Monday, June 21, 2004
Creating Ideas (when you have none)
Writing Book I’m reading:
Crafting Prose by Don Richard Cox and Elizabeth Giddens
Chapter two: Options for inventions.
Invention = Coming up with ideas.
Try many of these options to see which works best for you.
Options for invention:
Free writing, focused free writing and looping
Listing and grouping
Branching
Paring questions
Journaling
Researching
Audience analysis
Limiting your topic
I will write in greater detail the ones that I like and use the most.
Free writing, focused free writing and looping.
I love to free write. Most of my blogging is free writing. Free writing is when you just write whatever is on your mind, without editing or correcting or thinking to hard on the subject. This is a good technique to get started with because it requires no forethought.
If you write on any subject that comes to mind, rambling first on this subject or that, it is unfocused.
There is also focused free writing. I do this for most of my first drafts. This is when you free write on a pre-determined subject.
Unfocused and focused free writing can be used together. The process of free writing, reading and then free writing again is called looping. If something in your free writing appeals to you, you may elaborate on that subject. You can zero in on something without straining to do so.
Some writers also measure their productivity by daily or weekly word counts. This type of writing allows the writer to fill these word counts with something productive. Even if the words are cut later, they are still being more productive than if they sat around stressing over what to write, how to write, is it organized, is it interesting to themselves or others and so forth.
Listing and grouping
I have done this a time or two as well. When trying to write a story with a particular theme or feel to it, this really comes in handy. Say if I wanted to write about a mysterious moonlit lake, I would list moonlight, and then list all the words that come to mind after that. Then do the same with lake. As other words come to mind, it brings other related words to mind as well. When writing the story, I incorporate these words in the story.
Besides words, you can also list phrases. Sometimes the phrases or words may only make sense to the writer and no one else. This is fine. You will fill in the details for readers when your idea is more concrete. Just getting the ideas flowing is the point now. It is not unusual during an exercise like this, to come to new realizations about a subject or have a totally new idea arise. You may find yourself thinking of same old subjects in a totally new way. The author of this book uses the word “sophistication” as a starting point. Later the writer comes to realize that what is commonly thought of as sophistication is really shallow and trendy. As new words and ideas are formed around the original word, more research into the ideas may be needed. “Culture” was related to “sophistication” and the writer had to find out more about how that term was related.
Branching
Branching is similar to listing and grouping except it is done spatially. This kind of reminds me of a flow chart. I have done this in a class, but I like listing better. Others may like this better. It has the advantage of letting you see the richness of your topic as well as how your ideas can interconnect to one another. Related to this is sketches, maps, timelines, and diagrams.
Pairing Questions:
Who, what, where, when, why, and how. Pair up any two of those and see what you come up with. The only time I use these is when I do posters or brochures for upcoming events. It helps to make sure all those topics are covered. I don’t know how it would work for fiction or article writing unless it was informative.
Journals:
This is probably the best thing a writer can do. Looking over past journal entries can spark ideas like nothing else. It is also a good way of remembering things that would otherwise be forgotten.
Things to include in a journal:
Bits of conversation, pith remarks, and questions.
Experiences and reflections
Sorting through problems and conflicts
Impressions about class work, lectures, articles, books, stories, or textbook subjects.
Track your progress on projects and interests.
Plans for future activities
Researching:
The internet, newspapers, news stories, magazines, books, interviewing others, or your job are a few sources of information.
If you research too much you may become confused about your topic.
Audience analysis:
Every writer knows or should know their audience. What will interest them and how to approach the subject. A Woman’s Day article is very different from Cosmopolitan. Scientific American is very different than Ms. Magazine. Remember who you are writing for. Christian moms may have very different interests than very liberal feminists.
Limiting your topic:
You simply can’t say everything in the world there is to say about a subject. This is true if you are writing a short article or a long book. Figure out what you want to say about a subject and stick to that. Never imply in your writing that you have covered more than you actually have.
Focus: Suggestions for writing:
My autobiography as a writer: I became interested in writing when I was about eight years old. About that time I became interested in the solar system and outer space, so I’d sit and think up sci-fi type stories about space. When I was in the sixth grade I wrote a short play called “The Car.” It was a favorite in a talent show that year. In high school I received many writing assignments and my stories were notorious for being so very long. When I was in the ninth grade, a teacher wrote in my yearbook that she knew I’d be a great writer one day. That hasn’t come to pass yet, but I’m working on it. One of my biggest frustrations with my writing now is the lack of time I have to actually devote to my writing. I would love to be able to spend hours everyday just writing, but I have a full time job and two children.
Write about a particularly successful writing project: I recently sold a short story to True Confessions magazine. I was totally thrilled with this success. I was inspired to write that story when I watched a TV show called “The Swan.” I tried to picture how the girls lives changed after they left the show. In particular, the winner of the first seasons show, Rachel, with her very unsupportive boyfriend on the phone inspired me. I totally fell in love with her the night she won. She had changed, but not just her looks. She blossomed in such a miraculous way. So when I signed up for a confession writing course, this was the story line I chose to write about.
Describe the perfect writing process and writing environment: The perfect process comes in many different forms. Mostly I like to write out a loose outline of my story as well as character descriptions of my main characters. Those two things typically feed off one another. I like to know the ending before I begin writing. This gives my story direction and prevents a lot of rewriting later. Sometimes I have no idea how I will end the story. This lends to more struggling but if the story line is very strong, I can usually still come out with a successful story. Often the ending comes when I least expect it, like when I’m washing dishes or driving down the road. The perfect environment is a very quiet room where I am alone and have several hours to devote to writing. I am always surprised at how time flies when I am working on writing.
