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Writing Panels
Nov. 25th, 2008 08:25 pm
I'm starting to get ready for the Further Confusion convention. It's in San Jose' in January.
Got an email from one of the better-known people out there asking me whether I would like to serve on writing panels. I should do that. It would be fun, but it might also serve as advertising. Maybe it would influence somebody to actually READ one of my silly little stories.
I feel kind of dirty for even considering "charity work" that might have some personal gain involved. No wonder I'm no good at self-promotion!
But also, even though I'm going to do it I don't think I'm well-suited for such panels.
How to get yourself published, reach an audience, market yourself, make money at this? Puh-leeeze. I'm happy with the audience I have because they are people I know, or love, or admire, or any combination thereof; but if I have any audience beyond close friends who started reading me because I personally asked them to, I'm not aware of it.
How to come up with characters or plots and develop them? I have no idea. No, really, I don't! I've said it many times, and it's true: I don't know how to write, I just DO it. Oh, of late I'm starting to develop a bit of an ability to write on demand, especially if someone proposes for me a situation or some characters. But my method is to put a story on order, and usually two or three days later an idea comes bubbling up from somewhere. It will happen in the middle of driving to work or typing an activity report, as often as not. At some time when I'm thinking of anything but writing a story. I have no idea where the ideas originate.
I'm an intuitive writer, I suppose. That's scary. I have a lot of emotion invested in each and every story idea I have, because not knowing where they come from I have no idea if there will ever be any more.
I've started to get a little confidence, though. This is getting easier the more I work at it, so far. I'm to the point I can put one project aside, when it's not going well, and work on something else. I'm not totally obsessed on one project at a time any more, and perhaps as a result I get more projects. The ones that I set aside usually work out too, once I figure out what they really need. So it's working out better all around.
Still, this approach doesn't leave me that much I could teach to anybody else.
About all I could suggest is that you should invent a character that interests you. Ask lots of questions about them. What would they do, what wouldn't they do? What color jacket do they wear? Dill pickles or sweet pickles? Beer, whiskey, or tea?
Ask yourself any question you can imagine about your character, until you develop an instinct for what they'd do in any given situation. And then throw them into Hell. Or Heaven. Or even Chicago. Throw them in there and see what happens. And for heavens's sakes, make sure to listen to whatever the character tries to tell you!
You might not end up with the story you wanted, but if your characters lead you to a different story, it will be a better one.
Got an email from one of the better-known people out there asking me whether I would like to serve on writing panels. I should do that. It would be fun, but it might also serve as advertising. Maybe it would influence somebody to actually READ one of my silly little stories.
I feel kind of dirty for even considering "charity work" that might have some personal gain involved. No wonder I'm no good at self-promotion!
But also, even though I'm going to do it I don't think I'm well-suited for such panels.
How to get yourself published, reach an audience, market yourself, make money at this? Puh-leeeze. I'm happy with the audience I have because they are people I know, or love, or admire, or any combination thereof; but if I have any audience beyond close friends who started reading me because I personally asked them to, I'm not aware of it.
How to come up with characters or plots and develop them? I have no idea. No, really, I don't! I've said it many times, and it's true: I don't know how to write, I just DO it. Oh, of late I'm starting to develop a bit of an ability to write on demand, especially if someone proposes for me a situation or some characters. But my method is to put a story on order, and usually two or three days later an idea comes bubbling up from somewhere. It will happen in the middle of driving to work or typing an activity report, as often as not. At some time when I'm thinking of anything but writing a story. I have no idea where the ideas originate.
I'm an intuitive writer, I suppose. That's scary. I have a lot of emotion invested in each and every story idea I have, because not knowing where they come from I have no idea if there will ever be any more.
I've started to get a little confidence, though. This is getting easier the more I work at it, so far. I'm to the point I can put one project aside, when it's not going well, and work on something else. I'm not totally obsessed on one project at a time any more, and perhaps as a result I get more projects. The ones that I set aside usually work out too, once I figure out what they really need. So it's working out better all around.
Still, this approach doesn't leave me that much I could teach to anybody else.
About all I could suggest is that you should invent a character that interests you. Ask lots of questions about them. What would they do, what wouldn't they do? What color jacket do they wear? Dill pickles or sweet pickles? Beer, whiskey, or tea?
Ask yourself any question you can imagine about your character, until you develop an instinct for what they'd do in any given situation. And then throw them into Hell. Or Heaven. Or even Chicago. Throw them in there and see what happens. And for heavens's sakes, make sure to listen to whatever the character tries to tell you!
You might not end up with the story you wanted, but if your characters lead you to a different story, it will be a better one.
