Yesterday, I was walking up a trail when I encountered a person who asked me to hold my dog so she could pass. “Sure!” I said, and called Tock away from a bush he was sniffing about twenty feet off the trail. Once he got to my side, I snapped on his leash and held him there until the woman had hurried by.
Interesting, Wendy. I get scared at the querying stage. My work is never ready, never good enough. Too scary to send it out! I love your idea of pre-writing. I do that, too, but later in the process -- I interview my characters to find out more about their lives than I'd already learned during the writing.
I read this after taking my big pup Ryder for his second walk of the day. Not because he was begging for another one, but as his human I needed to get back on top of the training that makes him such a great therapy dog. He turned two in October and started becoming a teenager. This is great advice for us humans too! I haven’t even tried to write fiction. Way too scared to do that!
I love this piece, Wendy! Such great advice on how to get past that blank page. I'm putting together an online course about just that fear--there are so many aspects to it but also ways to get past it, and your ideas can be very helpful. Like Kim I write nonfiction, which at least can give you a built-in framework for getting started. But with either nonfiction or fiction, your words are just yours until you choose to share them, so actually getting something "down on paper" doesn't have to be scary--you are the only person who sees it or even knows it exists until you choose to share. You can keep it, share it, erase it, whatever you choose, depending on whether or not it "works." Keeping that in mind can help some writers let open up the dam and let those words pour out!
Well-said, Dorothy. I frequently have to remind myself that no one's looking over my shoulder and reading my early drafts. It's a long time before I get to that point!
Two writing tips I've enjoyed using (both via YouTube talks I can't find at the moment); one was from Kurt Vonnegut -- love his guidance; he said 'develop really great characters and then make terrible things happen to them - and then write about how they deal with them and you'll learn what your character is really made of. The other, from Roger Rosenblatt - he sets a classroom scene with students struggling to 'get started' - he prepped them that he would give them a prompt; and then when least expected, the slammed the classroom door hard and yelled, "WRITE" ... and the pieces (he described some) that resulted were spectacular. He tells the story far better than I could. And funnier too. So, slam a door!
I found one of many of his I've heard before; the introducer tells that story in his preamble - more detail and better than I told it; I don't know if this is the piece where he tells that story - but it's a good listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-AiVF5ojUI&t=12s
Great advice! Did you start a new novel? Love the photos of Tok. On our walk yesterday, Apollo was terrified of a standing orange sign warning of flooding. I tried to let him sniff it. He’s usually not fearful. Maybe a reflection of how I’ve been feeling about some of my chapters?
It's strange what will suddenly make a dog fearful. I'd love to know what's going through their minds! As for a novel, I started a new one in late summer, though lately revisions of the previous one have been getting in the way.
As usual I love your posts, Wendy. I always think of it as jumping off a cliff. And it doesn't seem as scary as the part where you know it's pretty good, you've had it critiqued a lot, and you need to make some big changes that may change everything - either for the better or for the worse.
A couple of things: 1. Maybe that woman was walking that trail to try to overcome her fear of dogs (which might stem from a past event). 2. I find far scarier times in rereading what I've written than in starting something new. Like revisiting a place where I used to live, I could be faced with horrors or delights. Usually it's a mix of both. Happy Trails and Tales!
#1 is an interesting point that hadn't even occurred to me - and you're very likely right. As for #2, we're all different, I guess, because I adore the re-reading stage, even as it becomes evident just how much work lies ahead!
Great post! And I totally agree that the first couple of chapters are the worst. I'm definitely the type of writer who needs to churn forward regardless of whatever excuses my mind might come up with. If I don't, it will never get done, and that's a place I don't want to go right now. So I tell myself over and over that I don't need to write a chapter, I just need to write one sentence. And then another sentence. I find that I can always do that. Eventually, the dam breaks.
Interesting, Wendy. I get scared at the querying stage. My work is never ready, never good enough. Too scary to send it out! I love your idea of pre-writing. I do that, too, but later in the process -- I interview my characters to find out more about their lives than I'd already learned during the writing.
