If you don't have time to read, then you don't have the time (or skill) to write, said Stephen King. For those who want to become a writer, the site has selected several tutorials from famous masters of the word, with the most interesting and original tips and which, among other things, will be interesting as works of art.
Writers love to share the secrets of the craft, their views on literary activity, their own writing experience. Someone gives lectures and conducts creative seminars. Thus, the Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky enjoyed working as a visiting poet in a number of American and British universities, where he taught, among other things, the theory of versification, and the narcissistic, bile-bursting Vladimir Nabokov for many years sought a professorship at Harvard. Those who do not want to tear the ligaments and chew on the obvious for them, meeting with misunderstanding, and even indifference of the listeners, choose a different path - they write books where they talk about the principles of literary work, about things that are most important for the formation and development of the writer, give advice to novice writers.
Ray Bradbury. Zen in the Art of Writing
The master of science fiction said: "In our time, the joy of existence lies in helping teenagers find ways to new frontiers ...". This is exactly what he does in "Zen ...". Written in beautiful artistic language, which is at the same time the author's literary manifesto, practical advice on creating an individual style and collaborating with a publisher is interspersed with abstract reflections on literature, Bradbury's favorite poems and interesting episodes from his biography.
The undefined word "Zen" in the title of the book, which is a reference to the philosophical treatise "Zen in the Art of Archery", which introduces Zen Buddhism to the West, means, in my opinion, pleasure - the pleasure that a writer gets from writing . The author of The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine sought to teach future writers not only to write well, but also to love creativity, to love as passionately as he loved it. The book ends with the words "Work is love!". Bradbury himself, an optimist and a lover of life, believed that he would die if he stopped writing, and for many decades, until his death, he began every morning with work on another work.
The main secret of creativity is to treat your ideas like cats - just make them follow you.
So far, only the first essay "Zen in the Art of Writing", entitled "The Joy of Writing", has been translated into Russian, and it can only be found in electronic form.
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“First of all, a writer must have a restless heart. The writer must be feverish with excitement and delight. If not, let him work in the air, picking peaches or digging ditches; God is my witness, these activities are more beneficial for health.
"Read those books that sharpen your perception of color, shape and world scale."
“Think of someone like you, who wants or doesn’t want something with all their heart. Let him get ready to run. Then let's start. And - next, not lagging behind a single step. You will not even have time to look back, as your hero, with his great love or hatred, will drive you to the end of the story.
“Try to find small delights for yourself, look for small sorrows, and give form to both. Taste them, give your typewriter a taste."
“The story of any story should therefore read like a message about the weather: cold today, hot tomorrow. Set the house on fire this afternoon. Tomorrow, pour the cold water of criticism on the still-smoldering coals. Tomorrow there will be time to think, shred and rewrite, but today - explode, scatter in fragments in all directions, disintegrate into the smallest particles! The next six or seven drafts will be real torture.
"The main secret of creativity is to treat your ideas like cats - just make them follow you."
Konstantin Paustovsky. Golden Rose
“This book is not a theoretical study, much less a guide. These are just notes about my understanding of writing and my experience,” wrote Marlene Dietrich, beloved Russian writer, in the preface to The Golden Rose. In his work, Paustovsky talks about the fact that heroes always resist the writer's plan, and you need to listen to them; that it is not necessary to carry a notebook with you everywhere; compares the artist and the writer, demanding from the latter to distinguish colors no worse than a painter.
Instructions are supported by the statements of other writers, examples from their own experience, and fascinating short stories. In addition to the nature of central Russia, the classic did not love anything as ardently as the Russian language, so it is not surprising that the Golden Rose is written in a polished expressive style and, if only for this reason, deserves to become a reference book for every novice writer.
Paustovsky believed that “Every minute, every casually thrown word and glance, every deep or playful thought, every imperceptible movement of the human heart, just like the flying fluff of a poplar or the fire of a star in a night puddle, are all grains of gold dust. We, writers, have been extracting them for decades, these millions of grains of sand, collecting them imperceptibly for ourselves, turning them into an alloy and then forging our “golden rose” from this alloy - a story, a novel or a poem.
