Why We Like Stories - Ask The Brain

Have you ever sat back and considered WHY we like stories? Why we like reading books, going to the movies, hearing tall tales? This like is universal in that there isn’t a society on earth that doesn’t share stories. Stories, well told, captivate us, draw us in, hold our attention firmly.

But again, why? Sure everyone thinks, it’s fun, it’s entertainment, it gives us escape from our daily lives. But they don’t play a necessary role in our lives today, I mean stories aren’t key to our survival.  Things have changed from the way back, right? 

Wrong.

The brain is an amazing organ. You can read all about it in a whole lot of places, but not in great detail here. Here we’re going to touch on cause and effect in reading and writing, not brain function.

Writers listen up. If stories are good, we pay attention, and from day one in the 'way back' stories gave people an idea of what to hang on to and what to reject. They gave us tools to use to envision the future, to plan for the unexpected, to leap ahead of where we started. 

And what makes a reader want to read YOUR story?  What makes them enjoy what you put down on paper? Is it your colorful, lyrical language? Your robust and well-drawn characters? Touching dialog? Ummm, probably not. 

The brain is curious. It wants answers. Wants to know what happens next. 

So, how to create a story that gives them what they want? 

Here are a few ways – 

Surprise. Surprise is good. Surprise gets everyone’s attention by skipping around the usual expectations. The brain is hard wired to begin figuring out what is going on, like a puzzle. The wiring comes from our general desire to know ahead of time if we’re in danger or possibly about to get a warm hug.  And it’s a great idea to start with the opening sentence.

Feel it. That goes along with a post I did a while back – Make ‘em Laugh, Make ‘em Cry.  Why are feelings so vital?  In everyday life the brain is much more inclined to use emotion than our much touted reason to decide what matters to each of us and what doesn’t. Feelings drive choices. So, if a reader isn’t feeling it won’t be long before he or she isn’t reading. 

When you write, write in specifics. We don’t normally think in the abstract, we think in specific images. Think about this. If folks think about love, they don’t think about a vague concept. Instead each person envisions some treasured images that evoke the concept of love. So if, as a writer, you write in generalizations, the reader doesn’t get hooked. 

Now, so you won’t accuse me of writing in generalizations I’ll give a quick example. 

Take the sentence, The weather was bad.  All righty. Bad what? A hurricane, hail the size of baseballs? Blizzard? Dust Storm?  Readers love specifics, their brains are wired to.

Give them what they want and they’ll love the writer in you.

Writers Websites Wednesday - Murder by 4

Come on you aspiring thriller writers, check out Murder By 4, a blog run by 4 suspense authors and it's a must follow if you write or want to write thrillers. Excellent articles and even a contest.

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday

Time for a new website I stumbled across and this one's pretty good.  It's called Diploma Guide, but don't let that name confuse or stop you.  

They offer writing courses online from top universities and education websites and they're free.  On a pretty nice variety of writing topics to. 

Beginning, editing and proofing, poetry, essays and yes, more, are offered by MIT, UK's Open University, Crafty Writer, UCLA, Purdue and well, others. 

Tool around, check out the site and see if there are any offerings here that might help you take your writing up a notch.

Tell me if you find a helpful course here and if you know of any other free and helpful writing courses please note them below for others. 

Developing Your Craft – of Writing

We do a lot of wandering in this blog about writing, writers, the craft of writing, websites for writers; pretty much anything writing related. This time around we're going to get back to some basics and those basics apply to pretty much all writing. 

A number of these you may have heard before, but well, you're going to hear them again.  This is a wake up call – get your head out of the sand and improve your craft. We know you have good ideas. Now's the time to back up, take a break, look around and get really good at expressing those stories into books, screenplays, whatever  your pleasure.

So, here goes ~

1. Use simple, declarative sentences. Don't get all fancy and flowery on us. Write tight and write exciting. Grab the reader by the eyeballs and that doesn't happen when you write the sentence that never ends.

