down the writer's path

Even top writers make mistakes

Lee Goldberg continues his excellent commentary on A Writer's Life and tackles all too familiar problems many writers face whether they're at the top of their game or just starting out. Any writer can fall prey to slow beginnings, weak writing, and the conflicting desires of the writer versus the demands of the audience. Apparently Josh Friedman fell into the trap of wanting to explore psychological dimensions of his character Sarah Connor (TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES) too soon. He hadn't done enough work to not only engage the viewers but lock them into the show before guiding them into a slower, deeper vein of character exploration. Today's viewers and readers are increasingly demanding of writers. Their expectations are high and it doesn't matter who you are. If you don't get them hooked, don't expect them to hang around while you indulge yourself. Don't get me wrong. You can write whatever you want. Just be aware of the cost. And if you go forward, know that your writing had better be at the top of its game.

Goldberg's blog posts offer more than tidbits and critiques. You'll find insights into craft and lessons to be learned in his posts and in the discussion threads.

"He wanted to show the aftermath of terrible things happening, and he was in love with the idea of a whole town that's struck by tragedy. Unfortunately, the execution wasn't as great as it could have been.

"Don't feel bad about not liking 'The Desert Cantos,'" Friedman told me.

Friedman said the writers wrote down all 22 of the season's episodes on a white board, and then went through and erased the weakest episode, and then the next weakest, until they were left with the best, by common consent. "The Desert Cantos" was the first episode to get erased, said Friedman."

Even top writers can become enthralled with their writing and their ideas. What I like about the above is the implied exercise for all of us and one that resembles what I've learned from attending workshops given by literary agent Donald Maass. Push past your devotion to the beloved ideas and the darlings you've created and focus on what is best for the story and what is most important for the reader/viewer to experience. Trim the fat. Exercise and build up the muscular parts of the story. Go for the drama and make sure your reader inhabits your story. Be sure you've established that immediate emotional connection that is so important to today's audience.

Reader Guyot offers this in the comment section and I'll end with his advice:

"When I was writing a pilot with our friend Stephen J. Cannell, he said something so simple, yet so profound about how to make a show a success.

As we broke the pilot story, we were discussing how much stuff to put into the pilot, how far to go, and he said you always put everything in - the whole kitchen sink.

I asked, then what do you do with episodes 2 and 3? Cannell said, as only he can, 'You get new kitchen sinks and do it again.' So true."

--Links: Lee Goldberg's A Writer's Life; Paul Guyot

Exercising the Writer's Muse: Finding fodder in unlikely places

Many preach specialization today but writers would do well to take the generalist's approach when it comes to writing. I know time is an issue as you get more and more involved in your writing and focused on deadlines. For many writers time becomes a precious commodity, something to be coveted, protected. Their world of writing shrinks. Soon writers focus only on the latest books published in their chosen genre. This narrowed view may build up their knowledge in a specific field but it can also limit their creative expansion in the world of story.

Exercising your creativity is a productive and beneficial tool that enhances the imagination. If you're new to writing and story development, learning to find ideas and build them into viable plots is a healthy lesson. One way to keep the imagination flexible is to read outside your genre. See what other people are doing. Don't just read the story, look for the ideas that have been extrapolated and woven into the storyline. Bestselling authors frequent the world of science as a source of inspiration. Look at the works of Michael Creighton, Robin Cook, Jodi Picoult, Dean Koontz and others. They do more than dip their toes, they bathe in the ideas of cutting-edge news.

If you're muse is being a bit balky, why not take it to a new park to play? I looked at the Science Daily website this morning and quickly found three or four headlines that sparked story ideas. I'm sure you could find even more. To exercise your muse, pull three headlines that spark your imagination. Brainstorm the ideas. Do a quick mind map of the central idea. Pick a protagonist and give him a related goal that either supports or goes against the idea underlying the headline. Now write a quick paragraph that provides a brief story idea and contains a beginning, a middle, and an end. Repeat this for each of the three ideas.

Don't spend a lot of time on this. The idea is to write down your immediate responses, put a character into the mix, give him or her a goal and an endgame and write. Allow 15-20 minutes max to complete each one. Your muse will be entertained, you'll have some fun, and your creativity muscle will be flexed. As you work your imagination in new ways, you'll find new and exciting ideas bubbling up in your daily work. Give it a try and let me know what you think and remember: think big.

Note: If you already troll the science news, move to a different pool. Try history, language, mathematics or any other that is new to you and search the news of the day.

Links: http://www.sciencedaily.com/news, http://www.sciam.com/

Internet Tools for Writers: What's your IP Quotient? Assessing your Internet presence

Social networking has changed the way writers present a public face and they must now consider their IP quotient or Internet presence when engaged in online activities. Writers, many who are by nature introverted and wary of any crowd numbering more than two, have long railed against the idea of professional networking and decried the amount of time stolen from their real work: writing. Today opportunities to get your name out and take part in social media networking don't even require you to leave your ergonomically well-worn chair--although having a computer and the ability to go online is a must.

The Internet raises the stakes of the familiar Las Vegas slogan of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What goes on the Internet stays on the Internet--forever. It's prudent to consider how you will present yourself and your work when you're online visiting sites, leaving comments, and participating in social networks. Just as a person has a public and a private face, so too, for the Internet.

Writers take up all sorts of IPs. Some are curmudeonly such as Grumpy Editor. Others choose to use the Internet as an extension of their writing freelance business such as Georganna Hancock at A Writer's Edge and Lillie Amman. What happens, though, is that all too often no thought is given to the trail being left behind. Things said and done impulsively often boomerang. In the early days when email groups were all the rage, it wasn't uncommon for editors and agents to receive messages from group members tattling on those writers who wrote disparagingly of the agents and editors. Today writers offer opinions without realizing the wider ramifications of what is being said and left online for perpetuity. Anyone can Google their name and read a history of what has been said about them.

The Internet is a trickster that gives off a pervasive sense of immediacy and intimacy and implies privacy where none exists. It is nothing more than a vast illusion. There is no privacy. Writers would do well to remember that.

Growing numbers of writers, myself included, are taking advantage of social media networks such as MySapce, FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and JacketFlap. These are great vehicles to get the word out about books, book tours and signings,and publishing experiences. What's important to remember is that their use leaves lasting footprints. Go where you will but remember: step lightly.
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FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Jacketflap