So, you’ve got this brilliant idea and you think it will make a great story, do you? Well, where do you go from here? That’s a difficult question. You see, everyone’s creative process is different. Writing is not a science. There is no one guaranteed way to get a result. So, now you may be asking yourself, how is the rest of this blog supposed to help me? Well, to be perfectly honest it might not, but you should keep reading anyway because I am going to let you in on my own creative process and maybe you’ll find some of the ways I create useful to you.

So, you already have an idea, which is great! But now you need to allow that idea to grow. What I do first is type my idea up on a word document. Whether that idea is a plot, a character, or a scene, I write it down. The reason I write it down is because I don’t want to forget it, and I may not feel like writing when I get the idea, and that’s a big factor for me. I have certain things that I do to try and trigger a creative state. One of the things I do is listen to music. Not just any music mind you but there are certain songs that make me feel inspired so I listen to those. (There are quite a few of them, but one is called “Evolve.” I’m not sure who it’s by because it’s from an old Gatorade commercial. You can find the entire song on YouTube.) Now music may not be the way to go for you, but the next time you feel like you want to write, stop and think about what may have triggered this feeling so you can replicate that in the future.

So, let’s say you do feel like writing. You’re going to want to build off your idea. Plot ideas are what usually come to me first. For instance, I have a story that started out with me saying to myself, “I want to write a story where a guy fights a dragon.” Now that story is currently sitting at 26 pages, and I want to write a whole series following this character. But how did I do that? Well, I started off by making decisions. I knew it was going to be a fantasy story, but was it going to be high fantasy or urban fantasy? Next I had to figure out who is this guy that’s going to fight this dragon? And why is he going to fight this dragon? Well I thought about my character for a while and got kind of a good idea for who he was, but I wanted more. Something I encourage you to do is to go to Google and search for a “character sheet.” One that I like, linked below, asks a lot of questions and some of them can be used for fantasy stories. I got it from “Fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment.” It has a list of different sheets you can use and character­ creation — the one I like is called “Big Ass Character Sheet.” These things are great. They ask all kinds of questions like, where was your character born? What were his parents like? Favorite food? Music? Etc. There are character sheets for all kinds of genres so some of them may have questions that won’t fit your world, like favorite sports team, but you can just skip those. After you feel like you’ve got a good sense for your character, you can start to figure out what leads this character to your original idea. What was he doing before he fought this dragon? And, why does he end up fighting it? Those types of questions all became easy to answer after I knew my character well.

So, I hope this helps you at least a little bit. The best advice I can give you is to just write. Don’t worry about making your story great until after you have finished the first draft. Any idea that comes to you for the story should go into the first draft (within reason, of course). Making your story great comes during the revision process, but you can’t revise if you don’t get through the whole story first. Writing your first story is hard because chances are you have no idea what you’re doing. But if you just keep writing (even if it’s no good at first) you will get better, and the whole process will just keep getting easier and easier.

Meet the blogger:

Why hello there! My name is Keith Lasser. Let’s keep this brief, shall we? Things I do for fun: write, practice martial arts, play video games, and other awesome stuff. What I write: Fiction (mostly) Sci-fi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction. Published: “The Mysterious Journal” in Anoka Ramsey’s Spirit River Review.

Writers get that look. You know the one with raised eyebrows and pursed lips once you tell them that you want to be a writer? Why not be a businesswoman? How about a doctor? I told them instead I wanted to rule the world. A politician? they said. No. A writer, and here’s why:
 

Writers Can Build Anything [Figuratively]

image from designbridge.com

“Give me a piece of paper and a pencil, and I can do anything,” is what I wanted to type on the top of my resume. Instead, I wrote something professional and bland, something like, “I am a skilled communicator, slightly organized, and independent.” I would sit in interviews, selling my Creative Writing degree. I have excellent writing skills and think creatively…You need an analytic mind? Well, one time I wrote a story about a mathematician who could create algorithms that determined a person’s future. Imagine that, everyone knows his or her fate…

I began to doubt my love for writing during these interviews. Maybe I should have already grasped the idea of being a hobo who would live under a bridge and hand out haikus written on napkins. I could not help but wonder if being a writer is worth it. I mean, look at the engineers and construction workers who create buildings. There are scientists and doctors who save people and find cures. Those running businesses create jobs and influence the economy.

