Writing
with restraints, such as word counts, and hard editing, are common for any
writer, from the newest prodigy, the seasoned veteran working on their
umpteenth book. So when asked to limit one’s word count, or more accurately,
the amount of space on a page it will take to publish the said piece, it is
quite common to see huge portions of workable manuscripts cut from the final
draft.
Drafting
is another way to limit one’s work, so it is best made ready for the publishers
to print. Drafts are another way to stifle one’s creative flow, but this is
more a positive, than a negative. Most of editing should be done via the
writer, but may need necessary fixing from a professional editor, or manuscript
doctor. Writing itself is always the artistic expression of the individual, but
to publish such creativity to the masses, takes a seasoned hand, who knows just how well to market the work of
the individual to the masses. Certain key terms, or more simplistic wording may
have to be placed into a document, article, or manuscript, because it can
verify its “readability”, rather than mark it for a niche group of
professionals, or hobbyists.
A
great example comes from technical writing, specifically found in guides, or
manuals. Say you are tasked with writing a book on video game programming,
perhaps marketed to the core readership, that being, software developers and
encoders. You may now only have at most, three percent of the general market
capable
rather than
mark it for a niche group of professionals, or hobbyists.
A
great example comes from technical writing, specifically found in guides, or
manuals. Say you are tasked with writing a book on video game programming,
perhaps marketed to the core readership, that being, software developers and
encoders.
In
this modern day of teaching the English subject in school, one may find
themselves confused by the certain oxymoronic rules that may follow the
structure of writing English. For example, you are allowed to express yourself
with the more creative writing pieces, such as an essay that demands some
imagination, but yet it is limited by word count, stifling again your ability
to exercise your brain in great creative storytelling.
Truthfully,
this is understandable, most students tend to find themselves confused about
this format of writing, some think word counts are too long, while others find
them too short, but most find them slightly annoying, some may go so-far as to
say hypocritical. Despite the concept of word counts, long, obscene run-on
sentences, and the idea of placing every single reiterated idea over and over
again in a single essay are just as equally obscene.
Although
many will believe that word counts stifle creativity, it is almost absolutely
assured that whatever publisher, small press, or even playwright one decides to
commit pieces of written work towards, there will always be some set limit of
page length, or word count. It is nearly impossible to escape these set
parameters in writing, and they are established for a multitude of reasons.
Most
small presses, which include chapbook publication, along with consumer
magazines, have an established regimen for how they conduct their articles and
novels. Most of which have a certain frame that needs to be accounted for, and
dictate the size and format for the writing style. A short story is called such
because it is longer than a
an mean the same as the other, but the publisher
In
this modern day of teaching the English subject in school, one may find
themselves confused by the certain oxymoronic rules that may follow the
structure of writing English. For example, you are allowed to express yourself
with the more creative writing pieces, such as an essay that demands some
imagination, but yet it is limited by word count, stifling again your ability
to exercise your brain in great creative storytelling.
Truthfully,
this is understandable, most students tend to find themselves confused about
this format of writing, some think word counts are too long, while others find
them too short, but most find them slightly annoying, some may go so-far as to
say hypocritical. Despite the concept of word counts, long, obscene run-on
sentences, and the idea of placing every single reiterated idea over and over
again in a single essay are just as equally obscene.
Although
many will believe that word counts stifle creativity, it is almost absolutely
assured that whatever publisher, small press, or even playwright one decides to
commit pieces of written work towards, there will always be some set limit of
page length, or word count. It is nearly impossible to escape these set
parameters in writing, and they are established for a multitude of reasons.
