When It May Be Important to Let Go and Quit Embracing Our Writing Roots

Writers have their influences. In most cases, if not all, that’s how we decide we want to become writers. But during the writing or editing process I’ve found it’s generally a good idea to avoid those influences to ensure the work is your own.

It’s important for writers to form their own literary footprint, and in order to do this, their style must be their own. I am not in any way suggesting that we abandon our storybook muses, but that we provide ourselves enough slack so that we have enough breathing room to grow on our own as authors without completely cutting the tethers or losing the safety net. After all, the works of novelists who have inspired us are among the best sources of constructive criticism for an author or aspiring writer, especially if they lack the luxury of another writer to review their work. So many writers have no one to rely on when it comes to critiquing their work, and having a source of evaluation is invaluable and very nearly a must-have as we meander along the twists and turns that is the writing journey; making sure our prose makes sense and flows correctly and that we get our point across. In this sense, it’s important to have the necessary guidance nearby, and so reviewing the works of those we admire should not be entirely ruled out as we create.

Writers are notorious for borrowing or paying homage to their favorite authors. That famous line in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind? "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" Taken from William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, specifically when the husband of self-interested, social-climbing protagonist Becky Sharpe has had enough and abandons her, declaring, “Then that has been your misfortune,” just before he walks out the door after Becky pleads with him to stay. The entire scene was the inspiration for Rhett Butler's leaving his self-absorbed, vain wife Scarlett. In fact, that famous scene in GWTW is a reproduction of the scene in Vanity Fair. And Scarlett O’Hara? Modeled after self-serving Becky Sharpe. I shouldn’t need to point out that Gone With the Wind is one of America’s greatest literary classics. But those examples aside, standing on our own as writers is imperative if we’re to leave our mark on our readers, and even more so, our hopeful careers.

In supplying my own example: As the author of Bandita, a semi character driven, character study of Billy the Kid, I refused to read books about William H. Bonney outside of the books I have already read and use to check my facts, and I especially refuse to read the works of other women who’ve written of him as I do not want to risk having another female's perspective and voice penetrate my own.

It is absolutely essential to my objective that I protect my views and sentiments regarding Billy and his story. The writing/editing process is a critical time when it comes to penning our stories. While we are dreaming up and planning the outline, whether mentally or literally, it’s crucial to read as much as we can so we know which direction we’re going, but the actual writing? That should be all our own.

When It May Be Important to Let Go and Quit Embracing Our Writing Roots

Writers have their influences. In most cases, if not all, that’s how we decide we want to become writers. But during the writing or editing process I’ve found it’s generally a good idea to avoid those influences to ensure the work is your own.

It’s important for writers to form their own literary footprint, and in order to do this, their style must be their own. I am not in any way suggesting that we abandon our storybook muses, but that we provide ourselves enough slack so that we have enough breathing room to grow on our own as authors without completely cutting the tethers or losing the safety net. After all, the works of novelists who have inspired us are among the best sources of constructive criticism for an author or aspiring writer, especially if they lack the luxury of another writer to review their work. So many writers have no one to rely on when it comes to critiquing their work, and having a source of evaluation is invaluable and very nearly a must-have as we meander along the twists and turns that is the writing journey; making sure our prose makes sense and flows correctly and that we get our point across. In this sense, it’s important to have the necessary guidance nearby, and so reviewing the works of those we admire should not be entirely ruled out as we create.

Writers are notorious for borrowing or paying homage to their favorite authors. That famous line in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind? "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" Taken from William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, specifically when the husband of self-interested, social-climbing protagonist Becky Sharpe has had enough and abandons her, declaring, “Then that has been your misfortune,” just before he walks out the door after Becky pleads with him to stay. The entire scene was the inspiration for Rhett Butler's leaving his self-absorbed, vain wife Scarlett. In fact, that famous scene in GWTW is a reproduction of the scene in Vanity Fair. And Scarlett O’Hara? Modeled after self-serving Becky Sharpe. I shouldn’t need to point out that Gone With the Wind is one of America’s greatest literary classics. But those examples aside, standing on our own as writers is imperative if we’re to leave our mark on our readers, and even more so, our hopeful careers.

