Paul Reali

Immutable Laws of Writing #4: There are no one-draft writers

Immutable Laws of Writing, #4: There are no one-draft writers.

For any writing that matters—and, if you’re a bit of an obsessive wordsmith (like me), for any writing at all—the journey from none to done will include revisions. There are no one-draft writers.

“Writing is rewriting” has been said so many times, I want to question its truth on that basis alone. So let’s state it another way: good writing requires rewriting. Writing is a creative act, and creativity is far more than the flash of a great idea. Creativity is the hard work of moving from idea to well-executed solution.

Such is true of writing, and the longer the piece, the more work, time, and rewriting it takes. I don’t know about you, but I never send even a simple  email message without taking a second pass to make sure it says precisely what I want it to say, and nearly 100 percent of the time, I make at least one change.

We are a society obsessed with going from none to done, from zero to zenith with barely a stop in between, but I don’t think we’re seeing the process clearly. I think we’re seeing the journey as much too easy, and I’m not sure it’s even our fault. I think we’re being sold on simplicity that’s not there. For example, “couch to 5K” running programs make sense, but couch to marathon? Is it a worthy goal to go from not being a runner at all to finishing a marathon in six or nine months, even if that means walking the majority of it? (My answer: no. Becoming a regular runner and living a more healthy lifestyle are are worthy goals, and they don’t require that you punish yourself. The marathon can wait until the body is actually ready to run the race, not stagger home in seven hours.)

Or, closer to our topic, is the misunderstood world of self-publishing. The ability to publish a book or ebook with literally just a few clicks has led many, many people to finish writing the first draft of a book and to consider it done. Click: I’m a published author! Good for you! But did you know your book is almost certainly terrible? Not just full of typos, but actually terrible writing.

In case that’s not emphatic enough, allow me to beg: please, please, please don’t finish the draft and head straight for CreateSpace or KDP. You’re not nearly done. Your name will be on this. Don’t you want it to be be as good as you can make it? That means you must get back to work.

Why? Because good writing requires rewriting.

Plan to rewrite, and more than once. Your first draft will be horrible, terrible, very bad. And that’s okay. More than okay, actually: it’s expected. Why do so many writers think that all the words they put down must be brilliant?

There are times when it’s good to get it right in one take, such as when working in a blue book on a college exam, or writing inside a birthday card. But guess what? If you had the ability to rewriteon those occasions, you would almost certainly get it better the second time. And better still the third time.

This may not seem like good news for the budding novelist. You may be wondering: How many drafts, then? There’s no hard-and-fast for this, but it’s at least three for short works, and possibly more like 10 or 20 for long ones. If revising and rewriting are not something you enjoy, then perhaps writing book-length is not for you, because there are no one-draft writers.

But there is good news in this: there is no need for writer’s block (see Immutable Law #2). You can lower your standards, and just write that draft, allowing it by turns to be good or terrible. No worries; you’ll fix it later.

Revisit the other immutable laws:

Immutable Law #1: The words aren’t going to write themselves.
Immutable Law #2: An object in motion stays in motion (and an object at rest stays at rest).
Immutable Law #3: Writer’s block means you don’t know what to write about next.

 

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Kathie Collins

Poetry Reflection: Ron Padgett’s “How to Be Perfect”

A Short Guide for Exploring and Engaging the Themes and Motifs in Ron Padgett’s “How to Be Perfect”

1) Read “How to Be Perfect.”

2) Wonder about the poem’s title. What does the text of the poem convey about the poet’s notions of perfection?

3) In what ways or in what areas of life do you strive for perfection? Where do you come closest? Where do you fail completely—or, perhaps, have even quit trying?

4) Read the poem through several times (at least once aloud), then put the poem away.

5) Jot down the verses (the instructions) you remember in a journal or on a scrap piece of paper. No peeking at the poem!

6) Why might these particular verses have stayed with you? What do they say about who you are and the life you are living now?