Most
small presses, which include chapbook publication, along with consumer
magazines, have an established regimen for how they conduct their articles and
novels. Most of which have a certain frame that needs to be accounted for, and
dictate the size and format for the writing style. A short story is called such
because it is longer than a ÒshortÓ short piece, roughly in the vicinity of
five hundred words, while a short story is also nowhere near the lengths
(historically) of a novella, or noveletteof understanding hard research into
game development. This is also very generous, as perhaps less than one percent
of the overall population have a professional knowledge on video game
programming in the Digital age. Encoding for high definition, high resolution
television, including all the types of screens: HD, HD LED, HD LCD, and the
newest form: HD OLED, are rather difficult, and could be nearly impossible to
explain to a layman who wants the rudimentary basics of game design.
So,
do you just reiterate the same techno jargon of every other pamphlet available,
allowing only the high-grade technicians to understand, or do you go into vivid
detail, so even the Average Joe then understands how to program the next big
AAA title game?
The
truth is, you may understand your niche market, and you can definitely gain a
lot of feedback for your work from that said market, but you then alienate the
other ninety-nine percent of your readers who may not then purchase your work
because of its high level of intensity. In the past, a balance for almost every
subject (including the fixing of combustion engines, all the way to hydroponics
gardening) have had some focus on both the professionals, and the amateurs of
any major subject. Some of the best guides, pamphlets, and even full-on
textbooks on any said subject, have introduced their teachings in a kindly,
friendly structure, so not to scare off those who may have lost all intrigued
due to the lingo only professionals may understand.
To
avoid this, even with simplistic writing, many writers use their imagination,
especially their skill as storytellers, to then teach through the writing, by
explaining everything in baby steps, working their way up to later chapters
with far more difficult information. Someone could know everything there is
about producing a professionally edited 3D film, from the working of the
cameras, to lighting, and soundproofing rooms for voice recording, while even
understanding the writing of a script, the casting of actors, and even editing
the rough film for a final production. This does not mean that the person who
knows all of this accumulated knowledge would be best to then go out and teach
it to the masses, so they too can become professionals, let-alone hobbyists of
the same craft. This simple logic on how to approach writing is beneficial for
later on once the writer understands the voice they will use to convey the
topic they choose to discuss. The
same method can be used on almost any other non-fiction piece, news article, or
even opinionated blog post.
For
fiction writing, which is statistically the hardest to write, takes place
almost completely in the imagination. Though no one has ever been jailed for
twisting the facts around a bit in a nonfiction piece to then better sell their
story, fiction is almost certainly doomed to fail on how then the writer
approaches their desired end.
LetÕs
take for example that you have decided you are going to write the next big
fantasy novel destined to be a bestseller, perhaps something that will change
the perspective on worldly topics, or even for your own amusement. The methods
for writing such a novel, even a glorified short story, are so broad that there
is not a truly tested method that guarantees success. Some of the greatest
writers have yet to even publish, and not because of their prose, which can
then even vary by publishers, or how the market is swinging at the time, but
can also be who they choose to publish their piece. Just because HarperCollins
is a major publishers, reaching millions of readers with their staff of amazing
writers, does not necessarily mean a manuscript is best fit to their standards.
Writing is one of the hardest businesses to break in to, but that does not mean
it is impossible.
Returning
to the idea of writing the next best Fantasy story, which is now becoming a
much broader market due to the film and television industry, all starts with a
single idea. The most original ideas do not necessarily bring in the largest
capital upon first publication: a great example is of the writer William
Gibson, whose coinage of the term ÒcyberpunkÓ has just recently become a major
style of subgenre for Science Fiction, a much larger mass publication genre.
So
if you choose to write a Fantasy that is you feel is destined to make millions
of dollars, or sell three times more copies as other books of the same genre in
the mass market, you may need to establish this first: seeing just where you
want the book/short story to land in the spectrum.
Before
writing, and after you established your core audience, which is mostly done
through understanding the demographic, you then have to actually write the
work. Again, the methods of how the individual writes are very broad: some like
a serene, muse-inducing surrounding, quiet from chatter and other noise
pollutants. Others cannot even begin to type or pick up a pen without some
noise in the background, if even at the most minimal, music playing off to calm
their minds and focus.
