These are the Kindle Notes from the book On Being a Writer by Stephen Faulds
On Writer's Block
When the brain becomes attuned to engaging in a particular way at a particular time, the result is continuity, the antidote to writer’s block. If you write at the same time each day you can pick up the thread of your narrative almost instantly. In a very short time you can develop the habit of writing effectively for every minute you are at your desk.
==========
Writer’s Block is not just being unable to write; it is doubting that what you write is any good; it is writing and deleting; it is wondering if your story is worth telling, or if you have a story at all.
==========
Writer’s block is like muscle cramp.
==========
Writer’s block comes from the irrational fear of being unable to write.
==========
Time to let the story go where it wants to go, formerly known as writer’s block.
==========
Writer’s Block is a lack of faith in the connection between conscious and subconscious when the conscious mind struggles in vain to create without the raw material of subconscious ideas.
==========
Writer’s Block is just, not knowing where to look next. It can become a state of mind. Take a risk. Introduce a new character or make something disastrous happen. It takes movement to free a blockage.
==========
On Writing
Writing begins with a love of reading.
==========
Sometimes words flow, sometimes they drip. The writing process is one of constant adjustment to the supply of words. I have stared at single sentences for hours
==========
I have never written a novel that was fully realized in the planning and drafting. There are always surprises.
==========
I write every morning before breakfast. On weekdays, that means getting up at five am.
==========
When I am not actually writing I am recording words in my memory to describe what I see, hear and feel.
==========
On Characterization
My characters often begin with people I know but usually evolve very quickly into people I have never met.
==========
Character voice is the most important part of my story writing. When I hear my characters speak I can clearly visualize them.
==========
I get to know my characters by what they do.
==========
A physical description of a character sometimes gets in the way of the reader visualizing the person for themselves.
==========
On maintaining journals
In my journals, I reflect on my dreams, my thoughts and my life. I write them for myself. I have dozens of volumes and it is unlikely anyone else will ever read them.
==========
All writers should keep journals. Writing without purpose, reflecting spontaneously without trying to shape the outcome is therapy for the working writer.
==========
To me style and genre in writing are simply moods.
==========
My handwriting style deteriorated when I began writing with a keyboard because I learned to think faster and now a biro can’t keep up with my thoughts.
==========
The writing process is often purely intuitive and can be described only in vague terms – for example the naming of a character
==========
Proofreading is an art. It is essential to have others proof read your manuscripts.
==========
My main character usually starts as a kind of alter ego of myself. As the story unfolds I allow him to grow through his experiences to become a person in his own right. He only emerges fully once I take him beyond the limits of my own experience
==========
I try to write for the most intelligent and sensitive readers in the universe.
==========
My characters arrive visually, usually saying or doing something that shows me who they are.
==========
When writing a review I try to be objective and describe the book the way I think the writer sees it.
==========
In some ways a review is for the author. It should encourage and reinforce what the author has attempted to do. A good review leads a writer to write something better because it helps them see more clearly what they are trying to achieve. A review doesn’t have to tell the potential reader whether or not they will like the book, just what it is they can expect to read.
==========
There are two writing exercises I find valuable. The first is to write everything that comes into your head - the stream of consciousness technique. The second is the Zen Koan, reducing ideas and descriptions to the barest minimum.
==========
Time away from writing allows the pressure of ideas to build in the psyche and a return to writing opens the floodgates. For those who write every day, this works on a microcosmic level. If
==========
Visualizing a setting is essential to allow your characters to behave realistically. The writer must see the chairs and the doorways and the dirt on the floor.
==========
I write to remember, I write to forget, I write to engage, I write to escape, I write to live, I will write until I die.
==========
The key to writing is the dissonance between experience and understanding. Fully realised beings don’t write. Only the unenlightened need to write. When I am a Buddha I don’t expect to be writing at all.
==========
Writing is a combination of imagination and technique. If it is dominated by technique it lacks life and is boring. If it is dominated by imagination it is undisciplined and confusing. Good writers combine the two elements in ways that both enable and challenge the reader. *
==========
Time is the warp and weft of a novel. Years, weeks, days, hours and minutes are the fabric on which events are stretched or shrunk to create the texture of the story.
