  Drama
This week: It's In The Mail Edited by: NickiD89  
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| Like many of you, I've considered myself a writer my whole life. But in 2007, I shifted out of hobbyist mode, started writing for an audience, and embarked on the exciting journey towards publication. As I continue on that path and delve ever deeper into the craft, I feed an insatiable appetite for creative writing theory. I seek out how-to books and workshop experiences to augment and amplify whatever talent I possess. For those of you like me, here's a little theory to appease your hunger. |
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September 5, 2012
Dear WDC Friends,
I used to write letters. I guess we all did, right? As a society, I mean. Back before the computer age brought us lightning fast email and instant messaging, we wrote letters to each other. Remember the excitement of dropping that envelope in the mailbox down on the corner, knowing that in just five to seven days the recipient would slip his or her finger under the glued-down flap and read your words? How about watching for the postman each to day to see if, nestled among the bills and shiny sales circulars, a hand-addressed envelope from a friend waited for you? (Okay, a bunch of you have no idea what I'm talking about. Bear with me and read on, K?)
You're probably wondering where I'm going with all this. Let me start by saying I recently received a special gift that brought my attention back to the art of letter-writing.
I was sipping coffee with my cousin, Melanie, at her dining room table, listening to her talk about her visit with our extended family in upstate New York. She described the morning she spent with our ninety-year-old grandmother, beloved family matriarch and lifelong pack rat, who is on the decline and succumbing to ever-longer bouts of dementia. Nona was having a good day, though, and seemed to know who Melanie was as they chatted in her sunlight-flooded nursing home room.
When Nona had tired, my cousin kissed her good-bye. In the hallway, an aunt offered to drive Melanie down to Nona's house where, she explained, she had found a box of old letters which my cousin may be interested in saving.
Melanie held up two stacks of yellowed envelopes for me to see. Turned out, some of the letters had been written by her father in the sixties, when he and his young bride were stationed at the Army base in Germany where Melanie was born. My hand went to my heart. These, I knew, were a true treasure. We were all devastated when my uncle passed away, but none more than my cousin. Melanie had barely been a teenager.
Melanie held the second stack up. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, pushing it across the table to me. These letters, she explained, all have "Skeldon" written in the return addresses. Skeldon is my maiden name.
Two of the letters were written by my father to Nona when he was away at college. One of them even tells his mother about a girl he met named Diane, who he planned to make fall madly in love with him. It worked. Diane is my mother.
The other letters, all postmarked in 1943, were penned by my paternal grandfather, James Adam Skeldon.
This is what I already knew: Nona, a blushing bride, had learned she was pregnant with my father just a month after my grandfather had shipped out with the Navy during World War II. He had come home on leave for three weeks in 1944, when he met his one-year-old son for the first time. James Adam Skeldon, Quartermaster, Third Class, died at sea on January 12, 1945 when his submarine, the USS Swordfish sunk off the coast of Japan.
With my cousin's gift, I realized I was poised to learn much more about my grandfather, and in his own words, too! I tucked those fragile, yellowed envelopes safely in my bag and left Melanie's house a much richer woman than when I'd arrived that day.
I become emotional every time I read my grandfather's letters. In each one he addresses Nona as "My Dearest Mary," and he signs off with "As Ever, Jim." He talks about the ups and downs of life at sea, the day-to-day activities with his shipmates, his loneliness, and his frustrations. There is also hope in his words. It's the hope that gets me. A knot forms in my throat every time he writes, "When I get home..."
When the gamut of emotions have run their course in my heart, I'm able to turn my attention to the art of letter writing, to the beautiful ceremony imbued in each: The date in the upper right hand corner, surely written before anything else; the greeting, a prerequisite formality that's softened by my grandfather's delicate terms of endearment; and the body of the letter, rich with voice, so that I can almost -- almost -- hear him speaking.
This reminded of something I read in Bird By Bird.
In that book, author Anne Lamott shares her knowledge on the creative writing craft and how to deal with the blockages writers often face. She devotes a chapter to the concept of using the letter form as a writing tool. She says, "When you don't know what else to do, when you're really stuck and filled with despair and self-loathing and boredom, but you can't just leave your work alone for a while and wait, you might try telling part of your history -- part of your character's history -- in the form of a letter. The letter's informality just might free you from the tyranny of perfectionism."
I say, why not take this exercise one step further, and allow your character to write the letter? Maybe even to you! Because just like my grandfather's voice floats off the paper when I read the letters he wrote, so too will your character's voice come through.
And listen, I can't be the only person with a pack rat grandmother who's kept every scrap of paper ever written to her. The next time you need some inspiration, seek out those old letters I'll bet are tucked away in a family member's attic. Trust me, they are filled with amazing stories to tell!
