Archive for June, 2010
WRITING TECHNIQUES
This was an assignment for my writers group.
WRITING TECHNIQUES
HOW I AVOID THE
‘WRITING FUNK’
I think the ‘writing funk’ depends on the individual. Writing is a difficult profession. To constantly write takes a high level of dedication and fortitude.
So what is ‘the writing funk’? It could be the lack of ideas or the daily grind of life, or a combination of both. It could also result from having too many ideas and not enough time to see them through. I suffer from the latter.
I write science fiction and horror stories. My sick mind provides the horror; however, science fiction ideas come from another source. I constantly search newspapers and online science websites for anything that may speak to my imagination. When I come across something interesting, I print it out and store it in a folder marked, ‘future stories’. Periodically, I will go through this folder and group articles with a common theme that may build a story that speaks to my imagination. From there, I go to a notebook entitled, ‘future stories’, where I keep the articles and any of my first impressions and thoughts. This way, I am never at a loss for material for a story.
Also, whatever I’m going to write, whether it is a short story or a novel, I constantly think about it before I put pencil to paper. That’s right, all my initial drafts are written out in longhand.
Now for the process that goes into building a novel. At this point, I have written three novels. One of which will be published early next year.
When writing a novel, I start with an outline which is dynamic. I record this initial outline in a steno pad which I keep with me until the novel is completed. I constantly rewrite the outline with new ideas and changes to the plot, constantly adding details as the writing progresses. At times, I can hear the characters talking. I add those conversations to the pad and sometimes they eventually make it into the novel.
I can honestly say, in the ten years I have been writing – two fulltime, that I have never felt a funk for lack of material. Rather, when I’m in a ‘funk’, it’s for lack of time.
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