What you gonna do do after dark?
First: share my music. Chicks and Dicks - Junior Senior
I'm a bit behind the meme-curve, but I think this one is actually useful. If by useful I mean all about me and how I write:
1. There's an awful lot you can teach yourself by reading how-to-write books. When I first started writing fiction, back in the Dawn of Time, I went a bit crazy reading books about the nuts and bolts of things. I'd never really noticed, for example, how dialogue was put together, where the commas went, the bit about not going apeshit over alternates for "said." You don't need a real live beta for this kind of advice, and if you're serious about writing at any level, go get some books on how to do the basic stuff.
2. There's an awful lot you can teach yourself by reading other novels. If you want to learn how to write good fiction, really look, and look hard, at how your favorite fiction authors do it. My own personal favorite writer is John le Carre, so I've reread his stuff countless times. How he sets a scene. How his characters talk. How he moves from plot point to plot point. That scene in Delicate Sound of Thunder where Draco is confronted for the first time by Carr and Macumber? Pure le Carre. It was deliberate. My own self-driven homework.
3. Writing scientific papers is not at all like writing fiction. This won't even be a pertinent point for 99% of you. I picked up great techniques to churn out professional scientific papers that are horrid albatrosses (albatrossi?) for a fiction writer. For years, I've assembled papers in random order - oh, I think I'll gin up table 3 today, and I'll stuff that in.... The introduction is always the last thing I write. But I've pulled those habits into my fiction writing, which means I write the scenes non-linearly. This is fun for me but horrible for any kind of continuity in my writing. My poor betas need to watch for me forgetting to lay down an important clue, or else mentioning it three times. The prologue for Delicate Sound of Thunder was the last thing I wrote. Bet you didn't notice... God, I hope you didn't notice.
4. Having someone praise your writing is nice. Having someone seriously critique it, while harder on the ol' ego, is far better. Okay, I admit this: I cry sometimes over my fic. Did you think it was easy for me? Bollocks! I really screw up scenes, more than you'll ever see. So I've gone out of my way to find other writers who will tell me so before you all read it. And I'll sob into my wine for an hour after I get their reviews back, then I'll go and rewrite that scene, because I want them to know I can do better! Yes, I can! I know it, and more importantly, they know it.
5. Rewriting is more fun that writing, at least for me. I spend at least 50% of my time rewriting scenes. Looking for better word choices. Making my dialogue sound more like real people talking and less like some scientist pontificating. Hammering my theme home. Taking out the sermonizing. Making the scenes balance - do I have too many "talking head" scenes in a row? Too many of one character's POV in sequence? That broom chase scene in A Thousand Beautiful Things was added simply because I had a string of static scenes in a row. I think it's a cool scene, but I'd never have put it in if I hadn't reread and reread what came before and after.
6. I write far better fic if I'm trying to please myself. Here's a funny thing: when polls ask to list my favorite stories, I lie. Otherwise you'll think I'm conceited because my own stuff is high up on my own list of favorites, and why not? I write my favorite characters, my own kinks, and my preferred themes. I will pick up my own stories when I'm bored for a reread, and I like them. Why shouldn't I? They're tailor-made for me! If you try to write for strangers, you'll be left bitter, because the unspoken rule of fandom is that people don't let you know how they feel. A few do; most don't. If you're trying to please the crowd, you'll really notice the silence. So don't chase someone else's dream. Write for you, and you'll be pleasantly surprised to find you're not alone.
[ETA] - This doesn't mean I don't write for challenges - I do. I just work within the conditions given to me until I find an approach I can enjoy, too. I'd never have written mpreg if I hadn't been assigned it -- it's not really my cup of tea -- so I tossed around plots until I came up with one I liked and that I thought suited my style.
7. There's a world of difference between writing and being a published writer. Being a published writer means running a business. This was a huge error I made in my first fandom, over 20 years ago. I know you've heard it: you're such a good writer, you should write your own stuff and sell it - you're that good! Just one problem: that kind of writing is a business. This is so important, I'm going to repeat it a third time: it's a business. Writing for fun is not the same as writing for a living. And it's okay if you don't want to run a business. I like sex and I like to think I'm good at it, but I don't want to be a professional (old joke). Some of you will want to write professionally. Many of you are good enough. Yes, you are! But the last time I tried, I found my desire to write withering under the relentless other of dealing with an agent, documenting my expenses for taxes, and selling my stuff. I have another job at the moment; I don't need to take on another. But for me, this fact stands out: the quality of writing doesn't depend on whether or not you're being paid for it.
