The school year is well on its way now. It's the second week, and I'm already struggling to keep up with the rigorous reading pace for my English lit classes. On one hand, I longed for the school year to start up again so I could get away from Chicago and the family drama silently raging back home. Yet the flipside is that I have to read 2 novels each week, plus other assorted papers and homework assignments. *sigh* There goes my creativity.
I was unusually productive this past summer with my writing. I filled up a couple notebooks and started researching for another story. Research is one of my favorite parts of writing, however I rarely find time to do the in-depth research I require. Damn. It will just have to wait for next summer or winter break, because I never have that kind of time during the semesters.
On a very different note, tomorrow is Saint Stock day at AQ (which is Clubs & Orgs day under a new name). I'll be sitting around the LIT table or the Gender Studies table. The LIT club and AWG (AQ Writers' Guild) has awesome bookmarks that I designed and spent hours today cutting out, laminating, and cutting out again. So, someone should stop by so my hard work will be appreciated. ^___^
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
You are what you eat. You write what you read.
As I've mentioned before, I love the romance genre and its many many sub-genres. And I consider myself an interested critic of the stories and authors that I've so widely read and can recognize at any given bookstore.
Some may find it surprising, but the first advice I would give for people working on writing about romantic relationships between characters is to read a good romance novel! What a novel idea. [I <3 puns.]
It has been my experience that one writes what one reads, the same as that old saying, 'you are what you eat'. For example, basically all my stories have romantic relationships thrown in somewhere (if not the primary characters) because I've read so many romance novels. It's just how I think, how my characters come to me--in pairs. It is what it is, and I like it like that.
Therefore, if you want to write a murder mystery, you better start reading up on some and pay attention to common themes, techniques, and cliches to stay away from. Of course, I know some writers who specifically stay away from books in their genres, let's say the paranormal genre, because they often immerse themselves in the supernatural and desire to read anything different in their spare time.
Whatever way it works for you, I'm a definite proponent for researching before jumping into something new.
Some may find it surprising, but the first advice I would give for people working on writing about romantic relationships between characters is to read a good romance novel! What a novel idea. [I <3 puns.]
It has been my experience that one writes what one reads, the same as that old saying, 'you are what you eat'. For example, basically all my stories have romantic relationships thrown in somewhere (if not the primary characters) because I've read so many romance novels. It's just how I think, how my characters come to me--in pairs. It is what it is, and I like it like that.
Therefore, if you want to write a murder mystery, you better start reading up on some and pay attention to common themes, techniques, and cliches to stay away from. Of course, I know some writers who specifically stay away from books in their genres, let's say the paranormal genre, because they often immerse themselves in the supernatural and desire to read anything different in their spare time.
Whatever way it works for you, I'm a definite proponent for researching before jumping into something new.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
What's your flavor?
Although writers are known for being the artistic type, many of us still categorize motifs, plots, characters, even writing styles. Generally there are two types of writers—Pantsers and Plotters. Pantsers are those who write by the seat of their pants, who write scenes as they come and piece it all together in the end. On the other hand, Plotters are those who plan out the story plot and generally know how it all happens before the story is finished.
Although plotters write with the big picture in mind and a goal at the end of the tunnel, they are sometimes stubborn when the story doesn't work out the way they planned. One lesson I quickly learned when I began writing so long ago is that characters have their own personality and minds (as bizarre as that sounds to non-writers, we writers are NOT Schizophrenic) and therefore don’t give a damn what I had planned out. But that’s okay. It always works out in the end. Plotters are also known for over-planning, i.e. they become so engrossed in backstories and outlines, character sheets and creating a new world (if writing fiction/fantasy) that it takes forever for them to actually start writing the story! In short, it can become procrastination hidden behind productivity.
No matter which type of writer you might be (possibly even a little of both!), each has advantages and disadvantages. Incidentally, the advantage of foresight and planning so prized by Plotters is the downfall of Pantsers. The majority of writers are Pantsers, so called because they rite by the seat of their pants. They are passionate writers often found frantically writing as their muses whisper sweet inspiration. However their muses can be little devils that have a tendency to wander away just when you thought you were getting somewhere, resulting in writer’s block. One can only get so far before looking back on the story to realize that it is only an interesting pile conversations, action scenes, etc. with no real direction. Without direction there can be no plot and without a plot, there's not much of a story.
