(this is only parts of the intro and chapter one; some is paraphrase, most of it is direct quotes)
What is creative writing?
- learning to observe and pay attention to the world and human experience
- using words to describe an experience in a way that catches reader attention
- using words to expand and extend who you are and what you can know
Six tools for effective writing meant for the reader
1. Images - "living pictures"
2. Energy - "spark for attention"
3. Tension - "push-pull; what will happen?"
4. Pattern - "repetition; give form to meaning"
5. Insight - "perspective and wisdom"
6. Revision - "mind's eye; see what the reader sees"
Finding focus
The primary goal of creative writing: create and link images in your reader's "mind's eye." We don't read creative writing to be told of other worlds. We read it to experience what it's actually like. Art is sensory. "Your stories and your jokes come out best when you re-experience the original sensations as you retell."
Write what you see. Focus on the small things you notice, the things non-artists don't give a second thought about. The frayed edges of an old shirt. Bitten nails. The color of the sprinkles on a donut.
Imagine a kid swinging on a swing set. Is it someone you know? You yourself as a six-year-old kid? Look closer. What is the kid wearing? Can you see the kid's hair, their hands, their face? Now pause, and look at the kid, noticing anything small, something interesting. Notice how you can make the kid swing faster. Slower. You can make them jump off the swing and run across the park over to a dog.
Be specific.
Kid, not person. Apple, not fruit. Name what you see, but also focus on the live scene in your mind, the image, while you write. Question what you see. You don't need a block of wordy description, information, to see the experience--and neither does your reader.
Sometimes, old writing habits--writing about things like it seemed or she remembered--block the reader's image.
Practicing and procrastination
Make a habit of writing. Write a little every day; perhaps at the same time and place every time. If you don't write enough, you can't see what you need to improve on or what you're good at. You will want to avoid writing. Practice whether you feel like it or not. Every day. Setting a specific time and place can help you get into this habit. Pay attention to what you do before these sessions and repeat what works for you (eg. lighting a candle, turning on the TV for background noise, etc.)
Writer's block
What is writer's block? Well, it can be defined as the inability to focus and concentrate. However, writer's block, distraction, and procrastination could all be defined as simply loss of focus. How do you try and cure a block, where you feel disconnected and devoid from imaginative energy?
- Begin/start five new pieces
- Write for a set amount of time each day (eg. 10-15 min)
- Let yourself write poorly without judging the writing
- Study the psychology and process of writing
- Write a list of things. Anything. Have a friend call out a number, pick the corresponding topic, and write about it for three minutes
Getting unstuck
- Set a timer, write for ten minutes at a time. Having a limited amount of time forces one to concentrate
- Write every day for at least ten minutes. If you miss a day, the next three will be that much harder
- Stay in the moment; focus just on what you see in your mind
- Write a smaller chunk; take something you already have and slow it down, move closer, go blow-by-blow
- When you hear voices of doubt in your head, write down what they're saying, or simply banish the judge/critic by swearing at it
- Write by hand. Slowing down helps you focus
- Go back to the last thing you wrote/liked, and use it as a jumping-off point for new work
- Make a list on your own of ways to get unstuck. See what worked in the past for you, and how you get through blocks
- Plan on getting stuck, and don't beat yourself up. Stop, start up again later
Your question isn't "Is this going well?" or "Is this bad?" because you can never really know that. When you are at work, your question is "What else interesting do I see, do I experience, what interesting thing is my character about to do?" And you watch. And follow.
