In Stephen King's book Lisey's Story the main character's husband is a deceased famous writer, and in his books, lectures and every day conversation he mentions the language pool, 'where we all go to drink and cast our nets'. It's not immediately clear what this means, but as the book progresses it makes sense and King is nice enough to include a statement at the end that explains the phrase. In short, the language pool is the collected words and phrases we isolate from stories, articles, song lyrics, poetry and so on, to utilise at a later date.
I have mentioned before the importance of reading for anyone who wants to write - either for leisure or professionally - and the idea of the language pool takes that one step further. Not encouraging plagiarism, what it does encourage is taking inspiration from wherever we find it and not being afraid to use it if it will enhance our own work - and, of course, if you do use something verbatim then a full citation will keep you out of trouble and help others find the original work, which benefits the original author and their potential new fan(s).
The language pool is, to me, for each time you read a book and find a dazzling phrase that just makes you wish you could write like that. While we may have been taught to always be entirely creative and never borrow from someone else, the language pool reminds us that it is perfectly okay to do this, for nothing is 100% unique. What is unique is the stories and ideas, and these must remain so, but the language is no more unique than a song's notes - the order, construction and overall creativity behind each can be entirely your own, but just as an A chord in one song is the same as an A chord in another song, words are also shared in any piece of literature you come across. And by putting favourite words and phrases in the pool, when you cast your net you will remove something that was inspired by someone else but will become entirely your own, either through context, placement or by making a new phrase from new words. Imagine buying a set of Lego and adding to it some Lego bricks from a friend's collection; each time you put your hand in you will take out new pieces, some are yours, some are theirs, but you will not remove the deluxe bungalow they worked hard to create the day before, just as by putting the 12 musical notes in a hat and taking a lucky dip will not yield your favourite song.
Be creative, but take inspriation also. Devour literature and store new words and resonating phrases in your personal pool.
Whether you want to write or not, we all have a language pool - just don't be afraid to visit it.
Grammar tips, literary discussions and freelance writing advice
18 May 2011
14 February 2011
Developing Followers and Becoming A Better Writer
In the past I have written about developing followers and the benefit of this, especially for new writers or those looking to self-publish. Many writers wrongly assume that securing a publishing deal will launch them to fame and fortune, as well as a multi-book contract with the publishers. That they need not do anything to help market their book besides interviews. This is not true at all, and it is even harder now to get recognition for your work because publishing companies are having to cut back and therefore take on less new writers - and do less in the way of marketing and promotion. If your book flops, it's harder to release another one. Whether you self-publish or get traditionally published, you need to have an audience to sell to.
The internet has made this infinitely easier, as you can set up your own website, Facebook fan page, Twitter account, and locate contact details of local radio stations and newspapers to either interview you or mention the book. But there is little use in web pages if no one knows what you do, because they won't follow it. Being proactive is the way forward, and one of the best ways to do this is not only be accessible, by replying to emails and tweets, but to let people relate to you. Twitter is indispensable in this way, as you can post what's on your mind, what you like, don't like, what things mean to you and so forth. In doing this, people can get to see the real you and many people will purchase your work simply because they like your personality - either to support you just because they feel they know you, or because you've intrigued them enough that they think it may be of interest to them. Blog about your favourite works, how life inspires you, what you're currently reading or what a particular section of your book is about. On your website, post extracts of your book and have a feed of your Twitter updates so people can find it easier. With the internet, the sky's the limit with how far you can take things for publicity and promotion. If you self-publish, this will help you to shift some units. If you're traditionally published,the company will be impressed by your efforts and dedication, and you will be shifting copies from your own hard work. Such dedication can help you secure a more lasting contract as the publishing house will be more willing to nurture your career.
Of course, though, none of this matters if your writing is so poor that no one will recommend it or buy a second release. Of prime importance, therefore, is working at becoming a better writer. Some people are born with the talent of being able to write complex and gripping stories, but the rest of us need to work hard at it. One of the best ways to learn how to be a better writer, and for story inspiration, is to read. Read anything you can get your hands on, be it fiction, non-fiction, biographical, science-fiction or fantasy. Broaden your horizons and read whatever comes your way. Being an accomplished reader will pave the way for you to be an accomplished writer.