==========
A writer is not a journalist who documents events. He is an interpreter who translates them.
==========
Imperfect writing from the heart is more engaging than perfect writing from the mind.
==========
Good fiction is underpinned by the writer’s understanding of real events and real people.
==========
Fiction is more than the original observation. The experience and the character are the foundation and must be understood before they can be transformed into something new.
==========
Successful writing has to tap into something vital, something that engages the reader more than merely clever words.
==========
Punctuation is the musical score of a story. It should be used sparingly to guide the reader into the rhythms of the prose.
==========
If you didn’t want your personal characteristics embedded in an archetypal evil character you should have behaved better with the writer.
==========
Writing isn’t work. It is rewriting that is work. Hard work. Don’t become a writer unless you like hard work.
==========
A writer does not mind being alone because he always has words for companions.
==========
Writing is both craft and art. Passionate expression requires disciplined editing.
==========
Writing is a commitment to words. A writer is judged by the words he writes and the ideas they represent.
==========
When your emotions come dressed in words and words are dripping from everything you see, you are a writer.
==========
The first draft is a block of marble into which subsequent drafts are finely chiseled.
==========
It is the responsibility of every generation to listen to the stories of the previous generation and ensure they are recorded.
==========
A writer should approach language with respect, like a craftsman with glass, or timber or clay. Language is capable of expressing the highest
==========
A writer should approach language with respect, like a craftsman with glass, or timber or clay. Language is capable of expressing the highest and finest of ideas.
==========
A day spent wandering somewhere interesting - observing, making notes, sketching, photographing - is money in the bank
==========
If there isn’t a pen and notebook in his pocket he is not a writer. A writer would not want to risk wasting the ideas and observations that constantly trickle
==========
The structure of a novel should be finalised by the penultimate draft. The final draft is about presentation
==========
When a reader describes your novel in a way that mirrors your intention you feel a profound sense of vindication.
==========
When a character says or does something you don’t approve then it is safe to assume you have given your creation a life of its own and
==========
The task of a review writer is to improve the understanding of both the reader and the writer.
==========
The task of a review writer is to improve the understanding of both the reader and the writer. It is really a teaching role and should only be done by those with a deep understanding of writing and genre.
==========
When writing of desire the adjectives must be controlled.
==========
A writer respects words. He takes the trouble to spell them correctly, arrange them in syntax and punctuate them so they sing a song to the reader.
==========
There are some days when a writer is not trying to write a bestseller. He is just working on his craft and enjoying his relationship with words.
==========
The Inner Writer is always working. When you are very still and quiet he will give you your next idea and tell you where to begin.
==========
A prolific writer is a disciplined person who has made good use of a talent for words.
==========
A fully realised character should at some point dictate to the writer. The best characters own their stories. They
==========
There are three things that nurture a writer: reading, writing and experience.
==========
It is rewriting that makes a writer.
==========
Characters should never get what they want without loss. A writer must be quite Machiavellian with characters, make them suffer.
==========
Advice For A Young Writer: Choose a time of the day when you know you will not be interrupted for one hour. Turn off your phone and all social media. Sit down and write whatever you can. If you don’t have something you want to write about just describe places, people and events in your life until you are able to invent something. Do this seven days a week without fail. Don’t judge how much you write as long as you spend the full hour at your desk. You will soon find that ideas will emerge and your hour will become more productive.
==========
Character description in a novel should be sketched rather than painted in detail.
==========
Full characterisation emerges through the behaviour of the character in the story proper.
==========
Stories don’t happen. They must be told. Even stories based closely on actual people and events must be stitched together with the conventions of storytelling to make them of interest to the reader.
==========
Characters should struggle to know themselves. The reader must see the flaws in a character, before the character is enlightened or redeemed. It
==========
Even stories that write themselves - the ones that just flow out of your head - need the nip and tuck of a rewrite.
==========
Transforming real life into a credible plot is more difficult than writing pure fiction.
==========
Real life often lacks the verisimilitude that fiction requires.
==========
Language is like water; it flows into empty spaces.
