Write This Way Collection E-Book

Amanda Apthorpe

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

All four books in Amanda Apthorpe's 'Write This Way', now available in one volume!
Time Management for Writers: You're adamant that, one day, you're going to write a novel. Perhaps it's the one that's been roaming through your neurons for... how long? Really? Thinking, ruminating, and even researching is NOT going to get it written, but putting into play a selection of strategies will get your journey underway. In the first book in the series, author, creative writing teacher and academic, Dr. Amanda Apthorpe, outlines the successful techniques she has shared with hundreds of her writing students. This easy-to-follow guide, with plenty of interactive exercises, is the first step in your writing journey.
Finding Your Writer’s Voice: You have a story you want to tell and have organised the time to do it. As you begin, your pen or fingers on the keyboard falter, like a little cough to clear your voice, and there's that nagging doubt that plagues you: Who am I to tell this story? What have I got to say? In the second volume of the Write This Way series, Dr. Amanda Apthorpe guides you in finding your authentic, dynamic voice.
Write Great Characters: You have a story you want to tell. You’ve organised time to do it and have come a long way in finding your writer’s voice. Now you need to decide whose story you’re going to write, and how make them so interesting that the reader is compelled to follow their journey to the end. In the third volume of the Write This Way series, Dr. Amanda Apthorpe guides you in bringing your characters to life on the page.
Write Compelling Plots: We are enthralled by stories – tales told around the campfire, acted on stage, written down, filmed, painted, danced and sung. Why? Because we want to be entertained, to be inspired, to escape, to enter virtual worlds, to understand and to relate to others like and unlike ourselves. It’s said that there are only seven storylines, but those seven have generated an extraordinary number of tales because their creators have told them from their own perspectives, their own point of difference. The fourth book in Amanda Apthorpe's Write This Way series identifies the difference between plot and story, guides external and internal structural organisation and explains the significance of the narrative arc. You will discover how your central character’s desire, their limitations and their fear entwine to create the conflict that will drive your story. Drawing on the content within these pages, and your own point of difference, you too can create compelling plots.

Leseprobe

WRITE THIS WAY COLLECTION

THE COMPLETE SERIES

AMANDA APTHORPE

Copyright (C) 2023 Amanda Apthorpe

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2023 by Next Chapter

Published 2023 by Next Chapter

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

All internal images: Bing Creative Commons Archive

CONTENTS

Time Management for Writers

About the Series

Introduction

Motivation

Exercise 1: Spontaneous Writing

Procrastination

Goal Setting

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

The Point of Resistance

How to Become a Time Thief

Flow or Immersion

Other Ideas to Assist Flow

Resilience

Acknowledgments

References

Appendix

Finding Your Writer’s Voice

About the Series

Introduction

I. Finding Your Voice:

The Authentic You

II. Using Your Voice:

The Dynamic You

References

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Write Great Characters

About The Series

Introduction

I. The Protagonist

II. The Antagonist

III. Secondary And Minor Characters

IV. Dialogue

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Write Compelling Plots

Introduction

I. Plot And Story

II. Description

III. Editing Toolbox

Dear Writer

Acknowledgments

About the Author

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR WRITERS

WRITE THIS WAY BOOK 1

ABOUT THE SERIES

Each volume in this Write This Way series is designed to address the needs, interests and concerns that have emerged from my years of teaching creative writing to students in undergraduate degrees and short courses, from my academic engagement with the national and international writing communities, and from my own writing practice.

While many students/class participants and solo writers have great intentions of completing a writing project, few will see it through, claiming that there is too little time. As such, this guide on time management is the first in the series to establish patterns or rituals of writing that will sustain the journey to completion.

Once established, writers can hone their craft by following subsequent editions that include – finding your writing voice; characterization and point of view; plot and structure; dialogue, description and setting; and the editing toolbox.

Each volume takes the writer step-by-step through specific elements of writing, providing useful strategies, opportunities for reflection, for learning current research, and to write. The inclusion of space within each volume for the writing exercises and reflections provides a record that can be reflected upon at a later time.

INTRODUCTION

Dear Reader

May I ask: Are you a procrastinator? Is that why you’ve picked up/downloaded this book?

