Geri Schear's Blog

Some people hate reading. I don’t understand why. Perhaps they never found the book that really captivated them. Maybe they aren’t able to concentrate. Sometimes I wonder if it’s like the advice about smoking that the late, great Robin Williams gave Kenneth Branagh in Dead Again.

Someone’s either a smoker or a nonsmoker. There’s no in-between. The trick is to find out which one you are and be that. (Dead Again 1991)

So, from that we should assume that people are either readers or they’re not. Or is there a way to get someone interested in reading if it isn’t real ly to their taaste?

Someone once asked me how to get their child interested in reading. I asked what sort of things the child liked. Space and science was, I think, the answer. I suggested they get books on those subjects, and novels based on space travel to spark their interest. The parent didn’t seem convinced. Alas, I don’t know if they ever tried my suggestion, but I still think it would have worked.

Getting children to read will reap enormous benefits in their lives, as it does for adults. I recently read an article about the impact of reading on the brain (the link is at the bottom of the page). I’ve been a big fan of books for as long as I can remember, but even so, I found many of the studies’ results referenced in the article staggering.

Maany of the benefits listed were fairly obvious. For instance, reading expands one’s knowledge, inspires one’s own creativity, and it stimulates the memory. Readers make better writers, probably because they have learned how fiction should work, and have developed their own tastes in fiction. Furthermore, they have much better vocabularies. That stands to reason, doesn’t it? Evidently, it only takes 15 minutes reading per day to see these benefits.

Some of the things I didn’t know include the fact that people who read regularly keep their neural pathways functioning effectively, which helps prevent or delay degenerative mental conditions. As a woman of advancing years (why are they called advancing? I suppose it’s better than declining, but still.) Anyway, the point is that if you make reading a habit, you will develop neurons that stay stronger for longer, and can help you resist the memory decline that some older people are inclined to.

Per Jim Kwik, the author of the article, people in this internet age find it hard to focus on anything for longer than a few seconds. Yes, seconds. Per research, it takes 23 minutes to recover from a distraction, so every time your phone pings, or you pause your activity to check an email, for instance, you are decreasing your ability to focus. So… don’t do that.

Kwik also referenced a 2015 study which shows that between 2000 and 2015, the average attention span dropped from twelve to 8 seconds. Yikes! It is significant that 77% of the participants in the study admitted that the first thing they did on waking was reach for their phone. Not only is this bad for us as humans, but it suggests a lack of connection with our own material world in preference to the online version. The moral here is to spend more time reading. It will help your attention span to last longer, and it will help your brain to function better. Oh, and speaking of older people, only 10% of us are prey to this living life by the phone and ‘net, so yay us! That said, I do pity younger people who will have serious issues later in life if their attention span is so compromised.

Reading has many impacts on the brain, all of them good. OK, so Einstein said too much reading can impinge on your creativity, but, let’s move on. In 2013, a study conducted by Emory University reviewed people’s MRI scans as they read. The study found that “the deeper readers went into the story, the more areas of their brain activated. Even more surprisingly, this activity stayed elevated for several days after participants finished the book. The more you read, the stronger these complex networks of activity become.”

As I said before, I do wonder if some books are more mentally stimulating than others. Would you be as enlightened, brain-wise, by a potboiler as by a work of classical fiction? Perhaps that should be the next study.

In 2009, a Sussex University study, found that reading reduces stress levels by up to 68%. I suspect your choice in reading materials may have something to do with this. I would guess that Jane Austen might prove more restful than Stephen King. Or perhaps it’s the act of reading that matters, not the substance of the material.

In Shadowlands, CS Lewis says, ‘We read to know that we are not alone.” Jim Kwik agrees. He says, “Reading helps you feel connected to the world in a unique way.” Reading makes us more empathetic and more understanding of our fellow humans.

Kwik concludes: “Reading is a habit that can improve your lifespan by reducing your stress, enhancing your mental health, developing new neural pathways, helping you learn empathy, improving your ability to communicate, and providing you with healthy entertainment. There may be a lot of new hobbies in the digital world, but reading is one of the few habits that improve your lifespan. In fifteen to thirty minutes a day, you can enjoy all of these amazing brain benefits and set you on the path to unlock your limitless life.”

In addition to all the above, I would add that reading can transport you to other lands and times, even to other planets. It can open to you the minds of the psychopath, the genius, and the schoolchild. Thanks to books, you can find a new friend in Elizabeth Bennet, or a nemesis in Doctor No. Reading doesn’t need special effects or Hollywood casting. There’s only you and the author with no intermediaries needed. All this and shiny brain too. There’s nothing like it.

All the studies referenced in this blog were first noted in Jim Kwik’s article here.

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Picture it: You’re happily whizzing through the first draft of what you are certain will be your debut, total blockbuster novel. Then you reach one of those minor scenes and you realise that you don’t actually know if there was a postal service in Victorian England. And, if there was one, you don’t know how it worked. A cold chill trickles down your spine. Yes, my friend, you have entered…

THE RESEARCH ZONE!

You have three options at this point. You can change that part of your story so the postal service doesn’t need to be mentioned. You can stop writing while you try to find out the answer to your question. Or you can keep writing, and plan to check the details later.

So how do you, the great novelist of the future, find the answers to these tricky questions with a minimum of fuss? More, how do you make sure those answers are accurate? Here are my tips for handling research with the least amout of bovver. Sorry, bother.

First, some words of caution. While I realise that you can pop the question to the electronic ‘expert’ of your choice — Google, Wikipedia, or Alexa — don’t accept information from any of them until you have double-checked where that information comes from. Wiki, in particular, has form for presenting inaccurate information as factual. It may be quick and easy, but it’s not always reliable. Double-check the information you receive before you incorporate it into your story.

That said, let’s look at some options you do have.

Write what you know

It helps a lot if you are already an expert in the subject you’re writing about. If your main character is a doctor, then it helps if you work / have worked in a hospital. If you still have friends who work in a hospital who can double-check details for you, you will, as we say in Ireland, be laughing.

