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If only writing were as easy as the Rubik's Cube!
Yeah, you heard me right.
How in the world is something as left-brained as the Rubik's Cube easier than writing stories?
For one thing, you are certain when the Rubik's Cube is solved. You know exactly when it's finished. Like a pop-up thermometer for your Thanksgiving turkey, the Cube lets you know the moment it's done. There's no such thing as good enough. "I'll just leave these two corners unsolved" doesn't fly.
Take a look at your WIP (work in progress). What about that story you threw in the drawer a year ago? Are you finished with them? How do you know?
With the Rubik's Cube, if you need to adjust a corner or flip an edge, it's pretty obvious what needs to be fixed.
It's not so obvious with your stories.
There is no solution manual for your stories. Even if there were a manual, the solution would change whenever it's looked at like the crystals turning in a Kaleidoscope. There is nothing quite as obvious as the Rubik's Cube to tell you when something is out of place or doesn't work in your story.
So how do you measure when your story is done?
Is it published?
Unfortunately, what may be considered polished and completed for one market or audience may not be so for others.
Are you, the author, satisfied?
Is this the best work you can produce today? You may change your mind 6 months or 6 years from now. But that's okay.
Are you exhausted?
Sometimes it is just healthier to move on to something else. Your story is good enough. Draft number two, or draft number eight. It doesn't matter. You're so weary of it you risk inadvertently 'fixing' something already working well.
I wish there was a magic solution pamphlet to let you know exactly when your story is completed, but that's just not to be. Perhaps there is an omniscient professor of literature ready to oversee your story progress, but I have yet to discovered her.
Ink scribblings seem to be ever present on my pile of manuscripts. I have no ideal end state like with the Rubik's Cube. Stories are Kaleidoscopes because they are beautiful in their many different states.
What is lovely to one set of eyes may not be appealing to another. What looks like crap today, will look genius tomorrow.
What about you? How do you gauge when your stories are done?
Don't tell me what to do! I'm not going to listen. Go ahead, up the ante. Tell me I can't do something. See what happens. I'm defiant, I'm a writer.
One year ago I started this blog despite the skepticism of one of my friends. "How many ways can you relate the Rubik's Cube to writing? You can't create enough new content to sustain an entire blog."
Ha! How dare you question me? I will prove you wrong! Popeye had his cans of spinach to get fired up, but all you need to feed me is doubt.
They said it can't be done.
Erno Rubik doubted anyone would ever be able to solve his newly invented cube. He worked at it for over a month before he finally worked out a solution. Look how things have changed. It can now be solved in less than six seconds. And some cubers can do what was thought to be impossible: solve the Rubik's Cube blindfolded.
Defiance breeds greatness.
I'm grateful that Rosa Parks didn't listen to that bus driver in Montgomery. Thoughtful acts of defiance can grow into ideas that can change the world. Would there be a Civil Rights Movement in the USA without Rosa Parks? Probably. Eventually. But certainly not without defiance.
LaLaLaLaLa, I can't hear you!
I'm happy I didn't listen to my naysayers, just as most children are happy their parents didn't wait until they were ready to have kids. Somehow I'm still here. Happy Anniversary, Blog!
Rather than get discouraged by negative comments, I get motivated to journey on. I write because writing is challenging. I know I'm not going to change the world with my blog, but I'm going to keep doing it on my terms. Maybe this is my last post, maybe not.
Are you going to do what you're told?
Are you a writer? Have you ever been told to get a "real" job? Why should you? Because that's what everyone else thinks you should do? Com'on! Stick your tongue out at the world and say "pbthhh!"
I want to read your future, award-winning material. I want to learn and experience your Earth-shattering ideas. Despite the odds, despite what other people tell you to the contrary, what are you doing as a writer? I'd love to hear from you.
Why haven't I published a How-To video for solving the Rubik's Cube? Good question. After all, the theme of this blog almost begs it.
Just search for the Rubik's Cube on YouTube and you'll find various videos offering their favorite methods for solving the cube. In fact, you'll find over 20,000 videos.
So many methods for beginners, intermediate, and advanced cubers! Yet, most methods require memorization of complex notation and mathematical algorithms. Should I take the time to deliver my drop of wisdom into the ocean of knowledge? Can I even be considered a "cuber" worthy enough to preach my gospel?
Yes, actually. On both accounts.
I can teach my easy-to-understand method to solve the cube and it doesn't require memorization.
What makes a cuber a 'cuber'?:
I have always been a cuber. But what makes a cuber a 'cuber'?
What's the distinction? I used to be just some guy who liked challenging puzzles. I always have been. But now I'm a 'cuber'? What happened? I haven't won any competitions. Admittedly, I don't have any popular tutorials published on the web.
