Thursday, March 16, 2006

cramming technique


If you are like me then the best way to write a story is through changing perspective. Immerse yourself into your character's point of view. Live their life even though they may be fictional characters. Become them, at least until you finish the piece.

So here's what I'm going to do to finish my first novel. My entire focus will be on it (Notice I used the future tense. It's because I'm still distracted and I have a lot of thought-purging to do). No distractions...just me and my taped interviews, research materials, pictures and computer. I'm going to lock myself inside my room and concentrate on the story.

Thermos of coffee - check!
Cellphone off - check!
I'm now ready to become a hermit in my hobbit hole.
See you when I'm done! :)

Monday, March 13, 2006

on writing


Calvin and Hobbes on writing

Pretty interesting perspective on writing, don't you agree? Here's another funny story on writers and those who experience writing blocks.


Once upon a time there was a girl. And she was forced to write a story.
Well no one was forcing her as such. But she felt she had an obligation.
No one forces parents to love their kids.
But they kind of have to.
It’s a bit like that.
She wanted to be a writer, so she had to force herself to write.
That was that.

* * *

"Clair, what are you doing in there? "
"Writing."
"Oh."

Sometimes people took an interest in her writing, and other times they didn’t.

* * *

Clair had been sick recently. So she hadn’t felt like writing. Then she got better. And was too busy to write. The piece of paper attached to the top left corner of her computer screen "Write 1000 words a day" occasionally brought on feelings of intense guilt, but most of the time she tried to ignore it. Tried.

Bits of paper are powerful things.
Very powerful things.
This piece of paper was torturing Clair.
It didn’t help that it was bright yellow.
There was no pretending that it didn’t exist.
Read on ...