There’s a reason that John Grisham’s books involve lawyers, because, you know, he was one. Stephen King set his first published novel, ‘Carrie’, in a school because at the time he was a school teacher.

Some time ago I was facilitating a class on creative writing. One of the participants said he was writing a ‘Children of the Corn’ type story set in Nebraska. How much time had he spent in Nebraska, I asked. None, he said. Was he planning on visiting before he started writing? Oh, no. He was (insert drum roll here) ‘just going to make it up.’ I gently suggested that the story would probably work just as well in Ireland. Where he actually lived. Oh no, he said. It has to be in Nebraska. Then, with a sneering look, he walked out.

I’m still waiting for his novel to reach print.

There was a time when even iconic writers made up the story as they went. Dickens, for instance. He tended to write his stories in serial form so he was working against the clock. No time to check minor details, and as a result, he did make some factual errors. One of these did, in fact, concerned the postal service. In ‘The Pickwick Papers’, which is set in 1827, Dickens’ characters oft make reference to the Penny Post, however, this was not established until 1840. Silly Charlie.

Some writers cope with the tricky research problem by setting their story in some alternate reality. This does sometimes work, but even here you need to be consistent with your ‘facts’.

Pay a visit

If you are determined to set your story in an environment unfamiliar to you, whether it’s another country, or a business you know little about, try as far as possible to check out said facility as best you can. A call to a specific company to ask if you could have a tour, explain why, may be helpful. The caveat here is if it’s a sensitive environment, government-funded, or something of that sort, you may get a nothing-doing answer. In that case, ask if they can refer you to a source of reliable information about the industry.

Getting the inside information about facilities with sensitive information, such as hospitals or doctor’s offices, may require considerable tact. You could try asking your GP for advice about how to proceed, but don’t be surprised if the answer is ‘nothing doing’.

Alternatively, there are several ‘inside the hospital’ types of programmes airing on TV in the UK and Ireland at present, and probably in many other countries. These can be valuable sources of information. Again, though, I would caution you to be sure of your facts before you set your story in an unfamiliar environment.

If you really must set your story in such an organisation, perhaps make your narrative character someone who doesn’t know much about the environment, or who has some sort of an axe to grind about that industry. Any gaffes you make, provided they are not too plentiful, can be attributed to your character’s bias or ignorancce. Still, you should take pains to correct their errors to the best of your ability. Another possibility is to make your point of view character a patient or a visitor, rather than an expert in whatever industry you choose.

Ask an expert

I don’t write about medieval history for good reason, but if I did decide to do so, I would turn to my friend Jane for feedback, because she does know the subject very well. If you are fortunate enough to know someone with expertise in a certain area, one you are writing about, be sure to pose your questions to them.

If you don’t know anyone personally who can help you out, ask for help on social media sites. Many experts like nothing better than talking about their area of expertise. There are organisations for all sorts of things, illnesses, charities, hobbies, etc. These are usually very happy to help you out, often with more information than you actually need.

Watch a documentary

As with all electronic sources, handle this with care. Documentaries tend to come with biases leaning in one direction or another. Try to get both sides of a story before you decide where the truth lies. This is as important for being a student of current events as it is for writing.

The more dispassionate you are in your writing about historical events, for instance, the better you will fare in the future. What is considered factual today, may be revealed as a fake tomorrow. An even-handed approach will serve you well. As with anything else, check your sources.

Listen to a podcast

When I went back to university a few years ago to get my BA, I listened to podcasts on my way to work. The journey was 1.5 hours or more (each way), so at least I could use the time well. If you take public transport regularly, make use of that time to listen to a lecture on a topic relevant to your writing. You can listen to podcasts while you are exercising, trying to sleep, or just for fun.

If you end up listening to someone talking about their early days as a doctor or a scientist, keep in mind that time changes environments, routines, and practices. Make sure that your information is appropriate for the time period of your story.

Read something

There are books on almost every subject you can think of. The person who refused to let you tour his facility? Yeah, he’s probably got a biography or an auto-biography out there. There are non-fiction books about every industry known to man, as well as countries, religions, and anything else that may prove helpful. Many of them are on audio, so you can listen to them when you’re travelling.

Use your life experiences

Make it a practice to note the most interesting places you visit, or unusual things you get to do. I’ve been to NASA, swum (after a fashion) in the Dead Sea, and have met more celebrities than I can count. I’ve also been fortunate enough to tour any number of industrial complexes. I’ve toothpaste made, steel been cut, and car hoses manufactured. I’ve travelled quite a bit. I’ve been a mother and a grandmother, and I have saved lives. I haven’t written about all of these things, but they have found a way into my stories, usually in a fairly unrecognisable manner.

Don’t ignore your life experiences. What may seem a dull routine to you might prove fascinating to someone else. Who would have thought that your day in a boring museum could provide you with so many great ideas for your fiction?

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You’ve heard it before, I’m sure: how long is a piece of string? The answer is there is no answer. String, like stories, come in all shapes and sizes. Perhaps your novel isn’t a novel but a novella, or a short story, or a short-short story. Like string, a story should be long enough to fit its purpose.

In my experience, there are two types of writers: those who over-write and have to trim, and those who under-write and have to expand. Both are valid, and both offer their own challanges.

Many writers will recognise when a story is too weighty. If Beta readers shudder at the size of the manuscript, it may be a sign that the author has been, shall we say, too generous with the word count. Of course, if you’re writing a fantasy saga, the length may not be a problem, but only if you are not over-writing.

Then again, if you have followed all the usual advice given to writers about how to be concise and have ended up with an anorexic story, you may need to plump it up a little. I do not mean fill it with fluff or with hot air, but to identify what is lacking, and correct it accordingly. Here are some ways to tell if your story is too short and, if it is, how to fill it.

