Games Writers Play – Page 4 – Scott William Carter

Games Writers Play #13: Grid and Dice

April 13, 2010April 13, 2010Scott William Carter

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

If you’re sitting around waiting for the perfect idea to pop into your head before you put a word on the page, you’re going to be waiting a long time. Usually you never know when an idea is great anyway — it just happens along the way. And even when you’re finished, you may think the end product is terrible, but your own opinion is often distorted because you’re comparing your work to some impossible ideal and not really seeing the true merits of what’s on the page.

Anyway, ideas are easy. It’s what you do with those ideas that makes great writing.

Still, there are times when the ideas just won’t flow. Here’s a neat game that can give you a jolt: Use a dice and a grid with story possibilities to create the bones of a new story.

This is geared toward fiction, but you could certainly adapt it to nonfiction. For fiction, the bones of every story can generally be boiled down to a character in a setting with a problem.

A hobbit named Frodo [C] journeys across the ancient land of Middle Earth [S] to destroy the One Ring before the evil Sauron finds him [P].

In fact, you can boil almost every scene down to those essentials too.

Indiana Jones [C] races through a deadly cave [S] to avoid from getting crushed by a giant boulder [P].

To play this game, create a 3 x 6 grid. The three columns along the top should be labeled “Character,” “Setting,” and “Problem.” Number the six rows on the left. Now it’s time to do some brainstorming. You need to come up with six characters, six settings, and six problems. Be creative! Here’s an example:

The next step is to roll the dice three times. The first number chooses the character. The second number chooses the setting. The third chooses the problem. Once you’ve got those, start your story and see where it goes. Here’s a tip: Don’t be too constrained. If the story takes you in a different direction, go with it.

So let’s say I rolled a “3,” a “1” and a “6.” That would give me a lead singer in a hit band who’s in an elevator and must pay off a bet to a mafia man. My mind is already rolling . . .

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Games Writers Play #12: Read Bad (Published) Writing

April 6, 2010March 26, 2010Scott William Carter

Although I get a much stronger charge out of reading great writing, I have to admit that I get a little boost out of reading bad writing too — that is, bad writing that’s made its way into print by a major publisher.

Now, I’m not going to name any names, because again, this is subjective, but just about every writer has had the experience of reading something and at some point along the way (because often you don’t even manage to finish it) you say to yourself, “How did that get published?”

And you think to yourself, “Hey, if someone was willing to publish that, then I can certainly do it too.”

If you’re always comparing yourself to the masters, and you become aware of how big the gulf is between your level of craft and theirs, it’s easy to get discouraged. But when you realize that the bar to getting published — and even getting widely read — is not that high, it can help sustain you during those discouraging moments. It doesn’t even have to be bad. Mediocre is probably a better word.

So don’t throw that bad novel in the garbage. Keep it. And when you’re feeling discouraged, pull it out and remind yourself that your writing doesn’t have to be perfect to be good.

The caveat, of course, is to make sure you’re still reaching for greatness.

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Games Writers Play #11: Read Great Writing

March 30, 2010March 26, 2010Scott William Carter

It never fails. Whenever I find my creative well running dry, I get a charge out of reading great writing.

Of course, great writing is subjective, so what I find great will be different than what you find great. But almost all writers can name a couple of influential books that inspired them along the way, books that made them want to write something equally as good. I’m not talking works by Shakespeare or Joyce or Chaucer either, although it certainly could be. I’m talking about books that made you fall in love with reading — Lord of the Rings, Catcher in the Rye, Pride and Prejudice . . .

It’s even better when it’s a modern book, one written in a style that’s still popular. Maybe it’s an author you really admire. For me, Stephen King is one of the first writers I grab, because he writes with the kind of engaging voice and clear style that I’m reaching for in my own writing.

So here’s the game in a nutshell: If you need a creative boost, grab one of your favorite books and turn to one of your favorite passages. Read it aloud. It won’t be long before you feel that creative impulse return, the impulse that says, “I want to write something as good as that.”

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Games Writers Play #10: Clear the Decks and Write for a Day – or a Week

March 23, 2010March 23, 2010Scott William Carter

I’ve written over ten thousand words in a day. I’ve also written over seventy thousand words in a week. Am I particularly fast writer? Not really. I’m usually slow to warm up and fast as I close in on the end — but the average is around 1000 words an hour, give or take. Most writers are in the 500-1500 words range, though this can vary a bit depending where writers are in their careers.

When I tell non-writers I’ve written a short story in an afternoon or a novel in a week, invariably mouths drop open. But this isn’t as amazing as it sounds. Whether I write a book over a number of months — which is certainly more typical — or over a week, my actual writing speed is about the same.

So if I write, on average, 1000 words an hour, then a seventy thousand word novel = seventy hours of writing time.

Or if I’m trying to do it in a week, that’s ten thousand words a day for seven days, or 10 hours of writing time a day. Which is certainly grueling, but not impossible. I’ve done it. I’ve also written 5000 word stories in one sitting. In fact, I’ve done it many times — and sold those stories.

Here’s the kicker: When I look back years later at work that was done over many days or weeks or months, versus work that was completed in a short time span, I can’t tell, without looking at my writing journal, how long it took to complete any particular project.

This is all a long-winded prelude to this week’s particular game, which is simply this:

Block out a span of time, whether an afternoon or a week, and attempt to write a certain number of words — or, better yet, complete a project appropriate for that number of hours of writing time.

You’re going to have to clear the decks, of course. If you haven’t done this before, I’d recommend starting by blocking off a day. Write a short story. Or a novel chapter. Take a vacation day from the day job if you must. (This is important, right?) Get your family on board — it helps to tell other people what you’re doing. If you have an office, stay in there until you’ve met your quota, whatever it is. But you have to have a quantifiable goal, one that you’re going to have to reach for based on your writing speed.

What are the benefits? Even though the writing speed might be generally the same, you don’t have to “warm up your engines” as often as you do when you’re breaking up your project over more writing sessions. You’ll be in the flow longer, which certainly has its benefits. It’s also a nice skill to have should you ever be called by an editor who needs a project done on a tight deadline.

But the biggest benefit for me is that I get to stay in that creative place, that place I love so much, for a much longer period of time.

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