7) Now, read through the poem again and notice the verses you didn’t remember. Do any of them surprise you or cause you to wonder why they didn’t stick with you? What do these omissions tell you about who you are and who you might want to become?

© 2016 Kathie Collins

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Kathie Collins

Poetry Reflection: Rumi’s “The Guest House”

A Short Guide for Exploring and Engaging the Themes and Motifs in Jelaluddin Rumi “The Guest House”

THE GUEST HOUSE

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

– Jelaluddin Rumi

Translation by Coleman Barks, The Essential Rumi, New Expanded Edition, 2004, HarperOne, p. 109

In this poem, Rumi uses an extended metaphor comparing our human lives and many moods and experiences to a house in which guests are constantly coming and going. Some of these guests merely pass through. Others stay for extended visits. Some are expected and welcome. Others are unbidden and/or disruptive.

1) After reading the poem several times, describe the you who might be both house and host to all these guests––the building itself and the ego or primary part of your personality that runs this mood motel. (Have fun with it!)

What kind of hotel are you? Four Seasons? Best Western? Residence Inn? Why? What’s the most important feature of the place?

Describe the you that runs this guest house? As hotelier, what expectations do you have for your employees and guests? What ground rules have you established?

2) What have you known of a crowd of sorrows who violently [swept] your house empty of its furniture? What did this crowd take? What did it leave behind? For what might it have cleaned you out? How did you treat it?

3) Describe your latest arrival. What joy, depression, or meanness knocks upon your door this morning? How will you greet it? What does it ask of you? What hospitality will you offer? With which of your other guest(s) might it room? For how long will you allow it to stay?

© 2016 Kathie Collins

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Kathie Collins

Poetry Reflection: Mary Oliver’s “The Journey”

A Short Guide for Exploring and Engaging the Themes and Motifs in Mary Oliver’s “The Journey”

1) Read “The Journey” through several times, taking in its rhythm and contemplating some of the imagery. Afterwards, take your own small journey—a walk alone around the block or neighborhood, or even a long hike. As you walk, let the poem’s first verse return to you: “One day you finally knew.”

2) Recall a day from your own life (maybe it’s even this day) in which you finally knew something (anything) with real clarity. What was (is) this “thing” you finally knew? Describe the day. Who was there? What was happening in your life at the time? How did you feel about the knowledge that had finally come?

3) What did “finally knowing” require of you? What did you finally “begin”? What has happened in the days, months, or years since this beginning?

4) Name the voices “shouting their bad advice” and the bad advice. Why was it bad? Why was it shouted? What was your response?

5) Name “the old tug at your ankles”? Describe some of the tactics others (or other voices inside of you) used to keep you from starting down the road.

6) When you finally began your journey, in what ways did the “whole house tremble”?

7) Whose were the voices you had to “little by little leave behind”?

8) How far down the road did you travel before “you heard a new voice, which you slowly recognized as your own”? What did this voice say? How did you know it was yours?

9) What is this new voice saying today? Into what life is it calling you now?

10) As you finish your stroll or hike, allow your attention to turn to the natural world. Enter it as fully as possible, allowing your breath to settle and your body to feel planted in the soil. Then look around you for a symbol—a small stone, an acorn, a leaf—some small gift from the earth to remind you of the importance of your journey, something to take with you as you walk “deeper and deeper into the world.”

© 2016 Kathie Collins

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Paul Reali

Immutable Laws of Writing #3: Writer’s block means you don’t know what to write about next

Immutable Laws of Writing, #3: Writer’s block means you don’t know what to write about next.

Author, blogger, and former literary agent Nathan Bransford says it more bluntly: “Writer’s block does not exist.”*

Mr. Bransford and I both agree that there is a feeling that some call “writer’s block.” We also both agree that it’s not a condition that befalls you, like a virus. His conclusion: you feel it because writing ceased being fun. I think that’s a valid thought. My conclusion goes a step beyond that: just because the words sometimes flow freely and with great joy, does not mean that’s what being a writer is all about. If you’re blocked, you’re waiting for something to happen, and that’s a fool’s mission.