How to tell if your story is the wrong length

As is often said, size doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that your story is well-written, relates all the essential details in an engaging manner, and reveals an interesting plot and characters. Unless you are determined that it should be a novel,

Unless you have decided that your story has to be a novel or a short story, you can just let it be its own length and not worry about it. However, if you are determined that it has to fit some specific format, then you need to decide if it’s worth fiddling with the story to accommodate standard length. If you are satisfied that the story is perfect as is, then you run a risk by messing about with it. Yes, it may be much better if it is longer or shorter, but at this stage, it’s hard to tell.

There are instances of short stories later being made into novels by their authors. This is called having your icecream sundae and eating it too. Well, it isn’t, but it could be. A couple of examples are Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, and another is Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.

But what if your story is good, not great, and you think it could be improved by making it longer or shorter?

Follow the clues

First, do the maths. If your story has twenty-plus characters, but it’s only a hundred pages long, that suggests that you either need to trim the nonessential characters to tighten up the story, or to expand the tale to give it more depth. Or, if your story is 1500 pages long (yikes!) and you have only two main characters, you might want to consider putting the story on a diet.

That reminds me of an interview with the late, great Stephen Sondheim that I saw some years ago. He said that when he was just starting to write musicals, he asked his neighbour, Oscar Hammerstein II, to read one of his manuscripts. At the top of the first page, Sondheim had written that the total number of pages was 200. In the interview, he said that most musicals ran about 90 pages. When Hammerstein returned the manuscript, he circled the 200 and wrote, ‘Wow!’

Another way to test whether the story is, in Goldilock terms, too long, too short, or just right, you might ask someone to read your draft. Ideally, they should be readers, particularly of your type of writing. They should be honest and specific. If they try to read your story and give up on it after a few days — never a good sign — listen to their feedback when it comes. Ideally, you want someone who won’t sugar-coat the problems they find. After all, you can’t fix problems unless you know that they exist.

A clue that your story is the wrong length is if your reader(s) say the story is confusing and they don’t understand the motivations of some characters, that may suggest a story that is too sparse. Alternatively, if the readers say the story is telling the same events over and over again, well, you can guess that you have the the opposite problem. Keep in mind that the only judge who really matters is you, but if you’re just learning your craft you would be wise to listen to feedback, especially if the same issues are cited by more than one person.

Another clue that your story may be too thin is if you have followed the standard writing advice that all adjectives and adverbs should be cut, and this may have left you with very dry prose.

One of the best ways to evaluate your writing is to set it aside for a couple of months, or at least six weeks. When you eventually re-read it, you see things more clearly than you did before. If it doesn’t flow the way you had thought, you may need to restructure it.

Even if no one gives you any feedback, if you feel in your gut that the story is too short, you are probably right.

Three other quick things that can help you come to your story with fresh eyes are these:

Change the font. Don’t ask me how this works, but somehow it does. Go from Times New Roman to Ariel, for instance, and you will see your story in a new light.

Change the colour of the font. Again, I’m sure psychologists can explain this, but I can’t. I just know that many writers have found it effective.

Use the audio feature on MS Word and listen to your story being read. You’ll be astonished at the errors you discover and the gaps that suddenly appear. This is also a great way of noticing that the story waffles on so long that it could pass for the literary equivalent of the Nile, or else it comes to a sudden, abrupt ending.

How to fix it

Many years ago, I read a novel by a famous author. It ran a robust 1056 pages and covered four centuries. But it was essentially the same story repeated one generation after another. Again, and again, and again. It has been reviewed at a sterling 4.6 / 5.0. Am I an unusually tough critic? I probably am. All the same, I know for a fact that I’m not the only one who was really irked by this story. It was the first of this acclaimed author’s novels I ever read and I have never read another.

The lesson from this is no matter what, don’t repeat yourself. Yes, Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon is a masterpiece, and the idea of describing the same event from multiple viewpoints can be incredible. Just remember that this approach is difficult for even an experienced author to pull off. If you find yourself taking this approach and repeating the same phrases and details again and again, you might want to rethink your plot.

Instead, start with noting areas where the story is too sparse. Perhaps your characters are the strong, silent type who never discuss their actions with the reader or anyone else. If so, you may want to change the point of view to an impartial, omniscient narrator, so they can tell us the characters’ secrets. Or introduce a character like the nosy, gossipy neighbour. Spend time describing the landscape, just not repeatedly. Don’t be afraid of some exposition. As a rule, showing rather than telling takes more words; something to keep in mind. And, finally, use adjectives and adverbs judiciously.

If you need to trim excess from your story, look for long passages of description, for repetition, and for a confusing composition.

If you really need to add something to the story, make it relevant. Show us the heart of your characters. Reveal their secrets. Give them ambition, disappointments, loves and hates. This is why we read. Give it to us and we will love you forever.

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A few days ago, I watched a video about becoming a true artist. It was aimed in particular at visual artists, but practitioners of the other mediums were included, writers, musicians, etc. The one word the host used most frequently was ‘rigour’. The artist must pursue his or her art with rigour he said.

‘Rigour’ is defined as thoroughness, accuracy, and strictness.

While I mostly agree with him, I feel such an approach could prove intimidating to young writers. If you are just starting to write with the idea of making it your profession, and if you’re a young teen, you might be put off by this idea.

As with any profession, writers need to serve an apprenticeship. This suggests that, in addition to producing writing, they also take time to reflect and to learn. Yes, they need to learn good work habits and immerse themselves in the essentials of writing, but that ‘rigourous’ approach should, in my opinion, come later.

Perhaps you disagree with me. Certainly there have been great writers who were already producing extraordinary work while they were young. However, I would suggest that these are the outliers. Malcolm Gladwell said in his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, that “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.” In the same book, Gladwell cites experts’ research claiming it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become proficient in any endeavour.

While I agree in principle that most people need a great deal of practice before they become proficient in writing or in anything else, I know that some may not take as long, and others will take considerably longer. Some may never become better than a good amateur, no matter what they do. Don’t knock that. If your chosen activity brings you joy, then what does it matter if you will never be the next Hemingway? Besides, some people don’t achieve excellence until they are well up in years.

