Category Archives: Voice

GREAT WRITERS ON THE ART OF FICTION, edited by James Daley

Posted on May 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

The title says it all.  GREAT WRITERS ON THE ART OF FICTION:  FROM MARK TWAIN TO JOYCE CAROL OATES  is a book I’ve wished existed for several years now.  Imagine my joy when I discovered that James Daley had edited together a collection of essays by famous 19th & 20th century writers from North America and Great Britain.  I consider the book a major bargain at a cover price of only $8.95 from Dover Publications.

The list of writers in the book reads like a who’s who:  Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Kate Chopin, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Willa Cather, Sinclair Lewis, Mark Twain, Raymond Chandler, Eudora Welty, Kurt Vonnegut, Raymond Carver, Wallace Stegner, John Irving, Joyce Carol Oates, and Margaret Atwood.

This is not a “how to” book on writing.  It’s more a broad survey about what famous writers in North America and Great Britain have thought about the art of writing over the last two hundred years.  The essays vary from simple advice to new writers, to complex analyses of style.   So each reader will find that a different set of essays appeal most to him or her.  There is something here for everyone–no matter where they are in their journey as a writer.

For me on my first reading of the book, Sinclair Lewis’ “How I Wrote A Novel On The Train And Beside The Kitchen Sink” was the one that spoke strongest to me this time.   I am glad I purchased this book so that I can reread this essay at my leisure.    I’ll share a sample, but I encourage reading the entire essay to savor Lewis’ acerbic commentary.

…”I think my present life is intolerably dull, and I do want to write.”

“Very well then, I’ll tell you the trick.  You have to do only one thing: Make black marks on white paper.  That little detail of writing is one that is neglected by almost all the aspirants I meet.”

He–and especially she–is horribly disappointed by my cynicism.  He–and often she–finds nothing interesting in making marks on paper.  What he, she, it, they, and sometimes W and Y, want to do is to sit dreaming purple visions, and have them automatically appear: (1) on a manuscript; (2) on a check from the editor.  So he, and the rest of the pronouns, usually finds the same clever excuse:

“But I simply can’t seem to find the time…”

Mr. Lewis then goes on, in a blunt manner, to demonstrate the inherent weakness of this excuse.  As far as he’s concerned, one needs only 1 hour day of writing, six days a week, to get started as a writer.   And if one can’t get an hour, then seize whatever is available, even if it’s only 15 minutes a day.    For the writer who writes 15 minutes a day, gets far ahead of the wanna-be writer who does zero.

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Posted in Business of writing, Craft of writing, History of writing, Learning the craft of writing, Psychology of writing, Submissions block, Voice, Writer's block, Writers on Writing Links

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Malcolm Gladwell on “The 10,000-Hour Rule” in OUTLIERS: THE STORY OF SUCCESS

Posted on April 25, 2010 | 1 Comment

I just finished Malcolm Gladwell’s OUTLIERS: THE STORY OF SUCCESS after buying it few days ago.  I’d intended to just read a chapter a week, but instead I raced through it, unwilling to stop.  There were so many “Aha!” moments that I had to keep on going until I finished the entire thing.

For this post, I’m just going to focus on a chapter critical to new writers, Chapter 2, “The 10,000-Hour Rule.”   This chapter clarified something that I’ve been noticing subconsciously in the successful fiction writers I’ve been met over the past few years.  And by successful I mean fiction writers with over 15+ years of being published, who make a living at their fiction writing.   It also ties in with Bradbury’s advice in ZEN AND THE ART OF WRITING about writing 1,000-2,000 words/day.

Here’s what I consider a critical quote to consider:

The striking thing about Ericsson’s study is that he and his colleagues couldn’t find any “naturals,” musicians who floated effortlessly to the top while practicing a fraction of the time their peers did.  Nor could they find any “grinds,” people who worked harder than everyone else, yet just didn’t have what it takes to break the top ranks.  Their research suggests that once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works.”

When I read this paragraph, I got excited.   It means that even if I never sell what I’m currently working on (or the past works I wrote), the experience counts.    It’s not wasted effort–as long as I set a goal with each piece to practice a writing skill like setting, characterization, POV, plot, etc.

Another key point:

…researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise:  ten thousand hours.

This ties in with Bradbury (and other writers’ ) urging to practice 1,000-2,000 words/day, six-seven days a week.   Like any other art form, there are hours of practice to be put in to get adept at fiction writing.

So to rack up those hours, if one worked 20 hour/week for 50 weeks a year, one would hit 10,000 hours in 10 years.

Feeling restless?  Then go up to 30 hour/week for 50 weeks a year, and one hits 10,000 hours in about 6.7 years.