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“The one who will force himself to accumulate observations and rush about with his notes (“as if not to forget something”), of course, will collect heaps of observations indiscriminately, but they will be dead. In other words, if these observations are transferred from a notebook to the fabric of living prose, then almost always they will lose their expressiveness and look like alien pieces.
You can never think that this rowan bush or this gray-haired drummer in the orchestra will someday be needed for me to tell a story, and therefore I must observe them especially intently, even somewhat artificially. Observe, so to speak, "on duty", from purely business motives.
Even very successful observations should never be forced into prose. When needed, they themselves will enter it and stand in place.
"One of the foundations of writing is a good memory."
Stephen King. How to write books. Memoirs of a craft
It would even be strange if such a prolific and financially successful author did not write a guide for budding writers. The book consists of two parts: "Biography" and "What is writing." The first tells about the events of King's life that played a role in shaping him as a writer, about the influence of Howard Lovecraft's work on him, about the consequences of a car accident, after which, by the way, he decided to write this work, and about why he did not keep his promises to stop write.
In the second part of the book, King gives practical advice to young writers - for example, he recommends avoiding the use of adverbs if possible, shares secrets on how to develop the plot correctly or what character traits the protagonist of a good "horror story" should have, illustrates instructions with the works of famous authors and short stories, written specifically for this book.
If you don't have time to read, then you don't have time (and skill) to write. Everything is simple.
How to Write Books is useful, I think, only to those who want to write like Stephen King. And for them it is priceless. The work will undoubtedly arouse interest among admirers of the work of the "king of horrors". It is worth noting that the authoritative and strict film critic, long-term host of the Oscars ceremony, Roger Ebert, highly appreciated the book.
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“It all starts with this: put a table in the corner, and every time you start writing, remind yourself why it is not in the middle of the room. Life is not a support system for art. It's quite the opposite."
“... try to write better and remember that writing adverbs is a human weakness, writing “he said” or “she said” is the perfection of the gods.”
“If you don’t have time to read, then you don’t have time (and skill) to write. It's simple."
We have selected recommendations from world-renowned writers regarding the organization of work on the text, as well as advice on creating the world of a work of art, those that explore creative methods and techniques. These are tips that will be useful to absolutely all authors, regardless of their style, artistic concepts and genre of performances.
About writing as work
Ray Bradbury's advice (based on the book "Zen in the art of writing books"):
1. Start writing as soon as an interesting thought appears, and do not stop until every last word has been said.
2. Make lists of nouns, from which a story can be obtained in the future. Browse lists and make up stories based on words chosen at random.
3. write every day, not arranging weekends, since Bradbury is convinced that “over time, quantity turns into quality”, that is, the more the author trains in creating literary texts, the better his writing skills.
4. Write one story per week. Thus, by the course of the year, the author will have forty to fifty stories ready. And some of them are sure to be successful: according to Ray Bradbury, "it is impossible to create 52 bad stories in a row."
Ernest Hemingway's advice (based on the book "Ernerst Hemingway. Selected Letters" and interview texts):
1. If the author does not know how to start working on the text, stalls and feels insecure, he you only need write one true sentence. Write as truthful as you can,” Hemingway said to himself during bouts of creative apathy in Paris. “In the end, I wrote down one true phrase and moved on from it. he says. - And it was already easy, because there was always one true phrase that you knew, or saw, or heard from someone. If I started to write intricately, or lead to something, or demonstrate something, it turned out that these curlicues or decorations could be cut off and thrown away and start with the first truthful, simple affirmative sentence. ».
2. Get to work on the text at dawn, right after waking up, as early as possible. At this time, the author can be alone and fully concentrate on work.
3. Learn grammar and punctuation.
4.Be able to stop in time while working on the text in the name of avoiding writer's collapse . Hemingway says, "Always stop while you're still writing, and then don't think about work or worry until you start writing again the next day." That is, you should finish working on the text until the thought is expressed to the end. Stop knowing what will happen next so that the next morning it is easy to continue the story.
Tips from Chuck Polannik (based on an essay on writing published by Polannik on his official fan site):
1. Surprise yourself and the reader, allowing oneself to experiment, fantasize and think outside the box - this, according to Polanikk, is what the modern reader, spoiled by cinema, expects from the novel.
