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6: Have you Weaponized the Core? What is the Core?  The Core is value. Taking stock of what you have and remembering bereavements. It is defying the threat of preservation against opposition if it be by destiny, foes, or legal decree so that a narrative is humanized, or brought to a dehumanized state. Concepts like extinction, annihilation, devolution, damnation, etc, may be used as a proper crisis to test the core. The stakes must be raised in order to sync core values and elevate dramatic themes.  Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash Weaponize the Core  In sci-fi like Star Trek,...

We are all comfortable reading the books we love. They're like old friends, always there, always reliable. It matters not what you read, they are something you can hold onto and know that they will always be the same. They rarely leave the confines of their genre. That makes them something to look forward to. As a writer, it is good to read in your genre to have a good feel for what you're writing about. It would be difficult to write a fantasy novel if you didn't know the difference between a Troll and a Paladin. But what is...

Everyone wants to be successful in life, especially aspiring writers. Writing is a tough gig no matter how you look at it. The process is long, draining, and ultimately complex.  I used to think that the toughest part of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was completing that very first draft. Although it does take a toll on your free time and the resources dedicated to research on the internet, it is by far easier than fixing up your manuscript. Once you’ve completed the first draft, you have to find an editor and then go back and...

4: What is Creative Polish? Creative Polish is an analysis of one’s literary voice for optimization. Not for grammar as much as for poetic elevations and mythic tone. This radical method suggests that one should overwrite, to go beyond systemized reductionism in order to transcend the language of the day. Editors trim for clarity or to emphasize proper grammar, which is their job, but some would delete glory because to them, it’s all been done before. Might as well tell the sun not to rise while we’re at it…  A good creative polish seeks to challenge the readership rather than...

We all have days when we don't feel like writing. Things get in the way. The kids need something, and they always need something. Your mom calls and asks you to help her with something she saw crawl out from under the sink. Or you might not be in the mood. Writing as Therapy Do yourself and all of us readers a favor. Write. Write even though every fiber of your being screams that you don't have the time, or that what you'll write will be crap. It's okay. Write the crap and get it out of your system. Who...

Most of the discussions on the Internet about “plotters” (writers that outline) and “pantsers” (writers that write by the seat of their pants) include an acknowledgment that authors have varied personalities, experiences, and needs. Robinson's article discusses the different approaches that J.K. Rowling and Stephen King utilize. In contrast to the one-size-fits-all advice from NY Book Editors, Kristen Kieffer's website and Writer’s Digest's article encourage writers to develop their individual methods.  Using both the plotter and the pantser approach might work best for me, and the application of the methods might depend upon the surrounding circumstances. As I began this novella, I applied both the "plotter" and the "pantser" writing method....

We have touched on the muse and how it comes from a timeless place beyond our temporal world. So the essence of timelessness speaks out in a singular moment, an absolute place in memory, brought on by coincidence, synchronicity, and a great many other mysteries spun into the narrative tapestry.  It is the mysterious that concerns us with 3: Narrative Timelessness, enough where we should want to plan out moments of timelessness in our text so that a sense of the random or of “fate” feels manifest. How else do we lay self-fulfilling prophecies, destinations of doom, pronouncement of curses,...

Michael Wirth shares his experience with bullet journaling. One of my biggest flaws is that I’m a major procrastinator. I rarely come across a task that I can’t put off for a week or two, all the while complaining that I just don’t have the time to get to it. I knew it was a terrible way to live and sought ways to break myself of that terrible habit. That’s when I discovered the concept of bullet journaling. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of bullet journaling, it was created by a man named Ryder Carroll as a method to...

I'd like to introduce you to the person who has influenced my mindset more than any other individual. While such authors as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells has made a considerable impact on me, no one has had more affect on me than Ivan T. Sanderson. Ivan T. Sanderson lived a life many people would love to have lived. As a Zoologist, Biologist and Adventurer, he comes across as a combination of Indiana Jones and The Crocodile Hunter. His interests were wide, but he is known for his investigations into special attention to the search for lake monsters, Vile...

Previously, I talked about how movies, TV shows, and other media influence our writing process. Today, I want to talk about how your own past can influence your muse. I want to touch on things that not only inspired me to write about, but briefly shed a light on how some of the best have drawn from their lives.  The written page can also transcend to the big screen when it comes to this. My first example comes from the “king” of horror himself, Stephen King.  When reading one of his novels, I came across an excerpt regarding his thoughts...

