One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed and the person who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed.
–Stephen King
Wedge of Writing
Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. It’s not just a question of how-to, you see; it’s also a question of how much to. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how. You can only learn by doing.
–Stephen King
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Experiment
By Nandy Ekle
Voice. How do you have a voice in writing? Voice is an author’s uniqueness. This has to do with word choice and the direction you take your story. I might write with a very formal voice and my characters are very prim and proper, but you might write using more casual words and ideas and your characters more like every day people walking around at the mall.
Style is the way you tell your story. This can include punctuation, or the lack of it; where and why a writer breaks for a paragraph; or the length of chapters.
It’s no secret that I read a lot of Stephen King books/stories. I can read one page of a story and pretty much tell you if it’s something he wrote or not, even if it’s something of his I’ve never seen or heard about before. And that’s because of his voice and style. However, there are a few of his stories that have surprised me, and in a good way. In fact, one of the reasons I love certain King books over some of the others is because the voice and style is so different.
The Shining. I don’t know how many times I’ve said it, but I will continue saying it until I can’t say it anymore. This book is incredible because of the style (among a million other reasons). As a student of writing rules, I can point out where each rule has been broken. But each rule is broken for specific reasons, and it was absolutely done in absolutely the right place at absolutely the right time. There are places in that book where reading the words and the placement or absence of punctuation actually made me feel like I was caught in a whirlpool going down a drain. Amazing illusion!
The Eyes of the Dragon. The first time I read this book I had never heard of it. “Hhhmmm,” I said as I took it off the library shelf. At the time I was feasting on the fantasy genre, and that’s where this book fits. I was wonderfully surprised because Mr. King uses a much different voice for this story. He actually sounds a little like J. R. R. Tolkien in The Hobbit. I definitely suggest this book for anyone who wants to study voice and style.
Dolores Claiborne. Not so much a shift in voice form Mr. King, but a substantial shift in style. He wrote this story in the voice of a woman, and as a woman myself, I will tell you he did an amazing job of it. But as far as not sounding like Stephen King, well, he does. You see, Dolores is a woman who has a rough and hard demeanor. That’s actually what the story is about. Survival. The thing that makes the style so different is he did not break into chapters. The whole story is told in one long narrative. And, again, that was the right thing to do. There are times when stopping to change chapters is more distracting than anything else. The result is this book is a very fast read, in spite of the thickness of the book.
Okay. Now it’s our turn. A couple of exercises here. First, try to write part of your current work in progress in the voice of your favorite author, and the style they use the most. This will teach you to think like they do, which can be very helpful. Next, take a piece of your current WIP and use an opposite voice and completely different style. This will help you decide if you actually have the right thing in the right place at the right time.
Now, show off a little bit and post your experiment in the comments below.
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
Wedge of Writing
In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it ‘got boring,’ the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling.
–Stephen King
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Legacy
By Nandy Ekle
Genealogy is a pretty popular pastime. A lot of people crave to know something about their past, their ancestors, and where it all started. And it’s really interesting to discover where certain traits have come from.
I must admit, while I’ve never been interested enough in my family lines to actually sit and do all the research, I enjoy hearing what other people have found about us. I have an aunt who has recently done a little bit of digging and claims my father’s family has connections to John Steinbeck. And, even though John Steinbeck has never been one of my favorite authors, I kind of like the idea of having a distant blood tie to a respected American author—sort of like maybe I inherited my fascination with words.
But I have learned an even more heart warming fact during the past few years. As my grandchildren grow up and begin showing their own little personalities, interests, and talents, I have seen some marvelous things develop. They all five like to write stories. I have seen and heard them. They tell stories, they draw stories, they act out stories. And their tales are unique and clever.
It’s an encouraging thing to know the writing gene is moving on through you.
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Who’s In Control
By Nandy Ekle
Raise your hand if this has ever happened to you.
