Working hard may not guarantee the achievement of a goal, but not working hard to achieve a goal will likely bring failure.
A person in the music business said essentially this recently. He said whether you're a singer, songwriter, artist, etc. (in the creative industries) a person should rise each day, work all day and at the end of the day, maybe you'll have something good, maybe you won't. And that's okay. His point was, judging by the snippet I heard, was that creative people shouldn't wait for inspiration.
I couldn't agree with him more. While inspiration is a tremendous help with one's creativity, an artist in every creative field needs to work everyday in order to achieve goals whether they are "in the mood" to work or not.
Creating when one isn't inspired is difficult work. The words don't come easily for a writer in this position, but they will come. They may need to be rewritten over and over, but they will come.
The only time an uninspired writer is completely unproductive is when she refuses to work.
Whether a person is in the creative field or not, I believe he can benefit by paying heed to this: Work hard towards a goal and success is achievable. Behave mediocrely toward the achievement of a goal and failure is at hand.
Good luck with whatever your goals are now and in the New Year.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Clear, Concise Writing
Getting ideas, scenes, actions from your brain to your computer isn't easy.
Sometimes I wish I could do a mind meld with my computer the way Mr. Spock in the old Star Trek series used to do with machines and organisms. Perhaps then I wouldn't leave out chunks of information the way I do when I write my first drafts of stories.
Just today I was doing rewrites on a scene, and I realized I'd left out some very important information. Facts which were clear in my brain were nowhere on the page.
Worse yet, the rewrites I was doing weren't my first set of rewrites.
Believe it or not, I'm making a point beyond what I'm literally saying.
Writing fiction is a complicated task, and we writers, no matter how many books, stories, etc. we've written, would do well to never forget just how complicated the job is.
It is imperative we remember to take care of all details which make our stories as clear and concise as they can be for our readers. We owe stories at their best to those who look forward to reading what we write.
I fixed what I saw wrong in my scene today, and I intend to read that scene again later this week. I'll go over it and over it until it is the best it can be.
And for all my hours of hard work, the reader will cover the scene in a matter of minutes.
Hours versus minutes--it's worth it even if it seems a bit too disproportionate because the reader's enjoyment is the purpose of every fiction writer's work.
I hope you enjoy whatever you're reading this week.
To all my American readers, I'd like to extend a very happy Thanksgiving. May God bless you and your families in every way.
And to my non-American readers--May God bless you too whether or not you are celebrating Thanksgiving this week.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning author
http://sites.googe.com/site/fshaff
Sometimes I wish I could do a mind meld with my computer the way Mr. Spock in the old Star Trek series used to do with machines and organisms. Perhaps then I wouldn't leave out chunks of information the way I do when I write my first drafts of stories.
Just today I was doing rewrites on a scene, and I realized I'd left out some very important information. Facts which were clear in my brain were nowhere on the page.
Worse yet, the rewrites I was doing weren't my first set of rewrites.
Believe it or not, I'm making a point beyond what I'm literally saying.
Writing fiction is a complicated task, and we writers, no matter how many books, stories, etc. we've written, would do well to never forget just how complicated the job is.
It is imperative we remember to take care of all details which make our stories as clear and concise as they can be for our readers. We owe stories at their best to those who look forward to reading what we write.
I fixed what I saw wrong in my scene today, and I intend to read that scene again later this week. I'll go over it and over it until it is the best it can be.
And for all my hours of hard work, the reader will cover the scene in a matter of minutes.
Hours versus minutes--it's worth it even if it seems a bit too disproportionate because the reader's enjoyment is the purpose of every fiction writer's work.
I hope you enjoy whatever you're reading this week.
To all my American readers, I'd like to extend a very happy Thanksgiving. May God bless you and your families in every way.
And to my non-American readers--May God bless you too whether or not you are celebrating Thanksgiving this week.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning author
http://sites.googe.com/site/fshaff
Monday, November 15, 2010
Negative Inspiration
What is negative inspiration?
