Last One is a Rotten Egg

You probably remember the saying as a kid.

And you probably never wanted to be last, especially when it meant you could be first, or at least second, and lose the rotten egg title. Last meant you were somehow not on the list or that your parents really did find you on the doorstep in a basket.



Photo by: oxcnpxo, courtesy of Flickr

But let's get serious.

We often take this saying into our adulthood. It's almost as if we have to prove ourselves to ourselves, to our parents, or maybe even our siblings.

I'm not that rotten egg; I'm never going to be last. And so we push ahead, faster than we really have strength, and give little or no time for that reflection we really need.

The other day I was talking to a friend about reflection but was calling it writing in a journal. She said, "But I'm not a writer." I couldn't convince her that a person didn't need to be a writer to write in a journal and that it would be helpful for posterity to read a little about her after she was gone. I explained how it just wasn't enough for me to know someones name, who they married, and when they died, I wanted to know about their life.

But my friend wasn't too interested. My friend didn't want to keep a journal, at least not now. And it would have been fruitless to keep prodding her on to think differently about it. Perhaps she thought it was too much work, maybe there were other things on her mind that she felt took precedence. What I know is that she wasn't a rotten egg in my eyes just because journaling appeared to come last in her life.

A month or so ago I placed my novels on the back burner until after the holidays. It just didn't make sense for me to write when I could be thinking and doing other things. Perhaps you might think I'm a rotten egg. Letting my writing go like that.

But I hope not.

Writing What You Don't Know

You've probably heard that a writer needs to write what he or she knows.

Used to be I was filled to the brim with this message. I heard it directly at a writing conference or read it in chapter 5. Other writers just wanted my writing to be accurate.

Photo by: fotografeleen, courtesy of Flickr

Because I felt as if my life was pretty narrow--I haven't traveled much and some might consider me a homebody--I went to the library and researched. This was before computers were a hit. I'd check out books and read about the things I didn't know. I'd make a few calls. I'd speak to others who were knowledgeable in the area in which I was lacking. The end result?

I was now writing what I knew.

I remember the time I needed to know what a train really sounded like coming into a station. Since I'd never personally had that experience, it was important for me to be accurate. So I did a google search and found a sound clip that really helped. That scene is in my book, Scrambled.



Photo by: informatique, courtesy of Flickr

When I was writing, Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones, I wanted to know more about the city of Gath where Goliath was born. I discovered that the word, gath, meant wine press. With a bit more study I was able to write about it as if I'd been there.

A River of Stones, a young adult fiction book, came primarily from my head, but there were times when I didn't know of what I spoke of so I did some research. In the end I had scenes built from places I'd visited on the Internet and calls I had made.

When it comes to writing what you don't know, it's really only tricky if you haven't done any study at all. Even a little study is better than the guessing game. But a deeper study will usually do the trick and will allow the reader to feel as if the characters have really been there.

Some sources to get you started:

• http://www.write101.com/research.htm
• http://bubblecow.co/researching-your-novel-and-how-horrible-histories-can-help/
• http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/inner-critic-hijack-book-research/

Happy researching!

Kathryn

When Your Characters Speak to You

I used to think I was a bit crazy.

I'd be working on my short story, my novel, when all of a sudden the character would start telling me stuff.

"I wouldn't say that."
 
"Don't put me in that situation yet."

Photo by Matthew Kenwrick, courtesy of Flickr

"Here's the real story."

And I would stop and listen to what they had to say and write it down.

Now, you may think listening to your character as if he or she is a real person is a bit off the beaten track, but if you're a writer you may have already discovered that when your characters start speaking to you, that's when you really have something.

Photo by Paul Stevenson, courtesy of Flickr

Being in tune to who your characters are and what they want in life, for good or evil, will keep the honesty your want in your work. When your readers read what you have written your words will not only make sense to them, they will consider your characters 'real.'



Photo by Matthew Kenwrick, courtesy of Flickr

Not some paper copy form, but a 3-dimensional being with his or her own thoughts, feelings, wants, needs and direction. Whether you like your characters choices or not, revealing who they are (rather than protecting them because you don't like what they are choosing) will create an opportunity for you as well as your readers to really learn something.
In real life, as in the real life you want to create for your characters, life is made for learning and growth. Do you have to experience all of it personally yourself--especially the dark side--to understand what works and what doesn't?

Nope.

All you need to do is listen in and write it down.

Kathryn