Guest Post + Giveaway: How to Write by Reading by Edward Lorn
I am so happy to have Edward Lorn, the author of Hope for the Wicked, today here at My Book and My Coffee blog. He is going to talk about writing ... by reading. Interesting, right? Let's find out more about it. By the way, after reading the post, please make sure to enter the giveaway below. Sooo excited!
The greatest tools an aspiring author can add to their arsenal of knowledge are other people's books. In his memoir, On Writing, Stephen King says, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." I will add this: You should read good books to learn what to do. If an author held your attention, you should dissect the writing, mull over the word usage and sentence structure, and research how he or she was able to accomplish the feat. Then, read the junk floating around out there as well. Glean from the disastrous text what went so horribly wrong. Maybe the characters are cardboard cutouts, or Saran wrapped street-art caricatures. Perhaps the plot is unbelievable, or unoriginal and trite. The best way to learn how to write well is to read poorly written material. When you know what not to do, you can stray from the over-used clichés and wooden character to create substance and layered goodness. Mind you, I'm not saying you need to bore yourself to death, only a chapter of two worth of garbage can go a long way.
The greatest tools an aspiring author can add to their arsenal of knowledge are other people's books. In his memoir, On Writing, Stephen King says, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." I will add this: You should read good books to learn what to do. If an author held your attention, you should dissect the writing, mull over the word usage and sentence structure, and research how he or she was able to accomplish the feat. Then, read the junk floating around out there as well. Glean from the disastrous text what went so horribly wrong. Maybe the characters are cardboard cutouts, or Saran wrapped street-art caricatures. Perhaps the plot is unbelievable, or unoriginal and trite. The best way to learn how to write well is to read poorly written material. When you know what not to do, you can stray from the over-used clichés and wooden character to create substance and layered goodness. Mind you, I'm not saying you need to bore yourself to death, only a chapter of two worth of garbage can go a long way.
Along with reading, writing is the next most important tool writers have at their disposal. This would seem obvious, huh? A simple, "No duh!" moment? You'd be surprised. A great many authors spend so much time trying to learn their craft that they forget to actually write. There is only so much you can learn, and by learn, I mean studying the mechanics of authorship. No one can teach you how to tell a story. What they can do is offer suggestions for stronger words, possible ideas for the rewriting process and correct any problems with spelling, grammar, and punctuation. But, the structure of a good writer is built on the foundation of a good storyteller. If you have the knack, or more accurately, the talent, of storytelling, then the next step is to sit down and tell your stories. Editors can help you with the other details. As long as the ground work has been accomplished, anything can be cleaned up, but if your story is crap... well, a shiny turd is still nothing more than a pile of excrement. Be honest with yourself, as well. If you wouldn't read what you wrote, there's a strong chance no one else will be interested either.
And finally, I beseech you, simply write! Open your word program of choice or grab a pen and a piece of paper and let the story spill forth. Listen to your characters and let them tell you the story. Believe in them. In the end, it's the law of averages, my friends. If you write constantly, you will have a better chance of creating something worth showing to the world. Heck, someone might even pay for it.
More about the Author:
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| Photo courtesy of RedAdeptPublishing.com |
Edward Lorn is an American horror author presently residing in the southeast United States. He enjoys storytelling, reading, and writing biographies in the third person.
Once upon a time, during a session of show and tell, a seven-year-old Edward Lorn shared with his class that his baby brother had died over the weekend. His classmates, the teacher included, wept while he recanted the painful tragedy of having lost a sibling. Edward went home that day and found an irate mother waiting for him. Edward's teacher had called to express her condolences. This was unfortunate, as Edward had never had a baby brother.
With advice given to her by a frustrated teacher, Edward's mother made him start writing all of his lies down. The rest, as they say, is history.
Edward Lorn and his wife are raising two children, along with a handful of outside cats and a beagle named Dot. He remains a liar to this day. The only difference is, now he's a useful one.
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| Hope For The Wicked by Edward Lorn |
Hope for the Wicked on Amazon
Hope for the Wicked on Barnes & Noble
Hope for the Wicked on Kobo
and now... for the awesome giveaway...
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2 Dazzling Comments
Thanks for having me, Ara. Nice place you have here ;)
ReplyDeleteE.
This is a fantastic book!
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