Image courtesy of Charles Schulz and www.snoopy.com
What Readers Never See: Behind the Scenes of Writing
A lot happens when a person writes. A reader sees the completed product. A writer sees all of the hard work that has gone into that product including the hours/days/months/years it may take to write. That time includes planning the story and creating in general. It also includes rewrites, revisions, research, struggling to find the words, etc.
The work involved in writing can be compared to the hours of training an athlete does to prepare for an event. An athlete typically plans out their training. Some writers also plan out their stories in advance. Some might plan by writing out ideas, others might write as the ideas appear, other might use a mix of the two. There is no wrong way to write.
This libguide briefly covers some of the preparation involved in writing fiction. This includes basic terms and information for stories. Some points include:
- Outlining and World-building
- Characters
- Conflict
- Setting and Timeframe
- Plot
- Theme
Four Paths to Reading
Readers may like many things about many different stories. Below are four main examples of things readers may be interested in.
- Plot
- Character
- Setting
- Language or Wording
Brain Training for Writing
Training Your Brain for Writing!
Start writing with these 4 tiny tips! You might write with the courage of a LION!
- Listen: Listen to sounds around you. These may include sudden noises, parts of conversation, nature, street noise, etc. Parts of conversation may be reused for writing dialogue, since everyone talks differently. Nature and other background noises may be used to add realism.
- Benefit: May help a writer develop different voices and tones for different characters, the realistic background noise for a place, and more.
- Interact: Interact with the world by using one or more senses. These may include how something feels through touch, whether something is tasty, the different vibrations things make, etc.
- Benefit: Interacting with things and the world helps people to remember objects better. Remembering objects better may help with describing them in writing.
- Writing Exercise: Pick a random object and spend 30 seconds interacting with it. Describe it to yourself using your senses. These might include things like what is it, what color is it, is it light or heavy, does it have a smell, etc.
- Observe: Observing things and people is one of the best things a writer can do. Noticing the world makes the brain pay attention to details that might be missed.
- Benefit: May help with writing detailed descriptions about people, places, things, etc.
- Notes: Take notes about Listening, Interacting with, and Observing. Use a phone, small notebook, etc. for fast on-the-go notes.
- Taking notes might help with remembering thoughts and feelings that are experienced at the moment it happens. Using these notes to may help make writing more real.