As Ever,
Nicki
Question For Next Time: Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird is one of my favorite books on the craft. What's yours?
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Question For Next Time: Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird is one of my favorite books on the craft. What's yours?
Last month's newsletter regarding character motivation generated some amazing feedback. Some readers agreed with my article and some did not, but everyone articulated their views with passion and insight. The question at the end of the NL asked, What's the best piece of feedback you received for a story or poem, and why? Here are the reactions I received:
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  -- I couldn't say what would be the best review I've gotten. Instead- I'll tell about the three worse reviews:
1. For my blog- called site a scam.
2. For a picture of myself- Site is for writing, not pictures.
3. And the worst was for my "Dragon's Eyes". Person said, "You look like a good writer, but there's no way a human could kill a dragon." The person then went on a rant about how there is no way a human, unless he had God, or a saint, on their side, could kill a dragon. I've looked at this person's Public Reviews, and all I've seen are items about dragons, and most are negative, and on a similar vain- man can't kill dragons.
Now, I won't say who the dragon reviewer is, as they do write good stories and poems, but that still doesn't give them the right to just bash someone's items. This can be applied to other items, some of which might be highly controversial- such as a story from the viewpoint of a Nazi officer, or a terrorist- you still have to respect the item.
I'm so sorry you have received some harsh reviews during your time at WDC. For me, the cardinal sin of reviewing is attacking an item with disregard for the writer's craft and feelings. I have received these kinds of reviews too, and they hurt. But, once the sting subsides, I can usually find something helpful in even the most scathing of reviews. And, each time I bounce back a little quicker from insulting feedback, the thicker my writer's skin becomes. I honestly don't understand your dragon reviewer's insistence that man can't kill dragons. First, dragons are imaginary creatures, so whatever your imagination decides about them should be valid. (I mean, vampires never sparkled until Stephanie Meyers decided they did.) And besides, isn't the hero setting off to slay the dragon one of the fantasy genre's staple storylines? If everyone knows that would be an impossible feat, why have so many stories been written about it?? I really appreciate your thoughtful comments this month. Thank you!
Mia - craving colour  -- Good article Nicky. I like the way you engaged Golden's review.  It's a great demonstration of how to use those niggling questions reviewers might ask to improve a piece of writing.
Thank you so much! And I really feel the story, now in final, final edits, is much stronger than before. I wouldn't have dug deeper if it hadn't been for Golden's review. That's a fact!
blunderbuss -- My best bit of advice was recent and came from 2 different reviews. They both really liked my story but wanted a title which had more appeal. I had used a title which really just referred to where the important event in the story had taken place. It neither alluded to the point of the story, nor gave any indication of what genre the story encompassed (or tried to). It was boring, commonplace, too!
A pretty daft thing to do really - because it's titles that often draw me in to read a bit further.
A great newsletter, by the way.
Ooh, such a great reminder here for all reviewers! You're so right: the title is vital in enticing potential readers to click and read. On my review tool template, I don't have a specific place for commenting on the item's title. But I have seen many members who make that part of their regular feedback. When I finish reading an item for review and the title doesn't seem to "go" with the story, I always include that point in my "Suggestions" section. Like you, I feel it is important feedback to convey to writers. Great comment, thank you!!
dejavu_BIG computerprobs -- Excellent Newsletter, NickiD89, I really want to read your story about the young girl now. My best feedback came on a story called No Regrets from reviewer David S. He really helped me re-think my main character so he thinks like a cop! I'm still rewriting and fine tuning it, the advice has led to almost a whole new dimension added to both story and character. Haven't posted the rewrite yet, I'm old fashioned and like to hand-write things before typing the final draft. Thank you for including my story Wet Work as one of your picks. I am honoured. [ it too is about to undergo radical changes!]
Isn't it amazing how a reviewer's questions can be that lever that shifts our minds' railway tracks, sending our characters in new and exciting directions? And I believe this realization comes only with practice. In other words, when I began posting my work on WDC, it was all about getting somebody -- anybody! -- to read my work. I was after accolades, not critiques. When my first negative feedback came in, I was devastated. But over time I have learned so much from my reviewers' comments. Now, I skim the praise (grateful for it, of course) and jump to the criticism. It's there where the most potential for improvement lies.
The next exchanges actually took place via email. Fascinating stuff!:
Quick-Quill  -- I read these newsletters every week and sometimes skim them (just looking for names to post in the PDG Parade of Dolls) But this one caught my eye and I did a thorough read. My comment is: Do we need to know the reason why she gave the girl away? Really?
