I have been in a bit of a writing slump the last couple of weeks and this book has given me new energy to write. I highly recommend it. He has some very good life experiences, and some pointers to help in the writing process. There's alot of wisdom in those pages. He stresses organization(among other things) and that is something I need badly.
Has anyone else read it? If so, do you feel the same?
After several days of pure hell, it becomes second nature.
There is no motivation save that which comes from within.
I'm wondering, TruHero, if you could provide some details as to which parts of Terry Brooks' book helped you. I haven't read his book -- and I don't know if I ever will -- but I'd like to know what gems you found valuable. Thanks.
[This message has been edited by Jerome Vall (edited February 16, 2004).]
I'm not saying that the get the butt in the chair and write approach isn't worthwhile, and ultimately that is what you have to do, but there is a flipside to it. If whatever issue you're having with writing that causes you not to get your but in the chair is not resolved you will end up hating to write.
I find that most of my lack of motivation means I'm just about ready to go to a new level in my writing, that I'm displeased with my work and if I take a breather, read a book (a novel or a book on how to write or whatever) then sooner or later I'm going to get the epiphone I'd been waiting for and be able to write again.
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited February 16, 2004).]
The way to get past the block is realize why you have the block (whether it be poor characterization, etc.), devise a plan, then use the but in chair method.
And Jerome, you're right as well. Motivation comes from within, but that internal strength can be bolstered from outside sources.
[This message has been edited by Phanto (edited February 16, 2004).]
I particularly liked his chapter on the Dreaded "O" word. I found it very helpful in my work. And his story about publishing, which we hungry students pressed for more at the retreat, is a great inspiration. His is a unique story and he credits luck for all his early success. He had the right book at the right time.
As far as motivational writing books, I think we all need a shot in the arm once in a while. Writing can be a discouraging profession and it is nice to read about success and one man's road to it.
Marianne
quote:
If you want to avoid writing yourself into the box of dead ends or out into the desert of poor ideas or off into the wilderness of ill-concidered plot choices, an outline will help
I used to be in Steven Kings camp about not outlining and just letting the story tell itself, (although I don't really like his style). It has somewhat worked for me up to this point. Until I started to attempt a novel length story. Then I started two stories that I thought would turn out great, but due to poor planning they just fizzled. I got lost in some of the things that are mentioned in the quote above.
He talks about an outline, not in the typical sense, but more like a collection of organized thoughts, a blueprint if you will.
quote:(paraphrasing)it take a long time to write a book, not days or weeks, but months or years. That's a long time to remember stuff. Write it down in some recognizable fashion so you can refer to it later.
It gives you a working blueprint to which you can refer to later.
He also mentions that if you do the proper planning up front it will most likely mean less editing down the road. For me that is great advice. I have always had the mindset in my profession that, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!" I just didn't make that connection with writing until now. DUH!
Here is another quote I found interesting, regarding beginnings.
quote:I thought that was intersting after all of the talk about beginnings we throw around on this site.
The single biggest problem with openings is that writers have a tendancy to want to begin at the beginning. But nothing starts at the beginning, at least not since the time of Adam and Eve. So you might as well jump in somewhere interesting as somewhwhere boring, and bring the pieces of the story and its characters together as you go along
These are just a few examples of the book. There are alot of things I could quote but you should get the book and find out for yourself.
It just gave me a good feeling and some much needed motivation. I know in the end it is up to me, but this was the shove I needed at this point in time.
I guess Terry Brooks was just speaking my language, and it felt good to hear it!
Marianne, say hello for me too!
[This message has been edited by TruHero (edited February 16, 2004).]
quote:
When you write a novel, start with a plan—a careful plot outline, some notes to yourself on characters and settings, particular important events, and implications of meaning. In my experience, many young writers hate this step; they’d rather just plunge in. That’s O.K., up to a point, but sooner or later a writer has no choice but to figure out what he’s doing. [Emphasis mine.] Consider doing for yourself what movie people call a “treatment,” a short narrative telling the whole story, introducing all the characters and events but skipping most of the particulars, including dialogue. Carefully studying and revising the treatment until the story has clear inevitability, you will find yourself understanding the story’s implications more fully than you did with just an outline, and you will save yourself time later....The last step before the actual writing may be the chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the plot. It’s here that the writer figures out in detail what information, necessary for understanding later developments, should be working on in Chapter One, what can be slipped into Chapter Three, and so on.
One thing I like about writing a treatment before writing a draft is that it allows me to focus on the two central aspects of writing separately. When I write the treatment, I can focus on coming up with a good story. And when I write the first draft, I can focus on the details that brings life and vividness to the story—those details that make the story seem real. I’ve found that I write a better draft when I know the story beforehand instead of developing the story as I write. And though I haven’t finished my novel, I have a suspicion that I’ll discover new aspects of the story as I work through my first draft.
That reminds me—for those of us who do “write a treatment,” John Gardner also gives additional advise:
quote:
Except in extremely simple novels—novels almost not worth writing, in my opinion—the most careful plan in the world won’t actually work. Things intended for one chapter turn out to take two.... But an inadequate plan is better than none. Writing a novel is like heading out to open sea in a small boat. If you have a plan and a course laid out, that’s helpful. If you drift off course, checking the stars can help you find a new course. If you have no map, no course laid out, sooner or later confusion will make you check the stars.
And this brings me to my last quote—a quote from John Irving’s novel A Widow for One Year. The main character is a writer, and she says:
quote:
A novel is always more complicated than it seems at the beginning. Indeed, a novel should be more complicated than it seems at the beginning.
[This message has been edited by Jerome Vall (edited February 17, 2004).]
Did Terry Brooks really write this?
"...to which you can refer to.."???
That is pretty poor. Not that I am the world's greatest grammarian, but that just stuck out like a sore thumb.
I will check out the book for motivation (I like the author and the ideas presented here), but obviously I will stick to my other grammar books for technical help. =)
your outline might not be sufficient. You might be forced to reconsider everything.
I read somewhere (can't remember where unfortunately) that you should treat an outline like signposts on a roadtrip. You'll generally follow them if you want to get to the end, but that shouldn't stop you investigating detours along the way, or presumably finding another destination altogether.