First off, no, this isn't a photo of my writing office. Just thought this would hit close to home for some people. :PI might be preaching to the choir when I say this, but writing isn't as easy as it seems. I'm reminded about that little tid bit whenever I give feedback to a peer, or am on the receiving end. From writer's block to just not getting the wording right, getting words onto paper (or monitor) is a lot of work!
One of my Superstars Writing Seminar peers was kind enough to mention this Writing Excuses site after he got done reviewing one of my shorts. (Thanks John!) I've only been looking at it for a few days, and it's already been a HUGE amount of help! The site's ran by well-established authors who know what they're talking about, so don't feel worried about being led astray. Trust me, I've met one of them in person ^_^ (Hey Brandon!)
See, we writers need to be reminded about some of the basic "mundane" things that can make a story work or not work at times. "What POV should I take?" "Why do I always have to speak in past tense at this moment?" Or, here's a good one : "How do I start a story and finish it?!" Last time I checked, it looked like that was the most popular post on the site!
I don't know when it happened, but many people have the misconception that authors can sit at a desk all day with some sort of imaginary orchestra singing praises behind us while our hands derive the next written masterpiece without missing a beat. Psh, if only it was that simple! . . . Hmm, it would be pretty cool having a crowd of people chanting your name like in a theme song or something, wouldn't it (looking at you, Sephiroth >_<)?
Be sure to check out Writing Excuses if you're ever in need of the 101 tidbits of writing, writers. The site answers the example questions I mentioned and more! It has a podcast, and books and CDs that you can even purchase! While there is a fee, there's a trial you can try out a first, and I get the feeling a couple of bucks in this direction can go a long way.
Writing Excuses is very useful. I like the writing prompts they offer and just hearing some professionals chat about the business is motivational, even when I'm developing a room like the picture you posted Raphyel.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Oh no! I didn't mean to take a reference shot! But yeah, I'm really liking what I've gotten out of it so far. You're also right about the motivational aspect the writers offer.
ReplyDeleteCan't endorse this podcast enough. It's really helped my writing, in a hundred different ways.
ReplyDeleteAnd I should clear up one minor misconception. The podcast is always and forever free of charge. There is no fee.
The podcast is sponsored by Audible.com, which sells audiobooks and charges a monthly fee. But you can try it for free if you follow the link mentioned in the Writing Excuses podcast.
O_O Forever free??? Oh, this just keeps getting better and better
ReplyDelete