Category: Writing

Encouragement, Writing

Ten Ways to Fuel Your Writing

Mona Alvarado Frazier

Today was one of those days when I just didn’t want to write. It was chilly outside my warm blankets and overcast.

My main character, Juana, had just received a letter from her mother-in-law, Mrs. Ivanov, that advised her that she was suing for custody of her infant daughter.

What can Juana do, besides cry, when she has 30 months of prison time left to do. I felt sorry for her but not sad enough to get out of bed and start writing. An hour later, I woke up, stubbed my toe, the same one I stubbed last week, and fell back 
into bed, where I stayed for another 30 minutes. Serves me right.


Instead of devoting time to my protagonist, I had my coffee and oatmeal, read the paper, glanced at the time, and realized I was late for my appointment at the car repair shop. Three hours later and an unexpected $545 additional cost, which I declined, I returned home pissed off. Life took over, and I pushed Juana aside again.


All of this started the churning in my mind of whether it mattered if I wrote or not. I mulled that over for a while until I picked up my Writer’s Digest and came across an article, “Ten ways to fuel your writing,” by Bill O’Hanlon, a motivating article (I’m writing, aren’t I). Out of the 10 ways, four struck a chord: 


WRITE FROM BEING WOUNDED.
What struggles have you had in your life? What can you offer to others who share them? Patsy Rodenburg had speech problems as a child that led to a wounding encounter with an “elocution” teacher, whose cruel treatment, combined with mocking taunts from fellow students, silenced Rodenburg in the most literal sense possible. 
And she’s not the only one. Blind, deaf, and mute writer Helen Keller—who authored several bestsellers in her time—wrote, “I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God.”

 WRITE FROM FRUSTRATION THAT A STORY HAS GONE UNTOLD.
Mark Arsenault was a newspaper reporter assigned to cover the story of a dead man found under a bridge. When he stumbled on a group of homeless heroin addicts near the scene, one of them, Julia, made such an impression that he wanted to write about her. Julia became the inspiration for his debut novel, Spiked. Arsenault’s essay “Romeo and Juliet With Needle Marks,” anthologized in How I Got Published: Famous Authors Tell You in Their Own Words, explains: “I was so ticked off, I had to write fiction.”
We all know of stories the world should hear. You could be the one who finds a way to tell them.

WRITE TO HELP ILLUMINATE OR CORRECT A SOCIAL INJUSTICE.
Never forget that your gift as a writer gives you the power to make a difference.
Before he wrote the popular Burke crime novels, Andrew Vachss was a federal attorney investigating sexually transmitted diseases that had been given to children through abuse, often by family members. He began to write to get a more extensive jury than he could find in a courthouse. He wanted the laws to better protect children, so he started writing fiction on these themes.
In an interview on Amazon.com about his latest novel, Another Life, Vachss says, “My goal was not to raise consciousness but to raise anger. Ours is a country where anything can be accomplished if enough people get angry … because, in America, we act on our collective anger.” 

WRITE YOURSELF OUT OF (OR THROUGH) A CRISIS.
Before he was a writer, the late Dominick Dunne was a Hollywood producer but an unhappy one. He turned to drink and drug use and eventually got him fired—so he left California, moved to a cottage in Oregon, and began working on a novel about Hollywood (The Winners).
Later, his daughter was murdered. During the trial, Dunne was appalled that the murderer seemed to have been coached on what to wear and how to act (even carrying a Bible). Dunne knew enough from his time in the movies to recognize acting and props when he saw them. He became outraged when he saw how easily the judicial process could be manipulated and distorted. “Thank God I hit bottom,” he once said. “Hitting bottom is wonderful if you can get back up.”


When I finished the article, I thought about my stories. My characters are wounded, in, or going through a crisis; they deal with social issues and are people we don’t generally see in mainstream novels. All four of these fueled my reasons for writing what I write. I felt better after reading Mr. O’Hanlon’s article and turning my attention back to writing, even when I don’t feel like it, especially since it’s evening and I’m an early bird writer.


I need to write Mr. O’ a fan letter and tell him how much I enjoyed his advice. He not only assisted this novice writer but also helped rescue Juana, at least for today.  


http://writersdigest.com/article/10-ways-to-write-what-you-no/?et_mid=135086&rid=3003158

books on writing, Writing

A Few Books on the Craft of Writing

Mona Alvarado Frazier
Stephen King quote on writing
Stephen King, “On Writing.”
     On one of my early writer’s group retreats, our group leader brought in the book “On Writing” by Stephen King. I’m a horror wuss, so I don’t read or watch horror material, the lasting effect of seeing “The Exorcist”  when I was a teenager. My horror prejudice worked against me; I had never read King’s book, “On Writing,” published in 2000.
     During our free time at the retreat, I picked up the book and skimmed through the first part, which talked about his early attempts at writing, the rejection letters, and his problems with drugs and alcohol. I don’t believe the latter was the result of the former. 
     Section Two contains practical advice on the craft of writing. He gives tips on idea development, characters, editing, and the use of adverbs (stay far away from them). This was helpful; he provided his original version of “The Hotel Story” and then showed his revisions. It’s a good book that offers an exciting story about a fascinating writer.
     King recommends “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. It’s been around so long that there is a 50th Edition; it’s sometimes called the bible for good writing and all things grammar. It’s written in a direct no holds barred style. You probably used this book in high school or college if you were lucky enough to have a good English teacher. It’s a keeper. 
     Now, between the styles of King and S&W, you’ll find Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird.” She starts giving you sound advice right in the beginning. She quotes her father telling her 10-year-old brother, who is lamenting about a project he procrastinated on, to take it “bird by bird.” Start small and take it one piece at a time. 
     Ms. Lamott has a sense of style and wit that makes for easy reading, even though she does give you assignments in the book. Her perspective on character and plot is exciting and well worth reading. A valuable contribution I often thought of when I worked on my first novel is “Shitty First Drafts.” I read that chapter and thought, ‘hot damn,’ she (a famous author) has given me permission to have a crummy first draft. I can write several pages (really only two-it’s the Virgo in me) before I feel the pull to self-edit.
     The last two books are what I should have purchased before I began writing. I could have saved time, stress, and premature and embarrassing submission to a writer’s class. The first book is “Sol Stein on Writing,” by who else but SS, and “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by Renni Brown and Dave King. There is too much information about Stein’s book; it’s over 300 pages but worth reading.
Mine is dogeared, highlighted, and sprouting pink and green Post-It Page Markers. “Self-Editing,” is valuable reading and re-reading. The chapter on the point of view, which I struggle with, is smudged with my fingerprints and tears. 
     I’ve read a couple of more books on writing: James Frey’s (not the one that was on the big O) “How to Write a Damn Good Novel,” and one of my favorites (from the 99 cents store) “Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing.” It has excellent illustrations and was a fantastic buy. 
     Whatever you find on the craft of writing, the point is to read, read, and then read some more until you find a book that is understandable, memorable, and hopefully bargain-priced. Or you can go to your next writing group and swap or trade books. Someone might have the 2000 Stephen King “Book on Writing” and is willing to swap; after all, the 10th Anniversary Edition just came out in July 2010. Or you can treat yourself and buy your own.