No Bad Writing!

Desperate to pad my ailing word count , last night I stared at the blinking cursor and typed a sentence. I re-read the newest eight words of my WIP and, like a scene from Secret Window, muttered, "No bad writing." This frightened my daughter, who remembered the effects that bad writing had on Johnny Depp’s character.

How bad was it? Well…to set up the scene, a 15-year-old girl has just witnessed a flash of light that could rival a nuclear explosion on her neighbor’s property , yet no sound accompanied the flash. She has no idea what could have caused the blast or if her neighbor, who is also her classmate and friend, has been harmed or killed. Not only is she concerned about her neighbor, but what if it happens again–where she’s standing? I want to convey the sheer horror this girl feels to the reader, so I type the following words:

"She screamed at the top of her lungs."

Bad writing. Why? Five reasons I can think of without hurting my brain this early in the day:

1. It’s cliché–"Screamed at the top of her lungs" has probably been written hundreds, if not thousands, of times. As writers, we must limit clichés to dialogue. Yes, we speak in clichés, so it’s okay to have our characters do so, but the author must not use a cliched phrase to describe a character’s action. That’s a no-no.
2. It’s telling–I, in effect, "told" you, the reader, how the character responded to the horrific scene she witnessed. She’s obviously afraid, so I need to show her fear through her actions, not just tell you she’s afraid. Telling belittles the reader’s ability to think. While there is a time for telling, doing so in the midst of a scene is lazy writing.
3. It’s unemotional–People begin novels for lots of reasons. Perhaps they read a review, saw a magazine ad for the book, heard from a friend it was a must-read, etc. But readers finish novels because they care what happens to the characters. As a novelist, it is my job to make you lose sleep, be late for work, skip breakfast, forget to pick up the kids–because you’re so involved with the characters that you just can’t help it. Great characterization (combined with a clever lawyer) could even stand up in court. "I’m sorry, Your Honor, but I was reading this book and he interrupted. I had to kill him." Justifiable homicide. But a sentence like "She screamed at the top of her lungs" won’t acquit anyone except, of course, if the reader shoots the writer.
4. It’s boring–See numbers 1 through 3. Clichés are predictable. Telling is, well, boring. Unemotional writing keeps the reader detached from the characters and will likely detach them from the book. And any future books the writer manages to get published.
5. It’s not even physically possible–I was a Music Ed major. Surprised? Most people would think English or Journalism, or some such writing-related subject. Nope. I studied Music. And all those countless hours spent in the choir rehearsal hall went to waste when I typed that sentence. Our choir director taught us to fill our lungs from the bottom. Try to breathe deeply from your throat, not your belly. It’s hard. Watch a baby breathe. They know how to breathe from the depths of their gut. One exercise we had in choir was to lie on our back and put a book on our stomachs and breathe in and out. If the book didn’t go up and down, we weren’t breathing properly. When you exhale slowly (stand up first), your diaphram pushes all the air out of your lungs, bottom to top. By the time you’ve reached the top of your lungs, you’re nearly out of air, and would be unable to thrust out an effective scream.

All right, everybody back to work. Writing lesson is over. But here’s a challenge for those interested. How would YOU re-write that sentence? How would you SHOW her response? Let the reader FEEL her fear? Make it EXCITING enough to let the reader forget about the world outside the book he’s reading? Post your sentences on the Blog Comments or send me an email: mail@lindafulkerson.com . I’ll acknowledge the best sentence. Will there be a prize? No, but if it’s really good, (and with your permission) I may use it instead of the lame sentence I wrote! Then you would get an acknowledgment in the front of the book. How cool is that!

I’d better get busy. I am still behind on my word count, and now I have to cut eight words.

And words to go before I sleep…

Linda

Day 7: Word Count–858; Total: 7345

I know, I know. I’m never going to get this book done if I don’t sit down and write!

So, what did I do all weekend? Weekends around here are usually family time. On Saturday, after taking care of the farm critters and finishing a little work around the house, I went to a basketball jamboree to watch my daughter’s team finish 2-0. We got home just in time to pick up my husband and son, grab a bite to eat, and go to the movies. We watched "The Incredibles." It’s a great family movie.

What does going to the movies have to do with writing a book? Actually, I don’t feel too guilty for going. Chris Baty’s book, No Plot? No Problem! gives those in week one the following assignment–watch a TV show or movie and pay attention to how the characters develop, how the plot & subplots develop, etc. So, my family and I discussed these things on the way home. My daughter caught some great foreshadowing that I totally missed and my son pointed out some clever characterization. Kudos to their English teacher for instructing them in such literary elements.

After church and lunch today, Don & I took our usual Sunday afternoon ride on the Goldwing with the River Valley Riders. It was a gorgeous day, and we traveled on roads I didn’t know existed. I learned why bikers wear leather. It has nothing to do with being "cool," but being warm! We also remembered one important fact, albeit too late–the sun sets at 5 p.m. now, not 6. And when the sun goes down on a clear day–it’s COLD!

The fall colors haven’t ventured this far south or west, but during the past month on a trip to northern Arkansas and another to Tennessee, I was able to witness the glory of autumn colors. With the drop in temperatures expected during the coming week, I hope the leaves will color the hills here, too.