2.  Avoid using the passive voice. Who wants passive in an exciting, engaging and interesting story? So don't use sentences like “The village had been scorched by the dragon's fiery breath”, instead, make it, “The dragon scorched the village with his fiery breath.” or “Why was the road crossed by the chicken” becomes “Why did the chicken cross the road.” Really folks, it's not that hard, read with an eye toward passive voice – look it up on the web if you need more examples or don't get what I'm telling you here.

3. Again, keep it simple and limit your use of adjectives and adverbs. Yes, give your reader the information he or she needs to want to continue reading, but a continual barrage of adjectives and adverbs. If you have trouble with this concept Karen Elizabeth Gordon's book, The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed may be of assistance.

4.  Go easy on your descriptive narrative.  Yes your readers want the scene set, they want to know about the people, but they don't want it to go on forever so don't overwrite.  And that leads us to –

5.  Reread your work – consider each word you've written thats three syllables or more long and think about whether it can be replaced by a simpler, crisper word.

6.  Avoid ifs, buts, and can'ts – unless absolutely necessary. I try not to say things like this, but I've seen them peppered throughout manuscripts and it's definitely worth keeping your eye on.

7. Oh, and finally, cut the crap and never rescue your hero. Seriously. He got himself into this, he can darn well get himself out. In fact he better get himself out. I mean where is your imagination? If the main character doesn't find a way out of whatever hot water you've tossed him or her into and you need to extract tweezers and pluck the hero out of the boiling cauldron, what fun is that? Nope, that stalwart has to find a way out. You're not it – well you are in the sense that you're writing the story, the book, the screenplay, but you know what I mean.

8.  And finally you might consider stopping the multi-tasking crap when you write and go more with mono-tasking. Turn off the phone, Click off your browser (unless you're researching and then click off when you're done). Break your addiction and focus.

Think about it and writers tell me if any of these reminders strike a chord.

Readers, tell me if any of the above ring any bells and have caused you to be unhappy with a book or to give up on it altogether.~ We're all in this together.

Writer - Tell Your Readers Only What They Need To Know!

As writers, it's good for us to think a bit about how the brain works and what it's really looking for in many things, but for us the important issue is what does it want from a story? 

 
If you read, and as a writer I know you do, you've no doubt come across various statistics as to the information we're deluged with on a daily basis -- even on a per second basis.

Recently I read over 11,000,000 pieces of information comes at our five senses every second.  All I can say is I don't know how that was calculated, but if true -- OMG! 

 
But, our brains, tireless filters that they are, sift through all that info at incredible speeds pulling out what we need to know from what we can, with little or no consequence, put side and ignore. With that in mind and these statistics reverberating through our thought processes, that same article pointed out that 99.9 percent of all that incoming information is instantly tossed aside. 

 
Hmmm, that gives you, the writer, a .1 percent chance of your information making it through the filter. Not very good odds.
Now, don't panic. The reader is there because he or she wants to be and so is happy to be absorbing the information the writer is presenting - that's you. 

 
But, and it's a big BUT, that doesn't give you license to bore or overload your reader. Those readers are still wired to filter out the extraneous material. So, that means you, as the writer, must introduce things the reader needs to know. In fact, in this situation the reader is assuming that everything the writer tells him or her is something he or she needs to know. And that means that if, while you're writing, you add words for the sake of adding them, if you provide pointless information your reader is going to read meaning into it, even if you were typing empty words. And that being the case, the reader will read the wrong meaning into those written words since there can't be a right one if you're just pumping out 'background' that doesn't relate to the story other than to fill space.
Okay, that's bad.  So, the solution?

 
Simple.

 
You've heard it before. 

I'll say it again.

 
Kill your darlings. Do it with enthusiasm. 

 
Write tight and learn to recognize when you've gotten a bit carried away and, while the writing may be great, have created a whole spiel that's unrelated to your story and keeping it on track. 

