Building vs. growing your story

[The Deposed King]

That's the best thing you can do really.  Just keep writing stuff and trying things out.  We are all ready for different information at different times.  I can explain all day about algebra but if you're stuck on moving from subtraction up to long division then anything you hear from me on advanced math is going to be useless to you.  By the same token if you get up to writing calculus be sure to look me up, I could use the tutoring!

My first book had so many flaws I'm frankly amazed its done as well as it has, kudos to my brother for really helping make it the book it is today.  Did you know in the first draft I waffled back and forth between 1st person and 3rd person.  Not just in the same chapters or the same paragraphs but sometimes withing the same sentences?  Then when I finally settled down on 3rd my brother took a look at the first bit and say, oh yeah, this totally needs to be 1st person the whole way.  Grrr it was a lot of work but he was totally right.

The more you do, the more you'll be paying attention, either in the books you read, making connections there, or else in places like that where you'll hear something that maybe you've heard half a dozen times and suddenly it makes sense.  It clicks and even if you can't do it yet, you realize how you can start trying to apply it going forward.

Keep after it you'll do just fine.  Personally I'd say if you were going to take any classes the best time to do it would be 'after' you've already written a book or two.  You'll have the confidence to know you can do it.  As well as the knowledge to know where you are and what you need to work on.  Or at least some of where you're at and so on and so forth.

Just keep after it, you'll do fine darby... er Slrogers.




the Deposed King

[Dom]

I approach it with this idea...

Think of a garden.  Now think of a British formal garden with structured topiaries and mazes, vs. a freeform, wild-ish hippie garden where an overhanging mulberry tree is turning the bottoms of your feet purple, and HOLY SHIT THERE'S A WASP but if you avoid the wasp, hey, look at this hybrid heirloom tomato!

A story is like a garden.  Or one of those bonsai trees.  With no structure at all, it turns into a morass of thorns and greenery.  With a lot of structure, you get a formal garden without a leaf out of place--British-style, or Japanese style, or something like that.  Sometimes so structured its soul dies.  Most of us will be in between...nipping a bud here, letting another one grow a bit more before we decide it's good or bad.  Putting a path here, but then realizing a natural footpath is the better place for it, so you go back and pave it so it reinforces its beauty and usefulness.

Writing a story is like working in a garden.  Some stuff you let grow, others you prop up with a trellis or support or brick path.  When you see a bunch of seedlings, sometimes you pull a few right away, knowing they're weeds.  Other times you take a chance and end up with an unexpected but awesome flower.  And other times you end up with a stink weed you need to kill with a weed whacker and fire before replacing it all with a raised flower bed and a few pre-fab benches.

[slrogers]

So I like the analogy of the gardens, but I think what I getting at is that people either tend to one side or the other more. And some authors with say you have to do one (or you'll lose structure) or the other (or you'll lose creative influence) and others will say do whatever is most comfortable. But I think in order to get better, you have to step outside of you comfort zone and build or strengthen talents where you were weak or uncomfortable. And sometimes it's hard to look in, introspectively, and see what those weaknesses are.