To be a good writer, a writer must also be a good reader.

Close reading of a text can reveal the tricks and tips that can be harnessed to create the next great novel, and perhaps even the next great film series if that writer is particularly gifted—and incredibly lucky.

The world of analytical texts has expanded greatly since our days in that secondary education classroom, and while the old standbys like William Shakespeare, Keats, and Ernest Hemingway are still relevant and more than worthy of study by budding writers, there are more sources of writing today that should be considered for analysis and study.

Video games are a unique interactive experience.

They allow a player to choose their own way through an adventure, often experiencing loss and victory, over an entity that may or may not be the ultimate evil. The same is true of traditional books or even movies, that have stages of plot development, opportunity to build tension, surprise the reader, and ultimately save the world.

With apologies to the fans of the hit classic Final Fantasy 7, today’s subject is Final Fantasy 8 and the epic tale of Squall Lionheart, the lovely Rinoa Heartilly, and the sorceress Ultimecia. The game originally came out for the Playstation in 1999.

To provide a little backstory, Final Fantasy 8 covers the adventure of Squall, a loner who is thrust into the burden of command by his academy, an organization named SeeD, which trains mercenaries to defeat the sorceress Ultimecia, a being of timeless power bent on world destruction. During that adventure Squall learns to rely on not only himself, but his companions, especially Rinoa, who becomes so deeply intertwined with the conflict that Squall will encounter foes he would have never imagined having to face, among them the people who raised him and the people he serves.

As a game series, Final Fantasy has long consisted of epic story-lines that determine not only the fate of a world but its people. In that same vein, Squall must learn to rely on others throughout the adventure. During the opening chapters, he undergoes an academic examination to stop invading forces in the city of Dollet. He is judged on his ability to follow orders, make choices relevant to the mission, and carry them out. Though he serves as part of a unit, he is judged independently. Squall wants nothing to do with teamwork, but if he is to grow, he must learn to follow orders and not question them. Yet, his commanding officer breaks those orders, and Squall must proceed accordingly.

Writers must understand a character’s motivation when sending that character toward their goals and the worlds within their stories.

A reader won’t accept a character who lucklessly meanders throughout the story and, by a fantastic coincidence, finds the murderer of his girlfriend and defeats him through spontaneous chance. Accordingly, the journey towards any conclusion must be met with a gradual approach that fits within the reader’s assumptions.

No grand conclusion can come by a sudden reversal of fortune.

Halfway through his adventure, Squall carries a paralyzed Rinoa on his back to the technological world of Esthar, a place so far advanced compared to the rest of the world that they can hide themselves behind a curtain of camouflage. Squall walks upon that railroad bridge that spans the great sea, places Rinoa along the railing, and begins to realize that he needs someone else to help him defeat the sorceress. Not just anyone, either. He needs Rinoa. And until he sees her standing, alert, fighting at his side, he won’t be content with making any effort to accomplish his mission.

Writing is a journey, one taken by every writer.

Every project—several lines of poetry, a short story, an essay, or a memoir—has an opening, a body, and an ending. The opening chapter starts with the bones of the piece, forming paragraphs and a skeleton plot in need of theme, interesting characters, and a goal.

The second chapter begins with a compass and a map as the writer determines what changes must be need to come to the conclusion of that piece. Words are omitted for other ones, while some passages are added and others are stricken to oblivion completely.

Finally, after many hours of ink and sweat upon the page—in much the way a warrior advances in level and suffers many defeats and uses of Phoenix Down to return to the battlefield—the writer too must reach that final battle in which the last draft is completed and the polished piece is ready for market.

The evil sorceress is defeated and all’s right with the world. Right? Okay, sure, in real life nothing is so neatly wrapped up when good triumphs over evil. Life is more complicated. Even in Squall’s story, victory over the sorceress doesn’t solve all of his problems. Squall still has to accept his dependence on Rinoa. Only then can the Sorceress be completely defeated.

Writing only succeeds when we depend on others to read our work and analyze it with multiple angles and viewpoints.

Are we happy with those choices?
Yay, print it.
No? Keep revising until you, the author, are pleased with it.
Hopefully your editors will be too.

No matter the format, story and narrative can be found in the oddest of places. Why do we love to read? To find a story, no matter where it lies. Movies, Saturday morning cartoons, the daily newspaper, and blogs on webpages.

Stories endure because they meet the requirements that they need to survive: content, cohesion, and consistency.

Look deep within your favorite stories and you’ll unlock the secrets to the best stories.

Why do they keep your attention? How can that craft element surprise both your reader and pique your own sense of adventure? Be sure to stock up on Potions and Phoenix Down for the journey. You might even need a Tent. Before you know it, you’ll be charting your own course to the world beyond the pixel curtain, bound for a place only you can create.