 
Think about it. Provide what your readers need to know and you'll keep them hooked through your book.

 

Writing, Writer & The Writer's Life

I've done a lot of articles for this blog and offered a lot of links to helpful writing sites. for the new and aspiring as well as the established writer.

Today I think I'm going to kick back and just discuss some of the less 'nuts and bolts' of writing and talk a little about what it's like to be a writer.

Of course there's a lot of writing out there and a lot depends on what kind of writing you do.  I lean to advice for the fiction writer mostly as I am mostly a fiction writer. But, I recently participated in a conversation where one faction was telling a writer that she could consider her writing only a hobby and not to think about trying to make a living from it.  Now, I suspect they were thinking of and talking about writing fiction and I can see the thought process in that direction. However if we don't pursue our dreams, life can seem a dull place.

So, I say, if writing fiction is what you want to do, what you passionately love doing - then go for it.

Will you have to have other jobs to support you along the way?  Probably; almost assuredly.

Will it be hard work?  You better believe it.

Will you have to dedicated part of your precious writing time to promoting the book once it's published?  No doubt about it.

Is it worth it?  That depends on how much you passionately want it.

It is a jungle out there for the fiction writer, no doubt about it. 

However, you can also hone your skills at writing and earn money doing  types of writing in addition to your fiction.  You can prepare yourself for technical writing, journalism, grant writing, writing for newsletters, magazines, online, copywriting and more. If you stop to think, there isn't hardly an area in every day life that doesn't involve writing.

*Who wrote the script for the TV commercial?
*Who wrote the text for the promotional letter you got in today's mail?
*Who wrote the detailed instruction manual that comes with the new item you bought?
*Who wrote the articles for the magazine you read  (and all the hundreds of them you may not read?
*Who wrote the material that got the local college, foundation or non-profit their grant?
*Who came up with the cute text in the greeting card?
*Who writes the many non-fiction books out there?

Well, you get it.  It goes on and on.  I left out writing scripts for movies and TV because those are very tough markets to break into as well though of course if it's your passion, reach for it.

It's never been easy for the fiction writer. 

There are a  handful who do very, very well, who could finance a small country with their earnings.

Then there are many who vary from 'get along' to 'pleasant income' and that's not a bad place to be. 

Then, unfortunately there is a whole pool of 'never make it' who write, maybe publish, maybe even self-publish and promote, but just never get off the ground. Maybe it's not even because they're not talented and skilled, but rather for some reason what they write just doesn't seem to strike a chord. For whatever reason there's no 'lift-off'.

For them, perhaps it does become only a hobby, something they share with friends and relatives. Perhaps they resign themselves to just putting it out there for others to enjoy and not making any money from it.  Unfortunately that last one is a double-edged sword.  I'm not saying you shouldn't do that if that's what you want. But, the more folks who treat their fiction writing as a hobby and put it out there free, the harder it is for writers attempting to make it their profession as it drives down the value of their writing.

And if you become one of the 'rocketing' writers, great, you won't have a whole lot to worry about.

However, if you're in that middle pool there are things you need to consider.

Where are you going to get health insurance? There are some writer's organizations who offer it at reduced rates once you're published and of course there's the possibility of a life-partner who works a 'day job' and carries the insurance for you both. Sadly, even a minor illness can mean bankruptcy in this country. That's where we are.

What if you have a dry spell?  There's no 'unemployment' for a fiction writer who's between books or royalty checks or who just can't get that new idea finished.

Can you put money back against a possible rainy day? For example, what if there's a family emergency and you become a temporary care-giver and can't write at all for six months or a year?

And what about vacations? Can you take time out of your writing to just relax? When you're a freelance writer, not writing means a gap of no pay.  You're self-employed so you need to plan for these things.

But what most self employed people who run a business such as a small store or service provided don't have to think about is the freelance writer is dependent entirely upon his or her own brain and ideas to make a living.

