Owner: The Truth About Writing URL:http://www.fredquattrone.com/thetruth Join Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:38:58 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: A blog about the process of novel writing. Site statistics:Click here
Novel Writing Part III: Sorting Out the Blob in Your Head 2007-04-10 19:48:47 (Disclaimer: If you are new to this blog, please click the tab labeled Read Me First! at the top of the page.)
It took me a great while to drum up the courage to dive back into writing a novel. I don’t care what any book tells you; novel writing is a long and arduous process. You can write a first draft in 30 days, but not a ready-to-be-published novel. Taking your idea out of your head and through the entire process can take months, and in most cases, years.
After typing the end of my first novel, I put it away for a long time. When I decided to look at it again, the reality that there was still a lot of work to be done set in. I knew then that it was going to be a while before I was ready to start writing another novel.
In the interim between novels, I kept myself busy by editing, writing flash fiction and blogging (a great way to keep yourself writing everyday).
Now that I’m ready to start again, there are a few things that I have to take into consideration, and sorted o Read more:Sorting
Novel Writing Part II: Clean up & Inspiration 2007-04-04 01:55:27 (Disclaimer: If you are new to this blog, please read the section entitled Read Me First before continuing)
I’ve decided to write the sequel to my first novel as the project for this blog. I think I have enough ideas to get started soon, but first, I have the the clean up of the first novel still hanging out there in the wind.
I’ve been working on the final edit with my editor Michele. I edit a chapter, and then send it off to her to do the final work. I’m attempting to speed up this process by spending all of my free time on my edits. I’m always amazed at how many things I miss when I get the final back. Unless you are an expert proofreader, you might want to make the investment and have someone else work on your book. It’s always good to have another set of eyes on your work.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that inspire my writing, and fuel my creative processes. I think every writer has something that drives their work, or at the very Read more:Clean
, Inspiration
Novel Writing Part 1: Sorting Through Ideas 2007-03-28 20:30:30 (Disclaimer: If you are new to this blog, please click the tab Read Me First, located at the top of the page)
Before I get started, I have three potential projects to decide between for my next novel. All of them have pros and cons. Selecting the right project is important because it has to keep my interest over a long period of time. In the past, I’ve jumped into writing a novel too soon, only to come up dry by the 10.000 word mark.
If you are serious about writing a novel, make sure that you are working on something that you love and have a connection to. If you are writing about something just because you think it will sell, you might find yourself having a hard time, since you really have no investment in it other than to make money*. Make sure it’s something that you believe in.
The following is a list of projects that I’m mulling over:
The Octagon: This project is the sequel to my first novel, “The God Maker”. The story takes place immediatel Read more:Sorting
Novel Writing Experiment: Coming Soon 2007-03-21 20:22:39 I’ve decided to do something different with this blog. Instead of the normal routine of blogging about what is going on with my writing and my personal life, I’ve decided to chronicle the creation of my next novel. This experiment will detail every part of the creative process and every roadblock that I encounter.
I want to do this for a few different reasons:
To serve as a guide to new writers who are considering writing their own novel but don’t know where to start.
To open discussion with new and seasoned writers regarding the various stages of novel writing.
So that I may have a detailed chronicle of the mistakes I’ve made handy for when I start novel #3.
To keep myself writing on a consistant daily basis.
Every good experiment has a set of rules that should be followed in order for it to be successful. This list will probably grow as time goes on:
The Story: In order for this to be successful, I will need to impart elements of the story to the blog reade Read more:Experiment
, Coming Soon
New Home 2007-03-20 01:58:54 I’m a drifter when it comes to blogging. I’ve moved around so many times that I can barely keep count.
So here we go again.
I packed up a few of my favorite posts from my old blogs and posted them here. Most of you who have been reading my blog for the last year have read these posts already. I tried to pick out the posts that had some useful writing information within them and left the rest behind.
Thanks to all of you who are still here. I’ve been trying to catch up with your blogs and I’m happy to see that most of you are still around.
Cheers! Read more:New Home
Opening Paragraph Rewrites 2007-03-19 20:23:12 I’ve been doing this simple exercise over the last few nights in regards to writing the opening paragraph to a new story. I have an idea of how I want the story to begin, but I can’t seem to get intro right. Instead of soldiering on and fixing it in later drafts, I’ve become slightly obsessed with it. So now, I sit down every night and rewrite the opening.