And so 40 hour/week for 50 weeks a year will get one to 10,000 hours in 5 years.

Crunching these numbers explained to me why I’ve felt driven (to the point of obsession) lately to free up more writing time.  I didn’t know about the 10,000-hour rule, but I knew I wanted to devote more time to writing each day.   Now I know what’s fueling this driven itchy feeling I get when I don’t get my daily writing time in.

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Posted in Craft of writing, Learning the craft of writing, Psychology of writing, Voice

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Ray Bradbury’s ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING

Posted on February 8, 2010 | Comments Off

The strength of Ray Bradbury’s ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING: ESSAYS ON CREATIVITY is the insight he provides into the art and psychology of being a writer.  This is not a how-to-write or how-to-get-published book, and if you go into it with those expectations you will be disappointed.

Bradbury talks about his own journey as an artist, and provides advice on how to keep the writing muse alive and happy.  Whenever I feel blah as a writer, I find picking up this book and reading an essay or two shakes me out of it quickly.  Here’s what he has to say about the joy of writing:

…if you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer.  It means you are so busy keeping one eye on the commercial market, or one ear peeled for the avant-garde coterie, that you are not being yourself.  You don’t even know yourself.  For the first thing a writer should be is–excited.

He also makes the best argument I’ve read (and I’ve read way too many writing craft books) for why it’s important to write a thousand words per day:

Quantity gives experience.  From experience alone can quality come.

All arts, big and small, are the elimination of waste motion in favor of  the concise declaration.

The artist learns what to leave out.

The surgeon knows how to go directly to the source of trouble, how to avoid wasted time and complications.

The athlete learns how to conserve power and apply it now here, now there, how to utilize this muscle, rather than that.

Is the writer different?  I think not.

Bradbury also provides wonderful advice for brainstorming story ideas, but you’ll have to read the book to find out about that (look for the essay “Run Fast, Stand Still…”).

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Posted in Craft of writing, Learning the craft of writing, Psychology of writing, Voice

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Pushcart’s COMPLETE ROTTEN REVIEWS AND REJECTIONS

Posted on January 14, 2010 | Comments Off

I think what I love most about Pushcart’s COMPLETE ROTTEN REVIEWS AND REJECTIONS, edited by Bill Henderson & Andre Bernard, is that it lifts the veil of mystery between writers and the publishing world, and shows us just how human we are all are despite our attempts to become omniscient.   Mistakes get made.  Critics and editors get cranky and misunderstand an important book.  Writers insult other writers.

Any writer who is feeling timorous about submitting his or her work should consider reading this book.  Reading the nasty reviews and rejections other writers have received was an excellent antidote for self-pity.  The book also provides a peek into history, since Bill Henderson made an effort to include rotten reviews going as far back as 411 BC.

I don’t want to spoil the fun of what is inside, so instead I’ll quote from the back cover:

…Alice in Wonderland was greeted with “a stiff overwrought story.”  Reviews of Moby Dick cited Melville for “tragic-comic bubble and squeak.”  Classic rejection slips were delivered to John Le Carre’s The Spy Who Came In from the Cold: “You’re welcome to Le Carre–he hasn’t got any future,” and Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita: “I recommend that it be buried under a stone for a thousand years,”…

My one gripe is that the book has no index, and since the excerpts are not arranged chronologically or alphabetically, I have to randomly flip around to find the author or quote I’m looking for.

This book combines the three separate Pushcart editions of ROTTEN REVIEWS, ROTTEN REVIEWS II, and ROTTEN REJECTIONS.  So you’re getting three books for the price of one.  A great bargain.

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Posted in Agents, Business of writing, Craft of writing, Editors, History of writing, Psychology of writing, Publishers, Submissions block, Voice, Writer's block

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National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

Posted on November 4, 2009 | Comments Off

It’s National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo.  If you have writer’s block or trouble with an internal editor voice that interferes with your writing a first draft, this month-long activity can be a fun way to deal with it.

Participants are encouraged to write 50,000 words or more in one month.

Out of curiosity I went to the website to see if one can register after November 1st, and registration is open.   So if you want to try it this year, you still can.

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Janet and Isaac Asimov on HOW TO ENJOY WRITING

Posted on July 18, 2009 | Comments Off

I stumbled across a hardback edition of Janet and Isaac Asimov’s HOW TO ENJOY WRITING: A BOOK OF AID AND COMFORT (published 1987) at a used bookstore.  The book is out-of-print, so you’ll have to buy a used copy or go to a library if you wish to read it.

