Why Real Life is the Best—Part 2

See yesterday to understand today. Fiction is great, but it isn't the best. Instead, real life. Not because everything that happens is wonderful; it's surely not. Bad things happen all the time, and having an escape is good, as long as it doesn't become an addiction. But sometimes escape and refuge aren't necessary. Real life is the best, because, no matter how far technology goes—no matter how it makes us feel we are experiencing something simulated, no matter how dramatic and drastic our 'fiction' can be—nothing holds a candle to the size of the earth, to the warmth of the sun, to embrace from a friend or the warm release of a real tear slipping down a cheek.

Following that real life is the best, that is why the best fiction is about real life. We want to read things that we can understand, we want to read about people like us, we want to grasp insight from someone we're not prejudiced against or intimidated by so we can actually respect it.

The message is twofold:

#) whatever you write, write real life into it. It has greater allure, wider depth, and deeper purpose.

#) really nothing beats real life; so take time in the rush to stop and appreciate it. It's not hard to do—step outside in any season, and you'll immediately be barraged by whatever reality is happening with the weather; then go from there.

Why Real Life is the Best—Part 1

"And we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain un-alienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." This is a famous excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.  Every human was created equal, and each has the right to life. Life. Not in the pro-life sense but in the 'really truly alive' sense; the feeling of dropping into bed, weary and exhausted, after a hard day of labor. The satisfaction of food in a hungry stomach. The inexplicable beauty of the sunset, the clarity of the air after a rainstorm, the feel of being warm on a cold day, or cool on a hot day. Although global and personal circumstances are different, most people are born fully equipped with senses, which enable them to understand and experience wonderful things.

I am self-proclaimed and unashamedly a writer. It's what I do, it's what I love; I write to show people what they've always thought but never put words to. I write to release, to understand, to process. I write, so that people will read. Reading requires the temporary suspension of reality, as you either involve yourself in the story, or concentrate to understand information.

Every element of story requires this pause; as you watch a movie, or listen to the radio, or read a book, some part of your brain leaves the current reality to invest and engage with the content. Although some may be leery of it, it is wonderful. To wholly partake in the experience is like sweet relief from many pressures. Fiction is freedom, it is insight, it is story, but it is not everything. Even completely simplified, fiction is pulling from something about real life. There is nothing fictional that does not draw some aspect of itself from reality, and use ideas that are present in the real world.

Come back tomorrow to see why it matters.

Why Running (Writing) is so Good

There are three kinds of runners:

• I've-got-to-get-away runners. They take massive strides, covering ground like a charging rhino; running like they're a) going somewhere, b) getting away from something,  or c) trying to forget life. Their lungs might explode mid-run, but they won't notice.
• I'm-doing-this-for-the-cardio runners. This seems to be the largest group, not in it for the adrenaline or the high; it's for the exercise. The woman and her look of misery, the heavyset man on a slow jog with sparkling clean running shoes that look like they've never been worn.
• I-love-this runners. A conundrum to the rest of us. They run for the sheer pleasure; not because they need the exercise, not because they need the freedom. They enjoy it.

Every runner fits somehow into one (or maybe all three) of these groups. However, after years and years of running, usually the members of the first and second group become members of the third. Many people who start running because they must keep running because they want.

The same could be said about writing. Some write with fervor and passion, pounding it out to cope. Others write because they have to, because it's an assignment or a deadline or a letter to Great Aunt Mabel. But a few write for the love of writing. They write because they know the feeling of having written; the euphoria of seeing their words on a page, and knowing them to be not only okay—but good.

Even if running (writing) is mere drudgery, keep at it. It's healthy, good for your body (brain), and keeps you flexible. And, after all, there's a slight chance that before forever happens, you'll enjoy it.

Four Tricks for Better Script Writing

Script writing focuses on both hearing and seeing. While writing the script, you need to be hearing what it will sound like as the spoken word, and seeing how the script will interact with the actors for final production. To write a good script, your mind must to become a video reel with a quick pause and rewind button; playing the scenes as they come, stopping often to fix or replay. Four tips to writing a good script:

• Know exactly what you're trying to say. If you're writing a script for a promotional video, know the content you're trying to advertise before you begin. If you're writing script for a fictional film, know where you want to end up—then you'll be able to get there.
• Look at what other people are doing. If you're trying to sell a certain flavor of juice box, look at other juice box ads; not to copy them, but to understand the lingo that works (or doesn't work).
• Edit relentlessly. Read it out loud with your voice. Read it out loud in your head. Read it out loud with your best friend, or your spouse, or the old lady sitting next to you on the bus. The more you hear it, the more you'll hear what needs to go.
• Learn to write dialogue well. Script writing is dialogue heavy—knowing how to write dialogue well makes the flow of the script much smoother.

It's a thrill to watch people saying words you put in their mouths; not deviously, of course.

Giving Your Paragraph a Break

Reading a paragraph that is 45 sentences long is tedious, dull, and often feels like a marathon without the promise of an ice bath at the end. That's why there are paragraph breaks; they are rests to the weary vast expanse of the written word in which authors delight. Giving your readers a paragraph break not only breaks up the visual aesthetics of the page, it also lets them have a moment to digest, to consider, and then to reengage at the beginning of a new paragraph. It's also nice for you, the writer, to take a moment to observe your last paragraph, and think if you're going to continue down the current path.