8. Know your strengths. One of my strengths is writing is clear and compelling plot that expresses a theme. Every one of my stories has a theme: betrayal and forgiveness, duty and generosity, guilt and action... see? I focus on having the plot express the theme in the best way I know how, and the rest is gravy. Maybe your skill is tone and dialogue. Or creating characters we can identify with. I think it's so important to figure out what it is you do well. And then do it.
9. Rules may be made to be broken, but only for a damn good reason. One of my newest tasks at work is as copy editor. And I had to chew on my tongue to avoid a stupid argument with another scientist this week when he said, "There are really no writing rules." I know that "Bullshit!" wouldn't have gotten me very far with him, but oh, how I was thinking that.
You can only violate rules if you first understand them. If your POV (point-of-view) wanders among your characters within one scene, you'd better be intent on pushing the boundaries of state-of-the-art writing to fulfill your theme or uniquely prove your point or get your message across. If you're only doing it because you don't know better, it's obvious, you've lost me, and I'm out of there. Sorry.
10. WIPs are good for the writer. I don't think they are good for the story. This might be my only controversial item. Should I go into the disclaimers: your mileage may vary; this could work for you; why should you give a rat's ass/arse what I say... Said. But when you post a WIP, you are using your readers as betas. First, do you trust their abilities? Second, will you resist their desires? Third, and probably most critical, will you be able to edit the earlier stuff to benefit the story? In my experience, unless the WIP is written under certain controlled conditions, the story suffers. And I understand the temptation. Feedback is a powerful motivator. No one can be faulted for looking for some kind of reception from an audience, which can be spotty at best. And I know of several authors who have written WIPs that are terrific. So, no hard and fast rules exist. But my experience suggests that 80% of the stories I've read that were WIPs would have been much better released as completed stories. It's usually better to add more beta readers for feedback. I can only conclude: I don't think my stories benefit from being posted as a WIP, so I shall not do it.
Bonus # 11: No matter how good you are, someone out there will think you are the worst thing to happen to fanfic. This is hard to accept. No one likes to be dismissed. Back when I was a new HP writer, someone thought I needed a hatefic thread about my fanfic, and there was no lack of participation in it. And it hurt, no matter how much I try to write to please myself. But to balance that are people who tell me that I made them love fandom because of something I wrote. I know that even if I dropped off the face of the earth tomorrow, my stories will continue to be read and enjoyed by new fans. And that's such a thrill! Isn't that why I'm sharing my writing with you? Yeah!
I'm a bit behind the meme-curve, but I think this one is actually useful. If by useful I mean all about me and how I write:
1. There's an awful lot you can teach yourself by reading how-to-write books. When I first started writing fiction, back in the Dawn of Time, I went a bit crazy reading books about the nuts and bolts of things. I'd never really noticed, for example, how dialogue was put together, where the commas went, the bit about not going apeshit over alternates for "said." You don't need a real live beta for this kind of advice, and if you're serious about writing at any level, go get some books on how to do the basic stuff.
2. There's an awful lot you can teach yourself by reading other novels. If you want to learn how to write good fiction, really look, and look hard, at how your favorite fiction authors do it. My own personal favorite writer is John le Carre, so I've reread his stuff countless times. How he sets a scene. How his characters talk. How he moves from plot point to plot point. That scene in Delicate Sound of Thunder where Draco is confronted for the first time by Carr and Macumber? Pure le Carre. It was deliberate. My own self-driven homework.
3. Writing scientific papers is not at all like writing fiction. This won't even be a pertinent point for 99% of you. I picked up great techniques to churn out professional scientific papers that are horrid albatrosses (albatrossi?) for a fiction writer. For years, I've assembled papers in random order - oh, I think I'll gin up table 3 today, and I'll stuff that in.... The introduction is always the last thing I write. But I've pulled those habits into my fiction writing, which means I write the scenes non-linearly. This is fun for me but horrible for any kind of continuity in my writing. My poor betas need to watch for me forgetting to lay down an important clue, or else mentioning it three times. The prologue for Delicate Sound of Thunder was the last thing I wrote. Bet you didn't notice... God, I hope you didn't notice.
4. Having someone praise your writing is nice. Having someone seriously critique it, while harder on the ol' ego, is far better. Okay, I admit this: I cry sometimes over my fic. Did you think it was easy for me? Bollocks! I really screw up scenes, more than you'll ever see. So I've gone out of my way to find other writers who will tell me so before you all read it. And I'll sob into my wine for an hour after I get their reviews back, then I'll go and rewrite that scene, because I want them to know I can do better! Yes, I can! I know it, and more importantly, they know it.
