Stuff for Writers

I’ve read many books, websites, articles, etc., about writing. I’ve been writing off-and-on for, like, 25 years. Not that I’m any good, but here are some things that have been working for me, for those that care.

The most interesting thing I’m doing for my book versus writing I’ve done in the past is a LOT of study to build out my characters and their interactions. I’m working in a sort of open-ended blend-genre of fantasy/sci-fi, but without almost any of the normal trimmings of those genres (no dragons, no swords, no spaceships, no lab coats). So, enough elements have to be there for the reader to feel these genres, but no character can just point to another and say “Wizard!” or “Alien!” and the reader automatically knows a lot about what to expect.

Space operas, for example, rely heavily on those shortcuts, and that’s why they’re fun. Harder sci-fi typically goes lighter on story elements and heavier on exposition to explain the science, and that’s why they’re fun. My book aims to avoid the reader having fun in either of those ways.

I want the science to bleed out slowly without having a scientist thoroughly explain the science to a full classroom, where every character seems to ask fifth grade questions despite being grad students. The characters themselves won’t always even reach the correct conclusion, but the reader could, because the science being described will be correct. But, as a reader, don’t just believe the characters OR the narrator.

I want the fantasy to to come hard and fast, none of this pussyfooting out of Bag End and stopping for second breakfast. No kindly wizard to describe the terrors to be encountered. In this book, hardly anybody knows what to expect, ever. If there’s a dragon, these characters find out when the attack comes, not from the front, BUT FROM THE SIDES.

Thus, I’ve found the need to study A LOT. I want to really work on the science component of the science fiction side, while on the fantasy side, I want to steer away from any offensive appropriation of sacred symbols while remaining recognizably connected to real human belief patterns and filled out with enough reality to ground the story. I don’t want the novel to feel like “a fantasy”; Rather, the story has fantasy elements.

My topics of study, thus, are numerous, and I won’t list them all. Lots of reading, mostly in science and about various belief systems around the world and across time. Third biggest reading topic would be music/music history. Yet, music study takes the most of my study time.

That’s because my storyline is populated mostly with musicians of various types and at various stages of musical education. And so…

I had to go back to music lessons. 28 years later. I’ll write some blogs about it, but I’m practicing piano 10-15 hours a week, on top of the other studies and writing the book. And trying to blog sometimes. And I’m writing an article for a publication. And sleep. And I’m thinking about doing a script. And then there’s eating to consider, need time for that. And keeping socials active.

Self-publishing is a slog if you’re trying to succeed at it.

Writing Tidbits

• I used to have trouble making consistent progress drafting long-format stories, like a book. What worked: I switched from drafting on my computer to drafting on paper with a pen. I’m a perfectionist and an editor. I believe myself a better editor than writer. It is impossible for me to make consistent progress unless I do it in ink so I can’t constantly edit as I write. You can’t change the words once the ink dries. This forces editing to be its own step.

• When I started filling notebooks with all the hand drafting, I was also running through pens, so to cut on all the plastic waste (my excuse), I finally bought a nice ink pen with a refillable ink cylinder. Which means I get to have little bottles of ink now. :) Which further means I can write in different colors of my own choosing, which is incredibly useful for writing different characters in different colors, dialogue versus narration, I can take notes in one color and record writing thoughts or bits of dialogue I think of in another, etc. Incredibly useful, and I’d recommend the nice pen(s).

• I carry a pocket notebook at all times and write down ideas I have throughout the day. I don’t know how many times I’ve been thinking while I drive, come up with a line of dialogue I like or something, and then can’t remember it later to write it down. The ideas aren’t all good, but at least now I can select the best from amongst all of my ideas, not just the ones that were convenient to capture. If something is good enough, I’ll pull the car over. (Lots of people tell me they use a voice recorder or speech-to-text app on their phone for this; probably smarter.)

• I made professional business cards almost as soon as I had a website. Everyone is interested when they hear that you’re a writer but won’t actually remember to check out your website later without finding a thing in their pocket when they get home. And don’t force people to scan a stupid QR code on the spot to save paper by not distributing cards. That comes off both as cheap and a high pressure sales tactic to make someone do it in front of you. Nobody likes QR codes and nobody will like you.

• Don’t sign up with “turnkey” businesses that help you self-publish. Those business are offering scams that are designed to steal any money you would make if your book succeeds. The upside is that if your book fails, you won’t have lost much on it. But part of the reason you didn’t succeed will have been that you didn’t invest much in the book, so there wasn’t much to lose. You won’t succeed if you choose paths to failure. Don’t choose this path, the turnkey website, unless you’re publishing for self-edification alone.

• There are good and bad places to submit unsolicited pieces. If you submit a short story or essay for publication, and the “publisher” collates submissions into a little book for purchase so you can see your own words in print and professionally bound, NEVER buy that little fucking book they make. They accept almost every submission. Those are scams designed to make a little money off of aspiring writers and their parents, who are the only people who will buy that stupid little book.

  (If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you the stupid little book I bought at 18. My mom bought 5 copies.)