The Writing Process

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The Procrastination Deception

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One of the reasons you may be having difficulty with procrastination, is because you’re not aware that you’re procrastinating. Here are some ways that writers procrastinate. I know, since I have mastered several procrastination techniques.

PERFECTIONISM This trap has the potential to prevent you from ever getting your writing published, including self-published work. The only solution is to accept that what you write will never be flawless. No matter how many times you read through a manuscript, or how many beta readers you use, there’s always the possibility that you won’t notice a grammatical error, or a misspelled word. So what? I’ve noticed spelling and grammar errors in books that have been reviewed by professional editors before publication. I still enjoyed the books, and I’d read other book by the same authors.

NEVER ENDING PREPARATION By this I’m referring to all the things you can do that are related to writing, without actually writing. You can attend (in-person or online) writing groups, watch interviews with your favourite authors, read blogs about writing, read or listen to books about writing, go to conferences, and listen to seminars, but never make a serious effort to write. That’s a waste. What’s the point of accumulating all that knowledge, if you never apply it?

FEAR A hard, cold reality of being author, is that some people will not like what you’ve written. I recently noticed that someone had given my eBook, What If? A Collection of Short Fiction by J. Paul Cooper one star, out of a possible five stars. I also had someone who hated one of my short stories that was published by an online literary journal. Was the criticism justified? I don’t know, but it won’t stop me from writing.

Procrastination robs you of your most precious resource: time. If you’re serious about being a writer, you have to focus on doing the work. I recently had one of my short stories, “Just A Toonie” (A Toonie is a two dollar Canadian coin.) published on The Prairie Journal of Canadian Literature website. The only reason that happened was because I wrote the story, and keep on submitting it, until I found an editor willing to publish it. Last weekend I self-published a young reader’s eBook, Jack: A Lady’s Cat through Draft2Digital. Will it be popular? I have no idea. Will readers find glaring errors? Possibly. What I do know is that I love writing, and it’s worth the risk.

Copyright © 2020 by J. Paul Cooper

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Writing Requires….

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COURAGE: There’s no guarantee that your work will be accepted, so every time you send your work to an editor, you risk the disappointment of rejection. If you want to succeed as a writer, you have to strap yourself into the emotional roller coaster and go from the anticipation of seeing your work published, to the reality of reading rejection e-mails over and over again.

PATIENCE: One of the first lessons you learn through experience, is that if you want to be a published writer, you must be willing to wait. If you send a short story to a literary journal that’s printed four times a year, hoping that it will be published in the winter edition, but it’s accepted for the spring edition, you’ll have to wait an additional three months to see your story in print.

PERSEVERANCE: What happens if the first editor you send your story to rejects it? It’s going to hurt, because you’ve poured your heart and soul into that story. Unfortunately, editors receive many more manuscripts than they can actually publish, and therefore, they’re forced to reject some well-written stories. The best option is to search for another market for your story, and submit again.

DECISIVENESS: Only you know when a manuscript it ready to either submit it to an editor, or self-publish. Only you know whether your story will work best as a novel, screenplay, or a play for live theatre. Only you can decide whether it will benefit you enough, to allow your work to be published without receiving any payment. Some literary journals are staffed entirely by volunteers, and their limited budget does not include any money for writers, but the prestige you receive having your short story or essay included in their publication, will help your career. Note: Many editors will not accept previously published material, including self-published material. Having a short story or essay published for free, may mean you’ll never be paid for it.

Only writers knows how much time, effort and emotional cost is involved in the stories we create, and yet, we keep writing….

Copyright © 2020 by J. Paul Cooper

Rolling The Dice

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As I’m writing this blog post, an independent film company is considering one of my screenplays. I have no idea how many other movie scripts they’re reading. For all I know, they may be looking at hundreds of screenplays by more talented writers.   It’s easy to talk yourself out of submitting your writing, just by thinking about how tough the competitions is, but that isn’t fair to you or your potential readers.

