For the better part of my teenage years as a writer I’ve been obsessed with ideas. Four, five years can be easily summed up as being a quest for the million dollar idea, that brilliant one that was going to bring me success and fame and glory.
And I find that to be the mark of young, ambitious writers. They stress too much about the what part of this craft – ideas, settings, plot. They try to build a web of places and characters that’s going to awe the reader. Basically they’re trying too much.
I’m not saying that all the years I’ve spent obsessing about ideas have been fruitless. No, far from it. I’ve got some pretty good ideas from my endless brainstorming days, when I used to walk around the house, trying to find the next big thing. But I did one capital mistake then. I wasn’t really writing. But that’s not the point in today’s blog. The idea is that I soon understood, and with grave consequences, that I had good ideas, but at best I struggled to implement them, and at worst I just couldn’t.
That’s when I realized that the how part of writing is, if not more, than equally as important as the what part.
How do you write a story?
There’s a lot of stuff to say here, about technical matters such as point of view, tense, and other stylistic preferences. Writing style.
I’m not a big fan of always mentioning my works, but I’ll do say this: Remember, my short story, is written in the first person. The narrator is a person of little or no education when it comes to literary matters, so it seemed odd for me to make him a good writer. I tried not to make the story seem careless, but I think that the style of the narrative suits the main character very well. He’s a rich guy, superficial, and to some degree, egocentric, but he’s also lacking the type of culture required to write properly.
Call me a snob or whatever, but I always try to give my narrators, when I do write in the first person, a reason for writing that story. Maybe he’s writing a diary, a letter, or even some sort of discourse, trying to write down some memories, or even writing an autobiographical novel. He’s trying to prove a point — something happened to him, and he’s writing the events down in an attempt to preserve them, or get them out of his head, or even hoping to find a bit of comfort. But he does so for a reason.
Even writers write for a reason. So, I try to give my narrators a reason for writing down their lives.
And now for the common sense part, but I do find that some writers find it awful to comply to this rule. The style should closely follow the narrator’s personality, and that’s a good way to prove a certain point. I’m a bit obsessed with writers — I write a lot about writers, because that way their style can be as good as I can be, without me getting all crazy about that part I told you about earlier. They do have a reason to write what they’re writing, but also they can do this at the best of their abilities. Well, the best of my abilities.
Someone who never wrote anything before wouldn’t really write that well. Probably they’d write some terrible stuff, regardless of how many books they’ve read. I’m making a compromise, of course, giving them some resemblance of style and such, because the very first thing someone would write would be basically unreadable.
What I’m really trying to say is that in the past couple of years I’ve been experimenting with the how part of writing. Trying to write stories in one paragraph, even in one phrase, trying to write stories with multiple narrators, writing in present tense (that’ not so experimental these days,) or simply mixing first person with third, or third with second (by the way, I love second person narratives.)
The best of stories leave you with a certain feeling, an after taste that’s still present long after you read them. And style has a lot to do with it, simply because style determines the way the reader absorbs the plot and characters.
I think that there has to be a right mixture of how and what. A story has to contain both a compelling plot, in which something has to happen, and, at the same time, a certain style that will match the events that are being presented to the reader.
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Trying to find the next big thing… aren't many of us guilty of procrastinating on the writing for this same reason (at least one of the reasons!? :) Tips worth remembering, even if we think we know it all. :) Thanks.
Great article.
Shows me how much I do not know about writing at the least :)
Great thoughts about the right mixture to a story. You can write something that has everything there technically, but just doesn't appeal to the reader. There has to be something to draw them in and keep them.
On a side note, I really like the picture of the bed that you posted. A good way to store books when you have limited space :-).
I cannot stop thanking you for those words. They are quiet an enlightenment.
Great info. Thanks!
You certainly are one talented guy from what I've read! Were you a superstar in school? I know you're not exactly old now!
You make some good points in this post, but don't forget writers need to have fun and live life; writers also see the world, well, some writers, see the world with a slanted view, making them able to capture humanity, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Writers should also read poorly written novels, watch poorly made movies, so they can be exposed to the things they should avoid and be able to see where the writer got off track. Basically, most people want to be entertained, so if you can write an entertaining story, an engaging story with interesting characters and add a few plot twists, well, then, you're halfway there. Write the way you enjoy writing and leave the rest to everyone else, because it really isn't about being rich and famous; it's about writing your stories and sharing them with people, right?
I've come to that conclusion too, that while the idea and plot are important, the mark of a good writer is the ability to take a mediocre idea and make an amazing story out of it. And there probably isn't an amazing idea out there that can't be ruined by a bad or careless writer.
I love this so much! I am an aspiring writer and this just explains everything that I feel! Also I love second person narratives too, that's what my new poem is in.
Interesting point of view, Cristian. It reads as if YOU are speaking. :D
I recently discovered your blog and let me say: it is amazing. Inspirational, funny, and always filling my days with great advice. Keep up the great work!
You make several really good points here. By the way, I just added your books, "Mr. Nobody" and "Memento Mori" to my Smashwords library to download to my iPad. Looking forward to reading them.
All great stuff to contemplate!
