Quote For The Week

                                                                               

                                     

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."     

                                  - ralph waldo emerson 

The Movie Side of Writing

 

ready? Camera? ...Action!

Facing writer's block? Need a solution? Well, keep reading to find out one way that seems to help me push through the barriers that seem to emerge to prevent me from putting my thoughts onto paper. 

Ever wonder why we love to watch movies? It's because they make a story seem real to us. Perhaps you're even one of those lucky people who have been able to see their favorite book turned into a movie or series. 

Whenever I feel like I can't get the words typed out or written down, I think of my story as a movie. Picture yourself as if you are in a cinema, watching your favorite movie, and make that favorite movie the novel that you are writing. Think about the scenes unfolding like movie clips, picture the close-up shots of characters as your first person POV. Once you start to think of your book as a movie, I believe you'll find that the words come much easier. 

Also, there has been the odd time when actually watching an adventure or romance movie did the trick. Having trouble writing down the perfect dramatic scene? You might try watching a drama/thriller. Wondering what your Amish protagonist should be feeling after their betrayal? Maybe it's time to watch Saving Sarah Cain or The Shunning. 

So make sure you're ready with pencil in hand, you're camera's rolling, and...action!

~Lydia Sherren

 

Quote For The Week

                                              

  if you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.

                                                                                          - Martin Luther

Learning To Be Imperfect In Your Writing

                                                                                                                             

Uh...Perfectionist Much?

When you sit down to write a scene in your story, usually - without even giving much thought - you probably make your character do and say things that make sense...and rightfully so. But usually in books, characters and just human, and it's important that that is portrayed. 

I find, personally, that I like it when a character in a novel misunderstands something or responds with the wrong answer, it makes the character real to me, to know that he or she is a human...it makes that hero/heroine almost tangible, and that's something that I enjoy experiencing when I read. 

For example:  

 

 

Maria lifted her eyes slowly to meet her friend's gaze, "You know the book that you were reading earlier?"

 

Cassie cocked her head to one side, her blonde brows arching, "A Tale of Two Cities?" 

"No, the other one."

"You mean Great Expectations?" 

Maria nodded her head slowly, "Yeah, that one, you sounded so intrigued by it...maybe that's the one you should do your essay on, the way you were ranting about it sounds like it would be a good choice."

  

...You see what I'm saying? The above would sound more general and blunt if it were just:

 

Maria lifted her eyes, "You know that book you were reading?"

 

"Great Expectations?"

 

"Yeah, that one."

 

 

By writing Cassie's assumption that her friend was talking of another book makes her seem a little more realistic...a little more there. And it also raises questions in the reader. Is Cassie more interested in A Tale of Two Cities? Why? And depending on the before and after context more questions will arise in the reader.

 

This was of course a simple example, but you can do so much with this "non-perfectionist" approach. Why not add a touch of humor?  Maybe a little original one-liner? Or perhaps a bit of historical information to bring more awareness to the reader? 

It's time to drop the perfectionist and let your characters be creatively...imperfect. 😉

~ Lydia R. Sherren

Developing Your Wruiting Style

                                                                                         
                                                                                    

finding your style

    You have just finished writing out ideas for your first book and are wondering how to string all those thoughts together to form a book that brings a the reader into the world that you have just created. But your mind goes blank. How can you write your ideas down in a way that makes others want to read your literary work?

 

    Well, usually the first thing a writer has to develop is their own unique style of writing. Sounds simple, but the hardest part is actually building your own style. In a previous post I shared how it took me a while to develop my own unique style of writing before I came up with something I liked. I believe this is true for everyone. 

    

    So, where does one start? Well...you could copy another author's way of writing that you really like...but that's plagiarism, and aside from that it wrecks the whole point of making your style original. Thus saying, copying another writer's technique just will not do. 

 

    Trust me, I've tried it. It really doesn't work.

 

    Here's what I believe one should do when trying to develop their own writing style: First, think about what it is that you like in a book.  Is it those original one-liners that make you laugh? The way you never know the outcome until the very last chapter? Next, look at your draft copies and analyze your work, are you especially descriptive? Funny? Maybe mysterious? 

 

    Now, combine both those things with life lessons along the way and one day you will find that you have an established your way of writing.

 

    We are shaped through our life experiences, which in turn shapes how we write and enables us to learn lessons about how we should or shouldn't put our ideas down on paper.

 

    I hope this helped, and happy writing!

 

~ Lydia R. Sherren

 

Quote For The Week

                                                                                    

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

                             - Eleanor Roosevelt

The Reality Writer

 

                                                                            

Realism Is Everything - Right?

   I was sitting in front of my computer, facing a mental barrier as I worked on an escape scene near the end of my second book. In this specific scene the heroine was trying to escape - but had her arms tied behind her and her feet were bound around the ankles. 

     

    What I wanted to occur was an epic escape from the walls that confined her. I didn't want my female lead to appear supernatural and the last thing I desired was for the escape to look unrealistic. So, I did what any writer who wanted their work to appear realistic would do. 

     

    I tied myself up. 

 

    Taking some flimsy string I tightly bound my legs at the ankles and then - with great difficulty - fastened my hands behind my back. I learned a valuable lesson that day...I can walk three feet across my study room with my hands and feet tied together. Amazing what us writer's learn, isn't it? The only problem was...I tied the ropes a little too tightly. Yeah...I kind of found myself in a bit of a literal bind. 

    Obviously I wouldn't do anything that was physically harmful to myself, but sometimes it's funny to share these stories about how writers get ideas or facts. Have you ever done anything like I did? Hopefully not as extreme but maybe you took a rock climbing lesson, went canoeing in your swimming pool to figure out how to react when a boat tips over, take an archery class, all to try and make your writing as realistic as possible. 

   Sometimes all you need is to get into perspective to make the perfect escape.  If you have ever had an similar experience let me know in the comments, I would love to hear about it!

~ Lydia R. Sherren