When we sit down to write, we consciously create pictures with words. If we have done our job, the ideas they generate in the reader’s mind are infinite.
We often see memes and quotes about writing that resonate with us. Quotes often become memes because they are true and memorable and sometimes poke fun at us.
“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” ― Jack Kerouac
The words we write create images in the mind of the reader. If the ideas they represent are phrased right, the complete picture will be understood. We must believe that readers will see the images we paint for them.
“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.” – Voltaire
This is where it becomes difficult for me as a writer. I know I don’t have to spell everything out in minutia because readers are intelligent. But the insecure writer inside me fears that the reader will become confused if I don’t.
Still, I force myself to trim it down. My editor regularly points out the fluff. If I offer the reader a framework to hang their imagination on, they will see the story.
“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” – Anais Nin
I write because writing fiction helps me work my way through troubled times. When I write, I can better see how to navigate life experiences that seem too big, too scary. I face things head-on, use my incredible Office Managerial Superpowers and get things done.
I write for me, but readers may feel those emotions and sympathize with my characters’ situation. They may find a little comfort in knowing they aren’t alone.
I’m a poet. Keeping it simple isn’t my best thing, but I’m working on it.
“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.” – Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway gives us a truism here—don’t use “ten-dollar-words.” That’s an old-fashioned term for long words used in place of more common words. Word nerds (like me) adore those rare, bombastic morsels of linguistic delectableness.
However, obscure and pretentious prose (such as I enjoyed laying down in the preceding sentence) annoys the majority of readers. I want my work to please a reader, so I don’t indulge in ostentatious phrasing except in poetry.
Right now, my editor is combing her way through the final draft of a manuscript I hope to publish this spring. She keeps me on track and points out where a reader might have to find a dictionary and look up a word.
Sometimes I leave the words in, because they are the only ones that work, and I don’t want to underestimate my readers by dumbing down my prose. Occasionally looking up a word can be fun and reading on an electronic device makes it easy.
Even though writing fiction is a solitary occupation that takes up my early morning hours, I find that writing a few paragraphs in my journal each evening helps organize my daily life. Things that happened that day become clearer once I write them out. Tasks that seem too big to accomplish are easier to resolve once I have them broken down on paper.
Writing fantasy offers me the chance to express my ideas, in a safe, non-threatening environment, without pushing them on other people. These ideas become part of the scenery, subtle hints detailing the societal framework the protagonist must live in.
All writers do this, no matter what genre or category they write in. Our personal philosophies become entwined in the book in subtle ways. Whether intentional or not, we use our words to create societies and offer ideas that challenge the status quo.
Choosing our words well is part of the job. Often, I feel a bit poetic when visualizing the world in which the story takes place. I try to tame it, but it emerges, hopefully in palatable bites. I don’t want too much—it has to be just enough to create an atmosphere.
I became a poet and songwriter because I love words, love twisting them, love rhyming them—just love them. My whole family adores words in all their glory. My parents used proper words and expected us to know and use them.
My Dad loved words so much that he mangled them just because he liked how they sounded. He was an amputee, and sometimes he became so frustrated that he lost his words and resorted to creative cursing.
Mama and Dad both invented words and twisted others: a screwdriver was a skeejabber. Any object can be a doo-dad, but they were often doodle-be-dads in our house. When one or the other parent was mystified, they were bumfuzzled.
Seldom-used arcane words are in my blood, so writing lean, relatable prose is an ongoing task. I’m always trying to tone it down but not flatten it. I want a little of the poet to show through and my narrative to be literate, but I also want it to be readable.
Striking the right balance is a process.
“To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.” – Aristotle
Now that I have most of the foundation built for my novel (the ending is not written), I find myself going back and looking at places where I inserted notes to myself, using red fonts. These are messages like: Build tension between the factions here. Show how it affects the group’s mood. Or another note: Need an atmosphere of fear.
I know how I want the story to affect a reader’s emotions—it’s perfectly shaped in my head. The trick is making that vision come true in writing. It may take a year or more to get the mood and atmosphere to feel the way I envision it.