Immutable Law #1 says the words aren’t going to write themselves. You have to write them. Which means that you, yourself, personally, have to place those black smudges we call letters on that white space we call a page.

Sometimes, your fingers hover over the keys and nothing happens. How easy it is, when that happens, to get up and say, “I’m blocked.” How easy it is to blame the universe and the muses.

The truth of the matter is, you’re blocked because you don’t know where you are going.

And this is bad. Because Immutable Law #2 says that objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest…which means you can’t have writer’s block, or any kind of block, stopping your work cold in its tracks.

To have this conversation, I have to say a few words about the “pantser” vs. “outliner” debate. In truth, it’s not an either/or, but more of a continuum. At one end, seat-of-the-pants writers like to let their writing flow organically, every day a mystery. At the other end, the extreme outliners have all their scenes identified before they write a one. All along the continuum between those extremes are people who have some idea of where they are going, if not a complete picture. Which means that at any moment, “some” can become “none.”

The less you know about what you plan to write, the more chance there is you’ll feel stuck. Said another way, the surest way to get the feeling of writer’s block is to not know what you’re writing about now.

So, what to do about this? Is becoming an extreme outliner the only route to conquering the block? Thankfully, no. Here are three practical tips.

First, decide what scene you’re writing now. If you know that, you can write it. If you still can’t start, answer the basic questions that any scene requires: who’s in it, what has to happen, how does it end. Then, start writing.

If you simply don’t know what scene to write, then it’s time for the dangerous question: have you outlined your work? If not, this is the problem right here. But fear not: it’s easier than you think. An outline doesn’t need to be the Magna Carta. An outline can be as simple as knowing the general path your story is going to take. If you’re writing a novel, consider this basic and very common structure:

  • The Setup (establishing the stakes)
  • Plot Point 1 (the story is propelled forward)
  • Midpoint (something important happens)
  • Plot Point 2 (a twist that sends the story toward its conclusion)
  • Resolution (how it all works out)

Or, consider the basic frame for almost all stories:

  • Someone
  • Wants something badly
  • But there are obstacles
  • Which are overcome, or not
  • And someone is changed, or not

The level of detail you need beyond this is up to you, but it needs to be enough so that you know what to write next. Once you have sketched down to the level of detail that gives you enough to go on, you’ll be ready to write.

I’ve been using the language of fiction here, but this works for non-fiction, too. What’s the arc of the narrative? What things are you going to talk about, and in what order?

Second, write anything, even if it’s not what comes next. What rule is there that you have to write in order?

There is no such rule. Besides, there’s a good chance the order of things will change. So, apply jumper cables to your work: pick any scene you want to write, and write that one.

Third, lower your standards. Just get the words down. They don’t have to be good; and, in fact, you shouldn’t expect them to be. You already know, if you have ever written at all, that you’re going to be rewriting. Or, as Nathan Bransford puts it, remember that “your first draft probably sucks.”*

Why do so many writers seem to think they should be able to spin gold on the first try? Accept that the writing is not going to be publishable as it first emerges. Accept that you will have to rewrite it, possibly toss it. That’s the process; you may as well get used to it.

For now, just get the words down. Give yourself permission to write badly. “I’m going to write badly today!” It’s liberating, really. And that’s the end of this thing called writer’s block. For good.

 

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* Bransford, N. (2013). How to write a novel [Kindle edition], pages 168 and 188.

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Paul Reali

Immutable Laws of Writing #2: An object in motion stays in motion

An object in motion stays in motion (and an object at rest stays at rest).

Sir Isaac Newton said this first, and not about writing. Still, writing is a natural act, possibly a force of nature, and is just as subject to physics as everything else. Applied to your writing, the “object” in question is the work you are producing. (Be it understood that we’re not talking here about writing as the mere act of putting words on paper; rather, we’re talking about writing that is becoming a finished work.) Applied to a work in progress, then: your writing both requires and benefits from momentum. Let’s break out those two key bits.

