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WRITING WEDNESDAY: USING PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

February 20th, 2013

Hi, everyone! It’s Writing Wednesday again and this week I’m writing about using personal experience in your stories. I decided to talk about this because it’s something I struggle with. I’ve tried many times and I haven’t really had much success with it. This is one of the reasons that I tend to stay away from writing non-fiction about my own personal experiences. Actually, it’s part of why I was hesitant to start a blog.

Right now, I’m working on a novel that requires me to dig deep into my own life. It’s fiction but I’m drawing a lot from my life. Certain people, places, and situations are inspired by things I was involved in or witnessed a few years ago. However, the story as a whole is fiction and I’ll label it as such. The title of fiction allows me to take creative license with dialogue and situations.

My difficulty with pulling from personal experience usually comes from being too close to the subject matter. Being too close to the subject matter can go in a lot of directions, so today I think I’ll focus on writing about a relationship or friendship. This is what I’m pulling from right now so I can discuss some of the challenges I’ve faced.

The difficulty with writing about something like a relationship is creating tension that brings in the reader. A common mistake when beginning to write a non-fiction piece (or pulling from personal experience for fiction) is something I’ll call “assumed importance.” The subject is important. Why? Because it happened to you. Well, that’s great but it needs to be important to the reader as well. The significance of this moment, day, month, or year needs to be shared with the reader in a way they can make their own.

I’ve worked through this issue a few different ways. The most useful technique has been to write out a whole scene or argument that I can remember. Then I let it sit for a day. When I come back, I put on my fiction glasses (they have googley eye lenses, a miner’s light, and horned, glittered, brimstone rims) and I alter things. I add things to make a point clearer but mostly I cut things. I cut the uninteresting things people tend to say but keep the stuff that sounds natural, as well as interesting. If this is near the beginning of a story, or introducing a new character, I then write down why it’s important. Not why it was important to me, but why it’s important to the narrative as a whole. Then I try to work that in near the beginning as well as I can.

To be honest, working in personal experience, especially relationship troubles with family, friends, or a significant other, takes a lot of work. It can be harder than just making it up because there’s personal attachment. Everything feels important but, in truth, not everything is important. Why do it? Well, I’ve seen people produce some really potent writing when bringing in personal experience. If you can distance yourself from the subject and treat it like a story, you’ll find that you can do the same thing.

By the way, if you’re in a fiction workshop but secretly write a non-fiction story, brace yourself for a difficult workshop. In non-fiction workshops, I’ve encountered a strong sense of respect among writers and certain subject matter. It’s non-fiction, we’re all aware that the things mentioned usually happened near the people writing about it. If you disguise your non-fiction as fiction, people won’t react the same way in a fiction workshop because they assume you’re making it all up. So, for example, if you’re writing about a relative that passed away, your classmates won’t hesitate to tell you that the character may not be relatable or likable. They’re not doing this to be mean (I hope), they’re doing it because they assume the story fiction. I’ve seen this, and things like this, happen many times over the years. It’s always heartbreaking to see someone break down over a situation like that. So that’s my warning, since I’m already talking about personal experience, fiction, and non-fiction.

Also, I should mention something else near the end here. We all drop in personal experience from our lives. Whether it’s internal struggle over doing the right thing, or a fight with a significant other, these things have a way of coming out. What I’ve written today is just about trying to consciously work in large chunks of personal experience into your writing.

Now it’s your turn, do you work personal experience into your own writing? What challenges have you encountered and what techniques do you use to overcome difficulties?

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STORY SUNDAY: SHORT STORIES, NOVELS, AND THE LAST WISH

February 18th, 2013

Hey, everyone! It’s Story Sunday again and today I’m writing about a novel called The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. I recently took part in a discussion about the differences between short stories and novels. During the discussion, someone asked about short story collections presented as a novel. Sapkowski’s novel follows this format, which led me to look at it again for this week’s Story Sunday.

The Last Wish follows a protagonist known as Geralt, a witcher. The witchers are an order of monster hunters. A witcher is trained from birth to be stronger than normal humans, they’re sterile, and they possess immunity to many different poisons. The idea the witcher order is interesting. Since they take children into the order from birth, the children never have a choice, which can lead to an interesting debate about ethics and necessity.

The book is woven together by chapters called “The Voice of Reason.” These chapters are placed between the short stories. This format establishes “The Voice of Reason” arc as the present, while the other chapters are flashbacks of Geralt’s past encounters with humans and monsters. Ultimately, you spend a lot of time looking back on Geralt’s life, which would normally be discouraged when writing a novel. However, the short story format allows the reader to feel very engaged during these flashbacks, making them an asset.