==========
Writing every day is like leaving the tap dripping so there is always water in the pipe. If the tap is off too long it takes a while for the water to come through.
==========
Transforming observations of reality into fiction requires reflection and synthesis with other ideas.
==========
Writers go where they themselves fear to tread.
==========
The connection between everyday consciousness and the ideas that flow into writing are through the subconscious.
==========
Knowing your characters is essential. When they become involved in a conversation, you just have to
==========
Knowing your characters is essential. When they become involved in a conversation, you just have to listen and they will write half your story.
===========
The most basic kinds of writing are autobiographical journaling and spontaneous poetry. This is where writers discover their love of words. To develop from here to serious writing requires effort and persistence not all possess.
==========
When something is not ready to be written it gestates in the subconscious until it is ready to inspire the writer.
==========
A writer must be boringly disciplined before earning a licence to be creative.
==========
Writing directly from impressions and observations is best done promptly and quickly before the fiction process takes over and turns them into a story.
==========
Write for yourself because the Reader is hypothetical.
==========
All writers should have same New Year resolution: write something every day.
==========
Writers travel to the past and the future to discover the meaning of the present.
==========
The aspiration to write fiction must be accompanied by dogged persistence and the ability to absorb frustration.
==========
The name of a character should resonate with the personality.
==========
Plot and time rarely have a straightforward relationship. A simple linear narrative is too transparent for most readers.
==========
When a story demands to be written a writer has no choice. He must sit down every day and write until it is done.
==========
Writing only flourishes when the subconscious is engaged.
==========
Rewriting is the art of removing foliage that does not enhance the flower.
==========
Most people are too one-dimensional to be interesting characters in a novel. Writers have to combine people to create characters that will engage readers. That is why no one should get too excited if they recognize themselves in a novel written by a writer who knows them.
==========
One difference between good writing and ineffective writing is the interconnection of ideas,
==========
When you hear a character talking in your head, don’t interrupt. Wait for another character to answer.
==========
Write with passion, rewrite with intelligence.
==========
Writing is a process of transferring images from the mind of the writer to the mind of the reader.
==========
A writer turns images into words. A reader turns words back into images.
==========
An effective plot should consist mostly of what your character does not want.
==========
The difference between reflective journaling and autobiography is the element of narrative. A life must become a story to be of interest to others.
==========
When all else fails, keep writing.
==========
The characters in a writer’s head must speak more clearly when the narrative is a script.
==========
Is writing simply following a trail of words to uncover a story that already exists?
==========
A good review doesn’t praise, or flatter. It identifies exactly what the writer tried to achieve.
==========
A good review is more rewarding to a writer than a royalty payment.
==========
Verbs are the powerhouse of narrative and adjectives are the rudder.
==========
When you need metaphors for your writing, pay attention to your dreams.
==========
Changing a character reaction can reroute an entire story.
==========
An incongruous minor attribute of a character in the exposition of a story can become exponentially significant as the story unfolds.
==========
Inconsistencies in characterization should be diagnosed early.
==========
Good writers avoid clichés. They aspire to write things that will become clichés.
==========
Write fast, revise slowly and proof continuously.
==========
Write on the crest of an imagination wave.
==========
Autobiographical writing is a process of recovering the things you didn’t know about your life.
==========
When a character dictates plot, you know your characterization has been thorough.
==========
Inspiration is a kick-start pedal, not an engine.
==========
Setting must be visualized by the writer. The more clearly it is visualized the easier it is to describe its essential elements so it can be visualized by the reader.
==========
When phrases appear fully formed in your mind you know you are engaged with your subconscious, the source of all good writing.
==========
When crossing the dividing line between conventional syntax and an individual style, a writer must maintain communication
==========
When crossing the dividing line between conventional syntax and an individual style, a writer must maintain communication
==========
When crossing the dividing line between conventional syntax and an individual style, a writer must maintain communication with the reader.
==========
The shortest poem and the longest novel both begin with a single word.
==========
A book opens a window for the reader. A review opens another window for the writer. Hopefully they offer the same view. *
==========
A book opens a window for the reader. A review opens another window for the writer. Hopefully they offer the same view.
