Hi everyone,
I've just discovered a wonderful article containing some very original (and useful) tips for new writers. It's written by Cory Doctorow and, if you don't get to read it, at least take this one piece of advice from him ...
Write for 20 minutes at day, that's all, then stop. Do this EVERY day (and let's face it, it's not impossible to find 20 spare minutes a day) and you'll find you've written a novel in less than a year.
But that's not all he says. Have a read for yourself. It's great!
http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2009/01/cory-doctorow-writing-in-age-of.html
Let me know what you think.
Michael
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Making Sense of Tense
Here's an article about 'tense' that I wrote for the Melbourne Age newspaper in 2008. Happy reading ...
Making Sense of Tense
If you’re reading a story at the moment – and I really hope you are – it’s probably written in the past tense. Most stories are for very good reasons. However, experimenting with other tenses, particularly the present tense, might be just what’s needed to infuse your story with a whole new energy.
Tense means ‘time’. It refers to the period of time in which a story takes place. There are many different tenses – at least twelve – but usually stories are told in the three basics: the past, the present or the future. Or a mix of the three.
Here’s how to tell the basic (or ‘simple’) tenses apart.
Past tense – Jill rode her bike.
Present tense – Jill rides her bike.
Future tense – Jill will ride her bike.
As stories written in the future tense are rare (I can’t actually recall ever reading one), I’ll stick with the differences between stories told in the past and present tenses.
The logic of a story written in the past tense is clear: a series of events have happened some time ago, the author has written them down, and you’re now reading about them. Very simple. Very clear. Very logical.
Less simple and clear is the logic of stories written in the present tense. The present tense suggests that the story is unfolding as you’re reading it. But how can that be if it’s already written down? When on earth is it supposed to have happened?
This logic problem is distracting for some readers. It can just about ruin a story for them. And that’s fair enough. But you know what? As a reader, it doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I love stories written in the present tense. To me, present tense stories are vivid, urgent and fully involving. Reading one feels like the difference between watching live action and a replay.
And, as a writer, when I’ve taken the risk and written in the present tense it’s as though a fresh light has been cast over my story. That’s particularly true when I’ve been writing the unavoidable, slower parts of the narrative.
Consider these two (very slow) sentences:
Jack sat on the couch. (past tense)
Jack sits on the couch. (present tense)
Neither sentence is too thrilling, mainly because Jack isn’t doing much. But the second sentence feels slightly more interesting. It reads as if there’s a touch of forward momentum about Jack’s decision to sit on the couch. It also hints at the possibility of something exciting happening soon.
So, the same action (or lack of it) written in different tenses creates a subtly different level of energy. As a writer, I love it when my words have momentum and energy.
So, if you want a smooth, clear logic to your story, the past tense might be your thing. But if immediacy, involvement and energy are what you’re after, maybe give the present tense a try.
As for the future tense, that’s for another time …
Making Sense of Tense
If you’re reading a story at the moment – and I really hope you are – it’s probably written in the past tense. Most stories are for very good reasons. However, experimenting with other tenses, particularly the present tense, might be just what’s needed to infuse your story with a whole new energy.
Tense means ‘time’. It refers to the period of time in which a story takes place. There are many different tenses – at least twelve – but usually stories are told in the three basics: the past, the present or the future. Or a mix of the three.
Here’s how to tell the basic (or ‘simple’) tenses apart.
Past tense – Jill rode her bike.
Present tense – Jill rides her bike.
Future tense – Jill will ride her bike.
As stories written in the future tense are rare (I can’t actually recall ever reading one), I’ll stick with the differences between stories told in the past and present tenses.
The logic of a story written in the past tense is clear: a series of events have happened some time ago, the author has written them down, and you’re now reading about them. Very simple. Very clear. Very logical.
Less simple and clear is the logic of stories written in the present tense. The present tense suggests that the story is unfolding as you’re reading it. But how can that be if it’s already written down? When on earth is it supposed to have happened?
This logic problem is distracting for some readers. It can just about ruin a story for them. And that’s fair enough. But you know what? As a reader, it doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I love stories written in the present tense. To me, present tense stories are vivid, urgent and fully involving. Reading one feels like the difference between watching live action and a replay.
And, as a writer, when I’ve taken the risk and written in the present tense it’s as though a fresh light has been cast over my story. That’s particularly true when I’ve been writing the unavoidable, slower parts of the narrative.
Consider these two (very slow) sentences:
Jack sat on the couch. (past tense)
Jack sits on the couch. (present tense)
Neither sentence is too thrilling, mainly because Jack isn’t doing much. But the second sentence feels slightly more interesting. It reads as if there’s a touch of forward momentum about Jack’s decision to sit on the couch. It also hints at the possibility of something exciting happening soon.
So, the same action (or lack of it) written in different tenses creates a subtly different level of energy. As a writer, I love it when my words have momentum and energy.
So, if you want a smooth, clear logic to your story, the past tense might be your thing. But if immediacy, involvement and energy are what you’re after, maybe give the present tense a try.
As for the future tense, that’s for another time …
Four books that have changed my life
This is an article I wrote for Sydney's Sun-Herald in late 2008.
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
It's embarrasing to admit this as an author, but until I’d read this book, there was no way I’d trouble myself with a 700 page novel. I love reading, but there are limits to how much time I’ll spend reading one story. In fact, I only started flicking through Toltz’s novel to see what it takes to spark a bidding war between major international publishers – I’d heard that this Australian story had done just that. But the flicking soon became reading and, before long, I was absolutely hooked.
