Christina Varrasso's Blog: On Writing
June 30, 2014
Write Better Fiction by Reading Nonfiction "How To" Books
If you read my last blog you know that I started a blog for two reasons. First, I've been struggling with writer's block since publishing my debut novel entitled "Running for Yellow" and thought a blog might help me keep writing and perhaps find inspiration for my next story. Second, I thought it might lend a helping hand to people out there (like me) looking for books to help improve their writing. Allow me to share with you what I learned from reading "How to Write" by H.E. Meyer and J.M. Meyer.
When I read this book the first time I thought it was only geared toward helping technical writers. On the second read however, I thought the authors offered some helpful tips for aspiring novelists too.
Part one emphasizes the importance of organizing your thoughts and reference material. I can tell you first hand that this is crucial to getting a piece completed as quickly as possible. The less organized you are with your story's structure and plot, the longer it will take you to finish the book. The authors offer three organized steps in organizing your work: 1. Choose your category (where you decide specifically what you are going to write about). 2. Pick your points (What are you writing about and how are you going to convey this to the reader?) 3. Collecting your details. Whether you are writing fact or fiction, you must do your research. Sure, some fiction writing needs no fact checking at all, but readers love to learn about things they don't know. Thrill them by researching and adding some nonfiction detail to your fiction.
Part two emphasizes the importance of figuring out your theme, making your outline, and writing your draft. If you can choose a theme and stick to it while writing an outline, your outline will be more concise and helpful in turning out a first draft. In essence the first draft will simply be an expanded version of your outline.
Once you've made it this far, you're ready for Part 3: Polishing the Product. When polishing a piece of writing, your objective is to strengthen the draft (sometimes rewriting it many times) to give it credibility and ultimately have it do what the writer intends it to do. The Meyers offer nine key guidelines (with examples) for draft-polishing any type of writing. They are:
Be accurate
Be precise
Be consistent
Be brief
Be fair
Keep a steady depth,
Keep a steady one
Use an established layout
Use good grammar.
These writing guidelines are crucial in strengthening any writer's work and offer a reminder to keep them in mind when writing.
Although "How to Write" is geared more toward non-fiction writing, I think it offers solid tips ( particularly in Part Three) for fiction writers too, and I would recommend it as a reference book to add to your library.
I haven't found the inspiration for my next novel yet (and I am open to any suggestions readers might have), but I'll be working on honing my skills by keeping these guidelines in mind during my daily writing. I'll also be reading more books to help me learn about the craft of fiction writing. I hope this blog helps you in your daily writing too. Join me next month when I"ll review "Plot & Structure" by James Scott Bell.
When I read this book the first time I thought it was only geared toward helping technical writers. On the second read however, I thought the authors offered some helpful tips for aspiring novelists too.
Part one emphasizes the importance of organizing your thoughts and reference material. I can tell you first hand that this is crucial to getting a piece completed as quickly as possible. The less organized you are with your story's structure and plot, the longer it will take you to finish the book. The authors offer three organized steps in organizing your work: 1. Choose your category (where you decide specifically what you are going to write about). 2. Pick your points (What are you writing about and how are you going to convey this to the reader?) 3. Collecting your details. Whether you are writing fact or fiction, you must do your research. Sure, some fiction writing needs no fact checking at all, but readers love to learn about things they don't know. Thrill them by researching and adding some nonfiction detail to your fiction.
Part two emphasizes the importance of figuring out your theme, making your outline, and writing your draft. If you can choose a theme and stick to it while writing an outline, your outline will be more concise and helpful in turning out a first draft. In essence the first draft will simply be an expanded version of your outline.
Once you've made it this far, you're ready for Part 3: Polishing the Product. When polishing a piece of writing, your objective is to strengthen the draft (sometimes rewriting it many times) to give it credibility and ultimately have it do what the writer intends it to do. The Meyers offer nine key guidelines (with examples) for draft-polishing any type of writing. They are:
Be accurate
Be precise
Be consistent
Be brief
Be fair
Keep a steady depth,
Keep a steady one
Use an established layout
Use good grammar.
These writing guidelines are crucial in strengthening any writer's work and offer a reminder to keep them in mind when writing.