Thus, the most common form of writers block happens when your characters begin meandering around, talking aimlessly, when the pace slows to a crawl and you’ve lost the plot, whether you had any idea where it was going or not.
On a positive note, do not be discouraged, my friends. Writer’s block is temporary and there are several ways to kick a hole through that barrier.
EDIT: P.S. I wanted to share this cool poem/artwork that I found.
Writer's Block by Patronus4000
Although plotters write with the big picture in mind and a goal at the end of the tunnel, they are sometimes stubborn when the story doesn't work out the way they planned. One lesson I quickly learned when I began writing so long ago is that characters have their own personality and minds (as bizarre as that sounds to non-writers, we writers are NOT Schizophrenic) and therefore don’t give a damn what I had planned out. But that’s okay. It always works out in the end. Plotters are also known for over-planning, i.e. they become so engrossed in backstories and outlines, character sheets and creating a new world (if writing fiction/fantasy) that it takes forever for them to actually start writing the story! In short, it can become procrastination hidden behind productivity.
No matter which type of writer you might be (possibly even a little of both!), each has advantages and disadvantages. Incidentally, the advantage of foresight and planning so prized by Plotters is the downfall of Pantsers. The majority of writers are Pantsers, so called because they rite by the seat of their pants. They are passionate writers often found frantically writing as their muses whisper sweet inspiration. However their muses can be little devils that have a tendency to wander away just when you thought you were getting somewhere, resulting in writer’s block. One can only get so far before looking back on the story to realize that it is only an interesting pile conversations, action scenes, etc. with no real direction. Without direction there can be no plot and without a plot, there's not much of a story.
Thus, the most common form of writers block happens when your characters begin meandering around, talking aimlessly, when the pace slows to a crawl and you’ve lost the plot, whether you had any idea where it was going or not.
On a positive note, do not be discouraged, my friends. Writer’s block is temporary and there are several ways to kick a hole through that barrier.
- When you get stuck on a story with part A written, some vague idea of part C and a black hole where part B was supposed to be, just keep going! Don’t stop the flow. Skip ahead and write part C. Part B will come around, all in good time.
- If you catch yourself staring at ellipses or a white screen, the best thing to do is write. I know. I know. That’s the problem. But seriously, write anything. Anything at all! Describe the cicada husk on the tree outside your window. Write about the suspicious stain mark on the wall or that weird dream about aliens you had the other night.
- Still can’t think of anything? Try looking up writing exercises. Pull out that creative writing book you have tucked away in a corner bookshelf writing exercises. Or search for some prompts online!
- If you're lacking inspiration, go to your happy place, be that a physical location or your mental sanctuary. Remind yourself why life is interesting and why you want to write about it!
- If all else fails, stop trying so hard! Give your brain a rest and chill for a few hours, days, a week. Sometimes inspiration will take longer to hit than other times. The key is not to force it.
EDIT: P.S. I wanted to share this cool poem/artwork that I found.
Writer's Block by Patronus4000
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A Sea of Books
So many books, so little time. It's the first week of classes and already I have approximately 300 pages to read. *sigh* It's taken a while to get my ass into gear... which is also about the same length of time it takes for my books to come in the mail. Meanwhile, I still brought several books with me this time to sell and a few others that I've been meaning to read (Utopia, The Phantom of the Opera, 2 books by Ceasar Milan, The Secret of the Bees--in Spanish--, one of Jorge Luis Borges's books--also in original Spanish--, my summer splurg of Dracula, a book of Italian fairy tales, and a few others).
Generally, I read mostly romance novels for leisure reading (a topic I'm sure to expand on in other posts) but I didn't bring any with me to school so I wouldn't be tempted. Inevitably, I'll end up buying new ones anyway (Christine Feehan's latest novel comes out at the end of this month and Sherrilyn Kenyon's next Dark-Hunter novel comes out a few days after that). However, I suppose I should have planned ahead. I got my roommate hooked on Sherrilyn Kenyon's novels last year, and now she comes to me for her romance novel fix, which I've selfishly deprived her of. lol
I've also been dying to get my hands on the two latest Anita Blake novels (horror, by Laurell K. Hamilton) but that'll probably have to wait on my Christmas list. Damn. Textbooks and rent suck away all my money. Oops! Look at the time. I'd better read some Atwood before my next class.
