Last Wednesday I went to a fiction panel at the library and thought I’d share my notes. I am mixing all the different authors responses into one group. I may have revised how some things are said by my interpretation of what they said.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
– Concentrate on the story first. I imagine people in different situations and then I ask how they go into that situation and how they got out of it.
Q: How do you handle tension in a story?
– By Prewriting and defining the pre-story helps define tension by how things are placed in the outline of the story.
– On one 40 pg. synopsis author went back in and started modifying the outline.
– Return to what you have written and cut off the beginning and ending of a scene that is often not necessary so that the essentials of the scene/chapter remain.
– Don’t be afraid to cut and revise. Done be afraid the throw your words away.
– In the story there needs to be at least one unanswered question. If you’ve answered the current questions then new questions need to be created
Q: How do you handle distractions or life’s interruptions?
– Pursue diversions outside your writing time such as don’t read email until you’ve done your daily writing. Maybe write first thing in the morning.
– If you’re not in accretive mood to write new text then work on editing/fixing up text that is already written.
– Interruptions happen – Address pressing issues and then get back to your writing. Always go back to your writing when the urgent item has been taken care of.
– Don’t open up your email, face book etc. until you’re done with your writing
Q: How do you address style?
– The more you write the more you own style can be defined.
– You can’t create your style by imitating some other writing.
– It doesn’t have to be elaborate writing to be a good story.
– Put a lot of attention into developing characters.
Q: How do you handle critiques?
– Ask yourself if the critique is valid.
– Listen to your editors but you many not necessarily listen to all the people of your critique group.
– Has a collection of pictures of people, locations etc. that helps visual a scene and helps in the description of that scene.
– You only need to give the reader the tip of the ice berg in a description and they’ll provide the rest.
– Think of the 5 senses when you write.
– Store up the different visual and characteristics of people you meet.
– Books of the 19th century were much better in describing things because there was no TV or pictures and so the descriptions had to be very clear.
– You only need to have one real paragraph that uses the sensory details to get the story going.
– Suggest book: Fiction and the figures of life
Q: How do you handle excessive dialog?
– If dialog does anything more than reveal character avoid it.
– Dialog should not move the plot.
– Ways to break up long stretches of plot is by internal dialog or by blocking out the scene which is having the characters do things as they talk.
Q: Point of View?
– Most important thing is the reader always knows from whose eyes we see the tory.
– Suggest book: From X-Rays to Long shots