A Fraction of the Whole is the weirdest, funniest and most brilliant father-son story I’ve ever read. It follows a family of three Australian men – a father, a son and an uncle - through most of their turbulent, bizarre and, somehow familiar, lives. But it’s not just about filial frictions, it’s also about ideas and where they lead us. And then there’s the humour. There were times when I tried to read sections of it aloud to my wife, but couldn’t because I was laughing so hard. It’s not a perfect book, but I’ve read nothing better.
Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M Axline
I can’t think of any higher praise for a book than to tell you that this one made me sick! Actually sick. But in a good way … I guess.
I was so deeply moved by this true story of a troubled five-year-old boy (Dibs) undergoing ‘play therapy’ with his psychologist, Virginia Axline, that when I finished reading it, I had some sort of melt down of my own.
I guess when you strongly relate to the characters in a book, their journey shines all sorts of unexpected lights on your own issues. For me, this was like going through intensive therapy myself. When I finished it, I felt as though something inside had shifted. It took me a week of sick leave to get used to the change. I reckon any book that has a physical, as well as an emotional, effect on you, is a very powerful read. In those terms, this was the most powerful book I’ve ever read.
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
The last time I looked, this Pulitzer Prize winning book was still the biggest selling novel of all time, so I’m not exactly Robinson Crusoe in loving it. And what’s not to love? This gentle, wise and poignant story of racism in 1930s Alabama is a monument to human decency. In the character of Atticus Finch, Harper Lee created a father-figure for many generations.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The power of this book is in the narrator’s voice. Like a lot of adolescents, teen narrator Holden Caulfield, is judgemental, confused and a little lost. But he’s also honest, gentle and innocent. The voice Salinger has created for Caulfield is so authentic it’s as if he’s sitting right next you, telling you (and only you) his sad, difficult, but quietly uplifting story. The final, simple scene remains one of the most touching I’ve ever read.
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
It's embarrasing to admit this as an author, but until I’d read this book, there was no way I’d trouble myself with a 700 page novel. I love reading, but there are limits to how much time I’ll spend reading one story. In fact, I only started flicking through Toltz’s novel to see what it takes to spark a bidding war between major international publishers – I’d heard that this Australian story had done just that. But the flicking soon became reading and, before long, I was absolutely hooked.
A Fraction of the Whole is the weirdest, funniest and most brilliant father-son story I’ve ever read. It follows a family of three Australian men – a father, a son and an uncle - through most of their turbulent, bizarre and, somehow familiar, lives. But it’s not just about filial frictions, it’s also about ideas and where they lead us. And then there’s the humour. There were times when I tried to read sections of it aloud to my wife, but couldn’t because I was laughing so hard. It’s not a perfect book, but I’ve read nothing better.
Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M Axline
I can’t think of any higher praise for a book than to tell you that this one made me sick! Actually sick. But in a good way … I guess.
I was so deeply moved by this true story of a troubled five-year-old boy (Dibs) undergoing ‘play therapy’ with his psychologist, Virginia Axline, that when I finished reading it, I had some sort of melt down of my own.
I guess when you strongly relate to the characters in a book, their journey shines all sorts of unexpected lights on your own issues. For me, this was like going through intensive therapy myself. When I finished it, I felt as though something inside had shifted. It took me a week of sick leave to get used to the change. I reckon any book that has a physical, as well as an emotional, effect on you, is a very powerful read. In those terms, this was the most powerful book I’ve ever read.
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
The last time I looked, this Pulitzer Prize winning book was still the biggest selling novel of all time, so I’m not exactly Robinson Crusoe in loving it. And what’s not to love? This gentle, wise and poignant story of racism in 1930s Alabama is a monument to human decency. In the character of Atticus Finch, Harper Lee created a father-figure for many generations.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The power of this book is in the narrator’s voice. Like a lot of adolescents, teen narrator Holden Caulfield, is judgemental, confused and a little lost. But he’s also honest, gentle and innocent. The voice Salinger has created for Caulfield is so authentic it’s as if he’s sitting right next you, telling you (and only you) his sad, difficult, but quietly uplifting story. The final, simple scene remains one of the most touching I’ve ever read.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tips for Young Writers 27: Don’t forget that writing is fun.
Don’t forget that writing is fun. Writing’s not a job, it’s an art, like painting and acting and playing music. So, laugh while you write. Listen to music while you write. Cry while you write – if that makes you happy. Whatever you do, have fun while you write.
Tips for Young Writers 26: Lead an interesting life.
Lead an interesting life. If you’re an interesting person, your writing will be interesting too. So, do scary things sometimes. And difficult things. And amazing things. And unexpected things. That way you’ll learn to understand yourself and other people much better. And that will not only make you a better writer, it will make you a better person.
Tips for Young Writers 25: Understand that conflict is the writer’s best friend.
Understand that conflict is the writer’s best friend. Conflict, in life, is unpleasant (well, for most of us), but it’s brilliant in stories. Conflict brings a story to life. Try to include conflict in most parts of your story, whether it’s in the form of an argument, a fight, a war, a debate, a sporting contest, a minor disagreement, or even a tough decision that your hero is struggling over. We all love seeing characters deal with conflict.
Tips for Young Writers 24: Don’t think, just write.
Don’t think, just write. Great stories are complex, beautiful, mysterious things, that touch us deeply. The desire to create something profound is what drives many writers. The funny thing is, however, the harder we try to write something amazing and deep, the less likely we are to achieve it. Very few of us can THINK a great story to life, but many of us can IMAGINE one up. When you’re writing, don’t think about your story, just go where your imagination takes you. When you do this, you will be surprised and thrilled by the places you end up. And so will your readers.
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