Creative Writing

Well kids, today is the last day of NaNoWriMo, and I am sad to say that I didn’t make the 50K mark.  But, I’m not all that bummed out about it either, as I had a lot of other things going on to keep me busy.  I did manage to make it just over the 18,000 word mark.  It’s not that my story got stale, it’s just that more pressing issues were at hand.

Now, for the cool part.  Even though November is over, that doesn’t mean that all the fun needs to end.  I’ve met a neat lady who is introducing a new portion to the novel writing world.  Tomorrow, December 1st, is the start of something new.  Announcing the first annual National Plot Writing Month , being held by Plot Whisperer, a.k.a., Martha Alderson.

The idea behind this month-long event isn’t going to be about how much or little you can write in a month’s time, but more about taking your basic idea, and shaping it into a creative work of art that publishers would love to read.  Each day, Martha will post a different tip or idea to help your plot line evolve.  Though this event is in no way associated with National Novel Writing Month, it is a creative way to take that first draft to the next level.

For more ideas each month, check out Martha’s newsletter, Blockbuster Plots.  This monthly e-zine gives you more tips and tricks each month that can help with just about any storyline you’ve got in mind.  You can find the link on the homepage of Martha’s site and the e-zine is free.

I’m pretty excited about getting in on the ground floor with this idea.  Martha, herself, isn’t quite sure where this whole idea will go, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be fun getting there.  I’d like to think that somewhere down the road, this will be another one of those things that we writers look forward to each year.

I get a lot of my ideas from the various writing groups I belong to and ran across one this evening that made me think.  It has to do with creating plot lines in your writing.  In essence, it said that bloggers didn’t need to worry about creating plot lines and characters, but I don’t think this to be the case.

No matter what a person writes about, they create a plot line in their post.  For instance, the plot within this post is about, well, plots.  Someone who writes about making money online, creates a specific plot in their posts, as does someone who runs a cooking blog.  Though they may not realize it, they have created a plot line for their piece.

The same is true for characters.  Each post carries a particular voice, which is the blog’s character.  When you write a post about what you had for dinner, you take on the character of cook, or just as diner.  However, when you blog about the intricacies of monetizing your site, you take on the character of teacher or expert.  Though these two different types of posts can be found on the same blog, they have distinctly different characteristics.

When you read a particular blog on a regular basis, you might find that you’ve created an image of the blogger in your mind.  Just like reading about a certain character in a book, your image is probably totally different than someone else who reads the same pages.  Ironically, if you were to meet that blogger walking down the street, you would probably find that they didn’t fit your perception at all.

Whether you write fictional stories, or non-fictional blog posts, pay attention to the plot behind your words, and the character’s voice in which you write.  You might even realize that as you write your posts, the characteristic voices in your mind sound different per each post.  And that, my friends, is the basics to true creative writing.

Do you write for and/or about the holidays? This is one the reason I’d rather write online than for print publications. Granted, getting published in print is a huge honor, and one that I’ve felt a couple times in my life. My biggest problem is that I’m not a patient person, and in order to write for print publications, you have to wait for weeks and months at a time before you get to see the end result.

Anyway, back to writing for the holidays. If you write for print publications, you have to send seasonal or holidays pieces in anywhere from 6 months to a full year ahead of time. With online venues, you’re only looking at a few days or weeks before seeing your work published. And, if you run your own site, it’s a matter of a couple hours. Plus, right now is the perfect time to start posting about the holidays. People are already beginning to search for various holiday topics, and the sooner you get your posts out there, the sooner people will be coming to your site.

So, what do you write about? I know a lot of people who post about the different Christmas sales that will be happening for the next few weeks. I also know some people who blog about the different Christmas traditions we all contribute to each year. There are even some people who write recipe posts, as there are going to be hundreds of people looking for special dishes to make for the Christmas holidays.

Whatever it is that you write about, now is the best time to get those posts up and running. With Christmas just around the corner, someone out there is going to be searching for the information you have to offer.

I approved a really cool comment today, and I’m glad I did as this comment got me to thinking about my own writing abilities. Now, normally, I’d post a link to the comment, but I have to be honest and say that I’m not pleased with the fact that this person used an affiliate link to a “pay-me” site, but the words that this person left were pure gold.

Anyone who has ever done any fictional writing can tell you that one of the keys to making a good story better is by adding just the right details. The comment left on the site said something to the effect of creating a scene as though painting a picture, and called it “landscape writing”. I love it. The words hit me like a bullet. Of course, create your scenes as though planting a garden or putting in some new trees. But in this case, let the words create an aura that will keep your readers wanting more.

I remember that there used to be a guy on PBS that did some of the coolest paintings I’ve ever seen. I believe the man’s name was Bob Ross, and I was always mesmerized by the way he could just paint and entire landscape scene, start to finish, in half an hour. When I heard the term “landscape writing”, I immediately thought about this gentleman and the way his brush danced across the canvas. And that’s what the words should do in creative writing. They should seem flawless, magical, as though painted into the scene.

I’d love to take credit for this cool term, but sadly I can’t. However, I can use it in all my future writings, and hope I can do justice to the term “landscape writing”.

Ok everyone.  It’s time for my first NaNo update.  First of all, I need to thank everyone who gave me the willpower to go ahead and work on my NaNo novel.  I am so happy that I did, as it’s only the 7th of the month and I just hit 10,088 words.  Granted, I should have about 1,600 more than that, but I’m not going to complain.  Fortunately, it’s the weekend, and even though I have a couple of writing gigs to get done, I will still have plenty of time to work on the book.  I am so happy about this.

So, here’s what my book is about.  The title of my book is “A Life In Ruins”.  It’s about a female archaeologist and her old college professor.  There is no romance between the two of them, he’s more like an older brother and she still works on all of his digs.  Anyway, they are looking for some old stones that have symbols carved into them.  They are starting out in a small village in Africa, south of Egypt, and are currently looking through the archives of the church which has been in this location since the early 1200’s. 

I know there are a lot of people who spend days before NaNo starts, working on characters, creating outlines, getting their plotlines worked out.  But that’s just not me.  I’m letting my characters write the story themselves.  It’s so much more fun that way, as I really have no idea where they’re going to take me next.  I do know that eventually, they’re going to take me to a tiny island off the coast of Croatia, called Susac.  But that’s still a long way away. 

I’m also doing a things a little different this year.  The past 2 years, I always tried to end my day’s writing at the end of a chapter.  This year, I’m not worrying about chapters, I’m just letting the story go on and on.  When I get to the end of a really good scene, then I stop writing, or when my fingers just can’t go on anymore.  But, I’m having a blast this time.  Last year, I forced myself to finish my story.  I think that’s why it’s still sitting in a folder on my hard drive.  Once NaNo was over last year, I put the story away and I’ve never looked at it again.  Kinda dumb, but that’s just the way I am.  LOL

There is something different about the story I’m writing this year too.  I can’t explain it, but it seems to actually be writing itself.  I mean, last year, I was well into the second week of the month before I hit 10,000 words and had to really cram and jam toward the end to make the 50K mark.  This year, I might actually be done before the end of the month.  I won’t say that I will be, cause sure enough, that will cause the story to end in my head.  LOL. 

Thanks again to everyone who encouraged me to go ahead and write my NaNo novel.  If I keep up the pace I’ve been going, and continue to let my characters write the story, I might actually go for it and try to get this one published.  I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one, but you never know.