In supplying my own example: As the author of Bandita, a semi character driven, character study of Billy the Kid, I refused to read books about William H. Bonney outside of the books I have already read and use to check my facts, and I especially refuse to read the works of other women who’ve written of him as I do not want to risk having another female's perspective and voice penetrate my own.

It is absolutely essential to my objective that I protect my views and sentiments regarding Billy and his story. The writing/editing process is a critical time when it comes to penning our stories. While we are dreaming up and planning the outline, whether mentally or literally, it’s crucial to read as much as we can so we know which direction we’re going, but the actual writing? That should be all our own.

eBook at Google Books

Ok... So my eBook is supposed to become available on Kindle & Nook between Jan. and March, but is available at Google Books now: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XHYbAgAAQBAJ&rdid=book-XHYbAgAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_vpt_read&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_viewport.

eBook at Google Books

Ok... So my eBook is supposed to become available on Kindle & Nook between Jan. and March, but is available at Google Books now: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XHYbAgAAQBAJ&rdid=book-XHYbAgAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_vpt_read&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_viewport.

So You Wanna Write A Book

Someone once asked me, "I want to write a book; how do I get started?"

Whether or not there is an answer to that question is a contradictory circumstance. I can discuss how one can get started, but at the same time, how the hell should I know? The aspiring writer could either have an idea as to what they want to write, or have no idea and still submit a request for guidance. If it's the latter, then the individual either is not a writer or not ready to write. I shouldn't have to help someone find a good idea to write about. If that were the case, I'd write it myself.

Strangely enough it is easy for me to give an aspiring writer an idea of how to begin, but an individual who wants to write a book needs to have the tools readily available, and I'm not just talking about the physical tools; a laptop (or typewriter, or paper and pen), I’m talking about the mental tools—they need to have a focal point; an idea where the story beings, or at least have a grasp of the tale’s plot. When one has serious notions about writing a book, one must have the ground work laid out.

First, consider your genre: What sort of story do you want to tell? Is it Romance, True Crime, Thriller, Horror, etc., etc…

Second, you should have an idea as to who your players are, and they all must have a specific “job” that is integral to the plot and/or moves the plot along. After all, that’s what characters do—they propel the protagonist, and antagonist, forward.

From there it all hinges on spending time with your subject matter and your characters. I’ve written a couple of posts regarding the importance of understanding who your characters are first and foremost (Using Your Characters To Write a Great Story / Developing Your Characters). If you don’t know who your characters are, if you don’t familiarize yourself with them, then it’s a guarantee your book won’t be successful.

You need to understand who is who and how they all fit together as a whole. I personally recommend spending time with your characters (in your head, of course) before you put pen to paper, so to speak, no matter how long that takes you, and that you have a solid handle on which character is being used for which purpose. Things change during the course of your writing; your first draft may change dramatically from the finished draft that you are ready to submit to publishing houses or self-publish, so it’s not as though you need to have your characters grounded and disallow them to budge, but by the time you’re moving things around or changing ideas, you should be well acquainted with the players.

I’ve also touched on the subject of writing what you know (Why You Should Write About What You Know). Basing a novel on a subject that you are familiar with can help you move through your ideas comfortably. If you do this it means one battle will already be won and in your favor. All that will be left is for you to A) Figure out the particulars of the story, and B) What role your characters play in it. That sounds easier said than done, and that’s because it is. Regardless of whether or not you’ve conquered the subject matter because it’s common knowledge to you, and you’ve grown so close to your characters that you send them Christmas cards, you still need to connect the dots. And in addition, you’re still going to need to research any information you’re not familiar with that fits into your story and is necessary.

And speaking of Research...It needs to be done. Research can be the difference between a successful novel and a devastating embarrassment. If you don’t have the wherewithal to research your subject matter, then forget about writing—you weren’t meant to do it. Writers take pride in their work, just like anybody else who loves what they do, and in the case of being a writer there’s the added concern that strangers from around the country, the world even, have access to reading your work if you choose to publish. If you don’t mind looking like an idiot, then by all means…publish drivel. I’d hate to encourage that, but the sad fact is this: There are many self-published authors who should not be, for all intents and purposes, published.

I guess the bottom line is figuring it out is not as simple as asking a writer who has traversed the playing field that is writing to help you collect your thoughts. A true writer will be capable of sussing out much of it all on their own—a true writer doesn’t need help getting started because a true writer will figure out where to begin. How can I tell you what you should write about?