Writer Fears: Trying Out New Genres10/30/2022 You had never planned to get lost in the woods. It is past midnight now, and the distant growl of an animal and a cold wind make goosebumps crawl up your skin. All you did was follow the same pebbled road all day. But now, through the depths of the night, you can distinguish how the road opens in a Y. You could continue down the pebbled road at your left. But the road at your right seems to be calling you. Pulsing, waiting. Who knows what you might find if you take it? Which nightmarish monster will you encounter? This is not the best time to try out a new path. And yet…
If you have read any of my articles, you might have noticed that I firmly believe that growth happens outside of our comfort zone. For writers, this means trying out new formats, methods, and genres. More often than not, it is a scary decision to make. But it will teach you more than it will seize away.
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Writing Fears: The Blank Page9/30/2022 That small line is flickering on your word document. Intimidating, almost incriminating. You are starting a new chapter, a new poem, a new story. There are so many ideas, but will your words be enough to give them a shape? What if you cannot portray them correctly? What if you do not do them justice? For a moment, it may seem that inspiration is dissipating into thin air. What if it never comes back?
This internal monologue has seen me close my computer in frustration more than once. I would rub my eyes and take a sip of water, telling myself that I would take a break and then come back. But I would find myself stretching that break and procrastinating yet again. Do not get me wrong, I firmly believe that taking breaks is healthy to avoid burnout. But sometimes my breaks are not proportional to the task I have at hand. During this scenario, I was just avoiding something that used to scare me at the moment. I was taught to just “sit down and start writing”. But, when second-guessing ourselves, sometimes we need a stronger, stabler push. Those who know me know how much I love reading a good retelling. I’ve always found the idea of cultures shaping around stories and writers bringing them to the present intriguing. So, almost a year ago, I decided that I would do it myself. Recently, I completed my first short story collection. It is a collection of six retellings of my country’s original legends, all set in the same magical world. Through endless evenings of brainstorming, investigating, drafting, and editing (so much editing), I learned a thing or two about retellings that I hope other writers find useful.
Buying stationary, finding textbooks, cleaning up a desk, having scarce time to write… Right, it is back-to-school season again. How can young writers keep developing their craft when there is also a pile of assignments to complete? This is a list of the things I discovered during the past years which helped me fit writing into my schedule without setting aside my responsibilities or mental health.
You know your character from head to toe: eye color, dreams, hobbies—the works. But you don’t have a plot, and you don’t know how they will change. What you need, fellow writer, is a character arc. Read on to discover the six beats you need to nail it.
Let’s get on the same page about character arcs. A character arc is a journey of growth from one internal state to another. These can be positive or negative—think Prince Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender—and a character can have multiple arcs, although typically one is contained in a story. Arcs are important because they show not only that our characters are lifelike and capable of change, but also their agency. Active characters are what we strive for in stories, and that is why the journey is so important. Writing is subjective. This is in no way an official, objective guide to character arcs, but I hope you’ll consider my observations in your own stories. Show & Tell8/3/2022 One of the first pieces of advice that you will receive when entering the writing community is “show, don’t tell”. But, what exactly do these terms mean? This is a practical guide to showing and telling, which will hopefully help you recognize when to use each one, and how to do so correctly.
If you tell us what is going on in the scene, you use direct descriptions. This means that you write down exactly the character’s feelings, their manners, and the room’s ambiance, among others. Notice that telling often has an abundance of adjectives. Since it is straightforward, it does not leave space for readers to draw their own conclusions. In consequence, when overused, telling can make a piece less engaging. But, if you use it wisely, it will help you make a point clear. Categories
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