Giving rests in writing is good. It is kind to the reader. Be a good, kind writer.

3 Tricks to Writing Better Dialogue

Jack said, "Please, good sir, be so kind as to pass me the wrench." Bob replied, "Certainly, my good man, it would be my pleasure."

Then Jack said, "Why thank you. I will now unscrew this bolt and take the cover off of this engine."

And Bob said, "Wow. That's a big job. It is a good thing we have a lot of time to do it after lunch." And Jack replied,

"Yes. I anticipate it will take several hours."

Bob said, "Okay. Well we should start up." Jack nodded, and said,

"Yes. Lets."

We've all read dialogue like this—stilted, unmeasured, uncomfortable. It is clunky and unbelievably dull. Here are three tips to avoid flat dialogue:

• Read your dialogue out loud. You'll be surprised how fast you spot inconsistencies and dull phrases—and things that no one in his right mind would say.
• Think of your characters as someone you know: Uncle Jack, next door neighbor Sallie, grocery bag boy Tim. Then, try to hear them saying your words in your head; if they can't say it, or sound ridiculous, it's probably a sign that you should cut it down.
• Edit rigorously, over time. You'll find that a sentence that seemed fine yesterday, or even this morning, has three extra words when you go back to read it later. The more you edit, the slimmer your dialogue can be. In real life, speech is very relaxed.

See this adaption from above:

Jack nodded, and said, "Wrench?"

"Sure, dude."

"Thanks. Looks like we gotta take the whole cover off." Bob looked at his watch, as his stomach growled.

"That's gonna take a long time."

"Probably. Let's do it." Bob sighed and nodded, saying,

"Okay."

The Slow Build

I'm an impatient reader. After getting caught up in the story, I want action. The slow build—the long tedious process that takes time and development and careful plot planning—is hard for me. It's not because I have no taste; plenty of classics have slow plots that gradually build and  crescendo, then gently decline. The difference? The reader isn't at the mercy of the author; he is learning about the events at the same rate, and the author is just along for the ride. It's as if the two of you are watching the same play simultaneously; he is just transcribing the storyline. When the reader feels manipulated, and the author holds back information "just because," the slow build has been misused.

Write suspense into your story; use the slow build, the steady increase, the thrill of discovery—but don't gloat over him when you keep your reader in the dark. It is, after all, his choice to keep reading.

How the Cover Sells the Book

A good billboard is never more than a few words—the theory is that if it's something quick to read and easy to remember, it will come to mind naturally when people need it. The front cover of a book is the same; we want something fast, simple, and aesthetically appealing. The back cover copy is more complicated. It needs to be longer than a mere phrase, but just as eye-catching.

The front cover and the back cover are a team that sells the book. Without a good front cover, no one will pick the book up. Without a good back cover, anyone who picked it up will put it down instantly. A bland, emotionless set of sentences will repel as fast as a clever cover attracts. A good back cover is like the smell of fresh baked cookies or chocolate cake: irresistible. The copy needs to appeal to the reader, to draw them in, to say, "This book is written by someone like you for someone like you about something that you care about. You will benefit from reading this book." And just like that, it's in the shopping cart.

If you can do one well, you can learn to do the other well. Make your front cover like a billboard—and your back cover like the smell coming from a pizza shop.

When Life Gets Writer's Block

Every author has a system of dealing with writer's block. Some push through it, writing every word that comes to mind, regardless of sense or structure. Others stop working, taking the block as a sign to mean that it's likely that nothing important is going to be written at that moment. Many have cards that they look at when they're out of ideas that are full of, well, ideas. Writers block is the woe of every author—the mind-numbing sensation that nothing you write is going to mean anything, and none of your ideas are good. Sometimes it lasts for only a moment, sometimes it lasts for weeks; and though there are some solutions that pull the mind from the painful arena of inactivity, there's nothing that positively works every time.

Sometimes life gets writers block. You're living along at a good steady rate, doing your thing, and suddenly the looming cloud of painful bewilderment moves in, numbing all your emotions. Nothing makes it better. There is no medicinal solution that works. You're doing all the right things, but it doesn't fix the problem. You just have to keep living.

And sometimes, you just have to keep writing, and remember the reason that you love to write. Because, outside of writers block, there is writing; and the words are flying out of your brain faster than you can put them on paper.

And miracle of miracles, you like them.

What Makes A Bestseller

According to yesterday's post, people are looking for one of two kinds of books: books that help and teach, or books that entertain.

Eat This, Not That (now faded from popularity, like most fads) was an overnight sensation, because everyone wanted a book that would tell them how to lose weight easily.

The Help gained popularity so fast, it was a movie before some people had finished reading the book; a moving, compelling account of the hardships of being African American house help in the south in the 60's.

One helps, the other entertains. If you can figure out what people want to learn, or how they want to divert their minds, it's very likely that you can write something that thousands of people will buy.

Study your audience, then appeal to them. After all, they're the ones who are buying your book.