It's what I'm feeling right now.
The hour has come to be productive, to wake my imagination, to stare at the blank page and create a picture, tell a story, delve into the heart of a fictional human being.
But I can't do it. My heart isn't in it at the moment.
I doubt there are any among us who have never faced a day of work without disliking the demands of our job. Yet, despite our occasional aversion to our avocation, we must man-up or woman-up and engage in our responsibilities.
We need to fight our "negative inspiration" and do our job. It is our duty, the work we owe to others and to ourselves.
When a writer is "uninspired" I suggest she take a few minutes to look at her favorite work of literature. Reading a passage from a friendly old book can be extraordinarily inspirational. Once she's read the beautiful prose, she should copy them.
What?!
No! not literally copy them. I'm NOT suggesting plagiarism. I'm suggesting the writer take the conflict of the scene, the motivation of the characters or some other aspect of what she's just read and create something new.
Taking time out to work on a "practice scene" will often lead the writer to having the ability to return to the blank page of the story in progress and get some real work completed. This session of "practice" can be inspiring.
No matter what occupation we might face with "negative inspiration" gnawing at our resolve, turning to something satisfying and uplifting and taking a few minutes to indulge in this activity can drive away the negative and replace it with the positive.
Take a moment, smile and remind yourself that you are good at what you do, and you're going to get even better at it. Know too that what you do is important to you, to those you love and even to others whom you may never meet.
That's positively inspiring, isn't it?
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
It's what I'm feeling right now.
The hour has come to be productive, to wake my imagination, to stare at the blank page and create a picture, tell a story, delve into the heart of a fictional human being.
But I can't do it. My heart isn't in it at the moment.
I doubt there are any among us who have never faced a day of work without disliking the demands of our job. Yet, despite our occasional aversion to our avocation, we must man-up or woman-up and engage in our responsibilities.
We need to fight our "negative inspiration" and do our job. It is our duty, the work we owe to others and to ourselves.
When a writer is "uninspired" I suggest she take a few minutes to look at her favorite work of literature. Reading a passage from a friendly old book can be extraordinarily inspirational. Once she's read the beautiful prose, she should copy them.
What?!
No! not literally copy them. I'm NOT suggesting plagiarism. I'm suggesting the writer take the conflict of the scene, the motivation of the characters or some other aspect of what she's just read and create something new.
Taking time out to work on a "practice scene" will often lead the writer to having the ability to return to the blank page of the story in progress and get some real work completed. This session of "practice" can be inspiring.
No matter what occupation we might face with "negative inspiration" gnawing at our resolve, turning to something satisfying and uplifting and taking a few minutes to indulge in this activity can drive away the negative and replace it with the positive.
Take a moment, smile and remind yourself that you are good at what you do, and you're going to get even better at it. Know too that what you do is important to you, to those you love and even to others whom you may never meet.
That's positively inspiring, isn't it?
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, November 8, 2010
Guest Blogging
Hi, Everyone,
I appeared as a guest blogger at the Avaloners blog a few days ago. "Scenes Which Make us Cry" was my topic.
On Wednesday of this week I'll be a guest at the Romance Junkies blog. Look for a discussion of early Twentieth Century stories there. You'll even find a You Tube post of one of my favorite movies "The Music Man" which, of course, was set in the early Twentieth Century.
To read the post at Avaloners, go to: http://avalonauthors.blogspot.com/2010/10/scenes-which-make-us-cry.html
To read the post at Romance Junkies go to this link on or after Wednesday, November 10: http://romancejunkies.com/rjblog/
I'm sure you'll find both of these posts intriguing and well worth your time, particularly if you're a fan of historical stories.
Be sure to leave a comment at either of the two blogs or this one, if you'd like to.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
I appeared as a guest blogger at the Avaloners blog a few days ago. "Scenes Which Make us Cry" was my topic.
