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If you’ve read just read “Just Say Yes” then you know I support writing regularly. But what about? If you’re sick and tired of your book (and if you’ve been writing faithfully then you will be soon) then just write about life. About unloading the dishwasher. Turn that into a horror about being attacked by knives. A mystery as to who is stealing your silver. Or write about some idea you had/have that isn’t substantial enough to actually be written out in NIP form. Recall some random dialog you overheard in the supermarket and turn it into a scene. I’ve found that a great deal of times things like that end up in my manuscripts. (Except for the knives attacking me.) This is also great for people who really want to write but don’t have much to go on. It encourages you to write and gives you ideas, getting that creative juice flowing.

To get you started, write a scene with no more than 3 adverbs on this topic:

A young boy has tried repeatedly to fly a kite his whole life, but never succeeded. Then, one afternoon, his father who abandoned him comes back and tries to teach him how to fly a kite.

What are some things that you creative juices flowing? And what real life things have ended up in your manuscripts?

NED...is it contagious??

NED. It is a seemingly an innocent name. Au contraire.  NED stands for three of the most horrible syndromes an author can have.

1.) N= No one syndrome.  The No one syndrome is when someone thinks no one at all can write except the already published and successful writers, and even they are pushing it. These people may have great talent, they just have no faith. If you think you have what it takes to write, then try it.  What’s the worst thing that can happen?

2.) E=Everyone  syndrome. It is the exact opposite of N. These people think that everyone who wants to be published can be. That’s not quite true. Writting is a hard business, and not all people have the time, talent, money and skills to do so. Frequently E’s are unable to write, but have unrealistically high expectations. So if you suffer from this, you will suffer in writting, but I assure you it will all be worth in the end.

3.) D=Delayers syndrome. They aren’t pessimistic. They don’t have ridiculously high hopes. So they start prepared...but don’t carry through.  They get to something they don’t like...outlining, tough scenes, difficult character, and suddenly their busy. Their manuscript left under other work...then in a drawer...then they’ve forgotten half of their ideas. Stick through it! Plow through! Make time for your manuscript. It’s your baby, you don’t want to leave your baby whenever you get busy!

Do you notice what is the cure for all NED’s? Writing.

Elementral Elements

I just now discovered something that makes me very, very happy.

Dum-dum elements.

I am assuming that you know the basic elements in writting:

setting,

theme,

characters,

 plot,

  style.

All books, movies, and graphic novels have them. Well, whenever I used them to write my story, I would always struggle to think of intelligible answer, one that would look good on a test, not one that looks good in a book. Therefore when I found David Schwabauer and his dum-dum elements, I was beyond thrilled. Here are his:

Someone To Care About

Something To Want

Something To Dread

Something To Suffer

Something To Learn

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1. Someone To Care About is your Star, your Hero, your Other You. You’ll notice it doesn’t say Someone You Like, that is because you may not like the main character, and also, which person is closer to you, the person you like, or the person you care about? I’m guessing you thought care about.  This enables the audience to become closer to the main character, to want what they want, which draw them into the story.

2. Something To Want is the story goal, what makes your character keep going, it makes a photographic image in your readers mind of what they think will happen at the end of the book. This is what makes the end the end, and also makes the end climatic. You may or may not give your hero their Stroy Goal.

3. Something To Dread is the punishment of the story, it can be if the main character does get what they want, making it dangerous, or it what would happen if your star doesn’t get the story goal, like in Harry Potter, If Harry doesn’t get Voldie dead, it’s the end of the world. It could have nothing to do with the Story Goal. Just make your Hero scared of something.

4.Something To Suffer should really be somethingS to suffer, considering your Other You must be miserable at numerous times.  They can’t win anything too easily or it will be unrealistic, annoying, and just flat out bad writting. So spit on your character.

5.Something To Learn is the least important, in the sense of the NIP doesn’t have to have it, but It will make your novel memorial, unlike the books that are popular for a week then are never heard of again, in which the theme is making-out is fun. Those are fluffy, needless books, make yours outstanding.

Just Say Yes

I have problems sometimes saying yes. Yes, I will sit down and write this chapter sketch, yes, I will type up all those words in this scene.  I'm guessing you know just what I'm talking about. The moment of dawdling, excuses, and "tiredness". The moment of "I Don't Want To Deal With This Now!!" You simply  must do it then. Your book is kinda like a young child, your young child, wonderful and brilliant, but requires a lot of time and energy. So if planning out every time you write doesn't work for you,  try finding a spare moment, and sit down and make yourself, if you have no inspiration, edit something. Anything. Even after a book is published, it can stilll be edited more. After your done editing and still no closer to gaining some new chapters, write about coffe and guy named Micky. Yes, you did read that right. I mean for you to just be writting about anything in the world. As long it's writting. Every published auther that has a website and a FAQ section, has the question "How do I become an author?" And every answer is the same. Write.  At first when ever I saw those never varying answers, I kind of nodded at the computer screen and think, "Well, that why they call us writers, isn't it? And it is, but you must be repeative about your habits. It must become a natural thing for you to be writting all the time, even when it isn't on the calender and your inspired. Take a notebook with you wherever you go, if you can, so you can write ideas and dialogue you overheard that's perfect for your NIP(novel-in-progress). Just say yes, and write.

Words....oh the horrid things.

Even if you don't write, even if you don't like to read, you know that books, fiction, non-fiction, whatever

genre, have words. That's fairly obvious. But what words, my dear reader is essential. My current novel-in-

progress(NIP)  is set in 1700's. With a good dose of Pirates. So problem is, as a Christian, I can't have my

foul mouthed pirates curse. I don't want to set that example, and frankly don't really want to cuss myself.

However, after exhaustive research, I learned people, and most certainly heartless, cold-blooded pirates in

1749 did not say "oh my gosh," or many of the shortcuts so helpful in today's world.  So What am I to do?

Curse or Christ?

I decided on no cursing, but making it known to the reader that Person A is unhappy in a way that uses facial

expressions,  breakable things being broken, and silence treatments. Anything that doesn't stray from their

character but doesn't make the Lord flinch whenever I write an angry scene.

Any thoughts on a clean, angry scene?

Post below :)