Writer's Invisible Mentor

Published Means Perfect, Right?: Dialogue Failure

2011-05-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

Recently while reading one of Lillian Jackson Braun's great books, The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare, I stumbled upon an error that I believe can be a very instructive example. Read this short piece of dialogue between the two characters and see if you recognize the the odd error.

"Jody thinks it would help if I grew a beard." [Junior]
"Not a bad idea! Your girl comes up with some good ones." [Qwilleran]
"My grandmother says I'd look like one of the Seven Dwarfs."
"Your grandmother sounds like a sweet person, Junior."
"Grandma Gage is a character! My mother's mother, you know. You must have seen her around town. She drives a Mercedes and honks the horn at every intersection."

Analysis
I am not talking about the the use of two exclamation points, though that is somewhat of a problem.

I am talking about the line where Qwilleran says, "Your grandmother sounds like a sweet person, Junior." That makes no sense in the context of what Junior said. It also does not logically lead to the next line where Junior says his grandmother is a character.
Qwilleran should've said that the grandmother sounds like an interesting, funny or astute person, but sweet does not fit here.

I know the error is small, but it distracts. It distracted me enough that I stopped reading and re-parsed the sentence.

Authors who've published 20 novels can afford errors like these, but those of us who are looking to get published cannot. Yes, that's how closely we have to edit our stuff.
It's crazy, but it's the writer's life.
What do you think about it?

~Newton Saber

Why Have You Stopped Writing?

2011-05-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

No one has ever become perfect by doing nothing.
~Anonymous

1. Have you stopped, because you don't believe in yourself?
Start with belief. If you don't believe you can achieve a task, then you'll never even begin the first steps of the task. For example, I don't really believe I can paint a beautiful painting, so I do not even attempt it.

However, there is no way to ever know if you are good without actually doing the thing. If I never gather the materials and make an attempt at painting, it is obvious I'll never succeed as an artist.

If I don't believe I'll never take the actual steps.
Do you believe in your writing? Is there anything there that is good enough to begin to believe in? I'm sure there is. Even if there is not much, then you can begin to grow by doing a few exercises each day.

2. Have you stopped because you no longer believe in your project?
Is your project boring you? Did you think you liked the project and now you've lost interest?
That can happen for two reasons:
i.) It's not a subject your heart finds interesting. You thought it was great, but now you really don't like the story or the subject. It happens.
If that is the case then make a decision. Either leave the story behind or write the story and fin

ii.) Now that you've researched it more the subject / angle wasn't really strong enough to follow.
If this is true, drop the project and start the next one on your list. Move forward. Allow yourself to drop the dead weight and move on.

There is another reason you may have stopped writing.

3. You're afraid to finish because if you do, it will be obvious that you are not a great writer.
I think most beginning writers fear this. What if you spend a year on a novel and then it is trash? What if no one likes your story? If you finish and learn that you are no good, then it'll be obvious you are not a writer. If you learn you are not a writer, then your dreams will be gone. So by not writing, you believe you are protecting your dream.

Change The Point Of Your Writing
If you're going through this, you need to change the point of your writing. Reframe your work.
Instead of thinking, "I must complete my novel so that I am discovered this year",

decide that your point is, "To mentor myself in writing."

The only way to learn is: write. So, write the novel. Give yourself permission to write terribly. Then, go back and read it again.

If you can't read your novel a few times, then no on else is going to want to read it even once. It's your baby.

Anyway, go back and rip the writing apart as if someone else wrote it, then change it.

Examine Yourself: Learn About Yourself
Learn from the good parts. Examine yourself when you wrote poorly. How did you feel about yourself and your story. Examine how you felt, what the conditions were when you wrote brilliantly. This redirects your focus and gets you out of evil critique mode. Give yourself the compassion you would give someone else.

Do a little at a time and you'll begin to see success. Grab on to those successes and encourage yourself. Now, it's not about being perfect. It's about finishing and writing better than you did before.

Take A Moment and Consider These Thoughts
Really think about what I've said here. Do you feel encouraged? Then know and believe that with that kind of encouragement you will see a series of successes.
It is possible.

Now, go and write and complete and feel the peace of finishing. It is possible, but it will never be perfect. That is normal.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

Making a Fortune or Making Art: Neither or Both

2011-05-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

"A writer in America can make a fortune, however, he cannot make a living."
~James Michener (best-selling author of Alaska and numerous other novels)

There are two extreme attitudes that a writer can fall into that may destroy his writing career.

1. Writing exclusively for money. This occurs when the writer shuts down his unique voice and instead tries to create some generic spew that 100% of the people will love in order to get them to buy it.
Sell out!

2. Writing purely for self. These crazy artists are holed up at the opposite end of the spectrum. These are the geniuses who cannot listen to the unwashed public. "You people don't understand, because you can't see true art."

To which, the people respond, "Dude, it sucks!"

It's a tough thing, because:
1. Even mediocre writers need to eat.
2. Being true to yourself is important and the only way to create your art.

Balance?
Is it possible to find a balance between these two philosophies?
If so, what is the key?

What Is the Key?
I'm glad I made you ask that question. Focus on giving. Give your craft to people. Not because you want their money, but because you honestly feel like it will help or inspire them.

Focus on giving the best. That means you need to focus on your craft. Make sure you are great at your craft, so people want it.

Steps To Making Your Craft The Best It Can Be
1. Read. Learn everything you can about writing. Read tons. Stay open. Copy the masters.

2. Learn. Be open to feedback. Ask your friends to read your pieces and evaluate them. Explain to them that since you don't want to take up a lot of their time you've created a worksheet they can fill out and return to you. Be happy no matter what they say, because you are learning, which means moving toward the goal of being a better writer.

3. Write. But, don't just write. What? Produce specific pieces that you give to people. That's right. Make sure you write something that is important enough that someone (hopefully many someones) will want to read.
How do you produce something that others want to read? You write for them, not yourself.