The internet has made this infinitely easier, as you can set up your own website, Facebook fan page, Twitter account, and locate contact details of local radio stations and newspapers to either interview you or mention the book. But there is little use in web pages if no one knows what you do, because they won't follow it. Being proactive is the way forward, and one of the best ways to do this is not only be accessible, by replying to emails and tweets, but to let people relate to you. Twitter is indispensable in this way, as you can post what's on your mind, what you like, don't like, what things mean to you and so forth. In doing this, people can get to see the real you and many people will purchase your work simply because they like your personality - either to support you just because they feel they know you, or because you've intrigued them enough that they think it may be of interest to them. Blog about your favourite works, how life inspires you, what you're currently reading or what a particular section of your book is about. On your website, post extracts of your book and have a feed of your Twitter updates so people can find it easier. With the internet, the sky's the limit with how far you can take things for publicity and promotion. If you self-publish, this will help you to shift some units. If you're traditionally published,the company will be impressed by your efforts and dedication, and you will be shifting copies from your own hard work. Such dedication can help you secure a more lasting contract as the publishing house will be more willing to nurture your career.
Of course, though, none of this matters if your writing is so poor that no one will recommend it or buy a second release. Of prime importance, therefore, is working at becoming a better writer. Some people are born with the talent of being able to write complex and gripping stories, but the rest of us need to work hard at it. One of the best ways to learn how to be a better writer, and for story inspiration, is to read. Read anything you can get your hands on, be it fiction, non-fiction, biographical, science-fiction or fantasy. Broaden your horizons and read whatever comes your way. Being an accomplished reader will pave the way for you to be an accomplished writer.
17 November 2010
So You Want to be a Writer?
A lot of people want to be writers - or at least, they think they do. Like all the creative arts, it has a certain appeal to many people for various reasons. But just like becoming a famous musician does not happen overnight and requires years of gruelling schedules and poor income, writers are not guaranteed success. As a continuation of last month's post by Lauren, this will be looking at the ups and downs of writing and the various ways in which you can write for a living.
Typically when someone says they want to be a writer the first interpretation of that from others is a novelist, and that is often followed with warnings along the lines of '98% of manuscripts get rejected' and 'most writers never make much money'. Both points are true enough, but being a writer doesn't start and end with novels.
When you enter the foray of writing you need to decide what you want to do. Do you have lofty ambitions of being the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, or do you just want to be able to earn an income by putting words to paper? The latter is a shorter, easier process. You can start writing in your spare time, selling short stories to magazines or writing freelance articles for newspapers, or approaching companies to be a copywriter for their adverts, brochures or websites. If you already have a job, you can use your knowledge and experience from that to write on that particular topic - you may find that pretty soon you're in demand to write for a collection of people or companies on your chosen topic.
If you want to be a novelist, the process is longer and much more difficult. Not only does it take time to write a full book, but you need to then sell it to a publisher. While it is true that 98% of manuscript submissions are rejected, you shouldn't get too upset over that; rather, make yours stand out. Most of the submitted manuscripts are very rough and require a great deal of work before they are ready to be sold to the market. So, take some initiative and hire an editor; they will sort out the content and format it ready for submission. Do your research on what publisher or agent to approach - there's no faster way to get rejected than to send a submission to a publisher that doesn't deal with your type of book. For instance, there's no use in sending a fiction book to a non-fiction publisher.
Whichever route you decide to take, make full use of the power of the Internet. As Seth Godin recently said, don't wait to win the lottery, build an army of readers who are willing to buy your output when you release it. Build a website, write a blog that you regularly update to generate traffic so people become aware of you. Register on Facebook and Twitter to reach a wider audience and utilise the option of downloads so people can get your writing straight away. You can even give it away and ask for donations, or sell it. If you give it away and make no money at all, you're still building that army, and that will be great leverage when approaching publishers: they will see there is already a growing market for your personal writing.
Writing can be a wonderfully rewarding vocation and there are numerous ways you can earn a living from doing it. So don't be intimidated by the prospects; instead, brainstorm some ideas of what area you want to venture into and then make an immediate start. There's no time like the present, as they say, and you may well be surprised by how quickly things take off.
Typically when someone says they want to be a writer the first interpretation of that from others is a novelist, and that is often followed with warnings along the lines of '98% of manuscripts get rejected' and 'most writers never make much money'. Both points are true enough, but being a writer doesn't start and end with novels.
When you enter the foray of writing you need to decide what you want to do. Do you have lofty ambitions of being the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, or do you just want to be able to earn an income by putting words to paper? The latter is a shorter, easier process. You can start writing in your spare time, selling short stories to magazines or writing freelance articles for newspapers, or approaching companies to be a copywriter for their adverts, brochures or websites. If you already have a job, you can use your knowledge and experience from that to write on that particular topic - you may find that pretty soon you're in demand to write for a collection of people or companies on your chosen topic.