Requires momentum. Any piece of writing of any substantive length—short story, novella, novel, screenplay, stage play, epic poem, etc.—cannot continue forward unless you work on it regularly. Long works have many threads and themes, schemes and schemas, and other moving parts that need to be fresh in mind while writing. This is not to say you can’t take a break from a work; breaks can be good for your writing. But just try to finish a novel that you write in fits and starts, or even one that you write regularly but overly-spaced, such as writing it only on the weekends. It’s hard enough without adding that complexity.

Benefits from momentum. When you are working on a project regularly and with momentum on your side, your writing is likely to be more efficient and perhaps also better. Consider: the longer it has been since you last worked on your project, the longer it will take to: a) bring all the components back into your head; b) have a good sense of what to write next; and c) maintain all the voices: yours, and those of your characters. When your work has momentum, you slip easily between characters, you have your story threads and themes in mind, you know what has and has not transpired, and you know—this is important—what to write next.

Robert Heinlein provided these and some other rules of writing. The emphases are his:

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you start.

My Immutable Law of Writing #1 (“the words aren’t going to write themselves”) echoes RH’s first rule. My second supports his second: if you mean to finish, you must finish. And you do this by respecting (or, if you prefer, taking advantage of) the laws of physics.

Here are three pieces of practical advice for keeping momentum.

1. Write something you love. 

Don’t select a writing project because you think it’s trendy or easy to get published or will make you tons of cash. Write a story that you truly want to tell. That love will feed your momentum. You will write because you have to see how it comes out. (This will also sustain you later when you are in the eighth round of revisions and you hate the book more than you have ever hated anything.)

2. Make the forces (even the negative ones) work for you.

Fully expressed, Newton’s First Law is: “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force” (italics mine).* There are throughout your non-writing world “unbalanced forces” that conspire against you and your writing, even if (usually) unintentionally, almost all of which come down to commitments that require your time: jobs, partners, children, sleep, lawns that insist on growing, and so on. How might you make these forces work in support of your writing?

Perhaps: Use lawn mowing time as thinking time, for working out plot points and other story details; car pool to work so that you can write while someone else drives; enlist your family members as co-conspirators, to help by doing research or editing; establish family creative time: while you write, others practice their instruments, or blog, or fold origami, or what have you; get up 30 minutes earlier (you won’t miss it) and write 500 words while there are no distractions; or quit something that you’ve been meaning to quit, something that takes up your time, transferring that time to your writing.

3. Allow your self occasional breaks from the project. 

Short ones. Take Sunday off, maybe, but then back to it on Monday. Can’t fight physics, might as well make it work on your behalf.

——

* http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-1/Newton-s-First-Law

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Paul Reali
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Immutable Laws of Writing #1: The words will not write themselves

The words are not going to write themselves.

This seems obvious, no? Seems as if it doesn’t need to be said, yes? And yet, here it is, for your consumption, taking a prominent place as Immutable Law of Writing #1. Here’s the full story.

I know many writers who do not write. I think what those people mean when they say they are writers is they like to write, enjoy writing, or maybe like to think of themselves as writers. Still, they do not write.

I know many people who say they want to write a book, but they are not writing a book, and make no attempt to write a book. I think what they mean is they want to have written a book. What they don’t mean is they want the experience of writing a book. What they don’t mean is they want to do the work of writing a book. They want to be authors. This is not the same—this is not remotely the same—as wanting to do the actual work of writing.

Immutable Law of Writing #1 says the words are not going to write themselves. What, then, is the solution? The glib answer is: if you want to be a writer you must write. But here is some more practical advice: if you want to write, you must write every day.

The question that follows is how to do that: how does a busy person find the time to write every day? Here are three pieces of practical advice for finding the time to write every day.

One: Decide whether you mean it. 

Decide, once and for all, if writing is a priority for you. If it is, you will find a way to do it. I don’t mean to be simplistic about this, but it’s a simple matter: we do what we think is important. (The time won’t fall from the sky, however; you have to go and find it. See tip number two, below.)

