So, you want to be a writer, eh? I’d suggest you take up golf instead. It’s just as frustrating, but at least you get some fresh air. Still determined?
I’m
not going to talk about why you want to write. That’s a story in itself. You
have read widely and perhaps dabbled at writing some short pieces, and after
seeing what’s out there, you’re telling yourself it can’t be that hard. You can
do a much better job and you’ve made up your mind to prove to everybody you can
do it. You also decided that you can take the pain, the loneliness, and
exasperation that goes with writing. Have you? If you haven’t, do think about
it. Writing a 300 page book means many hours with a pen, notebook, and
computer. Time where you don’t want to be interrupted by anything or anybody.
Still want to inflict this on yourself?
When
I started, I had grand dreams about getting published and seeing my books in
every store in the world. I’d be famous! Perhaps you might make it, but before
you jump into the writing tar pit, knock any expectations you may have about
fame and money out of your mind. If you want to write for money, become a
journalist or a freelancer. Better still, get a paying job. That’s my first bit
of advice. The second: forget about becoming famous. If you are honest with
yourself, you will understand that you are driven to write, and you want to
share what you have written with somebody. Everything else is secondary. If you
don’t have that fire burning inside you, goading you to write, never leaving
you alone, than you’re kidding yourself. Remember what I said about golf?
Okay,
let’s get serious. Like any profession, writing is a craft and there are tools
you must master to be any good at it. What did Einstein say: ten percent
inspiration and ninety percent perspiration? He got that right. Having a story
idea is nothing. Getting it down on paper in a form readers will not want to
put down is everything. As with anything new, practice makes perfect. If you
haven’t already, write some short stories. Why? The effort will tell you how
good you are at manipulating words, creating sentences, scene breaks and
chapters. It will show you if you have problems with plotting, whether you are
a character or action writer; whether you like prose, dialogue or are in love
with flowery adjectives. By the way, drown those adjectives - most of them
anyway, or take up poetry. You need to find your voice. You need to discover
your writing style with which you are most relaxed and one that doesn’t impede
the flow of words. Stilted, awkward narrative and dialogue is death, regardless
how good the story itself might be. Don’t try to imitate an author you
like. You must be true to yourself.
Some
basic things that get overlooked, but are important:
- Format your manuscript correctly. Use 1 inch
margins all around and have a proper header: Author Name/Book Title at left,
and page numbering at right. Amazing how many people get this wrong.
- Use double spacing with your sentences, and
don’t right justify the text. That part comes later when the book gets
published.
- Always use the word processor’s automatic
paragraph indenting. Have a hard page break, never one you create using the
Enter key to space down the page.
- Never use tabs!
There
are other small things, but the idea is to get the fundamentals right before
you put down that first word. Believe me, it will help in the long run. Why do
all that? Firstly, submission editors have rules on manuscript formatting, but
more importantly, you are developing yourself into a professional, not some
amateur who hopes a brilliant story will carry you over all the bad parts. Long
ago, editors helped iron out poorly written manuscripts, but those days are
long gone. Today, your manuscript must be perfect, ready for typesetting and printing.
Become
your worst enemy! You need to develop editorial skills and be prepared to cut
that favorite word, phrase, sentence or paragraph. Never, never become so
attached to your writing that you cannot prune. Like a shrub that needs cutting
in order to make the whole live, you must be prepared to trim your writing. I
know. It’s like hacking off an arm, but you must become inured to the pain,
your eyes set on the end product. It takes time and practice, but it’s worth
the effort. If you don’t do it, your editor certainly will. He will do it
anyway just to demonstrate his superiority over us lesser mortals. Grin and
bear it, and have a bourbon.
Develop
a disciplined approach to writing. You would never build a house without proper
architectural drawings. In the same way, never jump into writing that book
without having thoroughly researched your subject, written a detailed outline,
and worked every plot angle. Careful not to get carried away with the outline
or you’ll end up writing what should really be ‘real’ writing. An outline is a
skeleton on which you write the book around. And like any skeleton, every bone
must be in place or things will start to fall off when you begin to write.
That’s called writer’s block, and it can drive you to thoughts of jumping off
tall buildings. It can also result in a book that will be all disjointed and
pieces won’t fit. You can write a short story on the fly, and I’ve done it, but
not a full-length novel. I have seen results of such amateurish writing and I
still shudder when I think of them.
Develop
your characters. There is nothing worse than coming across a character that has
blue eyes in one chapter and brown in another. There is more to it than that,
of course, but you get the idea. Every major character in your book should be
fully developed, like a police mug sheet. And like that mug sheet, it should
contain everything: height, color of hair, distinguishing features, mannerisms,
likes and dislikes...you get the idea. This not only beds down the character in
your own mind, but enforces a consistency of behavior by that character. If you
have given your character a quirky mannerism, you can use it with confidence
throughout the book. It will also make your reader comfortable, knowing you
will not spring a surprise on him. If your character is a badass, keep him that
way. Don’t introduce a brand new mannerism way down the book simply to make a
point.
There
are lots more things I could talk about here that every author needs in his
toolbox, but I have to do some writing on my own novel. You will run into
mental potholes, wander why you’re bothering, thinking that drinking your way
out will help, but there is one thing you must always keep in mind. Writing can
be tremendously satisfying. There is nothing like the buzz you get when the
words flow and everything clicks together. The pure joy of creation can be
giddying - and addictive. Once hooked, I’m afraid there is no cure, and no cold
turkey withdrawal will help.
Still
want to be a writer? On your head be it.
~Thank you for stopping
by to see what this great author has to share with us today. Stefan Vucak is an
award-winning author of the sci-fi Shadow Gods series of books. His
contemporary political thriller Cry of Eagles has won the coveted 2011
Readers Favorite silver medal award, and his All the Evils is a 2013
finalist in the prestigious Eric Hoffer contest. See my interview of Vucak here and be sure to check out his list of
suggested links.
Website: www.stefanvucak.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/StefanVucak
Twitter:
@stefanvucak