Kumquat Gardening Extraordinairre
If you are a kumquat gardener and you are determined to write articles on kumquat gardening, then go where the kumquat gardeners are. Just don't expect that all your neighbors are going to be interested in kumquat gardening and don't get upset when they aren't.

4. Give your writing away. I know. I know. You're all worried about someone stealing your stuff. Look, if no on reads your writing, then it is no better than the tree that falls in the forest when no one is around: it makes no noise.

Make Some Noise
You've got to get people to read your stuff, so write it great and write it to a specific audience and then beg them to read it.

5. Love. Love writing. Become saturated in the nuances of writing. Love the people who read your pieces. Even if they annoy you at times. Love the fact that they are at least trying you out. Love creates generosity. Generosity creates love.

No one can guarantee that you'll become a great writer or that you'll become rich, but if you follow all these steps, there's a much better chance that either or both will happen.

Read. Learn. Write. Give. Love. It is the best way. It is the only way.

Do these things and you'll never be trapped by money or (false) art. Instead, your life will become art that will inspire people who may in turn support you.

Start with giving and it will change everything.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

10 Steps To Becoming a Published Author - Pt. 2 (last 5 steps)

2011-05-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

6. Submit to editors and agents. Feel the rejection. Own it. Seth Godin, author of my favorite book of the year, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, was rejected over 800 times in one year for a number of books. Can you imagine that level of rejection? He knew the truth; eventually someone is bound to like it and publish it. In the mean time he learned a ton.
Are you willing to be rejected in order to learn?

7. Read 3 Pages of 20 Books
Now that you've felt the rejection and you believe all agents and editors are idiots, go to the library and pick up 20 random books -- yes, even best-sellers -- and read the first 3 pages of those books. Sound boring. Sound time consuming? Well, just wait til you start reading. It'll be even worse. Now, multiply that horror by 1,000 and you'll see why editors and agents are so jaded. How does this help? Go back and examine your writing. Imagine truly reading the first page for the first time. Is it brilliant? Why not? And, if it isn't, why would any jaded editor or agent want to read your book?

7. Self Publish Your Book
Now that you understand that it is going to be more than difficult to get any editor's or agent's attention, you need to self publish your book. Why? So you can put it in the hands of every person you meet. If you think your book is so great, you are surely willing to expend the cost (time and money) to do this, right?
If you don't believe it is worth the time and money, why would you think anyone else would be convinced of that truth? Are excuses already beginning to form in your mind?
How do I get it printed? How much will that cost? How do I create a cover?
Come on. This is your baby and you're not even committed? Seriously. Why would any agent or editor be interested?
I am writing a book for you right now, called Publish Your Book, The Lightning Guide.
Why would you self publish? To get your book into the readers' hands who _can_ become raving fans.
You do believe that once they read your book, they'll become raving fans, don't you?

8. Create Review Sheet / Distribute Book- Ask For Brutal Honesty
Create a review sheet for the people who will read your book. Give them your book and a copy of the review sheet.
Get your book into every person's hands. Beg them to read your book and fill out the sheet. Two days later, they have forgotten about your book. Beg them again. Bribe them. Threaten them. Whatever it takes. Get them to read and review your book. I've created a generic review sheet that you can use if you like. (review sheet will be forthcoming).

9. Rewrite Your Book
Now you can be brutally honest with yourself. It really isn't that good. Look at the review sheets. You do have more than two of them, right? Everyone has two (one from mother, and one from spouse) so if you don't have more than two you need to question everything. Your book. Your committment. Your desire. Everything.

Review Sheets
Let's imagine you have 10 review sheets, which is weak but realistic.
What is repeated on the sheets? Focus on that. Question everything in your book. Why didn't they like your main character? What didn't they like about your plot? Did they finish the book? Why not? Did they stop caring about your character? Did your pacing slow?
Consider everything and do a line by line edit to make the changes.

How Long: Are You Crazy?
How long did all of this take? Did it take you 3 years? Well, that is still less time than it takes to get a Bachelor of Arts degree at a state school. If you want to, you could make this happen in a year, even if you had a full-time job. You just need to focus on the plan.

There are three steps to doing anything:
1. Decide what you want.
2. Make a plan
3. Follow the plan (no matter what)

With this plan you have the first two steps.
Will you now take the 3rd and most crucial step? I hope so. I'm going to.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

10 Steps To Becoming a Published Author - Pt. 1 ( first 5 steps)

2011-05-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Notes About This Article and Love
This article is definitely 100% for amateurs. The word amateur comes from the the Latin amare, to love. An amateur writer is one who writes, because she loves it, not because she is being paid. (Thank you Bobby Jones.) These readers will enjoy this article. Even if they are professionals.
The weak of heart or mind, however, who are looking for quick success will not find what they are looking for in this article.

Publish Guarantee?
What if there were exact steps that guaranteed you would become a published author? Would you take them?

What If It Was Difficult?
What if it meant you had to write a 100,000 words or that the process would take 3 years? Your answer to that question may indicate your level of seriousness about your writing.

I cannot guarantee these steps will make you a published author, but if you truly follow all of them, it is very likely you'll be published by the time you complete them all.

Sharpen The Saw
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (by Stephen Covey) says that you must prepare yourself for success.

Abraham Lincoln said,

"If I had 5 hours to cut down a tree I'd take 2 hours to sharpen the ax."

With that in mind, consider these first two steps:

1. Read Make Your Words Work: Proven Techniques for Effective Writing-For Fiction and Nonfiction, by Gary Provost. This is my number-one all-time favorite writing book. If I know how to write at all, it is because of this book. It touches on everything and explains writing as a whole in such a way that you'll understand what you're really trying to do.

2. Read Elements of Fiction Writing - Scene & Structure, by Jack Bickham. This book explains the basics of story-telling so you will understand what a story really is and what a reader wants. This book explains stimulus/response writing. If you understand s/r writing it will dramatically change your fiction writing. You will move from novice to advanced writer. You will finally understand _what_ to show in your story and _how_ to show those story elements and _why_ you would or would not show them.