The
best way to understand how you are as a writer, if you have not figured it out
already, is to test the waters of where you work at your best, and are able to
keep pace without little interruption. Some like controlled chaos,
disorganization, and the sound of keys typing away, while others prefer an
outdoor, or out-of-the-box surrounding, where they can focus in on that
particular setting for their inspiration. This is all personal to the writer,
and as there are so many ways to describe how to find that particular niche, I
shall not really focus too much on this step, as it is not necessarily an
important step in the writing process.
As
a writer destined to write the next great Fantasy, you may want to jot down
ideas onto a diagram, perhaps figure out the best method you want to take in
order to accomplish your set goals: what can you keep in, or take out that will
not decidedly affect the flow of your piece. The second, and most initial step
you should take, is organizing your thoughts, and see how to develop your
story. Sounds simple, but for most writers, organization is the proverbial
kryptonite to their normally stellar flow of writing. Some of the greatest
writers in history, normally do not even associate order with their work, some
despise the term order, claiming it will limit their overall personal
creativity, that said voice that separates them from the masses of other
writers.
You
should also understand why you are writing this particular work, and who it
would best fit, which normally takes your part in researching the particular
companies that may best fit your style of writing. To have the know-how of who
you want to publish your work, is vital to surviving in the writing business.
After
understanding what your are writing, and why you are writing it for whichever
publisher, it is best to then understand the process of writing. Organization
is key, and is law for nearly all careers, but perhaps nowhere near as
important as in writing professionally. Even if you are writing for a high
school or college course, organization is also the most important part of
making sure the best grade is attained. The same rule applies in the Òreal
worldÓ of writing, and is vital to your survival as a professional writer.
With
some conditioning, and perhaps a bit more skill, one can make a living, simply
by writing. With the idea of the next best Fantasy work, establish just what
idea you have, and apply it to accounts that best accurately explain what you
are trying to convey in your story. Fiction always takes much of its ideas from
reality, which is normally where the best of the best come from in fiction.
J.R.R.
Tolkien, perhaps the worldÕs most renowned Fantasy writer, due to the Lord of
the Rings Trilogy, and the prequel the Hobbit, including his other great work,
the Similarian, are more about humanity versus the uprising of the industrial
world than it has to deal with Orcs and Elves. The grand battles in the books
are shown with giant combative trees, and metallic demons, but there reflection
of humanity is far greater seen to all those characters that then cross the
Brandywine river towards the Mount of Lord Sauron, to cast away the evil object
of the ring into the volcanic magma below.
The
question then to ask is: ÒDoes fiction always have to imitate real life?Ó Yes,
and no, because writing is a human activity, that is appealing to humans, but
does it have to always restate the world as humanity knows it? No, it doesnÕt;
but that is when you as a writer finds your own voice, and your own method of
writing.
The
English language is at a constant change, perhaps the hardest to learn
vernacularly, as it constantly borrows ideas from other languages, and with
American English, much of what becomes slang is nearly significant to
Americans, meaning other English-speaking peoples of the world may not always
understand what is trying to be explained. Speaking English, and writing
English are always changed by the generation of that said
English-speaking/writing country. What is written about depends solely on the
piece, and how it is written. Technically, English should always follow certain
rules and usages that are not always found to be true in the populous. With
blogging, and self-publishing, written pieces are not always factually
accurate, or grammatically correct. There are volumes of manuals and articles
written about English writing, and most follow the same rules, most of which
are simplistic to account, as they are reiterated over and over again in
grammar school, and beyond in high school, and yet again in college level
English courses.
Again,
writing is a personal voice of the author, and because it is an art, is not
always confined to the set rules of usage. What may be a run-on sentence for
most college professors, could be too short for say, legal writing done by a
constituent, or lawyer. American English is extremely radical in its
polarization, and although the purists fight against the times, the popular
usages often become the official rule for how writing is conveyed to the
masses. Fiction, being the subject of this section, is easily the toughest form
of writing, but has the least restriction, almost a laissez-faire attitude to
what is acceptable as English grammar and prose.
