[ General ]

“An object in motion will stay in motion until acted on by an outside force.” - Newton’s First Law of Motion.

This doesn’t apply just to objects, but to writers as well. Once a writer has been shoved hard enough in the right direction, he/she will continue down that path until something slows or stops them. For physical objects that tends to be friction, but for writers it could be anything--real life, sickness, lack of energy, depression, self-loathing, etc.

Now, that I have you thinking. Let me change gears slightly. Frankly, the idea of inertia isn’t interesting to me, nor will be the focus of today’s topic. But it’s the concept of creating that inertia in the first place.

As you can tell, I’ve lost all inertia. Not only on this website, on my home website, and on a writing project tentatively due at the end of March (which I blew). The energy required for me to write or edit is high (editing is the worse of the two). It isn’t that I’m lazy or I feel as if I suck at the task. It has more to do with my distractibility.

I’m not as distractible as a coyote, but there always is something more interesting than what I’m currently working on. Case in point, the last two weekends I’ve gone out to the Minnesota Zoo and Como Zoo with a friend of mine “Kurst.” Both times it focused around photography (one of my many other hobbies), and sadly it didn’t take much effort to convince me to do that instead of working on my project. Even now, I realize that my current website lacks any sane ability to manage the 500+ new images that just found their way into my Lightroom library. Thus, I’m considering blowing tomorrow (well, today) writing new code to allow me to better handle manage and update my online photo gallery.

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[ General ]

A consistent set of world rules is a requirement when you sit down to write a story, and the rules you have will depends on the length of the piece. There is nothing worse than reading a book that conflicts with itself (Well that is a lie, but go with me. I’ll talk about other important things in later articles).

When I sit down to write a story, be it a short piece, a novel, or a series, I tend to decide where my story takes place. Is it in a “present day” type environment, in another universe, or in an alternate time line? The next question is “how much of the world will bleed into the narrative?” If it’s a short piece I made just laid out simple ground rules (e.g., real magic, present day, etc) that I’ll follow before I start investing time into the nuts and bolts of writing [NOTE: for short stories I may not even bother to write down anything unless the piece hinges on some type of abnormal concept]. For longer pieces, I may ask a few more questions (e.g. what type of magic? Where does the power get drawn from? Is it common or rare? What are the limits?).

In any case, the ground rules you write down need to be strictly followed throughout the work. If at some point you realize they must change then you need to consider what you’ve written. Does that change the path the characters would have taken? Is there a reason why they couldn’t have done this earlier? This is extremely critical for book series. There is nothing that will gain you great scorn from your die hard readers than changing a fundamentals without some solid justification.

However, this doesn’t mean that your world has to be static. The reader will accept facts given to them if they are couched correctly. If your magic is broken up into air, water, and fire, then a fire mage (who spent his whole life in and around volcanos) may find his power weaken or almost unusable if stranded on a boat in the middle of an ocean or on an iceberg. The main thing is to ensure you don’t apply random limits that make no sense to your reader.

By putting down these world rules, you may find that as you write it will also be easier to mold your story, since the rules for how things work can now guide your writing. It can easily free you to consider the interaction of things. If your story has a fire and air mage locked in heated battling with each other what can the air mage do that will not feed the flames? Maybe instead using a gust of wind to blow out a candle, as his master taught him, he can use the wind to create a vacuum to stifle the fire magic’s ability to spread.

Just make sure you write the rules down. Not only for your sanity sake, but it can also be a good tool for your editor and trusted readers to ensure you didn’t make a mistake.

[ General ]

I can honestly admit I rarely run into what most consider the typical “writer’s block.” Pattern matching and string ideas together is pretty much second nature to me. I have lots of concepts written down in my database of notes (If you don’t have one of these then you need to start. It doesn’t need to be anything in electronic form. Douglas Adams used a drawer in his desk to stash notes). However, I do suffer from writer’s block. It comes as depression, lack of energy, and the inability to focus long enough to let the words congeal enough to put on paper.

When I started doing National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) the deadline was decently real. I’d never written 50,000 in such a short time, and for the first few years I succeed at doing it. What I wrote was mostly crap, and it didn’t bother me because I knew I was writing for the sake of writing. Now, I can’t do that. However, I have multiple projects (be them programming or writing) I can work on, and the thought of writing more dribble down that will not be completed just doesn’t appeal to me anymore.

I’m not stating that NaNoWriMo is bad. It is a good way to find the story in you and drag it kicking and screaming out, but I’ve come to the point where I think I’ve outgrown it. Of course, this could be my lack of energy or depression speaking (read “writer’s block").

