tea berry-blue

I thought, given the irony of giving this topic to a bunch of people who are engaged in the pastime of sitting around freaking out while refreshing an internet poll (of which I am very guilty so I hope it doesn't come across as hypocritical) , I would talk a little bit about approaching topics.

People take a lot of approaches to topics. Everyone has their favorites to write and their favorites to read. Everyone also has their most-hated. I'll talk about this a little. Obviously I can't even mention every approach, but there are several basic approaches people seem to use the most.

I am giving myself a fake topic to use as an example. It will be "lemons."

1) Discuss your feelings about the topic and what the topic makes you think about.

This would be the entry where someone talks about the different meanings of the word lemon. They would talk a little about the fruit and why they like it or dislike it, and maybe a little about cars that don't work. Then they might mention Liz Lemon. This is probably my least favorite approach to topics. While some people can really take this in a deeply personal and interesting direction, I generally feel like this is preparation for writing, and not writing itself. I tend to find these entries to be strongest when they really veer off into stream-of-consciousness writing, because that is usually the only way that they get a personal touch.

2) Pick one specific aspect of the topic and zero in on it to write an essay, either descriptive, personal, or persuasive (I am counting rants here, too)

Here, the person might remember a scientific article that they read about lemon seeds, and reinterpret the information they learned from that article into an essay about their opinion on the scientific claims of the article. This can be a really interesting way to approach a topic, although it's one where you have to be confident you will pick an aspect that not too many other people will pick (or that you will do it better than everyone else, which is not so much confidence and more arrogance considering the number of awesome writers who are out there). It doesn't happen every week, but sometimes there will be a lot of people who pick the same aspect to zero in on and then only the ones that are really unique or really well-done stand out. Another thing that is important in this approach is research and fact-checking. Even when writing a rant, if it's being written for other people to read, make sure you have your information right. One thing that can take away from non-fiction for me is if it's not well-researched.

3) Pick one specific aspect of the topic and zero in on it to write a memoir or personal narrative style entry.

This is like #2, but is more deeply personal. This writer might relate a story from childhood about the first time they made lemonade. Because of that, it can often succeed where #2 might fail, because your personal experiences are more likely to be unique. I do think that some people are better at relating personal experiences in a way that sets them apart, but I always like entries where I get to learn something about the person writing it, and these are usually the easiest posts to do that in. Even ones that don't impress me with their writing often make me like the writer more as a person (unless they write, say, about how proud they are that they squeeze lemon juice into puppies' eyes.)

4) Pick one specific aspect of the topic and zero in on it to write fiction.

Like #2 and #3 but this is the one where the writer writes a fictional story about lemonade-making. This can be a good way to achieve the same kind of "feel" you would get in #3 while not necessarily writing something too intensely personal, or when you don't actually have a personal experience to base it on. I am a sucker for good fiction but I am much more highly critical of fiction that doesn't meet my personal standards for "good writing" (whatever those are) than I am of non-fiction that doesn't. I think a lot of people feel that way so it can be a risk.

5) Approach the topic metaphorically.

Here, someone might think about the sourness of lemons and write an essay or narrative about a sour aspect of their life or a time when things turned sour. I really like when people take this approach because it shows a certain amount of creativity and risk in still relating to the topic while having a more tenuous hold on it, but it doesn't always work and for some people, it's not always clear how it relates.

6) Take a bye.

Just kidding.

7) Combine any of the above approaches into a single entry.

In this case, someone might alternate paragraphs of personal narrative or fiction about a lemon-related experience with scientific fact about lemons that bolster the "moral" or "punchline" of the story. These entries can be rich and complex at their best and meandering and pointless at their worst. While when someone does the metaphorical approach, I can give them the benefit of the doubt that THEY see a connection even if I don't, if I don't see the connection and they're trying to draw the connection on the same page, it can really push me out of the story. At the same time, if it's well-done, it might make me see a connection I would never have seen on my own.

I know, I know I left out "write poetry" and a few other formally experimental styles people have played with. But on some level, even those formally experimental styles are usually based on one of these approaches. Most of my comics were either personal essays or fiction, even if they were personal essays or fiction in graphic form.