Until I post again,
Linda

Word Count–Day 5: 3793 Total: 6487

Most of the main characters have been introduced except the bad guy. He’s been referred to, but we haven’t met him face to face yet. Nighty-night! Linda

The 3-mile Marker

Have you ever witnessed a marathon in person? It’s a very exciting. So is the preparation process–selecting the proper training regimen, the right shoes, acclimating oneself to the location. One of my friends ran a marathon on her 40th birthday. Well, "ran" is stretching it, but she finished–hobbling across the line with a sprained ankle on blister-ridden bare feet.

I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several marathons. One in Yuma, Arizona, and two in Honolulu, Hawaii. Oh, no, not as a RUNNER! Although I’ve known several marathon runners, my participation was as a volunteer. You know, the clipboard bearers at the registration table, the people who pass out the orange juice, and the red-shirted monitors who direct the injured to the First Aid station. Yeah, I’ve done all of that.

While it’s obvious that the most exciting part of watching a marathon is standing at the finish line, the 3-mile marker is a pretty cool place to be, too. The starting line is so packed with people it’s hard to tell who’s running the race and who’s running the show. By the end of mile three, though, the runners have spread out a little. Their endorphins have kicked in by that point, and they’re full of energy, smiling and waving at the crowd. Fatigue, although inevitable in such an event, is still a long way ahead.

In the literary marathon of NaNoWriMo, I’m at the 3-mile marker. I started working on my new WIP (Work in Progress) last night, and things are going well. No sprained wrists or blistered fingers–I’m smiling and waving right now. Life is good. The words are flowing. Fatigue isn’t an issue. The pack has thinned.

Of course, I’m behind the pack since I started over on Day 4. Most folks are at the equivalent of the 6-mile marker or beyond, but I’m full of energy. I’m on my way!

Select All, Delete

Well…not really. Actually, I am starting over, but I did save the 3375 words I’ve typed during the past few days.

Why start over? I just didn’t feel connected with the characters. I guess I didn’t spend enough time getting to know them and attempted to force their story onto the page. I don’t really know. The deeper into the Chick Lit Mystery novel I got, the more I realized it was neither Chick Lit nor Mystery. And all the while, the characters from my notes on a Fantasy novel kept nagging at me. "Let us out!–We’ll help you!"

Hmmm…I’d almost forgotten about that project. So I dug up my notes and found full-page summaries for each of the main characters, a 2-page scene-by-scene spreadsheet, and a 6-page (single-spaced!) synopsis–all of which I worked on last spring and set aside for a day "when I had time to write a novel."

After reading the first few chapters of Chris Baty’s book, No Plot? No Problem, which arrived via UPS today, I decided not only will I probably NEVER have time to write a novel, but that not having the time is a GOOD thing!

The printer’s on the last page of the synopsis. I’m going to browse through it and get going!

Until I post again…

Linda
Day: 4; Word Count: 0

30 Days Hath November

I set my daily NaNoWriMo goal at 2,000 words. Today I have 1773, so I’m not too far off. It’s early yet, 9:39 p.m., so I may be able to bump it up to 2K before bedtime, although I still have to make a trip to Wal-mart.

Beginnings are tough for me. I guess I need to stop by the library sometime and read some first paragraphs. What’s your favorite first line of a book? Give me some inspiration here!

The biggest challenge for me (other than keeping my seat in the seat for 2K words per day) will be to simply write without attempting to change, fix, or edit what I’ve already written. That’s my normal mode of operation, but it hinders the creative process and it halts progress. Participating in NaNoWriMo will help me to focus on just writing. Speaking of participating, have you stopped by my web site to check out my cool NaNoWriMo Participant logo? Come on by: http://www.lindafulkerson.com

I hope everyone plans to vote tomorrow. It’s good to hear about the record number of voters turning out for early voting in various places around the country. I’m pretty much a traditionalist, so I’m waiting for "Election Day" to vote.

Until I post again,
Linda

November is NaNoWriMo

Welcome to National Novel Writing Month, where a group of, well…not really insane, but only slightly wiggling the needle on the normal meter, writers will devote every spare second for 30 days toward the creation of a novel (minimum 50,000 words). Intersted? It’s not too late! Visit http://www.nanowrimo.org for details.

How does one prepare to write a novel? Since I’ve only written one (yet-to-be-published) novel, I’m not really the best person to ask, but I’ll share what I’ve done so far.

1. First–select the genre/sub-genre you’d like to write in. I picked Chick Lit Mystery.
2. Next–get to know your characters. For a mystery, I’ll need a victim (duh!), a killer, a sleuth, and some suspects. In case my masterpiece is released as a high school play some day, I’ll throw in a few more characters to flesh out the cast and give more students the opportunity to get a part. (Both of my teenagers are thespians.) No, actually, a novelist should have a distinct purpose for every character, which hopefully mine do.
3. Then–Decide what the novel is about. Reduce it to one sentence, preferably 25 words or less. Here’s my sentence:
   

   "A cynical photographer returns to the hometown she hoped she’d left behind for
   good and discovers that her estranged brother has been arrested for murder." (25 words exactly–how about that?)

For more about how to plot a novel, try Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. He has graciously posted detailed instructions on his web site: http://www.rsingermanson.com.

I guess I’d better get busy. My daily goal is 2,000 words. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!