Obviously as an unknown writer of one book I am the place to go for writing advice. Or not. Okay, so i admit I am probably not the first place to go for advice. But at the same time I do like to write and there are certain things that work for me. Maybe they’ll work for others as well.
One of these things that work for me is just to listen and think. Seriously. Listen. Then think.
Do you ever hear things that just sound interesting? Or hear a turn of phrase that for some reason stands out? When you do, remember them. Write them down. Think about them. What about those phrases makes them stand out to you? Is there a seed there that you can let grow?
Think about it.
Now, if it is a really great phrase that is just beautifully written maybe you can use it to inspire you, but that is where you should stop. We all know the saying “good writers borrow, great writers steal” but there should also be the tack on of “hack writers plagiarize.”
But if it isn’t so much the phrase but the idea in it, or even better an idea that you can find in it then go to town.
I’m in the process of writing book number two, The Sequel. Some of the character stories have come very easily. Others i feel I am still working on. During prep time I was watching the TV show Deadwood. And it is, of course, fantastic. The dialogue is such poetic filth. And at some point, in reference to either Native Americans or Chinese I can’t remember, a pejorative is used. “Dirt Worshipers.” That just stuck in my head.
Dirt Worshipers.
I really liked the sound of it. Its colorful and disrespectful. In the fantasy world that I am continuing to create, who would be called Dirt Worshipers? Who would call them that? For a long time those answers didn’t come to me. In fact, it still isn’t completely there. But slowly the dots are connecting. Slowly I am learning more about the world I am creating and those that inhabit it.
There are Dirt Worshipers in my world. And their story will be shared by one of my main characters. I’m excited to let those dots connect.
Just listen and think.
Oh, and please buy my first book, Deadly Troubadours.
Deadly Troubadour 