Although "How to Write" is geared more toward non-fiction writing, I think it offers solid tips ( particularly in Part Three) for fiction writers too, and I would recommend it as a reference book to add to your library.
I haven't found the inspiration for my next novel yet (and I am open to any suggestions readers might have), but I'll be working on honing my skills by keeping these guidelines in mind during my daily writing. I'll also be reading more books to help me learn about the craft of fiction writing. I hope this blog helps you in your daily writing too. Join me next month when I"ll review "Plot & Structure" by James Scott Bell.
April 21, 2014
Julia wasn't always Julia.
Four years ago when I decided I wanted to become a novelist I knew very little about how to construct and organize a story. I began reading "how to" books and books on writing to learn the craft which helped me a lot. Today after publishing my first novel entitled "Running for Yellow", I'd like to say that beginning work on my second novel will be easier. It will and it won't. Although I know much more about writing than I did four years ago, I have so much more to learn and this paralyzes me with fear at times. I worry it won't be better than my first one. I worry I won't complete it let alone reach my goal of writing ten novels in the coming years. I feel a strong empathy for aspiring writers when they tell me they would love to write a novel but could never do it. When I hear this I always offer support, but sometimes, deep down, I feel the same way about writing a second novel as they do about their first.
One night after watching the awesome movie "Julie & Julia" with my boyfriend, I shared with him my fears about sitting down at my writing desk and beginning the process again. He looked at me with the sweetest expression and quoted a line form the movie. He said: "Julia wasn't always Julia." He then reminded me that Julia Child couldn't boil an egg when she first started cooking. He suggested I start a blog to get me writing again. After thinking about it for some time, I thought aspiring writers might like to read reviews about "how to" books and books on writing by an author who has used them to learn how to write fiction. In the process I could actively continue to learn about the craft as well and perhaps find inspiration for my next novel. I decided I would read and review a book on writing every month and share my insights on what I think writers might find helpful.
The great Pablo Picasso once said: "Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working." I believe this explicitly. I hope my blog will help you and me write our next great novel. Let's get started together. Here we go...!
The first book I'll review is ""YOU CAN WRITE A NOVEL" by James V. Smith, Jr. I referred to it often when I wrote RFY. I think it's an awesome book for a first time author to read and study. I took notes on index cards on points I thought were super poignant to my writing goals and read them often so I would remember them. James Smith breaks down the process into simple, logical steps. He starts with tips on finding and refining a salable idea for your novel. Once you've done this, he has you build an indispensable Writer's Tool Kit which helps you organize your thoughts and characters onto paper. This kit includes index cards with pertinent information about characters and scenes. Throughout the book Smith includes numbered Lifesaving Rules for the Writer which are a variety of short technique advisories designed to keep you from wasting time or making fatal errors. My favorites are his Cardinal Rules that every writer should keep in mind while working on a draft. I copied these on index cards too and read them often. For me, the most indispensable part of the book is how Smith teaches an organized method to construct the framework for the story pieces. Smith offers fifteen steps for building a road map that will guide you from your novel's opening to its end. And believe me, I used it and it works. He teaches that every story should have nine master scenes. He explains (and includes figures of) the master story model where you write out nine master scenes on separate 5x8 index cards. Then on 3x5 index cards, you fill in the minor scenes that lead up to each master scene. He also explains how to increase the pace of the novel by bunching master scenes closer together as the story unfolds to keep the story exciting and the reader turning pages. By plugging in minor scene after minor scene into each master scene, you are developing an organized and complete framework for the story.
If you're looking for one book that will teach you how to get the bones of your story on paper in an organized fashion, "You Can Write A Novel" is the book for you.
I hope you've found this information helpful. I want to hear from you so please feel free to post comments. Next month I'll review "How to Write" by Herbert E. Meyer and Jill M. Meyer.
