Writing Needs Discipline

cj Sez:  I wish I could have begged, borrowed, or stolen some of Elmore Leonard’s discipline for writing. What started as necessity for him turned into habit when he became an established writer.

“To support his family, he worked as a copywriter at an ad agency, where he developed his aversion to adverbs, and also his knack for brief, punched-up prose. He began a habit of waking at five a.m. and immediately starting to write -- not even putting the water on for coffee until he had something down on paper -- then going to work at the office, first in advertising and later writing educational films for the Encyclopedia Britannica.”      (Source:  

http://www.biographile.com/a-capital-crime-elmore-leonard-deserves-a-definitive-biography/22523/

It used to be that I worked better when I had a short-term deadline at work. Then I thought if I gave myself a deadline, I’d have the incentive to keep going. Found out that’s not true. I have managed to bury any deadline under weeks of procrastination that I called “research.” (Mr. Leonard paid others to do his research.) It seems the more I research, the less creativity I have. I’m getting bogged down in facts, and the story is suffering.

See how discipline can work? (Meme from my Facebook page)

I’m not giving up. Last night I made a note or two when I went to sleep . . . I get a lot of good ideas just before or just after I fall asleep so I keep a pad of paper and a pencil on the table next to the bed. Sundays are for family and etc., so I won’t be sitting in front of this computer for very long but tomorrow . . . that’s when I’ll start working hard. I promise. You. (If I promise myself, I will find some other chore to do.) I suppose some of you might call that procrastinating.

Nope, I’m calling it, delayed discipline.

That’s all for now, but how about you? When do you get your best ideas? How do you conquer the blank page in front of you?

You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

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Want to Write A Book?

Are you one of those people who say, “I’d like to write a book someday, but I don’t know where to start”?

Do you hesitate to start writing because of confusion about what to say and how to shape your ideas?

I’m here to tell you that there is no wrong way to write.

New books break the rules. Yes, I know we are all told that debut novelists shouldn’t step outside the box. Wrong! Debut writers are known for their risk taking and ultimate success. J. K. Rowling, Kathryn Stockett, Stephen King, Jesmyn Ward, Vanessa Diffenbauch

What makes you happy might not make me happy. Creativity is the ultimate enigma—the greatest mystery of the universe.

But—and this is a big but—there are some rules about writing that are sacrosanct.

            6 Key elements to develop a story worth reading

1.         Protagonist:               star of the show

2.         Characters:                people to talk to the protagonist, includes the antagonist

3.         Plot:                          a story deliberately arranged to be interesting

4.         Point(s) of view:       the storyteller

5.         Setting(s):                 where the action takes place (scene changes)

6.         Tension:                    not the same as conflict

Today, let’s talk about characters. I’ve added some clues with each bullet.

           

1.  Your protagonist is the key to every story. It is incumbent on the author to identify and explain the physical, psychological, and sociological traits of the lead character. I use a method similar to FBI profiling to get to know my characters inside and out.

Good Characters are Multidimensional

Your protagonist must want/yearn for something - not necessarily tangible—often love, acceptance, winning a battle, killing the bad guys, winning the girl/guy, forgiving themselves or others, redemption, big diamond, the gold, the crystal skull. Shrek finds true love. Miss Havisham seeks revenge. Katniss strives to live. Sherlock solves the case. Gamache brings justice. Sarah Booth protects her friends. Harry finds his place. Indiana Jones finds tangible and intangible things of value.

2.  Strong character development is required. It is important to:

     a.  Create characters that you look forward to spending time  with because both you and the  reader will be doing just that. Indiana Jones, Alex Cross, Miss Marple, Harry Potter, Hermione, & Ron, Rizzoli & Isles, Miss Julia, Detective Gamache, Father Tim

     b.  Create characters your reader will follow, whether they like them or not. Ms. Danvers, Draco Malfoy, Lisbeth, Miss Havisham, Sgt. Havers, Hannibal Lector, Dracula.

     c.  Create interesting characters that you “know” and either understand or come to understand, and  half the battle is won. Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables, Pip, Georgia Bottoms, William Monk, Thomas Pitt, Kay Scarpetta, Sherlock, Jane Eyre, Heathcliff.

3.  Define the enemy of the protagonist (antagonist). Can be themselves, a parent, friend, society, bad guy, boss, co-worker. Batman vs The Joker, Kramer vs Kramer, Katniss vs President Snow, Dorian Gray vs himself, Romans vs Masada

For me, characters come quite naturally. For others, the plot springs to mind first. It doesn’t matter,  as long as you get where you want to go with your writing.

I love learning about the characters that pop into my head and creating new ones for them to pal around, argue, and enjoy sharing the pages. Characters are the foundation of a good book. A great story can be staring us in the face, but without characters to bring the story to life, the story isn’t going anywhere. And conversely, great characters without a story simply toy with readers' emotions.

Do you have special tricks you use to bring your characters to life?

Mahala