When a manuscript comes across their desk, editors and publishers create a list of names, places, created words, and other things that may be repeated and pertain only to that manuscript. This is called a stylesheet.
For short stories, the stylesheet will probably be a Word document. I have written them out by hand on occasion. You can create them in Google Sheets or Docs, which is free.
Page Two: The projected story arc will be on page two of the workbook. I list each chapter by the events that need to be resolved at various points in the manuscript.
We never really know how a story will go, even if we begin with a plan. We will probably deviate some from the original outline. Usually, for me, the major events will remain as they were plotted in advance, even though side themes will evolve. The outline keeps me on track with length and ensures the action doesn’t stall.
The plot usually evolves as I write each event and connect the dots. In one instance, it was completely changed. The original plot didn’t work at all, so drastic measures had to be taken.
Once the first draft is finished, revisions will mean updating the stylesheet, but that’s part of the job. This ensures my editor will have less work when we get to the final draft.
Today I’m revisiting one of the best allegorical paintings of all time, 
This novel was meticulously self-edited. I could see it was run through the author’s writer’s group many times, and the major flaws were ironed out. There were few typos, and the formatting was done well.
Let’s be real—style and grammar guides are tedious and hard to understand. We may own them but we hate to crack them open. Trust me, researching grammar gets easier and more interesting as you advance in writing craft.
Sometimes, the story demands a death, and 99% of the time, it can’t be the protagonist. But death must mean something, wring emotion from us as we write it. Since the character we have invested most of our time into is the protagonist, we must allow a beloved side character to die.
Mortally wounded, the antagonist, Khan, activates a “rebirth” weapon called Genesis, which will reorganize all matter in the nebula, including Enterprise. Though Kirk’s crew detects the activation and attempts to move out of range, they will not be able to escape the nebula in time without the ship’s inoperable warp drive. Spock goes to restore warp power in the engine room, which is flooded with radiation. When McCoy tries to prevent Spock’s entry, Spock incapacitates him with a 
You, as the author, must understand what drives and motivates even the walk-on, disposable characters. Are they “a red shirt,” that iconic Star Trek symbol of the throw-away character? Or are they a “Spock,” the beloved friend who offers themselves up to save others?
Skeletor is a cartoon villain with one of the least believable storylines in the history of cartoons. He has great passion and drive as a villain, but it’s all noise and show. His ostensible quest is to conquer Castle Grayskull and acquire its ancient secrets. Possession of these would make him unstoppable, allowing him to rule the world of Eternia.
When we write a story, we want the protagonist’s struggle to mean something to the reader. We put them through hell and make their lives miserable. But we must remember that the characters in our stories aren’t going through these horrible trials alone. The moment we begin writing the story, we are dragging the reader along for the ride.
Then there is the marketing of the finished product, but that is NOT my area strength, so I won’t offer any advice on that score.
However, we must have a fundamental understanding of basic mechanical skills. These rules are the law of the road, and readers expect to see them. Knowledge of standard grammar and punctuation rules prevents confusion. Readers who become confused will set the book aside and give it a one-star review.
Ernest Hemingway
Each author is different, and the length of time they take on a book varies. Some authors are slow—their books are in development for years before they get to the finish line. Others are fast—their novels complete and ready to be published in a relatively short time. Regardless of your timeline, this is where project management skills really come into play.
But as I said earlier, I have no skills in the area of marketing and no advice worth offering.
assion for the dirty habit of writing every day. They are joining the ranks of the old pros, the people who “do NaNo” every year whether they expect to be published or not.
In my mind, novels are like Gothic Cathedrals–arcs of stone supporting other arches until you have a structure that can withstand the centuries. Each scene is a tiny arc that supports and strengthens the construct that is our plot.
For me, the first draft is always rough, more like a series of events and conversations than a novel. In the second draft, I stitch it all together and fill in the plot holes.
Plot points are driven by the characters who have critical knowledge. The fact that some characters are working with limited information creates tension.
Life in the Realm of Fantasy 