Category Archives: A blog about the topics of writing

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing tips and ideas

Do you stand outside the fire as an author?

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Standing outside the fire is one of my favorite songs from Garth Brooks. After I heard the lyrics for the first time, they spoke to me. But then I had a different take on it.

Do we stand outside the fire when it comes to our writing? Do we only peak now and then when we have a free moment or when the mood hits us? Do you let it sit in front of you? Can it churn itself alone while you stand outside waiting for the next step to appear? If we fail to make an effort, will the fire grow or burn to ashes?

Sitting outside is safe, and if that is all you want from your book, awesome. But if you want more, you have to tend to it repeatedly, letting it grow in its flame growing and growing until it has a life of its own.

It is hard to write a book. Many parts will include dialogue, plotting, character development, research, and more. These are all things I was naive about before writing. Those who don’t write can be clueless like I was. Perhaps more so.

Many steps can make you slow down or quit. Standing outside the fire of your writing, wanting to continue but letting things stop you. I get that life, health issues, and family issues in some ways. But do you let it get in your head, and you are putting yourself outside the circle?

And even if you finish and get it published, however, the route you go, you have to promote and market.

While I have a publisher that markets my work, I still need to do my part.

Promotion is not easy or very fun, and it takes a lot of time and effort from each of us. And any little thing can derail us from doing it while we logic it away. But where we end up with our book depends on where we are on this journey.

We can get railed in so many ways, some of them produced by us. After writing this post, I can see why some of us stand outside the fire.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writers helping writers

It’s complicated: Is it really?

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How many times have you heard in a movie or TV the phrase, “It’s complicated,” or read it in a book? If you are like me, then too many to count. It has gotten old. It has been for a while now.

How about you write out the scene? It does not have to be a full-blown back story but just a bit to explain it. I often scream at the TV when I hear the phrase. Take some time, do a little work and explain why it is, in your view, complicated.

Your job as a writer for a show or a movie is to write. The cheap way out, and sadly it works for the most part, is frustrating. But another sad part is that people hear it, accept it and move on, not putting the writers against the wall and holding them accountable.

How about saying what is it? We are too lazy to get into it right now. We don’t want to bother you. We know you will accept the word even if we never explain it. Why does it even happen?

Our readers and viewers deserve better, don’t they? If you paid good money for a book or a movie, and let’s face those are getting pricier as the years go by, you should receive your bang for the money. We deserve better if we are writers producing such books and movies.

I don’t see this changing anytime soon, if ever, but I had to let this out. Why? I guess it’s not so complicated for me.

A blog about the topics of writing, The elements of writing a book, Uncategorized

Invest in the characters of your book

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Learning how to make our characters strong, believable, lovable, loathed, and focused is something we all should strive for as writers. I want to fall in love with my character or hate them so badly I want to see how the book ends. I follow through with the liking of a character. There are some books, but by the time it ends, I wish the one I fell for would go away, as my alliance has shifted to the villain who is suddenly incredible.

If we stick to the physical aspect of what our characters look like, while we may describe the description, one can only go so far with looks. So invest in your characters, go to the root of what makes them who they are, what they are, and why I should, as a reader, get so invested in this one person. Chances are the book will not be read to the end if you don’t.

How strong are the characters in our book? Do they make the reader invested in them relatively soon, or does it drag on? The format is simple: Who? Where? What? How? When? Why?

Simple enough, but then break it down even further. Who did what and where, and how was it done and why? Or you can say how it happens to this other character in the book. The possibilities are endless, depending on how big your cast is in the book.

Also, talk about your character’s weaknesses. For example shows us what they like, fears, hopes, goals, strengths, and more. By doing that, you give your person the best chance of working, whether to be loved or hated. As a reader, the book, no matter how well written, will be either read and honestly reviewed or not read at all.

Invest in your characters, and they will do wonders for your book.