If so, you have company. Procrastinating about undertaking tasks, especially if it’s been imposed or is not desirable, is a common problem. That seems quite reasonable. However, procrastinating even when the task is something you really want to do, like writing a novel, short story, research paper, poem ... that’s a bigger problem.

OR

Perhaps you’re not a procrastinator, but you just don’t have enough time to do what you need to do or what you want to do. There are so many other demands: raising a family, enjoying and maintaining friendships and a social life; work and/or study; other hobbies; travel … and the list goes on. These are legitimate time stealers, and most, if not all, are very pleasant. You feel guilty if you write and think that perhaps it’s just a little bit (or very) self-indulgent.

OR

You have all the time in the world but find yourself staring at a blank page or screen and time feels like a weight on your shoulders. What’s even worse is that you feel guilty that you’re not writing. You think of all those hours that you could have written and …

In any case, you’re making a good choice if you read on. Achieving your writing goals and fulfilling your writing dream are within your hands.

In the pages that follow, you will:

Identify your motivation for writingUnderstand the relationship between motivation and goal settingLearn why goal setting can assist you in fulfilling your writing dreamEstablish your own long- and short-term goalsMarvel at the magic of 10 minutesRecognise your writing threshold and work with itBuild neural pathwaysWrite and write some moreLearn how to become opportunisticFind time to do other pleasurable activitiesStill love your family and friendsStill be loved by your family and friends

You will achieve these through:

Reflective writingSpontaneous writingStating clear long- and short-term goalsCounting wordsHearing what the experts have to sayUseful tips and strategies

This book is geared towards the writer completing a larger work – a novel but can be applied across all creative writing styles. It is designed for you to work through a process that asks you to reflect and respond, write, establish goals and practise them. You might decide to read straight through, but the best effects will be gained by travelling step-by-step. It’s up to you.

What you’ll find in this book are questions that ask for a response (space is given for writing should you prefer to keep it all together); writing exercises; research findings; tips; quotes of inspiration; and a journal template. I have also included personal anecdotes about my own experience and thoughts.

So ... let’s get you on your way.

MOTIVATION

So, you want to write?

I did. It wasn’t a burning passion that kept me awake at nights dreaming of being an impoverished writer in a Parisian attic, but rather, it was something that snuck up on me.

I dithered and doodled and managed to write a few short stories that, reading back on them now, were ‘cute’. I didn’t have a big dream - that came later, but I did decide I wanted to learn more about this writing thing.

You see, I didn’t study literature or finish my Year 12 English, for that matter. I didn’t get to read hefty tomes that might have inspired me and shown me the way. Oh, I read, but by seventeen, I was married and a mother, my education was curtailed, and I didn’t go to university until I was twenty-six. By then, I’d met my current partner, and between us, we had three children. So, I took myself back to school and trained to be a science teacher. But that’s another story.

Those ‘cute’ little stories written in spare moments began to accumulate, and my desire to learn grew. The following is the trajectory of my writing life to date, most of it tucked into the sides of the full-time life as a science teacher, partner, mother and later, grandmother:

Correspondence course (I think they went out of business before I finished it)Short creative writing course at the CAE (Centre for Adult Education where I now teach). This felt like such a luxury at the time. I’d taken my first batch of long service leave and thought I’d entertain the idea of being a writer. It was in this class that I received the first feedback that suggested I wasn’t too bad at all at writing. That was enough to make me want more.Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT (I enrolled as a part-time student to undertake a class of creative writing after work one night a week. When I went in to enrol, I had no idea what unit I wanted to do. Short story (because of those cute ones) was the obvious choice, or poetry. I was at the back of the line, and by the time I got to the counter, the only thing left was ‘Novel Writing’. ‘Okay,’ I said. And so it began. My first novel began here).Master of Arts at Melbourne University (my first novel was completed here)PhD (Creative Arts) Melbourne University (my second novel and an exegesis on mythic structures in Australian women’s literature were completed here).

You’ll have your own story, the reasons you came to writing. Remind yourself here:

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You could argue that I didn’t really need to do all these courses. And you’d be right! However, what I’ve determined over these ten years of teaching creative writing in undergraduate degrees, TAFE, and short courses is that some of us want/need/like to rise to the expectation of someone else. For myself, it had a lot to do with a lack of confidence in assessing my own worth. I didn’t want to fool myself that I was good when perhaps I wasn’t. I had a family and a mortgage and, quite frankly, I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.

