When someone says to you that they are a writer, what assumptions do you make? They must have volumes of published material, or they are at least able to produce with an ease that you are jealous of. Think about what that word means to you: "writer." For me, it means languishing over minute details; it means obsession; it means being a captain of the self-doubt industry. Writing, for most, is not an ordained talent, but a continuous effort. And as with all things that involve work, there are ways to streamline, improve, and change. But what sets any particular writer advice book apart from the rest already out there? It must embody the essence of the subject that it wishes to illuminate. I, the reader, must invest an interest in the book, and maintain it lest it becomes a chore like reading a dictionary or VCR instruction manual. Sound familiar? Much like writing a piece of fiction, no? Rick DeMarinis manages to strike such a balance of practical instruction and engaging narrative in his book. He presents useful tips in a way that exemplifies his mastery of wordcraft. |
True to his roots as a writing teacher, Rick presents topics about short story creation but keeps the level of engagement fresh. For each topic, he provides examples and exercises for the reader to explore. He doesn't simply present his views or advice without somehow backing it up. Peppered throughout the chapters are wonderful insights from big name authors like Flannery O'Connor, Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Conrad, and others. The net effect is a book about writing that revels in the insightfulness and playfulness of the medium.
From the beginning of the book, Rick doesn't pull any punches. He comes out swinging and tells you that writing is work. That dose of reality is softened ever so slightly by telling the reader that "you write the short story for love," (his focus being on the shifting publishing market, though his wisdom is transferrable to other formats). Rick's first piece of advice? Write. Obvious, right? Well, yes, but it is actually an easy step for so many to overlook. Too many times have I been paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and never even began to write. Even Rick admits that each time he sits down to write, he is unsure of what to do. The solution is to simply produce anything. Rick suggests 1,000 words a day, but I'm willing to compromise on that number. Is your first draft going to be unmitigated genius? No. Get that out of your head already. Rick is unwavering in his stance that writing is a challenge, to be met with courage, creativity, and just a touch of luck sometimes. Inspiration is necessary, but it comes in strange ways at strange times. Eventually, something will come along. Your job as a writer is to stick it out long enough.
From the beginning of the book, Rick doesn't pull any punches. He comes out swinging and tells you that writing is work. That dose of reality is softened ever so slightly by telling the reader that "you write the short story for love," (his focus being on the shifting publishing market, though his wisdom is transferrable to other formats). Rick's first piece of advice? Write. Obvious, right? Well, yes, but it is actually an easy step for so many to overlook. Too many times have I been paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and never even began to write. Even Rick admits that each time he sits down to write, he is unsure of what to do. The solution is to simply produce anything. Rick suggests 1,000 words a day, but I'm willing to compromise on that number. Is your first draft going to be unmitigated genius? No. Get that out of your head already. Rick is unwavering in his stance that writing is a challenge, to be met with courage, creativity, and just a touch of luck sometimes. Inspiration is necessary, but it comes in strange ways at strange times. Eventually, something will come along. Your job as a writer is to stick it out long enough.
| But, philosophy and general statements of encouragement aside, what does Rick provide the aspiring writer in terms of pragmatic advice? For me, Rick's most useful insight comes from his perspective on story craft as an art (although he gets into some of the 'science' of it later in the book). Sometimes, the most frustrating part of writing is simply getting started. Self doubt paralyzes a writer: What am I writing about? What is the theme of my story? What does it all mean? These questions inevitably come up during the writing process. But, Rick advises a writer to toss these questions out, at least initially. Going back to his initial piece of advice, just write. If you want your story to have a chance, "don't begin with meaning, end with it." What you may have initially set out to write may take on a whole new life by the time you end it. That is a good thing. Authentic writing is organic, says Rick. If you spend too much time contemplating the meaning of the words before you even put them on paper, you risk it sounding stilted. As Rick says, "don't write with tunnel vision." If you have a scene, situation, sketch, or general concept in mind, write it. See where the wind will take it, you may just end up with something different from what you intended, but that's what differentiates good writing from bad. Readers can smell a fraud from a mile away, and you want your writing to be genuine. |
The most critical element to a genuine story is character. That is, during the first draft stages at least. As Rick already said, save meaning for after the story is written. What needs to be dealt with up front is the character(s) of the story (after all, every story has at least one). The protagonist needs to have believable traits. The easiest, and most critical of which, is that person's motive. As Rick says, "if motive is missing...it won't add up to a hill of beans." Humans want, and the readers need to know what your character wants in order to feel for them. Otherwise, all of the events, dialogue, and imagery won't mean anything. The reader has to invest themselves in your character in order to enjoy and even finish the story. Set up early on what your character wants, and the rest will fall in to place. As a side note, regardless of whether you are using intimate personal experiences, or researched new topics, you need to have an actual character in your narration. This is especially true in the former, where the character needs a life of their own, not yours, the writer. Rick says it thus, "'I' is never the author."
Finally, Rick discusses what he calls "the story behind the story." A story should have a history, even if that information never makes its way to the limelight. A reader needs to have questions in their mind that you, the author, will lay out the answers to, or at least allude to. "Be a good blind date," advises Rick. You want to give the reader a bone so that they want to read on. Create that by having a rich world that your characters inhabit, by strategically guiding readers to creating the questions you want them to be asking. This point is the second cousin to the ubiquitous rule “show, don’t tell.” By guiding the reader through events, dialogue, and in some situations simply description, you lead them to making inferences. These inferences are what makes reading interesting. If you lay everything on the table, there is no mystery, no detective work that the reader can take triumph from their solving. This can be accomplished by direct narration, summary, or dialogue, but it needs to draw the reader into wanting to know more about your character. |
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The rest of the book delves deeper into the functional, mechanical aspects of writing that I, at least, was not concerned about in this stage of my writing career. He discusses the use of more technical aspects of writing, like sentence and paragraph structure, the use of page formatting, point of view, style and language. But I believe that based on the way Rick chose to structure this book, with the previously discussed topics toward the front, that he intended this book for an aspiring and unpublished writer in need of larger picture advice.
In considering the book as a whole, I would easily recommend it to anyone who is a writer at heart and needs some insight. Rick weaves an intriguing, educational, and engaging narrative with the true essence of authorship at its core. This, despite my one criticism that comes in the afterward of the book with the statement that unless you consider writing to be your calling, and "can't live without it," that you should give it up. Thinking back to Rick's initial words, writing is an endeavor of love, and one that takes dedication. Don't derail writers before they get underway; it's too delightful to walk away from, even with its inherent aggravations.
You can find this book on amazon.com here.
In considering the book as a whole, I would easily recommend it to anyone who is a writer at heart and needs some insight. Rick weaves an intriguing, educational, and engaging narrative with the true essence of authorship at its core. This, despite my one criticism that comes in the afterward of the book with the statement that unless you consider writing to be your calling, and "can't live without it," that you should give it up. Thinking back to Rick's initial words, writing is an endeavor of love, and one that takes dedication. Don't derail writers before they get underway; it's too delightful to walk away from, even with its inherent aggravations.
You can find this book on amazon.com here.