that experience with writing fiction as well as helping my clients write sales copy for a new program.  What is the question we should be asking? What does our audience need to hear? What is the question?

Another movie reference, this time from the first Matrix....

Trinity: Please just listen. I know why you're here, Neo. I know what you've been doing. I know why you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night you sit at your computer. You're looking for him. I know, because I was once looking for the same thing. And when he found me, he told me I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question just as I did.

Neo: What is the Matrix?

It's the question that drives us, not the answer.

Exploring Evil

I've made some progress in my newest short story (remembering, of course, that "short" is such a relative term when it comes to the stories I've been writing - anywhere from 2500 to 14,000 words).  I've figured out the main character and the conflict.

Most importantly, I have an antagonist.  Sort of.  He's evil, on par with a demon.  But that's not good enough.

(Because, really, an evil demon? Come on....)

Seriously, it's because I believe in complexity, the three-dimensionality of life.  The most interesting villains are those who are complex.  They're not singularly evil. 

The best example that comes to mind is Al in Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series.  Al is a demon, but he definitely has some non-demon qualities.

But that's been done - and done very well by Kim Harrison.

So, I need some help here.  Any ideas you have for evil - creatures, characters, words, phrases, impressions, feelings. Post them in a comment, and help add to my seedlings and help them bloom.

Check-in

So many things floating around in my head.  So many directions I could go. Energy.  Focus. Possibilities. So much to process.  So much evolving.  Development.  Growth. Change. Breadth. Depth. Connection. Intensity. Shift.

This is where I am - messy, chaotic, joyful, ecstatic.

Do You Write or Just Dream of Writing?

If writing seems hard, maybe it's because you don't know how to get started. To you, writing should just be the simple act of putting words down on paper or on screen, right?

Actually, not really. Writing is much more than that. It's the creation of an idea that comes to you without much form, and then you try to put form and structure around it. That's not as easy as you think.

Most people try to rush through the idea process to get straight to the words, sentences, and paragraphs. But if you don't spend enough time nurturing the raw thoughts themselves, it's awfully hard to get to the word part.

Creating, brainstorming, and idea generating doesn't have to be all about outlines - the way most of us were taught. It can look like many different things (mindmapping, staring out the window, drawing pictures, interviewing, being interviewed, journaling, just to name a few), and it can fun, liberating, playful, and exciting.

In Ready, Set, Write, we cover 46 strategies to get ideas flowing, whether it's for a press release, an article, a story, a screen play, or other writing project. You'll find out how you process information and what brainstorming strategies work the best (outlining isn't all it's cracked up to be).

You'll spend five weeks practicing the strategies and observing how your writing process changes as a result. By the end of the five-week class, you'll have discovered which strategies work for you the best and have a bevy of techniques to strap to your writing toolbelt.

In addition, as part of Ready, Set, Write, you receive the 87-plus-page manual, Ready Set Write Toolbox, that describes each strategy with examples, a handy resource to have for every writing project.

Ready, Set, Write starts October 26, and the last day to register is Tuesday, October 12.

Don't let "I don't know how to get started" or "I'm stuck" continue to be excuses for not writing.

P.S. This is the last Write Well U class for 2010, so don't miss out on an opportunity to stop dreaming and start writing. Register for Ready, Set, Write today!

Big Step

Last Friday I did something I've never done before.

I entered my latest story in a short story competition, two competitions, as a matter of fact. 

It feels significant, not because I'm hoping to win (although I would not shake a stick at a prize and the prize money), but because it's a huge stepping out. 

It's a willingness to let my light shine. To be vulnerable and let someone else (other than very close friends and family) see my writing.  To possibly get rejected.  To maybe get some criticism.  To never hear a word and just go along with my life.

The words are out there.