Here We Are
What You’re Writing, What You’re Wrestling With, and What Comes Next
Here We Are
You’ve been reading what I’ve been writing here for about #27 posts, and hopefully you’ve considered some of the suggestions, observations, and tips I shared useful.
And during that time, I’m sure you’ve been working on your own short stories, scripts, poems, or other storytelling projects.
Open Hand
So what I really would like you to do now is share some of your creative thoughts, challenges, and questions. Such as…
Who or what is your greatest writing influence?
What is your most important writing goal?
What type of characters appeal to you the most?
Beyond these, what other questions do you have? I’m not only curious, but I hope that by sharing our thoughts, methods, and such, we can be helpful to each other.
Quiet As It’s Kept
No matter where you are in your creative pursuits, every now and then, it’s good for writers to take time to ponder their next moves.
For instance, one of the most helpful tips I ever received was from a seasoned actor. He shared his approach to portraying challenging characters was to fill himself up with as much information, observation, and contemplation as he could. That gave his character not only things to do or feel while active in a scene, but also things to think about when the character had nothing to say or do in a scene. It added depth to his portrayal.
And my favorite tip for sharing is: when you’re struggling with what a character should say, do, or feel in a particular scene, step back and ask yourself, “How would this go in real life?”
A Simple Truth
Sometimes, as writers, we get caught up believing we have to totally fabricate a moment when, in fact, referring to a real moment gives us all the information we need to make an adjustment so it fits our character or scene.
So, put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard and drop me a line.
Okay. That’s all for this week.
So, as I like to say to my students, go forth and be brilliant.
Best