As an experienced and professional BSer, I've always lived by the the slogan, "You don't need to know what you're talking about. You just need to sound like you know what you're talking about." This was as true for writing as it was for life. But as I grew up, gained some experience, and learned some lessons, I realized I was wrong. Sure, you can BS your way almost anywhere in real life, but in writing, it's not gonna fly.
Speech is fast, personal, and live. Writing is planned, deliberate, and permanent. You can fast talk somebody into agreeing with some stupid ideas, but if you give them everything you said in writing, they would tear it apart and laugh in your face.
I have most felt this when it comes to writing about people of different origins. Only Chinese people can write about growing up Chinese. Only people from New York can tell a story about living in New York. Only children of immigrant parents can write about what it was like being a child of immigrant parents. Unless you have lived it, you cannot know it. And if you cannot know it, you cannot write it properly.
Recently, I was thinking about my old bit of wisdom, and I realized it was right. I am not black and can never understand what it is like to live as a black person. But you know what? I've spent a whole lot of time with black people, talked with them, learned their stories, studied their mannerisms. And if I wanted to, I could write a story with a black character.
I don't need to know what it is like to be black, but I do need to sound like I know it. Because if I portray the picture well enough, then the people who understand will relate to it and add their own feelings and experiences to gain more from it.
It's ok to sound like you know what you're talking about. Just realize that doing so still requiures effort.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Writing Exercise - Blank Mad Libs
Mad Libs can be a fun game to play with friends, but it can hardly be considered writing. However, there is a way to turn it into writing.
Consider the basic Mad Lib. It is a piece of text, generally a mundane story, with 20 or so random words removed. In its place is a blank space, with the part of speech that word is. Then you fill in the blank with a word of the same part of speech.
In the basic Mad Lib, you have too little freedom to do anything creative. But try stretching the premise further. Instead of 20 words, try 40 words. Try 60, 80, and keep going up. Eventually, you will reach the point of having a blank Mad Lib.
Now you have a sheet of paper filled with blank lines and a whole lot of parts of speech under them. Start filling in those blanks. This will give you a great deal of freedom, but with a preset structure that can give you a sense of stability.
This exercise will give you some insight on sentence structure. Figure out what patterns feel good to you and what ones are unpleasant. Also, if you break down your own sentences into parts of speech, you will see what patterns you favor and how to add some spice and variety. The more you know, the stronger you will be.
Consider the basic Mad Lib. It is a piece of text, generally a mundane story, with 20 or so random words removed. In its place is a blank space, with the part of speech that word is. Then you fill in the blank with a word of the same part of speech.
In the basic Mad Lib, you have too little freedom to do anything creative. But try stretching the premise further. Instead of 20 words, try 40 words. Try 60, 80, and keep going up. Eventually, you will reach the point of having a blank Mad Lib.
Now you have a sheet of paper filled with blank lines and a whole lot of parts of speech under them. Start filling in those blanks. This will give you a great deal of freedom, but with a preset structure that can give you a sense of stability.
This exercise will give you some insight on sentence structure. Figure out what patterns feel good to you and what ones are unpleasant. Also, if you break down your own sentences into parts of speech, you will see what patterns you favor and how to add some spice and variety. The more you know, the stronger you will be.
The First 100 Strips
These days, when people make their own comics, they usually post every strip they make, starting from the beginning. It can be very interesting to see a comic at its beginnings, get to know the characters, and see how they grow and evolve.
The problem with this is that the beginning installments of a comic are usually bad. These cartoonists don't know their characters very well and they don't know their surroundings very well. Often times, they are also just learning how to draw and write. As such, the art is usually lacking and the writing is so-so. This is normal, though. In general, the first 100 strips are considered practice. It is the time where the creator learns what they're trying to create and how to execute it.
Although these first 100 are practice, people still want advice on their work. I think that this is counterproductive. This practice period is when the creator shapes their own work and shapes themselves. When other people give advice, they are trying to fix something that isn't broken. The point of advice is to make the comic become what it is trying to be. But in the practice period, the creators themselves don't know what their comic is trying to be, so it will give no help.
The same thing is true for a writer of any kind. Advice is a great thing. A good reader and a good critic will make you better at what you do. But, until you know what you are trying to do, advice can only help so much. Write 100 pieces. They can be anything - poetry, short story, novel, essay, or anything else. When you've done that, you will have a grasp of what you are trying to do with your writing, and other people will help you reach your goals with your advice.
Shape yourself before you ask others to shape you.
The problem with this is that the beginning installments of a comic are usually bad. These cartoonists don't know their characters very well and they don't know their surroundings very well. Often times, they are also just learning how to draw and write. As such, the art is usually lacking and the writing is so-so. This is normal, though. In general, the first 100 strips are considered practice. It is the time where the creator learns what they're trying to create and how to execute it.
Although these first 100 are practice, people still want advice on their work. I think that this is counterproductive. This practice period is when the creator shapes their own work and shapes themselves. When other people give advice, they are trying to fix something that isn't broken. The point of advice is to make the comic become what it is trying to be. But in the practice period, the creators themselves don't know what their comic is trying to be, so it will give no help.