3. Write your book or story. With all of that in mind, sit down and write your story. Don't look back or even up from the desk before you complete. Don't let anyone read it. It's rough and they don't understand yet. Write. Love the words. Write. Love your story. You do love the story you're writing, don't you?

4. Read The First Five Pages: A Writer'S Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, by Noah Lukeman. This book will help you _honestly_ evaluate your finished work to prepare it for the editor's or agent's eyes. If you can honestly answer all of Lukeman's questions about your story/book, then you are ready for publication.

5. Do a complete edit, with the things you learned from The First Five Pages in mind.

Are you still with me? There is a lot of tough work here, but that's what it takes to be a great writer. Just wait until you see the last five steps. :-)

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

Writing: Wasting Time Or Learning?

2011-04-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Wasting Time or Learning
How can a novice know if they are wasting time or learning?
Most beginning writers are unsure if their writing is good or not. They may believe their writing is great, since all their friends and relatives tell them they are great (to their face). However, if your work isn't being published, then it is probably lacking something. I say probably, because it is possible that you are a fantastic writer who simply hasn't been recognized for your greatness, yet.
Let's resolve that issue first.

Unrecognized?
Let's assume you are a great writer and you simply haven't been recognized yet.
If you want to find out if that is true, then be brave enough to invest in yourself and get your book self-published and start handing it out (for free). Ask people to read your book. If you know that your writing is great, then surely once someone reads your book they will tell others and before you know it you will have a best seller on your hands.

That happened with The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans. He tried to sell the book for over a year to a vast number of publishers before being strongly impressed by his readers (friends, family, acquaintances) to self-publish. He did and the story of the book is one of the most often quoted stories in the self-publishing industry.
My point: If your writing is truly great, it will find its market.

Where's Your Product?
However, to bring the above idea into reality, it requires that you've already written, or are just about to complete a work of signficance. In other words, you have to have a product to hand to people.

Imagine the following interaction with one of your close friends.
You: I'm a writer.
Friend: What do you write?
You: I write (insert genre name) novels.F
Friend: I don't normally read (genre) novels, but I would love to read your book and let you know if I like it.
You: Uh...I've only written 5 pages.
Friend: Oh, I thought you'd been doing this for a while. How long have you been writing?
You: Uh... About two years.
Friend: Well, I would like to read your novel. If you write it I will.

Make The Decision
You see the point? If you don't have a product, if you haven't done the work, then you will never know what someone else thinks of your writing. So, decide right now, that you will LBD (learn by doing) and that you will complete a 250 page novel in one year or six months... or less.

Got Product, No Audience
Okay, so the other possibility is that you've completed one or more novels, but you have no audience.

First of all, let's understand something. You may want to sit down for this. If you're giving your novel away, but everyone who reads it is telling you they haven't gotten around to reading it yet, then most likely your novel is not great. It is probably not even good.

Must Have Completed Work
That could be a painful thing to accept after spending so many hours on a work and pouring so much of yourself into it. But, you are infinitely further along than someone who has not written at all. There is no possibility of editing something that doesn't exist.

Also, even if you end up throwing the novel away, you have the experience of sitting and writing for a long period of time and that is extremely important. You know you are a writer, because you have been writing. You don't have a problem of production, you simply have a problem of technique, which can be quickly resolved simply by learning writing techniques. However, you must be open to learning the techniques, even if it alters the hard work you've already completed.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

State the Obvious, Even If You're a Mystery Writer

2011-04-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Mystery, Not Confusion
I have noticed that we writers often like to create an air of mystery by not providing the reader with the character's name. (note: this article came about because of a great discussion going on at the Writer's Digest web site community (new window / tab).

It's generally done very poorly though. Most often the only thing it does is annoy the reader as she wonders who the action is happening to.

Check out my analysis of Catherine Coulter's novel Tailspin on my 100 Begins blog. It is the worst case of Mysterious-POV-Character error, you will probably ever come across.

It's a hokey trick in an attempt to get our readers to listen to us. It doesn't work.
Instead, if you want to get your readers to listen to you, just try:
1.) telling them the exact details
2.) showing them the action.

Because you know, readers really just want three things:
1.) action
2.) action
3.) action

However, I'm not talking about Rambo here. I just mean readers want to _see_ the action play out before their eyes.
As they watch the action, they will see character. They will absorb character, by seeing the actions that the character takes. As they absorb the character they'll be drawn head-long into your story.
I really believe in this, because this is the way we learn about our own world.
Right. This is the old Show Don't Tell.

Here's a sample I've created that breaks the Mystery-POV-Character Error by stating the POV character's as the first three words. Check it out and see if the piece is effective. I think you'll find that it is, because there is detailed action.

My Sample

Colonel Jeb Armstrong stood at one end of the street and stared at the next fugitive he'd kill. He looked down at the paper in his hand, then up at the ugly stranger.

"Your name is Adam Harfaw, right," Jeb asked

"Mebbe it is or ain't, stranger. What's it to you?"

Jeb tapped the wanted poster and said, "Well, these pictures aren't always real clear and this looks a whole lot like you. Since I'm going to kill you, I'd prefer to get it right. But, it don't make me no never mind. You look like you're up to no good anway."

The man at the other end of the street spat a long line of tobacco juice but much of it landed on his shirt anyway. "I don't like you," he said and reached for his gun.

The barrel didn't even clear his holster when a bullet went through the middle of his chest. Then another through his head.

Jeb holstered his gun and laughed. "I reckon it'll be a whole lot easier identifying you now that you aren't squirming around so much. Well, if we can still make out your face."