Granted this isn’t due to lack of fans clamoring for me to produce them something to read. Rather scares me that people are willing to read my first draft stories. However, that is what friends are for. *Weak Smile*

So what is my rambling point? Writer’s Block isn’t just a lack of words or ideas, but can also be a lack of energy or focus. Sadly, the only way to work through this is to drag yourself kicking and screaming to the task and complete it.

[ General ] [ NaNoWriMo ]

For those doing NaNoWriMo and are searching for advice how to survive it. The best answer is “Eat the Elephant One Bite at a Time.”

Only reason I bring this up is because I know folks that are currently way behind (like I am), and the more behind you get the more the word count piles up and you get scared. You start asking why you are doing this, and how you got yourself into it. Even worse you start to doubt that you can do it.

Well, STOP IT! The way you get through a month of writing (or any project for that matter) is to look keep your eye on the closest check point, and it’s your goal to make it to the checkpoint come hell or high water.

The next bit of advice I can give for those that find themselves staring at the blank page for the two hours when you are supposed to be writing is too either write or do something else. I know it sounds a bit odd, but the best way to break writers block is to actively work on something else. Yes it doesn’t advance your word count, but it gives your brain time to mull over and figure out what you want to write.

I tend to do something close to “directive dreaming” when I go to sleep. I tend to replay the last minute of the scene I’m writing as I’m laying in bed. Then I let my mind flow to see where it continues. Sometimes I have to force it down one or two paths, but after a few minutes (normally just before I fall asleep) I come up with where I need to head, and even if I don’t remember the exact cool scene I saw. The seeds of the idea are stuck in my head, and when I start writing it will come back to me.

Another thing to do is break up your writing periods up. I know that I’m only effective at writing for about 30 - 45 minutes at any given stretch. Therefor I start writing until I'm not sure where I’m heading. Then I tend to stand up and take a walk. If it is to get something to drink, roam aimless around my house, clean up a small pile that has been siting in my living room for too long, or an extended wanderings out of my house and down to the park. The idea is to refresh your mental batteries.

Hey, sometimes just switching gears, and writing something else for a bit can help. Sometimes the reason you can’t write is because something unrelated bouncing itself around in your head, and unless you get it out of your head and on paper. It will eat away at you and cause you to lose focus.

Lastly, if you have serious problems writing the best way is not only to surround yourself with other people doing the same thing, but also find a few people willing to suffer with reading a pre-draft story. It’s amazing when you get a bit of feedback like. “That was cool. I didn’t see that coming!” Or “So... When is the next chapter coming out?” Will do for your need to write.

Now, stop reading my blog and get back to writing.

BTW, this month I may be spotty in terms of writing. So just bear with it. I know few folks are reading. So bear with me until after this month I’ll be more consistent.

[ General ]

No I’m not going to discuss the rules of the road when it comes to grammar. I will not talk about “I before E except after C and in receive.” Nor will I talk about subject-verb agreement, nor about dangling particles. I want to talk more about style.

There are three broad classes of style. The first is the long winded one. They tend to find the longest, curviest, and often the most boring route from A to F. These writers tend to find ways of avoiding getting to F by even going through P, Q, and Z before returning to B. This isn’t a bad thing, but if over used it tends to leave readers frustrated at the author’s inability to stay on task and tell the story.

The next is the writer that can bring a reader from the point A to point F in such a way where they can bypass almost every point in-between without causing them to feel as if they were jipped out of a story. In fact, the solution is so elegant that as a reader is left wondering how they couldn’t have seen the solution in the first place.

Lastly, we have those that must take each step on the plot road from A to F. The reader knows, to a degree, what will happen, but that doesn’t really bother most readers. A good narration will keep the reader interested even if they know where the author is guiding them. Note, I said “guide” not “lead” since most readers dislike having a nose ring installed and dragged behind the main character.

Granted those are the broad categories in writing style. From here, we must introduce other aspects that add spice to the above basic patterns. They can include such things a rhyming prose, the over use of multi-syllabic words, constant use of metaphors, talking more than showing, and so on.

Also, there are times when people write with alternative grammar rules. However, this tends to frustrate not only editors but readers as well, and unless you are a published author it may be best to conform to the general rules of the road.

BTW not only happy Halloween, but happy NaNoWriMo eve.

