The title pretty much says it all. I originally saw this on Writer Beware’s Facebook page and had passed it along to a friend who is working on a fantasy novel. Hopefully you find this useful if you didn’t know this already…
www.simonpclark.com/2013/05/how-much-should-you-pay-literary-agent.html
I hadn’t written anything creatively since this past summer. Let me clarify: I haven’t worked on any short or long fiction since then. However, this past weekend I had a little bit of free time, but stumbled through several paragraphs, not really feeling a groove or getting into it. Yes, I was into imagining the story, but the writing wasn’t coming as easily as it used to.
Then today, I decided to take another stab at it. And I wrote a good deal, a page and a half, which after not writing anything of this sort since last August, has me extremely satisfied. Remember to exercise your imagination from time to time. I’m going to try to find time here and there to write; will be trying harder than I have been, that’s for certain. An important lesson to take from this is: don’t be afraid to take twenty minutes out of your busy week to hone your craft and do what you love. I’m amazed at how many people tell me they have a fantastic idea for a work of short or novel length fiction, but have never gotten around to beginning it.
Best of luck with your writing.
The new version of my website went live a week ago. Make sure to check it out.
The title says it all. Wherever you happen to be in your writing career, I urge you to take a look at this article so that down the road you won’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re publishing your beloved book with Simon & Schuster only to find that you’ve been scammed by the infamous vanity publishing company Author Solutions.
Simon & Schuster Joins Forces With Author Solutions To Rip Off Writers
December 14, 2012
That’s the date Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ will be released. Also, I imagine that my final exam for my programming course will be sometime around then, and I would prefer that my exam was before the movie, so that I won’t be distracted by its release (and thoughts of sitting in a dark theater enjoying the Adventure and the merry Company that takes part in it).
I’ve been looking forward to seeing a movie rendition of The Hobbit (not counting the animated version from 1977) ever since The Lord of the Rings films came out. Of all of Tolkien’s books, The Hobbit is the only one I have ever read more than once. In fact, I have probably read The Hobbit at least three times, and perhaps four (this latest being the fourth). In 6th grade I read the shortened 6th-grade-version in our big, thick white literature book, but I did not include that read-through as one of the times I’ve read The Hobbit.
I’d like to add that I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings before the movie version of “The Fellowship of the Ring” was even released back in 2001. So, wanting to remember what happened in The Hobbit as it happened in the book (meaning so that I didn’t see the movie and not remember whether or not that scene was either in the book or added simply for the sake of the movie), I decided to reread it one more time before December 14.
To say I enjoyed rereading The Hobbit is an understatement. It was a pure delight. And in my mind I was able to freely imagine Bilbo as I wanted to do so, and imagine the dwarves in my own way as well, instead of having seen a movie and thus being influenced as to their manner of voice or looks, or what have you. I know that if I ever reread “The Fellowship of the Ring” I would likely think of Elijah Wood as Frodo, instead of the Frodo I pictured in my mind when I was 13 or 14.
If you haven’t read The Hobbit, and are wary about spoilers, you might want to stop here. And then I suggest you read the book before the movie is released on December 14 (that’s the release date here in the United States, at any rate).
One of the parts I have always immensely enjoyed in The Hobbit is when Bilbo creeps up to the three trolls and overhears – and interrupts – their conversation. I found myself chuckling at it all, and at the ensuing arguments. I doubt that the films will keep the hilarious yet necessary English dialogue between the trolls, and even that between the trolls and Bilbo. But hopefully I’ll be proved wrong.
Also, I thoroughly enjoyed reliving the experience of reading about the skin-changer Beorn and how Gandalf introduced the Company to him in pairs of two dwarves every 5 minutes. I really do hope they include that in the film just as Tolkien wrote it. It has me wondering, too, how much of the actual dialogue they’ll use in the film and how much new dialogue will be written to replace it.
In short, rereading The Hobbit was a great decision. If you haven’t done so, but are thinking of picking it up one more time before the film comes out, then I encourage you to dive into this wonderful tale of daring, danger, and delight.
This is the front cover of my copy of The Hobbit, which my dad bought for me in 2000. I imagine that the artwork and cover will be different (or has already changed) once the new movie comes out.
The back cover of my copy of The Hobbit. At the top of the cover is the announcement that “The Lord of the Rings” will soon be an epic motion picture. Now, 10 years later, The Hobbit will be joining those movies, and rightly so!
After having read this article by Michelle Isenhoff, an author of children’s literature, I thought it contained great advice and wanted to share it. She talks about writing with passion and a purpose – and not just writing to satisfy the latest craze, such as vampires, whether or not you enjoy writing stories about them. Originally posted at The Creative Penn, if you have a comment make sure to leave one there.
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/08/23/writing-passion-purpose/
Here are a few simple rules for writing compiled by Colson Whitehead that I happened to come across. The article was too good not to share. Even if you don’t agree with every statement or rule, the author brings up some interesting points. I especially like his take on the “show, don’t tell” rule, which he lists as Rule No. 1, and simply revises it with “show and tell.”
Decided I would add two additional bookcases to the one I already had, so that I wouldn’t have to double so many books. Before adding the 2 newest bookcases there were stacks of books around my room and in boxes under my bed.
The science fiction and fantasy paperback books are in alphabetical order, while the hardcovers are separate, and then I have the non-fiction/literary fiction on one shelf. I’ve probably read about 80% of them.
2nd bookcase added on July 12, 2012
3rd bookcase added on July 17, 2012
That first blank page of what will be your newest short story can be quite intimidating. You have scenes in mind but are not sure how to jot them down, scenarios that seem like a good idea until you try describing them, and then you’re at a standstill. You can’t decide on a character’s name, or the name of a place, or what day of the week it is. A moment ago you finally decided to begin this story, which you’d been thinking about for the past month and a half, but now you suddenly have writer’s block.
Sound familiar?
Sometimes I find that when writing a story, the hardest part is beginning it. It’s seeing that blank page. You may have the perfect plot all worked out in your head, but it takes talent, time, and patience in order to tell it to your audience. You’ll finish it eventually, revise it several times, and polish it off before submitting it to a magazine or contest. But it’s what happens in between the beginning and end that takes the most time.
Don’t expect it to be good on the first draft. That’s what revising and proofreading is for. But if you’re really unhappy with how a passage turned out, change it and move on. Trust me. I have a habit of proofreading while I write, and while it works for me — although it sometimes makes it difficult to progress along the plot — this approach might not work for you.
Sure, if time machines were a thing of the present you could jump ahead a month or two and take a peek at your finished work, if only to convince yourself that you’re on to something good. However, if the writing is going slow, it’s enjoying it that matters most, and if that describes you, then you’re doing something right. No one escapes writer’s block. Everyone has feared that blank page at one time or another.
Best of luck with your writing.
Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn has compiled a list of five common mistakes that new fiction writers tend to make:
www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/06/13/mistakes-of-new-fiction-writers
If you have a comment you’d like to share, make sure to leave a reply at her blog post, where she will be able to read it.
Bring Your Shorts