2. If the thought has dried up, reread previous episodes, return to the characters that appeared at the beginning of the story, pay attention to details. “While finishing Fight Club, I had no idea what to do with the skyscraper. But when I re-read the first scene, I came across a fragment that talks about mixing nitra with paraffin, they say, this is an unreliable method for preparing explosives. This small digression has become a great “buried gun”.
3. Use kitchen timer method when you don't feel like writing. The Palahniuk method is to set the kitchen timer for one hour and write until the timer rings. As a result, the author, spurred on by the running out of time, should get carried away with writing and continue working on the text when the time is up.
4. Making writing a conversation, namely to attend a variety of near-and not only literary parties.
5. Take a photo for the cover of your book now while young.
About creativity
The previous advice from well-known writers is more related to the organization of the workflow: knowledge, whatever you say, is useful, but information about what the text itself should be is no less valuable. From all the variety of opinions, we chose two sets of rules that seemed to us the most relevant. An important point: the position of the king of suspense Stephen King, outlined below, contradicts some of the provisions of Ray Bradbury's previous advice. But therein lies the beauty of knowing different points of view on writing: the polyphony of opinions will allow us to find our own truth.
1. Taken immediately for great prose, that is, for a novel, since stories are difficult to sell to a publisher.
2. Don't care about the plot: according to King, books are written by themselves or, in his words, they write themselves, the main thing is that the plot is catchy. In fact, all of his books began with a “what if” message. For example, “what if a provincial town cuts off from the rest of the world a giant impenetrable dome of unknown origin”, etc.
3. Don't care about the idea: King thinks the story is important, not the idea, people read mainstream literature for stories.
4. Pay close attention to dialogue: they must be alive. The hero must speak his own language, corresponding to his social status, age, professional affiliation, etc.
5. Try to sell the manuscript to a large publisher, not exchanging for trifles. And in parallel with negotiating with the publisher, work on a new manuscript.
Tips from Kurt Vonnegut
1. You need to write in such a way that the reader did not consider the time spent reading as wasted.
2. Create at least one hero, to which the reader might be attached.
3. Every character has to want something, even if it is "just a glass of water."
4. Each proposal must serve one of two purposes: reveal character or continue action.
5. " Start as close to completion as possible.
6. " Don't be afraid to be a sadist. No matter how innocent and glorious your main characters are, let all sorts of horrors happen to them - so that the reader sees what they are worth.
7. Writing for one person's pleasure. “If you, figuratively speaking, throw open the window and make love to the whole world at once, your story runs the risk of catching pneumonia.”
8. Give readers as much information as possible - and, if possible, a rhinestone. This is necessary so that readers can join the game as early as possible, feel the story. “Don't keep them in the dark. The reader should not be left wondering. He must immediately understand what is happening, where, when and why - so that he can finish the story on his own if the cockroaches gobble up the last pages, ”Vonnegut said.
I constantly receive letters from novice writers and poets with a request: “Read my work and tell me if I should write!”
What do we see here? The author is still not serious about literature and about himself in art. He wants someone to decide for him whether he should spend years on education and practice. If some unfamiliar aunt says “no” to him, will he stop writing? Worthless for such an author.
Whether the author is talented, one can say not at the initial stage, when everyone writes badly, but in five to ten years, when mediocrity is eliminated, unable to “run a marathon”. Talent is a little ability and years of study and practice. Mediocrity is not capable of this, they go the distance.
Tell me, aunty, can I get married?
Can you imagine a young man passionately in love who comes to a stranger and asks: “Should I marry this girl or not?” If a young man is serious, if he really loves his chosen one, he will move mountains on the way to happiness - at least he will try.
Moreover, it is easier for us, writers, a beautiful girl is not enough for everyone, and literature will take into its arms anyone who sincerely loves her.
Inner emptiness
In 1923, Osip Mandelstam wrote an article entitled , where he complained that an incredible number of authors had divorced in Russia, besieging editorial offices with requests “Print me!”, “Look what I wrote here!”