You are struck with a brilliant idea. You have the characters set, the scene, the plot, everything planned. You sit down and begin writing the story exactly as you’ve seen it play out in your head. You have a specific goal in mind and specific steps to get there. Your characters are strong living beings. Everything is falling in place and you’re typing like a maniac.
Suddenly you realize the characters have taken the story away from you and the whole thing has changed. You started out with a fun little romp, but the words that come out of your fingers have taken on a foreshadowing ominous tone.
I have to confess every story I’ve ever written does this. Usually I’m pleasantly surprised and just go with it. But occasionally I’m puzzled. I’m known for writing twisted dark stories. But sometimes I want to write something fun.
Stephen King spoke about a time for decision making when he wrote The Shining. He said he had to decide if he wanted to write it as a fun scary ghost story, boom, boom, boom. Or he could dig deeper and write from the soul. He made the decision to go deep and analyze each character to the very core instead of just having a ghost jump out and scream boo. The result of his decision was a masterpiece.
So, the answer to my question? I will probably listen to the characters. After all, it is their story.
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
These Times Are Changing
By Nandy Ekle
One of my all time favorite books was written in 1975, or there abouts. I love reading this book and have read it many times. Besides reveling in the infinite layers of this story, it never ceases to amaze me how things have changed. The main character drives into town to use a payphone. He only has a ten-dollar bill, so he buys a magazine, two candy bars, and a bottle of aspirin, then has three of his left over dollars converted to quarters to feed the telephone.
The main character then moves his family to an isolated hotel for the winter. Driving up the mountain they have no stereo in their car, and it’s a standard shift transmission. Once they get moved in, the only connection they have with the outside world is a CB radio. When they talk on the radio, every sentence ends with “over.” And they were dependent on the local television stations for whatever show was being broadcast.
The first time I read this book, it all seemed so normal and familiar to me. I grew up during this period and I knew about having a phone on the wall with a rotary dial. I knew about not having music in the car, and I learned to drive a standard before I learned an automatic. The CB radio was a new fad, and we had to wait a whole year for the local television station to play run our favorite movies. And a ten-dollar bill went way farther than it does these days.
However, we now live in a world where we have phones in our pockets at all times, and they play tunes for our ringer, or they ring like an “old phone,” or they don’t ring at all, only vibrate. Not only that, but they are much more than phones. They are also our cameras, our music players, our mail receivers, our encyclopedias, our televisions, our game consoles, and our books.
The point is, we should remember these things when we are writing. Think of your characters’ ages and what they know and understand about the world they live in. If they’re older and can remember when life was not so convenient, then the lack of all our easy-living instantly gratifying life-style is not so unusual. In fact, that could be a component in your story, pitting an old-schooler with an up-and-comer.
But if your characters are young and hip, they should understand and use all the modern amenities. In fact, it would be very distracting to your readers who sit reading the adventures and thinking, “Why don’t you just dial 9-1-1?”
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Getting Started
By Nandy Ekle
I had the itch all day. As fellow writers I know you understand what I’m talking about. New characters screamed in my head and scenes flashed through my mind like movies on the big screen. I knew what I wanted to write and I couldn’t wait to get to it.
As soon as I clocked out from my day job, I nearly skipped to my car. All the way home I sang with the radio, but I have no idea what songs played. I stopped at a red light and as I sat there the muse tickled my brain to the point where I almost didn’t realize the light had turned green. I pulled into the drive way and couldn’t get in the house fast enough. Change to comfy clothes, boot up the computer, watch while the screens open and the cursor blips on the white page. Giddiness threatened to take over my consciousness as I typed the title of my new greatest idea.
“Oh, this is going to be so great!” I whispered to my fingers. “I’ve got most of it in my head; the roadblocks will just dissolve as we type this up right quick.” I took a deep breath and put my fingers on home row.