Now that we have been over 1 (What is your Inspiration?), 5 (Creative Workshopping), and 10 (Adaptive Bookcraft) you may proceed to the next level of JWC Paragraphic Rift, which begins to unlock our method for creative editing and analysis of voice.  2: How loyal are you to your Muse?  What is your muse? A Muse (in as far as we are concerned) is a continuous (reoccurring) source of inspiration if it be about a character, a theme, or even an entire secondary world.* You must honor the muse of your first inspiration in order to explore its potential.  Honor...

Writing is an intense and rewarding solo effort, as much as musical composition or painting is. There are no partners or helpers in any of these arts, nor can there ever be. The creation of music, painting or a story can only come from a single hand. Just as Gershwin could only create the magnificence that is Rhapsody In Blue, so it is that a writer has to tap into their own mind, experiences and talent to craft something that they can only hope someone will want to read. Writing can be a lonely, frustrating business, but don't get me...

To avoid making the mistakes that I previously made, I utilized many of the suggestions from Writer's Digest, and I constructed an outline before writing the text.  Some of the choices that I made in the outline were not ideal. Making my narrator a cop seemed to make sense while outlining, but the choice felt restrictive during the narration of the story. In the second draft of the outline, I changed my first-person narrator - from a retired cop - to a retired camera operator.  With this change, the narration flowed, and the next 1000 words were more enjoyable to...

Ever since I began to write seriously, just about every writer gave the same advice. "Write what you know." It seemed to make sense at the time. I figured that if I stick to writing what I know, it will be more believable. Boy, was I ever wrong. Denizen of Oz If you accept the advice to stick with what you know, we would never have had Middle Earth, Oz, or the Lost World. These places, and many more, were created out of the imaginations of their authors. Did Tolkien visit The Shire? Had L. Frank Baum found something at...

I think you would be amazed at the notion that if you create a character, in some capacity, you might begin to feel for that character.  The whole concept of character development is initially intended to make the reader want to root for them in one way or another.  But what if you had read 300 pages of a novel and all of a sudden you begin to feel for the character? It’s typical for a writer to become vested in said character, but to a reader it’s somewhat different. If you can pull off good character development, then getting...

The first First on the list was 1: Inspiration. And you will notice some similar factors addressed here but from a slightly different point of view.  Though the last First on the list, 10: Have you imposed Adaptive Bookcraft criteria?, factors first in some peoples thoughts on whether or not to write. What product am I making? How can I get my creative obsession’s fruits to my audience?  Some people don't even think about the industry until they have most of a book, letting the art take them away into creative bliss, and there is nothing wrong with that, but...

Movement is the greatest gift you can give to a stagnant writing mind. No magnitude of internet research can replicate the freedom and inspiration that can be obtained from stepping out into the world beyond your comfort zone. How To Make The Most of Your Vacation To Improve Your Writing Over time, you can become too used to the everyday, but traveling the world a little at a time allows you to live in the moment and engage all your senses fully.  There’s a saying among writers that each scene should include at least two senses. Whether you’re trying an...

I’d like to discuss the notion of “beginning with the end in mind” in general terms before applying the concept to the writing of fiction. In my last post, I discussed writing goals, and in the process of articulating and working towards a goal, we “begin with the end in mind”, as we foresee a future event and then steer our actions towards it. In its humble website, Bovina Elementary School relates the concept of "beginning at the end" to how-to tasks and applies the idea to cooking, navigating, and to playing a puzzle. Photo by PXFuel When we read...

I sometimes look at my mind as a warehouse that has been passed through a blender. Can you picture that? Neither can I, but that's what I see. I have seen so many films and television shows and have read so many books that my mind has split into two distinct warehouses. The first one is filled with filing cabinets. Each cabinet is a genre or a movie franchise. All of the ideas inside any particular cabinet are kept organized in neat folders. The second one is a vortex of swirling data. Nothing is in place, and ideas smash into...

To pick up where I left off previously, I want to go into more detail regarding independent thought and inspiration.  I talked about being inspired by movies and TV shows, but let’s talk about what encompasses that particular thought.  I believe a single moment in a movie or a book can trigger your memory with the purpose of recreating that said moment.That trigger can be based on a memory and what encompasses that memory is a certain chain of events.  I like to call those moments “templates”. To elaborate on my notion of a template, it simply means a certain...