This book is not written for beginners.  It does not discuss how to write science fiction or how to get published.  Readers will get more out of it if they’ve been writing for a few years and have a basic understanding of the publishing industry.  Janet Asimov chooses to focus on the psychological aspects of writing (which makes sense since she was trained in psychiatry).   The writing style of the book reminds me of long rambling talks with a favorite academic adviser.  If you don’t enjoy chatty talks, you’ll probably get restless reading this book.

Despite having read many books on writing, I found fresh insights in Chapter 3:  Coping, Ch. 5 : What Writers Go Through, Ch. 8: Words vs. Pictures, and Ch. 16: Integrity.  Here’s some advice Isaac Asimov gave a young writer from Ch. 3:

And most of all, to be a writer means to write whether there is any reward or not.   That is why a writer finds it so difficult to overcome the feeling of annoyance at any interference with his writing whether from a friend, from an editor, or even a person whom he loves above all else….

Write for the pleasure of writing only, and never think of whether of what you write is “good” or “bad.”  Do you wonder whether the echo of your footsteps is good or bad, whether the blink of your eye is good or bad?  Writing is a bodily function for a writer and it is what it is.

It may be wise to give up the illusion of being a famous writer, a renowned writer–but it is never an illusion to think of being just a writer….

ISAAC  (at the top of his voice):  Please don’t help me!  Happiness is doing it lousy yourself.

For over a century, the publishing industry has debated if books will disappear due to each new development in the entertainment industry (vaudeville, radio, movies, VCRs, video games, internet, etc.).  In Ch. 8 Words vs. Pictures, Isaac Asimov talks about this debate in depth.  Even though the chapter is over twenty years old, he brings valuable insights to share about writing as a form of communication in human history: 1) writing has been around for thousands of years and still provides a way to get certain information across that no other form can, and 2) the percentage of humans who are intense readers has been, and probably always will be, small–but those readers are loyal.  I’d rather not summarize his arguments here; better to go read the chapter to get his thoughts straight from him.

Their book also has cartoons about writing done by Sidney Harris.  My favorite is the one about Hemingway’s dog meeting Faulkner’s dog.  :)

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Posted in Business of writing, Craft of writing, Editors, Ethics, Psychology of writing, Voice, Writer's block

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SCBWI Master Class DVD Series on Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books

Posted on May 21, 2009 | Comments Off

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) has released two DVDs in their Master Class series.  I’ve found that people often have the misconception that writing for children is easier than for adults.  It’s the opposite.  Kids won’t put up with confusing or boring writing.   And the shorter the book, the more every word counts, just like in poetry.

Each Master Class DVD involves an in-depth interview on a topic about writing and/or illustrating children’s books with a foremost artist in the field. So, for the topic of “On Creating the Picture Book,” illustrator & writer Tomie dePaola is interviewed. For “On Writing the Novel for Young Readers,” writer Richard Peck is interviewed.

The interviewer is SCBWI Executive Director  Lin Oliver, and her professional experience as a writer herself makes listening in on her talks with dePaola and Peck fascinating.  She asks questions that artists often long to ask other artists.

These DVDs are called “Master Class” for a reason, for they are in-depth interviews about craft.  If you don’t already know the basic craft terminology like point-of-view and plot arc, you may find yourself confused at points.  The interviews go quickly and cover a lot of ground.

For those who don’t know, Tomie dePaola has over 200 books to his credit as illustrator and/or writer.  He has earned both Newbery and Caldecott Honor Awards.  During the interview he and Oliver get into a wonderful discussion about how to develop and harness one’s creativity, and the dangers of ignoring a creative gift.

Richard Peck is a writer who has been awarded a Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal.  He has also been the first writer for young readers given a National Humanities Medal.   His interview includes an intense discussion on characterization and setting and their importance in the novel.

So if you want to write for children, I highly recommend these two DVDs.

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Posted in Craft of writing, Interviews with Writers, Voice, Writers on Writing Links

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Scott McCloud’s MAKING COMICS

Posted on April 1, 2009 | Comments Off

Even though I don’t write for comics, reading Scott McCloud’s MAKING COMICS: STORYTELLING SECRETS OF COMICS, MANGA AND GRAPHIC NOVELS (ISBN 0-06-078094-0) was a joy.  I can see why it won the Quill Award in 2006 for best graphic novel, and is becoming a “must read” classroom text for those entering this field.

Sometimes the best way to approach our own medium with fresh eyes is to explore the mediums of others.  McCloud goes into great depth about the issues and artistic challenges of planning, framing, drawing, inking, and finishing a comic.   He also discusses writing for comics, though mostly in the context of how words and pictures can interact in different ways to tell a story.