As now, a hundred years ago, the reason for this phenomenon is that a person is dissatisfied with his life, he can’t do anything, he doesn’t have knowledge, and in some kind of foggy dream he dreamed that he could exchange his stormy feelings, expressed as he it seems like “poetry”, into all kinds of “carrots”: recognition, connections, fame, money, etc.
Such people are not interested in literature - they are interested in themselves. They write extremely badly precisely because they are not serious about their occupation, they do not see art in it, they do not see in it something worthy of careful study.
Mandelstam writes:
Try to turn the conversation from so-called poetry to another topic - and you will hear pathetic and helpless answers, or simply: "I'm not interested in that." Moreover, the patient with the disease of poetry is not interested in poetry itself. […]
Writers of poetry are in most cases very bad and inattentive readers of poetry; […] extremely fickle in their tastes, untrained, born non-readers - they invariably take offense at the advice to learn to read before they start writing.
sincere response
Writes me a letter another beginner
For some time I think about how to respond so that he at least catches something in my words.
I answer him only because I myself was like that: after all, in my youth I also ran with manuscripts to all sorts of "Unions of Writers" and eminent authors. And she was also a beginner, who loved herself in art much more than art in herself.
And here are the thoughts running through my head:
Boy, you came to me and from the door you demand that I give you my time, my experience and my knowledge. That is, you demand a piece of my life. What are you willing to give? Your stories? Thank you, but I know that newcomers who need “constructive criticism” write worse than Bunin. I'd better go and read Bunin.
I myself needed several significant strokes of fate on my self-esteem before I woke up and realized that literature requires SERVICE, not consumption. You need to sincerely love it (that is, read other authors, study theory, write mountains of drafts), and not pour your complexes and problems into it, like into a sewer pipe.
And only after that I started to get something.
And this young man is not serious about himself, and about me. In fact, in his eyes, my time and effort are worth nothing, and that is why he - completely without a second thought - comes and demands attention. And not having received, terribly offended.
How to interest yourself?
But somehow you need to establish connections and communicate with colleagues? How to be?
beta reading
With those who are at the same career level as you, you can exchange services: you need, and they too. Serious beginners are interested in how their colleagues write - this gives invaluable skills in editing and trains literary taste.
Consultations
You can get acquainted with those who give paid consultations,. There is a fair exchange: we exchange time for money.
Small but useful services
No money? You can provide services: learn to do something and help someone whose attention you need.
But quality is important here: recently, a lady declared herself a marketer and began to impose herself on me as a friend. But it soon became clear that she had no qualifications at all, she only knew how to rush with clever words.
Friendship on the same level
And if you want someone big and accomplished to be friends with you and provide you with services in exchange for the joy of communication, then you need knowledge, skills, a broad outlook and sincerity.
Which end to go from?
If you feel that literature is the love of your life, but do not know how to approach it, take my lecture. In it, I will talk about how to lay an emotional foundation for your creativity.
Whether you succeed or not is determined not by higher powers or genes, but by your emotional background. If you can move forward with confidence, then every day you will do something useful for your career and in the end you will achieve results. If you can’t, then either you won’t do anything at all, or you’ll walk in circles - around familiar and unfamiliar people: “Look ... And evaluate ...”
The Writer's Digest website published an interesting and very useful material for novice authors, which we decided to translate and adapt for those who are interested in creating literary works. The material on 15 things that novice authors should never do is based on interviews with authors , conferences, editors' opinions and writing experience.
Don't look for the only way
Don't assume that there is a strictly defined path or method that a writer must follow. In other words, look for what works for you. Listen to yourself and trust yourself.
There are many articles and textbooks devoted to the literary process and the methods outlined in them often contradict each other. The writing path is not a yellow brick road to be strictly followed, and at different stages of your writing career you may find yourself using several different techniques, or even inventing new ones that are right for you.
Don't imitate idols
Do not try to imitate idols. Be yourself. We remember and love the authors for their originality, vivid plots and individual language. Imitation is the best form of flattery, but if you imitate someone all the time, you will be remembered as a copy machine, not as a writer. No one in the world has your experience, your personality and your voice. So try to express your ideas in your own way. Of course, no one forbids you to learn from the masters, read the works of your favorite authors or write fanfiction, but remember - every writer should have his own voice. Otherwise, he will not be a writer, but a copier.
