Finding Inspiration in the Season

I've been blogging about literary writing.  One aspect of good, profound writing is research.  A popular kind of book to read this time of year relates to one of a plethora of holidays that come up in various cultures and religions.  In order to write something meaningful, it's important to understand the culture behind whatever holiday you're going to write about. 

If you're going to write about Christmas, there are so many ways to approach it.  You could write from the mainstream cultural standpoint, including Santa, gifts, a tree, etc.  You could simply write based on your experience, but you may find that a little research behind the Christmas symbolism will give you insights you never had before that could add depth to your story.  If you're seeking to appeal to a Christian audience, make sure you know the symbolism and meanings well.  Otherwise, those who do will find themselves thrown out of the narrative. 

Stories about Christmas are very common.  However, some readers seek to write to audiences that celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, or any of a large number of December-centered holidays.  If you try to write about someone else's sacred day, even briefly, without researching it with attention to detail, you'll likely offend everyone. 

Researching any subject on which you want to write is important, but it becomes particularly critical where subjects sacred or fundamental to a reader's beliefs are concerned.  Such research will show respect and will set your writings apart. 

Borrowing external Eyes

I've been blogging about how to write in a more literary fashion.  This one is more about seeking help of others and should be a part of any writing.  As one writes, the tendency is to think everything you're writing sounds good, or you wouldn't be writing it.  You fall into habits and patterns of writing and storytelling, some of which may not work for readers outside your head.  For this reason, it's critical to seek out readers, as many readers as possible, to keep your writing making sense and flowing.  For this, one often needs to seek out writers' groups, whether they be online or in-person.  

There are several websites, many of them free, for writers to find readers.  One danger of using any old website is that a publisher may consider something shared with just anyone "published."  But finding an online writers' group helps get your pieces read without the struggles that go along with being at a certain place at a certain time.  There is freedom in being able to get things read on their own time and on yours.  I belong to a writing group wherein we say we're available then email each other our pieces.  I can read their pieces on my time as it fits in my schedule, and they can read mine as it fits in theirs.  

A lot of people prefer in-person writers' groups.  There is an advantage in being able to see body language, hear the feedback in person, and to be able to ask questions and get those questions answered in-person.  Experienced writers can give new writers a lot of wisdom and experience.  Also, this kind of group will often have speakers and presenters. Every state is likely to have such groups.  I'd recommend you find yours if you haven't already.  

Some people limit themselves to just friends and family as your readers.  The danger in this is they may be afraid to tell you their honest opinion and/or just not know what it takes to write in a professional manner.  They may tell you only what they think you want to hear.  It is good to know who you can trust to tell them their honest opinion, whether they be friends, family, or someone else.  

The critical part is to have external eyes, someone who can give you honest feedback.  Very few people can write solid pieces, literary or otherwise, without a lot of feedback.  If you can pay an editor after a lot of feedback from others, that would be better still.  One way or another, find external eyes you can trust and get your piece polished.  

It's not Shakespeare...Except It Is

I've been blogging about how to make one's writing more literary.  The backbone of Western literature, in terms of allusion, structure, story line, and so many other things, include Shakespeare and the Bible.  One cannot count the influences these texts have had on most of what we read.  Shakespearean turns of phrase and biblical allusion have become so entrenched in the culture that people don't even realize they're using them anymore.  When you talk about your character on a "wild goose chase," having "the green-eyed monster" of jealousy, or "being pure as the driven snow," you don't even realize you've just quoted Shakespeare.  When your female character offers your male character an apple, when innocent characters stand naked and vulnerable before temptation, when brother betrays brother with the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" you may not even think about the Bible.  Whether you're religious or not, ultra educated or not, or even very interested in either, it's a good idea to be familiar with both of these sources. If you are, you can consciously call on the literary strength and cultural depth of an allusion or quotation or story arc. 

Someone I know wrote a script that was supposed to be about the Christmas story, but because he didn't know the source material, it ended up being pure fiction that did not carry the emotional depth of the original.  He also wanted to write about angels without knowing what any biblical scholar could tell you about the stories.  I couldn't get this person to see the importance of knowing the original source material to tap the depth and power of the original into his works. He could still make the stories his own, use his own creativity and ingenuity to craft his stories, without ignoring the original. 

Anyone who reads great literary works like Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno knows these authors immersed themselves in the subject matter in order to spin it into something new.  Shakespeare, himself, drew on the Bible frequently.  He may question it and philosophize about it through the words of Hamlet.  But he was able to spin it into his own creations because he knew the subject matter. 