First person narration is the least trustworthy PoV and adds a unique twist where the writer can directly share with the reader in a way even the narrator doesn't understand. Good writing and great writing is a mixture of many elements and has to seem effortless to truly work/
Following 'writing' blogs for about a month and a half now, what comes across to me is that informational blogs are the ones most read, not those which post creative writing. My conclusion is that would be writers are continually seeking solutions, "the million dollar idea, that brilliant one that was going to bring me success and fame and glory", or at least the latter. For me it seems the more I read about what, how, etc, the less likely I am to write something worthwhile. If I'm right then it follows that no one should enrol on a creative writing course.
Now there's something for debate!
Yesterday someone found my blog by googling "how to write a novel step by step guide pdf." I suppose you're right. That's why writing guides are selling so well. Also, it's easier to write about writing than it is to actually writing fiction. When I first started this blog, I swore never to write about writing. But well, there wasn't much left for me to write about. But I think that I'm not trying to give anyone a recipe here. There is no such recipe, no easy way. No rules.
Like I said in a couple of posts here, including my post about "Books on Writing," a writer should choose only what he thinks might work for him. The same goes for criticism. Because I find that obeying a strict set of rules that you don't understand locks creativity inside a cage.
After all, when you're sitting at that desk, doing your thing, there are no rules. You're just writing down what you want to write down, what you feel compelled to write, and in the way you want to write it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I'm afraid there is no step by step guide to writing a novel. Only a lot of step by step guide on how to write something that resembles one.
By the way, how was Romania? Loved your post about Iasi. Believe it or not, I've never been there. Sadly, I haven't seen much of my country, except for the Danube Delta (Sulina, to be exact.) and a couple of resorts in Predeal.
I'm really pleased you liked my post about Iasi; Romania in the ways that matter for me is great, and I'll be writing more about that (I'm still in Iasi, till Friday). Some ways it is not and I don't have to tell you (or anyone else) about those, though if I have the opportunity I may say something about this photographically if I have an hour or two spare in Bucuresti on my return journey. I think my next post will be prompted by the Romanian Olympic gold in gymnastics yesterday evening; I'll guarantee there was not a Romanian anywhere in the world more delighted by this than I was. I might mention too that I celebrated with a bottle of wine from your part of Romania – Feteasca Neagra Murfatlar – Superb, superb!
When I read a blog I usually find one or two things that stick out….to me. Might not have been the author's main idea. lol But it is what I remember.
"For the better part of my teenage years as a writer I’ve been obsessed with ideas."
This quote from your piece made me wonder…………what will you do when you grow up?? I hope all the good ideas aren't used up :)
"I’m not a big fan of always mentioning my works,"
If you are not going to mention them, who is? I think if something is important and meaning to yourself, it just might be so to others.
I don't write……don't really want to. But it is interesting to learn just a wee bit about doing it.
I really enjoy (yes, in present tense) this article. :)
Writing is so complex. I feel like we are just scratching the surface addressing "How". I really like your analysis so far, will you be expanding this post?
Excellent. I've found I spent many hours trying to find the next big thing. Now I do my best to write from my heart. For me, I like authors to be honest in their writing. Forcing something doesn't work. Thanks for the thoughts today. Good stuff.
love that bed and also what you said–am a poet and don't know it
Fabulous post! Very inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing! :)
This about sums up where I'm at in the process "at best I struggled to implement them, and at worse I just couldn’t." Thanks for sharing your insights!
Just love the bed made of books! A very interesting article.
thank you for this article.
I also have a strange tenancy to gravitate towards stories written by writers writing about writers who are writing things. It's just natural for a writer to want to relate and convey the struggles and feelings of being a writer in a roundabout sort of way. I also catch myself endlessly writing about authors living the life I'd love to have. It's only natural I'm sure. Thanks, I loved your post! :)
I once sat down to write for a poetry portfolio that was due at the end of a Modern & Contemporary Poetry class I took during my last semester of college. I knew what I was going to write — everything was outlined and structured, I just had to put pen to paper. So I sat there and my pen didn't touch my paper for several hours.
What I ended up writing looked nothing at all like my outline, nor like anything I ever wanted to write. And it was better for it.
This post resonates with some of what I've been thinking about lately. : ) I've found for years that my 'process' for writing tends to be coming up with an idea, and then thinking about how much other people will like it, hate it, or think about it – or even if I'm not thinking about what other people will think, I'm still focusing on the VALUE of the idea in a judgmental way. It's a pretty bad habit on the whole, and it's worth time and effort to minimize the amount of time spent thinking about the ideas themselves and maximize thinking on how you plan to implement the ideas (not to mention actually doing the grunt work of it). It takes a large amount of effort for me to sit down with an idea and DO something with it, as opposed to just hopping around in the head space it provides and feeling successful for the act of doing nothing (not that, as you said, coming up with ideas is worthless – it isn't, but that needs to be balanced with implementation).
I agree that a good story needs "a certain style" but wonder about the equal necessity of "a compelling plot." Personally, I prefer plot-driven stories, but I recognize some excellent authors specialize in evoking mood and place and character rather than plot. Would you not agree? (By6 the way, I think the photo of the daybed-on-books is absolutely wonderful. Did you take it?)