I have taught hundreds of people who dream of writing a novel (or other). Their intention is sincere, their dream is strong, but the harsh reality is that most of them will abandon the dream. The problem lies partly in the fact that it remains a dream rather than becoming a goal.

The ideas, strategies and theories presented here have been developed in response to this reality. I want my students and you, who are also my writing peers, to achieve their/your writing dreams.

So, let’s begin by looking at yours. You’ll need a pen and this book, or a computer.

What’s your motivation?

Record your responses to the following questions in the space that follows, or type and save. It’s good to have a record to revisit later. Give yourself a few minutes to think and to write for each. Take your time. It’s always a pleasure to write anyway, isn’t it?

What do you like to write (write about)? (e.g., mother’s biography, political intrigue, a contemporary coming-of-age story)

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Of course, everyone is going to have their personal preferences, but this is significant. Identifying your preferences, your likes/dislikes is important to finding your own voice. You won’t be motivated if you’re copying someone else. It has to be about you.

Why do you like to write? What do you get out of it?

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Frequent responses include: the sense of flow or immersion - time ‘stands still’; the satisfaction of doing something for yourself; sorting things out in your mind or about the world; creating new worlds and different experiences; the pleasure of words; to win the Booker Prize.

What are your dreams (desires/hopes) for your writing?

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Frequent responses include: to finish the book; for the satisfaction of knowing I’ve done it; to write my mother’s story; to satisfy a long-held need; to be published.

Take a break. Take a breath.

Is there anything that concerns you about writing? (Examples of this might include - I’m not good enough; I’m not going to finish it; I don’t have the time; I’m not going to be published.)

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The typical responses are those above. I’ll share one of mine that’s not included there: I sometimes fear the immersion itself. Why? Because I have many other aspects of my life waiting in the wings, and they can be very demanding. Immersing myself can mean I don’t want to come out of it when there’s a meal that needs to be cooked or other. Perhaps you can relate.

Pause. Now, this is the big one:

How much do you really want to do this? How important is it to you? Be very honest with yourself.

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There isn’t a typical response to this. However, it’s very important that you know the answer. If you’re half-hearted, I suggest you don’t keep going (though, of course, you might be stimulated by the end of the book and be full-hearted!).

To write to the end is to be brave. Consider this: What’s at stake if you don’t do it?

Think about that and write it here:

If I don’t do this

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I believe that it is important to you to finish your writing project; otherwise, you wouldn’t have acquired this guide.

You’re undertaking a journey that will have its measure of ups and downs as any interesting journey has. Yes, you do need to be brave, but you don’t actually have to do this, do you? You want to do it, isn’t that correct? So rather than gritting your teeth and steeling yourself for the road ahead, what if we travel it together with a light-hearted sense that it will be one of the best trips you’ve ever taken.

Determining your motivation to undertake a writing project is essential for goal setting, the next step in our process, and there is a reciprocal relationship between them. That is, the more motivated you are, the more likely you are to achieve your goals, and, as you set goals and achieve them, your motivation is increased.

Motivation can be intrinsically generated, for example, the desire to create beautiful prose. Alternatively, extrinsic motivation relies on an external factor, such as the prospect of being published. A grey area might be when you want to improve your writing skills (intrinsic) and put in more effort if it is to be assessed by a teacher or workshopped with peers (extrinsic). This is one of the reasons why writing courses are so popular, though once the extrinsic motivator (teacher/peers) is removed, the intrinsic motivation can wane. See Teresa Amabile’s study

Amabile identified seven reasons for writing being defined as intrinsic: getting pleasure out of reading something you have written; enjoying the opportunity for self-expression; achieving new insights through your writing; deriving satisfaction from expressing yourself clearly and eloquently; feeling relaxed when writing; enjoying the play with words; enjoying becoming involved with ideas, characters, events and images in your writing (396).

