1) just come up with a list of words, preferably concrete words and action verbs
2) do a mind map
3) write down some bits of dialogue
4) read a passage in a book, like Castaneda and jot down some ideas
5) watch a movie to get ideas
6) take an old draft and circle the words I want to keep
7) scribble out some ideas for first and last sentences
8) type it all into a document
9) write six word sentences, a What If poem, or any kind of poem
10) begin to move the pieces around into some kind of intelligible order until a story begins to emerge.
11) at that point, I can put it aside for another day.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
What do they mean by "commercial and genre fiction"?
A genre is a category like romance, mystery, suspense, thriller, science-fiction, fantasy, horror, paranormal. You'd be amazed if you knew how many genres and subgenres there are.
Commercial is the opposite of "literary." Commercial means it's fast paced, lots of conflict, plot-driven, lots of dialogue and action, mystery, suspense, cliff-hangers, a "page-turner". I'm still trying to figure it out myself.
I woke up this morning and I had a powerful realization about my life. Aside from the givens, such as health, happiness, and raising a healthy, well-adjusted child, what I want more than anything else is to get published by a standard publisher and become a best-selling author.
For me, it's not about money. Owning things is nice, but eventually they suffocate me and I want to shed them. I'm not motivated to build a nest, find a marriage partner, secure a steady job.
I can't even say why I want to get published so badly. People say (it always seems to be published authors saying this) that you should love writing for its own sake, and I do. But I want my writing to be validated. It's like I'm searching for an elusive key and when I find it, I'll unlock the door.
To me, writing is the most magical thing in the world because it frees my mind from the Matrix. That, in itself, is incredibly liberating and empowering. But I want to know, what makes someone want to read a piece of writing, particularly a novel or a memoir?
Why is it that some authors or books can enchant me and hold me captive, while others can't get me past the first chapter? I want to learn that magic of enchantment.
How did the books on the shelves at the bookstore get there? Why were those manuscripts chosen instead of the other 100 they were competing against? And why is it that I have no interest in reading most of those books on the shelves? Does this mean I'm supposed to write my novel like those novels, even though I don't want to read them, just because they are in the bookstores?
Most of the stuff I like is old or something new by an old author. The modern stuff does nothing for me. But on the other hand, Avatar blew my mind. How do I get Avatar magic on the page?
Well, at the moment, I seem to have lots of questions, but few answers.
Until next time, love to all~
Commercial is the opposite of "literary." Commercial means it's fast paced, lots of conflict, plot-driven, lots of dialogue and action, mystery, suspense, cliff-hangers, a "page-turner". I'm still trying to figure it out myself.
I woke up this morning and I had a powerful realization about my life. Aside from the givens, such as health, happiness, and raising a healthy, well-adjusted child, what I want more than anything else is to get published by a standard publisher and become a best-selling author.
For me, it's not about money. Owning things is nice, but eventually they suffocate me and I want to shed them. I'm not motivated to build a nest, find a marriage partner, secure a steady job.
I can't even say why I want to get published so badly. People say (it always seems to be published authors saying this) that you should love writing for its own sake, and I do. But I want my writing to be validated. It's like I'm searching for an elusive key and when I find it, I'll unlock the door.
To me, writing is the most magical thing in the world because it frees my mind from the Matrix. That, in itself, is incredibly liberating and empowering. But I want to know, what makes someone want to read a piece of writing, particularly a novel or a memoir?
Why is it that some authors or books can enchant me and hold me captive, while others can't get me past the first chapter? I want to learn that magic of enchantment.
How did the books on the shelves at the bookstore get there? Why were those manuscripts chosen instead of the other 100 they were competing against? And why is it that I have no interest in reading most of those books on the shelves? Does this mean I'm supposed to write my novel like those novels, even though I don't want to read them, just because they are in the bookstores?
Most of the stuff I like is old or something new by an old author. The modern stuff does nothing for me. But on the other hand, Avatar blew my mind. How do I get Avatar magic on the page?
Well, at the moment, I seem to have lots of questions, but few answers.
Until next time, love to all~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