==========
Write like a mercenary hunting the enemy. * Write like a detective seeking the facts. * Write fearlessly, like a warrior. * Write like a child seeking the heart of a butterfly.
==========
Characterization is the art of balancing motivation, behaviour and consequences to complement plot.
==========
When I write a story I feel I owe it to my characters to find readers for them.
==========
Characters, unlike people are designed to live forever. Creating someone who is going to live longer than you requires thought.
==========
Good characters misbehave.
==========
The ability of the brain to construct meaning makes proof reading a never-ending task. You
==========
If a picture is worth a thousand words a book cover must be worth a thousand novels.
==========
A writer must care more about his story than his characters.
==========
Don’t let your characters get what they want.
==========
Your first draft should take no prisoners. * Your second draft should slash and burn. * Your final draft should cut and polish.
==========
The way a character changes as a result of experience is the greatest challenge for the writer.
==========
As a writer you must care about your characters enough to make them suffer.
==========
The first line of a novel must intrigue the reader with possibility.
==========
The name of a character is integral to the character’s persona.
==========
Read lots of first lines in good novels.
==========
When you are not sure what to do with a character, focus on the setting, where the character is. A character will always find something to do there. Once characters do something, they develop.
==========
Plotting is discovering the inner potential of your characters.
==========
Why publish on Kindle? It doesn’t reject you.
==========
Submit relentlessly to traditional publishers and agents because the feedback you get will be invaluable. Rejection doesn’t necessarily mean your
=========
Submit relentlessly to traditional publishers and agents because the feedback you get will be invaluable. Rejection doesn’t necessarily mean your work is no good.
==========
Once you begin publishing on kindle, be meticulous with your formatting and proofing.
==========
You have to be fascinated by your own characters.
==========
They must be multi-dimensional and have a history, which is not necessarily told but informs the character’s motivation.
==========
There is a saying that everyone has a book in them. But do they have the perseverance to write, proof, publish and market it?
==========
The basic ingredients of a story are an intriguing exposition, engaging characters and something to make the reader care about what happens next.
==========
Vindication: when a reader or a reviewer describes your novel precisely the way you would describe it.
==========
On Writer's Block
When the brain becomes attuned to engaging in a particular way at a particular time, the result is continuity, the antidote to writer’s block. If you write at the same time each day you can pick up the thread of your narrative almost instantly. In a very short time you can develop the habit of writing effectively for every minute you are at your desk.
==========
Writer’s Block is not just being unable to write; it is doubting that what you write is any good; it is writing and deleting; it is wondering if your story is worth telling, or if you have a story at all.
==========
Writer’s block is like muscle cramp.
==========
Writer’s block comes from the irrational fear of being unable to write.
==========
Time to let the story go where it wants to go, formerly known as writer’s block.
==========
Writer’s Block is a lack of faith in the connection between conscious and subconscious when the conscious mind struggles in vain to create without the raw material of subconscious ideas.
==========
Writer’s Block is just, not knowing where to look next. It can become a state of mind. Take a risk. Introduce a new character or make something disastrous happen. It takes movement to free a blockage.
==========
On Writing
Writing begins with a love of reading.
==========
Sometimes words flow, sometimes they drip. The writing process is one of constant adjustment to the supply of words. I have stared at single sentences for hours
==========
I have never written a novel that was fully realized in the planning and drafting. There are always surprises.
==========
I write every morning before breakfast. On weekdays, that means getting up at five am.
==========
When I am not actually writing I am recording words in my memory to describe what I see, hear and feel.
==========
On Characterization
My characters often begin with people I know but usually evolve very quickly into people I have never met.
==========
Character voice is the most important part of my story writing. When I hear my characters speak I can clearly visualize them.
==========
I get to know my characters by what they do.
==========
A physical description of a character sometimes gets in the way of the reader visualizing the person for themselves.
==========
On maintaining journals
In my journals, I reflect on my dreams, my thoughts and my life. I write them for myself. I have dozens of volumes and it is unlikely anyone else will ever read them.
==========
All writers should keep journals. Writing without purpose, reflecting spontaneously without trying to shape the outcome is therapy for the working writer.
