Find an Author and Stick with their Books for a While

If you go crazy for one book from an author, go crazy with the rest of the author's books! The more you read for one author, the more you will impress their style into our writing. Of course you don't want their writing style to take over yours, but take what elements you enjoy from an author's writing.

Right now, I am on a Ray Bradbury craze. After reading Fahrenheit 451, I am inspired to start my third novel as a science fiction book. And, read all of Bradbury's work!

Importance of Theme

Be themed. And by that, I mean choosing symbolism, archetypes, and personalities for stories. Get in the mood of your story. Every story is a new world, and to understand that world as a writer and a reader, one must grasp the mood with intensity.

A great little article on themes:

http://menwithpens.ca/fiction-writing-story-theme/

Reasons to Write

People get into writing for many reasons.

1) Make money
2) Get Fame
3) Enjoy words and language
4) Therapy
5) Entertainment

and the list can go on. But even if we attain fame and money from our writing, what should be our stance on our writing? It should be that we love doing it!

What to Put on Paper

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.  
~Toni Morrison


Write what you want to read. Don't try hard to impress people. Imagine and know what you want to read, and put that on paper. 

Promotion of Your Work

Promote yourself like mad if you want to be a published author. Even mediocre writers have got success in publishing by pressing their advertisement of their work. If you are phenomenal writer, but don't have any real contacts or publicity, your work will rarely get read.

Writers these days have to be half business and half pleasure. Although an agent and a publisher helps, it is good to know business and marketing so that you don't get cheated. You want to be able to understand what your contracts mean, and what your book marketing is all about. When you are writing, write for the enjoyment of it. But after the writing, you have to consider how to sell it. Art is enjoyment, but its result, to put it in the hands of public, is an entirely different realm that we should try to understand.

Inner Editor

Whew! It has been a while since I wrote a post here. I guess I have been enamored by the new novel that I am writing.

In  reference to the art of novel writing, I'll write a little about our inner editor. When we are writing our first draft, what is important is the ideas we get down. When we get in the momentum of writing, ideas naturally flow. If we begin to edit, the flow if ideas stop. Editing is assigned to the second draft. So, remind yourself constantly, until it becomes customary - your inner editor needs to take a rest during the first draft.

To learn more about writing in the flow, read this article: http://www.bunnyape.com/writing_in_flow.htm

Read as Much as You Write

Learn as much by writing as by reading.
- Lord Action

Read as much as you write. Any writer who says that they don't read that much is not a true writer.

Read for the study of writing, to see what you can take from other authors' styles and ideas. You need not copy the author's style, but getting impressions of other's work in your writing is a healthy thing.

While writing a novel, read a novel. While writing poetry, read poetry. To be surrounded by the words of the masters in important.

Get Into the Flow

Do not let any record company disturb your creative flow. You are not writing for the record company. You're writing for the public. 
- Grandmaster Flash 


Get in the flow. The most productive writing is when we are in the flow - when you don't want to stop writing, even if you are going to be late to work.


To get into the flow, as we know, is not that easy. But there are some things we can do to guide ourselves to that point:


1. Vie for a distraction-less environment. The less distractions, the more chance you have to get in the flow.


2. Your favorite music can help, but make it a long playlist or an album so that you don't have to keep changing the songs. 


3. Before you sit down to write, make sure you have covered your essentials - water, any break you needed, notes for your story etc.


With these three things, a writer can have a better chance to get into the flow. 

Don't Limit Your Writing to One Genre

"The best style is the style you don't notice."
~Somerset Maugham


If we are limited to one genre, we limit the incorporation of other styles into our writing. To be a well-rounded writer, writing in many genres aids us to see the many ways to express a single idea. Like a writer's toolbox, knowing the various styles of writing compliments specific topics. If we limit our style, we might not do justice to our characters, scene, or the readers. Some stories beg to be a short story instead of a novel, or a subject would be better as a poem instead of short story. Having this discretion is an essential factor between a "good" writer and an "excellent" one. 

Rant!

Learn the art of ranting. When I read the book, All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, I understood what power delving into one topic has on a reader. It is like a microscope into the interesting details of a characters life, history, and personal subtlety. It enhances the style of our writing - it brings out the more natural and charismatic elements.

Let yourself go as a writer sometimes. Let what you want to say appear on the page. Let the reader know your style in its rawest form and the characters in their depth.