The same thing is true for a writer of any kind. Advice is a great thing. A good reader and a good critic will make you better at what you do. But, until you know what you are trying to do, advice can only help so much. Write 100 pieces. They can be anything - poetry, short story, novel, essay, or anything else. When you've done that, you will have a grasp of what you are trying to do with your writing, and other people will help you reach your goals with your advice.
Shape yourself before you ask others to shape you.
Monday, August 10, 2009
From Mad Libs to Manuscripts
Within writing, there is a full spectrum of freedom. In the ultimate level of restriction, we have Mad Libs, where you are allowed to pick a handful of words to fill in a document, provided they are the proper part of speech. The beauty of Mad Libs is that no matter how you write them, you get something good. This comes at the cost of having extremely little input on what you actually get to write.
On the other side of the spectrum is the manuscript. Properly, it is any piece of writing that you create with no guidelines or requirements. You now have absolute freedom to create anything you want, the cost of this being the difficulty and risk of failure.
Between these two extremes, there are a number of possibilities for writers. Writing for a scientific journal will require extremely strict guidelines, almost to the point of being Mad Libs. Academic essays are a little looser; they can have a rigid 5-paragraph style or they can be more free-form, as long as they have a thesis, conclusion, and enough meat between them. A story for Reader's Digest can be written any way you want, as long as it has the classic 3 acts and comes with a happy ending.
Different people have different comfort levels. The level of comfort you want (or the level of discomfort you can handle) is the level that you should write at.
On the other side of the spectrum is the manuscript. Properly, it is any piece of writing that you create with no guidelines or requirements. You now have absolute freedom to create anything you want, the cost of this being the difficulty and risk of failure.
Between these two extremes, there are a number of possibilities for writers. Writing for a scientific journal will require extremely strict guidelines, almost to the point of being Mad Libs. Academic essays are a little looser; they can have a rigid 5-paragraph style or they can be more free-form, as long as they have a thesis, conclusion, and enough meat between them. A story for Reader's Digest can be written any way you want, as long as it has the classic 3 acts and comes with a happy ending.
Different people have different comfort levels. The level of comfort you want (or the level of discomfort you can handle) is the level that you should write at.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
8/8/8
I mentioned in my last post that a standard 24-hour day is usually split into three parts of 8, one for work, sleep, and free time. This isn't generally the case, though. Everybody has different schedules. Some people aren't working a full 40 hours a week. Some people only sleep 6 hours a night. These discrepancies will obviously change the ratios, but let's pretend for a moment that all people had a simple 8/8/8 split to make this easier.
If you have a day job, you can't alter those hours. You have to be there for 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday. Sleep is needed for matters of health. You need 8 hours a day. Now, you can split it up into multiple sessions or just move it into other times of the day, but no matter what, you're going to be getting 8 hours.
Since work and sleep are not negotiable, that means the only wiggle room you have in your day is that 8 hours of free time. Assuming you aren't writing as a full-time job, that means you still have 8 hours a day to write, right? Of course not. Everything that happens in life that isn't working or sleeping comes out of your 8 hours of free time. Doing laundry, making and eating food, buying groceries, traveling to and from work, getting ready for bed, and lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, all of these things come out of those 8 hours.
All of a sudden, maybe you only have 4 hours a day to write. That's not too bad, is it? No. You could get a lot done in 4 hours. The problem is that after a long day at work, you want to sit on the couch, watch TV, put in a movie, or play some video games. All of a sudden, those 4 hours become zero and it's time to go to bed.
Regardless of of how your 24 hours are actually split, the fact still remains that sleep and work are non-negotiable. That means that every other thing you do comes out of your free time. It is the most precious commodity you have. If you truly wish to write, then put down the remote, controller, or beer can, pick up your pen, pencil, or keyboard, and write something.
If you have a day job, you can't alter those hours. You have to be there for 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday. Sleep is needed for matters of health. You need 8 hours a day. Now, you can split it up into multiple sessions or just move it into other times of the day, but no matter what, you're going to be getting 8 hours.
Since work and sleep are not negotiable, that means the only wiggle room you have in your day is that 8 hours of free time. Assuming you aren't writing as a full-time job, that means you still have 8 hours a day to write, right? Of course not. Everything that happens in life that isn't working or sleeping comes out of your 8 hours of free time. Doing laundry, making and eating food, buying groceries, traveling to and from work, getting ready for bed, and lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, all of these things come out of those 8 hours.
All of a sudden, maybe you only have 4 hours a day to write. That's not too bad, is it? No. You could get a lot done in 4 hours. The problem is that after a long day at work, you want to sit on the couch, watch TV, put in a movie, or play some video games. All of a sudden, those 4 hours become zero and it's time to go to bed.
Regardless of of how your 24 hours are actually split, the fact still remains that sleep and work are non-negotiable. That means that every other thing you do comes out of your free time. It is the most precious commodity you have. If you truly wish to write, then put down the remote, controller, or beer can, pick up your pen, pencil, or keyboard, and write something.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
24 Hours, However You Use Them
People play a lot of mental tricks on themselves to make time disappear. Sometimes the day just flies by. Sometimes you sleep at strange hours. Sometimes things just come up. Whatever the reason, they're all crap.
