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I’m fanatically reluctant to say that fiction ought to do one thing rather than another. I do know what I want from fiction. I want it to exhilarate me, to unbind my eyes, to murder and resurrect me, to harm me in some fruitful way.
As I’m working on getting my stuff out here and step out onto this scary adventure of working for myself, I find myself this morning pulling up Heinlein’s Rules:
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you start.
3. You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order.
4. You must put it on the market.
5. You must keep it on the market until sold.
In my case, since I’m self-publishing, rule 5 (or possibly 6) is more like. “Continue to build your audience via social media”. I’m worried, but I still think I’d be crazy not to try.
When writing couples, I like to use the Kiss Rule:
- If they have to kiss for you to know they’re in love, you’re not writing a romance right.
damn tho
Arguing with your muse is really confusing because, what are you doing? Arguing with a piece of yourself over something stupid?
Sounds like insanity to me.
Nope, sounds perfectly normal. I had this conversation with my characters the other day:
“Why are you two making out over there? Stop canoodling so we can get on with the plot!”
Abso-freaking-lutely! Reading anything, imho, contributes to helping you write. You can’t write without being a good reader. That’s one of my pieces of advice to new writers: read, read, read. Reading will expose you to different sorts of writing styles and all sorts of information. Read fanfic, read newspaper articles, read biology texts, read published literature, read poetry, read novels. Read trash. Read smut. Enjoy yourself. Revel in the power of words; what they sound like when they’re conveying information. The somberness of an obituary. What sentences make your gut clench or your heart beat faster. The phrases that make you sigh. The combination of dirtiness and vulgarity that turns you on.
But I can’t tell you how many amazing fic authors have inspired me in my writing. There are fanfiction authors out there whose writing is so beautiful that I will read anything they write, regardless of the fandom. Authors who really know their craft. Fic authors exposed me to the different ways a story could be told. The beauty of fanfiction is the democratization of literature. That is: anybody can publish. Anybody can be an author. So you get a huge variety of voices. Think about those five times, five kisses, five things type stories. What an interesting format for fiction! Or I love those character-driven pieces that focus in on one character -especially side characters – and telling their POV, illuminating them in a way that we would never get in canon. Stories that explore villains and their motivations. Alternate Universes that take the characters we love and transport them to an entirely different setting and how the author translates that. Dirty smutfic written with real lust and desire (and I’ll read any fandom if a fic has my kinks in it).
Fanfiction teaches you that writing can be anything. There’s no limits. It’s so beautiful, man.
There is nothing so good as a comment where your reader let’s you know you made them feel something.
Also, when people start screaming at you in caps without any regard to grammar or punctuation, you’re probably on the right track. 😀
Yes this. When I get comments composed of keyboard smashing, it really serves as fuel and encouragement and spiritual warm fuzzies.
I love it when that happens. <3
having to use your own art as reference cause you forgot how to draw
having to go back to reread previous chapters of your own story as a reference because you forgot how to write
Being a better Robin Hood because, unlike some other Robin Hoods, you can speak with an English accent.
I’ve been describing this story I want to write as ‘a pansexual space pirate and her lesbian girlfriend’. But then I also described it to my friend as “Star-Lord/Doctor, but with chicks.”
Don’t worry, there’s actually a plot in there.