Here is what I wrote on the first night (In its full unedited glory):
Ryo watched her guide with mistrust but continued to follow him through the old forest. She gripped the pommel of the sword that hung from her belt, knowing that she would make a fool of herself if she had to use it. Even if she managed to land a blow, the sword would most likely break, but it was all that she could afford. The merchant at the Grand Bazaar said that it was more for “ornamental” use. She turned the word over with her tongue, wondering what it meant. When she asked her guide about it, he said, “It means that it belongs over a
What Makes a Book Good? 2007-03-02 19:02:29 What makes a book good? What makes a book compel you to pick it up again? I’ve been asking myself these questions over and over for the last few days in preparation for my Nanowrimo novel.
I love to read but I have to tell you that I don’t finish 60% of the books that I start. A lot of times I get a few chapters in and put the book down. Sometimes I will get halfway through a book and forget that I’m reading it since I’m not compelled to pick it up when I have free time.
When I do find a good book, I will blow through it in a matter of days. I find myself looking forward to reading it instead of just reading to kill some time.
So what makes a book good? What makes it special enough that you will continue reading day after day until you’ve finished?
For me, the book must contain the following:
- Great and memorable characters. It’s not an easy feat to create solid likable characters who are different than the slew of generic characters that populate f
The Truth About Writing 2007-03-02 18:59:34 Something occurred to me this morning and I’m not afraid to say it in print: Writing is a pain in the ass.
Go ahead and say it because it’s true. It will make you feel better.
Most of you who have been writing for a few years already know this secret. But for those of you, the beginning writer, with hopes of being the next Stephen King or, god forbid, Jackie Collins, I offer you the following bits of about writing that you probably won’t read about in most books or hear from your creative writing teacher.
Enjoy.
1. Writing is Work: Whether you are writing a novel or a short story, it requires lots of work. You will have to reread and rewrite whole sections and sentences over and over until you get it right (at least in your own mind). Then you need to have someone who is impartial read it so that they can point out all of the mistakes that you missed.
2. Your First Draft Sucks: If you think that you wrote a perfect first draft, you are kidding yourself. Put it away an Read more:Truth
Mystery Writer Story 2007-03-02 18:47:46 I swear, writers turn up everywhere. I take the train everyday into the city and often notice people writing into their Moleskine journals or notebooks. I always wonder what these people are writing. I write on the train sometimes and I can feel the eyes of those around me trying to figure out what I’m jotting into my notebook as I try to keep if covered.
I had to go to a funeral today, so I took the train into the city and hoped into the nearest cab. The cabbie was a very old man with thick glasses and balding hair. He reminded me of a kindly grinning skeleton. The guy liked to talk and I tend to be the quiet type. The first thing he said to me was how he was glad that we were going into the city, since he would be able to get some coffee at Dunkin Donuts before his next stop. He asked me what I did for a living. Since I’m being laid off next week (the suits call this a Reduction in Workforce to make it sound nice) I was caught a bit off guard. After stammering for a bit I Read more:Mystery
, Writer
When Hollywood Strikes (out) 2007-03-02 18:45:28 Some of us get excited when we find out that our favorite books are being made into movies while others may cringe. I am one of those hopelessly optimistic people so I usually give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt, unless it is one of the directors that form the Hollywood
Axis of Evil (Michael Bay/Joel Schumacher/Jerry Bruckheimer). So here is a list of the Hollywood hits and misses in my humble opinion:
Lord of the Rings Trilogy: One of the rare cases when the director does almost everything right. Peter Jackson wisely made three films instead of compacting the book into one movie and it paid off. People will be watching these movies for years.
The Shining: I love the Shining. It is one of my favorite movies but it really is a poor adaptation of the book. Stephen King has admitted to really disliking it from an adaptation point of view and even went as far as to help make the made for TV version (which was not half bad and much closer to the book). Stanley Kubrick Directs.
2001 Read more:Strikes
Love Your Writing 2007-04-12 21:00:47 While browsing the forums at Absolute Write, I was amazed to see how many writers hate their own work. Some posters have gone far enough to say that they despise their own work.