One night after watching the awesome movie "Julie & Julia" with my boyfriend, I shared with him my fears about sitting down at my writing desk and beginning the process again. He looked at me with the sweetest expression and quoted a line form the movie. He said: "Julia wasn't always Julia." He then reminded me that Julia Child couldn't boil an egg when she first started cooking. He suggested I start a blog to get me writing again. After thinking about it for some time, I thought aspiring writers might like to read reviews about "how to" books and books on writing by an author who has used them to learn how to write fiction. In the process I could actively continue to learn about the craft as well and perhaps find inspiration for my next novel. I decided I would read and review a book on writing every month and share my insights on what I think writers might find helpful.
The great Pablo Picasso once said: "Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working." I believe this explicitly. I hope my blog will help you and me write our next great novel. Let's get started together. Here we go...!
The first book I'll review is ""YOU CAN WRITE A NOVEL" by James V. Smith, Jr. I referred to it often when I wrote RFY. I think it's an awesome book for a first time author to read and study. I took notes on index cards on points I thought were super poignant to my writing goals and read them often so I would remember them. James Smith breaks down the process into simple, logical steps. He starts with tips on finding and refining a salable idea for your novel. Once you've done this, he has you build an indispensable Writer's Tool Kit which helps you organize your thoughts and characters onto paper. This kit includes index cards with pertinent information about characters and scenes. Throughout the book Smith includes numbered Lifesaving Rules for the Writer which are a variety of short technique advisories designed to keep you from wasting time or making fatal errors. My favorites are his Cardinal Rules that every writer should keep in mind while working on a draft. I copied these on index cards too and read them often. For me, the most indispensable part of the book is how Smith teaches an organized method to construct the framework for the story pieces. Smith offers fifteen steps for building a road map that will guide you from your novel's opening to its end. And believe me, I used it and it works. He teaches that every story should have nine master scenes. He explains (and includes figures of) the master story model where you write out nine master scenes on separate 5x8 index cards. Then on 3x5 index cards, you fill in the minor scenes that lead up to each master scene. He also explains how to increase the pace of the novel by bunching master scenes closer together as the story unfolds to keep the story exciting and the reader turning pages. By plugging in minor scene after minor scene into each master scene, you are developing an organized and complete framework for the story.
If you're looking for one book that will teach you how to get the bones of your story on paper in an organized fashion, "You Can Write A Novel" is the book for you.
I hope you've found this information helpful. I want to hear from you so please feel free to post comments. Next month I'll review "How to Write" by Herbert E. Meyer and Jill M. Meyer.
December 5, 2013
Nemesis: My Strong Ally. How my horse inspired me to become a dedicated rider and a novelist.
I still remember the first day I saw Nemesis, a four year old Dutch Warmblood mare. She was eagerly munching on grass in a lush green pasture in the spring of 1999. She was already mine, a gift from my newlywed husband, a newly-traded pitcher for the Texas Rangers. She was purchased from a reputable Grand Prix dressage trainer who had her on consignment at a stable in Argyle, Texas. At the time, I knew little about dressage, and the trainer assured me that Nemesis, despite her name, was a quiet and affable mare that would become a lovely amateur’s horse as long as I kept her in training. SOLD, I thought. I knew I would love her. I love all horses. I love their idiosyncratic smell, the sound of a stable full of them chewing their evening hay, the way they can whinny so loud it rumbles your soul. At twenty-nine years old, I was looking forward to my new life as a wife, Texan, horse owner, and new student to the art of dressage.
The first few months I lived in the Lone Star state I spent my afternoons frolicking at the stable. It fascinated me how pure the equine spirit truly is and I craved being around it. I became obsessed with learning everything I could about Nemesis and dressage. I read books, took as many lessons as I could, and asked my new barn buddies questions and their opinion on horse care and dressage. I was like a child let loose in a toy store and my new friends found my enthusiasm endearing. And on the outside, when I was at the stable, I was truly happy. What my new friends didn’t know was that on the inside, when I was away from the stable, I was slowly falling into a deep depression. Why? My six-month marriage was already failing miserably. The stable offered me respite from my problems at home and I found solace from my personal life when I arrived at the equestrian facility and entered the stable to the comforting sound of Nemesis’s welcoming whinnies and greetings from my dressage fraternity.