Several years ago, when I was in my fourties, I met with a literary agent who asked me, “Why has it taken you so long to get started?” I was unprepared for the question, and I gave some lame reply. But if I’d had time to think about it, I might have said, I’ve been writing since I was two years old. Yes, really. I told stories to my classmates during our breaks. I won school awards for poetry. Then I got my nursing degree, I travelled, married, became a mother, then a single mother, continued working until I dropped, and eventually came home again to Ireland. In the meantime, I kept writing and my short stories were being published in literary journals. All of this I could have told him, and more. To misquote the title of a 1980s film, I was dancing as fast as I could.

Why didn’t I say any of this to him? Partly because I sensed that he didn’t really care. Partly because I guessed that he wouldn’t have posed the question in such a condescending manner to another man. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I already knew he was not an agent that I wanted to work with. You make choices in life, some good, some disasterous; most you will never know how the alternative would have worked out.

No, I’m not changing the subject. I’m saying that you can put your all into becoming a writer, but the rest of your life won’t sit and wait while you do it. Indeed, if you really want to write, then you need to live your life to the fullest. That is the most fundamental part of becoming a writer.

It’s not unusual for kids to want it all and to want it now, as if life were a fastfood place. These days, many adults embrace the same philosophy. But art, any art, doesn’t respond to that sort of thinking. Art demands sacrifice. If you are old enough to remember the TV series ‘Fame’, you might recall that it opens with the dance teacher saying, “You’ve got big dreams. You want fame. Well, fame costs, and right here is where you start paying.”

My only quibble with that statement is it should apply to the art (of dancing, in that instance, but it’s true of any art), rather than that most unreliable of things: fame. It doesn’t seem to take so much these days to become famous. Get a YouTube site, a topic and a mic, and off you go. No, I’m sure it isn’t that simple, but compare it with years of study, of tears, of rejection, and I think you’ll agree which one is harder. Then again, will so-called ‘influencers’ be remembered in 30 years? Now think how many great novelists you can list. I’ll wait.

But coming back to ‘rigour’ for a moment, yes, I agree that it’s necessary. BUT you have to be realistic about what you can pay into your creativity bank. We all have commitments, demands on our time, and, for some of us, squeezing in 15 minutes writing time per week is an amazing achievement.

Youth should be a time of discovery. Yes, you should get as much education as you can; you should explore all your potential, and see as much of the world as you can afford. Apart from it making you a more open-minded and well-rounded individual, it gives you things to write about.

If you really want to write, then write. Find a quiet place if you can, and express yourself on paper or on a computer. Develop your talent, but not to the exclusion of everything else. This, too, is part of your apprenticeship.

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Last week I talked about getting through a sorta-bad day, and it got me wondering: how do you keep going when the roof is leaking, when you’ve received your fifteenth rejection in a row, and the letter E is missing from your keyboard?

If we’re honest, most of the time writing is just what you do. You don’t focus on the act of writing, but on the content of what you’re creating. You sit at your desk or wherever, and the words appear on the screen or page as if by magic. But there are times when it feels like you have to squeeze every blessed word out from between your eyeballs. I can’t speak for you, but during those times I feel like a tightrope walker who can’t stop looking down.

Some days, the worries of daily living feel inescapable, especially if a loved one is very ill, or the problems besetting you are life-changing, and not in a good way.

I’ve always been amazed at people like Cervantes or Solzhenitsyn who wrote in prisons under terrible conditions. Perhaps writing was their escape from reality. Stephen King kept writing even after he had suffered near-fatal injuries after being struck by a car when he was out for a walk one day in 1999. He, like many others, escaped his grim reality and found refuge in his fictional worlds.

This reminds me of those great actors–bear with me–the ones who become utterly immersed in their parts. I think they have something essential in common with really good writers: an unshakable ability to focus. They can shut out the real world and enter one of imagination with enviable ease. This doesn’t only make them great actors and writers, but it serves as a buffer against the slings and arrows of the real world. If you could ever meet him and ask about it, I bet Daniel Day-Lewis and most other Oscar winners would agree.

But let’s be honest, we can’t all be that focused. Most of us are so surrounded by distractions that concentration, even for putting cereal into a bowl, becomes a challenge. I’m the oldest of six children, and there’s a big age gap between me and my brother David. From being an only child up to the age of six, I suddenly–or so it seemed to me–had a brood of little ones to look after. Perhaps that is what got me started writing in the first place; writing enabled me to return to that time when I was an only. And don’t kid yourself that only kids are lonely; if they’re anything like me, they have a whole world of imaginary friends. I went flying with Biggles, took long walks with Elizabeth Bennet, but visited Kirrin Island with the Famous Five.

These days, I have chats with Agatha Christie about my mystery novels, get pep talks from George Harrison, and get what-not-to-do advice Auntie Bette Davis. When it comes to advice, there is no one like a straight-talking imaginary guru.

In the real world, as we call it, many of the great actors have talked about having an active imaginary life, many admit they needed it to escape from an often troubled reality. Indeed, it’s curious how many of the best actors and writers have dealt with very troubled childhoods.

With all that in mind, if you were to ask me what are the three essentials for becoming a good writer I would say focus, persistence, and a smidgeon of talent. Don’t ‘at’ me, you and I know that there are plenty of writers out there who have build amazing (one might say unfathomable) success on a smidgeon of successs, but a great deal of persistence and focus. If they can do it well, my friends, why can’t you? And before you try to Virginia Woolf me, I will agree that a room of one’s own, while a definite plus, can be done without, if your focus is up to it. Listen, if Solzhenitsyn can do it, why can’t I?

So if this is the life you choose, make the committment to spend time in your imagination, and learn how to focus. In time, that fictional world will become so much a part of you that you’ll hardly notice the blur between the real and the illusion. Indeed, for some, the illusion is all that matters, but those people tend to live in straight-jackets and no one wants that.