Does it work as a novel?

Yes, this book absolutely works as a novel. While it’s comprised of short stories, the stories work together to form a narrative. Each story gives the reader a glimpse into Geralt’s past. With each one the reader understands more about the protagonist, the world, the order of witchers.

Why does it work?

I think the main reason this story works has to do with Geralt as a protagonist. If a reader is interested in a protagonist, they don’t mind flashbacks into the character’s past. Furthermore, each short story plays off of an old fairy tale. This links the stories in yet another way. It gives the stories a theme that the reader can hold onto and enjoy while reading. The protagonist and the running theme are enough to tie this novel up.

Another reason I think this works so well has to do with Sapkowski’s world building. I think it’s difficult to write a great fantasy short story because so much of fantasy depends on world building. The audience actually expects world building. Bringing these short stories together unfolds the world little by little. With just one of them, I might not have a firm grasp of the world Sapkowski has created. Together, I understand the world, the character, and how these experiences have influenced one another. They take what was once episodic and bring it together as a whole.

Have you read The Last Wish? Have you read any other short story collections that are presented as a novel?

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Writing Wednesday: Establishing Characters

February 13th, 2013

Last month I wrote about reader expectations and how failing to meet such expectations can result in the loss of a reader. Right now, I want to talk about how to establish a character quickly within your own writing. Introducing a character and trying to convey something meaningful about can be a tough balancing act sometimes.

When you describe someone, maybe a friend or character, you probably strive to say the most with as few words as possible. If you’re writing a novel, short story, poem, etc., this is very true.

During residency I was asked about one of my former professors from undergrad. I had mentioned that, while he didn’t know anything about fantasy, he taught a few genre writers and genuinely helped them. Well, this prodded someone to ask what I meant by “he didn’t know anything about fantasy.” A fair question, so I told her…

He’s a great writer, his readings are amazing, and he has a gift when it comes to teaching. However, when I mentioned the word “werewolf,” his only point of reference was Teen Wolf with Michael J. Fox. When I mentioned “elves,” his only point of reference was Keebler.

Not only did I make my point pretty clearly but what I said was absolutely true. When I use that description, I’m usually making the point that someone can help a beginner with their writing, even if they lack knowledge of the genre. It’s always meant as a complimentary statement because he’s an incredible professor and friend.

My example was to establish the person with a specific purpose. When first introducing a character, you want to portray a dominant feature about them. You want the reader to feel like they know something about the character other than just physical traits. Let’s take a look at an example from John Cheever’s story, The Swimmer.

“He was a slender man— he seemed to have the especial slenderness of youth— and while he was far from young he had slid down his banister that morning and given the bronze backside of Aphrodite on the hall table a smack, as he jogged toward the smell of coffee in his dining room.”

So this guy, an older man, slender, slides down a banister and slaps the backside of a statue. To me, it says that while he’s not young, he has a young and potentially immature personality. He’s also jogging in the morning, so he’s probably a morning person. The reader knows that this man, young or not, has a lot of energy. All of this is done while creating an image for the reader to enjoy. We can see the man doing this while simultaneously picking up on what it says about his character.

Sometimes, I like to think of type of introduction as answering two questions. What do you want to convey about the character? How can the character interact with immediate surroundings so deliver that message? This isn’t the only way to introduce a character but this is one useful way to think about it. This method is extremely useful for minor characters because the reader spends less time with them. Therefore, you as an author have less time to establish who they are, what they want, and why the reader should pay attention to them.

So now it’s your turn, what kind of introductions do you like to read or write? What other elements can an introduction employ to be impactful? Can you think of any memorable character introductions in stories you’ve read?

While this isn’t an official citation, I do like to give sources for things I use on the blog.

Cheever, John (2010-07-23). The Stories of John Cheever (Kindle Locations 12280-12281). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

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Story Sunday: The Walking Dead: A Story of Survivors

February 10th, 2013

Hi, everyone! It’s Story Sunday again and this week I’m writing about The Walking Dead. For all of you who have been waiting (myself included), season three continues tonight!

Honestly, the topic I’ve chose for today could have fit into Writing Wednesday but I think it works for Story Sunday as well. I was going to look at a specific arc in the show but I kept coming back to one idea, just how different The Walking Dead is from other zombie stories I’ve seen. So I decided to look at the beginning of the show, the world building that took place, and how a (somewhat) unresolved arc set the tone of the show.

