Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Writing slump

I haven't been writing anything for so long. I don't know if I should keep on writing, I am in limbo and I don't know how to get out. I usually always get to this point. I have an idea, I start to write the synopsis of the story. Most of the time it's quite detailed, ranging from a page to a couple of pages. Then, the story seemingly sizzles and puffs out and I am left with nothing. The whole concept then feels foreign to me and I abort mission for good. The great news is, that isn't happening with the book I am working on right now. The bad news is, I'm not sure if the book is coming along, and so I am hitting a writing slump.

I don't have writer friends, and I am not even sure if I did if it would be of any use to my own writing. I have come up with a plan of action though to help me continue writing, even if it happens to be complete crap. The plan has two major components. The first component is quite simple and relatable to any craft and that is research. I am not really going to research on how to write, but I am going to read and critically analyze work that I loved and try to understand why it is that I love the book so much. The second component is something that I will try to practice at least once a week, and that is imitation. I will find a film, a passage, an image, really anything I can turn into words and recreate the story. This gives me something tangible to work with and I can easily check my work by comparing it to the original. I might put up an image up on my blog and have my version or interpretive story on the image.

Here's a list of the books I will be analyzing:

Sabriel by Garth Nixon
Castle in the air by Diana Wynne Jones
The pigman by Paul Zindel
To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
Dracula by Bram Stoker

Now the above books are books that I have already read and allows me to analyze them, without focusing too much attention to the story especially since I've already read them. I also will be analyzing books that I haven't read that I feel will enhance my writing perspective:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Ocean at the end of the lane Neil Gaiman
Disappearing act by Terry Mcmillan
Great and terrible beauty by Libba Bray
Book Thief by Markus Zusack

Now, I have a mix of books, but since I plan on writing for young adults particularly the 8-16 range, I think it is good to have some YA books in the mix. Since I am currently working on a piece for any age, I feel like the more adult books are appropriate as well.
Why am I doing all this? I don't know, I just think it is an organic way of learning the craft of writing. I also think that forcing someone to read a number of books they don't naturally enjoy (college) might ruin their desire to wright good fiction. So, if I actively throttle the attempts at making me hate reading and writing, I feel I will only come on top for it.

QUOTE
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education"
--Mark Twain

Sorry I haven't really been writing anything on this site, it's mainly due to the fact that I am in full swing of classes. I know I said I wouldn't BS my reading and all that, but I have come to the realization that I am a slow reader and I need to savor what I read. I still fully intend on reading all the material, just not exactly when my courses intend me to do so. That's it for now, looking forward to more posts in the future.

I leave you with this:

I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all.  ~Richard Wright, American Hunger, 1977

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