What can minor characters teach us?

Lots! Minor characters can create and impact stories in very different yet crucial ways. Minor characters should add ‘spice’ and not ‘dull’ down your novel. They need to give a ‘spark’ or two to your project. They are there to help you look at your writing from many different angles, from different vantage points.

Minor characters deserve as much respect as main characters. The same questions need to be asked of them – How do you bring them to life? How do I, as their creator, stop them from being a stereotypical being? How do I give them enough rope so they can stand alone yet remain secondary? Does my minor character have to be likeable?

It doesn’t matter how or what you make your minor characters do but s/he must be REAL. The reader must be able to relate to the minor characters just as much as the major. Both need to have good and bad traits, after all, as real, living people, these are the dimensions that make us, and keep us in our original form.

Should Writers Stop Writing?

This is a very debatable question. For me personally the answer is yes. Sometimes the best thing for me to do is to not write. That doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about it. Often I can be mulling plots and scenes over and over in my head. There are times when life does get in the way and writing simply cannot come first.

When this happens, I deliberately put my pen down and stop. I believe there are times when we all need to do this. It doesn’t mean I put my pen down for days or weeks on end; just a little time out. The following outlines a few reasons why I do this.

First of all, I need to let my stories breathe. Whether I’ve finished a chapter or completed a whole work, I need to take a step back from it for a little while. It’s amazing what can be seen when you go  back to it. Just putting a little distance between you and your words sheds incredible light.

Like many other writers, I also have other interests in my life and a day job that needs attending to. But it’s good to be able to focus on these others. By putting time and effort into something else, the cobwebs are still being cleared behind the scenes. Instinct always lets me know when it’s time to return.

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It’s also good for me to schedule a day off. We all have time off every week from our day jobs so why not writing? Having a day off, time out, allows the batteries to recharge thereby avoiding burn out.

How far can my mind expand? Some days not very far at all, other days way too much. Either way it can feel like it’s going to snap and break. Take the time to convalesce. Make yourself take a mini holiday, even if it’s only a weekend one. It’s also works wonders to step away from technology all together. Unplug for as long as you need. Get back to basics, get in touch with nature; sit in it, breathe it, see it, feel it. Taking a step back allows you and your story to breathe. Before you know it, you will feel refreshed, reenergised, and more than ready to tackle putting pen to paper again.

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So don’t be afraid to set your writing aside for a little while. It doesn’t mean you stop being a writer; it doesn’t mean you’ll never come back to it but sometimes it’s the best thing you can do for both yourself and all your future stories.

Show and Tell…

These days, readers like to view what is happening on the page; scenes must unfold in real time as if being watched on the big screen. We are used to seeing stories; the visual is happening right in front of us. Therefore, as writers, we must make our characters be seen; they must do something on the page.

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How do we show?

Firstly, as writers, we need to ask ourselves, is there only one way to show a scene or is there a special  way to do it?

In television or movie scenes, where a character is talking about an experience, even if it is only a voice over, something is still happening in front of you as you watch. On the other hand, if a writer interrupts action to explain something, the reader stops seeing what is going on.

With today’s technology, film editors can cut and splice effortlessly, creating scenes from various and numerous segments. Next time you watch an action packed movie or television series take note of how your eyes are forced to shift from an up close zoom to a panning action and so much more all in a matter of seconds.

As writers, we need to approach scenes in a similar way. These scenes don’t have to be high action; any scene can benefit from this technique. As a reader, there are times when scenes feel like the camera is stuck in one spot and this can become tiresome. How many novels have you left unfinished for this reason? Imagine two people sitting, chatting over coffee. The camera doesn’t move from their faces. It seems to stay there forever and forever whilst you watch the clock tick over.

Every scene needs a high point and a high moment

We remember great scenes because they contain great moments. Those moments, though, are not always something vast or volatile. It can often be those subtle moments that give the impact; those moments where a character realises something that may appear small but will have a huge impact to him/her.

Once you have determined that moment in your story, you then need to decide how to show it. If you are revealing something small, for example an expression, if you think like a camera man you will need the lens up close. If you are revealing something big such as an explosion or a race down a main street, you will need to focus your lens as a long shot otherwise you will lose the impact.

Once you have those moments in your head then you can work backwards to build them. Just as a movie director plans each segment, you as a writer need to plan each paragraph, each movement, each moment.

The next time you watch a movie, be critical of it. Watch how the story is told with the camera shots. Each one of these shots is a paragraph of ink. Watch how you can see each key moment in every scene. Master this way of watching, then master this way of writing. You will be amazed at what you can do!

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7 tips for beginning writers

These are my own personal tips based on what I have learned on my own journey.

1. Enjoy what you do.

If you don’t love sitting in front of a computer, or type writer, or having an aching hand and wrist from hours of scribing pen on paper, then perhaps you should think twice about the craft. If you don’t love solidarity and star gazing for hours on end, if you don’t enjoy reading other people’s work on end, also think twice. As a writer you have to be willing to do this and more. It’s what your world becomes. Enjoy what you do and how you do it. Don’t write for anyone else. Write for yourself.

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2. Be patient.