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Just don’t look down.

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Have you ever had one of those days? The kind where you leave the house with mismatched shoes. Where your favourite cup shatters even though you haven’t touched it, and your best tee-shirt somehow developed a hole in the armpit overnight. That was today for me, and it’s only 3pm. Yikes!

I had to get up early (Okay, early-ish) to go to the doctor’s office for a blood draw. I had a stellar four-hours sleep, which is pretty usual for me. A cltoudy day hung around outside trying to look innocent, but I live in Ireland where there are no innocent clouds. All the same, for about half-an-hour I vascillated over what I should wear: tee-shirt, tee-shirt and a cardigan, or tee-shirt a raincoat. In the end, I opted for the latter. I was half-way to the doctor’s office — it’s only a 10-minute walk — when the heavens let loose several bucketsful of rain. I squelshed into the doctor’s office. The receptionist said, ‘Oh, is it raining?’ as I dripped onto the sign-in sheet.

When I got home, damp and with a hole in my left antecubital, I made a cup of tea and sat down to write the blog. I had it all but written in my head, but I hadn’t actually put any of it down yet. You see, I got a new laptop a couple of days ago, and it took me a little time to figure some things out.

This is when the problems really began.

I couldn’t get in to the blog. The password I had saved was, it seemed, a century old. I tried to change it. WordPress wasn’t having it. I tried to log on via Facebook. Nope. Apple. No. Then WordPress rather sniffily told me that I had tried to change my password too many times, and I would have to sit on the naughty step for another hour before it would let me try again.

Jerk.

After another cup of tea, several naughty words, and watching a video about cats to calm me down, I went digging through my notebook of passwords. Ooh, guess what: I’m not as clueless as I thought. There was an updated password scrawled upside-down in the margins at the bottom of a page. I tried it and, voila! Here I am. It only took three hours.

Of course, by then, I was too rattled to remember what I had planned to write, so instead I decided to tell you about my day.

Anyway, the point is that things happen that we haven’t planned for. We are working against the clock and something breaks. The car or the washing machine decide to go to the big Best Buy in the sky. Or the child gets sick and needs to come home early from school. Or the new laptop… Well, you get the drift.

The thing about bad days is that we all have them, and sometimes they turn out ok.

When my daughter was little, she was a big fan of the children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Many years later, I happened upon an article about a man who went for a job interview. The interviewer studied his name on his CV and said, ‘Your name is Alexander Viorst? Are you the Alexander of the Terrible, Horrible…’ Alexander admitted he was, and probably, not for the first time, rued the day his mother wrote a story about him. But the interviewer was delighted. And Alexander got the job.

You see, even bad days can have their up-side. Maybe the blog you end up writing is better than the one you had planned, or at least made some people smile. And bad days pass.

Even in Australia.

PS: If you haven’t read Ms Viorst’s book, please do. It’s still my favourite of all my daughter’s children’s book. And, as I hope you’ve guessed, it helps grown-ups who have had bad days too.

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If I asked you to name the five most memorable characters in literature, I wonder who you would select. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest‘s McMurphy? Dracula? Hannibal Lecter?

There are some characters who are so evil or just plain nasty that you can’t help obsessing over them, while others are the embodiment of honor and courage. For me, one of the latter is Horatio Hornblower. If you’re not familiar with him, he was created by CS Forester. He is a British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. The books follow his career from his first outing at sea as a Midshipman, to eventually becoming Admiral of the Fleet. He is brave and resourceful, but he gets seasick every time he sails. He likes to shower on the deck of his ship, to the great amusement of his men, and he is one of the most charismatic characters in fiction.

At the opposite end of the scale, we have Dracula. He, too, is charismatic, but more in the manner of a snake hypnotising its prey. The Count doesn’t seem intersted in showering, and I just can’t imagine him ever getting sick, even if he’d gorged himself on blood. (Ick!) Dracula is alluring in a preditory manner. Indeed, he is so alluring that for over a century he has been one of the most re-interpreted characters in fiction. We see him on the screen, both big and little, and every writer or screenwriter tries to view him differently. We have the almost-silent Christopher Lee, to the creepy Gary Oldman, to the sexually alluring Frank Langella.

What makes a character so compelling that can he can survive for over a hundred years, constantly capturing the public’s imagination? How are so many interpretations of the character able to fly into the public’s hearts like a bat out of — well, you know.

Many writers have given their characters quirks in the hopes of making them memorable. Miss Marple has her knitting and her cottage in St Mary’s Mead, while Poirot is a funny little chap with an egg-shaped head, an impressive moustache, and an even more impressive collection of little grey cells.

Between you and me, I always found Poirot to be something of a cartoon. He doesn’t come across as a flesh and blood human being. He had so many quirks but, alas, very few human traits, at least to my mind. Yes, he gets angry and he can be arrogant, but his conversations seem solely about his cases or his physical comforts. Where were his memories of the war? His grief over lost loves or family members? Did he even have a family?

Don’t get me wrong, quirks can be fun. They can help to make your character memorable, and there’s no denying their effectiveness in Poirot’s case, but they can never replace a human heart and soul.

Going back to Horatio Hornblower for a moment, is he mostly quirks, or mostly humanity? While he is sometimes afraid, he never lets it get in the way of what he has to do. He has a brilliant mind and often finds creative solutions for seemingly unsolvable problems. His men’s trust in him is absolute, as is his in them. It is these things that make him such an exceptional character, not his seasickness or his penchant for showering on the deck. In other words, while his quirks enhance his humanity, they don’t replace it.

Many writers start a story with the plot. Whether they are writing a contemporary novel or a space adventure, it seems natural to start with the main issue and work that out first. Only later do the characters start to come together, usually to fill in the gaps created by the plot. However, for most people, it’s the character who lingers in the memory. Try asking a few people what they think of, “The Silence of the Lambs,” and very few will mention the kidnapping of the Senator’s daughter. Instead they will immediately discuss Hannibal Lecter. Don’t you?