==========
To me style and genre in writing are simply moods.
==========
My handwriting style deteriorated when I began writing with a keyboard because I learned to think faster and now a biro can’t keep up with my thoughts.
==========
The writing process is often purely intuitive and can be described only in vague terms – for example the naming of a character
==========
Proofreading is an art. It is essential to have others proof read your manuscripts.
==========
My main character usually starts as a kind of alter ego of myself. As the story unfolds I allow him to grow through his experiences to become a person in his own right. He only emerges fully once I take him beyond the limits of my own experience
==========
I try to write for the most intelligent and sensitive readers in the universe.
==========
My characters arrive visually, usually saying or doing something that shows me who they are.
==========
When writing a review I try to be objective and describe the book the way I think the writer sees it.
==========
In some ways a review is for the author. It should encourage and reinforce what the author has attempted to do. A good review leads a writer to write something better because it helps them see more clearly what they are trying to achieve. A review doesn’t have to tell the potential reader whether or not they will like the book, just what it is they can expect to read.
==========
There are two writing exercises I find valuable. The first is to write everything that comes into your head - the stream of consciousness technique. The second is the Zen Koan, reducing ideas and descriptions to the barest minimum.
==========
Time away from writing allows the pressure of ideas to build in the psyche and a return to writing opens the floodgates. For those who write every day, this works on a microcosmic level. If
==========
Visualizing a setting is essential to allow your characters to behave realistically. The writer must see the chairs and the doorways and the dirt on the floor.
==========
I write to remember, I write to forget, I write to engage, I write to escape, I write to live, I will write until I die.
==========
The key to writing is the dissonance between experience and understanding. Fully realised beings don’t write. Only the unenlightened need to write. When I am a Buddha I don’t expect to be writing at all.
==========
Writing is a combination of imagination and technique. If it is dominated by technique it lacks life and is boring. If it is dominated by imagination it is undisciplined and confusing. Good writers combine the two elements in ways that both enable and challenge the reader. *
==========
Time is the warp and weft of a novel. Years, weeks, days, hours and minutes are the fabric on which events are stretched or shrunk to create the texture of the story.
==========
A writer is not a journalist who documents events. He is an interpreter who translates them.
==========
Imperfect writing from the heart is more engaging than perfect writing from the mind.
==========
Good fiction is underpinned by the writer’s understanding of real events and real people.
==========
Fiction is more than the original observation. The experience and the character are the foundation and must be understood before they can be transformed into something new.
==========
Successful writing has to tap into something vital, something that engages the reader more than merely clever words.
==========
Punctuation is the musical score of a story. It should be used sparingly to guide the reader into the rhythms of the prose.
==========
If you didn’t want your personal characteristics embedded in an archetypal evil character you should have behaved better with the writer.
==========
Writing isn’t work. It is rewriting that is work. Hard work. Don’t become a writer unless you like hard work.
==========
A writer does not mind being alone because he always has words for companions.
==========
Writing is both craft and art. Passionate expression requires disciplined editing.
==========
Writing is a commitment to words. A writer is judged by the words he writes and the ideas they represent.
==========
When your emotions come dressed in words and words are dripping from everything you see, you are a writer.
==========
The first draft is a block of marble into which subsequent drafts are finely chiseled.
==========
It is the responsibility of every generation to listen to the stories of the previous generation and ensure they are recorded.
==========
A writer should approach language with respect, like a craftsman with glass, or timber or clay. Language is capable of expressing the highest
==========
A writer should approach language with respect, like a craftsman with glass, or timber or clay. Language is capable of expressing the highest and finest of ideas.
==========
A day spent wandering somewhere interesting - observing, making notes, sketching, photographing - is money in the bank
==========
If there isn’t a pen and notebook in his pocket he is not a writer. A writer would not want to risk wasting the ideas and observations that constantly trickle
==========
The structure of a novel should be finalised by the penultimate draft. The final draft is about presentation
==========
When a reader describes your novel in a way that mirrors your intention you feel a profound sense of vindication.