Oh, the querying stage! That's a whole other area that's terrifying to tackle. I'm guilty of hesitation then as well.
I read this after taking my big pup Ryder for his second walk of the day. Not because he was begging for another one, but as his human I needed to get back on top of the training that makes him such a great therapy dog. He turned two in October and started becoming a teenager. This is great advice for us humans too! I haven’t even tried to write fiction. Way too scared to do that!
How wonderful that you're training him as a therapy dog. And I'd be excited to see someone with your writing capabilities give fiction a try!
I love this piece, Wendy! Such great advice on how to get past that blank page. I'm putting together an online course about just that fear--there are so many aspects to it but also ways to get past it, and your ideas can be very helpful. Like Kim I write nonfiction, which at least can give you a built-in framework for getting started. But with either nonfiction or fiction, your words are just yours until you choose to share them, so actually getting something "down on paper" doesn't have to be scary--you are the only person who sees it or even knows it exists until you choose to share. You can keep it, share it, erase it, whatever you choose, depending on whether or not it "works." Keeping that in mind can help some writers let open up the dam and let those words pour out!
Well-said, Dorothy. I frequently have to remind myself that no one's looking over my shoulder and reading my early drafts. It's a long time before I get to that point!
Two writing tips I've enjoyed using (both via YouTube talks I can't find at the moment); one was from Kurt Vonnegut -- love his guidance; he said 'develop really great characters and then make terrible things happen to them - and then write about how they deal with them and you'll learn what your character is really made of. The other, from Roger Rosenblatt - he sets a classroom scene with students struggling to 'get started' - he prepped them that he would give them a prompt; and then when least expected, the slammed the classroom door hard and yelled, "WRITE" ... and the pieces (he described some) that resulted were spectacular. He tells the story far better than I could. And funnier too. So, slam a door!
I love that door-slamming story! Gonna have to get someone to try it on me. Thanks for reading!
I found one of many of his I've heard before; the introducer tells that story in his preamble - more detail and better than I told it; I don't know if this is the piece where he tells that story - but it's a good listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-AiVF5ojUI&t=12s
Thanks, Mark!
Great advice! Did you start a new novel? Love the photos of Tok. On our walk yesterday, Apollo was terrified of a standing orange sign warning of flooding. I tried to let him sniff it. He’s usually not fearful. Maybe a reflection of how I’ve been feeling about some of my chapters?
It's strange what will suddenly make a dog fearful. I'd love to know what's going through their minds! As for a novel, I started a new one in late summer, though lately revisions of the previous one have been getting in the way.
Yes!
Yes, I will. We keep encouraging each other and that helps tremendously.
It's the best help in the world! (other than playing with our dogs)
As usual I love your posts, Wendy. I always think of it as jumping off a cliff. And it doesn't seem as scary as the part where you know it's pretty good, you've had it critiqued a lot, and you need to make some big changes that may change everything - either for the better or for the worse.
It's all scary, isn't it? Though I guess we each have our particular areas of terror. But if I can step past it, so can you!
A couple of things: 1. Maybe that woman was walking that trail to try to overcome her fear of dogs (which might stem from a past event). 2. I find far scarier times in rereading what I've written than in starting something new. Like revisiting a place where I used to live, I could be faced with horrors or delights. Usually it's a mix of both. Happy Trails and Tales!
#1 is an interesting point that hadn't even occurred to me - and you're very likely right. As for #2, we're all different, I guess, because I adore the re-reading stage, even as it becomes evident just how much work lies ahead!
I'm getting more used to the rereading part. Will be doing a new article about it in the near future. Say "hi" to Tock!
Great post! And I totally agree that the first couple of chapters are the worst. I'm definitely the type of writer who needs to churn forward regardless of whatever excuses my mind might come up with. If I don't, it will never get done, and that's a place I don't want to go right now. So I tell myself over and over that I don't need to write a chapter, I just need to write one sentence. And then another sentence. I find that I can always do that. Eventually, the dam breaks.
The dam always breaks in the end, thank goodness. Thanks for reading, Jim!
You are so right about all of this. It's never easy - but do it we must! Thanks for reading & commenting, Nadia.