So in analysis of my piece I say:
1. provide character name immediately
2. tell exactly what he is doing
3. notice that subtleties come out from stating directly -- "started at next fugitive he'd kill" sounds cold-blooded --ie characterization.
4. make sure characters are doing stuff readers can see... tapped poster, spat juice, reached for his gun

All of this is really inspired by the book, Make Your Words Work, by the late great author, Gary Provost. If I could read only one book on writing, it would be this one.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber
100 Beginnings for Fiction Writers analysis of 100 novels and how we (as writers) learn from them.
The Writer's Invisible Mentor My writing project about writing and learning to write
Saber Slice: More on Creativity and Writing

There Are No Warm-Ups In Writing : Controversial Topic

2010-12-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Warm Up Writing
Do professional writers do warm up writing?
No, because they are too busy writing. This is related to two things:
1. Focus: understanding what you are working on.
2. Self discovery

Focus: Part 1 - If you know what you're working on you'll just start writing

Enter Self-discovery: Well, you'll just start writing, unless you're not confident about your feelings on the subject or your writing ability.
Or you have unresolved issues with your mother. I'm joking. Kind of joking.

The point is, professional writers concentrate on the subject, the writing, and are confident in their abilities. Why? Because.
So, professional writers have no need for warm up.
The writing is the warm up.

Spider Monkeys Versus Chameleons
If you're supposed to be writing about spider monkeys and you warm up writing about chameleons or your relationship with your mother, then why not act like you're warming up on spider monkeys? You see? 90% of it is half mental.

There Are No Warm Ups
There are no warm ups if you're focused and aren't constantly whining about your relationship issues or your inability to write.

Focus: Part 2 - Do you know what you're talking about?
Writing Is Thinking
If you don't know what you think about a subject then your mind may wander, and it'll probably wander to emotional issues and then you're going to waste time.

Focus: Part 3 - Single purpose
Consider this: If I asked you to write 5,000 words on spider monkeys right now, could you do it?

What if I offered you $10,000 to do it?
What if I said, okay, it doesn't have to be good, just give me 5,000 words on spider monkeys.
See? You'd definitely give it a shot, right? I told you. 90% of it is half mental.

Focus: forced into a box
Also, notice that I limited what you could write about, but it helped you to focus. A target always helps. But, I limited you. Aren't limitations bad?

Professionals know what they want to write about (focus) and they focus on their subject, not their bills, the latest political issue or their emotional state.

What Is a Book?
A book is simply an author focusing on a point and gathering evidence to support that point. The author writes his sentences in a unique way creating a 'voice' that leads to a style.

Isn't what I just said only true for non-fiction? No. When an author tells a fiction story he still has to make a point, and must decide what to show (describe) the reader which will communicate his point.

I believe thinking of writing in this way simplifies it.

What do you think?

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

Epic Fail: Writing By Committee (824 words)

2010-10-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Imagine a world where every sentence you write requires approval by a committee. If you want to send a letter, write an essay or post to a blog you're required to first acquire approval.

Would you mind?
Why would you mind?

Aren't you dedicated to Ray Kroc's sentiment, "None of us is as good as all of us."?

Shouldn't you open your eyes to the truth? The committee is made up of many members who must be more intelligent than you are by yourself. Shouldn't the committee win simply by majority vote?

Individual Smarter Than Committee?
Or, do you believe it possible that one person knows better than an entire group of people?

Let's assume each of the individuals on the committee holds a doctorate in Literature and you have no college degree.

Shouldn't you just bow out and allow the committee to do the writing for you?

Let The Experts Write
Would you quit writing? Would you forget it all and let the experts do the writing?

I'm betting you wouldn't.

There is at least one reason an individual is more capable than a committee.

Passion
Most likely, the topics you write about are the ones that fill you with passion. If you temper that passion with knowledge as you study the subject from every angle, you will eventually become a de facto expert.

Committees are rarely run by passion. More likely they are run by dry, bored, pretentious individuals who are too lazy to invest the pure emotional energy that a person with a true love for the subject has.

Committees Don't Give Up Easily
However, the committee doesn't give up easily. They are extremely concerned with the quality of writing. We certainly don't want just anyone acting as if they have writing abilities. Regulation is a must.

Can't you see the committee members now? Their spectacles propped on the ends of their noses as they stare down at you with disdain. Such rubbish! Such utter tripe.

Writing Regulation
Some people believe freedom breeds danger.
They're correct. If you let anyone write and publish anything, then a lot of worthless ideas and opinions are going to fly.
Ah, but out of the many terrible ideas, out of the quantity some quality will come.

Write Free or Die
This is the beauty of freedom. This is the beauty of writing freedom.
You have the freedom to try anything. You have the freedom to become the expert of a new thing. The committee may tell you it is wrong, but you may see it differently. You may take it to a new place.

Create A New Thing
You can determine to become the foremost expert on just about any subject you desire. Yes, some physical limitations may provide you with challenges which make it difficult to become an expert (such as with nuclear physics, you may not have the proper equipment to study it) but otherwise you are unlimited. You can think any thinks you like. You can create a new thing.

Or, you can fail. You can write terrible stuff that no one wants to read. That's true freedom. Freedom to succeed or fail.

You are the de facto expert of your own writing.
Even if the committee tries to tell you different.

Is It Any Good?
Then, how do you know if it is any good?
The market will determine it. If no one reads it, and if the ones who do, don't like it, then you must change something. You must learn to write better.

Or, you can ignore them all because they are all idiots and only you know. Yes, all this freedom can lead to insane megalomania, and it has in some writers.

Balance
Somewhere between the committee and the megalomania is the real writer. Write your best. Cast it before the market (readers). Take their feedback with a grain of salt. Learn from it and make the appropriate changes, but don't become bitter or prideful.
It's tough work, but it's all worth it.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.

~Newton Saber
100 Beginnings for Fiction Writers analysis of 100 novels and how we (as writers) learn from them.
The Writer's Invisible Mentor My writing project about writing and learning to write
Saber Slice: More on Creativity and Writing

Stimulus / Response (Action = Reaction)

2010-08-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Stimulus / Response writing naturally follows our previous lesson (Movie-Screen of the Mind).

