Thoughts of a Mad Man

#1078943

October 27, 2024 at 8:37pm

Does anybody know much about Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)? I ask this because it is a mental discipline that--when its parts are properly understood--has a huge amount of applications. And many, many of them--most of which are beyond my ken--are useful to writers. One which I am thinking has as much power for self insight as for writers, is actually more commonly written about in writing. POV. Take a situation you participated in, and imagine it in first person--see what you s... [Read more]

#1078004

October 27, 2024 at 8:35pm

If you do one it might be bad. If you do ten thousand, one of them will be good. The same is true of plots. Don't like to outline? Because you prefer to fly by the seat of your plane? Sure, that's understood. However, why not do a few dry runs every day, just sketching out the main points. If something inspires you you can then fill it in. Or at least have ideas you can then redo. One plan for this is the Wannasoi Interrrogative Formula. It's a Madlib for plots. I wa... [Read more]

#1076599

September 11, 2024 at 12:37am

So there are numerous mores and ideas that we may want to put into our stories. Especially with writing.com where our published works are not static, not locked in. It doesn't always require massive retcons, sometimes just an adjusted phrase can bring out something that is more diverse. For example I was today looking at Auntie Rosie's Magical Flower Shoppe. With only two characters on the page, racial diversity is hardly relevant to this piece. A young man and an old lady... [Read more]

#1076323

September 5, 2024 at 3:41pm

I just recently realized that art made ONLY for the self is valid. Inspiration lingers and passes by contagion, so it doesn't matter how large your target market is, if you've reached it. (Nothing to say you can't adapt it for larger, even commercial, markets.) So I propose that there are two phases of art, and the personal phase is the most critical. It is valid even if it only plays on your personal connections. This has a value because the happiness and richnes... [Read more]

#1076033

September 1, 2024 at 4:10pm

A literal Writer's Plow Protocol A plan for writing when writer, muse, and editor come to a standstill. Step One: Decisions: What do you want to write? When? (Exact time, and a minimum and maximum amount of time) Where? Most likely place. Who (subject and audience) Why? How? (e.g. paper, keyboard, Scrivener or Docs) Step two: Set the timer to remind you. This should be at least an hour after the decision. Step three: When you worry about your block--and you wi... [Read more]

#1075932

August 30, 2024 at 8:44pm

Writing rules I want to tell you about what has to be the worst writing I have ever read. You may gather why I do not tell you the title as I describe it. It was a published book, mind you, but none of the unpublished so flagrantly defied all reason. Every word was confusion like listening to a lecture made of words that sounded like English but did not have the same meanings. But there were a few that were absolutely revolting and enraging, as one might want to first burn the author a... [Read more]

#1075773

August 26, 2024 at 11:47pm

One way to build in a first line is to make the second paragraph start with a statement of the scene goal. I have to get a ride to work now. I've got a fifteen minute window. I am going to be in so much trouble. Okay, that's a second paragraph. But what is the first? Well, the automatic thought is the first phase of the reaction part of the MRU, which is the second paragraph and is what the POV does. The first one is what the POV sees, smells, tastes or touches. So now we ... [Read more]

#1075707

August 25, 2024 at 4:22pm

What five words does your character overuse? I thought of this in learning about the Carver method, a military scale for deciding what to do items to prioritize. Critical Accessible Recognizable Vulnerable Effective Recoverable Now I thought, if a character were using those five words a lot, say one in every other sentence or every third, that would focus their presence in this space of action. If done at the right frequency, it would telegraph that this person had warrior energy... [Read more]

#1075608

August 22, 2024 at 11:56pm

Passion ... is the flood that overwhelms you and deposits you in the winner's circle. It always makes the tiniest spark and smallest whisper win. It is the elf that knocks things in or out of your path. Seldom seen, always present: It is the glamour that makes distractions pale and work dazzle. It is the divination that reveals the path around enemies. Do not let a lack of inspiration stop you--but do not press on without it. ... [Read more]

#1072747

June 17, 2024 at 2:15pm

I was just thinking that practice plots can be a powerful method of self therapy. Is there something that you're afraid to do? Start a wannasoi. That's my madlib outline that goes: I want to... So I,... Hoping that... Fearing that... Instead... And you just cycle through until that comes to a conclusion. Even the most boring wannas can come into a story as hopes and fears whiz by. However, what if you drew on your anxiety? So lets say I need to set up medical ... [Read more]