5. Rewriting is more fun that writing, at least for me. I spend at least 50% of my time rewriting scenes. Looking for better word choices. Making my dialogue sound more like real people talking and less like some scientist pontificating. Hammering my theme home. Taking out the sermonizing. Making the scenes balance - do I have too many "talking head" scenes in a row? Too many of one character's POV in sequence? That broom chase scene in A Thousand Beautiful Things was added simply because I had a string of static scenes in a row. I think it's a cool scene, but I'd never have put it in if I hadn't reread and reread what came before and after.
6. I write far better fic if I'm trying to please myself. Here's a funny thing: when polls ask to list my favorite stories, I lie. Otherwise you'll think I'm conceited because my own stuff is high up on my own list of favorites, and why not? I write my favorite characters, my own kinks, and my preferred themes. I will pick up my own stories when I'm bored for a reread, and I like them. Why shouldn't I? They're tailor-made for me! If you try to write for strangers, you'll be left bitter, because the unspoken rule of fandom is that people don't let you know how they feel. A few do; most don't. If you're trying to please the crowd, you'll really notice the silence. So don't chase someone else's dream. Write for you, and you'll be pleasantly surprised to find you're not alone.
[ETA] - This doesn't mean I don't write for challenges - I do. I just work within the conditions given to me until I find an approach I can enjoy, too. I'd never have written mpreg if I hadn't been assigned it -- it's not really my cup of tea -- so I tossed around plots until I came up with one I liked and that I thought suited my style.
7. There's a world of difference between writing and being a published writer. Being a published writer means running a business. This was a huge error I made in my first fandom, over 20 years ago. I know you've heard it: you're such a good writer, you should write your own stuff and sell it - you're that good! Just one problem: that kind of writing is a business. This is so important, I'm going to repeat it a third time: it's a business. Writing for fun is not the same as writing for a living. And it's okay if you don't want to run a business. I like sex and I like to think I'm good at it, but I don't want to be a professional (old joke). Some of you will want to write professionally. Many of you are good enough. Yes, you are! But the last time I tried, I found my desire to write withering under the relentless other of dealing with an agent, documenting my expenses for taxes, and selling my stuff. I have another job at the moment; I don't need to take on another. But for me, this fact stands out: the quality of writing doesn't depend on whether or not you're being paid for it.
8. Know your strengths. One of my strengths is writing is clear and compelling plot that expresses a theme. Every one of my stories has a theme: betrayal and forgiveness, duty and generosity, guilt and action... see? I focus on having the plot express the theme in the best way I know how, and the rest is gravy. Maybe your skill is tone and dialogue. Or creating characters we can identify with. I think it's so important to figure out what it is you do well. And then do it.
9. Rules may be made to be broken, but only for a damn good reason. One of my newest tasks at work is as copy editor. And I had to chew on my tongue to avoid a stupid argument with another scientist this week when he said, "There are really no writing rules." I know that "Bullshit!" wouldn't have gotten me very far with him, but oh, how I was thinking that.
You can only violate rules if you first understand them. If your POV (point-of-view) wanders among your characters within one scene, you'd better be intent on pushing the boundaries of state-of-the-art writing to fulfill your theme or uniquely prove your point or get your message across. If you're only doing it because you don't know better, it's obvious, you've lost me, and I'm out of there. Sorry.
10. WIPs are good for the writer. I don't think they are good for the story. This might be my only controversial item. Should I go into the disclaimers: your mileage may vary; this could work for you; why should you give a rat's ass/arse what I say... Said. But when you post a WIP, you are using your readers as betas. First, do you trust their abilities? Second, will you resist their desires? Third, and probably most critical, will you be able to edit the earlier stuff to benefit the story? In my experience, unless the WIP is written under certain controlled conditions, the story suffers. And I understand the temptation. Feedback is a powerful motivator. No one can be faulted for looking for some kind of reception from an audience, which can be spotty at best. And I know of several authors who have written WIPs that are terrific. So, no hard and fast rules exist. But my experience suggests that 80% of the stories I've read that were WIPs would have been much better released as completed stories. It's usually better to add more beta readers for feedback. I can only conclude: I don't think my stories benefit from being posted as a WIP, so I shall not do it.
Bonus # 11: No matter how good you are, someone out there will think you are the worst thing to happen to fanfic. This is hard to accept. No one likes to be dismissed. Back when I was a new HP writer, someone thought I needed a hatefic thread about my fanfic, and there was no lack of participation in it. And it hurt, no matter how much I try to write to please myself. But to balance that are people who tell me that I made them love fandom because of something I wrote. I know that even if I dropped off the face of the earth tomorrow, my stories will continue to be read and enjoyed by new fans. And that's such a thrill! Isn't that why I'm sharing my writing with you? Yeah!