I first learned of stimulus / response writing from Jack Bickham in his book Scene & Structure.

Most Important Writing Lesson
For fiction writing, if there is a most important writing lesson, I believe this may be it. Before I understood this concept, I didn't know how to write fiction at all, because I did not know what to show.

Answering the Writer's Most Formidable Question
Stimulus / response helps answer the most formidable writing question of all: What do I show?

Fiction Writer's Axiom
The writer's axiom is: Show, don't tell. You hear it all the time. What you don't hear is the answer to the question: What do I show?
I aim to change that right here, right now.

Show Significant Details
You must show significant details? What are the significant details? That depends upon the story you are telling. That sentence sounds a bit mystical, as if I am a guru or something. Do not fear, I will not leave you hanging there. I'll give you some specifics which will explain the concept further.

Let me rephrase / restate the idea again.
--0-- What you show, depends upon the story you are telling. --0--

That sentence touches all aspects of writing and more. It touches upon the author's personality, which includes voice and style. It touches upon plot, character, and setting. Everything. That's because what you show becomes the story, and the words you choose become what the reader sees as the story unfolding in front of him.

Overwhelming Unknowns
This is why it can be so overwhelming to begin (and continue) a fictional story. A lot of writer's block is stuck inside the question: What do I show?. This is why it is often so difficult to get into flow. This is often why your brain does everything it can to rebel against writing. All those unknowns make your brain feel like it's drowning in abstraction.

That's why understanding stimulus / response writing can turn your writing life around.

Stimulus / Response Example
The best way to see how this works is by using the example we started above: A fight between two men.

Take Abstraction, Salt With Details
We took this abstraction and added a couple of details.
I'll flesh it out abit and then we'll talk more about how stimulus / response works.

My Example

At six feet two and skinny Jim looked like a mosquito in a business suit. Keith, his opposite in every way, stood only 5'7" in heeled shoes, but resembled a gorilla who just happened to be carrying a brief case. They never had gotten along, so when the yelling started in the office that Friday, no one paid attention.

Sarah, the administrative assistant, stood up just in time to see Jim slam his fist into Keith's jaw. Keith's head rolled with the punch and he dropped his briefcase.
"I hope you liked that," Jim said. "Because there's more where that came from."
Keith clenched his jaw. "That was a freebie. Now I'm going to give you a little something to remember me."
Keith leaped toward Jim and slammed his right fist into the bottom of Jim's chin for a
staggering upper-cut. Jim stumbled and fell into the cubicle wall behind him with a loud thump.

Sarah ducked back down into her cubicle and dialed the phone. "Uh, we have a situation here."
Jim stood up and straightened himself. "How about we take this outside?"
"I think that'd be best," Keith said. "I don't want you bleeding all over the nice furniture in here."

Deciding On Details
The first thing I wanted to do was set up a difference between the two characters, so I quickly decided that one would be tall and skinny and the other would be shorter and stocky.

Where Did It Come From?
That is the story I'm telling and I cannot really tell you where it came from, but maybe that doesn't matter. What matters is I made a decision, then I see it on the movie-screen of my mind and then I wrote it.

I provide a bit of background to lead you into the fight, telling you that they were yelling.
Then, I get to the showing.

Transitions: Each Thing Leads to the Next
One of the things you can do to keep your reader from floating away from you is simply insure that each sentence somehow connects to the next. These are subtle transitions that cause the story to continue in the reader's mind in such a way that they cannot stop.
Notice that I describe Jim as a mosquito. Next, I connect Keith to him by "his opposite in every way" and compare him to another animal. It creates a flow, a linking that hopefully makes for easy reading.

Another Character To See the Fight
Next I want to show the fight so I decided to have another character who would see the fight for two reasons:
1. Sarah sees it as the reader does and the reader lives vicariously through her
2. Placing another character in the scene makes it feel like the office is actually populated.

Move Logically, Step By Step
Now notice the fight moves logically from one step to the next. Don't skip any of it or your reader may get lost. Allow your reader to interpret the action himself instead of making the characters internalize too much, since it could slow the fight down so much it makes it boring or unrealistic.

Action = Reaction
Here's the entire scene with just action and reaction.
1. Jim punches, Keith rolls with it.
2. Keith clenches jaw, 2a. adds angry dialogue, 2b. slams Jim with uppercut.
3. Jim falls.
4. Sarah interjection.
5. Jim gets back up, 5a. suggests they go outside.
6. Keith reacts to Jim's dialogue.

You must show your reader these things to help them see the characters move in real-time before their eyes.

What If I Showed Insignificant Things? They'd Become Significant.
Let's add a detail.
Let's say that when Jim falls he sees the following:

Jim looked up and saw that Keith's collar had moved down revealing a small tattoo of a red star on the right side of his neck.

One Line: Totally Different Story
That one line may create an entire different story.

Like a Movie Director
With that one line, I've become the director and I've moved the camera on the reader's movie-screen of the mind and focused on this red star tattoo. Instantly the reader is asking why. What does that red star mean? Is this foreshadowing? It was right in the middle of the fight so the reader decides that it must be significant.

Never Mentioned Again?
However, an amateur writer may show this kind of thing and never again mention the tattoo. Maybe the writer was simply trying to say that the guy used to be in the special ops. so he showed the tattoo.

However, unless the tattoo has huge significance it should not be shown during that fight scene. Instead we should only show the important and significant details.

This is the essence of writing using Stimulus / Response and it will change your writing and create a lot more immediacy if you employ the technique properly. We'll talk more about it in future lessons.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

Writing Tools and Processes: Jumpstart Your Writing

2010-07-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

Overview
In the next few blog entries I will provide an overview of numerous tools and processes you can immediately employ to make your writing better and/or more voluminous.