Picking an approach can also be part of how you approach the topic. You can think about whether the topic is better-served through an essay or through fiction or through a poem. Sometimes the meaning of the topic will lend itself better to one or the other. Sometimes, you might even go so far as to feel like it would be in poor taste to write a certain approach to a topic (I felt that way last season about "Hyperbole is Literally Hitler" and didn't feel right making a comic about it, although I didn't let that affect the way I read other people's entries, just how I wrote my own), while other times, you might feel as if there is only ONE approach that could possibly work, even if you don't know what you're going to do for it (Last year, for "Salt of the Earth," I knew I wanted to write non-fiction but I looked at a bunch of different subjects for it before deciding on one). I definitely love seeing writers who try all different approaches or combinations of approaches and don't use the same approach every week, although there are some writers who are masters of a single approach and are able to use it without making you feel like you're reading the same thing you already read.

I thought, given the irony of giving this topic to a bunch of people who are engaged in the pastime of sitting around freaking out while refreshing an internet poll (of which I am very guilty so I hope it doesn't come across as hypocritical) , I would talk a little bit about approaching topics.

People take a lot of approaches to topics. Everyone has their favorites to write and their favorites to read. Everyone also has their most-hated. I'll talk about this a little. Obviously I can't even mention every approach, but there are several basic approaches people seem to use the most.

I am giving myself a fake topic to use as an example. It will be "lemons."

1) Discuss your feelings about the topic and what the topic makes you think about.

This would be the entry where someone talks about the different meanings of the word lemon. They would talk a little about the fruit and why they like it or dislike it, and maybe a little about cars that don't work. Then they might mention Liz Lemon. This is probably my least favorite approach to topics. While some people can really take this in a deeply personal and interesting direction, I generally feel like this is preparation for writing, and not writing itself. I tend to find these entries to be strongest when they really veer off into stream-of-consciousness writing, because that is usually the only way that they get a personal touch.

2) Pick one specific aspect of the topic and zero in on it to write an essay, either descriptive, personal, or persuasive (I am counting rants here, too)

Here, the person might remember a scientific article that they read about lemon seeds, and reinterpret the information they learned from that article into an essay about their opinion on the scientific claims of the article. This can be a really interesting way to approach a topic, although it's one where you have to be confident you will pick an aspect that not too many other people will pick (or that you will do it better than everyone else, which is not so much confidence and more arrogance considering the number of awesome writers who are out there). It doesn't happen every week, but sometimes there will be a lot of people who pick the same aspect to zero in on and then only the ones that are really unique or really well-done stand out. Another thing that is important in this approach is research and fact-checking. Even when writing a rant, if it's being written for other people to read, make sure you have your information right. One thing that can take away from non-fiction for me is if it's not well-researched.

3) Pick one specific aspect of the topic and zero in on it to write a memoir or personal narrative style entry.

This is like #2, but is more deeply personal. This writer might relate a story from childhood about the first time they made lemonade. Because of that, it can often succeed where #2 might fail, because your personal experiences are more likely to be unique. I do think that some people are better at relating personal experiences in a way that sets them apart, but I always like entries where I get to learn something about the person writing it, and these are usually the easiest posts to do that in. Even ones that don't impress me with their writing often make me like the writer more as a person (unless they write, say, about how proud they are that they squeeze lemon juice into puppies' eyes.)

4) Pick one specific aspect of the topic and zero in on it to write fiction.

Like #2 and #3 but this is the one where the writer writes a fictional story about lemonade-making. This can be a good way to achieve the same kind of "feel" you would get in #3 while not necessarily writing something too intensely personal, or when you don't actually have a personal experience to base it on. I am a sucker for good fiction but I am much more highly critical of fiction that doesn't meet my personal standards for "good writing" (whatever those are) than I am of non-fiction that doesn't. I think a lot of people feel that way so it can be a risk.

5) Approach the topic metaphorically.

Here, someone might think about the sourness of lemons and write an essay or narrative about a sour aspect of their life or a time when things turned sour. I really like when people take this approach because it shows a certain amount of creativity and risk in still relating to the topic while having a more tenuous hold on it, but it doesn't always work and for some people, it's not always clear how it relates.

6) Take a bye.

Just kidding.

7) Combine any of the above approaches into a single entry.

In this case, someone might alternate paragraphs of personal narrative or fiction about a lemon-related experience with scientific fact about lemons that bolster the "moral" or "punchline" of the story. These entries can be rich and complex at their best and meandering and pointless at their worst. While when someone does the metaphorical approach, I can give them the benefit of the doubt that THEY see a connection even if I don't, if I don't see the connection and they're trying to draw the connection on the same page, it can really push me out of the story. At the same time, if it's well-done, it might make me see a connection I would never have seen on my own.

I know, I know I left out "write poetry" and a few other formally experimental styles people have played with. But on some level, even those formally experimental styles are usually based on one of these approaches. Most of my comics were either personal essays or fiction, even if they were personal essays or fiction in graphic form.