Fantasy,
which almost always has made-up, or created terms, solely products of the
individual authorsÕ imaginations have no affect on the writing style, though
when using the imagination, it can affect the grammar, even the rules of
operations in the English language, but are not often considered a negative
approach to writing. Again, fiction is difficult not because of the rules, but
because of the writerÕs personal restriction so not to then become superfluous,
or the overuse of doggerels.
The
great thing about fiction writing, is that it all has the exact same purpose,
which is to communicate a brash idea, something extraordinary, perhaps, surreal
to what could be dictated through a hard piece of news, or even a nonfiction
manuscript. Characters that may not even have an ideal place in the real world,
are used, at times satirically, other times as a caricature of people known, or
people lesser known to the general public. Many a great kings and queens are
ones that were birthed from the pen, rather than the womb, and their stories
are more far-fetched, yet a sense of reality can be seen through their epic
yarns. Take Beowulf, perhaps the most well known king in the history of the
world, perhaps based off of a real king, but mostly coming from oration, and
yet the whole tale is a tease about the loss of the old ways to the emerging
religion of Christianity in what now makes up Greater Britain, and the
Netherlands.
Beowulf
is a great example of an Epic poem, which was the precursor to the prose style
of Fantasy, and it is still taught in many high school and college English
curriculums today, not because of its tale of overcoming grand obstacles, but
because of its detail on the human condition of the Anglo-Saxon people, prior
to the establishment of the British Empire. The sheer history endowed in the
poem is a temple to the history of that time. Today, writers use satire, super
heroes from comic books, and modern folklore to convey the very same majesty of
our current society.
In-truth,
some of the best Fantasy writing, as we use this as an fiction example, are not
great stories of man versus beast, or man versus nature, but when man is on
equal footing of the said beast he desires to slay. Dragon stories, like that
of Beowulf, convey a sense of intelligence, and logic from the beasts that are
deemed evil: Grendel and his mother, unnamed in the tale, are examples of
humanizing the unexplained, and opening thought, perspective, and a desire of
debate that makes humanity the creature that it has become.
So
much of writing excellent fiction, comes mostly from experience, but
experiences are not solely measured in age, or even wisdom for that matter, it
is to take what one has learned from past events, and compile such events so
they too can be of use in the coarse of taken for fiction writing. Perhaps a
student in junior high, even high school, has had less experience than a world
travelers who has scaled the highest peaks of all the tallest mountains. Yet,
those elegant travelers may not have had the same experiences of those young
students, not even close, especially since they may be worlds, and generations
apart.
So
to reiterate, if you were to write an epic fantasy tale, and now understand the
balance of imagination/creativity, and knowledge ascertained by personal events
in your life, then perhaps you may have the perfect blend to go-ahead, and
write your story. Personal comfort, one thing that all writers strive to achieve,
affects the flow of how they write, why they write it down, and to who they
know will best benefit from reading their work. Granted, going out of oneÕs
comfort zone is a test of how well one can write, but establishing oneÕs
personal comfort zone also helps them best to understand the way markets move.
Some
of the education you will need to obtain is not always necessarily found in the
classroom, not even on the vast upload of knowledge on the internet. Many
writers do focus groups with other writers, compare and contrast ideas,
especially with more veteran writers that know the craft, and are ill-weary of
the particular trends that seem to fail all-too-often in the writing world, and
best how to avoid these trends. Truthfully, talking to established, even
experienced writers is the best way to hone your own craft, by hearing their
Òwar storiesÓ of publication and achievements.
