Becoming A Fiction Writer
One girl, one dream … and a whole lot of procrastination
December 31, 2006 by amanda

New Year’s Resolutions

I’ve alluded already to my 2007 Resolutions, but now on the cusp of 2007 it’s time to make it absolutely clear. I just signed up for a British psychologist’s study on New Year’s Resolutions and the piece of advice it gave me was this:

Go public: Many people keep their New Year’s Resolution to themselves. Unfortunately, this makes it all too easy to simply forget about them. Instead, go public. For example, write down your resolution on a large sheet of paper, sign it, and place it somewhere prominent in your house. Tell your friends, family and colleagues about your resolution, and ask them to provide you with helpful nudges to assist you in achieving your goal. Either way, do not keep your resolution to yourself.

Hmm … this blog is, of course, available to the whole world, but I don’t feel the pressure of people reading it and reminding me of my promise. Still I’ll make my main resolution loud and clear again:
I WILL WRITE A NOVEL IN 2007
But finding ways to make it even more public must be my next task: perhaps a big sign on the fridge so every visitor to our flat will see it?

Permalink | Posted in Goals and Motivation, Writing Novels | 1 Comment »

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December 23, 2006 by amanda

Plenty of writing hope from Hope

During 2006 I’ve been carefully watching the dozens of email newsletters I subscribe to (80% of them related to writing, and the rest to travel). Some tell me nothing, some give nice hints and useful links. A couple are really excellent. And since one of my favourites landed in my in-box this morning, I thought I’d share it.

Each week I get two free newsletters from Funds for Writers, run by Hope Clark. Each starts with an editorial from Hope. I usually skip the editorials in other newsletters I get, because they talk too much about the writer’s kids or mother-in-law or the weather. Hope’s do, too, but always with a twist or moral that teaches me something about the writing life. She writes in such an infectiously conversational style that I have to read it, and on top of that has the bonus of admitting she’s a “shy writer”: talking to people isn’t her forte, but when she has to, she can.

The most important idea I’ve got from Hope is her “10 in Play” system. She always makes sure that she has 10 (or some other random number, in the double-digits: I can’t remember exactly!) articles or queries “out there”. When she gets an acceptance, a rejection, or too much time has passed, then she makes sure a priority is to get another story out to an editor. Just before leaving Germany I started this system, but migration stress has let it lapse – but I think it’s a perfect idea for 2007. I just have to pick my own magic number … how about 11, since Jan and I were married on the 11th. Stay tuned for “11 in Play” progress reports!

Permalink | Posted in Inspiration for Writers | 2 Comments »

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December 22, 2006 by amanda

Opening sentences

Another week’s gone by with little attention to fiction, but I’ll console myself by mentioning that 2007 hasn’t started yet, so not making NY Resolution progress is not yet a bad thing.

I did rediscover my copy of Sol Stein’s Stein On Writing and am ready to devour it again, along with his (IMHO) better How to Grow a Novel. Early in Stein on Writing he talks about opening sentences and paragraphs, which gave me the impetus to examine a few of my favourite novels and their beginnings.

Andrew McGahan’s Praise -

Things started with Cynthia in October.It was three days after my twenty-third birthday. I’d just quit work at the drive-through bottle shop of the Capital Hotel.

It sets the tone: the rest of Praise is similar. Simple story-telling but so honest that you just have to keep reading. It grabs some interest: what’s the whole story with Cynthia. How does it work out? Is Praise a love story? Yeah, but … anyway, this kind of opening fits, even if it doesn’t exactly drag me in.

Nikki Gemmell’s Shiver -

They put me into a small, white, still room and that was wrong. One day Rick came and took me outside into the air that was vivid with smell and colour and noise.

Funny, I adore this book but this opening means nothing to me. It’s a kind of prologue in italics, and the opening of chapter one works much better for me.

Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia -

My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost. I am often considered to be a funny breed of Englishman, a new breed as it were, having emerged from two old histories. But I don’t care – Englishman I am (though not proud of it), from the South London suburbs and going somewhere.

Perfect, for me. Karim is “going somewhere”, I want to find out if he makes it. He’s obviously not 100% English with a name like that. I really, really want to know more (and I highly recommend this book, for a laugh and some insights).

Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down -

Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block? Of course I can explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block. I’m not a bloody idiot.

Master storyteller or what! Totally conversational, totally hooks me in, and I totally have to know more. The whole book is like that, using four different characters and such wonderful first-person narrative from all of them. Great idea for a story and great execution, and it all starts off (in my mind) perfectly.