I have learned from others, though. I have studied concepts. And I have learned new things by solving very different types of twisty puzzles. Through a combination of dedication, humbleness, and confidence, I have gained a certain amount of credibility. I'm a 'cuber', cuber because that's how I define myself.
What makes a writer a 'writer'?:
I have always been a writer, (said just like every other writer). But I didn't consider myself a serious writer until recently. It has nothing to do with publishing credentials or literary merit. It's all about how I define myself. I don't write articles for Writer's Digest, nor do I make millions of dollars writing subpar prose like Dean Koontz, but I am a 'writer' writer.
I consider myself a writer with credibility. One reason is because I have a unique perspective that I may not have had before. Just like my 'cuber' alter ego, I have gained credibility through dedication, humbleness, and confidence. My unique experience writing can benefit other writers. Just like I can benefit from every other writer out there, (including how to sell books like Dean Koontz).
One secret weapon teachers have in their arsenal is to ask the better students to tutor other struggling students. This actually benefits both students. By helping the struggling students to understand topics they have already mastered themselves, their own learning tends to be reinforced. It can also give them fresh insight on the topic and make them an even better student.
The thing that's really exciting about writing is there are no rules. Some may not consider the über-prolific Nora Roberts to be a 'writer' writer on grounds of literary merit. While others may not consider an unpublished author to be a 'writer' writer simply because they are unknown. It doesn't matter. Every writer can offer wisdom to other writers.
So share your writing tips with others. Don't worry about your word counts or publication record. Don't worry if you suffer adequately enough for your craft. Prepare something to teach to others and you'll learn, or at least reinforce, writing concepts. Do that and you'll become a 'writer', writer.
What do you think makes a writer a 'writer'?
Today, I recommend M.E. Anders' Blog. She loves the thriller genre and is currently writing a psychological thriller.
Her site is quite diverse and includes articles ranging in topics from fitness to psychology and religion. She is an aspiring novelist and is generously sharing her journey writing her first novel. She has an interesting approach to plotting you may find useful.
One of the more entertaining features of her blog is a weekly guest interview. (Here comes the shameless plug:)
This week I have the honor of appearing on her blog for an interview. Please check it out: M.E. Anders.
You can access my regularly scheduled blog post once you've been thoroughly entertained by Mindi's site: Can You Bribe Your Inner Critic?
Thanks for visiting!
Lately I've had a hard time getting started with new stories. That darn inner critic! Just when I start to feel confident, he sneaks up to remind me that I'm only as good as my last accomplishment. How am I supposed to top that one?
I live for new challenges, but if I don't gag this judgmental intruder I'm going to end up with an overworked pile of old manuscripts. Always critiquing and never creating. I will knead this gently rising dough of prose until it becomes tough and rubbery. And nobody wants to serve that with dinner!
Why is he here?
My inner critic is a Bloodhound that sniffs out self-doubt. I ponder something new, and he can sense it. Anything new brings on the uncertainty. And he's right there! I meander into new territory and I feel like a fugitive panicked by the barking at my heels.
Can we avoid him?
What if we always stayed inside of our comfort zones? We wouldn't have to worry about failing. But how dull would life be? Inside my comfort zone there is a pile of finished manuscripts and a drawer full of conquered puzzles. I can edit and reedit my same stories over and over again. (Boring!) And I can solve and resolve the same puzzles over and over again. (Yawn!)
But I love new things.
On one hand, I can scour the Internet and buy a new puzzle whenever I feel the urge. I still have doubts about whether I should do it; but this inner critic is the smaller, feebler younger brother. He's the accountant in the family.
Maybe I won't be good enough and get stumped with this new puzzle. I might be out some money, but I'll still be a puzzler. It won't stop me from trying a different one, (or prying it apart with a screwdriver).
On the other hand, I can't simply buy a new story. I must create it. And my inner critic is the louder, stronger, and more convincing older brother. He doesn't merely judge one particular work in progress. No. He doubts all of my abilities as a writer. "You'll never be able to do anything with this crap," he'll say.
What if I could bribe my inner critic?
Could I pay him off? Would he leave me alone, just for a little while? I'm going to try it. I'm going to turn my old swear jar into a bribery jar. The FCC is pretty lax with profanity these days, so it couldn't hurt. If my inner critic says something to keep me from writing, money goes into the bribery jar.
He needs to be silenced until I have something new to work with. If it doesn't live up to my expectations, so what? You can't learn to swim if the pool is empty.
Will I love the new story? Probably not, but that's okay. Even Shakespeare had first drafts. But then again, I'll have a jar full of money and my inner critic will be itching to get to work editing.
So bribery might be worthwhile. When your piece is written, you can use that money to treat yourself to a nice, fresh pot of coffee and get to work editing with the best person for the job: your inner critic.
