Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 1

Collection

By all means, collect my posts. Just a few requests:

First, leave my name on them.
Second, don't publish them elsewhere.
Third, remember that I can't give permission for any other person. I only own my own words. Other people's posts belong to them.

thanks again for... well, everything

I'm not sure if this is going to be interesting but anyway...

I started reading this thread a month ago and finished it (on the old board) two weeks later.

I read about the BIC method, which I had read about before, and thought something like "oh, c'mon... just by sitting in front of my screen and keyboard, and even if I don't know what to write at that time, I'll write ? nah..." (free translation from french skeptical thoughts )

But I tried. Had nothing to lose, right ?

I've been trying for almost three weeks now, and... it works.
I missed a day or two, and it's not always two hours, but I write !

Just need to keep on doing it, now

SJB said:

I love your sig, Dawn. That's from Hogfather, isn't it? One of my favourite Discworld books- anything with plenty of Death has got to be good for you.

Word documents have certainly been compiled, comprising all UJ's invaluable posts, but it would have to up to him to make them available, I think?

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OT: Thanks SJB, I use this sig at another forum I frequent as well. The first bit is the motto of Unseen University, and the last is Death's. The middle quote, as you said, is from Hogfather. Now that I've seen it up I should do some formatting work, it's a bit big and runs together.

/OT: Although word docs of the lessons would work I was thinking of a simple link index of the lesson posts in this thread to make it an easy task to click to them one at a time and do the exercises. I wish I had the time to do it myself. Who knows, maybe I will.

Thank you, Jim for the permission to share them if properly attributed. One point of clarification, by "don't publish them elsewhere" do you mean if one created an index and posted it here in AW it would be ok?

New to this thread

I'm just popping in to say hello and get the first post here done.

Thanks, Jim for taking the time to have this thread.

Monday Morning Weirdness

For those who aren't getting enough Weird in their diet: Read or Die.

Next -- by "don't publish them elsewhere" I mean, don't put the posts themselves on other forums, or print 'em in a book to peddle at fairs, or anything like that. An index (here or elsewhere) would be a good thing.

Welcome to Savannah.

And hi to Denis -- yeah, it works, doesn't it? If you're a writer, put yourself in a situation where you can write. The rest follows.

RE:Monday Morning Weirdness

Wow, truly strange, yet oddly compelling.

I'm expecting this to be in Tarantino's next film.

You don't suppose this is some kind of metaphor or allegory do you?



I feel the urgent need to read more. Uncle Jim, how did you find this?

Mike

Advice?

I've got nothing but advice for you, Tim....

First bit being that I haven't read your book, so I can't tell.

Here's what you do: Try. Rewrite as you've outlined, put it aside for a month, then reread. Make any changes you think are necessary. Then try it on your beta-readers.

Call it Draft #whatever. If it doesn't work, try something else in the next draft. (And at the same time, during that month it's in your desk drawer, start your next book.)

All I can say is try. If it works, then it's right.

Formatting

Oh yeah, formatting.

Every chapter starts on a new page.

Drop half-way down the page, put your chapter title or chapter number, then doublespace and start your chapter.

All that room is for two purposes: to allow room for the editor to make notes, and to get the page turned faster.

Hey mods, any chance we could make this thread a sticky note?

Sticky

detante said:

Hey mods, any chance we could make this thread a sticky note?

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I'd prefer not ... if it ever loses steam and falls down and off the first page due to lack of posts, it deserves to sink. Keeping it on the first page will give me incentive to post more.

James D. Macdonald said:

Keeping it on the first page will give me incentive to post more.

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In that case, is it possible to tie an anchor to this baby?

Just wanted to add my thanks for a wonderful, relevant, very helpful thread. So--thanks Uncle Jim! I've been lurking in this thread for quite awhile as I caught up on all the past posts, so figure now is as good a time as any to de-lurk. I'm sure I'll have questions in the future.

detante said:

In that case, is it possible to tie an anchor to this baby?

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LOL. Good one, Jen.