No matter how you slice it, there are 24 hours a day, every day. Not a minute goes by that you can't account for. If time seems to disappear, then start accounting for where it goes.
Suppose you write at night. One night, you get really into what you're working on, so instead of going to bed at midnight, you stay up until 5 AM, at which point you go to sleep. You wake up at 8 AM and have to go to work. As soon as you get home, you crash in bed for five hours. When you wake up, it is now the evening and you only have a few hours before it's your usual bedtime again.
In this example, the normal reaction is to say that the day disappeared, or that you spent all day sleeping. This is just a misconception and a misaccounting of time. Despite the nontraditional use of time, all the hours can be accounted for. From midnight to midnight, there was 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work, and 8 hours of free time. Those sets of eight simply weren't all collected. It became 5 hours free time (spent writing), 3 hours sleep, 8 hours work, 5 hours sleep, and 3 hours free time. It still adds up the same.
The point of this is to tell you to be aware of your time. No day ever disappears, even if it can feel that way. If you ever feel like you're out of time, realize that you may have simply reallocated hours. And if you ever need more time than you have, you can reallocate hours from the next day (just know that you're going to pay for it later).
No matter how you slice it, there are 24 hours a day, every day. Not a minute goes by that you can't account for. If time seems to disappear, then start accounting for where it goes.
Suppose you write at night. One night, you get really into what you're working on, so instead of going to bed at midnight, you stay up until 5 AM, at which point you go to sleep. You wake up at 8 AM and have to go to work. As soon as you get home, you crash in bed for five hours. When you wake up, it is now the evening and you only have a few hours before it's your usual bedtime again.
In this example, the normal reaction is to say that the day disappeared, or that you spent all day sleeping. This is just a misconception and a misaccounting of time. Despite the nontraditional use of time, all the hours can be accounted for. From midnight to midnight, there was 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work, and 8 hours of free time. Those sets of eight simply weren't all collected. It became 5 hours free time (spent writing), 3 hours sleep, 8 hours work, 5 hours sleep, and 3 hours free time. It still adds up the same.
The point of this is to tell you to be aware of your time. No day ever disappears, even if it can feel that way. If you ever feel like you're out of time, realize that you may have simply reallocated hours. And if you ever need more time than you have, you can reallocate hours from the next day (just know that you're going to pay for it later).
Friday, August 7, 2009
Stay Professional
It is way too easy to share information about yourself. Between Twitter, blogs, Facebook (perhaps MySpace), and message boards, people can learn pretty much anything about you. And if you're not careful, people will learn way too much.
This is by no means a new subject to talk about. However, it is still one that needs to be considered. At first, I saw people being disturbingly familiar or coldly professional. Half the people were writing things on a public forum to their close personal friends and not realizing that anybody can see it. The other half of these people never talked about anything but official aspects of their professional lives.
Nowadays, those two stereotypes have softened, but are still there. Some people use their twitter for inside jokes; others only use it to link to things they've read or seen. Although this may be better, it isn't good enough.
If you are a professional, loosen up. Share something personal, even if it is a random musing. People don't want to listen to a person talking about their work all the time. Humanize yourself and you will find that more people will care about you and what you have to say.
If you are already loosened up, consider not being so loose. Everybody loves a friendly, outgoing person, but there is such a thing as too much. Dave Kellett has made the comment that when he writes about himself online, he uses the Party Dave persona. This is the Dave that you would meet if you were at a party. He'll tell you a story, tell you a joke. He could be meaningful or silly, but it's all within a boundary. Nothing gets too personal, too depressing, too crude, nor does he get too stiff or professional.
When you write about yourself, don't fake it. If you aren't acting like yourself, people will know you're being phoney. You should always write honestly and from the heart. Just remember who could be reading your words (everybody).
This is by no means a new subject to talk about. However, it is still one that needs to be considered. At first, I saw people being disturbingly familiar or coldly professional. Half the people were writing things on a public forum to their close personal friends and not realizing that anybody can see it. The other half of these people never talked about anything but official aspects of their professional lives.
Nowadays, those two stereotypes have softened, but are still there. Some people use their twitter for inside jokes; others only use it to link to things they've read or seen. Although this may be better, it isn't good enough.
If you are a professional, loosen up. Share something personal, even if it is a random musing. People don't want to listen to a person talking about their work all the time. Humanize yourself and you will find that more people will care about you and what you have to say.
If you are already loosened up, consider not being so loose. Everybody loves a friendly, outgoing person, but there is such a thing as too much. Dave Kellett has made the comment that when he writes about himself online, he uses the Party Dave persona. This is the Dave that you would meet if you were at a party. He'll tell you a story, tell you a joke. He could be meaningful or silly, but it's all within a boundary. Nothing gets too personal, too depressing, too crude, nor does he get too stiff or professional.
When you write about yourself, don't fake it. If you aren't acting like yourself, people will know you're being phoney. You should always write honestly and from the heart. Just remember who could be reading your words (everybody).
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