Picking an approach can also be part of how you approach the topic. You can think about whether the topic is better-served through an essay or through fiction or through a poem. Sometimes the meaning of the topic will lend itself better to one or the other. Sometimes, you might even go so far as to feel like it would be in poor taste to write a certain approach to a topic (I felt that way last season about "Hyperbole is Literally Hitler" and didn't feel right making a comic about it, although I didn't let that affect the way I read other people's entries, just how I wrote my own), while other times, you might feel as if there is only ONE approach that could possibly work, even if you don't know what you're going to do for it (Last year, for "Salt of the Earth," I knew I wanted to write non-fiction but I looked at a bunch of different subjects for it before deciding on one). I definitely love seeing writers who try all different approaches or combinations of approaches and don't use the same approach every week, although there are some writers who are masters of a single approach and are able to use it without making you feel like you're reading the same thing you already read.

All writing can be categorized into two groups: Writing for oneself, and writing for others.

( cut for length )

I love to talk about writing.

Last year and this year, I've found that the most interesting thing about LJ Idol are the "meta" discussions that crop up around writing, reading, commenting, critiquing, and all related subjects. Which is why I've been writing these home game entries about...said subjects!

I've said this before, but LJ Idol (and LJ in general) is about getting to know people better. There is a lot you can learn from someone's writing, but sometimes it's hard to tell if you're learning something about them, or just reading something into what they're saying, especially if they're writing fiction. You only have this very limited window into someone's life and way of thinking, and while, to me, it's totally valid to read meaning into a work an author didn't intend when you are reading for yourself, it's not necessarily the best way to go about making friends.

Sometimes, I get to the end of a piece before I realize it's fiction. This is usually, to me, a compliment to the author's ability, that they wrote something so believable that I think it is reflective of their own life. But sometimes, I get to the end of a piece before I realize it's non-fiction. I don't think that this is complimentary OR non-complimentary: it just is, and whether it has to do with the writing style, a detached tone, whatever: it happens. But I do think it is interesting, when I discover that something I've read is actually true when I was reading it through the lens of a fictive piece, and I often don't even know it unless it's mentioned in the comments.

Every act of writing is also an act of learning about writing, especially when you are writing in an interactive medium such as a blog or LiveJournal, where people can write back to you. And every act of writing in an interactive medium is also an act of learning about people.

One of my favorite things to see in posts where someone is experimenting with writing, or writing a piece of fiction, is not necessarily the piece itself. I love to read people's process notes, or author's notes, or other ruminations on the act of writing the piece.

It's a much-hated question for authors and artists alike, that is asked nearly every time the floor is opened to questions at a panel discussion or a lecture or master class:

"Where do you get your ideas?"

Those of us who write know that every idea comes from a different place. One might be from a dream. One might be from an interaction we had on the street. Another might be from reading someone else's story. Sometimes, they just pop into our heads fully-formed. The question that is exciting, that prompts the story that is exciting is not:

"Where do you get your ideas?"

but

"Where did you get this idea?"

Where did you get this idea?
How did you decide to express it in this way: in fiction, in narrative essay, in poetry?
How did you choose the particular voice with which to express it: a humorous one, a lyrical one, an ominous one?
What were the steps you took along the way, that got you from the idea to the act (apologies to TS Eliot)?

I have said myself, and seen other people say, that when we read fiction, it's hard to get to know the person behind it in the same way we do when we read nonfiction. But even with nonfiction, there is always a space to reveal something about yourself as a writer.

Author's notes can be incredibly fun to write, and can let you drop your narrative voice, free yourself from the restrictions you've put upon yourself while writing the meat of the piece, and provide a handy little peek into your own thoughts and your own identity as a writer. They can say things about you that even a tearful memoir can't say; they can provide insight into that tearful memoir that is deeply personal in a different way from baring your emotional soul. They can deepen the complexity of what might seem to be a simple and casual piece of writing; they can add a note of gravity to a humorous story or essay.

I also love when I see authors reply with comments that reveal a little more of their thinking than what they originally set out to tell. It's neat when someone comments on a particular detail of a story, and the writer takes a moment to reveal a little more about that detail, where it came from, how they decided to include it. I like it because it seems more interesting than a simple "thank you!" but it also helps me get to know the writer behind the words a little better, to peel another proverbial onion layer away from their writing process. And it helps me get to know them as a person, too!

I love to talk about writing, which I said when I started this post. So I love it when I see that other people love to talk about writing, too.

I love to talk about writing.

Last year and this year, I've found that the most interesting thing about LJ Idol are the "meta" discussions that crop up around writing, reading, commenting, critiquing, and all related subjects. Which is why I've been writing these home game entries about...said subjects!