Young Adult is one of my favorite genres to read. It is also one that has many series. Choosing favorite series of this genre can be both easy and hard. While YA may not always get the credit it deserves, the quality of writing is actually quite high and it does have a very wide readership. This is largely due to the fact that the writing styles are often fun to read. These books are less dense than other genres, and the authors seem really invested in keeping their readers’ attention. When it comes to YA, I consider how much I enjoy a series or standalone novel over other aspects.

Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater

This book series has an interesting take on werewolves. It is a series driven by it characters. The book deals with the relationship between Grace and Sam, two teens who give each other the companionship they lack from other people in their lives. Grace is a practical girl who is also lonely; Sam is a kindhearted boy who wishes to stay in his own skin as long as possible. Writing in this series, especially when it comes to describing temperature, stuck with me long after I finished the series.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

This series is one about a young girl named Sophie. Sophie is a witch who is sent off to boarding school for witches, shapeshifters, and fairies after she loses control of magic one to many times. In the books there are delightful characters, good friendships and romances, as well as an interesting plot and mythology woven throughout.

Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter

The Gallagher Girls series is about a group of girls that go to spy school. The series starts off pretty light and fluffy, but as it moves on things get a lot darker and more intense. Throughout the series there is a strong sense of female friendship which is something that I always find delightful, and there is also some romance thrown in that adds something entirely to the piece.

The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong

This is a series about a girl who has the powers of necromancy. At first she believes that she’s crazy, but after meeting other people with supernatural abilities she learns more about herself, as well as an organization that is out to harm people like her. This series starts a bit slow, but once its plot gets going, towards the end of book one, it never really slows down again until the end of book three, which makes for an exciting read.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

This series retells fairytales using science fiction elements. The first book of the series is a retelling of Cinderella and the Cinderella character in this story is a cyborg named Cinder. These books offer a new twist on both fairytale retellings and science fiction stories, which makes this series very interesting.

Poetry sounds good on the page, right? There’s something so satisfying about scanning the layout of the piece before starting from the top and following the author’s thoughts down the page. It’s a pleasure to note the choices they made for line and stanza breaks, and to follow whatever metaphors or imagery carry the reader to the end.

But there’s something to be said for hearing a piece read aloud without having any access to the written poem. There’s a certain energy in a live performance that doesn’t always translate to the page, and something more immediate about hearing the author present their work directly to the audience.

George Watsky

George Watsky is a slam poet I’ve recently “discovered.” His debut collection of essays “How to Ruin Everything,” was released by Plume (a division of Penguin Books) last month. He also has a collection of rap albums under his name and has performed on TedTalks.

His work is fun. My favorite spoken word piece, by far, is Drunk Text Message to God. Man, do I envy him for coming up with that poem! It’s brilliant. And his execution is great—he amps up the energy so well using meter and rhyme.

His introduction is perfect—casual and humorous as he leads up to some big, big issues. Watsky claims he’s been feeling “existential crisis-y” as if it’s a big joke and not some crippling anxiety that afflicts people every day, then starts his poem with “Last night I drunk text messaged God,” which earns some laughs, and gains speed:

curled in the bed,
the room is spinning,
it’s all in my head.
I can’t get to sleep
and the weight of the world
is the weight of my sheets.

He goes on to describe a church he’s decided to create that

gets Mondays off for religious reasons
throws foam parties in elevators to learn about praise
the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire.

I love the way he plays with language in this piece. It’s a fun experience for such a heavy topic, and he helps the audience laugh about it instead of relenting to the overpowering futility of being alive.

Watsky came into slam poetry when he was in high school and a teacher suggested he divert his high, disruptive energy into Youth Speaks, a nonprofit organization devoted to the literary arts. Reading your work aloud is a great way to unload in a creative and cool way; slam poetry provides ample opportunities for writers to express themselves in a performative atmosphere.

It’s cool to see literary craft elements come to life on the stage.

Slam poets can get away with rhyme in their work in much the same way that rappers and other musical artists can, whereas that sort of thing doesn’t always translate as well in poems on the page. It is one of the elements that keeps up the energy in Watsky’s work, however, and his rhyming never feels lazy. Watsky plays with words and comes at big ideas from smaller, more relatable angles.

If you have the opportunity to attend an open mic reading, you should go even if you’re not planning to read. It’s a great experience for both the audience and the performers.

Perform your work aloud in the Twin Cities:

Button Poetry Live is held on the first Monday of every month at Camp Bar in St. Paul.

Poetry Slam MN is held the fourth Tuesday of every month at Kiearan’s Irish Pub in Minneapolis.

Re-Verb Open Mic, sponsored by TruArtSpeaks, is held every Thursday at the Golden Thyme Cafe in St. Paul.

Check out this fantastic page at Guante: Twin Cities Spoken Word Event Finder for lots more.

Staying active in the literary world is one of the most important things an emerging writer can do. One of the ways to do this is by writing blog posts. I personally find blogging very difficult to do; so if you’re anything like me, here are some tips that will hopefully help.