I am in awe!
Food for thought! I'm a published writer, mainly of contemporary poetry, but I have written articles and short stories as well. For me, the selection of words is important – make each word count, and leave out the extraneous. The other important thing, I've found, is to be 'real', i.e. write with truth and emotion, about what you know. BTW, these days, I usually write on or in my artwork … this makes me happy and seems to 'speak' to others also! =D
I give my narrators a reason for writing their story, too, even if it means opening the story with (shudder) the dreaded-unadvised-forbiddden Rhetorical Question. Got to do what works for the story!
Writing is Life; messy, unpredictable and incredibly amazing. Readers love to read about Life.
This is a great and insightful post. I want to write and I believe that, after a requisite amount of awful attempts, I can produce something someone will want to read. However, whenever I try to nurture ideas into a short story, I get really caught up in trying to plot it all out, make a list of characters, and all the other elements of trying too hard. Maybe I should try to approach it from some other angles. I appreciate the type of advice this post provides.
Wow! What perfect ideas!
lovely post. Love the image of the bed with all the books!
Best book I have read on writing was written by Stephen King and it detailed in a few steps on how to grab the attention of the reader and keep it there. The scene he used was a mundane one, the husband coming back from work. A plain writer would have only used a sentence to describe it but he manage to lift this simple thing into an art, describing the weariness, tiredness, the way that routine sickened him to the core, the absent looks of the wife and almost make you feel that you were in the same room with them.
A good writer should be able to pull you in the book without much hassle…. Hmmm – maybe this is why 60% of my bookcase is filled with Dean Koontz and Stephen King. :)
I think it's the same with the visual arts – there's a balance between the idea/concept and the craft of making it. Very interesting blog
I find this really interesting; I've always wanted try writing a book, but I can never settle on a plot. I guess I feel reluctant to just dive in to writing with a plot I'm not entirely satisfied with, so I keep on putting it off -_-;
I'll get around to actually starting one day (in the very distant future…)
The bed looks like something from an Edmund Dulac painting, very nice
Love your blog. As a fellow writer (who is presently working on my first manuscript) I can definitely relate to this post. I followed your blog. I look forward to more of your posts on the art of writing. Blessings!
I understand well the importance of diction. Plot, you see, is merely a chassis–a chassis, that is, upon which the body is built.
The point about getting too caught up in the ideas and not the actual writing itself is too true to me. I have hundreds of ideas lying around and can probably thing of a half-dozen more at any given moment, but only a small percentage of those ideas actually become part of my stories. And I don't really examine my own style often enough, I think. (By the way, I love second person, too! It's one of my favorite styles to experiment with.)
That's great advise and all of it very true…I can honestly say that I think I try too hard at times. But, one thing I have noticed in several of the YA novels that I have read lately is that there does seem to be a general decay of prose. I should be left to wanting to crawl inside the described world of the characters and there are very few books in this genre that can accomplish that.
Great article! When writing stories, I do struggle with how to make my characters sound real to the point I many times lose my flow.
And seriously, i loveeeeeeee that picture!!!
Love this, it rings true to me in some ways. Writing stories is FAR more difficult than it seems!
Seems that way to me too Mariko. Last evening, late, I sat in a park listening to the crickets and seemed to come up with an idea for a story, I even wrote the first line, but then nothing. I'll return to it but wonder how far I'll get.
It is so easy to write about doing something compared to actually doing it. I want to write a great "Harry Potter," but really that is just nonsense. I think eventually something will grab me and that energy, passion will move me to write and completely become the project. Maybe not.
The photo is a good illustration of my own creative mind… so many ideas thought up in the middle of the night, and left there, tucked in (or under) the bed, without the time (or perhaps the drive) to make them come into being.
Writing is a gift and a blessing (no religion implied). For myself, as a senior old dude, I feel there is hope in young minds that crave knowing. While the majority of the human race resists the common sense and dignity of reason ,,, there are still a few lamps alit out there. Keep at it Cristian … do well.
I love the ideas you present here and the honesty. I like what you say about when telling the story in first person, the narrator should have a reason for relating the story. Wow, that makes a difference in my thinking. Notice I say thinking, not writing just yet.This may be elementary to some, but not to me. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
You're absolutely right, of course. The What is a point of fixation for probably just about every creature that sets out with writing on the mind. The How, on the other hand, is where the reader slides into the work and relates on some level. Thanks for the reminder, Cristian.
You have given some excellent advise. I have much to think about. Thanks.
words aside – I am so terribly in love with that photo!
Perhaps I missed the point of your post, but what jumped out at me most is when you said that when you were younger you wrote less than you should have, because you were busy trying to come up with the ideas for a hit story. This reminds me about Jerry Seinfeld's tip for an inspiring young comic (I'll let you read it here: http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-prod…. It's a gem.
Wow, I really like this! It's true, though. Without ideas, and the truth of implementing them, we have nothing but ideas and remnants of thought.
You have brought up the main problem of writing. We have loads of ideas but the biggest challenge remains and that's to be able to captivate the reader by the magic of words