I’d be lying if I said that things always went smoothly with my rides, even with the opportunity to ride with a great trainer. Nemesis kept my mind and body active. She was a 16.1 hand bay and very strong compared to horses I’d ridden in the past. There were days I thought I should just give up and that I’d never learn to leg yield Nemesis. There were miserable rides where I left the ring crying, decent rides, and rides where I felt like I was on top of the world. I quickly learned that daily highs and lows, good rides and bad, were all part of learning dressage, but some days the added frustration of the challenging rides took a toll on my mood. I started keeping a journal to vent my frustrations and trouble shoot issues I was having both in my riding and my marriage. I did this for two years until one day I learned my husband was a serial philanderer and there was no way I was going to save the marriage. I was devastated and stopped keeping a journal.
The next few years were a blur. I moved back home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The divorce which required me to travel back and forth from Texas was arduous and draining. I was leading a half-hearted life. I still boarded Nemesis at a dressage stable, but there always seemed to be an excuse as to why I couldn’t go to the stable. I loved this horse so much. Why wasn’t I showing up every day? One evening the depression grew so overwhelming that I picked up my journal again after a three year hiatus and began writing about my feelings. I found that I felt guilt over much more than not going to the stable every day. I felt guilt over the death of my loving, inspirational, and hard working father who suffered a massive heart attack one evening in my kitchen. He had passed away instantly before my eyes and I, a fourth year pre-med student at the time, was unable to save him. I felt guilt over giving up on a dream of becoming a doctor the day he died because of this tremendous loss. He always believed I could achieve anything I put my mind to even when I thought otherwise. I felt guilt over how I thought my father would feel about me aborting my plan to attend medical school and the passionless life I was leading now all because of one person who may have never really understood what love or marriage was. I felt guilt over how sorry I was feeling for myself after the divorce which was causing me to withhold from Nemesis the attention she deserved—the same horse who nickered at the sight of me, who would lay her head on my shoulders while I picked her stall over the years more times than I could count, the same horse who had been there for me every single day since the day I bought her.
That night I vowed that I would never neglect her or my passion for riding again. I drove to the stable the next day and rode. And I rode. And I rode. Six day ride weeks with Nemesis became commonplace. After four years I was competing at second level and schooling third level movements. As long as I showed up, Nemesis was there for me and ready to work. We were as one; we were a team. One morning while jotting down thoughts in my journal I wrote: “You have inspired me Nemesis. We have a story to tell. I’m going to write a novel.” This task was as daunting at times as my goal to become a third level rider had been years ago. I’d go down to the stable and think about this as I tacked Nemesis. Now close to eleven years old, she still never objected and was in a way, like my father, an inspiration. So, when I set my mind on writing “Running for Yellow”, I thought of her every time I didn’t feel like writing, and I wrote. And I wrote. And I wrote. I showed up at the page and wrote, trying to learn the craft of writing just as Nemesis learned her craft of dressage. And yes, I borrowed from my life. I weaved my father, my divorce, my comeback from my divorce, and dressage themes into the story. It’s paying off. “Running for Yellow” was published this spring and it is receiving great reviews.
So, thank you to the art of dressage for its perfect beauty that arouses a passion in riders like me to strive daily to improve in the sport. Thank you to my beloved Papà for your motivational words echoing in my ears while I was writing, telling me I could accomplish any goal I set for myself. And thank you to my sweet Nemesis, the inspiration of my life, for your work ethic that inspired me to show up at the page every day and write. I love you.
“Running for Yellow” is a coming of age novel about a dressage rider and a daughter (a medical student) named Chiara who breaks a promise to her Italian immigrant father that she would first complete her education before pursuing marriage.
Read more about “Running for Yellow” on christinavarrasso.com, and like it on Facebook. https://facebook.com/runningforyellow.
The first few months I lived in the Lone Star state I spent my afternoons frolicking at the stable. It fascinated me how pure the equine spirit truly is and I craved being around it. I became obsessed with learning everything I could about Nemesis and dressage. I read books, took as many lessons as I could, and asked my new barn buddies questions and their opinion on horse care and dressage. I was like a child let loose in a toy store and my new friends found my enthusiasm endearing. And on the outside, when I was at the stable, I was truly happy. What my new friends didn’t know was that on the inside, when I was away from the stable, I was slowly falling into a deep depression. Why? My six-month marriage was already failing miserably. The stable offered me respite from my problems at home and I found solace from my personal life when I arrived at the equestrian facility and entered the stable to the comforting sound of Nemesis’s welcoming whinnies and greetings from my dressage fraternity.