Comments-[ comments.]
Crafting Prose by Don Richard Cox and Elizabeth Giddens
Chapter two: Options for inventions.
Invention = Coming up with ideas.
Try many of these options to see which works best for you.
Options for invention:
Free writing, focused free writing and looping
Listing and grouping
Branching
Paring questions
Journaling
Researching
Audience analysis
Limiting your topic
I will write in greater detail the ones that I like and use the most.
Free writing, focused free writing and looping.
I love to free write. Most of my blogging is free writing. Free writing is when you just write whatever is on your mind, without editing or correcting or thinking to hard on the subject. This is a good technique to get started with because it requires no forethought.
If you write on any subject that comes to mind, rambling first on this subject or that, it is unfocused.
There is also focused free writing. I do this for most of my first drafts. This is when you free write on a pre-determined subject.
Unfocused and focused free writing can be used together. The process of free writing, reading and then free writing again is called looping. If something in your free writing appeals to you, you may elaborate on that subject. You can zero in on something without straining to do so.
Some writers also measure their productivity by daily or weekly word counts. This type of writing allows the writer to fill these word counts with something productive. Even if the words are cut later, they are still being more productive than if they sat around stressing over what to write, how to write, is it organized, is it interesting to themselves or others and so forth.
Listing and grouping
I have done this a time or two as well. When trying to write a story with a particular theme or feel to it, this really comes in handy. Say if I wanted to write about a mysterious moonlit lake, I would list moonlight, and then list all the words that come to mind after that. Then do the same with lake. As other words come to mind, it brings other related words to mind as well. When writing the story, I incorporate these words in the story.
Besides words, you can also list phrases. Sometimes the phrases or words may only make sense to the writer and no one else. This is fine. You will fill in the details for readers when your idea is more concrete. Just getting the ideas flowing is the point now. It is not unusual during an exercise like this, to come to new realizations about a subject or have a totally new idea arise. You may find yourself thinking of same old subjects in a totally new way. The author of this book uses the word “sophistication” as a starting point. Later the writer comes to realize that what is commonly thought of as sophistication is really shallow and trendy. As new words and ideas are formed around the original word, more research into the ideas may be needed. “Culture” was related to “sophistication” and the writer had to find out more about how that term was related.
Branching
Branching is similar to listing and grouping except it is done spatially. This kind of reminds me of a flow chart. I have done this in a class, but I like listing better. Others may like this better. It has the advantage of letting you see the richness of your topic as well as how your ideas can interconnect to one another. Related to this is sketches, maps, timelines, and diagrams.
Pairing Questions:
Who, what, where, when, why, and how. Pair up any two of those and see what you come up with. The only time I use these is when I do posters or brochures for upcoming events. It helps to make sure all those topics are covered. I don’t know how it would work for fiction or article writing unless it was informative.
Journals:
This is probably the best thing a writer can do. Looking over past journal entries can spark ideas like nothing else. It is also a good way of remembering things that would otherwise be forgotten.
Things to include in a journal:
Bits of conversation, pith remarks, and questions.
Experiences and reflections
Sorting through problems and conflicts
Impressions about class work, lectures, articles, books, stories, or textbook subjects.
Track your progress on projects and interests.
Plans for future activities
Researching:
The internet, newspapers, news stories, magazines, books, interviewing others, or your job are a few sources of information.
If you research too much you may become confused about your topic.
Audience analysis:
Every writer knows or should know their audience. What will interest them and how to approach the subject. A Woman’s Day article is very different from Cosmopolitan. Scientific American is very different than Ms. Magazine. Remember who you are writing for. Christian moms may have very different interests than very liberal feminists.
Limiting your topic:
You simply can’t say everything in the world there is to say about a subject. This is true if you are writing a short article or a long book. Figure out what you want to say about a subject and stick to that. Never imply in your writing that you have covered more than you actually have.
Focus: Suggestions for writing:
My autobiography as a writer: I became interested in writing when I was about eight years old. About that time I became interested in the solar system and outer space, so I’d sit and think up sci-fi type stories about space. When I was in the sixth grade I wrote a short play called “The Car.” It was a favorite in a talent show that year. In high school I received many writing assignments and my stories were notorious for being so very long. When I was in the ninth grade, a teacher wrote in my yearbook that she knew I’d be a great writer one day. That hasn’t come to pass yet, but I’m working on it. One of my biggest frustrations with my writing now is the lack of time I have to actually devote to my writing. I would love to be able to spend hours everyday just writing, but I have a full time job and two children.
Write about a particularly successful writing project: I recently sold a short story to True Confessions magazine. I was totally thrilled with this success. I was inspired to write that story when I watched a TV show called “The Swan.” I tried to picture how the girls lives changed after they left the show. In particular, the winner of the first seasons show, Rachel, with her very unsupportive boyfriend on the phone inspired me. I totally fell in love with her the night she won. She had changed, but not just her looks. She blossomed in such a miraculous way. So when I signed up for a confession writing course, this was the story line I chose to write about.
Describe the perfect writing process and writing environment: The perfect process comes in many different forms. Mostly I like to write out a loose outline of my story as well as character descriptions of my main characters. Those two things typically feed off one another. I like to know the ending before I begin writing. This gives my story direction and prevents a lot of rewriting later. Sometimes I have no idea how I will end the story. This lends to more struggling but if the story line is very strong, I can usually still come out with a successful story. Often the ending comes when I least expect it, like when I’m washing dishes or driving down the road. The perfect environment is a very quiet room where I am alone and have several hours to devote to writing. I am always surprised at how time flies when I am working on writing.
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