I've said this before, but LJ Idol (and LJ in general) is about getting to know people better. There is a lot you can learn from someone's writing, but sometimes it's hard to tell if you're learning something about them, or just reading something into what they're saying, especially if they're writing fiction. You only have this very limited window into someone's life and way of thinking, and while, to me, it's totally valid to read meaning into a work an author didn't intend when you are reading for yourself, it's not necessarily the best way to go about making friends.

Sometimes, I get to the end of a piece before I realize it's fiction. This is usually, to me, a compliment to the author's ability, that they wrote something so believable that I think it is reflective of their own life. But sometimes, I get to the end of a piece before I realize it's non-fiction. I don't think that this is complimentary OR non-complimentary: it just is, and whether it has to do with the writing style, a detached tone, whatever: it happens. But I do think it is interesting, when I discover that something I've read is actually true when I was reading it through the lens of a fictive piece, and I often don't even know it unless it's mentioned in the comments.

Every act of writing is also an act of learning about writing, especially when you are writing in an interactive medium such as a blog or LiveJournal, where people can write back to you. And every act of writing in an interactive medium is also an act of learning about people.

One of my favorite things to see in posts where someone is experimenting with writing, or writing a piece of fiction, is not necessarily the piece itself. I love to read people's process notes, or author's notes, or other ruminations on the act of writing the piece.

It's a much-hated question for authors and artists alike, that is asked nearly every time the floor is opened to questions at a panel discussion or a lecture or master class:

"Where do you get your ideas?"

Those of us who write know that every idea comes from a different place. One might be from a dream. One might be from an interaction we had on the street. Another might be from reading someone else's story. Sometimes, they just pop into our heads fully-formed. The question that is exciting, that prompts the story that is exciting is not:

"Where do you get your ideas?"

but

"Where did you get this idea?"

Where did you get this idea?
How did you decide to express it in this way: in fiction, in narrative essay, in poetry?
How did you choose the particular voice with which to express it: a humorous one, a lyrical one, an ominous one?
What were the steps you took along the way, that got you from the idea to the act (apologies to TS Eliot)?

I have said myself, and seen other people say, that when we read fiction, it's hard to get to know the person behind it in the same way we do when we read nonfiction. But even with nonfiction, there is always a space to reveal something about yourself as a writer.

Author's notes can be incredibly fun to write, and can let you drop your narrative voice, free yourself from the restrictions you've put upon yourself while writing the meat of the piece, and provide a handy little peek into your own thoughts and your own identity as a writer. They can say things about you that even a tearful memoir can't say; they can provide insight into that tearful memoir that is deeply personal in a different way from baring your emotional soul. They can deepen the complexity of what might seem to be a simple and casual piece of writing; they can add a note of gravity to a humorous story or essay.

I also love when I see authors reply with comments that reveal a little more of their thinking than what they originally set out to tell. It's neat when someone comments on a particular detail of a story, and the writer takes a moment to reveal a little more about that detail, where it came from, how they decided to include it. I like it because it seems more interesting than a simple "thank you!" but it also helps me get to know the writer behind the words a little better, to peel another proverbial onion layer away from their writing process. And it helps me get to know them as a person, too!

I love to talk about writing, which I said when I started this post. So I love it when I see that other people love to talk about writing, too.

Don't pick anything apart too much.

emo_snal said to me the other night that it seems like the worse a writer is, the more oblivious they are to the inherent badness of their writing. This would mean that the better a writer you are, the more likely it is that you're convinced you suck, right?

Maybe! Anyway, many of us writers have a tendency to question ourselves, to go back over things we've written and take them to pieces, until we're sitting in a puddle of "no, no, it's not ready! I can't show this to anyone; it's too embarrassing!"

Don't do that shit!

One thing I learned from cartooning is that in order to really learn how to draw comics, I had to throw away any preciousness I had about my own drawing. I'm actually fairly talented at drawing semi-realistic cartoon figures. I love drawing semi-realistic cartoon figures. But when I start to draw them, I start getting hung up on all the details: proportion, perspective, anatomy...I don't submit myself to the act of drawing, I don't use my pen to communicate.

So I had to start over. I forced myself to draw in a very simplistic style in order to learn to love my flaws, to live with them, to get over them and realize that those flaws didn't have to be flaws: they could be strengths; they could be what sets me apart as an artist from every other artist is is a more talented technical draftsperson than I am.