Characters can be difficult to create, and, more importantly, to make original. Young writers sometimes feel that they have to load them up with a bunch of oddities to make them stand out. Some think they should give them some vulnerabilities so they seem more sympathetic. As I mentioned, naval hero Hornblower gets seasick. Inspector Morse felt sick at the sight of blood. These quirks do arouse sympathy, but also some amusement. While these tricks, and that’s what they are, have their uses, they cannot replace the meat-and-potatoes of real characterisation. if you want your hero, villain, or anyone else to seem well rounded, remember these elements:

Character is all about behaviour

Think about actors. A really good one will immerse himself in his part. He understands the motivation, the fears, and the hopes of his character. The audience will interpret that character by how the actor delivers his or her lines, interacts with others in the play, and how they inhabit their space on the stage or screen. A weak character may shuffle or sidle by, hoping not to be noticed. A strong character will dominate the stage, just as a strong individual dominates whatever room they walk into.

While the great actors of the world will explore their character from the inside out, the poor one will rely on things like makeup and costumes. Think of the various Joker portrayals in the Batman films, and decide who played the part best and who worst, and you’ll see what I mean.

The character is revealed by his goals

The character must want something. Perhaps they want to go to an elite university, or learn how to ski, or bring justice to a racist town. Or maybe they want revenge on the person who stole from them, who cheated on them, or perhaps it’s someone they just don’t like. Their goal may be concrete, such as a dog to keep them company, or a new car to show off to the neighbours. Or it may be more ephemeral such as wanting to clear their father’s name of a crime. The nature of the goal tells you a lot about the character.

How does the character react to frustrations

The heroic, or even simply a moral character, will find honourable ways to overcome obstacles. In fact, obstacles will give the character a chance to find creative solutions for his problems. The villain, on the other hand, will take a far more aggressive approach. They may not resort to violence, depending on the type of story you’re writing, but they will think nothing of lying, cheating, and stealing.

How they react to weaker characters

Imagine your character is a schoolteacher. Consider them reacting to an abusive parent. Will they try to defend the child, or give in to threats? Until recently, the hero showed himself to be chivalrous by how he treated the damsel in distress. These days, the hero might be a woman who is helping a male in distress. Or the weaker character may be someone vulnerable because they are homeless, mentally ill, or a child. It may even be an animal.

How they speak about themselves

Is your character a braggart telling everyone how great he is? Oh come, I’m sure we can all think of someone like that. Or are they so humble that they fear to draw any attention to themselves? The hero is usually willing to explain themselves, though not always depending on the circumstances.

Think about your own favourite heroes. How does Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings) describe himself, or Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)? What about the villains such as Blofeld (in many of the James Bond novels) or Nurse Ratchet (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).

Don’t be afraid of quirks, but don’t rely on them either. Build your character out of your own aspirations and fears and he or she will come to life for the reader. Give him a sense of humour and some creativity and your character will rock.

The quirks are optional.

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Several years ago I watched a reality show on television. The objective was to find an actor to play the part of Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. One of Lloyd Webber’s comments stuck with me: “We need a Joseph who will inspire confidence in the audience.”

It struck me at the time that this is one of those things that the reader expects from a writer. Confidence. We want to read a novel without worrying that the writer will run out of steam, that we, the readers, are in safe hands.

This came back to me this week when the news broke of the death of the incomparable Dolly Parton. One of the stories about her that emerged was one about how Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, asked Dolly to sign over the rights to her song, ‘I will Always Love You’, ostensibly so that Elvis would record it. Despite her youth, Dolly refused, and it was a good thing she did. The song brought her millions later on. That was a woman who was confident in her talent.

All of these things come down to the confidence the artist has in his or her work. We must believe that our work is worth doing, that it speaks to our talent and that it faithfully represents the human being that we are. Ultimately, that confidence must make itself known in our work, be it art, or music, or writing.

So, how do we make our confidence apparent? Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, we must first feel confident in our work. Where can that confidence be found? I suspect the answer is different for everyone. Perhaps you need positive feedback from people you trust. Maybe you need to see your work published in order to believe in it. Or maybe you are one of those lucky few who just know that you are talented and that your work is exceptional. There are, I am told, writers like that. I’m not one of them. I needed to do well in writing competitions, get feedback from people who knew what they were talking about, see my work published, and receive excellent reviews. My confidence grew from all these things. I would like to add that with maturity came wisdom, but, well, perhaps some day.

In addition to that belief in oneself, the writer also needs to produce work that leaves the reader in no doubt that he or she is reading what is sometimes called ‘muscular prose’. In other words, writing that is unique, profound, and takes chances. Read Hemingway if you need an example. He never used one extraneous word. His writing is sparse, specific, and uncompromising. He wrote as if he never doubted his ability for even one moment. I don’t know if that was indeed the case, but that is what his writing suggests. Another author I recently discovered is Jonathan Safran Foer, whose first novel, Everything is Illuminated certainly brightened my life and left me awed by the talent on display. And if short stories are your interest, check out the superb Raymond Carver.

In addition to reading exceptional writers, here are some ways you can develop confidence in your work, if you suspect it is lacking.

Copy no one

No matter how much you admire another writer, you still have to be you. We already have a Hemingway, a Joyce, a Beckett. What we don’t have is you. Be you. Write of your own unique experiences. I’m giving you the same advice any parent gives when their kid is going on a first date, or starting a new school: be yourself. Or, as Oscar Wilde allegedly said, ‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken.’

Yes, there are supposedly a limited number of plots, but even with that being the case, everyone approaches their storytelling differently. Tell your story your way. Your experiences are yours alone, no matter how universal they may be. Plumb your own depths and share your darkest truths, let fear be damned.

