“It is only by stopping to analyze what we’re unconsciously responding to when we read a story…that we can then write a story that will grab the [reader]. This is true whether you’re writing a literary novel, hard-boiled mystery, or supernatural teen romance.” ~from Wired for Story
What makes for a good story, or a bad one for that matter? As a reader, I’ve flipped through pages of a novel with beautiful prose, confounded as to why I can’t stand the story. Was it plot? Subject? Character? Too, I’ve wondered why books with flat prose kept me up at night, turning pages.
I received an ARC of this book a few months ago, and since then I’ve underlined passages on several pages and earmarked the rest (thank goodness we don’t have to return ARCs). I love Lisa’s fresh look at storytelling and structure. Using research in neuroscience, Lisa doesn’t just focus on what makes a story work but explains why a story works. At the same time, she lists questions at the end of each chapter to help writers gauge when and where their stories need more attention.
I’m not kidding when I say I’ve left pencil tracks on 80% of this book. While I don’t have the space to share everything that I love about it with you, I want to highlight one thing that stuck out for me.
“The story is in the specifics.”
Story ideas, when viewed in a general way, are not unique. Nor are they very exciting. As Lisa says, the story comes alive in the specifics. Throughout her book, Lisa gives writers tips, tools, and strategies to take back to their drafts, to make their characters their own, to add depth to their stories and turn them into ones readers won’t want to put down. Wired for Story is a great resource to keep close at hand while working through that first, second, and tenth draft.
If you’ve come over by way of Writing Under Pressure, Thanks! Know that I’d brew you a strong cup of coffee and serve you a cupcake if technology would allow it. Really, though, make yourself comfy, take a peek around (subscribe, if you’re so inclined), let me know what you think of the new layout.
There’s red. I’m more of a green kind of girl, but I figured starting fresh meant being bold.
And, if you just happened upon this site by some other route, Thanks to you as well. I’m not stingy with coffee, and cupcakes taste best when shared.
Yum.
* Photos courtesy of Average Jane and Clare & Dave on Flickr.com
We are always searching for the who and the where and the what, digging up answers from our psyche – or the psyche of an imagined character – to create story after story.
We question other writers, too, asking How do you do it? How do you survive the absence of your muse? What do you say to someone who doesn’t write, who rolls their eyes to find you hiding in the basement – again – huddled over your laptop?
How do you spend your days? We want to know. To answer this very question, Cynthia Newberry Martin hosts a guest author once a month. Every bit of detail I read in those posts either inspires me or connects with me in such a way that I find the confidence I need (yet again) to call myself a Writer.
So, it should be no surprise that writers get tagged now and then with three questions or twenty-five or (this time) eight. Suzanne Conboy-Hill and Ann M. Lynn both tagged me, and it’s taken me way too long to respond. I can whip out a flash fiction story in half a day. But, ask me something about myself, something I should be able to answer easy enough, and the first response you’ll hear are crickets.
…
“Me?” *nervous laughter*
SO, here are eight tidbits of information about me, along with links to three other writers whom you might want to check out for yourself. No formal tagging here – I took too long, game’s over I’m sure – just simple recognition.
And, thanks Suzanne and Ann, for the questions!
1. If you could have any superpower, what would you have?
Telepathy. There, I said it.
I won’t lie. I obsess about every submission I send out. Wouldn’t it be lovely to know the second an agent or an editor picks up my submission with their very own hands?
Yes or No. Yes or No. One flash of a thought in their minds, and I’m on my way – to strangle my muse or to celebrate. No wait times, no checking and re-checking the inbox, no more stalking the postman.
2. Who is your style icon?
If we’re talking wardrobes, then I’m in trouble.
For fashion guidance, I depend on the goodness of my friends. Friends with money and with taste. I accept hand-me-downs without hesitation, because – left to my own devices – I am a fashion disaster. So, if you see me wearing something sassy and in style, you can assume I got it from a friend.
3. What is your favorite quote?
It’s difficult for me to choose a favorite quote. There are so many great ones that I love about life and about writing. I latch on to one quote that strikes me on a particular day, but the same quote might not mean as much to me the next day. So, here’s one I’m holding onto this week from Mary McNamara’s recent article in the Los Angeles Times:
…[I]f you’re a writer, you don’t write for money or fame or a chance to dish with Oprah Winfrey. Basically, you write because when you’re not writing, you’re even more cranky than when you are writing.
Yep.
4. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
“Ever?” I have a terrible memory. That’s one reason why I write — because I forget the things I insist on remembering. Recently, though, my favorite compliment came from my daughter who’s almost four.
“You look beautiful,” she said. Her eyes traced my outfit from head to toe.
She ignored the three blemishes on my face that might suggest I’m fifteen and not forty. Then, she stopped at my feet and gave me the eye.
“Except for your shoes,” she said.
She’s anti-Birkenstocks, and her comment reinforces my answer to number two above. Left to my own devices….
5. What playlist/cd is in your CD player/iPod right now?
Every year, Fall throws me into a melancholy mood. One of the ways I survive that mood is to play lilting music that rises and falls and lifts and carries. Ingrid Michaelson has been on my mind a lot. But the other day, this song struck my fancy:
6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
A night owl. Late night hours are the most quiet times at my house. Plus, I’m just lazy before the sun comes up.
7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
To this I say “Achoo!” and “Pass the Claritin.” I love them both — from a distance.
8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?
I am forever running out of time. When I decided I wanted to pursue my writing for real, I knew I would have to do it during those moments in between — moments that are fleeting as soon as they start some days. And, I like hard and fast deadlines.
There you have it, more than you wanted to know. Now, along with Suzanne and Ann, here are three more writers whose blogs I read and tweets I follow — for inspiration, for lessons in the craft, and/or for a good laugh:
Jody Hedlund (@JodyHedlund), who’s debut novel, The Preacher’s Bride, hit the shelves last week and has proven to be a wonderful historical fiction and powerful story.
I’m off now, to practice my telepathy.
I’m sending you messages right now to leave a comment and retweet this post (stack those stats).
There’s a secret to this writing business, and Lisa Cron takes a look at that secret from the inside out in her new book, Wired for Story: the Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence.