This book works from the premise that time management techniques can lead to greater creativity, and that intrinsic motivation can be enhanced by building a daily pattern to help sustain the writing journey. This is not to suggest that extrinsic motivation is the bad guy. It’s what got me off the verandah (I’ll explain more later.) to take the first step as an almost unemployable mother of three, to fulfil a dream of having her own home. See what Baer and McKool say

What’s important here is to determine the level of your motivation. Whether intrinsic, extrinsic or a blend, the deeper your desire to complete something, the more likely you will. There’s good news, too, for those who feel like they haven’t been blessed with a motivational wand at birth. See Sternberg

That sounds easy, doesn’t it? If that’s the case, and you have already determined from your responses earlier that your motivation is strong, then perhaps it’s unnecessary to read on.

But wait. We need to have a talk - about the elephant in the room. The big P (or R) - Procrastination (or Resistance).

Before we go there, let’s take a writing break. (Hang on! That’s just procrastinating talking about procrastination! Well spotted. We’ll tackle it in the next chapter).

EXERCISE 1: SPONTANEOUS WRITING

Go with it and trust me on this one. There is a point.

I’m going to give you a lead-in of a few words for you to continue in any way you like. If you’re in the process of writing something (novel, short story ...), perhaps steer it to that. It’s up to you.

However, as much as is possible, switch off your internal editor and just write for 10 minutes.

Don’t take your pen off the page or your fingers off the keys. If you don’t know what to write, then write that! ‘I don’t know what to write, but Amanda says I have to and ...’

Set your timer for 10 minutes. You can use the space below if you would like to. Here are your words:

There are times when

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Now that you’re back:

As you can see, I’ve called this exercise ‘spontaneous writing’, otherwise known as ‘free-flow’ or ‘stream of consciousness’, and we’ll do more of this as we travel together. Add up the number of words you wrote in that 10-minute exercise and record it somewhere.

PROCRASTINATION

Yawn! Do we have to talk about it now? Can’t we talk about it later?

The simple definition of procrastination, sometimes known as the ‘pleasure principle’, is the action of delaying or postponing something, typically because it is unpleasant or boring.

What is of concern is that procrastination is also the action of delaying or postponing something we like, even love, something we might want very, very much - such as writing a novel, or our mother’s biography of her travels up the Nile, or our father’s muffin cookbook.

One of the reasons that procrastination is a common problem is because it’s an excellent strategy for avoiding failure. After all, it has an evolutionary advantage allowing us to stop and consider our options (or our surroundings) before launching in and making poor choices (or being eaten).

In my years of teaching creative writing, the most common excuse given for not completing a writing task is ‘life just got so hectic this week’ or words to that effect. Of course, life does have its moments of becoming incredibly busy, often unexpectedly, and writing might indeed need to be put on the back burner to accommodate it. However, it’s when this becomes the pattern of excuse that is the problem.

Fear of failing can be crippling, particularly when, as creative writers, we’re exposing our thoughts, imagination and skills to others, or perhaps even to just ourselves. Fear of failure can be a reflection of low self-confidence or perfectionist anxiety that might be disguising low self-confidence.

Workshopping is a typical component of a creative writing class and for good reason. As writers working in isolation, it can be very difficult to objectively determine the quality of our own work. We can think it’s fabulous, when perhaps it’s not and, more often, we can think it’s dreadful, when in fact it’s not. Workshopping, when managed by a competent teacher who establishes the reasons for the process (e.g. providing constructive feedback to the writer on what works and what might work better), is often the favourite part of a writing class. That’s what I tell my students in the first week, and I try to reassure them that, despite their anxiety, they will get a lot out of it.

I see their trepidation when we discuss how the next week’s first workshop will unfold. If the class is an optional short course, I remind them in an email beforehand that it’s worth continuing the course and to not be put off by the idea of sharing their work. It’s understandable to be nervous, I tell them and then hold my breath as I take the attendance roll the following week. Of all the hundreds of students I have taught, only two have not come back. For the others, yes, they’re nervous in that first workshop; some might even take up the option of a walk while the others (usually small groups) read their work, but by the end of that first night, it’s a whole different story. Not only have they connected with their writing peers and realised that all the others were as nervous as they were, but I see their pride and their hunger to learn. Everyone comes back the next week and the next … and some continue well after the course is finished to meet and share their work.

