The Language of Writers

robertmcloughlinWriting Advice

When I started to learn about novel writing through classes, podcasts, and videos – occasionally I would hear a term used where I was unsure of its meaning. Most of the time the speakers used it so casually, so matter of factly, that I thought I might be the only person in the world who was confused about its proper meaning.

So I started to make a list and look up these words and their definitions. Each word had a meaning which was simply stated in one or two sentences. But then, I found whole essays written about what a word meant in the literary world. It appears that some of these words are not as simple in use, as their definitions might imply.

I’ve always thought that anyone could use a complex word to succinctly represent something. But it took a highly intelligent person to describe that word, that term, in simple English. So below, I will share a few of the words that I came across which were strangers to me not all that long ago, which now are slowly becoming favourites of mine. Many of these may be old hat to you, yet nevertheless you’ll have to admit that they are good terms for writers to keep in mind as we transfer thoughts and ideas into our written stories.

TROPE:
A significant or recurrent theme familiar to the reader. A ‘foreign’ taxi driver or a ‘criminal’ wearing a leather jacket, with tattoos, and smoking a cigarette, are both tropes. Clichés are old, unwanted, and overused tropes (It’s raining cats and dogs outside). Tropes are necessary for stories to be efficient, to move along and make sense quickly. (more…)

Writing Flash Fiction

robertmcloughlinWriting Advice, Writing Experiences

So I belong to a writing group which meets once a week at a local library. We show up, share some small talk, then the leader provides several writing prompts. We choose from among the prompts and then write for 20 minutes. Each of us then reads aloud what we’ve written. The group members give a bit of positive feedback. Then we repeat the process, but only write for 10 minutes the second time around. The prompts could be single words, a single sentence, or physical objects or images.

Many writing groups and writing classes follow a similar format. What we end up with usually is 200 to 500 words of a short story. This is the average length of a ‘Flash Fiction’ short story. Though some people say a flash fiction story can extend up to 1,000 words. (Whereas normal short stories might run all the way up to 25,000 words in length).

I have been attending basic writing groups and creative writing classes off and on for some time now. What I do, as well as many other writers, is to let the prompt stir up a memory from our own lives. Then we either write out our experience as an autobiographical piece, or we use the memory to create a new fictional story. Usually about a single experience, place, or person. (more…)

When is Enough, Enough?

robertmcloughlinWriting Advice

I am editing and rewriting my first novel, still. I am learning as I am going along. One thing I have been worried about is that I may have too many characters in my novel. I have an investment in each and everyone of them. And together, I belief they are a complete symphony of people who are needed to cohesively tell the story of my novel. Sort of like if you take out a piccolo and French horn player, would the symphony sound the same. So I’ll come clean and give you some numbers. My story is a character driven novel told first person through the protagonist. Then I have ten secondary characters who at times also serve as antagonists to varying degrees. Then I also have about another 10 minor characters and finally, another 18 walk-on characters (Who are briefly only in one or two scenes.) My novel should finish up with about 70,000 words.

So is that too many? Well, ‘War and Peace’ by Leo Tolstoy contained 134 characters. While the 19th century novel ‘Walden’ by Henry David Thoreau had only one character. How many characters do you need in your novel? Too few and you are likely to bore the reader. Too many and the reader may become confused and find it difficult to follow the story. So the answer is you need enough to competently tell the story you are writing. Vague answer? Yes. So keep on reading for the tangible advice that will better explain how to arrive at the ‘Goldilocks Number of Characters’ needed in your novel.  (more…)

Stream of Consciousness

robertmcloughlinUncategorized

I am sitting in a line of traffic on the Kilkenny Road. Construction up ahead. We all sit in our cars in a neat little straight line as somewhere ahead a temporary stoplight lets a few of us slip through and onto our journeys. Must be 50 cars ahead of me. I am in no hurry though, so I let my mind wander as I put the car in first gear, move 10 meters, then stop, put the car in neutral and rest my foot on the brake, over and over.

I can see the car in front of me, the car behind me, and left and right which overlooks the new roadwork efforts, some temporary signs, newly built stone walls in front of homes along the road, and bits of construction equipment, but no workers. The car behind me is a 2005 silver Renault Megan. Looks in good shape. But before I even noticed the car, I noticed the driver, a woman. I only looked in my mirror for a second. I didn’t want to alarm her. You know, here she is stuck in traffic, unable to escape and being stalked by a male driver in front of her. At least that’s what I thought she’d think if she caught me looking in my mirror at her. I thought that she was likely a very nice mother of three small children who finally got some alone time and was on her way into Kilkenny to run a few errands. On her way to just being an adult and not all tied up with domestic chores, dirty diapers, a sweet but messy husband, and a house that never seems to let her rest. Finally, she gets some quiet time and here I show up stalking her.  (more…)

Is it Possible to Live a Book?

robertmcloughlinWriting Experiences

So I was thinking about books. About how one goes about writing a book. Themes, a beginning, middle and an ending. How an idea can expand, twist, and surprise. About plots, inciting incidents, pinch points, and tension. But writing a book can be hard. Easy to think of a story, difficult to translate it into the written word.

A person though, instead of writing a book, could read one, and we do. From the safety of a chair in our own homes, we read. If the book is good, we forget that we are reading a story by some author, and find ourselves immersed in a fictional world, living it in our own minds.

Then I thought, is it possible to live a book? That with books you may get three choices, to write one, to read one, or to live one. A few gifted people, get to do all three. But they are rare.
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