==========
When a character says or does something you don’t approve then it is safe to assume you have given your creation a life of its own and
==========
The task of a review writer is to improve the understanding of both the reader and the writer.
==========
The task of a review writer is to improve the understanding of both the reader and the writer. It is really a teaching role and should only be done by those with a deep understanding of writing and genre.
==========
When writing of desire the adjectives must be controlled.
==========
A writer respects words. He takes the trouble to spell them correctly, arrange them in syntax and punctuate them so they sing a song to the reader.
==========
There are some days when a writer is not trying to write a bestseller. He is just working on his craft and enjoying his relationship with words.
==========
The Inner Writer is always working. When you are very still and quiet he will give you your next idea and tell you where to begin.
==========
A prolific writer is a disciplined person who has made good use of a talent for words.
==========
A fully realised character should at some point dictate to the writer. The best characters own their stories. They
==========
There are three things that nurture a writer: reading, writing and experience.
==========
It is rewriting that makes a writer.
==========
Characters should never get what they want without loss. A writer must be quite Machiavellian with characters, make them suffer.
==========
Advice For A Young Writer: Choose a time of the day when you know you will not be interrupted for one hour. Turn off your phone and all social media. Sit down and write whatever you can. If you don’t have something you want to write about just describe places, people and events in your life until you are able to invent something. Do this seven days a week without fail. Don’t judge how much you write as long as you spend the full hour at your desk. You will soon find that ideas will emerge and your hour will become more productive.
==========
Character description in a novel should be sketched rather than painted in detail.
==========
Full characterisation emerges through the behaviour of the character in the story proper.
==========
Stories don’t happen. They must be told. Even stories based closely on actual people and events must be stitched together with the conventions of storytelling to make them of interest to the reader.
==========
Characters should struggle to know themselves. The reader must see the flaws in a character, before the character is enlightened or redeemed. It
==========
Even stories that write themselves - the ones that just flow out of your head - need the nip and tuck of a rewrite.
==========
Transforming real life into a credible plot is more difficult than writing pure fiction.
==========
Real life often lacks the verisimilitude that fiction requires.
==========
Language is like water; it flows into empty spaces.
==========
Writing every day is like leaving the tap dripping so there is always water in the pipe. If the tap is off too long it takes a while for the water to come through.
==========
Transforming observations of reality into fiction requires reflection and synthesis with other ideas.
==========
Writers go where they themselves fear to tread.
==========
The connection between everyday consciousness and the ideas that flow into writing are through the subconscious.
==========
Knowing your characters is essential. When they become involved in a conversation, you just have to
==========
Knowing your characters is essential. When they become involved in a conversation, you just have to listen and they will write half your story.
===========
The most basic kinds of writing are autobiographical journaling and spontaneous poetry. This is where writers discover their love of words. To develop from here to serious writing requires effort and persistence not all possess.
==========
When something is not ready to be written it gestates in the subconscious until it is ready to inspire the writer.
==========
A writer must be boringly disciplined before earning a licence to be creative.
==========
Writing directly from impressions and observations is best done promptly and quickly before the fiction process takes over and turns them into a story.
==========
Write for yourself because the Reader is hypothetical.
==========
All writers should have same New Year resolution: write something every day.
==========
Writers travel to the past and the future to discover the meaning of the present.
==========
The aspiration to write fiction must be accompanied by dogged persistence and the ability to absorb frustration.
==========
The name of a character should resonate with the personality.
==========
Plot and time rarely have a straightforward relationship. A simple linear narrative is too transparent for most readers.
==========
When a story demands to be written a writer has no choice. He must sit down every day and write until it is done.
==========
Writing only flourishes when the subconscious is engaged.
==========
Rewriting is the art of removing foliage that does not enhance the flower.
==========
Most people are too one-dimensional to be interesting characters in a novel. Writers have to combine people to create characters that will engage readers. That is why no one should get too excited if they recognize themselves in a novel written by a writer who knows them.
==========
One difference between good writing and ineffective writing is the interconnection of ideas,
==========
When you hear a character talking in your head, don’t interrupt. Wait for another character to answer.
==========
Write with passion, rewrite with intelligence.
==========
Writing is a process of transferring images from the mind of the writer to the mind of the reader.