My Challenge
My challenge is to introduce them to you and spark your interest, without overwhelming you and creating extremely long entries.

More Details
If you find you want more detail, subsequent entries along with my other blogs will describe these processes further and provide concrete examples.

Encouraging Dialogue
I'm hoping that while reading about one or more of the processes you'll become stimulated to respond (either positively or negatively). Please take advantage of my blog to post intelligent responses which detail why you agree or disagree.

Here's the entire list of tools to give you a quick idea of what upcoming entries will cover.
This time I'll cover the first one (in bold red text).

Tool / Process List
1. movie-screen of the mind
2. stimulus / response writing (action / reaction)
3. what do I show?
4. shadow-copy
5. lose the journal - no more practice writing / warm ups
6. describe to the Nth. It'll draw you in -- specificity practice
7. character studies
8. topic saturation
9. Learn from bits
10. LBD
11. MAR

Step 1 of the Writing Process: Imagine
Do not write anything until you see it happening. Become a journalist who witnesses the events as they occur. Yes, I'm talking about fiction.

I'm talking about seeing the scene play out upon the movie-screen of your mind. Once you see it, you write down what you see.

How To See
Try this exercise: Take a moment to imagine a fight between two men.

Do you see it? Wait until you do.

At First, It's Just a Phrase
At first, a fight between two men, is just a phrase, just an abstract concept. Readers do not like to read about abstract concepts. Readers want to follow characters. They want to see those characters take action and see what happens.

The Writer Must See More, So the Reader Can See More
However, if the writer doesn't see more, the words will not transform into images for the reader. Allow the words to transform into images in your mind. To do that you'll need to think in detail.

To Think In Detail, Ask Questions
To think in detail, you must ask yourself questions.
Ask and answer every question possible.

Some Possible Questions For Our Scene
What is the one man saying to the other? What do they look like? Is one overcoming the other. Is it a fair match?

Allow the scene to play out before you.

Start Here
Start with seeing the tall man punch the shorter man in the jaw. The tall man says, "I hope you liked that, Keith. Because there's more where that came from."

Beginning to See?
Can you see that? Now, what is the next logical thing to happen?

Decide, imagine, then, and only then, write it.

Stimulus / Response Coming
I hoped to also cover Stimulus / Response during this entry, since it is closely related and the next logical step when writing. However, since this entry is getting so long I'll go over that tomorrow.
See you then.

Keep on learning, keep on writing.
~Newton Saber

Mentoring Yourself : Is It Possible?

2010-07-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

But, how does the Writer's Invisible Mentor (WIM) teach you to mentor yourself? Is it possible? Is it possible for this blog to guide you so you can learn not only to write well, but know that you are writing well and recognize when you're writing is not great? Can the WIM then guide you through fixing your writing? Is it possible?
Can you really learn to write from books / blogs?
The answer to all these questions is, yes.

Yes.
Not only can you learn to write from books, but you must learn to write from books. You must learn to evaluate your own writing as if it is someone else's and then implement the changes that make your writing better. For only you really know what form your writing should take. You cannot depend upon others and you should not. Your writing is your voice, your expression, your art. If it is not that, then you may as well chuck it all now.

How Will This Blog Fulfill the Goal?

WIM Foundations
The Writer's Invisible Mentor is entirely founded upon two main principles:
1. Learn By Doing (LBD)
2. Mind At Rest (MAR)

Let's talk for a moment about Learn By Doing, because that will lead us into an understanding of how important mentorship is to writers.

Learn By Doing (LBD)
To learn to write, you must write.
There are two reasons that statement has become a cliché within writing circles:
1. It's true
2. It's important

However, no matter how true and important the statement may be, if you cannot judge between great writing and terrible writing, then filling the world with your journals will not necessarily make you a great writer.

Balanced Evaluation of Your Work
There has to be a balanced evaluation of your work. Without a balanced evaluation, your writing will not change. If your writing never changes, then you will not grow as a writer. If you do not grow as a writer you'll be relegated to scribbling in notebooks and writing blog entries that are never read. [Maybe I am a blog entry that is never read by anyone. ;-) ]

Must Understand Great Writing
To obtain a balanced evaluation of your writing, you must have two things:
1. healthy self esteem
2. writing tools, which allow you to recognize Great Writing

WIM Axioms
These two axioms come from another WIM belief that we'll touch upon much more in later blog entries. It states:
There are only two writing problems:
1. Emotional problems
2. Technical problems

Viewing Your(self) Work From a Distance
The kind of healthy self esteem I'm talking about here is the ability to view yourself and your work from a distance. You must be able to view it as if someone else wrote it. You must be able to separate the work from who you are. If you are unable to do that, unless you are a literary genius -- and maybe even if you are -- two things are going to happen:
1. You are going to become very bitter.
2. You're writing is going to stagnate

If you fight for every word you write, you are going to turn inward and become bitter. If you become bitter, you are not going to allow your work to change and if you do not change you will not grow and you'll never become a great writer.

Invested Time Often Equals Love
When you spend 15 or 20 hours writing a chapter of your novel or a scene from your short story, you are going to become attached to your work.
I know, because I've done it too.

Determine right now that just because you've spent a lot of time writing the chapter or story you will not allow yourself to become so attached to it that you will not change it, unless... Unless you truly determine that it is Great Writing.

But, what is Great Writing? Is it even possible to define great writing?
Yes.

WIM Defines Great Writing
The WIM defines Great Writing with two simple statements:
1. Clear writing
2. Writing that works for the situation -- Please see Gary Provost's book, Make Your Words Work.

Clear Writing
Clear writing is easy to define. Clear writing is writing that your readers understand. They get your point. The words transform from words on the page, into images in their minds.

Writing That Works
How do we define writing that works? How can you tell if the writing works for the situation? Don't you need a Great Writing Master to tell you what works?

No...and yes. You do not need someone else to tell you when or if your writing is great.

