"Don't Sweat the Details"
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The Rant 'N' Rave Section
"Don't Sweat the Details!"
Oh yeah! How may times have you heard that? How many times have you agreed with it? I've always believed that the saying "God is in the details," is so true. If it weren't for details we'd all be driving cars that had a frame, engine, brakes, steering wheel and lights. No fancy body, no leather interior, no shock absorbers, no detail. But, there's a time and a place for detail and starting a new novel is NOT one of them. That's right, chuck the detail, trash it, throw it, bury it, save it for later but don't get stuck in it. The first and foremost thing you as a new writer should be doing is setting up your story line.
That's right, the whatfor, whyfor, wherefor, whenfor and whofor! Until you've got a firm grip on where you're going with your story, details will only slow you down, down down. You'll find yourself wandering down dark alleys that lead nowhere, following bits and pieces of illusive details on the web in search of tidbits of facts like when did the Maya first appear or what was the name of the street that Jack the Rippers first victim was found on.
How in the world do you expect to reach a grand climactic ending that will thrill your readers if you get lost along the way, mired in the quagmire of deadly details. Or worse yet, how do you expect to send out dozens of manuscripts every year to be published if it takes you six months to write a chapter? Ok, Ok, enough about the details already, you say. What about the plot? Ah yes, the story line, what about it.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could plot out our stories using one or two crisp, concise sentences to cover each action scene, each event, each failure and each triumph.
Well, that's what you should be shooting for. Once you have a map that you can actually read without getting lost in extraneous verbiage, then and only then is it time to go back, pick up all those little detail buggers and start planting them in your story line. That's when you'll see God in the details. That's when your work will shine like a newly waxed car on a Sunday afternoon. Well, that's it for this issues Rant n Rave section, on to Tidbits.
Every time I post a new Rant on my blog, I like to share my thoughts on any Tidbits I've found that might come in handy for new writers. These "tidbits" take the form of any sites or programs that are inexpensive or free. I usually try them out and, if I find them to be usefull, I add them to my Blog the next time I post.
This time I've stumbled into an online little freebie program that seems quite useful. It's called Wridea. (I may have stumbled on to it on Nick Daw's site) Like most writers, I've got scraps of paper everywhere. They're on my desk, tacked to my corkboard, taped to my monitor, stashed in my file, and cleverly hidden away where I'll never be able to find them again. Then, when I suddenly remember one of them and need to refer to it for a story I'm working on, I can't find it! HA! What a surprise.
Bet that's never happened to you but if it has, Wridea might just be your ticket back to sanity. I recently ran into this great little program on my daily flight across the Net. Its concept is simple. If you have and idea, a flash of inspiration or just a scrap of knowledge you want to hang on to, post it in Wridea. You can create your own categories, post your ideas in them, and then whenever you wish, you can view them, print them or edit them. I've just started using it and find that all of a sudden, I can actually find those elusive notes.
As an example, I set up a category titled "Creatures". The other night there was a brief story on the news about an odd animal called a "Chupacabra", a semi mythical canine like beast with the habits of a vampire bat. Needless to say it's now posted in my "Creature" category. I might not look at it again for months or even years, but you can bet that the next time I'm casting about for ideas for a horror story, I won't spend hours wondering where I put that note. That makes one less thing I have to waste time hunting down. I've posted a link to Wridea at the bottom of the page, check it out. Better yet, post a plot, scribble a thought, insert an idea or record a reminder.
Now to my Last but Not Least Section. I've just started reading a book that I got on a trial basis, you know the kind, "keep it for a month, if you like it, buy it, if you don't, send it back." Well, I don't usually fall for that old come-on but the title sounded interesting and I thought, "Why not give it a go?" The book is called "Word Magic for Writers" by Cindy Rogers. Now I've only read the first fifty pages so far and haven't actually done any of the exercises at the end of each section but, almost by osmosis, some of the language devices she discusses have found their way into my writer's voice and into the latest short story I'm writing.
I've got to say I'm impressed. My writing has taken on a bit more zip, snap and sparkle while the fun factor of writing has increased. I can't wait to get to the next few chapters. At this time I'm quite sure I'll be adding this book to my reference library.
Aelfbooks: http://www.aelfbooks.com/
My Writing Friend: writingfriend@earthlink.net
Nick Daws Writers Circle: Click link on this page.
Wridea: http://www.wridea.com/
I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.
Labels: Writing the first draft.
posted by Aelf at 8:24 AM 
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