Back to the grindstone. Back to the grindstone.
Generally, I read mostly romance novels for leisure reading (a topic I'm sure to expand on in other posts) but I didn't bring any with me to school so I wouldn't be tempted. Inevitably, I'll end up buying new ones anyway (Christine Feehan's latest novel comes out at the end of this month and Sherrilyn Kenyon's next Dark-Hunter novel comes out a few days after that). However, I suppose I should have planned ahead. I got my roommate hooked on Sherrilyn Kenyon's novels last year, and now she comes to me for her romance novel fix, which I've selfishly deprived her of. lol
I've also been dying to get my hands on the two latest Anita Blake novels (horror, by Laurell K. Hamilton) but that'll probably have to wait on my Christmas list. Damn. Textbooks and rent suck away all my money. Oops! Look at the time. I'd better read some Atwood before my next class.
Back to the grindstone. Back to the grindstone.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Out of sight, out of mind.
Languages are a passion of mine, including the study of different cultures (and their literature). Throughout many years as a student, I've been acutely aware of how little emphasis and knowledge is spent on teaching Americans about other countries. For example, I've never been taught about Africa besides information about slavery in history books and some information about Egyptian mythology. And I only learned a little bit about the countries of South America in my Spanish classes.
I'd love to travel to Australia and maybe even New Zealand someday to study literature there. In both secondary education and in college, I've never been taught about literature from over there. Why? They still speak English! In the curriculum for English Majors in the US, the only foreign authors we learn about are British, Irish, or sometimes a rare Canadian author. I find that highly disappointing.
Though I'm not going to grad school (at least not anytime soon, if at all), if all goes well I'll still be able to visit Australia for a while. Australia, the land down under, full of kangaroos (yay!), the Great Barrier Reef (did I mention I love snorkeling/scuba diving?) and awesome accents. ;)
I'd love to travel to Australia and maybe even New Zealand someday to study literature there. In both secondary education and in college, I've never been taught about literature from over there. Why? They still speak English! In the curriculum for English Majors in the US, the only foreign authors we learn about are British, Irish, or sometimes a rare Canadian author. I find that highly disappointing.
Though I'm not going to grad school (at least not anytime soon, if at all), if all goes well I'll still be able to visit Australia for a while. Australia, the land down under, full of kangaroos (yay!), the Great Barrier Reef (did I mention I love snorkeling/scuba diving?) and awesome accents. ;)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
So I hear you like literature...
Person: "So what's your major?"
Me: "My major is English. But I am also going for minors in Creative Writing, Spanish and Japanese."
Person: "Wow. That's a lot. What are you planning to do after college? Are you going to teach English?"
Sadly enough, I've had this conversation with various people more times than I care to count, with the exact same response almost every time. It. Is. Frustrating. There is a whole world of career opportunities for people who've studied English! Yet all anyone asks is if I plan to become a teacher/professor. No offense to anyone interested in the field of education, but there is so much more to language and literature than simply passing on the information. My ideal career doesn't have anything to do with spelling tests, correcting essays for hours or entertaining masses of kids K-12. Nor do I feel like I belong in the college community for the rest of my future. No thank you. I'm much too creative for that. My response...
Me: "No, I'm not interested in teaching."
Person: "Then what are you planning to do?"
Me: "I want to be a published writer."
Note, that I said a published writer. I want to hone the skills of the craft to become damn good, if not great. That is, good enough to have my stories published and hopefully gain a following that can appreciate my style and imagination. I don't want to be the next Herman Melville (ugh--been there, read that, got the scars to prove it) or Emily Dickinson. I just want to do what I love well enough to make a decent living from it.
My dream job is to become a full-time author, however reality has a way of not cooperating with my ambition and I know it will take a while to achieve. Therefore, I hope to go into publishing or maybe even editing for book companies.
Some other career options for people who study English and/or writing are:
In total, writing has many diverse job opportunities. One need not be a starving artist to be a good writer. There is no shame in making money doing what you love (esp. if it doesn't harm anyone). I hope this post makes someone think twice before assuming that all English majors desire to teach.
Me: "My major is English. But I am also going for minors in Creative Writing, Spanish and Japanese."
Person: "Wow. That's a lot. What are you planning to do after college? Are you going to teach English?"