I think that it’s a shame that many writers feel this way. We have feelings of inadequacy. We think that no one will like our stories. We even feel that our writing is something to be embarrassed about.
Writing is not easy. It takes loads of patience, sweat and passion. Most people have trouble composing an email consisting of a single paragraph, let alone a short story or a novel.
Writing is a lonely business. When we are writing, we chastise ourselves for what we create. When we are not writing, we chastise ourselves for being lazy procrastinators.
Don’t be so hard on yourself, or on your work. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t strive for improvement; we all should. What I am saying is that you should be proud that you try. Most people who fail at writing, never even gave it an honest
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Dies at the Age of 84 2007-04-12 17:50:33 Kurt Vonnegut
died at the age of 84, due to injuries from a fall. Vonnegut was a favorite author of mine, and I’m sorry to hear that he has passed. You can read the news article here.
Publishing With Lulu: Interview with Deborah Woehr 2007-04-16 15:44:53 Whether you’re a fiction writer working on a novel, or specialist working on a non-fiction book, the decision on how to publish your book will soon crop up. Some authors will take the traditional road by hiring an agent, who will shop their book for them, while others will opt to self-publish.
These days, there are many options out there for the writer looking to self-publish. I caught up with author Deborah Woehr, to discuss her experiences with publishing her book through Lulu.
________________________________________________________________
“You recently self-published a book called 2006 Writer’s Blog Anthology. Tell me a little bit about it.”
It’s a collection of blog posts from various writers I met through the Writer’s Blog Alliance. Books about blogging were starting to gain momentum, and I thought this would we a great way to introduce new writers to the public. Because this collection was so eclectic (fiction, non-fiction and poetry), I co Read more:Publishing
Violence in Art 2007-04-20 17:38:54 I’ve been thinking about violence in art. No doubt, these thoughts are tied into the Virginia Tech massacre that took place earlier this week. My thoughts are centered on the fact that the murder’s English teacher voiced concerns about his writings. Whether it was the voilent imagery in this plays, or a combination of this writing and his actions, it makes me wonder what will happen going forward when a student turns in a piece of work that contains violence.
I like to watch horror movies. I’ve seen every slasher movie this side of Halloween. Last night, I watched a documentary on the genre. Clips of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel discussing their thoughts on the genre, were interspersed between the documentary. They assumed that the writers of these films, and those who watched hated women, and were using these films to put “modern” women back in their place.
I think that most people how love to watch these kinds of movies, and who write horror, are attrac Read more:Violence
Book Publishing and Promotion: A Necessary Pain 2007-04-25 23:40:30 I’m still in the midst of organizing my ideas for the sequel to my first book. Since I’ve decided to write a sequel to my first novel, I’m doing a reread/rewrite of the first book.
I’m planning to have the book 100% completed in the next 2-3 months or sooner. I’ve been doing a lot research on both traditional publishing, and self-publishing.
Here are the results of my research:
I have as much of a chance of getting published, as I have of being struck by lighting twice, while sitting on the toilet reading a copy of “O” magazine.
If I self-publish, no one will take my book seriously, and it will die a quick death shortly after my friends and family buy up their copies.
Pretty grim, huh?
I swear, if I didn’t love to write, I would have given up a long time ago.
I have to admit that I’m a bit of a hard head when it comes to statistics, and being told that certain things are impossible.
I think that there are a few reasons that most Read more:Publishing
, Necessary
Novel Writing Part IV: Ready…Set…Slow Down 2007-05-02 14:10:15 Novel writing is a long process, and frankly, it should be. I think that some writers are in a rush to get their first book written and published, but is that really a good idea?
We all know that a poorly written book has very little chance of being published, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
Sometimes a story needs time to simmer in your head. The longer that you take, the more time you will have to think about different aspects of your story and characters. I think if you rush a story, it may not be as good as it could be if you took your time and really thought what you are writing.
Many of us are inspired by things in our everyday life. Even a fantasy writer like myself, incorporates things that I see and experience into my work. If I would have rushed my first novel, there are so many details that would not be in there had I tried to pound it out over a short period of time.