To write is to be brave. If you have no intention of letting anyone else read it – ever – but simply want to see if you can complete a writing project, then perhaps there’s no need for others to provide you with feedback. However, most of us, including me, have that old extrinsic motivation – to be published spurring us on. If you hold the manuscript close to your chest until it's sitting on an editor’s desk, it’s a bit late. While I have listed wanting to be published under the extrinsic motivation heading, it’s a worthy motivator because there’s nothing like having a reader – someone you connect with through your words, and it’s better to know that you’re making that sort of connection, or not, as you go.

This is a favourite picture on the wall of my study:

That’s what most of us want as readers and as writers, isn’t it?

Self-esteem + Self-efficacy --------> Self-confidence

Self-esteem: general feelings of self-worth and self-value

Self-efficacy: belief in one’s capacity to succeed at tasks

Note that in the equation above, the level of confidence we have in ourselves (e.g. to finish a specific task and to finish it well) is a result of our general feelings of self-worth and self-value (self-esteem), plus the belief in our own general capacity to succeed at tasks (self-efficacy).

You’ll have an idea about your own level of self-esteem – it’s been built up or shot down by your personal circumstances. Tackling it here is beyond the scope of this book. However, that doesn’t mean that if your self-esteem is as low as that, you can stop reading. As a result of success using the strategies in this book, you might well find that your self-worth and self-value are given a boost. And they can always do with a boost.

We can talk more openly about your self-efficacy, and we’ll begin with another series of questions to reflect on it.

Ready? Let’s go:

Have there been times when you haven’t followed something through; you haven’t completed the job, the course, the painting of the house, the jigsaw puzzle … If yes, record them here:

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Why? Can you identify any triggers that stopped you?

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Could you have completed it/them if you’d wanted to?

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How do you feel about yourself when you don’t finish a task, especially if it’s one you wanted to finish?

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What have you seen through to the end? (It/They don’t have to be anything to do with writing). If relevant record here:

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What type of motivation enabled you to see it/them through – intrinsic (from within you), or extrinsic (from without you), or both?

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What strategies did you use to complete it/them? (e.g. turned off the television; didn’t go out; pushed on during the rough patches; talked about it with someone else …)

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How do you feel about yourself when you do finish a task?

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Let’s focus on the tasks you did finish. Could you apply any of the strategies above to your writing life? Record them here:

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If you are not very good at seeing things through to the end, don’t go away! I’m here to work with you on that.

Whether you have finished tasks or never finished tasks, complete the following:

My capacity to complete tasks is

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The triggers that can prevent me from finishing a task are

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The strategies I could employ or have employed to finish a task could be/are

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Now that you have an idea of what your own self-efficacy looks like, and perhaps it’s not great, let’s start to build it up. The wonderful thing about having or building a belief in your ability to finish a task (self-efficacy) is that it can help to increase your self-esteem.

Previously, when I listed the courses I’ve undertaken on my writing journey, I mentioned that the need for feedback came out of a lack of confidence in my own ability. I needed someone to tell me I was good or not. Prior to that writing journey, I had completed a Bachelor of Education that enabled me to become a science teacher. That was done full-time, with a toddler in tow and two at school, and a weekend job serving breakfasts to motel rooms, so I had already started to get the idea that I could finish things. The thing is, I didn’t know that before. My history didn’t demonstrate it. I hadn’t finished high school, nor the secretarial course that followed. On becoming pregnant at sixteen, I was told that my life was over (good grief!). So, I had little self-esteem, which continued for quite a while, but I started to build a picture of myself as having good self-efficacy. I could finish stuff, and that started to make me feel good about myself.

The point of that story is that to build self-confidence in your ability to complete your writing project, you can start with building self-efficacy. Of course, some of you might have excellent self-efficacy, but for some reason, you just can’t seem to sustain this writing journey. You need to read on too.

GOAL SETTING

There is abundant research evidence to suggest that, in order to overcome procrastination, we should set goals.

Read what Sonja Lyubomirsky says

I suggest that whether you procrastinate or not, whether you have little time to write, or too much (but that’s still procrastination), goal setting is an important strategy towards fulfilling your writing dreams.

Taj Ben-Shahar says in his book Happier (2007) that, among other things, the goals we set need to be self-concordant.