tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post1330644355729672098..comments2024-01-05T05:50:22.989-05:00Comments on Thoughts in Progress: Author Jeanne Adams: Good And Bad Writing AdviceSavannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15118900505228075022noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-11088162609043729562011-10-09T09:18:38.648-04:002011-10-09T09:18:38.648-04:00"was to try it, but if it didn’t work, don’t ..."was to try it, but if it didn’t work, don’t try to MAKE it work" is great writing advice!<br /><br />I am a plotter--not to the extent where I plan each chapter or scene--but I know that some can't write like that. In fact, for my mysteries, I plot like mad but for my other genres, I don't really do that. So for me, it depends on the genre.<br /><br />Thanks for the post and wonderful advice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160669603997465454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-23071893038943611042011-10-06T20:07:16.015-04:002011-10-06T20:07:16.015-04:00Heeheehee! :>Heeheehee! :>Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-55117843901300198042011-10-06T15:51:06.086-04:002011-10-06T15:51:06.086-04:00Oops! I think Dirty Little Lies just means you wri...Oops! I think Dirty Little Lies just means you write a great love scene! Actually it was one of our participants who came up with that lovely phrase. I'm definitely going to use it. You? Messy? Wash your mouth out with soap, gal! xAnna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-58923399639051389842011-10-06T15:39:30.332-04:002011-10-06T15:39:30.332-04:00Hey Anna! *waving madly!* Thanks for having Dead...Hey Anna! *waving madly!* Thanks for having Deadly Little Lies a-waiting...had to snork about Dirty Little Lies though. Freudian? I don't think so...<br /><br />You also said: <i> She said "You're your own first reader." Isn't that great? Anyway, after many years of not getting anywhere taking the advice of all these how-tos, I realized that the sort of people who wrote how-to books are probably the same sort of people who do detailed planning before they write. Stands to reason, huh? </i><br /><br />Huh! Trust Christina to phrase it in such a palatable way. :> I love it! It is quite challenging and you've hit it. I read all those books too and I thought I HAD to do it that way to succeed. Then I realized I could never do it that way, so I put writing away for a while. Silly me. <br /><br />That never stops the stories, does it? So messy or meticulously aligned, the stories come out.<br /><br />I like the messy way. It works for me. Hahaha!Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-63140562782136463292011-10-06T15:23:08.352-04:002011-10-06T15:23:08.352-04:00Hi Jeanne! Hi Mason! Mason, what a great blog. I h...Hi Jeanne! Hi Mason! Mason, what a great blog. I haven't been here before. Love the music links! <br /><br />Jeanne, I've got Deadly Little Lies sitting on my bedside table waiting for me to clear away the current wip. As you know, I'm not game to start one of your books unless I know I can read it right to the end in one gulp. I got caught staying up till 3am finishing Deadly Little Secrets and felt like death all the next day. All your fault! <br /><br />I love the plotz idea. I'm a pantser although I have a very vague roadmap in my head of what's going to happen. It kills me to write a synopsis before I've written the book! Speaking of bad advice (for me), one of the reasons it took me so long to work out a process that worked for me was that when I started out, every how-to book I read insisted you needed to do all that planning beforehand. You know, scenes and chapters and character interviews right down to their shoe sizes. My problem is that meant I'd already told myself the story and I was bored when it came to actually writing the book (talking to other pantsers, this seems a common complaint). At a recent workshop I ran with lovely Christina Brooke, one of our participants put it really nicely when I explained my (fairly messy) process. She said "You're your own first reader." Isn't that great? Anyway, after many years of not getting anywhere taking the advice of all these how-tos, I realized that the sort of people who wrote how-to books are probably the same sort of people who do detailed planning before they write. Stands to reason, huh? <br /><br />Anyway, enough of my ramblings! I hope Dirty Little Lies is flying off the shelves!Anna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-3936479635737362542011-10-06T15:04:21.904-04:002011-10-06T15:04:21.904-04:00Hi Jane! *waving madly back*
That's a great ...Hi Jane! *waving madly back*<br /><br />That's a great strategy too, the stepping away. I drive some of my writing friends crazy because I work on several projects at once.<br /><br />Why, you ask, would I want to torture my already enfeebled mind this way? Ah....for just the reason Jane gave. Sometimes a "change is as good as a rest" and if I switch to the other project for a bit, I can usually jumpstart the thing I NEED to work on. :>Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-26260901900462512772011-10-06T15:02:22.916-04:002011-10-06T15:02:22.916-04:00Hi Alex! I love a good outline! Grins. It is a ...Hi Alex! I love a good outline! Grins. It is a wonderful roadmap, isn't it?<br /><br />For some reason a very detailed outline works for me when writing non-fiction, but the outline has to be more general for fiction.<br /><br />And yes, do what works for you, and keep trying stuff until you find out what works BEST for you!Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-29668289822440950592011-10-06T14:31:16.144-04:002011-10-06T14:31:16.144-04:00Hello Jeanne(waving madly),
Getting unstuck is dif...Hello Jeanne(waving madly),<br />Getting unstuck is difficult. Sometimes I just have to step away from everything and concentrate on something unrelated and then try again later when my mind has rested.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13040629694490652973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-6707157891841179072011-10-06T13:49:31.698-04:002011-10-06T13:49:31.698-04:00In other words, do what works for us!
