Build Your Inventory – #2
Here’s some more encouragement to build your writing inventory. Jay Lake, author of four science fiction novels, has laid out his four guidelines for writing fiction. The day I discovered them, the light bulb went on. I hadn’t ever considered that writing a lot of stories would give me a lot of stories to potentially sell. I know… it seems like a ‘duh’ statement. But I thought that I should concentrate on only my BIG ideas. The novels that I would sell for million dollar advances. (Dream on.) Jay’s guidelines were a refreshingly different perspective.
- Write a story every week.
- Finish everything you start.
- Don’t self-critique while you’re writing.
- Work on one thing at a time.
A story every week seemed impossible at first. Is he kidding? What kind of quality is going to come out of something written so fast? And what if I can’t come up with a story idea every week? To my amazement, I didn’t have any trouble coming up with ideas. And the quality of the finished stories wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be.
Finish everything you start seemed like a no-brainer. But then I started mentally counting the number of unfinished stories I have on hand. Hmmm… maybe this one does apply to me. Half-written stories don’t do me any good. I can’t sell them. I can’t even revise them properly. Not until they’re finished. So another good rule.
But don’t self-critique while you’re writing seemed a bit much. On the rare occasion that I write something dreadfully dull, I want to fix it as soon as possible. Light editing while I’m writing makes me feel good. Like I’m actually turning out something decent. But as I read through his reason for this rule, it began to make sense. Let the story flow out of you until it is done. Don’t gag the muse when she’s speaking to you. When it’s done, you can go back and judge it. You might just find that the uncensored, unedited voice of your story is actually pretty good.
His final piece of advice to work on one thing at a time speaks to our multi-tasking tendencies. It’s too easy to start several different projects (so many good ideas out there!) and then ramble around on them, making little progress. Start a story, work on it until it is done, then start another.
If Jay’s guidelines work for you, you’ll find yourself quickly building an inventory of stories that you can send out. If short stories aren’t for you, you can modify the guidelines. If you’re a novel writer, then write a new chapter a week. Work on it until it’s done. Don’t edit until you’re finished with the entire novel. Just work on one novel at a time. There’s some pretty sound advice in Jay’s guidelines.
Next up, a way to build your writing muscles for the long haul.
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2 comments
Elaine Saunders (1 comments.) on September 26, 2008 at 8:43 am
I think we need to redefine the word “write”. For most newbie authors it means only sitting down at the computer. But any time your imagination is working on your story, you’re also “writing”.
You can “write” on the commute to work, whilst you’re hanging on the phone or doing mundane jobs around the house. Let your imagination run riot during the day so that, when you actually sit down at your desk, you’re ready to “type” because a large part of the writing has already been done.
Elaine Saunders
Author – Fiction Writing Exercises
http://www.completetext.com
Cheryl on September 26, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Some good points, Elaine. I think of that as planning and visualization time, but the essence is the same – use the time when you’re away from your desk to prepare for your next writing or typing session.
Thanks for stopping by!