Writers
are battle-hardened from years of rejection, and expenses of reissuing
manuscript after manuscript, but they never back down from defeat. Some even
gain composure from rejection, to push to then better themselves by accepting
what theyÕre doing is simply not working; so by going beyond their comfort
zone, they then will press on, and attempt to write better prose, poetry, or
even short shorts, just so they can become established. The feedback most
presses are willing to give upcoming authors is immeasurable in value, perhaps
more valuable than diamond and gold combined.
Poetry,
which is not a dead art form, has been brought back to life by the likes of
E.E. Cummings, Jack Kerouac, and Robert Frost. Margaret Oliver, who is a
multiple Poet Laureate, has proven time-and-again that great poetry is still
admired now in the 21st century.
Poetry
is a great way to break into publishing, even for the amateur writer. Poetry
will also show writers just how well they are at description, and word usage by
fitting writers to a particular format, relatively primitive by modern
standards, and shows how defined oneÕs craft shines best.
Do
not jump to conclusions about poetry, as though many people choose to write
poetry, does not automatically mean that they write it well. Open Mic nights at
the local coffee house are great ways to bring out your resume of work, but the
best way to have your work critiqued is to send them off to smaller, even newly
budding publishers to see if the work is viable for publication. For first-time
writers looking for such publication, it is a way to break into the field, as
many large writers start off with short stories and poetry, just to build even
a small fan base.
Once
established, a fan base can very well follow a writer for their entire writing
career, harnessing a demographic that will be key to their success. Writing is
a heart-felt desire, and should be done as often as possible, especially to
newer writers without publication. Try to take the time to write as often as
one can, perhaps delegate several hours a night for the extremist writer, and
several hours a week for the more casual writer. Though these requirements may
seem unrealistic for people on the go in this age, it is essential for writers
to sacrifice much of their time at either their computer desks, or their
notebook to beat away at their rhythm drums, banging out page after page.
Reading,
yet another factor for a better writer. From personal experience, and of the
mouths of many professionals, for every hour spent writing, two-to-three hours
should be designated to reading. Reading comprehension, and reading levels can
always be bettered by reading other peopleÕs work, broadening horizons for the
youthful, albeit much less experienced writer.
Reading
chapter books will help one become a better novelist, but it depends also on
the quality of the writing: reading political commentary is not always the same
as reading through a Shakespearian play. This all depends interests of the
writer, and the object of how they plan to use that writing style.
A
writer can compose works of
fiction: mystery, literary, science fiction, fantasy, and abstract, or
noire pieces. The list of writing
styles is endless, and the functions of writing are unparallel. Writing is
easily one of the most diverse methods used to reach an infinite number of ends.
Even nonfiction is not always confined to a system of robotic language, many
writers like Erik Larson take history writing very seriously, and tell stories
that astound and amaze his readers, showing that drama can be put into play,
intelligently with nonfiction writing. So writers even working within a set
term, or time for better understanding, in history, or in subject, can still
put on that magical spin that only brightens their work.
Whether
you are a young, inquisitive mind that yearns for the press, or someone that
simply wants to establish his-or-herself as a serious writer, know that the
opportunities are great, and the market is constantly changing: from hard
print, or electronic publishing, from handheld tablets, to old-fashioned
newsprint, writers are always there, always evolving, and always in dire need.
Sure, it is a cutthroat business, perhaps the hardest still to break into, but
it is also one of the most forgiving businesses, and the most informative,
allowing for second chances more than any, and perhaps, the most gratifying journey
one can ever embark towards. When all else fails, and things seem bleak, the
writer will always preserve, and always bounce back.
Thank
you for reading the Malacast Editorial. You can follow the Malacast Editorial
on twitter: twitter.com/mcasteditorial, or send a direct message to me,
Malacast Agent @mcasteditorial. If you would like to leave a comment/concern,
you can do so in the comments section of this blog, or you can send me a tweet
at the handle, mentioned above.
As
always, thank you again for your support, and please be sure to check back at
the Malacast Editorial, or twitter for more updates to this blog.
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