Write through the fear

Fear only matters if it stops you from doing something you want. Many times fear is a good thing. It stops you from playing chicken in traffic, or ignoring railway warnings, or ice skating on a thinly frozen lake. But while fear of that kind exists to protect you, the fear that keeps you from exploring your creativity is not helpful, or at least not if you let it get in your way.

I’m not saying you should set your fear aside; I, for one, find that impossible to do. Instead, I work through it. I remind myself that my writing is important to me and I’m more likely to shrivel away if I don’t write than if I do. Besides, I’m going to shrivel away eventually; might as well have fun on the way. Right?

Many actors say they took a certain part because it scared them. They know that working through the fear will help them to grow as an actor. Think of those actors who are popular but who always play some version of the same part. Some of them stay for years going from one cheesy sitcom to another. All that changes is the name of the character they play. Indeed, there is at least one who always uses his own name, no matter what part he’s playing. Allegedly, this is because he can’t get ‘into’ the character unless it has the same name as himself. Would you rather watch an actor like that, or someone who seems a chameleon, whose performance always surprises? You can make the same argument for artists, musicians, or weavers. Every pattern, every story, is the same.

Work through your fear. Try it for a year, every day sit at your desk and work. Then, at the end of the year, read your early work and compare it with your recent efforts. You’ll be amazed at how much you have grown.

Stop mumbling

We have all seen the kid in the class who, when called upon to give an answer, or to read a passage, hums and haws and stares at their feet. Surprisingly, in many cases the kid’s answer is often correct, the reading spot-on. Yet they are unable to let go of their nerves. Likewise, there are brilliant actors, award-winners, highly acclaimed, who vomit before they go on stage. It has nothing to do with talent, it has to do with fear, with a lack of confidence.

The writer’s equivalence of this is the mumbling, shuffling prose of the nervous writer. Their opening page reads like a child’s essay.

Well, last Sunday — maybe it was Saturday — no, it was Sunday. My mum was a bit worried. I mean, she was sort of annoyed with the weather. I mean, it was dry. Right then, it was dry, but it looked like it might rain a bit…

How much confidence does this instill in you? Not much, right?

Be definitive in your prose. Be specific about where and when things happen. Drop all the ‘I mean’, ‘I think’, and the ‘a bit’, ‘really’, ‘perhaps’ kind of wishy-washy writing. It’s okay in a first draft, but for later drafts you need to sound as if you know what you’re talking about.

Accept criticism

Confidence does not, or should not, mean arrogance. No matter how talented you are, you can still learn from others. No, not all criticism is valid. Some comes from places of jealousy, anger, or ignorance. However, you may still find that those people are capable of offering reliable judgement. Or you may find that these people are worth avoiding when you want feedback.

If you are lucky enough to have a mentor or a teacher then seek their opinion. Remember, even experts can be wrong sometimes, but they are most often right.

Accept all criticism gracefully, even the variety that you don’t like. Appreciate that people took the time to read your work and to offer you their opinion. You don’t necessarily have to accept their comments, but you don’t have to be nasty about it either.

In time you will learn what criticism is valid and what is not, but even in the early days you should note when the same comments come from more than one source. One person may be wrong, but if two or more people tell you some specific element isn’t working, you should try to correct that flaw. Learning, and fixing your errors is the only way to improve.

Meditation and Affirmations

Many writers feel better if they meditate for a time before they start writing. You don’t need a special room, or a mat to sit on. A quiet place, in or out of your home, somewhere you can concentrate and free your thoughts is all you need. And, of course, if you don’t think it’s for you, there’s no rule that says you have to try it. While many writers find it helpful, only you can decide if you are one of them.

Repeating positive phrases before you start writing can help to raise your confidence. If one affirmation really strikes you, write it out and hang it over your desk. Otherwise, just pick a few and repeat them to yourself. I once created a PowerPoint of my favourite affirmations and quotes about writing. Watching it regularly did help my confidence to grow. You can find ‘positive affirmations for writers’ on the internet. I’m sharing some of my favourites, but there are dozens of others.

Some of my favourites include:

Every day I write, my work improvesWriting is how I find my place in the worldMy talent grows each time I writeI will write and not be afraidMy writing is my gift to myself and to the worldI am brave enough to write and to share my workOthers will only take my writing seriously if I doI am serious about my writingWriting is its own rewardI will always prioritise my writing[image error]Pexels.com" data-large-file="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." width="975" height="1300" src="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." alt="" class="wp-image-19771" srcset="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 975w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 113w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 225w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 768w" sizes="(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px" />Photo by Wendy Wei on Pexels.com

Have you even driven somewhere and, when you arrived, realised you couldn’t remember the drive? It happens to all of us. It’s called, variously, ‘highway hypnosis’, being on auto-pilot, or zoning out. Nor is it only driving that has this effect; exercising, knitting, sewing, and any other activity that you perform by rote lulls your conscious mind. It doesn’t mean that you are unsafe during these moments, or that there’s something wrong with your mind. This is just your brain saving its energy for more important matters. It’s also why we sometimes forget where we parked.

I know this sounds like some sort of hippie mumbo-jumbo, but it is a scientifically studied phenomenon. According to Sciencing, it is a combination of two behaviors. The first is what happens when you lose time during a familiar activity. Scientists describe it as hyper-focused automatic attention. It happens when you are so engrossed in a task that your brain goes into that autopilot mode, but your subconscious remains alert and focused on that task.

The second behaviour is called procedural memory. This happens when the brain automatically recalls how to perform familiar tasks (like driving) without much conscious effort. Per Sciencing, “The autopilot relies on the part of the brain that controls the primary physiological subconscious hub — the basal ganglia.”

Any number of activities can produce this effect, and can help those with a creative mindset to harness our artistic instincts. I’ve quoted this many times before, but this is a good place to state it again, Agatha Christie said she got her best ideas while washing the dishes. Now we know why.

If you are of a creative mindset, but feel the need for a creativity boost, you may find your answer in the most banal and boring activities of daily living. First, let’s make sure we are not going to be distracted by silly stuff. How?