Don't get hung up on theory
Don't get stuck in discussions about what and how to write. It can be useful to get other people's points of view about whether to write a synopsis before the text, how careful the planning of the work should be, how much the author's own experience should penetrate the text, whether it is necessary to edit the text in the process of writing or is it better to do it after the end. But such reflections should not drive you into the framework and take up most of your time. Creating a literary work is attractive precisely because of the feeling of freedom and the ability to do what you want and what you think is right. Don't get stuck within someone else's limits.
Do not fixate on the publication
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Publishing a book is a long process. The novel "Pride and Prejudice" was rejected by the publishers and waited for publication for 15 years. There is no way to predict what fate awaits your work, so always keep a couple of ideas in mind that you can start as soon as you finish one story. Finding a publisher is an important step in your career, but it shouldn't completely absorb you and get in the way of your creativity.
Think about the image
Pay attention to your image in the industry. The writing business may seem like a huge machine, but it involves a very specific number of people who collaborate, talk and exchange opinions with each other. Therefore, incorrect behavior, insult or rudeness committed by you in relation to one of the representatives of the industry may scatter to literary agencies, publishing houses and affect the decision of the publisher to cooperate with you. Therefore, no matter how offensive the refusal is or no matter how unpleasant the proposals for rewriting the text are for you, try to think that the unpleasant situation will be resolved sooner or later, and your image will remain with you forever.
Don't explode in response to criticism
Learn not to overreact to negative reviews. There are no favorite works of all. Every masterpiece of world culture has people who do not like it or do not understand it. Beta readers, editors and literary agents - all those who read your essay will have their own, individual opinion about it. And it's useful! Try to select the comments that you find fair, those that you are ready to pay attention to and discard everything else (unless, of course, making suggestions made by the editor is not a clause in your contract - then you will have to put up with it). Learn to accept criticism - it will make you better.
Do not feed the trolls
But be able to separate criticism from trolling. Sometimes people try to get rid of some of their own problems by creating problems for others. And if your writing becomes the target of such outpourings, the only thing you can do is ignore the trolls' feedback. Any answer you give will be an invitation to a conversation for them, so do not enter into conversations with trolls, do not take them as personal attacks and do not try to find logic in them.
Language is your working tool
Don't forget the basics. Any writer works with language. We use written words to communicate our thoughts, images and ideas to the reader. Spelling, syntax, grammar - these are all your working tools, and they must be honed. Have respect for your reader and don't force him to wade through inconsistent endings, through sentences that lose their meaning from missing commas, and through mistakes that change the meaning of words. Reading a book requires thinking, and as an author, you want the reader to think about the ideas of your book and empathize with its characters, rather than trying to understand what the phrase "chopped meadow" means.
Don't break yourself for a trend
Do not write what everyone likes, but is contrary to your interests. There are trends, popular topics or genres on the market, but if they are not close and interesting to you, you don’t need to force yourself to write, hoping to make money quickly. Writing a book, editing and then publishing it is a long process. And, most likely, by the time your book is published, the trend will have already changed and the love stories of young girls and century-old vampires will have already lost their former popularity. Why transfer paper? Write what interests you - for sure, among the entire population of the globe there is someone who is interested in the same things.
Don't slander someone else's success
Try to be kind to the successes of other authors. Even if their works offend your literary taste. No matter how terrible the book may seem to you and no matter what it tells you about the author's mental health - remember, the author wrote this book, found a publisher and has already gone the way you are embarking on. He could be incredibly easy or terribly difficult, but one way or another - this was his way and his efforts were rewarded. Let the success of other writers inspire you, instead of thinking: "what the hell is bullshit being published, there is no point in writing something good if the public likes such hell", think: "if this author was published, then what am I Waiting? I need to write and work!". The success of one writer does not mean failure for another; it is not a tennis match.
Don't think it's easy
Don't think that becoming a writer is easy. Yes, we've all heard dozens of stories about how someone wrote a book and suddenly woke up famous. But at the same time, we know that Stephen King received more than 30 rejections from publishers. The Chronicles of Narnia was published almost by accident, after many publishers rejected the book. Sometimes the text has to make a very thorny path to the heart of the reader and it can be very difficult to maintain an inner conviction that someone needs your work. Most likely, you will have difficulties. But whether you will be able to overcome them and remain true to your calling depends on you.