I just read the account of Albert Fish a cannibalist in the early 20's. He didn't know why he had the desire to do the things he did. Some people make decisions and never know why but in the moment it was the thing to do. We travel a different route home, suddenly find we have something in our cart we picked up and don't know why. It just appealed to us. When a mother gives up a child, sometimes it is for selfish reasons they don't understand until later and are too ashamed to tell. It may be financial motivation, again unless mother wants to fess up, it will be her secret. One must realize that motivations change due to circumstances. You cannot change the past. You are dealt the cards and how you react will make you the person you become.
My favorite saying is "You are now, what you have been becoming." It took me a long time to understand it. When writing, the journey is the story. All through the Harry Potter books we don't know a lot about his parents until the end. Even if [JK Rowling] never told us the details that happened between Tom and his parents, it wouldn't change anything about the books. She was just nice enough to satisfy our curiosity. Thank You JK.
Don't feel you have to come up with a reason for everything, all situations do not have to be tied in a bow for the reader at the end. They do not always effect the story. I can't wait to read yours.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments regarding the topic I tackled in this week's Drama NL. I appreciate hearing your thoughts.
So from your comments, I think we agree -- only we are looking at the issue from opposite directions. You talk about the reader not needing to know (all the) details of a character's motivation, and certainly not their day-to-day motivations (why one takes a different route home, etc.), while I was contemplating character motivation, from the writer's perspective.
I absolutely agree that readers don't have to know the true nature of a character's motivations. In fact, not knowing all the facts often pulls readers in closer, so that they're actively participating in the story as they contemplate what's happening, and make guesses or predictions. It can be a very good thing, from the reader's perspective.
But I also believe that as writers, we should understand our characters and their motivations. When you know the heart and soul of the character, you are able to present him or her to the reader in a more accurate and authentic light, in how the character moves through the scenes and in what the character says. Your character doesn't have to understand all of his or her motivations, and you don't have to divulge specific information to the reader. But by knowing the character, you the writer are able to tell the truth about that character.
I advocate writing first drafts that spill from your fingers and let loose your creativity. No holds barred. Especially when writing short stories. But it's during the rewriting and revising stages that, I believe, writers should get to know the people who showed up for the first draft. Like I said in the newsletter, it's not usually the main characters that need fleshing out. We've often thought them through, by then. But the secondary characters add so much to a story, and if we the writers don't know a lot about them, if we have experienced them, in essence, like our readers will -- nothing below the surface -- then I believe we are missing the chance to heighten descriptive and dramatic elements that could take our stories to the next level.
You mentioned JK Rowling. She's such a brilliant example of what I advocate in the NL. She has said in interviews that she has volumes and volumes of research and writing about her characters, most of which never made it into the seven HP books. That was the main reason she created Pottermore.com. As her way of giving back to loyal fans, she offers behind-the-scenes information, divulging facts she has known about her characters but that readers wouldn't know, just from reading the series. Like you said: Thank you, JK!
Reply from Quick-Quill -- I am in total agreement.
I didn't realize you were coming from the writers perspective which would of course means all the back story would have to be known. I struggle with that. I have a story to tell and to have to sit and write about what they like or don't like, their mannerisms and how they talk is boring. I don't READ that, I read for plot. Tell me what happened and what they did to get there and how it ended.
I love movies for that reason. Tom Clancy, John Grishom write great stories, but I love the movies. They tell me the story. The Bourne series is the same. I get all the action and a great ending and I don't have to read about the room, street, fall colors or what cold winter looks like. I know what fall colors are. I digress. I am really struggling as I try to write with detail and move the story more slowly than I like to read, probably why I like short stories.
I don't think the writer always has to know everything about that person. I look at myself. If I could be my own couch psychiatrist, what do I know about my own motives? why do I do some of the things I do? I have no clue. Could be culture, environment, hereditary? Unless we have some great knowledge about psychoanalysis we are writers trying to tell a story. Sometimes you just don't know everything about why people do what they do.
And then I said: I'd argue that if you, the writer, doesn't know why a character acts/reacts the way he does, then that lack of "clarity about self" could be used in the characterization and presentation of the character. It's all about enriching the reading experience for the reader, by sprinkling clues about the characters throughout each scene. I hear you that you are a reader who wants heart-pounding action and fast-paced plots. You sound like a visual person; you like movies because you're taking in details without noticing them as you focus on the unfolding action. Use that visual appeal in your writing. You don't need to go into lengthy setting descriptions, just choose a few sights or sounds or smells to set the stage, for the reader, and get on with the action. Ever read Kathy Reichs? She's a master of this style writing. I recommend her to you!
Thanks again for the awesome conversation!!
See you all back here on October 3, 2012. Until then, have a great month!
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Drama: September 05, 2012 Issue [#5245]
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