Take your time, don’t rush. When people ask me how long it will take to writ Read more:hellip
Promotion: Promoting Your Blog 2007-05-09 19:27:43 I was trolling the forums at Absolute Write today and stumbled upon a post about Blogs VS Website, in regards to being an author.
As an author, I prefer a blog because it’s more personal. I have direct contact with my readers, and I enjoy the feedback that I receive regarding my posts.
The author of the post said that he tried blogging, but quickly grew bored of it since no one was reading it. I suspect that the poster didn’t do much to let the world know about his blog.
There are a few things you need to do to promote your blog:
1. List your blog in the search engines. You can do this for free at Add Me and Submit Express.
2. Come up with a theme. Unless your readers are you close friends and family, they probably don’t care about what your cat did last night, or what you had for breakfast.
3. Find other blogs similar to your own and comment on them. This is a great way to meet like-minded people.
4. Respond to comments on your blog. Let the readers know that you are
Questions about Your First Story 2007-05-08 16:18:31 I’ve been doing a lot of file cleanups on my hard drive. Since I never delete anything that I write, I have loads of word documents to sort through. It’s always fun to open up some of these files, and read some of my older stories.
I have a few quick questions for your writers out there.
1. What was the first story that you wrote?
2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?
3. Have you improved since writing it?
4. If the story was a trainwreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it?
I’ll go first:
1. A novel about a group of aged adventurers who have to regroup to defeat an evil being. The premise was that the characters never really finished the job when they were younger and had to band together, as older men, to defeat the evil.
2. It makes me laugh. I made every rookie mistake in the book.
3. I’ve certainly improved, at least I think so, lol.
4. There are elements of the story that I like, but I have no interest in revising it. Read more:First
Thinking Blogger Award and Meme 2007-05-14 20:28:07 I’ve been a bit lax with the Meme’s lately, so I figured that I’d cover them today:
I’ve recently been nominated by both Ben Solah and Allie B for the Thinking BloggerAward
! I really appreciate these nominations, especially from bloggers whose sites I admire so much. Thanks!
So, now it’s my turn to list the bloggers who make me think. I know that some of my favorite bloggers have already been nominated, so I will try to stick to bloggers who have not:
Heavy Metal Time Machine: My favorite music blog. Mark covers heavy metal and hard rock from the 80s. He gets the readers involved with fun games and challenges and post frequently.
Jen Robinson’s Book Page: An exhaustive site dedicated to children’s literature. Jen’s site is loaded with information, reviews, interviews and tons more on this subject. If you have a child that loves books, you should check out her site.
The Musings of David Amulet: Dave has a knack for combining odd news wit
Why Other Writers Annoy Me: The Self-Publishing Stigma and Other Ranting 2007-05-22 12:29:35 One of the reasons that I started blogging was to meet other writers. Many of the writers who I’ve met through this blog have been have been really cool, and open-minded individuals.
It’s when I move into the general populus of writers, that I get into trouble. The more writers that I encounter, the more I find that they are a drain on my personal drive to be a successful writer.
My annoyance always mounts when it comes to the subject of Self-Publishing
. I was talking to some writers about my novel and immediately found myself on the defensive because:
I’ve hired a professional to proofread my novel.
I firmly believe that Self Publishing is a viable alternative if you are willing to create a product that is as professional as a book published by the “big houses”, and you are willing to promote your novel to death.
The general consensus seems to be, if you can’t get your novel published traditionally, then it’s not good enough and should be sh Read more:Writers
, Annoy
Novel Writing Part V: Out with the Old 2007-05-31 09:36:17 First off, thanks to all of you who left comments on my last post. It’s great to see that there are writers out there who are able to think past what they are told by all the naysayers in the world. If you have some time, take a moment and read some of the comments on my last post. Some of them are quite interesting and eye-opening.
Now…onto the novel…
I’ve been thinking about my idea for the sequel, and unfortunately, it’s not lighting up my creativity. My first novel has a clear ending. I did not want to fall into the Fantasy Trilogy Trap. I like books that stand on their own, and swore that I would never write a trilogy, just because it seems to be the trend. For some reason, three is the magic number.
Yawn.
