PlotTwist

New Novel

2007-11-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

I wrote a psychological thriller about a year ago and set it aside...to forget about. This is a great way for writers to complete their first re-write. By putting the story aside for a year, I was able to clear the details from my mind. By reading the story (as a reader would) I was able to see where I needed to re-work some parts of the story.

Some novels I've read seem to come across as patchy. I believe this is when a writer assumes the reader knows as much about the story as he/she does. I could see them saying, "well, that's what I meant", when a author leaves loose ends or the story comes across as flighty. This happens when writers fail to "read" their own work, but skim over it thinking the details are in there when they actually are not.

Now that I'm reading my novel, I can see where it needs more color, or maybe a little less. The twists in the story seem to surprise me, just like I want the reader to experience them. Of course, I also find those scenes that read like a computer manual. Flat, dry, and the detail seems forced....too structured. I don't think I would have caught that had I read the story right after I finished it.

Some writers like to share their work with friends or family, expecting an objective and honest opinion of the work. Picking friends and family to critique your work has one of two outcomes: they love it or they hate it. When you ask your Mom for her opinion, what do you expect but a good response? Unless you have an truly objective mother, usually she delivers just that. And then you have the haters. People who are either way too critical or way too picky. If I write a thriller and give it to my friend who doesn't like those kinds of stories, then I'll get flack for the subject matter and not their opinion of the content and the flow. The other issue with haters comes up when you pick people who are avid readers and they red-line everything. This could easily stifle your artistic flow because they expect perfection - they almost demand it.

So I became my own critic. The trade-off for leaving a completed novel on the shelf (unseen and unpublished) is that I can read it with a clear mind and a critical, yet productive mindset.

I've been verbally accosted for not getting my work in front of a publisher as soon as possible. I would rather hand them a completed, critically edited work, than receive a reject slip for writing a mindless book. I started the re-write today and anticipate writing a new draft by year-end. than, and only then, will I start promoting my novel as a completed work.

Writing Fiction

2007-11-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

I started writing fiction when I was kid. Growing up in the 70's, when imagination was my favorite plaything. I think that growing up in an era when video games were called "Arcade Games" and computers were used for business, not entertainment. It was me, myself, and I playing in a vast world that I owned...a world I created and controlled. It was my design and my responsibility to maintain it. As I played in this ficticious world, I was compelled to write it out. It was as if writing the story about my world was somehow going to make it more real.

In my early years in grade school, I was called "clever" and "imaginative", but nothing could really describe what I was going through. It wasn't merely an imaginary world, but a second life. I had to write it down, share this place with everyone else, help them see it. I wrote in the margins of my math homework, in the pages of textbooks, on desks...I spoke to my fellow students about these places and some of them knew of it. Some of them understood that there was this other universe and we could see it.

Teachers would tell my parents that I was not focused on my work, that something had to be done. I didn't have any issues completing my homework or doing it correctly. I was scolded by some of the teachers for writing in the margins, while others supported my visionary drive. My parents felt a balance needed to be found - stay out of trouble, but still be me.

A simple solution was found: they gave me paper. I gave them a view of the world they could never imagine.

PlotTwist - Fiction

2007-11-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

This is the companion to PlotTwist - Reality

This is the start of a life-long discussion about the "plot twists" in songs, books or movies that we love so much. The plot twist is a literary magic trick that makes the every-day change into something special. Theses unusual or humorous experiences are used for character-building or adding tension to an otherwise normal scene.

Let's see what twists you think are the most clever (or not-so-clever) in any form of entertainment.

PlotTwist - Reality

2007-11-07T20:58:00.001-07:00

This is the companion to PlotTwist - Fiction

This is the start of a life-long discussion about the "Plot twists" that we actually experienced in our lives. Theses unusual or humorous experiences can either distract or direct us...either way they are life lessons.

Let's see what twists were placed in your path.