People who want to write picture books could get a lot out of reading this graphic novel.  He discusses in Chapter 3 (The Power of Words) mistakes made by writers and artists when they try to collaborate on a work, and I’ve seen the same problems crop up between writers and illustrators on picture book projects.

Reading this also reminded me that whatever the artistic field one is in, there are always difficulties with craft, voice, storytelling, and interpretation.  Writing is not the only field with “literary” pitted against “commercial.”   I’d like to quote from Chapter Six where McCloud talks about voice since this issue is universal for all artists:

If I had the good sense to write an ordinary how-to book, this would be the chapter where I explain how to “choose a style that’s right for you.”

But style isn’t really something you can choose off-the-shelf like a scarf or a pair of socks.  Its roots go deeper than that.  And you don’t always “choose” your style.   Sometimes it chooses YOU.

“Style” usually describes surface details like line quality, a way of drawing faces or one’s use of dialogue.  But mannerisms like that are just byproducts of artists’ attempt to present the world as they see it–and to capture the aspects of comics that may have captivated them as readers.

Behind that struggle lies their fundamental outlook on life and art–a statement of their passions and priorities–an echo of the times and places they’ve come from–and a signpost to where they want their chosen art form to take them.

Lastly, I’d like to point out that the above quote leaves out important information because the pictures have been stripped away.  This is book that teaches by “show, don’t tell,” and so both pictures and text are needed to understand fully what is being taught.

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Elizabeth Berg’s ESCAPING INTO THE OPEN–A Great Beginner’s Guide to Writing

Posted on March 19, 2009 | Comments Off

Take a moment and try to remember how it felt when you decided you wanted to try writing fiction by yourself for the first time.   You don’t know anything about point-of-view, story and character arcs, acts and beats, query letters and synopses, etcetera.   You had no experience with conferences or critique groups.  Everything about fiction writing was new and strange.

Elizabeth Berg’s ESCAPING INTO THE OPEN: The Art of Writing True (ISBN 978-0-06-092929-9) is a great book for those making their first tottering steps on the road of writing.   It’s the book I recommend to people who’ve expressed an interest in doing fiction writing, but have no clue where to start.

What I love most about the book are the chapters on voice (Ch. 3 ), writing exercises (Ch. 4 ), and writing with passion (ch. 5).   The book gets the reader writing on a regular basis–which is half the battle right there, since writers must write in order to get better at their craft.  I’ve seen new writers get distracted in reading too many books and sitting in too many lectures, and not doing enough writing.  I’ve been guilty of getting distracted myself, and this book got me back on track.

If you’re a more experienced fiction writer, most of the book will be “old news” to you.  However, I think Ch. 3 & 4 & 5 still have advice and guidance useful to the semi-pro (which is probably why they’re my favorites).  Struggles with voice never go away.   Here’s a favorite quote from Ch. 3 In Your Own Words:

I believe that one of your most important jobs as a writer is to be true to yourself, to honor your own notions of what you believe is important to your life and to that of others….I’m sure you’ve heard, countless times, “Write what you know.”  I would change that to “Write what you love.”  The knowledge can be learned; the passion can’t be–it’s either there or it isn’t.

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Posted in Business of writing, Craft of writing, Editors, Markets, Psychology of writing, Publishers, Submissions block, Voice, Writer's block

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Interviews with Ray Bradbury, Anne Lamott, and more

Posted on February 5, 2009 | Comments Off

I was exploring YouTube, feeling a bit of self-pity over not having the money to go to various out-of-state writer’s conferences this year, and discovered an amazing collection of recorded interviews and speeches done at the yearly writer’s conference “Writer’s Symposium by the Sea” run by Point Loma Nazarene University.

The symposium has recordings of two of my favorite writers, Ray Bradbury and Anne Lamott.  I’ve always longed to go to a writer’s conference to hear them speak about the craft of writing (I have their advice books on writing).   I felt like a huge present had just been dropped in my lap.

Here’s a link to the speech by Ray Bradbury, the interview with Ray Bradbury, and the interview with Anne Lamott at YouTube.

You can use search terms like “Writer’s Symposium by the Sea” or “Point Loma Nazarene University” to try and find out what is out there.  So far I’ve discovered talks by: Anne Lamott, Ray Bradbury, Donald Miller, Barbara Bradley, Bill Moyers, Gary Hart, Phillip Yancey, Gay Talese, Peter Matthiessen, George Plimpton, and more.

Good luck exploring!

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Posted in Craft of writing, Interviews with Writers, Speeches by writers, Voice, Writers on Writing Links

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