On Wednesday of this week I'll be a guest at the Romance Junkies blog. Look for a discussion of early Twentieth Century stories there. You'll even find a You Tube post of one of my favorite movies "The Music Man" which, of course, was set in the early Twentieth Century.
To read the post at Avaloners, go to: http://avalonauthors.blogspot.com/2010/10/scenes-which-make-us-cry.html
To read the post at Romance Junkies go to this link on or after Wednesday, November 10: http://romancejunkies.com/rjblog/
I'm sure you'll find both of these posts intriguing and well worth your time, particularly if you're a fan of historical stories.
Be sure to leave a comment at either of the two blogs or this one, if you'd like to.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, November 1, 2010
Intriguing Openings
Ted hadn't noticed the elevator car wasn't there when he stepped into the shaft.
Yikes!
A statement such as this one is likely to get a reader's attention.
A good opening line at the beginning of a book is vital to "hooking" the reader. If she isn't intrigued by the first line, will she read the second, third, fourth?
A writer owes her readers a compelling story. Every scene in a book should begin with a great opening line. The sentence need not convey danger or be as graphic as the line about Ted above, but it should effectively interest the reader, set up a mood, clarify a setting, give information about characters, etc.
The opening ideally intrigues the reader and effectively coaxes him to want to read more. To illustrate what I mean, I'll post a few first lines from several scenes in my dramatic contemporary romance "Stolen Son."
Opening 1. "The knock at the door nearly made her drop a whole handful of fresh bay leaves into simmering pot of tomato sauce."
Lots of information in this opening: She's in the kitchen cooking a tomato sauce (mm, I can smell it!)--we've all done something similar so right away we can identify with our heroine. The INTRIGUING part of this setup comes in the knock at the door. "Who is it?" the reader wants to know, and how is the person on the other side of the door going to change the heroine's life? This opening has a hook; it paints a domestic picture; it tells us a bit about what the heroine enjoys doing.
Opening 2. "Logan sat on the sofa while Rafe took a couple of beers out of the small refrigerator next to his credenza."
This one sentence gives the reader a lot of information: Logan and Rafe are probably buddies since they're having a beer together. The "small refrigerator next to his credenza" implies an office setting. The office has a sofa as well as a stocked fridge so it's a business/casual situation. This scene evokes reader curiosity in addition to illustrating a setting: What are these two men up to? Is it business or personal? INTRIGUING.
Opening 3. "He laid her on the sofa and placed a pillow under her head."
Totally INTRIGUING. Who is she? Is she passed out? Drunk? Sick? Who is she to him? And who is he? Are his motives compassionate or sinister? In addition to the "hook" value to this statement, the reader is grounded in the location of the scene.
Opening 4. "Rafe couldn’t help whistling as he bound up the three steps leading to the entrance of C & W Construction."
This opening line is a perfect illustration of what writers mean when they say they want to "show" something instead of "tell" it. The mood of this scene could have been easily set up by saying "Rafe was really, really happy," but we'd have a pretty lame sentence to read compared to the "whistling" one in that case, wouldn't we? This first liner conveys mood, identifies one character in the scene and the location. INTRIGUING part--just what is this guy so happy about? And how long will his happiness last?
Opening 5. "The joy of spending the night with Christopher was marred by having it take place in the hospital."
Majorly INTRIGUING! Conflict abounds. "Joy" and "in the hospital" are two things one would certainly not usually equate with each other. The statement prompts the reader to wonder: Who is with Christopher? Who is Christopher? Who was hospitalized and why? What is going on here!! In addition to effectively creating reader curiosity, this opening gives location and reveals the unusual, conflicting mood of the person whom we believe will be the star of this scene.
Opening lines are used to intrigue and inform readers. The better they are, the greater the reader enjoys the story.
And entertaining the reader is what writing fiction is all about.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Yikes!
A statement such as this one is likely to get a reader's attention.
A good opening line at the beginning of a book is vital to "hooking" the reader. If she isn't intrigued by the first line, will she read the second, third, fourth?