In the first episode, Rick runs into a man named Morgan and his son named Duane. Morgan and Duane have a tragic story at the end of the world. Morgan’s wife turned into a zombie and at night she him and Duane can see her roaming around outside of their house. Morgan wants to kill his wife, he wants to put her out of her misery, but he can’t seem to do it. This kind of storytelling sets a personal tone for the story. Zombies aren’t chasing them through the streets, they’re not breaking through doors, though we find out later that they’re capable of such things. What the audience is shown initially is the emotional trauma of being left behind in this new world. Rick, who is only beginning his journey, doesn’t know the fate of his family. This begins another emotional arc for the main protagonist.

The Walking Dead isn’t just a survival story at all costs. The narrative focuses on the repercussions of actually living as a survivor in a world that’s a husk its former self.

In order to continue his journey, Rick leaves behind Morgan and Duane. This is kind of a strange thing for the show to do, but like I said before, it sets the tone for the show. Rick says that he’ll turn on his radio every morning at dawn. This gives the audience, and Rick, some hope that he’ll meet back up with Morgan and Duane. This arc isn’t really given much closer, it just fades away. Rick doesn’t see Morgan or Duane again. He doesn’t hear from them on the radio and he can only hope that they’ve survived. As Rick (and the audience) learns more about the world, the less likely their safety seems.

The writers established that in this world, you may need to leave people behind. Unlike many stories, leaving someone behind can be a permanent choice. The protagonist and the viewers may not get to see the resolution of every person they encounter along the way. For some things will end well, for others they’ll end terribly, and some people will just disappear without resolution.

Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the first episode? Were you hooked after just one episode? What other moments did you enjoy from the first season?

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WRITING WEDNESDAY: A RIFT AMONG WRITERS!

January 30th, 2013

Hey, everyone, it’s Writing Wednesday again! This week won’t be talking about writing advice. Instead, I want to focus on something I’ve heard a lot about lately. During my residency at SHU, the topic of literary vs. genre fiction came up pretty often. However, the focus wasn’t on what people enjoyed reading. The focus was on how genre writers have been treated in various academic settings. Other students brought up this issue everyday while I was there and I quickly realized that my own experience didn’t match the majority.

If you’re taking part in Seton Hill’s MFA program, you probably came from a school where you received (at least) an undergraduate degree. If you’re like me, your undergraduate experience was probably where you experienced some of your first writing workshops. Now, I know this isn’t true for all SHU students but that was my experience. I enrolled in seventeen writing workshops during my undergraduate career. My background covers fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and screenplay writing, pretty much in that order. When you go to graduate school, you bring your own set of experiences. This doesn’t just mean how many workshops you’ve taken or what your degree is in, but also how your work has been received in the past.

My undergraduate school, Stetson University, was a great place to write. Their creative writing program was relatively small but I never felt boxed in because the professors were incredibly open-minded about writing. I felt encouraged to write literary fiction as well as genre fiction. Their goal focused on writing well, not writing to a specific audience.

Various students shared their experiences with me and I was shocked by what I heard. Apparently, a lot of undergraduate professors won’t even accept genre work. They won’t teach it, they won’t accept it, and they try to stamp it out wherever it appears. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience. There’s a pretty big problem with this approach. I’m in a program full of genre writers. I’m in a program with people who have been published and people who will be published in the future. Well, genre writers who feel slighted by their former literary professors may carry those feeling over to literary writers in general. These feelings (on both sides) create an unnecessary rift in the writing community.

My own experience was very different. I wrote what I wanted to, when I wanted to, and everything was received equally. I’m still friends with literary writers and I have nothing bad to say about my undergraduate professors or their creative writing department. A woman in one of my undergraduate workshops went on to get a three book deal shortly after graduation. She wrote, and still writes, genre fiction. Other students in the class went on to publish literary short stories. They had the same peers, the same professors, and the same encouragement from people in the department.

Let’s take a quick look at Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. In short, this is a story about a man and his child trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic setting. Now, I love The Road and spent quite a bit of time studying it for a research paper. During my research I came across various critics arguing about whether or not The Road is genre fiction. Well, it’s post-apocalyptic and that sounds a lot like science fiction to me and other seemed to think so as well. However, many critics claimed that there was a lack of other science fiction elements. They also argued that the writing style belonged to literary fiction. Everyone is right. The Road is literary science fiction and I think it’s an absolutely great piece of writing. Obviously, I’m not the only one.

The simple truth is that genre fiction and literary fiction aren’t going anywhere. Creating animosity, holding onto animosity, and poking each other with sticks won’t actually accomplish anything. If someone keeps a talented writer out of their classroom, they’ve only succeeded in telling me that they like to put personal preference above creative productivity. Let’s not do that. Instead, let’s write, write well, and give each other a pat on the back when we accomplish that goal.

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