#1072599

June 13, 2024 at 12:42pm

Time to write!' There are an infinity of blank pages in virtual space, and sure enough more than enough of the paper ones. But what if the story doesn't come? Well there are three things that can happen if I sit down to the page, be it virtual or not, I could find nothing, no will to actually write, or no words. And the momentum that came from building my habit. I could fin d a load of junk that I could line edit, or just abandonm And the momentum that came from buildin... [Read more]

#1072563

June 12, 2024 at 2:26pm

One thing I've noticed about writing battle scenes, is that we don't stat the characters but we do motivate them. I had a fight involving two magi fighting another of their school who had decided to become a "Corpsebound Spellmaster." Because they were lovers, every move they made was more about protecting their partner than about winning the fight. As a result, while they did emerge as the victor, they suffered terrible loss. Mortally wounded, Elisha sacrificed herself t... [Read more]

#1069158

April 19, 2024 at 4:37am

Who: a physically imposing woman, a mother or caretaker what: frighten off some people snooping around where somebody is hiding What stops: she doesn't want to hurt them where: in the wilderness, perhaps an alien world far from where her people live when: in the winter why: the person is on the run from unjust legal punishment How: explosions to fake weapons fire, traps, etc. disaster: One of the assailants becomes wounded--or is it a ruse? Mood: start: anxious end: regret ... [Read more]

#1068999

April 17, 2024 at 3:39pm

Who: This is a scaly alien or monster (sci fantasy) or a man who has lizard/reptile traits What: Pick up flowers for a _____ What stops: An important business issue comes up Where: In a place where people think s/he doesn't belong When: At an early hour, when most are still sleeping Why: this person is drifting apart from him How: embarrassed/not willing to admit Mood: Distracted heartwarming Atmospheric words: Cluttered, small, trivial, incidental, trifling, random, every... [Read more]

#1068927

April 16, 2024 at 4:21pm

Day 2: Directions: Use as many of these to get you going until or unless you take off. Who:A nervous little man with a secret What/ goal: wants to get in the dance hall Where and when: A winter night in a small town at a run down dance hall Why: Somebody has something that belongs to him in there Obstacle: somebody turned the bouncer against him. Achieved: sneaky methods Disaster: He gets in but someone else is after the thing. Change of emotion: hopeful to resentful. Atmosph... [Read more]

#1068881

April 16, 2024 at 12:23am

Scene prompt Characters: One loud angry with a pet One small shy with a fancy hat Bored bus ticket seller with a nervous habit Goal: to get out of town Obstacle: the bus is canceled for the next three days Disaster: Someone calls the policeman, who has a grudge against the POV Mood: Mild agitation turning to desperation Terms to weave in for flavor: Trapped, stuck, itchy, small, barren, empty, cramped, abandoned Hint: weave words in where the emotional bits don't fit; if ... [Read more]

#1066171

March 12, 2024 at 5:42pm

It's been my experience that rattling things off in the roughly proper order, madlibbing things, often creates surprising success. The first thought is that this means I have an unlimited supply of rough drafts that I could then choose the best from. In practice I've had a different result. What actually happens is that I do the procedure a few times and am shocked at how well they turn out on the rough draft. How little they need to be a presentable scrap. Then by the thi... [Read more]

#1059670

November 18, 2023 at 5:27am

The door opens and Sarah walks in-strides in like she owns the place. Oh, damn, that is one hot dress she's wearing. My stomach burns and I start to look for a place to hide. I reach down to pick up a coin that isn't there. Slowly, I raise. "Oh, hey. Look at you." She smiles, that gambler-smile that has no happiness in the eyes. "There you are." She's going to tear me up. My eyes start to water and my lips quiver. I start counting my breath–square breat... [Read more]

#1059239

November 18, 2023 at 5:37am

(Also edited and posted as a story, right or wrongly. Blog commenting even heckling is appreciated.) I saw a pink flamingo, on the lawn. I groaned. This was my lawn, not theirs. "Who put that there?" I got out my baseball bat, and walked toward the door. The door bounced against the hinges and the bird flew away. "A real flamingo?" I dropped the bat, glared at the thing. It rolled off the porch. "Stupid bat," I said, as if somehow, the bat had cause... [Read more]

#1057221

October 12, 2023 at 7:25am

I'll call it meditation but I was mostly just doing a timed-breathing, breathing-and- smiling rest break. And during that time I realized that it would have been possible to have spent the 20 years of work I'd suffered through dancing joyfully through it, lovingly deflecting all the customer dissatisfaction, holding boundaries neatly and solidly... I mean, there might have been sharp situations with the threatening felonies put against me, but, still maybe 1/100th the angst. Now th... [Read more]