A writer owes her readers a compelling story. Every scene in a book should begin with a great opening line. The sentence need not convey danger or be as graphic as the line about Ted above, but it should effectively interest the reader, set up a mood, clarify a setting, give information about characters, etc.
The opening ideally intrigues the reader and effectively coaxes him to want to read more. To illustrate what I mean, I'll post a few first lines from several scenes in my dramatic contemporary romance "Stolen Son."
Opening 1. "The knock at the door nearly made her drop a whole handful of fresh bay leaves into simmering pot of tomato sauce."
Lots of information in this opening: She's in the kitchen cooking a tomato sauce (mm, I can smell it!)--we've all done something similar so right away we can identify with our heroine. The INTRIGUING part of this setup comes in the knock at the door. "Who is it?" the reader wants to know, and how is the person on the other side of the door going to change the heroine's life? This opening has a hook; it paints a domestic picture; it tells us a bit about what the heroine enjoys doing.
Opening 2. "Logan sat on the sofa while Rafe took a couple of beers out of the small refrigerator next to his credenza."
This one sentence gives the reader a lot of information: Logan and Rafe are probably buddies since they're having a beer together. The "small refrigerator next to his credenza" implies an office setting. The office has a sofa as well as a stocked fridge so it's a business/casual situation. This scene evokes reader curiosity in addition to illustrating a setting: What are these two men up to? Is it business or personal? INTRIGUING.
Opening 3. "He laid her on the sofa and placed a pillow under her head."
Totally INTRIGUING. Who is she? Is she passed out? Drunk? Sick? Who is she to him? And who is he? Are his motives compassionate or sinister? In addition to the "hook" value to this statement, the reader is grounded in the location of the scene.
Opening 4. "Rafe couldn’t help whistling as he bound up the three steps leading to the entrance of C & W Construction."
This opening line is a perfect illustration of what writers mean when they say they want to "show" something instead of "tell" it. The mood of this scene could have been easily set up by saying "Rafe was really, really happy," but we'd have a pretty lame sentence to read compared to the "whistling" one in that case, wouldn't we? This first liner conveys mood, identifies one character in the scene and the location. INTRIGUING part--just what is this guy so happy about? And how long will his happiness last?
Opening 5. "The joy of spending the night with Christopher was marred by having it take place in the hospital."
Majorly INTRIGUING! Conflict abounds. "Joy" and "in the hospital" are two things one would certainly not usually equate with each other. The statement prompts the reader to wonder: Who is with Christopher? Who is Christopher? Who was hospitalized and why? What is going on here!! In addition to effectively creating reader curiosity, this opening gives location and reveals the unusual, conflicting mood of the person whom we believe will be the star of this scene.
Opening lines are used to intrigue and inform readers. The better they are, the greater the reader enjoys the story.
And entertaining the reader is what writing fiction is all about.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, October 25, 2010
Rewriting Life
I've done a lot of editing of books this year, rewriting too.
Today I'm thinking how different everything would be if we could edit or rewrite our lives the way we authors update and upgrade our works.
While I believe much of our lives would remain the same because we would choose to not change things, we'd likely decide to erase some of the things we've done and either do nothing or something totally different. In some cases, when we chose to sit on the sidelines, we may choose instead to take an active part in correcting a wrong we had witnessed.
If you could "rewrite" or "edit" a part of your life, what would it be?
As for me, I would have made writing a priority much earlier in my life because, once I did, my life got better. I felt more accomplished and fulfilled. And who among us doesn't want to feel fulfilled?
I'd also have liked to have been a lot stronger when I was younger. I let too many people push me around, and it stifled me and held me back from accomplishing things I wanted to do until later in life.
DANGER: While editing and rewriting in books usually causes an improvement because the author has a firm control on the actions and reactions of characters, editing and rewriting in real life, if it were possible, would not be the same because people are not fictional characters, and they don't behave like they are.
Anything we do directly affects people around us, and it affects us too. Our life experiences make us who we are based upon our reactions to what happens to us. Other people become who they are sometimes as a direct result of something we may have done to or for them.