All forms of art have personal quirks to them, writing included. Your writing has telltale signs in it, signs that make it uniquely yours. Signs that mean that forensic linguists all over the world could identify you as the author of that ransom note or that anonymous screed about the neighbbor's dog that you sent to the local paper after it peed on your begonias. Even if there wasn't a fingerprint or a trace of your handwriting. Your words and your writing style are as unique as your DNA.

Well, unless you're an identical twin. Then your writing style is technically more unique than your DNA.

So go with it. Figure out what makes your writing you. Pick out those quirks and idiosyncrasies, but instead of trying to drive them out of your writing, embrace them! Love them and build on them, so that your voice stands out as something special. Because there will always be someone who is technically a better writer than you, but there is no one who can be better at being you. And being yourself will inevitably lead to more varied and exciting writing than being perfect.

Starting to write is a ritual unto itself. When do you start? Can you just bring up a document and start typing, or do you stare at the blank screen for a while, intimidated by all that whiteness, unsure of how to fill it up?

In elementary school, I had an art teacher who taught me an important lesson: Never leave any white space.

"I don't want to see any white on your paper," he always said.

In those days, we were using fingerpaints and crayons, glitter and markers. It was as easy as picking another color to add to our abstract and fantastic masterpieces.

In writing, in English classes, longer was always better. More words per sentence! More descriptive! Jam in those adjectives, those adverbs, till your paragraphs overflow and fill the page! No white space!

You get older, and you learn that white space can be your friend as much as it can be your enemy. As an artist, you start to learn that negative spaces can be as important to your composition as positive spaces. As a writer, you learn to snip away at your words, you learn that a near-empty page with a few sparse words of dialogue can be as beautiful to a reader as a verbose and lengthy passage.

Maybe even more beautiful.

I find that writing is a lot like sports. You need to stretch before running a mile; you need to warm up before swimming laps. Getting ready to write can be just as important as the act of writing. Writing exercises can, in fact, make you a better writer.

A lot of the time, when I'm staring at that daunting blank page, when I don't know what to do next-- or what to do first, let alone after, and after, and after-- it helps to do a few exercises. Maybe a character study-- who am I writing about? Why not throw them into a scene, to get to know them better? Even automatic writing can make you start thinking about the composition of your vocabulary:

The lurid spider say perching on the monument. Brilliantly, there were no words for thrifty exercise such as the one taken in by the poached pear. Was there any violence in the taqueria? Never on Thursdays!

What does engaging in automatic writing say about your word choice, the formation of your sentences, the ideas at the front of your mind? That in and of itself can get the juices flowing, can help foment an idea when you don't have one-- or think you don't have one, because really, you do, always there, always bubbling below the surface.

What are some of the things you do to warm up your writing muscles?

Starting to write is a ritual unto itself. When do you start? Can you just bring up a document and start typing, or do you stare at the blank screen for a while, intimidated by all that whiteness, unsure of how to fill it up?

In elementary school, I had an art teacher who taught me an important lesson: Never leave any white space.

"I don't want to see any white on your paper," he always said.

In those days, we were using fingerpaints and crayons, glitter and markers. It was as easy as picking another color to add to our abstract and fantastic masterpieces.

In writing, in English classes, longer was always better. More words per sentence! More descriptive! Jam in those adjectives, those adverbs, till your paragraphs overflow and fill the page! No white space!

You get older, and you learn that white space can be your friend as much as it can be your enemy. As an artist, you start to learn that negative spaces can be as important to your composition as positive spaces. As a writer, you learn to snip away at your words, you learn that a near-empty page with a few sparse words of dialogue can be as beautiful to a reader as a verbose and lengthy passage.

Maybe even more beautiful.

I find that writing is a lot like sports. You need to stretch before running a mile; you need to warm up before swimming laps. Getting ready to write can be just as important as the act of writing. Writing exercises can, in fact, make you a better writer.

A lot of the time, when I'm staring at that daunting blank page, when I don't know what to do next-- or what to do first, let alone after, and after, and after-- it helps to do a few exercises. Maybe a character study-- who am I writing about? Why not throw them into a scene, to get to know them better? Even automatic writing can make you start thinking about the composition of your vocabulary:

The lurid spider say perching on the monument. Brilliantly, there were no words for thrifty exercise such as the one taken in by the poached pear. Was there any violence in the taqueria? Never on Thursdays!

What does engaging in automatic writing say about your word choice, the formation of your sentences, the ideas at the front of your mind? That in and of itself can get the juices flowing, can help foment an idea when you don't have one-- or think you don't have one, because really, you do, always there, always bubbling below the surface.

What are some of the things you do to warm up your writing muscles?