Oh, and I...In other words, do what works for us!<br />Oh, and I'm an outliner. If I don't know where I'm going, I'll never get there.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-26071703979218294382011-10-06T11:18:07.012-04:002011-10-06T11:18:07.012-04:00*blush* Awww, thanks, Nancy! You made my day! :...*blush* Awww, thanks, Nancy! You made my day! :><br /><br />I love that advice of Julia Cameron's - Refilling the Well, I think she calls it. She always talked about Artist's Dates too, so that may be what she called the actual events.<br /><br />I try to go to exhibits here in DC or take in a high school play or just do something fun for me, like spending 2 hours wandering in the Barnes and Noble! Ha!Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-11290017555976317162011-10-06T11:16:17.302-04:002011-10-06T11:16:17.302-04:00Hi Joanne! thanks for popping in!
So what techni...Hi Joanne! thanks for popping in!<br /><br />So what technique do you use to approach it from a different direction? Do you change the genre and rewrite the scene as somethign else? Do you switch the POV?<br /><br />I'd love to know the tip, so I can try it! :>Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-20633577271111803202011-10-06T10:06:32.050-04:002011-10-06T10:06:32.050-04:00Jeanne and Mason, what great advice!
I tend to av...Jeanne and Mason, what great advice!<br /><br />I tend to avoid workshops on creativity since it's so very personal. The best advice I got on stoking it came from one of Julia Cameron's books, possibly The Artist's Way but I've read several of hers. She suggests taking time to do something that lifts the spirits--sit in a park, go to an art exhibit, whatever works--because these activities replenish the inner person and thus the creative well.<br /><br />It has to be just for you. Personal time and a pleasure.<br /><br />And I have to say I LOVED Deadly Little Lies!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-62186849390776404522011-10-06T09:10:19.157-04:002011-10-06T09:10:19.157-04:00Thanks for the great advice, Jeanne. When I need ...Thanks for the great advice, Jeanne. When I need to jumpstart a scene or passage, I'll often come at it from a completely unexpected direction. Doing so just opens the thoughts of possibility.Joannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03972054718663959694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-74045366422397963742011-10-06T08:04:54.413-04:002011-10-06T08:04:54.413-04:00Hi Journaling Woman! Do you plot? I've learn...Hi Journaling Woman! Do you plot? I've learned to do it, now. I still don't plot so much that I can't have fun, but now, with deadlines, I HAVE to plot some or I drive myself nuts. Grins.<br /><br />My friend Donna does this fab workshop using a "W-Plot" format which seems to work for me. I've also used Michael Hauge's 7 steps/5 turning points Hero's Journey stuff.<br /><br />What do you like?Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-56110177815332732011-10-06T08:02:17.550-04:002011-10-06T08:02:17.550-04:00Hi Margot! Love your icon pic. Are those labs? ...Hi Margot! Love your icon pic. Are those labs? (Too small a pic to see for sure.) :> Can you tell I'm a dog lover?<br /><br />You said: <i> find a group of writers and share tips. Then, as you say, the writer can try things to see what works and what doesn't.<br /></i><br /><br />This is a GREAT piece of advice! And it really works. That's why I love RWA and the MD Writers Assoc. and Thriller Writers and so on. It's a broad spectrum of writers with lots of different tips and tricks. And they SHARE! It's great.<br /><br />The one caveat I'd have - and yes, I'm harping on this - is beware of a group where the advice all comes from one person or where people may tell you, "Oh, no, that never works." 'Cause it might. For you. :>Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-7093946245592419342011-10-06T07:59:10.843-04:002011-10-06T07:59:10.843-04:00Hi Elizabeth/Riley! (Love those split personaliti...Hi Elizabeth/Riley! (Love those split personalities...Grins)<br /><br />It is really great to keep trying things, isn't it? I started out thinking I had to do things One Way or I would fail. Finally learned that with writing, there is no One Way - or there is, YOUR Way. <br /><br />Oh drat, now "I Did It My Way" will be in my head all day.Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-85315900112277115852011-10-06T07:57:44.661-04:002011-10-06T07:57:44.661-04:00Good morning, Mason! Thanks for having me!Good morning, Mason! Thanks for having me!Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-74236455256094637432011-10-06T07:36:09.475-04:002011-10-06T07:36:09.475-04:00Jeanne, That's a great way to plot, sounds lik...Jeanne, That's a great way to plot, sounds like a wild life to me, but a fun way to write. Great advice.<br /><br />Mason- Thanks for hosting!T. Powell Coltrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02160774009926623671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-10746516387138652082011-10-06T07:29:50.191-04:002011-10-06T07:29:50.191-04:00Mason - Thanks for hosting Jeanne.
Jeanne - Like ...Mason - Thanks for hosting Jeanne.<br /><br />Jeanne - Like you've, I've learned so much from other writers. That community of writers has been a real resource for me. So one piece of advice I always have for writers is - find a group of writers and share tips. Then, as you say, the writer can try things to see what works and what doesn't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-4593774467434083882011-10-06T07:00:06.428-04:002011-10-06T07:00:06.428-04:00Great advice, Jeanne! It's always good to kee...Great advice, Jeanne! It's always good to keep trying different approaches to writing until something works for us. :)Elizabeth Spann Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625595247828274405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582932888892465523.post-45000859163495797312011-10-06T00:16:38.485-04:002011-10-06T00:16:38.485-04:00Jeanne, thanks again for stopping by and sharing t...Jeanne, thanks again for stopping by and sharing these bits of advice about writing. Wishing you much success with your writing.Mason Canyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10935307400882363560noreply@blogger.com