You have to be interesting before you can be made sympathetic

If you need to introduce a character that will later be killed off or suffer some tragedy, make sure that you make them interesting first. People won't be as connected to a generic character. E.g. TV show Bitten - they introduce a woman who will later be killed; her story is just that she's a young bride about to be married, and is related to the main character. There's not enough there to really hook the reader in - we can see what's coming, we can predict this character will be gotten rid of. If she seemed more important to the story, it would have more impact when she was taken away, with the greater purpose of creating a sense of unpredictability for the reader.

Let It All Flow, THEN Edit

Neurological studies show you can't be creative and critical at the same time.

Sometimes I feel stuck for an idea. I might have a bunch of vague, half-formed ideas running around in my mind, but nothing in particular is grabbing me at the moment. Or maybe I'm drawing a complete blank. When I'm feeling like this, I put my pen to the paper and start writing about whatever vague idea is on my mind. (Writing prompts are helpful here, too.) Did I have an image of a purple tiger in my head? Fine - that is the image that is resonating with me right now. I'm not going to question it, I'm just going to write about it. As I keep writing, the story begins to take on a life of its own. After a faltering start, eventually, EVENTUALLY, I get into it. Your unconscious is brimming with ideas and feelings and images, and it knows what it wants to write about. You have to take off the leash and let it run.

Remember: This is Supposed to Be Fun

I once heard a writer say that "Good writing is fun for the reader to read, and fun for the author to write."

- feeling angsty - idea isn't coming along; feeling stuck in editing process - remember that this should be fun. Maybe the editing feels gruelling right now, but it won't last forever. Eventually it'll be done, and you can go back to the fun of writing.



I love this quote for several reasons.

If you ever feel stuck for an idea,

Sometimes, I find myself getting angsty about my writing. Maybe a "great idea" isn't humming along as well as I thought it would. Maybe I'm...


When in doubt, you can

Inspiration - Writing from Cultural Legends and Fairytales

Walt Disney is well known for adapting fairytales to the big screen, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by the Brothers Grimm, to Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid/The Snow Queen (the inspiration for Frozen). It's no coincidence that Disney drew from these rich sources. Fairytales...

- Fairytales have lasted for a long time; have meanings, morals, images that transcend time. Transcend time *and* different cultures.  Timeless, universal appeal. They reflect core parts of the human experience; reflect deep/resonant truths about the human experience; they capture our imagination and impart wisdom.


- include ideas I read in the "official" Disney biography

Taffy: I love your poem. It was romantic, and it rhymed. 
Milhouse Van Houten: Well, I used a rhyming dictionary, but it only gives you options. The job of the poet is to say, "this one, I guess." 

Things We Can Learn from Enimen's Writing Technique

• The vast majority of what you write is not for public consumption. Write for you. Don't be afraid to play with words, experiment, explore, practice. Don't worry if what you're writing is not "marketable" or going to end up as a finished, polished piece; you're developing the tools that will enable you to write great publishable work. A figure skater doesn't practice their jumps only in the context of a routine.

"I write constantly, to the point where while I'm writing in my books I know 95 percent of this stuff, 98 percent of it's never gonna get used. But by writing all the time it's like I'm sharpening my tools. And I'm more able to draw upon that skill-set when needed." - from http://nahright.com/news/2013/11/08/rick-rubin-on-eminems-writing-process/

• Take the time to learn new words. Eminem goes through the dictionary from time to time and picks up new words to add them to his arsenal.

• It's okay to write fragments and scraps of things, return to them later and pull out the good stuff. 

"Sometimes a reference that I wrote two years ago might come back and find it's way into a record completely unrelated just because I was doing this homework and coming up with a new rhyme scheme or just hearing a word I liked and thinking about how that could rhyme. And there might not be any context for it. But then I might be working on a song years later and think, 'Oh, maybe that phrase could work in this context.'" - from http://nahright.com/news/2013/11/08/rick-rubin-on-eminems-writing-process/