Chopping The Block Advice For Creative Writing

We’ve all dreamed it at one point or another, whether it was after reading a good book to recharge the batteries, or even after reading a bad one, muttering how we could have done this better. It’s a task that’s become so elusive for the rush-and-on-the-go lifestyle that it might as well be snugly written into the same bucket list as world travel, or meeting that special famed celebrity. And I am of course, speaking of writing and publishing a story.
Just about everyone I know has a novel, a poetry collection or a short story in the works on their hard drive, and by this point in my life it’s nothing new to hear about how they’re working on it between their jobs, staying at home to raise their kids, or going back to school. Despite a good lot of human civilizations being based around the oral tradition of storytelling, any one of these people among thousands will tell you that it’s not an easy ambition to follow. It never has been, or else I imagine everyone would have a book on the shelf by now. The simple fact is that writing is not a practice for the faint of heart. There are times when you sit behind that computer contemplating whether or not to throw it out the window because you’re not sure what should happen next. There are times when you are more than willing to scream at the next living thing because you feel like you don’t have the skill to transcribe the amazing scene happening in your head.
But just as there are plenty of paths to choose from to get to the top of a mountain, there are just as many ways to write. I myself don’t believe there’s any pretentious guruism on writing per se, nor is there a right or wrong way to do it. Writing is a creative mode of self-expression, not something that can be taught or ingrained into your head, especially if what you’re being taught doesn’t work for you. Nevertheless, people have asked me a few questions here and there about my own writing process that I would like to discuss. It’s not any bizarre magic trick, it’s not a taught or ingrained fool-proof system, merely the path that works for me. For me looking up tips or learning how others write has never been a tutorial or how-to as much as it’s about applying what works and using it to hone my skills, but perhaps sharing my own path will lend someone out there a bit of insight.
Don’t be afraid to scoff or pass these tips by without another thought if you know for a fact that they won’t work for you, but don’t be afraid to give them a try, either. These are merely a few quick tips that have helped me improve immensely as a writer in the past few years. Draw from your own experience to make an informed decision about what techniques work for your writing and what techniques don’t.
If at all possible, plot bible. Plot bibling is exactly what it says. Write out the plot as extensively as you can imagine it before you really buckle down on your novel. You’ve never heard of an architect building a skyscraper without blueprints, have you? There’s a good reason for that. Without a blueprint, without a plan, the architect is left with nothing but guesswork to throw together the final product in his mind. And I’m just taking a shot in the dark here, but I don’t think you’d go into a building that’s built solely on educated guesses, would you?
Planning out the plot of your novel is laying down the foundation for the writing to follow. I can’t tell you how much easier it’s been for me since I’ve begun this practice; knowing what will happen gives me the wriggle room to prepare writing what’s going through my character’s head as it happens. Since beginning this practice, I’ve written nine short stories and plowed almost halfway through my novel in the span of roughly a year.
By no means does a plot bible have to be completely written in stone and make your novel a school assignment; feel free to throw in an extra conflict here, or maybe a twist there. The basic purpose of the plot bible is to lend your story direction, to give it a destination. It’s the track beneath the train of your story, the skeleton upon which you’ll throw the meat and skin of characters, flashbacks, personal agony and outer conflicts.
Forgive, forgive, forgive. Being a writer takes a lot of forgiveness. Not just toward the people who don’t understand your creative drive (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve badgered my friends talking about my characters and what they’re up to in their fictional worlds), but yourself as well. A lot of people tend to mistake the lack of a finished product as a sign of failure, a sign that they’re terrible writers, or if they’re particularly blocked on what should happen in their story they blame their utter lack of skill or creativity.
Don’t fall into this trap.
Destructive thoughts, negativity as a whole has never played a part in the creative process – even writing as a ventilation takes the positive thought and confidence that you can exorcise these thoughts and feelings into a form you can enjoy. Positivity is the key. Tearing yourself a new one for not having that chapter done, for not having that poem, that short story, article, what have you finished? Guess what? It didn’t do your writing for you and it’s not doing what needs to be done. If you falter or find yourself at a block, don’t curse at yourself. Don’t yell at yourself. Just calm down, take a breather, and return to work whenever you can.