Instead, you need to learn to use some common tools that will allow you to evaulate your own writing, so that you become the Great Writing Master of your own kingdom. You will know when your writing is great and when it is falling short. That's the power of the guidance that the Writer's Invisible Mentor provides. It's empowerment to each writer.

But, since this entry is far too long already, you'll have to join me next time when we'll explore in more detail what those tools are and how you'll learn to use them.

Yes, I know we have only touched upon LBD (Learn By Doing) and we still need to discuss MAR (Mind At Rest). Next time we should finish up with LBD and explain MAR.
See you then.

The Reality of a Mentor

2010-07-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Reality of a Mentor
Let's talk about mentoring for a moment. Take a look at the word, mentor. Such a simple little word. Just six letters long and two syllables. It's like a three-pound bag stuffed with six pounds of gold. The word carries more meaning than its strict definition can hold.

For us dreamers who have always watched the horizon hoping our mentor would appear, the word is more than just letters on paper. It's a visceral reaction. It's the lump in the throat, ready to scream. It's the heart banging on the walls of the chest. You think I'm good enough? You want to be my mentor?

Or, it's a punch in the stomach. Oh, you don't want to be my mentor?
The sad truth; most of us will never obtain a real mentor. Even though the concept is a great one, it can be difficult to pull off. Consider all of the requirements.

Finding a Mentor
First of all, simply finding a mentor isn't going to be easy. How many people do you know who are published authors of novels? Most people probably can't name one published author among their acquaintances.

Time Problem
But, let's just suppose you do know three people who have published novels.
Would any of them have the time to mentor someone? It's very possible that since they are writing their own books, they do not have any extra time to mentor.

Prove Your Talent
However, let us also assume that one of them is very generous and decides she would like to mentor you, if you prove to have some literary talent. How would you go about proving that you have the literary talent she is expecting?

Summary, Chapter, Outline
You could show her your novel summary, chapter outline and one sample chapter.
You do have a novel summary, chapter outline and a sample chapter don't you?
Well, again, let's suppose you do. You have to provide her with some kind of sample so she can get an idea where you are with your writing ability.

Does Genre Matter
However, what if she is a mystery writer and you are a mainstream writer? Could her advice even be worthwhile?

You decide to take a chance and submit your work to her. With all of her other responsibilities, it takes her two weeks to read your sample and analyze it.

She comes back to you with a copy that has so many red marks and notes on it that the original text is barely visible.

She sits down and drinks a cup of coffee as you read her comments.

Your Mentor's Comments
You read comments like:
Slow Beginning, cut shorter. Switched POV. Write scene with one viewpoint character. Poor characterization. Show, don't tell. Too much narrative. Dialogue doesn't move story forward. Secondary characters take up too much space. Description slows pace too much. Scene ends abruptly and distorts pace. No conflict at the end of the scene. Why should readers continue reading?

Your grip tightens on the manuscript and you can feel your pulse in your fingers. Your face is hot and your jaw is clenched.

You turn toward your mentor, she smiles and says, “You are not an entirely ignorant writer, but you've got a lot to work on.”

It takes all of your will power not to jump across the room and throw her coffee into her face.

Instead you smile politely and say, “Uh, well, I'll consider your remarks and all. I've actually got a bunch of laundry to catch up on and I've got to get supper started. We'll try to get together real soon.”

“Oh,” she says and stands and then stares at you.

“Here's your coat,” you say. “See you again, some time.”

As you slam the door behind her, your mind fills. “What kind of idiot mystery writer is she anyway? She knows nothing of the pacing and the proper writing that a mainstream writer has to do. Obviously she is published by some hack company. Who needs her. Good riddance.” You turn to your paper shredder and force the all of the pages in at once.

Is Finding a Mentor Just a Dream?
These are the many reasons why you may romanticize about having a mentor, but making it a reality may be near impossible.

This is why you must learn to mentor yourself. But, how do you do that? Is it possible to mentor yourself?

That's where The WIM comes in.
See you next time.

Writing Books and Dieting Books, Similar

2010-07-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Writing Books and Dieting Books, Similar
Have you ever noticed the similarities between dieting books and books that teach writing? Every diet book declares it contains the ultimate solution. Same thing with writing books.

Fads
Dieting books ride a wave of fad that ends up crashing on the beach of reality. The authors of many dieting books have successfully lost hundreds of pounds and for a time the media pushes the person and their method to the forefront. Buzz fills the air. Then, the person and their magic diet plan fall off the radar, only to be replaced by someone else. Books that teach you how to write fiction are often similar.

Do some people actually succeed by following the advice contained in diet books? Sure they do. But does everyone succeed with the same plan? Of course not. Same thing with writing books. Why is that?

It's because both dieting and writing are very personal and each person has to find what works for his individual needs.

Does this mean the perennial list of diet books and writing books contain nothing of value? Certainly not. Most of these books do contain the seeds of important solutions.

However, the problem is that most authors of these books attempt to convince you that they are the final word on the subject.

Learning to Write Is Much Bigger Than One Book
That's how I, along with the Writer's Invisible Mentor (WIM), set myself apart from other authors. Instead of convincing you that I am the final authority on writing fiction, I show you how to become the final authority of your own writing. That's the only thing that will bring you true success.

Lifestyle Trumps Magic Solutions
It is only when a person finally learns to create his or her own lifestyle (whether it be dieting or writing) that he or she becomes totally successful. It's freedom. Freedom to live her own life, eating the foods that form a healthy lifestyle, creating the works of literature that details her unique point of view.
That's transformation. An internal change occurs and the person is no longer following a diet or writing the way some book tells her. Instead she attains a completeness that changes her into what she has always been.

It is the same thing with writing. When a writer finally learns the techniques that work for her, then the author is free to create works that become successful. The person finally becomes a writer. The transfomration occurs. After all, do you believe that John Grisham, James Patterson or Sue Grafton have to ask others for advice on how well they were writing? Do you believe that F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway or Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote what they thought others wanted them to write?
Of course not.