If there is discord in life, if there is tragedy or just a bump in the road, the average self-employed person with that small shop can still show up and go through the motions, selling things or whatever is needed.  It's a show up, do work kind of thing and while it may take some creativity, in most situations there's a bit of 'float' time before a crash might be imminent.

As a freelance writer, a disaster could well be more wide-spread in the ripples it causes as the writer's brain could well go into melt-down dealing with a huge emotional wrench. That means no writing and no writing means no income - maybe further down the line, but it will be felt.

A lot of the reasons above are why many writers keep day jobs, whether part or full time, long after they publish and sometimes for the life of their writing careers. It's something to consider.

Of course a lot of the above can be off-set by that gushing fan letter the writer receives or the really nice royalty check that shows up at the end of a reporting period.

There's a lot to think about in being a freelance writer of any type. Or, sometimes, nothing to think about because it's your passion and you're determined to write and work out the details as you go along.

 

Did I give you something to think about?  I hope so. Feel free to post your thoughts below. 

Are You a Writer Striving For a Novel Ending?

Writing is tricky.

Novel writing is even trickier.

Trickiest of all is bringing in that ending with punch, pow, wow and 'I'm sorry it's over' power that brings readers back for more, clamoring for your next book. The ending that helps get you an agent or a publisher - which helps lead to those readers.

So today I decided I'd write a bit about things you should and shouldn't do to create that nail-biting, throat-gripping ending.  Of course HOW you accomplish these ideals is up to you - you're the writer - but lets clarify some of the things that will help make the ending of your novel outstanding. 

First some things you SHOULD do.

Near the end is where your biggest surprises should happen.  Here's where some tiny trivial detail seen earlier in the book might play a big part in the ending. Not just might, but should.  Here's where that small detail the reader may well have skimmed over will pop out and be a very decisive factor in the novel's ending.  Remember that pocket knife Jimmy's dad gave him for his birthday?  Here's where that little knife can chisel a hole in the way and let him and his little sister escape to safety away from kidnappers.  Remember the bubble gum wrapper the killer dropped on the floor when he left the scene of the murder? Here's where that wrapper can play a crucial part in the murder's apprehension.  You get it.  The 'Wow' factor. 

Another thing you, as the writer, needs to do is to resolve the main conflict of your novel. No, I'm not telling you all your novels must be possessed of a 'happily ever after' ending, but something in your ending that's uplifting is a real boost. Readers love to be raised up a the end and remember publishers, editors and agents want to give readers what they want. So do you, actually. Here's where you put your imagination to the test.

As you write your way to the end of your novel it's also important to give your hero a chance to redeem himself.  Yes, he's screwed up royally along the way, made a mess of things, been a bit of a jerk, but it's part of the 'uplifting' thing above - in the end allow your reader to know the hero has done the right thing.

Here's also where you want to be writing those loose ends together.  All through the book you wrote you planted questions - yes you did.  This is the place, the here and now where your writing skills need to be directed to addressing each of those questions, creating closures.  Readers don't like to be left hanging so answer the questions even if it's just to say there's an issue that will be resolved after the book ends or perhaps in another book coming in the series (IF it is a series).

Those are some of the things that, as a writer, you should do.  So what shouldn't you do?

Well the ending isn't the place to introduce new characters and/or subplots. Don't stick something in that hasn't been foreshadowded.  It's jarring and it could well cause your readers to blow you off for future books.

The ending of your novel isn't the time to change your writer's voice or tone either. Be consistent.

Avoid writing page after page of explanation of philosophizing at the end of your book.  Keep your descriptions to a minimum and focus on the conflict and it's resolution. You should have planted all sorts of goodies previous to the last 50 or so pages of your story. Now's the time to moved it along and wrap it up.

And please, above all, don't create a gimmicky ending. Don't come up with some strange twist in your writing that is nothing more than the coward's way out of completing the novel you've written. If your reader is here with you at the end it's because you've written well, tossed out the interesting hooks and he or she is looking for a satisfying ending.  Don't trick or cheat your reader, you're a better writer than that.

