Authoring & Playwriting

So true. I like to say you should follow half of writing advice half the time. Because even the great advice isn't going to work for every situation/project. For instance, for years I've heard the advice "Write early! Block off your morning to write!" But here's the thing...per her routine comments, I'm a terrible writer in the mornings. I'm much more focused and motivated in the afternoon. But more often than not, I just have to write when time exists. Per the video, I also often edit as I go on projects for my clients because I already know the direction and it saves me time later. But for my own projects, I typically write and save heavy edits for later. It's also bonkers to me how rapid release writers do what they do. It's just not what I do either.

"Don't edit as you go." That's great advice for a lot of writers, but I love editing as I write, Ashley Renee Smith. I figure things out right then instead of waiting until later. My 1st draft is like a 4th/5th draft when I'm finished.

The one thing I agree with is that not all advice fits the author. I'm a pantser and have completed 7 novels with 2 more on the way. As she mentioned, I do get stuck, but unlike writer's block, I feel that my creative side just needs time to formulate a solution, which is why I always have a second project in the works. I have been learning how to outline in a number of screen writing courses and see the benefits, yet I'm still more comfortable doing it my way. I have a hard time think so far ahead. It's like chess. I can't plan more than two moves. But it works for me. And Stephen King.

Stay Curious! Keep observing the world around you. Inspiration can come from anywhere, so stay open to new ideas and experiences.

"Finish Things" is so good. My hard drive used to be filled with the corpses of half-done (or less) story ideas. It's why I've become such a fan of using outlines, even with fiction, because it adds in the motivation to actually finish (but still gives me flexibility to change if the characters take the story a different direction).

Feedback is essential, Maurice Vaughan. It's scary and that never really changes, but it's so important. Just like every other writing skill, practice makes perfect when it comes to hearing and processing criticism, both good and bad.

Giovanna Silvestre, I love that! I love to go places like a busy mall and just people-watch. It's interesting to observe how others interact in the world and with the people around them.

Jonathan Jordan, I'm determined to avoid my common mistake of getting 3/4 into a project and then getting distracted by something else and moving on. It's why I'm determined to fully outline my current project before I start writing. It's a new experience for me as I've always been more of a pantser, but this project means a lot to me and I'm determined to finish it. What I've learned while outlining is that I can actually identify the holes and problems that used to stop me in my tracks. It's slowing me down, but in a good way. Every time I hit a wall in the outline, I can reassess and find a fix to the problem so that hopefully when I start writing, it's smoother and the complete first draft is stronger ahead of revisions.

Marcel Nault Jr., Mike is correct. Vellum is amazingly versatile for writing novels but is not intended for screenwriting. I use Final Draft for screenwriting. Also, think of it this way: I would rather have a software tool that excels in one area rather than is "okay" in multiple areas. Like when you buy a baby stroller that also turns into a play pen and a highchair. Yeah, it will do all three, but it won't do any of them very well. I am not familiar enough with Scrivener to weigh in, but I am very content with Vellum for novels and Final Draft for screen writing.

Hey, have you heard of Ulysses? It's very chill and easy to use, perfect for getting creative vibes going.

Giovanna Silvestre Only things about Ulysses are it's for iOS systems only, and not a permanent license program like Scrivener, et al... The user interface seems cool though.

I use the outline function in Word. I also write in Word. I have up on Scrivener. All of this is backed up by P&P (good old pen and paper). Why complicate life. Computer programs eat money.

My point in a previous post is that background noise and activity stimulates my creativity. Whether it's in a pub setting or a coffee shop, people coming and going as well as talking stimulates my creativity. When I say background activity, I mean subdued conversation. Rowdiness is a no no. The local community college asked me to teach a short course in the writing of the novel. Short is a hard task, but fortunately I have four weekly sessions. It is oriented to the basic beginner. I discuss structure, theory, and methodology. Any suggestions? I am composing my own textbook, which at this point is more of a pamplet.

These all look awesome! Thanks for sharing, everyone!

This is the cover of my novel: "Paper Ghosts: A Fenn Cooper Novel"

OK, I'm late to the party, but here is my latest.

Dave Wickenden This reminds me of the cover of the game 'Heavy Rain'.

Hadn't heard of the game, but after looking it up, I have to agree. Wish the game was available on PC. My story is totally different though. The origami in my story gives warning of future targets of a rouge government assault team.

I agree with Lindbergh E Hollingsworth. I think it's great to attempt to keep the structure and boundaries that have worked well for you as a writer in the past. But when it comes to those specific chapters that you're having this problem with, try to keep going and get it all out on paper from that character's perspective. Then later you can go back and take a closer look at those chapters when you begin editing to see if you can trim or if you need to split the chapter up. I've read a lot of books in the last year that utilize multiple character POVs and use the chapter breaks to change the perspective. But occasionally, those books will have two or three chapters back to back that stay in the same POV because that's what was best to move the plot and story forward properly. As a reader, it never bothered me or took me out of it because I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't care. Then when it did change POVs, I was excited because I missed being in the head of the other character.

If it were me, I'd focus on getting the story out first, then during revision, read aloud to see how the pacing feels. I did this with a current WIP and it showed me so many beats that could be improved and holes that needed to be filled I had missed during my initial revisioin.

Brett Easton-Ellis wrote a story like this - which was made into a movie. It's called The Rules of Attraction.

Lindbergh E Hollingsworth I agree with Lindbergh. Get it out of your head and on the page. Sending you positive writing vibes!

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I'm still going strong with this project. Just reached the halfway point of the first draft.

Hey Richard Kelly there's a couple places you can look for literary agents and filter based on what kind of material they represent. Publishers Marketplace has a really robust database. Their paid version is only $25/mo and definitely worth it since a month is plenty of time to collect a list for yourself. You can also look at Poets & Writers lit agents database: https://www.pw.org/literary_agents Best of luck!

Good Luck, Richard Kelly ! Jonathan is pointing you in the right direction and the Poets & Writers database is a good place to start.

Here you go :) https://querytracker.net/

I just watched The Magpie Murders on PBS. Anthony Horowitz wrote it. He jumps back and forth between timelines and has the main character talking with a character in a book. Well done and quite complex. I am going to order the CD and binge watch the whole series so I can analyze it and make notes.

Thanks for sharing this, Dustin! Definitely motivating -- this career is a marathon that can take a long time before you see results. Sticking to it is the only way to win!