If you want to be a novelist, the process is longer and much more difficult. Not only does it take time to write a full book, but you need to then sell it to a publisher. While it is true that 98% of manuscript submissions are rejected, you shouldn't get too upset over that; rather, make yours stand out. Most of the submitted manuscripts are very rough and require a great deal of work before they are ready to be sold to the market. So, take some initiative and hire an editor; they will sort out the content and format it ready for submission. Do your research on what publisher or agent to approach - there's no faster way to get rejected than to send a submission to a publisher that doesn't deal with your type of book. For instance, there's no use in sending a fiction book to a non-fiction publisher.
Whichever route you decide to take, make full use of the power of the Internet. As Seth Godin recently said, don't wait to win the lottery, build an army of readers who are willing to buy your output when you release it. Build a website, write a blog that you regularly update to generate traffic so people become aware of you. Register on Facebook and Twitter to reach a wider audience and utilise the option of downloads so people can get your writing straight away. You can even give it away and ask for donations, or sell it. If you give it away and make no money at all, you're still building that army, and that will be great leverage when approaching publishers: they will see there is already a growing market for your personal writing.
Writing can be a wonderfully rewarding vocation and there are numerous ways you can earn a living from doing it. So don't be intimidated by the prospects; instead, brainstorm some ideas of what area you want to venture into and then make an immediate start. There's no time like the present, as they say, and you may well be surprised by how quickly things take off.
4 October 2010
Making the Foray Into Writing
Guest Post from Lauren Holden
If you want to be a writer, perhaps the first thing you should ask yourself is ‘why’? If you’re doing it for the money, you’ll no doubt be severely disappointed, especially in the first instance. Wannabe writers usually have to start at the bottom; writing for fanzines for free or contributing to their student newspaper. And everyone knows there's little, or no money in either. If you’re doing it for the opportunity of a published byline - great, but be prepared to start small. Writers who are just starting out are usually chuffed to bits to see their name next to an article on even the most obscure website.
Expecting to get a byline in a top national magazine on your very first writing assignment is usually out of the question.
Want to write because you have a genuine passion for being creative with words? Good stuff! Get yourself a contacts book and jot down the names and email addresses of people you meet along the way. Networking can be key to your first foray into writing; it’s not what you know but who you know, as they say.
Should you come to pitch your article to a magazine or newspaper, be prepared for some knock-backs. Don’t be disheartened if your feature idea is rejected; just because one editor doesn’t like your idea, it doesn’t mean everyone else will. Get hold of the 2010 Writers’
Handbook for relevant contact details for hundreds of magazines, newspapers and websites up and down the country. You’ll know exactly who to pitch your idea to, as well as picking up tips about what certain magazines are looking for in terms of content.
Keep an eye on what’s topical in the news and always remember to ‘write what you know’. Writers who tackle a subject they know little about will often struggle. It’s far easier to select a subject you can relate to and you’re interested to write about. There’s little fun in researching and writing about ‘injection moulding companies’ if you’re not a fan of the subject itself.
Finally, get yourself on Twitter and ‘follow’ fellow writers, interesting celebs and anyone you think may be worth a story. Good luck!
If you want to be a writer, perhaps the first thing you should ask yourself is ‘why’? If you’re doing it for the money, you’ll no doubt be severely disappointed, especially in the first instance. Wannabe writers usually have to start at the bottom; writing for fanzines for free or contributing to their student newspaper. And everyone knows there's little, or no money in either. If you’re doing it for the opportunity of a published byline - great, but be prepared to start small. Writers who are just starting out are usually chuffed to bits to see their name next to an article on even the most obscure website.
Expecting to get a byline in a top national magazine on your very first writing assignment is usually out of the question.
Want to write because you have a genuine passion for being creative with words? Good stuff! Get yourself a contacts book and jot down the names and email addresses of people you meet along the way. Networking can be key to your first foray into writing; it’s not what you know but who you know, as they say.
Should you come to pitch your article to a magazine or newspaper, be prepared for some knock-backs. Don’t be disheartened if your feature idea is rejected; just because one editor doesn’t like your idea, it doesn’t mean everyone else will. Get hold of the 2010 Writers’
Handbook for relevant contact details for hundreds of magazines, newspapers and websites up and down the country. You’ll know exactly who to pitch your idea to, as well as picking up tips about what certain magazines are looking for in terms of content.
Keep an eye on what’s topical in the news and always remember to ‘write what you know’. Writers who tackle a subject they know little about will often struggle. It’s far easier to select a subject you can relate to and you’re interested to write about. There’s little fun in researching and writing about ‘injection moulding companies’ if you’re not a fan of the subject itself.
Finally, get yourself on Twitter and ‘follow’ fellow writers, interesting celebs and anyone you think may be worth a story. Good luck!
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