Don't Forget Reality
Don't forget about real life. Few things compare to the wonder of immersing yourself in a fantasy world that you yourself have created. But there is life beyond the borders of your desktop, and often it is the main source of inspiration.
Be sure to read
Read. You can't become a writer without reading. Reading is your school of excellence and your inspiration. You need to know the classics to understand which works have stood the test of time and why. You need to know modern literature in order to understand what works are being published now and what readers are interested in at the moment. If the language you write is your work tool, then the books you read are your bus ticket to work.
Don't fight text more than necessary
Learn to give up... in small things. The book consists of dozens of chapters, and a chapter of dozens of sentences. And if you feel that something is not working, that this sentence, word or plot twist does not suit your story - do not be afraid to refuse them. In the end, you can always come back to them later and refine them to the desired level.
Do not give up
But never give up completely. A writer is someone who writes. One who has an inner need to write. If you feel this need in yourself, it would be a crime not to fulfill it. You will have moments when it will seem that everything, there are no more forces and you want to give up. But there will definitely be others - when someone reads your text and says "this is great! I really liked it!". The writer's spark is very difficult to extinguish - even if you firmly decide to put an end to creativity, after a while you still risk finding yourself in front of the monitor, typing words. But the precious time that you could have spent on becoming a better writer, and instead wasted regretting your failed writing career, no one will make up for you. Therefore, write. Not for rave reviews, not for money, but for that amazing moment when tiny elements, letters and words, add up to a fascinating story that comes to life on paper.
Today there are no problems with publication: almost everyone can find a publishing house, of which there are a great many, and print their work. But after all, printing a work is the final, but far from the main part of the process.
Remember that the answer to the question of how to write a book lies in the talent and ability of each author. If he has them, then you can count on the success of the work. Moreover, in addition to this, you also need the desire to write and learn how to correctly formulate your thoughts into a “written word”. After all, it is not always possible to correctly express our emotions and ideas in literary language: this requires some knowledge and skills.
As a rule, if a novice writer does not know where to start writing a book, things do not go further than the idea. The desire to learn and the ability to find the necessary information are one of the guarantees that things will get off the ground. We will try to help you with this.
First of all, decide what your story will be about, in what genre it should be written. Perhaps you are interested in poetic form or prose, maybe your idea will be adequately interpreted in the form of diary entries, essays, or even a whole novel. A very important issue, which is directly related to the success of your work in reading circles, is the relevance of the topic you have chosen.
Of course, the answer to the question of how to write a book is not limited to the choice of topic and form of the work. The author must be well versed in the topic that he is going to cover. In order to decide on this, you can choose several topics that you would like to reveal, and from them - already the one that is more to your liking. Moreover, knowledge in this area should be as thorough as possible.
In addition, you must clearly understand the potential audience that your work may be interested in. The fact is that the goal set and the circle of intended readers form the style of the book and its direction as a whole. You know that popular science literature is very different from children's or fiction. The reader is your addressee, and the language of presentation should be clear to him.
Remember that in the question of how to learn to write books, you should not rush to choose a name and structure. As a rule, during the creation of a work, many new thoughts, ideas, even storylines arise. The writer is a creative person, because it was not for nothing that Leo Tolstoy wrote about his novel “Anna Karenina” (approximate quote): “Imagine, my Anna took it and threw herself under the train.” The line of the hero or the plot as a whole develops independently and prompts the author of the logical ending of the work.
Remember that the title of the work is a very important element, because it attracts the reader and "provokes" him to read or not read the book. Therefore, the choice of the headline must be taken very responsibly and postponed until a later date, when the entire text is ready.
In that, the main place is occupied by the issue of creating the main content of the work. You should not limit yourself to any deadlines: it often takes more time than you initially think. The flight of fancy has no limits, therefore it is impossible to predict how long it will take you to write a book. It is better to count with a margin.
As you have noticed, the creation of a literary work is a very complex and lengthy process that requires a lot of effort and knowledge. Therefore, a novice writer needs not only to know how to write a book, but also to correctly use the information received.