Permalink | Posted in Writing Novels | 4 Comments »

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December 15, 2006 by amanda

Starting a short story

Week 1 of the big new plan to become a fiction writer is over. Where have I got? Well, at least the idea of writing fiction has been budged a bit further to the front of my brain. Fingers to keyboard time was about 3 hours on Monday, all with the idea of writing a story for the Wild Blue Yonder contest. Crazy, I know, as the deadline was today, but you know I’m a deadline-driven kinda gal.

Naturally I’m not going to be submitting anything to the contest this time round, but the nice thing is there are future contests and themes:

  • “Go” for May (deadline 15 Feb 07)
  • “Cool” for July (deadline 15 Apr 07)
  • “Colorful” for Sept (deadline 15 June 07)

Just for the record, here are the musings that got me into the story I’ve half written.

I don’t have a plot or a theme yet, but I have a character – perhaps if I tell you about him the story will emerge.

From a distance, he looks like a serious businessman doing some work on his private time. Bit of a gut (no time to exercise), neat jeans, standard black lace-up shoes, a polo shirt with a semi-ironed collar, short straight hair, somewhere between brown and grey. He takes his shoes off when he sits in an airport departure lounge but leaves them on at Starbucks. And his paper-thin laptop computer is always there. Like I said, from a distance, you’d think he’s working hard. Sometimes he even spreads thick stapled piles of figures and reports around. But most of the time if you catch a glimpse of his computer screen, he’s playing Solitaire. The 3-card version, not that cheats turn-over-every-card method for quick satisfaction.

Carmel Bird’s book says a story always comes from a writer’s own experiences of life. So how does mine relate to this? Do I need a personal angle to make this story come to life? (I need something, so maybe that’s it!)

My angles: fear of unemployment – he knows he has to work hard to keep his job but he just doesn’t know how or what to do, but can’t bear to turn off the laptop for fear that he’s then giving up. Maybe he’s a frustrated artist in an accountant’s job or something similar.

Since this, the story’s made a lot of progress, but let’s wait until I sit back down with it before we call it a potential piece of fiction.

Permalink | Posted in Short Stories | No Comments »

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December 11, 2006 by amanda

Learning about writing

When I moved back to Perth recently, I had the joy of unpacking boxes of books I hadn’t seen in six years. I also had the displeasure of deciding which of these I’d have to live without for another year or two, while I stay in a flat that just can’t accommodate the library of my life. But a few of the books that did make it into my new shelves are how-to books on writing.

On the one hand, I think a writer can do too much reading about writing and not enough fingers-on-keyboard stuff; but since I haven’t written fiction for years, and I’ve never really learnt how to do it, I decided a few evenings dedicated to reading couldn’t hurt.

I started with Louise Boggess’s How to Write Short Stories That Sell. In fact, these aren’t really the short stories I want to write: I mean, I want them to sell, but her book focuses on really formulaic fiction that I find all too predictable and boring (so call me a snob). But I have to admit that I did need a few of the lessons I got from this book, as simple and obvious as they sound when I type them now. To summarise: in general, stories need a main character with a problem. Other characters or situations arise that both help and hinder the main character from solving the problem. The end comes either when the character solves the problem (a happy ending) or not (a not-so-happy ending). Full stop.

Next, and more my style, came Dear Writer by Carmel Bird. Lots of things appeal to me about this book (and not just because the author’s Australian) – it’s written as a series of letters to a would-be writer living in a remote town, and gives advice with such perfect examples that the lesson is abundantly clear yet without being beaten around the head with it. And the most important thing I’ve learnt (or re-learnt) here is the importance of writing “what you know” – or at least of using your past experiences as inspirations for your fiction writing, to make sure it comes to life and seems real.

With these tips in mind, I’ve started writing a short story. That’s the first one in about four years, I think, since I got distracted (happily) by travel writing. But after just one morning the differences in the two are more than clear. I’ll tell you all about it soon.

Permalink | Posted in Fiction Writing Tips, Short Stories | No Comments »

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December 10, 2006 by amanda

I’m gonna be a fiction writer!

With apologies and thanks to Jen Leo’s inspiring I Wanna Be A Travel Writer blog, I’m starting this new blog today to make good the promise I’ve made to myself: I will be a fiction writer. With 2007 looming round the corner, I’m ready to boldly and loudly and publicly make my Fiction Writing New Year’s Resolutions:

  • I’ll publish five short stories in magazines before the end of 2007
  • I’ll enter 20 short story writing contests (and hopefully win one!)
  • I’ll complete a draft of my first novel during 2007

This blog will help me track my progress, work out my problems and give me some motivation to make these resolutions real. You’re welcome to leave comments, just make them supportive, please :-) Or I’ll have to write a really miserable story about you.

Permalink | Posted in Goals and Motivation | 8 Comments »

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