Find a piece of advice that’s been really helpful to you

Have you gotten any good advice lately? Or a gem that you always stick to? Has your favorite writer said anything inspiring lately? These are all some things you could write a blog post about. Joni Tevis recently shared some advice she had gotten with the editors at Runestone, and that was to get up and do stretches whenever you have writer’s block. You can also blog about how this particular piece of advice has been helpful in your life; for example: “After reading Effie’s advice on blog posts I was able to write a really great one!” Or something like that.

Write about your quirky habits

People are always curious to see how other writers’ thought processes work. For me, writing about myself can sometimes be easier than writing about something I don’t know a lot about. When I sit down to write I like to put on my movie soundtrack playlist. Sometimes I feel like I’ve conditioned myself so I can’t write without it. You can write about any of your own weird or interesting writing quirks.

Write every day, even if it’s not the best

Writing blog posts is difficult, but the most important thing is to keep at it even when you’re not sure what to write. If you push yourself to post consistently, eventually posting will start to become easier and easier.

Write a reader response to something

Sometimes formal book reviews can be a little too daunting, but you could always write a reader response. Have you read a new short story, essay, or poem that really spoke to you? Write about how you felt as a reader, not as a writer. If there was a particular line or image that stuck with you that’s a good way to focus. Don’t forget to say why you like it; your response doesn’t have to be super analytical but it should be thoughtful.

Write something you’ve learned from a class

This one doesn’t only have to work if you’re still in school, but will probably be easier if you are. Professors often say a lot of really cool things that they don’t remember later; take note of anything that really speaks to you and make a note of it to write about later. Like when my professor Mary Rockcastle said we (as writers) should steal everything.

The other thing you can do is to write about an interesting elective or class you’re taking. Chances are that class isn’t offered at every university and someone might enjoy reading about it. For example, I took a class this year called “Writers Go to the Movies” taught by Richard Pelster-Weibe. It was a really interesting class about how writers can be inspired by movies, and not just how movies are inspired from books.

Hopefully these five suggestions can get you started when you’re feeling stuck writing a blog post. I return to these ideas whenever I’m feeling stuck, and they usually lead me to something new and exciting.

[Image credit: Jonny Goldstein]

If you struggle with writer’s block or don’t know what to do in the temporary lapse of the creative flow, don’t get discouraged.

I can recall more than a few times as a writer that I have experienced coming up against a huge, solid wall. My brain shuts off and I feel like I can’t go any further—my creative mojo is tapped out. I usually draw a blank and don’t know where to go from there as my fingers hover above my keyboard or the page of notebook paper I’ve already filled halfway, and then nothing. It’s the dreaded writer’s block at it again. I’ve been there, as I’m sure every writer has. It’s painful and it’s frustrating. But, there are ways to overcome it.

Most writers have their own personal backup plan for how to proceed after the block hits them, but some of them don’t.

Every person is different in the way that they handle writer’s block. The things I am about to share with you have really worked for me. If not for the long haul, then at least for a temporary fix.

Step away from your piece and do something else that’s creative.

Personally, this is the single most important thing I have found when trying to deal with writer’s block. The key idea here is to jump into another creative project and to keep exercising that side of your brain until, hopefully, you get back into the flow of writing.

For example, if you’re talented at drawing or just like to do things with your hands—paint or draw a picture. No one would ever have to see it but you. Color in those newly popular adult coloring books? They have been very popular within the last year and I have heard it’s been very therapeutic. If you gravitate toward more technologically based projects, touch up a photo in a Photoshop editor or make a collage out of images online in a blank document.

Work on another kind of project for a few hours (or days, if you need to) and then return to your work in progress.

I know this is a lot easier said than done. It can feel like you don’t want to abandon ship—a ship you were working on and maintaining to the best of your ability.

I have suffered from writer’s block for years now. I can’t pinpoint when my own writing started to feel strained until I realized that nothing I did felt good enough or strong enough, compelling or worthy of being sold in bookstores. Sometimes, writers get caught up in what they think their writing ought to be like and fixate only on that, to the point where they overthink and the natural flow is cut off. That’s what happened to me.

From one fellow writer to another, I believe it is important to realize that you just need to write.

Don’t think about second guessing yourself, or how good or bad your first draft is. If you just focus on the enjoyment and stop worrying about the little things, the writer’s block may be less likely to happen. There’s a part of every writer that knows that taking a step back is a good thing.

When I’m stuck, I go to my Pinterest boards and look for new recipes or tips to pin. I’ll listen to music, meditate, or even go outside if the weather’s nice just to get a change of scenery.

With all of this in mind, I ask you to think about some of the things that could help with your writer’s block.

Is there anything you can take away from this article that might be of use? Are there alternative ways to end writer’s block besides seeking out other creative endeavors? Even if you aren’t sure, it could be a step in the right direction to combat the block.