Then, I remembered those books that affected my life and the world. Finishing an amazing book is like waking up from a dream, looking at the world from a different perspective. Writers build worlds, characters, dialogue, ideas, and themes to touch the reader. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan helped spark a second-wave feminist movement, The Foundation of Paradise sparked a Kickstarter to explore the idea of building an elevator to a satellite. So many books have changed history and cultures. Amazing, right?
 

Writers are Fearless… to a Point

Writers have the ability to write about anything. Need a gnome living in a gold igloo on a glass mountain? Done. How about a cannibalistic vacuum salesman? No problem. The writers have to be fearless when facing the mind’s limitless imagination. They run into the unknown with a pencil (or pen) as their weapon of choice and sit in front of the terrifying blank piece of paper. Doubt tugs at their sleeve, and a panic starts at their fingertips.

Neil Gaiman said, “Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of job: it’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.” Yet, they are crazy enough to sit down again and start over. Writers do not write to make money; they do it because they love it, which is serious dedication. They send out their stories and poems and sometimes are rejected, but they keep doing it.
 

Writers strive to find a Truth

Writers create these complex worlds and characters to find or explain something. The Little Prince explores the vagaries of the adult world; To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates the race relations in the US during the Depression, and A. E. Housman’s XXVI speaks of the war and the young people’s situation of forfeiting their lives for their homeland. It is a commendable journey, trying to explain and change the world in one swoop. Writers change cultural norms as they influence public opinion. They are persuasive because they bend language to change the world.

I remember when I was a little girl I wanted to be a superhero when I grew up. My first choice for a super power was to fly. The second option was anything I wrote or drew would come to life (like Harold and the Purple Crayon). I could change the world with just a pencil. That is what I hope for in the future. I hope someday I can at least touch one reader’s heart and change their perspective. I wish to find a truth in this world. I write because I love to write and because I am okay with being considered crazy. Why not take a job with a retirement plan or one with numerous openings?

 It is like how Ray Bradbury said, “I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories- science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake the world.”

Meet the blogger:

I am a Creative Writing major with an English and Business minor. My favorite writers are Anton Chekhov and Ray Bradbury. Besides reading and writing, I love to paint, finding inspiration from the Cubism movement. I live in the ‘burbs with a pup named Murphy who barks… at trees.

[ Read part 1 of Deziree’s interview with Sherrie Fernandez-Williams here ]

[ Read part 2 of Deziree’s interview with Sherrie Fernandez-Williams here ]

Sherrie Fernandez-Williams

DB: As a poet, I find that titling my work is one of the hardest parts of finishing a piece. How did you come up with your title in particular?

SFW: I had many working titles of the book before Soft became the title. In my life the word soft has held multiple meanings. I have always been soft-spoken and in childhood, I didn’t always speak up for myself or demand to be heard. Very early on, writing became my avenue for engaging the world outside of my own head. Soft signifies my preference for showing empathy and understanding. However, our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness. My empathic nature gave me the desire to adopt and nurture children who had been in foster care. At the same time, highly empathic people are more likely to find themselves connected to those with narcissistic, sociopathic, or otherwise abusive tendencies.  A significant portion of my book deals with my desire to break free from such a connection.  In addition, Soft tells pieces of my coming out story.  As I embraced my identity as a lesbian, I recognized my need to experience the softness of another woman.  

DB: Softness of another woman. I like the sound of that. I’m wondering about your journey through publishing. What did you take away from it?