#1053911

August 10, 2023 at 9:58am

I told myself if I had it to do again I wouldn't tell Mary how I felt about her. It took years, but... that certainty wore at her. It had an unfair power over her. And then I met Shelly and she told me to tell my friends that I love them, and she was right. You know, if she hadn't been so intimately familiar with some underhanded things that people do, usually to people much younger than either of us. Sure she was 40 and I was 39, but she still turned one thing and made me forget tha... [Read more]

#1053558

August 2, 2023 at 8:04pm

PLEASE NOTE by reading this you consent to hypnotic suggestion. License is here by granted to you to live these suggestions out in accordance with your own highest aspirations as a writer. From here on out, as you notice yourself thinking of your project, whatever problems you have to work with, you can become aware of the great things that draw you to write. As these thoughts cross your mind, as you enjoy these things that show themselves--and they are only a glimpse of what is in store--yo... [Read more]

#1053450

August 1, 2023 at 6:16pm

We as writers often fear to write. If you've ever put off writing then you've had it. Oh sure it might have been a lesser included form of fear, laziness, where you are afraid of the feelings you will have during the project. But more likely there is more, like a fear of the meaning of that feeling. You might encounter words that are awkward, and think that is a limit to who you are. When nothing could be further from the truth. Or you might fear that these are the best thoughts y... [Read more]

#1052209

July 5, 2023 at 7:48pm

Non clickbait headline: Writer recreates his ADHD in his readers; can the reverse work on him? Just discovered: link between infodumps and ADHD I've been editing an old piece of mine, one well plotted with a lot of deep, hard hitting themes and just massively terrible stuff for the young heroine to deal with. Orphaned a second time, plagued by survivor guilt to the point of running away from her new friends who practically adopted her, and conned into ambushing an innocent of th... [Read more]

#1051044

June 14, 2023 at 6:32am

One way to characterize is to go cheap. Lists of things that go with the character to flesh out the trope or 'character class' if you're into RPG parlance.For example, three things that you instantly recognize about the character physically, such as hair color, weight, and a tag like 'goofy.' A good thing to list would be five words that the character uses more than others. The first such list I ever made was stolen from a military strategizing idea called the CARVER. It ... [Read more]

#1042023

December 22, 2022 at 6:45am

As part of my self-work I was thinking about how to identify limiting beliefs. Once you recognize an assumption, you have a host of new options. For example, you assume that work has to be drudgery. Challenge that and you can look for things you enjoy or find ways to enjoy the things you need to do (the latter, according to Sadhguru, being genius.) So how did this spark an article in my blog about writing? Long before we had shelves of self help guides we had stories. Maybe even ... [Read more]

#1037085

August 29, 2022 at 11:24pm

Why do writers need to read? Well, remember that writing is only effective as a social event between reader and writer. Can you imagine a professional host who made conversation but never listened to any of the things other people had to say? One who has never been a guest anywhere. That would likely be a low-quality host who would make mistakes that could easily be prevented with a little bit of empathy. Whenever you go into a social situation you should have a desired result in min... [Read more]

#1036092

August 5, 2022 at 5:27am

When we write, we tear off little bits of our souls and fling them into the wind. When we ask for critiques, we make ourselves vulnerable in ways that most people never experience. Couple that with other pressures, and it’s almost inevitable to cause distress. Be good to yourself. Indulge in small pleasures. A book by your favorite author. A cup of hot chocolate, or a glass of sparkling cider. Music. Sitting outside, in the shade, on a warm and sunny day. It doesn’t make your troubl... [Read more]

#1032173

May 9, 2022 at 5:55pm

So as you go about your life you encounter situations which trigger an undesirable feeling and that means you make a decision. Up till now you have naturally just blocked the negative feeling, perhaps by saying stop or cancel and replacing it. This gives you time to deal with your current task while the unconscious stores the task and intensifies the feelings related to it. Under this plan you make little to no progress and the offending problem is right in front of you, though you migh... [Read more]

#1030099

April 5, 2022 at 12:25am

Word count means a lot. People who do something a lot of times often do better than those who work hard on a single project. If like me you hear a voice in your mind you have that as a word count. If you converse, that gives you a chance to practice making grammatical first-draft sentences under pressure. It's easy to sneer at the slight advantages these give you, and that's okay if it doesn't get rid of these advantages. If you want you can cultivate these options as well. Yo... [Read more]