What do you think? Can you bribe your inner critic?
Something occurred to me the other day while I was solving my Rubik's Cube. I solve it upside down. I solve from the bottom up. White side first, yellow side last.
I learned this trick to avoid reorienting the cube. Who wants to keep changing your point of view just to keep track of your progress?
Rules constrain the behavior of the cube so I know certain things will happen to edge and corner "cubies" even if I don't see them directly. (By the way, a "cubie" is a nickname for the individual pieces on the cube.) In my case, if a cubie has a white sticker on it, then I know it belongs on the bottom (hidden) layer. If it has a yellow sticker, then it's going somewhere on the top (visible) layer. I don't have to constantly peek at the bottom of the cube, I can use other visible cues to ensure it gets where it belongs.
Then it hit me! This is Point of View, or POV in literary circles. This is the perspective the story is told to the reader. How is the narration revealed? First person, third person, etc.
When you write a story, it is important to maintain a consistent POV. By consistent, you don't switch perspectives mid-chapter, mid-scene, or mid-paragraph without giving the reader an obvious cue. (Of course you can have multiple POVs in the story, and it's a challenge to pull off successfully. Maybe I'll cover that another time.) The most common convention is for a story to be told from a single POV, or perspective.
Too many POV shifts can be jarring to the reader. Imagine how frustrated you would be if someone constantly reoriented the top color on your Rubik's Cube after every turn you make to solve it.
It's easy to catch POV mistakes by finding "she" rather than "I" in the wrong places. But also keep in mind that the POV you choose may restrict what can be revealed to the reader through that particular lens. The tricky POV mistakes are the ones where the POV character acts based on something they couldn't possibly know or see. It may be as simple as a character not being present to "see" something happen but the action is described anyway.
But also consider the POV character's realm of knowledge. Would a janitor know the answers to combinatorial problems that even advanced mathematics students at MIT could not solve? Not likely. Unless of course that janitor was a genius in the story, as in the movie Good Will Hunting.
What POV do you like? Does it depend on the story?
I don't do well with hypothetical questions.
Force me to save my favorite anything from a burning building and I'll be reduced to a charred pile of indecisiveness. I simply can't choose. I love variety too much.
This might explain why I have a puzzle 'shrine' in my office. Some days I feel like doing the Rubik's Cube, other times it might be the Rubik's Revenge, still others, the Mirror Cube.
So don't ask me which stories I would save from a burning building. I won't post a static and boring list of my 'favorites' here. Nope. My tastes evolve like an ever-changing mosaic.
Therefore in this series of posts I will share a cross-section of stories and authors I adore, but no favorites. I love my children equally, but in different ways.
Bag of Bones by Stephen King
There's nothing like the original master. Besides Stephen King, I don't read much from the horror genre, but it's hard to cram his work into any one genre. His uniquely insane voice opened my eyes to the power of great storytelling. He has taken on Fantasy with The Dark Tower (series) and The Eyes of the Dragon. The Tommyknockers showed us his take on Sci-Fi. Of course, any aspiring writer will cite his Nonfiction On Writing as a masterpiece.
I always coveted his short stories. Ever since reading Stephen King in high school, I have marveled at this literary master's range. I absolutely adored the story "Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption". But of his work, I think Bag of Bones, originally published in 1998 by Scribner, is what really reinvigorated me back to writing.
Bag of Bones is beefy compared to most novels I read. It's over 700 pages long, still, it didn't feel overwhelming. It is the story of a widowed writer with writer's block. It wouldn't be King if there weren't elements of the supernatural. It's a ghost story. But that is not why I loved the book so much.
I wanted to spend time with the characters. The story is emotionally charged and very moving. Anyone interested in how the "Master of Horror" does "heartwarming" (or heartbreaking) literature should read Bag of Bones.
Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
Survivor is a truly unique story. It is my favorite by this author of Fight Club. The narrator of the story is the last remaining survivor of a suicide cult. He hijacks an airplane and recounts his life story to the black box recorder in the cockpit.
The novel begins at Chapter 47 and counts down toward the final Chapter 1. How the story is told is not the only gimmick. Palahniuk's humor and satire keep the reader engaged. There are many twists and turns and surprises in the story. It had been optioned in 1999 by a large movie studio, but the project was dropped after the September 11th attacks.
One side note, the title of the novel certainly should not be confused with the television series of the same name that premiered in the US in 2000.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Life of Pi was first published in 2001 by Knopof Canada. There are many layers to this story. It has it all...literally. Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Read this and you will not have to suspend disbelief because the narrative effortlessly blurs the line between fiction and memoir.
How can a story about a boy stuck on a lifeboat with deadly zoo animals be so believable? Because it was masterfully written.
What are some noteworthy authors or stories you treasure?