Chapter size - beginning chapters

Jim,

Have you ever found that editors in general have a preference for shorter first chapters?

My first two chapters have already gone through several revisions, yet I find them longer than the chapters in the rest of my novel. My biggest worry with my first chapter is that the length may create the effect of a slow read, despite the action. I can cut the first chapter in two, but the scenes relate and, IMO, form a chapter. I don't believe there's any information dumping.

If anything, I believe it's the building of a relationship and setting the scene which makes it appear slower than the pace in following chapters. I've had 3 people read the novel, all have loved it (one read the second half in one sitting because she couldn't put it down). But no one paid too much attention to the first chapters. I had one comment that my reader, "expects the beginning to be slower as it takes time to get used the characters and setting."

Should I consider cutting the first chapter in two to give the reader a breather? I also worry that these longer chapters migh give the editor a wrong impression about the rest of the book. Do I force my beginning chapters to be similar to the latter chapters?

Thank you.

Consider rather

I don't know as editors consider the length of first chapters ... but they do consider the pace.

This is mostly because the readers in the bookstore, scanning your book, are considering the pace.

Your beta-readers may have given you the benefit of the doubt when they went on despite a slow beginning. The random reader won't.

(In a second-or-subsequent book, the people who read and enjoyed your first book will give you the opportunity to start more slowly. For a first book ... move fast out of the gate.)

So ... rather than cutting the first chapter in two, try speeding it up by cutting out the parts that are just there to build the relationship and set the scene. The relationship and the scene should develop by themselves over the course of the following hundred plus pages.

For every word, ask yourself, "Is this here to move the plot along, or to horse the reader up on the situation?" If it's the latter, cut that word.

Participating in contests

Unlce Jim,

I vaguely remember you cautioning against participating in writing contests as one way to build your writer resume (to put in query letters). I wonder why you said that. Wanted to ask it earlier, but it slipped my mind.

thanks,
Paritosh.

Contests

Why not contests?

Because unless it's something major, like the Pulitzer or the Nobel Prize, who's heard of them? The East Amberg Community College Literature Award isn't going to impress anyone.

Next, if your writing is good enough to win a contest, it's good enough for someone to buy. Actually being published does give you a worthwhile credit.

Third, writing contests that cost money violate Yog's Law.

Fourth, writing contests may blow your First Rights if the winning entries are printed somewhere.

==============

Every publisher in the world has a contest every day. The cost of entry is postage, and the prize is paid publication.

UJ, I'd add though, it might be a good idea to enter a contest if the prize is a contract with a major publisher...

I'm new to the thread, but I made sure I read all the way through the history. First, Thanks to Uncle Jim and to everyone else sharing their views. I agree completely with your views on contests. I submitted a short story to a contest a few months ago (and won), but looking back on it, I'd definitely have done better sending it out to a magazine. If any of you would like to read it, it's posted at www.saugus.net in the Halloween Story Contest.
I'm about hip-deep in the first draft of my first novel, and this thread has been very helpful (not to mention amusing at times).
I'd also add that Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks has been a help for me in ways that On Writing (Stephen King's book mentioned waaay earlier in the thread) hasn't.
Thanks Again!
--Dev

Dev said:

I'd also add that Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks has been a help for me in ways that On Writing (Stephen King's book mentioned waaay earlier in the thread) hasn't.

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In what ways?

Maybe it's just that I'm more of a planner. If I remember correctly, King generally downplays outlining in general, while Brooks praises seriously in-depth outlining more. For me, outlining seems to be the way to go. Of course, I read On Writing right after it came out, so my memory of it may be a little spotty. I guess it all just boils down to technique--doing what works for you.

Yes, my major quibble with _On Writing_ was that King seemed to think of "plot" only as a verb, and a particularly nasty one at that--something that you force on a book.

I know some people who can't do outlines at all--they say, if they knew everything that would happen along the way, they wouldn't be interested in writing the book any more. But it's good to know that Brooks' book has useful things to say about outlining for people that want to go that route.