[ NaNoWriMo ] [ General ]

There are many things that many beginning writers don’t consider, but they are things that should be thought about. I’m not talking about the hours away from family, the strain on love ones, and the sleepless nights not understanding where you are heading in your plot line. However, these are tools that may lessing some of the above issues.

The standard things I tend to consider before writing a novel in thirty days in November are simple.

• Do I have character sheets for important characters?
• Do I have a description of the location in which I'm writing in?
• Do I have an outline or time line of events?
• Do I have a genre in mind?

Not stating you need any of the above. Steven King has already admitted he doesn’t use outlines. However, I tend to find having some or all the above at least firmly in my brain, if not on paper, it makes the process better. Granted the detail in the above sections depends on how you write.

Character Sheets-- Mine tend to be rather short. This is a big contrast compared to when I create a Star Trek character for role playing. The main reason is I tend to need more information up front for role playing to understand my character. So I tend to pull out the Star Trek Encyclopedia and figure out who would have been at the academy when he was, and what major events he would have been involved in. It isn’t uncommon for me to end up with two to three pages of typed history. I wouldn’t recommend doing this for a writing character because they tend to act differently. I know that may sound weird, but I’ve found the only real information that is useful to write down is name, age, sex, height, weight, personality quarks, and what the character would wear normally in the story. The rest I tend to find comes from the character. However, its common for me to add to the character sheet while writing so I can remember new things I’ve discovered about the character.

Location-- I also don’t spend much of time on this. Most of the time I don’t bother unless there are certain details that must be researched. Otherwise, the location itself tends to stay in my head. There have been a few times where I’ve pulled out Google maps of downtown Minneapolis to ensure my memory of locations was correct.

Outline/Time line-- This one causes people many problems. Some writers refuse to use this tool, and others go over board and pre-plan every move before they start writing. The former group I feel tends to write more organic stories, but they tend to ramble and frustrates the reader with it’s wandering. The latter may be needed if you are doing a historical, but in pure fiction it can make the writing feel stilted. I tend to pick something between. My outlines/time lines tend to grow out of future scene ideas I have before I start writing or during the writing process. It also is a nice tool to update as you write so you can easily track down details you need and can’t remember later in your story. I don’t consider my time line/outline to be the end-all-be-all of the story. It’s just milestones or potential road markers as well as a way for me to keep my pacing while I’m writing. It isn’t uncommon form me to know my first few scenes, some scenes somewhere in the middle of my story, and the ones near my climax. This doesn’t mean I know the ending of my story. Just that something like *Insert Scene Here* will happen.

Genre-- Strictly not needed, but if you are looking to be published you should have an idea if you are writing horror, romance, etc. It also may also define how you approach a scene. So it’s a nice thing to have in mind even if you have a mix of genres.

Do I have any of these at this point? Not really. I’m pretty set in terms of what I’m going to write. The [Snow on the Ground] song I did for NaNoWriMo pretty much showed me my Detective story had firmly become a horror story. Not stating there isn’t detectivish type things in it, but it no longer is the primary genre.

[ General ]

Welcome to Off Writing, where one goes not only to discuss the topic of writing, but all those wonderful one-off things like research, use of proper grammar, spelling, and favorite of all those in the writing world... Editors.

I’m not claiming to be an expert in any of the above topics (in fact, I’m sure many will complain bitterly I start writing). However, the goal of this site is to look at ways how we avoid the act of writing by doing things that we don’t always need to do.

On a serious note, this site is being launched half finished. I’m not happy with how the login and comment systems are implemented so I’m delaying their release until I’m confidante that it will not fall over dead when the first person does something stupid or try to muck with the site in ways I didn’t envision.

Why writing? Why things related to writing? Why from an unpublished hack of a writer that can’t even do decent posts on his own primary blog? *shrug* Because I can, and because I need something to force me to write on a schedule. And I find public accountability is a great thing for keeping one on schedule, also Evil Admin Org was never really designed to be a blog, but just a place to put random junk.

Back on the subject of public accountability, I assume everyone has heard of National Novel Writing Month (50,000 words in 30 days). It’s a nice way of meeting other writers in your area, working on the habit of “shut up and write,” and it has a wonderful one-off feature of avoiding what you should be writing. This year I’m doing a mystery/detective story called “Detective Hope and the Emerald of Paullin”. Not dead sure how it will pan out. I know the hero of the story is detective Jessica Hope, but as for a plot... meh. It’ll come to me in October.

Anyway, sit back, relax and come back every Wednesday where I’ll wander around topics needless and find ways to avoid doing real work.