SFW: To find a publisher, we have to become organized around that process.  There are lists everywhere including websites, The Writers’ Market, The Writers Chronicle and Poets and Writers.  Understand who you are sending your work to by knowing the kinds of books they’ve published in the past.  

Also, it takes time to develop an audience for your work.  This begins well before there is a book on the market.  It helps to be an active contributor to the literary community: host events, curate readings, blog, publish excerpts of your book in literary journals and accept offers to read.  

Seek out resources. In particular, the Loft Literary Center offers classes that deal specifically with getting published. As writers, we need to educate ourselves beyond the craft if we want to have fruitful careers.

DB: Do you have any advice for other struggling writers like myself?

SFW: When you start a story, do not give up on it easily.  Fight for your stories before you decide to let them go. Self-doubt has a way of creeping in and questioning our every move. Move anyway.  Write anyway.  Eventually, you will have a finished product.   

Create the physical space and mental space needed to write. Be intentional with your schedule. Every writer must give their book space to bloom.  

Write as often as possible.    

Participate in an affirming writing community. It is great to receive feedback on your work. Most importantly, it is necessary to receive encouragement. Writing can be a long and lonely journey. We need the support of others to sustain us.

Soft by Sherrie Fernandez-Williams can be purchased at the following independent bookstores: Ancestry Books, Birchbark Books, Boneshaker Books, Common Good Books, Eat My Words Books, Magers & Quinn and Subtext. It is also available at Amazon.com. To find out more, visit her website by clicking here.

Meet the blogger:

Deziree Brown is a 2015 BFA graduate of Hamline University. She often claims to have been born with a poem written across her chest. She has been published twice in The Fulcrum, and is quickly making herself known in the literary world and planning to stay a while. 

[ Read part 1 of Deziree’s interview with Sherrie Fernandez-Williams here ]

DB: Knowing that you struggled with choosing content, is there anything you wish you could go back in time and change about Soft?

SFW: The book has been revised numerous times and some stories I would have liked to keep were revised out. The final version is half as long as the original. With each revision, the book became more condensed. I had more recent stories of the twins, JB and Jodi. They have evolved into pretty fascinating teenagers, not easily to be pegged. Most of what we see of them in the book stems from the earlier part of their childhood.

DB: To you, what makes a good story? Not a normal one, but one that you curl up with on a day off and get lost into until bedtime.

SFW: A good story is written in an original voice of authority. Because I most enjoy realistic fiction and memoir, I want to believe the story is true whether it is fiction or nonfiction. I want to recognize the motivations behind the actions of the characters. Even though I most enjoy stories that are grounded in our everyday realities, I get very excited about mystical imagery and lyrical prose. I love it when prose writers take the care of poets to tell their stories in an artful manner. At the same time, it should feel authentic.

DB: Is there anything you find particularly challenging when it comes to writing?

SFW: With my memoir, I struggled most with structure. Now, that I am writing fiction, the question I continue to ask myself is “does this sound real? It is believable?” I don’t want to write shocking tales just because shock seems to be in the ether these days. I want to write stories that show how extraordinary we all are. I’m resisting the shock factor because that feels like an easy way out of doing the really hard work of writing believable and relatable stories.

DB: So you see shock factor as a cop-out for writing good work?

SFW: Exactly.

DB: That’s definitely an interesting point, and I have to agree. What are you working on right now? What are you reading?

SFW: I am currently working on a novel. In this novel there are family secrets, religious exploration, and discussions about race. These elements provide the backdrop of the primary story, where a perfect child unravels and the child who was considered hopeless saves her sister. I never knew I would enjoy fiction as much as I am enjoying telling the story of this fictional family.  

In recent weeks, I’ve read some wonderful books: Citizen by Claudia Rankine, Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Slow Motion by Dani Shapiro and Love Imagined: A Mixed Race Memoir by Sherry Quan Lee. Currently, I am reading a collection of short stories, the company of heaven: stories from Haiti by Haitian-born poet and short story writer, Marilene Phipps-Kettlewell. Her writing is loaded with images that activate all senses–very, very beautiful. My reading life has been very fulfilling as of late.