If you are at home, doing the dishes or something similar, make sure your environment is comfortable. Not too hot, not too cold — a place where Goldilocks could feel happy. Keep the music fairly soft, or dispense with it altogether. Heavy Metal and the Zone are not a good mix. That said, if it works for you, go for it.

Make sure your clothing is comfortable, not too tight, too itchy, or otherwise distracting.

And possibly the most important of all, stop checking yourself to see if you’ve entered the zone yet. That, my friend, is counterproductive. Just try to relax and it will happen.

Some activities that can lull your conscious mind includes, not only driving, but travelling as a passenger. A long journey on a train or a bus, particularly when you are alone, can lull your brain into that zone-mode. (NOTE: If you are a passenger in a car driven by a friend or family member, you can expect them to want you to entertain them. Yes, it is annoying. No, I don’t know how to fix it.)

Work around the house such as painting the walls, sweeping or vacuuming, or taking care of the garden can all get you zoning out.

Other artistic activities such as knitting, crocheting, painting, sculpture, etc., will allow your mind to wander. As long as the activity doesn’t involve language or critical thinking, it seems to stimulate those creative thoughts.

Engaging with the arts is one of my preferred choices. Going to a concert or an art exhibition really give my creative energy a boost. Listening to an incredible piece of music, a wonderful singer, or seeing an outstanding actor on stage always gets me running to my laptop and start typing.

There is one other activity that can help boost your creativity: sleep. More accurately, that twilight moment betwixt wakefulness and sleep. I have found that if I think about some sticky passage in my writing, I may well dream the solution. No, it’s not foolproof, but it does sometimes work. Plus, there’s a chance I may think of the solution before I fall asleep. Then I have to hope that I won’t have forgotten it by morning.

From a creatives’ point of view, these zoned-out moments can be immensely helpful. You are struggling with a plot point? Do the dishes. Can’t come up with a story? Knit something. Not only may you improve your creativity, but your spouse will be impressed by your contributions to the chores!

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For the uninitiated, writing prompts are hints to help you start you writing. They can be scenarios, pictures, quotes, or anything else that will get your creative neurons sparking. You can find prompts that are specific to a genre, some that are opening sentences, and others that are designed for children. If you type ‘writing prompts’ into Google, and get hundreds, if not thousands, of options.

If you really want to write, or get into the practice of writing, but you haven’t got any project in mind, prompts can fit the bill. At least for a while.

Prompts can prove enormously helpful, if you use them correctly. What does that mean?

The Benefit of Prompts

If you are a new writer but don’t know what to write about then prompts can be very helpful. They can suggest writings based on things you have observed, on one or more of your senses, or on characterisation. Some writers prefer prompts to be specific, along the lines of, two drivers argue over a minor fender-bender. It ends in a bloody nose for one, and jail time for the other. Others prefer the prompts to be looser, such as this hypothetical opening: there was something eerie about the house with the red door…

You can write every day each time using a new prompt. If you vary the types, you will develop your writing talent in a number of areas. You will also expand your imagination and, possibly, improve your observational skills. It depends on the type of prompts you use. I confess, I am drawn to the ones that are somewhat wacky and give my imagination full range, but you are probably best served by using a variety of different types, especially if you are new to writing.

If you want to write but don’t have any ideas of your own, use prompts until your own idea comes — and it will come.

Sometimes, a prompt will act as a springboard for your own story. The example above of the house with the red door could unlock some memories or ideas that might grow into a proper story.

If you are between projects and don’t want to get out of the habit of writing, prompts can fill the gap until you’re ready to start a new story of your own.

However…

The Down Side of Prompts

In many ways, prompts can be like training wheels on a kid’s bicycle. You get so used to using them that you shudder at the thought of going it alone. Prompts can be fun, entertaining, and not very demanding. You can turn out a story based on a prompt in around 15-20 minutes, and not break a sweat. But coming up with your own ideas, working them into stories complete with characters, complications, and resolutions, is bloomin’ hard work.

If you stick exclusively to one type of prompts, you’re doing yourself a disservice. The greater the variety you try, the more you will expand your writing skill. Heaven knows, there are thousands of prompts out there, so you have no excuse not to try.

20 Prompt Ideas

Here are twenty prompts to give you some ideas of what they are like, if the concept is new to you. I have tried to make the selection fairly diverse, but as I’ve said, there are many more online that you can check out.

Write about the funeral of someone you hated.Write your own ending to a favourite novel or short story.Start a story with, “He’d be a great man but for…”Observe a stranger and make up a story about them based on their clothing and behaviour.Describe a character without using any adjectives.Start a story with, “Is that blood?”Start a story with, “I’ve never seen rain like that before.”As a punishment, you have to spend one week without one of your senses. What sense will it be, and how will you get by? Write in diary form about the experience.Describe the sky without using colours or weather.Write the opening to one of your favourite novels using a different point of view. If possible, from the POV of a person of the opposite sex from the original tale.A new world-changing pill has revolutionised society. What is it, and what is its terrible side-effect?Write a story that has no conflict.Write a deathbed confession about the worst thing you ever did.A woman has been found dead in a pond — in a standing position. Write a news report about the event and offer some explanation of what happened.Your best friend is convinced that a conspiracy story is real, but you know the truth, and it’s worse than anyone could imagine. Ray Bradbury wrote a short story based on Sara Teasdale’s poem, There will come soft rains. Find a poem you like and build a story around it.Write about a violent conflict on public transport.You have just been released from prison after serving 20 years for a crime you did not commit. What will you do now?A wedding that ended badly.Your character will not do as he / she is told. You, the author, argue with them about it. Describe the conversation.

Prompt Sites

To finish up, here are three of my favourite places to look for more prompts. There are many more, but these are my top choices. If you use Pinterest, just type writing prompts in the search area, and you should find plenty of choice. Enjoy!

Reedsy

Writers Digest

Pinterest

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