JS Lyster

I discovered mere days ago that I have taken second place in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest, in the science fiction & fantasy category. This award is based on a submission package which an editor or agent might see, and the final judging is done by an agent.

It is one thing when friends and family tell you you’re writing something worth reading. It’s another thing entirely when it comes from someone entirely detached, with no reason to soft-sell their criticisms of your work.

It has been a good week. While the PNWA notice was wonderful, I am also mere days away from marrying my sweetheart, Myst.

Tom Clancy once said, “The difference between real life and fiction is that fiction has to be believable.”

With that in mind, check out the link below for a brilliant take on the Second World War. Suppose it was a work of fiction? How many plot holes can you think of?

World War II

Once again I am a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association’s Literary Contest. (Two years running!) This year I aim to win.

Contest finalists

50-Years of Stupid Grammar

My web site has been woefully neglected, for reasons I hope are understandable: I’m scrambling to finish a novel, and would much rather edit that than write here.

But when I read the article linked above, I knew I had to put it here. I’m a long-time fan of disregarding grammatical rules, not on general principle but because the so-called “rules” often result in stilted and lifeless writing.

The article is about the famous (infamous?) Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.

I was recently chatting with a fellow writer who mentioned a friend of hers who wants to write. He has a good idea for a story, but no clue about how to actually put the words together in a coherent tale: no concept of point of view, creating a mood, describing a setting.

This is where writing exercises come in. I believe these are important–vital, in fact–no matter what level you’re at. Even a virtuoso pianist practices scales.

So here are a few simple writing exercises.

Write a short piece, say an exchange between two or three characters–but stick to one POV throughout. And THINK about what that character can see, hear, smell, taste, touch. Example: if one of the other characters is standing behind the POV character, there shouldn’t be any descriptions of that character scratching his nose.

On the topic of show, don’t tell: write another short piece that goes for emotional power. A wedding, a funeral, a soldier dying in his buddy’s arms on the battlefield. Pick something that moves you to sorrow, rage, joy. Write it without using a SINGLE word that states an emotion. For example, you can’t use the words “sorrow”, “rage”, or “joy” in your piece. Adverbs are off limits too: none of those “he cried angrily” lines; that’s cheating.

In creating a setting, write a piece describing the setting from your POV character’s, well, point of view. You don’t need to throw in every detail about a setting. But a character who loves plants is going to notice the wilted geranium in the corner while a geek is going to notice the Alienware laptop on the table. This kind of description tells us about your characters without you as the writer having to tell us this character loves plants and that character is a computer nerd.

This, by the way, has the seed of yet another writing exercise: developing your character. I’ll throw that one in here — along with others — later.

If you have exercises you’d like to suggest, drop them into the comments box below.

How Not to Write a Novel

“How Not to Write a Novel” is a funny guide to writing the most unpublishable steaming pile of dreck you can imagine.

Written by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman, “How Not to Write a Novel” describes in hilarious detail all the pitfalls you can drive your book into: time-honored techniques for ensuring your characters are stereotypes spouting cliches for dialogue while wandering through generic settings in scenes that will make your reader think, “Hey, this book is just a bunch of rip-offs from [insert author's ten favorite movies here].”

Of course there is a serious aspect to this book. It shows the aspiring writer 200 of the ways his or her book can go wrong. If you find yourself giving a nervous and uncomfortable chuckle at something in this book, it’s likely because you recognize it from your own work. If that’s the case, you have editing to do.

“How Not to Write a Novel” is a delightful and informative read. I prefer to hop around in it, reading a segment here and there. It’s well suited for reading in short bursts.

Buy the book from Amazon

It’s the final day of the Surrey International Writers Conference. It’s been a wonderful experience yet again. I’ve been to a number of these over the years, including the PNWA conference in Seattle just a few months ago. For the aspiring writer a conference like this is a gold mine. You meet agents and editors, you learn how the business works, you learn why your particular story ISN’T working, and you learn how to fix it.

I met an agent who is currently reviewing my novel, “Fragments”. And I spoke to an editor about “The Armageddon Jape.” She liked the premise and the writing on my first page or two enough to request the whole manuscript. (Note: this simply never happens. Almost.)

Sometimes what we take away from this kind of event is validation. Robert Dugoni reviewed my first chapter of “Armageddon” and loved it. When a professional says “You can clearly write,” this carries much more weight than the same words from your mother, your significant other, or your best friend.

Now, of course, the real work begins. I have a novel to finish.

Well, now I can say this (I was sworn to secrecy, as far as mentioning this online is concerned): I am this year’s winner of the Surrey International Writers Conference Storyteller’s Award, for my short story “The Mower’s Trial.”

Life is good.

Here I am at the Surrey International Writers Conference. This is a wonderful conference for the aspiring or professional writer. If you have time, scrape together the money to come. You will learn everything from the fine art of writing (beginner or advanced, there is something here for you) and publishing (including all the things you DON’T want to say to an agent; this is important stuff to know).

So far I’ve attended two workshops and a critique of my first chapter of The Armageddon Jape by thriller writer Robert Dugoni. Robert’s feedback was: “You can write and you’ve got a great story. Push through it and get it out there.” Sometimes just getting validation helps.

More later as the conference unfolds.