Whether Shakespeare seems like gibberish to you, or the Bible is just not your thing, much of great literature, modern and older works, draw on these mainstays.  You don't have to read these works to draw on the stories; however, reading sections before you rewrite or allude to them would give you more ideas, more strength, more specificity in your writing.  One way or another, keep these two sources in mind as you pursue your literary masterpieces. 

Stoke the Passion

I've been blogging about how to write in a literary fashion.  The beginning place for all good writing ought to be passion.  Do you have a character you love so much you can't get him/her/it out of your head?  Do you have a story that needs to be told, either real or fictional?  Do you have words bouncing around in your skull screaming to get out?  Do you have ideas and thoughts you want to share so much you can taste it?  These are good places to start any piece of writing.  If you don't feel strongly about your writing, neither will anyone else. 

The idea is to communicated that passion.  Get the reader to fall in love with your character like you love your character, the story like you love the story, see their own loves and fears in your poetry to the point that they can't put it down.  Readers and audiences still swoon over Mr. Darcy these centuries later.  People still fantasize about stepping into the plain shoes of Jane Eyre when she finally gets to say yes to Rochester.  People still ponder and discuss the ideas and thoughts suggested by To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespeare, and so many other pieces.  These great stories and characters transport us because they started in a place of passion.  What makes you excited?  Start there. 

The hard part is to avoid letting that passion flag when the world strikes.  Say you've come up with a character you love so deeply that you can't wait to share her with the world.  You rush to record her story, her adventure beyond the clouds, under the sea, or into the eyes of the man she loves until he opens his mouth.  But then, you fall into the editing pit.  You run into the publisher who says no, the editor who finds plot holes so deep you wonder you don't fall into them and never see the daylight again.  It's time to reread your work,  Fall in love with her and her story again.  Remind yourself of the source of your passion.  Then, never give up until you share it with the world. 

Taking Note

I've been blogging about making your writing more literary.  One important trick is to carry around a notebook, a computer, or something else with which to take notes.  If a turn of phrase, a wordplay, a snippet of conversation, a crazy dream, or a flash of inspiration strike, it's a good idea to get it down right away.  When you don't, you may just lose it forever. 

This isn't necessarily a literary writer thing so much as an every writer thing.  You never know when the Muse will strike.  When it does, you will want to make sure you're ready.  Don't even worry that you're writing it down right or what form it will eventually take.  The important thing is you're telling your subconscious that you're seeking thoughts and ideas. 

If you're after one kind of inspiration, it may help to write it down at the top of the page.  For instance, if you're looking for quirky dialogue, write that at the top of the page.  If something seems to play into a particular section of your work, write down a note about it, maybe how that part could fit in.  Also, with your notebook on hand, if something really inspires you, you can do a free write right there, perhaps turn it into a piece of fiction, a poem, or something else.  If you don't have one yet, go get yourself a notebook and start on this right away. 

Meaning behind Words

I've been blogging on writing in a more literary fashion.  One thing that works of literature have in common is they get at truths behind the human condition.  Works that stay paper-thin are those that just tell a story without any meaning, without eternal themes that have the power to elevate writing. 

I've read stories and seen movies that tell a good story.  They introduce characters.  They go through the motions and beats that are expected of such works.  But the story falls flat.  It may excite for the moment as the reader follows the hero's adventure, but nothing sticks.  In cinema terms, we'd think of it as a popcorn flick.  Nothing changes the reader's world like good literature does.  When we read great pieces of fiction, we want to feel like we've learned something, like we've considered a new perspective, like we've found a fresh approach to something, like we haven't seen this story a hundred times before.  The reader wants to feel transported and somehow changed, even if only a little bit. 

                                    

I read a piece of cheap pulp fiction, and I may even forget its title or plot a few days later.  It was a fun read.  I like cheap fiction, as do many others.  But, it feels like I've eaten cotton candy, not a steak and potatoes.  If I want to write with steak-and-potatoes depth and quality, I need to consider meaningful themes.  In a fluff piece, perfect man meets perfect woman, they pull away from each other or deal with some other fleeting hardship, and they get together.  A detective solves a mystery.  A crew of a space ship fight off an alien monster.  So what?  Who cares? 

However, I can take a couple in a romance and have them struggling through loss or betrayal in order to get together.  I can have them experience a meaningful voyage and choices, good and bad, that lead them through hurt and frustration at racism, sexism, fear, hope, or any other thing that reflects the human condition. 