#1029531

March 27, 2022 at 1:36am

The Meaning of the Communication is... The study of hypnotic language is an alternative for people learning to be a good writer. There is a lot of pointers that the hypnosis community have that are entirely different from the writing community. Using these together is paramount. And it isn't that big a stretch. A hypnotist as I understand it thinks about the effect his words (and other language, such as tone of voice or body language) have on the audience. One of the biggest an... [Read more]

#1029393

March 23, 2022 at 3:24pm

Writing a story that centers on a character arc is really easy when you start at the right point of the character. Find a character you like, an adult. Figure out what they do and what they want and what they like. Give them a few interesting quirks or odd relationships. I started out with a thief who was in love with her boss and her husband's boss. She ran the castle security and was the in nomine boss of the crime syndicate all while loudly forcing everyone to pretend she was just a ... [Read more]

#1024787

January 16, 2022 at 2:18pm

There is a strange need for nothing and the words don't always come, do they? You know. The blank that you draw that doesn't seem to want to go anywhere, doesn't budge doesn't open or close but only stands, holding you breathless hostage It [is] like that sometimes. ---- Excerpt from a rush write today. I think it might have more to do with the dark music pumping in the background. I think perhaps the best thing I have ever written is a snippet on writing.com, . ... [Read more]

#983659

May 15, 2020 at 6:27pm

She bounced into the room wearing an artsy, tongue-in-cheek dress that looked like it belonged in a museum due to the self-conscious use of straps and zippers. Her slanted stance and sparkling eyes brought it off, though, and I dared to think that she might be as wild and creative as she pretended. The prompt was, effectively, "How do you describe this dress?" Of course usually that's too much, but it does give me an idea of how to go about describing clothes. Wearing cl... [Read more]

#981428

April 18, 2020 at 5:38pm

Riddle me this: What if the in-line critique involves (impertinent!) questions? What to do? People read to find out the answers to questions, so there are at least two kinds of questions: the kind that makes people flip pages looking for the answer, and the kind that makes people close the book on your piece. For example: Flipping pages question: Why does the sidekick seem to never worry when the main villain is attacking, if she's always such a coward against regula... [Read more]

#980984

April 13, 2020 at 2:33pm

How to begin writing? I would start by writing whatever comes to mind, five minutes a day minimum. Then, later, spending at least five minutes a day with some kind of outlining stories, also 'whatever comes to mind.' And reading, at least five minutes a day, but realistically leaving at least thirty minutes, jotting any thoughts about technique during or after. In order, this creates fluency of writing, fluency of story, and knowledge of technique. Outlining can be as simple as just... [Read more]

#964297

August 16, 2019 at 4:08pm

Based on a true story. Names changed. The door slid open, letting night into the convenience store. The bell chimed. Annoyed, Seamus set the tub of water in front of the straws and lids and looked about. Empty store there, nothing more. Seamus took a long breath to calm himself, though his blood surged. Surely he missed the customer on his first scan. He looked carefully over the racks of groceries, checked the cooler open doors, listened for the rustle of product in the hands of a bent... [Read more]

#925360

April 13, 2020 at 2:41pm

Disclaimer: from someone who sees himself as largely Pagan. I am no reverend or biblical scholar, at any rate. For questions, I refer you primarily to the Source, and tangentially to those who make a scholarly study of such matters. The steps below do not require faith to be useful, though they might build faith. My version: 1. Ignore agnosticism as irrelevant. Just as I could be an AI that happens to pass the Turing test, so God could be a figment—so could you. Yet we don't mention i... [Read more]

#908383

April 4, 2017 at 8:29pm

I was reading a newspaper op-ed article about how sex (Male or female) isn't something we made up. And, well, I hate to disagree with her. At a fundamental level, she's more right than wrong. The differences are real things. Yes, they vary, with some correlations being less than 100 percent, but they do correlate, on an overwhelming basis. To the extent that anything is real and not made up, that any idea has validity, this has construct validity. Nothing has pure construct validity... [Read more]

#898238

November 24, 2016 at 4:26pm

Every moment the chance of impressing Lauren slips through Jack's fingers, even here, alone as he steps out of the shower. He picks up his pants to put them on. Coins fall out of the pocket. They clatter on the linoleum, announcing his clumsiness to the cat, to the neighbors, to his fiancée. The urge to vent rose in his throat. Such passions are not allowed in his new world, and he choked them down. He closed his eyes and shook his head. In a calm, albeit pained, voice he says, "Real... [Read more]