As a dedicated writer, you are in it for the long haul. No book has ever been written overnight. The long haul may be six months, it may be six years. If you are passionate about what you are doing, time is of no essence.

3. Allow your story to end.

A major stumbling block for many writers is that they don’t know how to let go. This may sound trivial, but it’s a fact.  You need to find an ending to your story, and let go of it. You need to decide to end the writing and declare your novel finished at some point. Regardless of whether it goes in that bottom draw once completed or whether you send it out to the universe, let go of it; all of it.

4. Edit.

Yes, edit. Once you have finished your first draft, put it away for a month or two if you need to but know in the back of your mind that your novel is not finished.  When you’ve written a first draft, it’s just that: a draft. Now the real writing begins. Edit your story with fresh eyes, until your eyes sting and weep and your fingers are numb.

5. Write for yourself.

Writing should be an indulgence, the chocolate fountain of your life, the huge treat you can’t wait to get back to time and time again. The alternate world in your head, the one you’re pinning down: that’s what it should be. Writers write with passion. It’s their first and final breath. You love it and it loves you. If you miss a day without writing something you become agitated; this is passion.

6. Workspace.

Don’t make excuses such as my desk is messy I need to clean it up first.There isn’t  an excuse to not write and there is more than a desk to write at.Your workspace is everywhere you turn.As a writer you don’t necessarily continually write on paper; the writing often happens inside your head 24/7.

7. Let Go of Your Fear of Failure, or Success.

When you write, write for you, first and foremost. Put your fears of success or failure behind you and just do it. If that moment arises and you send your finished work out to the world, don’t think about what may happen. For every person that doesn’t like your work, there is always someone that does. It’s called human nature. Writing is a very long, slow process. Be proud that you got it finished regardless of what happens next.

 

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How I learned to write

How I learned to write…

We all have those moments when, in the middle of a fantastic read, you close the book, throw it on the table, then stare into space. Your mind then wanders and you begin wondering why this particular novelist was given the gift of effortless writing, on all counts, while you’re left tapping the pencil instead of the keys and staring at a blank page.

Fortunately, these thoughts are just that. A thought.  I don’t know of a writer on this planet who hasn’t had to learn the craft with all the blood, sweat, and tears that are an inevitable part of the package.  So how do you learn to write? How do you grow from clumsy to confident?

The following is simply a recount of what I have learned along the way. Some things may work for you, some things may not.

Firstly, I read. I read almost anything. I am an insatiable bookworm. By reading as much as I can and as wide a variety as possible, the good and the bad, I see a literacy landscape that is continually evolving in front of me.  I read the classics. This can range from Shakespeare to Dickens and all those in between. So much knowledge can be gained from this; historical, cultural for example. Horizons are quickly broadened not only as a writer but also as a person.

I read my genre. If you write mysteries, read every whodunit you can get your hands on. Fantasy? Paw through all the Lord of the Rings books you can. If you like romance read romance.  Learn what makes them work and what doesn’t. You will also learn quickly what has been done to death. Pay attention to it all. Then learn how to mimic their brilliance.

I read how to books.  Before discovering how to books, I think I had written entirely on the instinct gained from the osmosis of my bookworm habits. After this, I realized there was actually a process to writing stories. Suddenly, I went from winging it to working my way toward an understanding of the craft.

I listened to the critics. Not my own inner critic, but that of others.  From the very beginning, when I wrote a few pages as little chapter books around twelve years of age then giving  them to the school librarian to shelve, I always listened to her criticism then the criticism of others as I grew older. Feedback from unbiased readers is crucial to understanding the effect our writing has upon other people. Feedback from experienced writers is crucial in learning how to improve so we can achieve that desired effect.

I took a writing course, or two, or three… and I still take on writing courses. Short courses, long courses, free ones and paid for ones. Apart from learning about characters and plots and structures, I am constantly granted confidence to go forth.

I subscribed to magazines. Australian and abroad.  Round about the time I discovered writing how-to books, I also discovered writing magazines.  There are many out there, just do a Google search and see what comes up. Most are online these days although I have to admit I still much prefer the hard copy arriving in the post.  Magazines offer you worlds of information about writers groups, festivals, publishers, agents and so on.

Every writer writes differently.  You just need to work out what works for you.  Thanks to the combination above, I was able to figure out and streamline my own writing processes. I didn’t just listen to my own intuition, I paid attention to it. This process is still evolving with each different work I create, but it is there along with a daily schedule that lets me warm up and keeps me from procrastinating.

I make writing a priority. This is probably the most important statement I’m going to make here. Each day writing is a priority. Whether I jot down notes whilst on the bus. Whether I make mental notes of a conversation at a coffee shop or take a picture of something interesting, these are all a part of a daily process of me as a writer.   I made writing a priority early on, probably right back in the day when I was twelve,  and I’ve stuck with it ever since.

So, that’s it! This is what has worked for me thus far. It isn’t an exclusive list and it may not work for you, but it is my journey so far. Where the road turns next, I have no idea. Perhaps along a windy, unkempt path,  but that surely is the fun of it!

“Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper.”
—Ray Bradbury, WD