==========
A writer turns images into words. A reader turns words back into images.
==========
An effective plot should consist mostly of what your character does not want.
==========
The difference between reflective journaling and autobiography is the element of narrative. A life must become a story to be of interest to others.
==========
When all else fails, keep writing.
==========
The characters in a writer’s head must speak more clearly when the narrative is a script.
==========
Is writing simply following a trail of words to uncover a story that already exists?
==========
A good review doesn’t praise, or flatter. It identifies exactly what the writer tried to achieve.
==========
A good review is more rewarding to a writer than a royalty payment.
==========
Verbs are the powerhouse of narrative and adjectives are the rudder.
==========
When you need metaphors for your writing, pay attention to your dreams.
==========
Changing a character reaction can reroute an entire story.
==========
An incongruous minor attribute of a character in the exposition of a story can become exponentially significant as the story unfolds.
==========
Inconsistencies in characterization should be diagnosed early.
==========
Good writers avoid clichés. They aspire to write things that will become clichés.
==========
Write fast, revise slowly and proof continuously.
==========
Write on the crest of an imagination wave.
==========
Autobiographical writing is a process of recovering the things you didn’t know about your life.
==========
When a character dictates plot, you know your characterization has been thorough.
==========
Inspiration is a kick-start pedal, not an engine.
==========
Setting must be visualized by the writer. The more clearly it is visualized the easier it is to describe its essential elements so it can be visualized by the reader.
==========
When phrases appear fully formed in your mind you know you are engaged with your subconscious, the source of all good writing.
==========
When crossing the dividing line between conventional syntax and an individual style, a writer must maintain communication
==========
When crossing the dividing line between conventional syntax and an individual style, a writer must maintain communication
==========
When crossing the dividing line between conventional syntax and an individual style, a writer must maintain communication with the reader.
==========
The shortest poem and the longest novel both begin with a single word.
==========
A book opens a window for the reader. A review opens another window for the writer. Hopefully they offer the same view. *
==========
A book opens a window for the reader. A review opens another window for the writer. Hopefully they offer the same view.
==========
Write like a mercenary hunting the enemy. * Write like a detective seeking the facts. * Write fearlessly, like a warrior. * Write like a child seeking the heart of a butterfly.
==========
Characterization is the art of balancing motivation, behaviour and consequences to complement plot.
==========
When I write a story I feel I owe it to my characters to find readers for them.
==========
Characters, unlike people are designed to live forever. Creating someone who is going to live longer than you requires thought.
==========
Good characters misbehave.
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The ability of the brain to construct meaning makes proof reading a never-ending task. You
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If a picture is worth a thousand words a book cover must be worth a thousand novels.
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A writer must care more about his story than his characters.
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Don’t let your characters get what they want.
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Your first draft should take no prisoners. * Your second draft should slash and burn. * Your final draft should cut and polish.
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The way a character changes as a result of experience is the greatest challenge for the writer.
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As a writer you must care about your characters enough to make them suffer.
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The first line of a novel must intrigue the reader with possibility.
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The name of a character is integral to the character’s persona.
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Read lots of first lines in good novels.
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When you are not sure what to do with a character, focus on the setting, where the character is. A character will always find something to do there. Once characters do something, they develop.
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Plotting is discovering the inner potential of your characters.
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Why publish on Kindle? It doesn’t reject you.
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Submit relentlessly to traditional publishers and agents because the feedback you get will be invaluable. Rejection doesn’t necessarily mean your
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Submit relentlessly to traditional publishers and agents because the feedback you get will be invaluable. Rejection doesn’t necessarily mean your work is no good.
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Once you begin publishing on kindle, be meticulous with your formatting and proofing.
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You have to be fascinated by your own characters.
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They must be multi-dimensional and have a history, which is not necessarily told but informs the character’s motivation.
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There is a saying that everyone has a book in them. But do they have the perseverance to write, proof, publish and market it?
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The basic ingredients of a story are an intriguing exposition, engaging characters and something to make the reader care about what happens next.
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Vindication: when a reader or a reviewer describes your novel precisely the way you would describe it.
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