Writers Websites Wednesday - Expressions & Sayings

Ever wonder where a word came from? where a phrase or expression originated?  Love language and want to include some of the stranger and more entertaining things in your writing for one reason or another?  Here's a great collection of just that at Expressions And Sayings.  There's frequently lots of debate over the origins of a lot of the expressions we know, but this site gives a good summary of the generally accepted definitions. 

Writers - Artists or Crafters

I've heard this question before, I've seen it tossed about the web. We do get wrapped up in minutia. 

I mean really, who cares? 

Why are we debating the non-issue? 

We're writers, right?  

And just for the record, it's both. 

Yes, I know, as a writer, it's hard to explain to those who don't write exactly what it is you do.  I mean you put words down on paper.  It's sort of like when you were in school, right, writing papers? Pretty much anyone can do it, the real question is whether you get an "A" or an "F".  And so many people say I want to write a novel, or I'll write a novel myself some day like it's writing a paper for English class. 

Good luck. 

Now I don't want to seem snotty here, but there's a bit more to writing a novel than thinking about it. 

And then we have the argument from the visual artists who find it hard to accept writing into the 'arts'. I have a few words about some 'visual' artists, but I'll keep them to myself (please note I said some, not all).

In any event what does an artist do - create something out of nothing.  A painter does that on canvas and a writer does that with words on paper or a computer screen.  Where there was not story before, there is one now. The writer has written. Hopefully it's good. 

And while there is a lot of craft to writing, a lot of pieces that have to be put together (you have to learn the language and how to handle it deftly in order to put your writer's ideas across in such a way that the reader doesn't want to put the book down) there is also the art of creating that amazing story. Something from nothing.

Don't forget there's a lot of 'craft' in painting as well.  Techniques to be learned, different mediums to be mastered, but that doesn't make the final painting any less art when in the hands of a master. 

Even some writers don't really think of themselves as artists and that's okay.  As I said before, what does it matter, really?  Why have such a debate?

But we have the writing - art or craft debate - so here goes

Crafting is defined as creating something, learning how to do something, following a set of instructions, probably assembling something.  Well, writing has a hefty dose of that, it's true.  One has to learn the language, how to write well, how to put ideas across clearly.  At that point one could chose to be a copywriter or technical writer or some other venue and be on solid ground calling it a craft. That which can be learned and pretty much duplicated.  Some have the 'touch' and create magical, drawing copy and others not so much, but it is something that can be learned. 

But, the rub comes in for writers when they go in the highly creative "I want to write a novel" direction. Then there isn't a manual to write, instructions to create or a report to get written.

At that point the writer is facing the blank and creating something out of nothing as a painter does when he or she faces the blank canvas or the ceiling of a well-known chapel.  There are the so-called 'hack' writers who can crank out novel after novel in one genre or another, following a 'formula' and many of those are even great and entertaining reads.

The jump to art comes when you acknowledge some of the amazing writers and their works that the world has seen. Just because it's words and not paint why would you not call that art? Once that line is crossed would you really stand there holding the book in your hand and say "no biggie, I  can write a book just like that?"  It's not like a doll made from doilies, clothespins and yarn.

Writers' books, great books, entertaining book,s move people, grab them by the throat and hold them until they finish reading. 

That is what art is.

So, back to my original statement.  It's both.

And again, why are we debating this?

Ask Ray Bradbury in his Zen In The Art of Writing 

Ask Robert Louis Stevenson about The Art of Writing

Writers Websites Wednesday - Name Generator

Time for another website I've stumbled across and this one is fun.  I do like the Random Name Generator.  I've posted more than one link to them.  This one has a good variety of names, ideas, places, etc. that can jump-start your own creativity or might be the exact thing you were searching for.  Check it out, amuse yourself.