It is vital here to know what you are writing. If it’s a novel, name it and outine it (at least roughly). If it’s a blog, decide what the blog is about and who it’s for, and keep a running idea list of things to write about. If it’s a business book, name it, define the audience, and outline its chapters. And so on. None of this is writing, by the way, but it helps you know what to write when it comes time to write.

Two: Once you have decided you will write, give something up and replace that time with writing. 

If your days are full, it will be easier to find time within the day than to figure out the physics of making the day longer than 24 hours. And the easiest way to do that is to stop doing something that takes up your precious, precious time.

Perhaps the first thing to do is to consider time as precious.

Then, look at what you do and decide what not to do so that you can write. Let’s say you need a half-hour to write each day (see tip number three, below). How might you find 30 minutes a day? Could you give up 30 minutes of sleep, Facebook, Candy Crush, or television? (On your deathbed, will you wish you had played more Candy Crush?)

If you are a writer, you are a creative thinker, so you can apply your creativity to this. Could you do the 60-minute yoga class instead of the 90-minute? Could you work from home one day a week and save the commute time? Do you have the resources to hire out a household chore, such as cutting the lawn, or have a family member do it? Could you have a child or spouse cook dinner an extra day each week? Could you take a 30-minute lunch instead of 60? Could you resign from that club you’ve belonged to for years but doesn’t really provide you any real benefit these days? Can you say “no” to something that you’ve been asked to do? The possibilities are nearly endless.

Three: When you have found your writing time, set a can’t-miss daily production goal. 

How about just 500 new words per day?

For most people, that’s about 30 minutes. How much is 500 words? It’s not much. This post, for instance, is 800 words. If you could write 500 new words per day—say, by getting up 30 minutes earlier, or forgoing one television show in the evening—you will have written a draft of a 90,000 word novel in just six months. That’s it! That’s all it takes. First thing in the morning, before everyone else has gotten up (or whenever), write a minimum of 500 new words, and do it every day.

Because, you know, the words aren’t going to write themselves.

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Charlotte Lit Admin

Welcome to Charlotte Lit!

Thank you for visiting, and welcome to Charlotte Lit — formally, Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, Inc. We’re new to the Charlotte arts community, seeking to elevate the literary arts in both awareness and impact. Here are some foundational questions and answers about Charlotte Lit.

Who created this? Our founders are Kathie Collins, poet and mythologist, author of Jubilee (Main Street Rag, 2011); and Paul Reali, writer and editor, author of Creativity Rising (ICSC Press, 2012).

What is Charlotte Lit’s mission?

Charlotte Center for Literary Arts promotes a deeper understanding of self, community, and world by inspiring and educating readers, developing and supporting writers, and promoting creative arts-focused conversations that strengthen and transform our community.

We acknowledge: that sounds pretty big. And yet: understanding is not an end product, it’s a way of navigating the world. We build understanding continuously. We know that literature, in all its forms, has for thousands of years held a central role in understanding self and others. Our mission is to increase our understanding through the power of literature.

When we talk about literature, what do we mean? We think of literature in all its forms: wherever words are used artistically. So: for us, literature is poetry, fiction, short stories, novels, creative non-fiction, memoir, essays, journalism, storytelling, spoken word, playwriting, screenwriting, and so on.

What will Charlotte Lit do? We think of our work in two parts: to promote literary arts events and opportunities in our community, and to create new events and opportunities. For promotion, the primary vehicle will be this website, social media, a weekly lit arts email newsletter, and by partnering with other organizations and artists. We will also create many new offerings, including workshops for writers and readers, readings and signings, and much more.

What does the future hold? Charlotte Lit is a creative venture, subject to being continuously invented and reinvented. We’re planning to partner with many area arts organizations and artists, and are excited to discover what shape these partnerships will take. We’re open to all ideas.

How can someone reach Charlotte Lit? Email us directly: Kathie is kathie@charlottelit.org, and Paul is paul@charlottelit.org. On Twitter, we’re @CLTLit.

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