I’d be lying if I said that things always went smoothly with my rides, even with the opportunity to ride with a great trainer. Nemesis kept my mind and body active. She was a 16.1 hand bay and very strong compared to horses I’d ridden in the past. There were days I thought I should just give up and that I’d never learn to leg yield Nemesis. There were miserable rides where I left the ring crying, decent rides, and rides where I felt like I was on top of the world. I quickly learned that daily highs and lows, good rides and bad, were all part of learning dressage, but some days the added frustration of the challenging rides took a toll on my mood. I started keeping a journal to vent my frustrations and trouble shoot issues I was having both in my riding and my marriage. I did this for two years until one day I learned my husband was a serial philanderer and there was no way I was going to save the marriage. I was devastated and stopped keeping a journal.
The next few years were a blur. I moved back home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The divorce which required me to travel back and forth from Texas was arduous and draining. I was leading a half-hearted life. I still boarded Nemesis at a dressage stable, but there always seemed to be an excuse as to why I couldn’t go to the stable. I loved this horse so much. Why wasn’t I showing up every day? One evening the depression grew so overwhelming that I picked up my journal again after a three year hiatus and began writing about my feelings. I found that I felt guilt over much more than not going to the stable every day. I felt guilt over the death of my loving, inspirational, and hard working father who suffered a massive heart attack one evening in my kitchen. He had passed away instantly before my eyes and I, a fourth year pre-med student at the time, was unable to save him. I felt guilt over giving up on a dream of becoming a doctor the day he died because of this tremendous loss. He always believed I could achieve anything I put my mind to even when I thought otherwise. I felt guilt over how I thought my father would feel about me aborting my plan to attend medical school and the passionless life I was leading now all because of one person who may have never really understood what love or marriage was. I felt guilt over how sorry I was feeling for myself after the divorce which was causing me to withhold from Nemesis the attention she deserved—the same horse who nickered at the sight of me, who would lay her head on my shoulders while I picked her stall over the years more times than I could count, the same horse who had been there for me every single day since the day I bought her.
That night I vowed that I would never neglect her or my passion for riding again. I drove to the stable the next day and rode. And I rode. And I rode. Six day ride weeks with Nemesis became commonplace. After four years I was competing at second level and schooling third level movements. As long as I showed up, Nemesis was there for me and ready to work. We were as one; we were a team. One morning while jotting down thoughts in my journal I wrote: “You have inspired me Nemesis. We have a story to tell. I’m going to write a novel.” This task was as daunting at times as my goal to become a third level rider had been years ago. I’d go down to the stable and think about this as I tacked Nemesis. Now close to eleven years old, she still never objected and was in a way, like my father, an inspiration. So, when I set my mind on writing “Running for Yellow”, I thought of her every time I didn’t feel like writing, and I wrote. And I wrote. And I wrote. I showed up at the page and wrote, trying to learn the craft of writing just as Nemesis learned her craft of dressage. And yes, I borrowed from my life. I weaved my father, my divorce, my comeback from my divorce, and dressage themes into the story. It’s paying off. “Running for Yellow” was published this spring and it is receiving great reviews.
So, thank you to the art of dressage for its perfect beauty that arouses a passion in riders like me to strive daily to improve in the sport. Thank you to my beloved Papà for your motivational words echoing in my ears while I was writing, telling me I could accomplish any goal I set for myself. And thank you to my sweet Nemesis, the inspiration of my life, for your work ethic that inspired me to show up at the page every day and write. I love you.
“Running for Yellow” is a coming of age novel about a dressage rider and a daughter (a medical student) named Chiara who breaks a promise to her Italian immigrant father that she would first complete her education before pursuing marriage.
Read more about “Running for Yellow” on christinavarrasso.com, and like it on Facebook. https://facebook.com/runningforyellow.
June 24, 2013
Running for Yellow
Enter to win Running for Yellow giveaway! Contest ends July 24.