So why am I writing a sequel? Well, it’s so much a sequel, as a continuation of the main characters story. Since the first novel is very personal, I figured that I would make the second more epic. It just seemed to be the logical move. I had
Novel Writing Part VI: Scene Storyboarding 2007-06-04 12:24:54 I will try anything when it comes to writing at least once.
Right now, my novel is just a bunch of random scenes in my head. The other night, I decided that I had to just write down what I had in some format. Writing into a journal was one alternative. Another, was to write each scene down on an index card. I’ve become interested in the process of film-making recently, so writing each scene down on an individual card would be my version of storyboarding.
Storyboards are defined as follows:
sto·ry·board (stôr’ē-bôrd’, stōr’ē-bōrd’) Pronunciation Key
n. A panel or series of panels of rough sketches outlining the scene sequence and major changes of action or plot in a production to be shot on film or video.
This is by no means a revolutionary concept in novel writing. Many authors use this technique to organize both their thoughts, and the scene arrangement of their novel. Like I said above, I will try anything once so…
2007-06-21 14:18:48 It’s been a bit since I posted, so I wanted to give a quick update. I’ve been very busy in my personal life, so writing has taken a back seat.
I still continue to gather ideas for my novel. The overall story is beginning to take shape, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. I’m still using my index cards to write scenes down, and I managed to write up what may become the first chapter. I wrote this chapter in a journal, so I hope that when I go back to read it, that it will be legible! My handwriting leaves a bit to be desired.
Finding time to write is proving very difficult. Every writer who writes in their spare time faces this same dilemma. When you do have some free time, writing is usually the last thing that you want to do. We all love to do it, but basically, it’s still work. I’m not going to bore you with a tirade about this, so I will cut to the chase…It’s really just laziness. And laziness will not help me get publ
My Return From Editing Hell 2007-07-05 12:18:41 Writing is a lonely business. Most of the times when you accomplish something, the only one around to applaud your minor victories is, well…YOU.
I’ve been working on my novel for an embarrassing amount of time. I managed to type: The End over a year ago, but as we all know:
The End is just the Beginning.
Since then, I’ve been editing and revising. This process took almost as long as it did to write the book from beginning to end. Every project that I’ve working on in between was haunted by the fact that my novel still wasn’t completed. It’s very hard for me to start something new, knowing that the first book still was not complete.
I started this site to chronicle the creation of my second book, knowing that I would still have to complete the first in order to move forward.
Well, after frantically editing for the last week, it’s finally finished. At least, my edit is finished. I sent the final chapters off to my editor today, but still, afte Read more:Return
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Madness 2007-07-22 19:17:26 Wow! The country is once again going crazy over Harry
. No surprises, since this is the final book in the series. I’ve actually been a fan of Harry Potter
since the second book was released. I had never heard of Harry, until I saw a copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, prominently displayed at my local bookstore. I was kind of surprised to see a fantasy book displayed in the front of the store. The title and the cover art got my attention, so I picked it up and leafed through it. A few days later, I purchased the first book in the series, and have been reading about Harry ever since.
Since I’m a bit of a slacker, I still have yet to pick up a copy of the new book. I’m currently reading Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, and plan to read Grendel by John Gardner next. After I’m through those, I will probably make time for Harry.
Since so many people are lining up to buy the new Potter book, I was curious as to how many copies were flying off the shelves. While Read more:Deathly
, Hallows
, Madness
, Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Technical Review…no spoilers 2007-07-31 10:04:08 Well, I just put the 7th and final (?) HarryPotter
novel on the shelf next to the first six books. I wanted to write a review that was a bit different, so I’ve decided to review it purely from a writing point of view.
J.K. Rowling is certainly a skilled writer. She has created a world full of characters who are loved world-wide. Most of the previous novels followed a similar formula. The stories usually took place over the school year at Hogwarts. Rowling has broken this formula, since deem it necessary to have most of the action take place off school grounds. Without giving too much away, Harry is on the run and needs to figure out how to destroy the Dark Lord.
Pacing
The novels pacing is a subject of much discussion by readers. The novel starts off with a bang but somewhat sags in the middle. This is somewhat understandable since the characters know what they have to do, but clearly have no idea where to start. Much of the middle section of the novel revolves around the charac Read more:Deathly
, Hallows
, Technical
, hellip
, Deathly Hallows
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