DB: It sounds like it has been. I’m jealous.

 Stay tuned for Part Three on Friday, April 24.

Meet the blogger:

Deziree Brown is a 2015 BFA graduate of Hamline University. She often claims to have been born with a poem written across her chest. She has been published twice in The Fulcrum, and is quickly making herself known in the literary world and planning to stay a while. 

Sherrie Fernandez-Williams holds an MFA in writing from Hamline University and is a recipient of an Artist Initiative Award through the Minnesota State Arts Board, a Beyond the Pure Fellowship & SASE/Jerome Award through Intermedia Arts and the Jones’ Commission Award through the Playwrights’ Center. Fernandez-Williams discovered her need for words in Brooklyn, NY where she was born and raised, but “grew up” as a writer in the Twin Cities.

Her work has been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, including The Poverty and Education Reader, Segue, Subtle Tea, R-CVR-Y and Thirteenth Moon. Sherrie graciously agreed to do an online interview with me, keeping it as intelligent and authentic as she would have done in person.

DB: I read your memoir, Soft, and immediately fell in love. Aside from the emotional work of writing, what was the hardest part of writing the book?

SFW: Without a doubt, finding the structure was the hardest part of writing Soft. The story is circular and non-chronological which seems to be the preferred style for publishers of memoir. At the same time, I still needed to construct a narrative arc. I received two pieces of advice which made all the difference in helping me see my structure. I will always be grateful to Carolyn Holbrook and Barrie Borich for helping me create a structure for my memoir. In one revision, Barrie said I needed “forward moving voice of now” throughout my non-chronological narration. In the next revision, Carolyn said I needed a home-base to serve as my jumping off point and a place to return as I meander through flashbacks and reflections. The goal was to guide the reader through the wilderness of time and implementing both of these pieces of advice really helped.

DB: Having people to steer you in the right direction when writing is always an asset. I definitely agree with your opinion of Carolyn. She’s monumental.

SFW: It truly is. And yes, she has been just that – both personally and as a writing mentor.

DB: I’m curious as to how long it took you to write your memoir, especially dealing with all the heavy subject matter it contains.

SFW: I hear of people completing a novel in month—at least, a full first draft of a book. My first book took over a decade. I wrote the book while working fulltime, attending school, raising children, going through divorce and many other life transformations. A challenging aspect of writing memoir is that our lives tend to be in flux much of the time, so where does the story end?  I tried to capture and incorporate the latest insight or the most recent lessons learned, but at some point, I made the decision that time stopped in 2008, although I was still working on the book in 2013.

DB: What would you say is your “interesting” writing quirk?

SFW: I try not to make any declarations like “today, I will write.” Those words are too heavy and carry too much pressure. Instead, I am intentional about creating space for writing. I open my laptop to the file I’m working in and walk away, do something else until I receive the words. My defenses need to be down in order to write from my life experiences. I need to be as relaxed as possible. Sometimes it even helps if I am a little sleepy. When my defenses are down I am more likely to be honest and not censor myself. People have called me brave for writing Soft. I don’t feel brave. It reminds me of the first time I cut my hair to be a quarter of an inch long. Some said I was brave when I cut my hair. I suppose people think it is brave when we come out of hiding and step out of our self-protective shells. However, there is a great relief that follows.

DB: I can see why writing it would be perceived as brave, but I think it’s a necessary process for becoming your ‘true’ and authentic self. As for the hair, I’m not sure if the decision to be fabulous makes you brave.

Stay tuned for Part Two on Wednesday, April 22.

Meet the blogger:

Deziree Brown is a 2015 BFA graduate of Hamline University. She often claims to have been born with a poem written across her chest. She has been published twice in The Fulcrum, and is quickly making herself known in the literary world and planning to stay a while.