Comments on: So you want to be a writer, Part 3 http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/ Wim Demeere's thoughts on Martial Arts and Self Defense Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:03:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Wim http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-124 Wim Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:13:34 +0000 http://www.wimsblog.com/?p=523#comment-124 Thanks for the kind words Tom. I'm glad to hear you like the blog here. An outline can be a great help but IMO not always. Loren always told me that the book is in control and he's right. If it's the right thing to do, you need to leave the outline and take the book where it wants to go. It's not always easy to take that step though. If you've invested a lot of work in a manuscript, dropping the outline feels like a huge risk. Re. structure: I can often find a theme in a bunch of stuff I wrote. It usually revolves around a specific idea or concept. Once I spot it, it's just a matter of looking at the big picture and try to fit the pieces together. Or you can reverse the process: look at everything you wrote for the last couple months or years and search for a theme. If it's there, you can expand on it. If it isn't, no problem: You might get a few new ideas by looking at the whole. Just some thoughts. Wim Thanks for the kind words Tom. I’m glad to hear you like the blog here.
An outline can be a great help but IMO not always. Loren always told me that the book is in control and he’s right. If it’s the right thing to do, you need to leave the outline and take the book where it wants to go. It’s not always easy to take that step though. If you’ve invested a lot of work in a manuscript, dropping the outline feels like a huge risk.
Re. structure: I can often find a theme in a bunch of stuff I wrote. It usually revolves around a specific idea or concept. Once I spot it, it’s just a matter of looking at the big picture and try to fit the pieces together. Or you can reverse the process: look at everything you wrote for the last couple months or years and search for a theme. If it’s there, you can expand on it. If it isn’t, no problem: You might get a few new ideas by looking at the whole.

Just some thoughts.

Wim

]]> By: Tom http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Tom Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:21:31 +0000 http://www.wimsblog.com/?p=523#comment-123 My first visit here. Nice blog and a good post. I often think about writing something but always seem to loose my motivation. I think that my biggest hurdle is not knowing where to start. I tend to just formulate an idea and type it out. It works well for blogging but isnt structured enough to fill a book, and wouldnt be cohesive if I did. As your post states, a lot of it looks like just good old-fashioned discipline. I know that I probably should start by outlining what it is I want to write and then just putting in the work, but something always seems to dissuade me. My first visit here. Nice blog and a good post. I often think about writing something but always seem to loose my motivation. I think that my biggest hurdle is not knowing where to start. I tend to just formulate an idea and type it out. It works well for blogging but isnt structured enough to fill a book, and wouldnt be cohesive if I did.

As your post states, a lot of it looks like just good old-fashioned discipline. I know that I probably should start by outlining what it is I want to write and then just putting in the work, but something always seems to dissuade me.

]]> By: Tom http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2165 Tom Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:21:00 +0000 http://www.wimsblog.com/?p=523#comment-2165 My first visit here. Nice blog and a good post. I often think about writing something but always seem to loose my motivation. I think that my biggest hurdle is not knowing where to start. I tend to just formulate an idea and type it out. It works well for blogging but isnt structured enough to fill a book, and wouldnt be cohesive if I did. As your post states, a lot of it looks like just good old-fashioned discipline. I know that I probably should start by outlining what it is I want to write and then just putting in the work, but something always seems to dissuade me. My first visit here. Nice blog and a good post. I often think about writing something but always seem to loose my motivation. I think that my biggest hurdle is not knowing where to start. I tend to just formulate an idea and type it out. It works well for blogging but isnt structured enough to fill a book, and wouldnt be cohesive if I did.

As your post states, a lot of it looks like just good old-fashioned discipline. I know that I probably should start by outlining what it is I want to write and then just putting in the work, but something always seems to dissuade me.

]]> By: Urban Samurai http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-122 Urban Samurai Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:27:55 +0000 http://www.wimsblog.com/?p=523#comment-122 Look forward to it! Look forward to it!

]]> By: Urban Samurai http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2164 Urban Samurai Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:27:00 +0000 http://www.wimsblog.com/?p=523#comment-2164 Look forward to it! Look forward to it!

]]> By: Wim http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-120 Wim Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:03:10 +0000 http://www.wimsblog.com/?p=523#comment-120 @Veil (hint, hint...): That's something that would be better placed in the "tools" section that's coming next. @Veil (hint, hint…): That’s something that would be better placed in the “tools” section that’s coming next.

]]> By: Urban Samurai http://www.wimsblog.com/2009/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-118 Urban Samurai Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:10:56 +0000 http://www.wimsblog.com/?p=523#comment-118 Hey Vim. Really nice post. You covered all the bases there I think. The only thing I will add is allowing your subconscious to help you along. I tend to mull over an idea for a bit, thinking about everything I know about it and then let it go for a couple of days. By the time I sit down to write the words usually flow out pretty easily because my subconscious has organized a lot of the info for me and also clarified how I'm going to say it. It's just letting go for a while, something that isn't always easy when you are really attached and involved with a particular idea. You can get too close to things sometimes, to the point were you can't see the wood for the trees. So creating a little bit of distance often helps. That's how I do it anyway. Hey Vim. Really nice post. You covered all the bases there I think. The only thing I will add is allowing your subconscious to help you along. I tend to mull over an idea for a bit, thinking about everything I know about it and then let it go for a couple of days. By the time I sit down to write the words usually flow out pretty easily because my subconscious has organized a lot of the info for me and also clarified how I’m going to say it. It’s just letting go for a while, something that isn’t always easy when you are really attached and involved with a particular idea. You can get too close to things sometimes, to the point were you can’t see the wood for the trees. So creating a little bit of distance often helps. That’s how I do it anyway.

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