While we cannot rewrite the past we can shape our future. We can choose to make the same mistakes again even if we regret having made them or we can decide to live a certain way and follow that plan, doing our edits and rewrites as we go along by taking time to think before we act.
Doable, yes, but not always easy.
This is getting a little heavy. I think it's time to stop thinking so much about rewriting life, which is often too hard, and go back to doing my edits and rewrites on my current fictional project. We'll probably all be happier if I do. :-)
Here's hoping your week is a wonderful one, full of God's blessings.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Today I'm thinking how different everything would be if we could edit or rewrite our lives the way we authors update and upgrade our works.
While I believe much of our lives would remain the same because we would choose to not change things, we'd likely decide to erase some of the things we've done and either do nothing or something totally different. In some cases, when we chose to sit on the sidelines, we may choose instead to take an active part in correcting a wrong we had witnessed.
If you could "rewrite" or "edit" a part of your life, what would it be?
As for me, I would have made writing a priority much earlier in my life because, once I did, my life got better. I felt more accomplished and fulfilled. And who among us doesn't want to feel fulfilled?
I'd also have liked to have been a lot stronger when I was younger. I let too many people push me around, and it stifled me and held me back from accomplishing things I wanted to do until later in life.
DANGER: While editing and rewriting in books usually causes an improvement because the author has a firm control on the actions and reactions of characters, editing and rewriting in real life, if it were possible, would not be the same because people are not fictional characters, and they don't behave like they are.
Anything we do directly affects people around us, and it affects us too. Our life experiences make us who we are based upon our reactions to what happens to us. Other people become who they are sometimes as a direct result of something we may have done to or for them.
While we cannot rewrite the past we can shape our future. We can choose to make the same mistakes again even if we regret having made them or we can decide to live a certain way and follow that plan, doing our edits and rewrites as we go along by taking time to think before we act.
Doable, yes, but not always easy.
This is getting a little heavy. I think it's time to stop thinking so much about rewriting life, which is often too hard, and go back to doing my edits and rewrites on my current fictional project. We'll probably all be happier if I do. :-)
Here's hoping your week is a wonderful one, full of God's blessings.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, October 18, 2010
Loving Autumn
Autumn is my favorite time of year. Apples, football, new beginnings, crisp air, wonderful holidays, beautiful colors... Ah, autumn.
Autumn is the perfect time of year for family outings too. We've taken a couple of drives this fall so far, and we truly enjoyed the sights.
Unlike the terribly wet, cold October last year, this fall has been warm and dry. Farmers have been out in full force bringing in the harvest--corn, soybeans, sugar beets, apples, pumpkins and so much more.
I can't watch these strong individuals working in their fields without thinking about the importance of their work--providing for the needs of all of us in the US and, indeed, in the world.
Feelings of thanksgiving come over me whenever I travel through the country. We are blessed with plenty here in the US, with the ability to raise enough food for ourselves and for so many others throughout the world.
If you haven't yet taken the time to enjoy the outdoors this autumn, I hope you set aside a day or a few hours to see the beauty surrounding you.
God bless you with a wonderful, beautiful autumn week.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Autumn is the perfect time of year for family outings too. We've taken a couple of drives this fall so far, and we truly enjoyed the sights.
Unlike the terribly wet, cold October last year, this fall has been warm and dry. Farmers have been out in full force bringing in the harvest--corn, soybeans, sugar beets, apples, pumpkins and so much more.
I can't watch these strong individuals working in their fields without thinking about the importance of their work--providing for the needs of all of us in the US and, indeed, in the world.
Feelings of thanksgiving come over me whenever I travel through the country. We are blessed with plenty here in the US, with the ability to raise enough food for ourselves and for so many others throughout the world.
If you haven't yet taken the time to enjoy the outdoors this autumn, I hope you set aside a day or a few hours to see the beauty surrounding you.
God bless you with a wonderful, beautiful autumn week.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
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