Sadly enough, I've had this conversation with various people more times than I care to count, with the exact same response almost every time. It. Is. Frustrating. There is a whole world of career opportunities for people who've studied English! Yet all anyone asks is if I plan to become a teacher/professor. No offense to anyone interested in the field of education, but there is so much more to language and literature than simply passing on the information. My ideal career doesn't have anything to do with spelling tests, correcting essays for hours or entertaining masses of kids K-12. Nor do I feel like I belong in the college community for the rest of my future. No thank you. I'm much too creative for that. My response...
Me: "No, I'm not interested in teaching."
Person: "Then what are you planning to do?"
Me: "I want to be a published writer."
Note, that I said a published writer. I want to hone the skills of the craft to become damn good, if not great. That is, good enough to have my stories published and hopefully gain a following that can appreciate my style and imagination. I don't want to be the next Herman Melville (ugh--been there, read that, got the scars to prove it) or Emily Dickinson. I just want to do what I love well enough to make a decent living from it.
My dream job is to become a full-time author, however reality has a way of not cooperating with my ambition and I know it will take a while to achieve. Therefore, I hope to go into publishing or maybe even editing for book companies.
Some other career options for people who study English and/or writing are:
- librarian
- bookstore owner/employee
- literary critic / book reviewer
- publishing, editing, copy writing
- work in journalism: newspapers, magazines, newsletters, online news articles,
- write advertisements (ex: travel, tourism, websites, etc...)
- write kids books
- songwriting
- write non-fiction, poetry, fiction of any kind (short stories to novels to series)
- screenwriting for TV shows, commercials, movies, plays, musicals, video game stories
- freelance writing - speeches, business finance,
In total, writing has many diverse job opportunities. One need not be a starving artist to be a good writer. There is no shame in making money doing what you love (esp. if it doesn't harm anyone). I hope this post makes someone think twice before assuming that all English majors desire to teach.
first post
Here's the first post for my journalism class. It's just past midnight, which means it's still Monday in College Time. Hehee. It's time to get back into the swing of classes, work, and volunteering with clubs on campus. There's nothing too interesting to report tonight.
I still have unpacking to do, having moved into the new apartment this past week. Most of the week I spent cleaning the apartment, because the cleaning people did a piss poor job. I scrubbed floors, raked up leaves and garbage, mopped, washed walls, and washed down kitchen appliances for three days. Yeesh. I was starting to feel like Cinderella. On the other hand, I take that back. Cinderella had it easy. She constantly cleaned, which meant that her household did not have several months worth of gunk to clean up. Yuck!
One of the leisure books I brought with me (leisure time? What was I thinking? That I would have a life outside school work? Pssha, no.) is an old book of Italian fairy tales, which includes the Italian version of Cinderella. So far, I've read only the introduction, which was enlightening about how Italian folk and fairy tales differ from German or other fairy tales. It reminded that I want to do further research on folk tales and fairy tales to use in my own writing and to analyze the cultural and moral impact of the stories. When I did my research paper on Rumpelstiltskin, I found Jack Zipes to be one of the foremost knowledgeable people in the USA to write and teach literary criticism of fairy tales. I'd love to buy some of his books, but I' must save my money for rent and textbooks. ='( Ah well, there's always the public library.
I still have unpacking to do, having moved into the new apartment this past week. Most of the week I spent cleaning the apartment, because the cleaning people did a piss poor job. I scrubbed floors, raked up leaves and garbage, mopped, washed walls, and washed down kitchen appliances for three days. Yeesh. I was starting to feel like Cinderella. On the other hand, I take that back. Cinderella had it easy. She constantly cleaned, which meant that her household did not have several months worth of gunk to clean up. Yuck!
One of the leisure books I brought with me (leisure time? What was I thinking? That I would have a life outside school work? Pssha, no.) is an old book of Italian fairy tales, which includes the Italian version of Cinderella. So far, I've read only the introduction, which was enlightening about how Italian folk and fairy tales differ from German or other fairy tales. It reminded that I want to do further research on folk tales and fairy tales to use in my own writing and to analyze the cultural and moral impact of the stories. When I did my research paper on Rumpelstiltskin, I found Jack Zipes to be one of the foremost knowledgeable people in the USA to write and teach literary criticism of fairy tales. I'd love to buy some of his books, but I' must save my money for rent and textbooks. ='( Ah well, there's always the public library.
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