Writer's Thoughts

I realized today that it's been quite a while since I'd posted about writing and my adventures within that world. So here it is! What is destined to be a long-winded post by someone who's in love with writing and yet can't master it even with the greatest minds as help.

By greatest minds, I mean these fella's. http://www.writingclasses.com/Products/GothamPubsDetail.php/publicationID/1


I convinced my mother to buy me this book back in high school and only unearthed it a week ago. It's a great book and by far my favorite writing guide. It covers all the basics of writing fiction and has so many little interesting tidbits that push me toward creating a great work of art. Granted, as I progress through my writing I become more skilled than I was ten years ago when I first started. I can notice the difference that took place over 2 years. Book 5 is scattered. It's crammed full of ideas and plots, many of which don't make much sense. I'm not editing it right now (just reading for recreation) because I know by the time I finish the two books before it the plot will be turned around again. But when I jump back to Book 2, my most recent, I can see the difference. It's focused, guided, and follows the logical path of creative writing.

I guess I have a lot to do but that's the fun in writing; you never really finish writing books when they aren't published. Anyway, I wanted to do even better on Book 3 than I did on Book 2 so I whipped out this guide to help me polish my writing. I've gone through page after page after page of notes, plots, outlines, and random facts/events I want to include in the next few books. My new favorite activity is character development. I've realized how important it is to know every detail about a character before you start writing. I've worked on my characters' histories, family trees, childhood, schooling, goals, ideals, morals, speaking habits, ticks, quirks, dialects, favorite foods, everything! I even did an activity where I placed two random characters in a situation where they were changing a tire just so I could see what would transpire between them.

I don't know why people avoid writing so much. I find such a thrill in the whole idea of creating something so amazing that I love it more than anything. I have to admit that if I never get published (something I desperately want to do one day) I would be okay with it, because I just love writing for the sake of writing.

I have yet to actually start Book 3 because of all these exercises and how busy my schedule is getting as I near the end of the semester. There are a few times each day, though, where I allow my thoughts to wander and I find myself back in the world of my novels, hearing the dialogue as if I were standing there, and developing plots as they unfold on the page. I definitely love writing. Once life calms down and school returns to normal I'm jumping right into those pages again :)

The First Hurdle

I am now only a few days away from starting Book 3. I can feel it in my bones and I'm totally excited. The hardest part now? Picking the title.

I've always had problems picking a title for my papers and articles. In school, when I'm turning in an objective paper I don't spend that much time on picking the title. They basically just get titled by the assignment. But for essays, term papers, and finals, I tend to spend more time on the title, introduction, and conclusion than I do on the body of the paper. I find sometimes that it's easier to just write the paper before making the title.

But with a book this can be difficult. I have dozens of files titled beginning Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, etc, because I'm always making notes, maps, or reminders about that specific book. So I tend to want to pick out my book title before I actually start writing the book. And so my dilemma for Book 3 begins here. I wanted to capture some of the wonder the original title of Book 3 had but since I'm essentially taking out the plot that title was based off of it wouldn't make much since to keep it.

There are a few things writers should keep in mind when selecting a new title....

It's hard to place more importance on one tip over another but I would have to say that keeping it simple is vital. You don't need something amazingly complicated for a title, especially for a fiction book.

Next, it needs to capture the essence of the book. The title must have wording that carries positive connotation and leaves a feeling with a reader that will encourage them to read on.

However, capturing the essence of the book doesn't mean that the title must encompass everything within the book. The title can refer to something as small as just a sentence in the book. For example, a book titled The Beat of Courage can follow the story of an athlete who practices and increases his sporting performance through many personal hardships, but the title may refer to the moment at the end of the book when the athlete listens to a song on the way to his final track meet and that song gives him courage.

Another part of picking a title is that it hasn't been used before. Now, this is easier said than done. Obviously, there have been thousands of books over the years and any writer is bound to come up with a title that has been used in the past. The only thing the writer can do is hope their title hasn't been made famous before. Then they can go ahead and use the title. Just be mindful that you're sharing a title with someone else and, therefore, it may not entirely be yours.

Of course, all these tips are basically useless for a writer because it's the publisher who's making the final choice on title. Writers may swear up and down by a title and feel like it's the perfect one. But if they intend on getting published, they have to be willing to give up that title. The publisher is the one who professionally pitches and sells books and they ultimately know best. Besides, wouldn't the writer rather have the content of their book be the focus of it, not the title?

That's why even when I'm trying to pick out a title, I don't give it so much thought that I become attached to it. Yes, I love seeing that title in my documents list or on paper and I do become rather fond of it but I'm willing to give it up. I try to see the title as a mere convenience. It's just there for me to enjoy until it comes time for the world to see it.

Right now, I have 5 ideas for Book 3's title and only 2 are actually promising. In my mind, I'm already referring to it by one of the titles so I think that may end up being the winning option.