And so, there I sat in my special writing space, hands on the keyboard, cursor blinking at me like a teenager who thinks I’m as dumb as a block of wood. And it seemed I may have been. I typed the title and the movie screen in my head went dark. No more action, no conversation, even the face of my character disappeared.
I blinked a few times and stared at the empty screen. “Hey. What’s going on?” I yelled these words to the hallways inside my head. Just a moment earlier these hallways had been full of words and music, sights and sounds. Now they looked like the cob-webby walls of a haunted house.
“You waited too long.” The voice came from behind me. I turned quickly and caught a glimpse of a sparkling fairy princess gown as the wearer darted out an open window. “You should have started writing it as I was giving it to you.”
“But, I have a job to do, a day job. Without that job, I don’t get to buy fun or food.” I know I sounded whiney, but I felt desperate. All day I had to force myself to stay focused on my duties instead of going into my little fantasy world.
“Sorry. I only have so much time I can give you.”
“I’m here now, bring it all back.” The fairy princess returned to stand behind me. “I remember some of it. Bring the rest of it back. Please help me write this story.” I typed a few words.
“Oh, that is the worst place in the world to start. And you need a better voice. Here, delete it all and start over.”
So I tried again and only earned more criticism. It seemed that every time I tried to write my story, the muse was meaner and more cruel until she finally rolled her eyes, stamped her foot, and huffed. Then she turned and vanished.
And this is usually how my writing times start.
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Okay With Crazy
By Nandy Ekle
Writers are a special breed of people. We are the people who see worlds in a speck of dust. We hear voices in our heads and we dissect ideas and words looking for connections and meanings.
We even have our own jargon. We stay away from echoes and rabbit trails. We love conflict and critiques. Flawed heroes, lovable villains, inciting incidents, supporters, resolutions, arcs, macguffin, even white spaces are common topics when we all get together.
At a writing conference, meeting and connecting with other writers is one of the most satisfying things in the world, especially when the writers at the conference share interest in the same genre. Imagine a room full of people discussing how much blood they splash around in a year at the horror writers’ conference. Or a room of people discussing all the love affairs they orchestrate at the romance writers’ conference. At a mystery writers’ conference you might hear talk of secrets and clues, or you’ll probably hear conversations about UFO sightings and time travel at the science fiction writers’ conference.
It’s so satisfying to be able to open up and talk about ideas and scenes, style and word choice, even names and voices with other people and have them understand exactly what you mean. I invite you to discuss your writing life here with me. I love talking about words, topics, genres. Pour your heart out and I’ll listen and smile because I know exactly what you mean.
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Look Around
By Nandy Ekle
Last night was critique night. We sat around the conference table and presented our stories to the group, then we gave some constructive ideas of how to make the stories better. My dear friend’s story reminded me of something I guess I had forgotten during the chaotic days of what I call “Hallowthanksmas” (which I’m stealing from a greeting card I once read). My friend’s story was a humorous piece about all the eating we do during that period of time.
Her story was charming, well written, timely and very enjoyable. But the thing I got from the story was the reminder that every moment of every day is something to write about. There are stories in successes and frustrations, no matter how trivial they may seem. There are histories of objects around you. There are adventures of even getting out of your chair to walk to the trash can.
One day, back when I was an office manager for two businesses, there was a minor crisis with the fax machine and the postage machine. The whole entire episode lasted about 30 minutes, but when it was resolved, a cute picture came in my head where the postage machine gained a personality and hijacked the fax machine to enjoy a day of freedom on the phone lines and cyberspace.
I also wrote a short essay one time describing the shrieking blizzard taking place outside the window. I’ve written deep explicit descriptions of a room while waiting for an appointment. I’ve even written stories about how my inspiration to write something shriveled up and died on the floor in front of me like a pet.
So I’m passing my reminder on to you, my readers. The challenge is to find one moment today that makes you say, “There’s a story there.” Go ahead and post your story in the comments below and share it with the rest of us. Who knows, it could be the start of something bigger.
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
Wordsmith Six 