#896725

November 8, 2016 at 10:27am

Seven Useless Magical Artifacts... Usually, magical treasure is a thing either of wonder or danger. These are remnants, vexing, intriguing, distracting or just plain useless. These are something else entirely. They may be red herrings, booby prizes, or just... blessings in disguise, a tool of power which will reveal its purpose in the dramatically appropriate moment. The Wand of Butterflies This magic device reliably conjures butterflies, of any color or species known (or, perhaps, ima... [Read more]

#895143

October 21, 2016 at 6:59pm

One does wonder what about the 'damage' done by putting a masher into the White House, I suppose. Not that it hasn't been done before, but the case can be made that this is a different game. This man flaunts his arrogance. Young boys might get the message that they are wanted when they are not. They might get the idea their attentions are desirable or, if not, it is for some shallow reason that they are rejected: the size of their wallet or the color of their Ferrari. ... [Read more]

#889136

August 3, 2016 at 11:52am

A voice comes over the loudspeaker. "Welcome to the Alchemy Lounge. The change is set in motion and soon, you will be a man. Nothing can be done to reverse the situation. "You need to prepare yourself for the experience of male privilege. No longer will people hit on you when you want them to stop. Or when you don't. The job will entirely be yours. You will not be valued solely for your body any longer. You won't be valued for your body at all. Or your thoughts and feeling... [Read more]

#884059

June 8, 2016 at 4:30pm

<parable>Once upon a time, Jack was a baby. Jack noticed that all the people around him could move around on two feet, rather than on all four. He tried it and fell. He did this many, many thousands of times before he finally got the knack. Then when he was twenty he read a lot. He wrote and found that his writing wasn't as good as he'd hoped. However, he reasoned that there could be a knack to get, much like when he learned to walk; so he wrote many thousands of pages. In time, ... [Read more]

#874507

February 21, 2016 at 3:54pm

Today, I am a novelist. For the first time in my life, I can say that I have a completed draft of a novel. I have done many partials. I am sure there are many holes in the plot, places where I fishtailed and got confused about which thing had happened. But my hero has done what he set out to do. After landing on the planet Larrikesh, and getting stranded there, he has fixed the largest social ill plaguing the planet, retrieved his confiscated starchaser, and set a course for the wild black. ... [Read more]

#873597

April 28, 2016 at 1:23pm

Why senseless worship is as demeaning as outright contempt. Set aside your modern day life and imagine what it's like to live in the beginnings of Camelot under the aegis of the greatest king in history. This man Arthur used his charismatic zeal to draw the best men in the land -- emphasis unfortunately on men. When they arrived to serve, he informed them in no uncertain terms that simply being the best would not suffice. He called them to him because he wanted people who could uphold... [Read more]

#873102

February 9, 2016 at 1:17pm

Don't get me wrong. Jabba's attitude, the one that made him order Leia put in that slave outfit, was hostile, objectifying and demeaning, but not toward females specifically. In fact, for all we know, Jabba came from a Matriarchy. Further, that gigantic slug may have been a female. All we know for sure is we didn't see any hutt females dancing for their lives. Yes, she was chosen for her looks, and possibly for her pedigree, like the animals we are in his eyes. The only thing he care... [Read more]

#871740

February 5, 2016 at 6:01pm

"Thinking a Magical Sky Fairy will come and fix your problems is a problem in itself." I don't just believe in a higher power. That's a mathematical necessity, by the way; either there is a Higher Power or you're it. I also believe in a living God, one that hears our prayers and cares about what we think. Our thoughts and feelings have impact on the world, or at least, on our life. The thing is, if God exists, reality is either Him or His judgment. Whatever is going on in ... [Read more]

#870638

January 12, 2016 at 3:52pm

Fear and relief. Arousal and calm. There is an optimum level of arousal that works for everything. The amount of stress hormones that are needed to be in an optimum running state are different from the ones needed when you are playing golf or doing surgery. A great many problems have been caused for me, a lot of lost performance, happened when I adopted the idea that I simply wasn't electrified enough. Kelly McGonigal stated that stressful events aren't dangerous unless you beli... [Read more]

#867974

December 6, 2015 at 9:17am

Alright, I admit it: the previous blog post (which though meaningful, is poorly put across and unconvincing) was speculation. That's what Self Help authors do, I think. The better-intentioned ones, at least. Granted it's not always the most helpful process, but it has it's selling points. That said, I did try it for a while, and it worked, to a degree. It did inspire creative points of view and that motivating bite of discontent, which often instantly converted to a pleasant m... [Read more]