It helps If I have either experienced what I'm dealing with or can authentically speak to it through research.  I don't have to have lost a child or had cancer or have seen my parents get divorced or have watched my husband go to war only to have them die on the battlefield to write about these situations.  However, I need to know and convey what it's really like.  Otherwise, those who have will feel betrayed.  Lee Harper didn't have to be a lawyer or the child of one to write Scout's perspective in To Kill a Mockingbird.  However, Harper had to know enough about the legal process and racial tensions contemporaneous to the work to write in a way that would make the novel so eternal.  Otherwise, the reader would be so thrown out of the work that the themes of racism, abuse, etc. in the story would have had no power. 

Now, it's your turn.  Ponder what themes you want to bring out in your story.  Read several similar novels in your genre to find out how they do it.  Then, you can start to write.  If you already have a piece without meaningful themes, take a careful look at what themes would naturally come out of the story you've written.  How can you bring out those themes in a way that is meaningful and speaks to the human condition?  Good luck. 

Isn't It Ironic?

I've been blogging about making writing more literary.  One strategy that can quickly elevate a piece of writing from mundane to literary is the use of irony.  Most people use "irony" in the way it's used in the song "Isn't It Ironic," as in something going wrong in a funny way.  In the song, the word "ironic" is used to categorize misfortunes like rain on one's wedding day or crashing the first time you dared to fly or getting a free ride when you've paid or meeting the perfect man who is already taken.  These examples don't entirely capture any of the three literary definitions of irony, and some don't really fit any of these definitions.  

Real irony goes counter to expectations of the reader or the characters.  Does one expect rain on a wedding day?  If one is paying attention to the weather reports or has an indoor wedding, there's nothing ironic about it.  You expected the rain or at least prepared for it.  Does one expect a handsome man to be married?  Many times, this is no surprise.  It defies no one's expectations.  If all you ever knew about irony was learned from this song, you don't fully understand the meaning of the word.  Now, isn't that ironic? 

The three kinds of literary irony are verbal, situational, and dramatic.  These literary devices can be used in comedy, tragedy, drama, or anything else in order to defy the reader's expectations.  

 

Most people use verbal irony in sarcasm.  The narrator or character means the opposite of what he/she says.  John may say, "Well, isn't that great" in a sardonic tone, when what he means is that's not great or even good.  In "Star Wars," Han Solo says, "What an incredible smell you've discovered" after they've found themselves in a foul-smelling trash compactor. In literature, Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" ironically advocates for the use of Irish babies as food when what he's trying to get people to realize that Irish people are humans, too, and deserve to be treated as such.  Verbal irony is only present when words are being used, such as in speech.  Otherwise, it's another kind of irony.  

Situational irony is when what is happening is different than is expected.  This is the closest to the definition as in the song.  For instance, in "The Gift of the Magi," a man sacrifices his watch to buy a comb for his wife's long hair, while she gives up her hair to buy a chain for his watch.  The situation defies their expectations.  Romeo rushes to Juliet's side only to find her apparently dead.  Because she seems dead, he acts accordingly and kills himself.   However, his false understanding results in both of their deaths.  The reader expects a fireman to put out fires, but in Fahrenheit 451, they do the opposite.  Authors use situational irony for all kinds of literary effects from humorous to tragic.  

 

Dramatic irony comes up all the time in comedy, tragedy, mystery, and everything else.  The narrator reveals the killer is behind the door as the investigator walks into the room.  The reader yells at the investigator to get out because he/she knows something the investigator doesn't.  This is dramatic irony.  In 12th Night, the reader/audience knows Viola is female, even as she dresses like a boy.  This can cause discomfort, emotional intensity, and humor in the love triangle, as she falls for Orsino, the man who has fallen for Olivia, who has fallen for Viola's alternate identity, Cesario.  The example in the paragraph above from Romeo and Juliet also falls into this category as the author/audience knows Juliet lives.  The use of irony heightens the drama as we watch Romeo acting without the piece of knowledge the audience has but Romeo lacks.  

You, too, can use irony in your writing.  Make sure to research and fully understand these three types.  Read examples of them.  Don't fall into the trap of just going with the misleading and shallow cultural understanding of irony.  There is much more to it than that.  Find places where your character's cell phone or computer can die just at the wrong moment, leaving him acting without the knowledge of what others are doing.  Make situations completely the opposite of what your characters expect.  Use verbal irony for humor and to add depth to dialogue.  You'll find your writing becomes much more literary as you do.