What It's All About
That's what the Writer's Invisible Mentor does for you. It teaches you to mentor yourself. But, why would it even be necessary to mentor yourself? Why not find a real mentor?

That's a great question, which we'll take up in my next blog entry.
See you next time.

How the Writer's Invisible Mentor Can Help You

2010-07-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Attempting a Convincing Argument
In order to convince you that The Writer's Invisible Mentor (WIM) works, there are a few things I need to do. So, first I'll give you an idea of how the next few blog entries will attempt to do that. To show that my method works I will need to do the following things:

1. Convince you that every writer needs a mentor.
2. Talk about the reality of obtaining a real mentor.
3. Describe why all writers must learn to mentor themselves.
4. Detail how The Writer's Invisible Mentor(WIM) will guide all writers into mentoring themselves.
5. Convince you that mentoring yourself is the next, greatest and final leap that must be made to become a professional author.
6. Explain how the WIM defines great writing.
7. Describe what mentoring yourself will look like
8. Provide the specifics of how the entire plan works.
9. Tell you who I am. Why should you listen to me, if you've never heard of me?
10. Tell you who this blog will work for. What are the author's expectations of the book's readers?

Nothing To Lose
I aim to show you I can keep my promises. That's what these introductory blog entries are all about. So how about it? What have you got to lose? These entries are only so long and they're free. If I can't convince you that the Writer's Invisible Mentor can change your writing life, then you stop reading the blog you've only lost the few minutes it took to read it each day.

Big Gains
However, if I do convince you, then you gain knowledge that helps your writing grow like it never has.

The Alternative : If I'm Wrong
What if I am wrong? What if it is not possible to learn to write from books? Well, that would mean that there is an entire portion of the publishing industry built upon teaching people to write which is completely bogus.

If it is not possible to learn to write by reading books about writing, then all the publishers of the world who print such books should be shut down and all the books they've printed dumped into the *Mariana Trench.

*Deepest part of all the Earth's oceans – Located in the Pacific Ocean.

Maybe you're still not convinced. Maybe you've read a few of the terrible books about writing that are out there and you're a bit jaded.

I understand those feelings and they bring us to two things which are required to learn to write from books.
1.You must read the right books.
2.You must learn to mentor yourself.

In this blog entry let's just talk a bit about what the right books are. In my next entry we'll talk about the core of mentoring and the importance of learning how to mentor yourself.

The Right Books?
What are the right books? This is one of the places where the Writer's Invisible Mentor has a lot to offer. I have read and surveyed a large number of how to write books and I will point you toward the best parts of those books, which support my writing theories. Again, it's like a greatest hits list for writers who want to learn to write better.

Teaching At the Wrong Level
One of the main problems with many writing books is that they teach at the wrong level. They teach external exercises in an attempt at transformation.

The right books are the ones that teach writing techniques which change you internally as a writer, not only externally.

Internal Versus External Changes
What does internal mean and why does it matter? Internal means you gain knowledge which transforms your writing mind so that you no longer wonder whether your writing is good or not. Please note that I am not implying that you'll never write poorly again. I am saying that you'll know when you do. More than simply knowing when you do, you'll know why your writing isn't working and how to fix it.

Analyze Your Own Writing
After learning the techniques contained within the Writer's Invisible Mentor, you will be able to analyze your writing with a specific purpose. However, please understand this blog is not only about learning to analyze your writing. It is far more than that. That's why this book will help you transform yourself into a professional writer.

That brings us back to number two, from the list above.

You Must Learn to Mentor Yourself
Even though we'll delve much further into what it means to mentor yourself and how it is done, an initial explanation can be readily seen by comparing writing books to dieting books.

However, since this entry is becoming extremely long, we'll move on to this lesson next time.
See you tomorrow...

What's This Blog About?

2010-07-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

What's This Blog About? posted: 07/10/2010

Change Your Writing Life
When a reader picks up a book about writing (or reads a blog about writing), he wants one thing: To change his writing life.

That's what the Writer's Invisible Mentor (WIM) will help you do: Change your writing life. That may sound like a lofty goal and you may wonder if it is possible for a blog to help you do that.

Furthermore, isn't it terribly arrogant of me to make such a statement? It might be if I were to say it was all me. But this blog is more than just this blog. What do I mean by that?

How-to Greatest Hits
This book is more because it describes specific solutions and guides the reader through learning to write better fiction, but it also points the reader to the places where other authors have also written on these subjects.

Answering the Main Question
This brings us to one of the main questions that this book answers. It is the main question I set out to answer during my own quest.

Is It Possible To Learn To Write From Books?
This book answers the question: Is it possible to learn to write great fictional works by reading how-to-write books?

There are quite a few related questions such as the following:

What are the details of a great fictional work? How do you measure it?

Is it possible to learn to write from books and experience alone?

Is it possible to learn to mentor yourself?

Is it possible to learn how to allow books to mentor you?

Of course, I am suggesting all of these things are possible and The Writer's Invisible Mentor (WIM) will prove they are as it progresses.

There I go again with those strong statements.

Author's Promise
Now, I'll raise the ante again. If you'll stick with me and complete this chapter, I believe you'll be convinced that all of these things and more are possible. I'll also convince you that The Writer's Invisible Mentor (WIM) is the blog that will guide you into these possibilities. I promise the WIM will help you discover some truths about writing fiction, explained in new ways, that will open your eyes and enable you to make the leap from beginning, good, moderate or even great writer to professional writer.

Whew. I'm making a lot of promises. What you want to know is whether or not I can deliver.

Promises are like babies: easy to make, hard to deliver.
~Anonymous

To find that out, you'll have to come back for the next few posts, because this is already way too long for a blog post. See you next time when I'll:

1. Describe the Invisible Mentor philosophy
2. Detail exactly how the method works.