If you say to yourself, I’ll never be able to write like Suzanne Collins, or J.K. Rowling, the only answer I can think of is, “Good.” Why would anyone want to read a book by a writer who is just copying a famous writer’s style, when they can enjoy the unique voice of another writer? Although I think The Hunger Games and Harry Potter series were both very well written, I love reading books by new writers (or at least new to me), and immersing myself in the worlds they create. The series I’m reading now is The Expanse series by James S.A. Carey, and before that, the Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve.

Is your writing good enough? That’s a difficult question to answer, because writers can have perfect spelling and grammar, yet no one reads their books. What one reader considers a cliche, might be considered appropriate for the situation by anther reader. When I read The Meg by Steve Alten I thought it had too many cliches, but it was a bestseller, and it was adapted as a movie as well.

It’s really about style. My wife didn’t enjoy reading The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, she found his detailed description of every rock and shrub irritating, just too much detail. I didn’t finish reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis because it didn’t include enough detail for me to enjoy the story.

You, the writer, have a choice to make. There’s no guarantee the book you submit to an editor, or self-publish, will be a bestseller; but it may be. It’s likely that some readers won’t appreciate your writing style, but even the most popular books are disliked by a portion of the people who read them. Whether you choose traditional publishing, or self-publish, the only way to discover how much potential you have as a writer, is to keep submitting material; and roll the dice.

Copyright © 2020 by J. Paul Cooper

 

 

 

You’ve Been Busy!

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Come on, you can admit it; you dream of walking the red carpet, and accepting an award to thunderous applause. What you may not have considered, is that if you’re writing a short story or novel, you’re already creating a movie in your mind. And what’s really amazing, you’re the whole crew.  

First of all, you’re the Screenwriter, because the story idea originates with you. There’s no movie without a script. And, since you’re the person who initiated the process and are responsible for it’s completion, you’re also the Producer.

Another major decision is where the film will be shot. Because you, as the writer, is making that choice, you’re the Location Manager. Whether it’s being filmed at an outside location or inside a studio, someone has to make sure everything is in place to create the correct atmosphere for the scene being filmed. You’re responsible for what’s revealed to your readers, so you’re also the Set Director. 

Aren’t stressed-out enough by your hectic schedule?  When you make yourself a sandwich and brew a cup of coffee, you become the Caterer. If you’ve ever been on a film set, you know that the individuals who make sure Actors and Background Performers are ready when filming starts, are the Production Assistants. The voice in your head, telling you to get back the keyboard and keep writing, that’s you, the Production Assistant.

And last, but not least, someone has to bring all the elements together, and take control of the story. That’s you, the Director. So, if you ever find yourself exhausted after spending a couple of hours writing, now you know why….You’ve been busy! 

Copyright © 2020 by J. Paul Cooper

Reading Screenplays

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If you’ve been trying to write a novel, but seem to be to be suffering from writer’s block, perhaps it’s because your story would work better as a screenplay. How do you learn to write screenplays? You read screenplays. Here’s a primer on how to get started.

Two Excellent Sources: The Internet Movie Script Database http://www.imsdb.com offers a huge selection of screenplays to read. You can search alphabetically or by genre; some of the screenplays are shooting scripts (the final script used by the Actors and Director), while other screenplays are earlier drafts. You can also find screenplays on the BBC Writersroom website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom. You’ll find them listed in the Script Library.

Which screenplays would professional writers suggest you read? Members of the  Writers Guild of America are the professionals that many Hollywood companies hire to write their screenplays, and they’ve voted on the best. Visit http://www.wga.org, go to Writer’s Room, and under the 101 Best Lists, click Screenplays.

To find out if a script is an original screenplay, or an adaptation, visit the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com. Writers (both screenwriters and the authors of the source material) are listed below the Director.  Keep in mind that the title of the movie may be different than the source material. Blade Runner (1982) was based on Philip K. Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

If it’s not an original screenplay, it’s better if you read the source material, before reading the screenplay, so you can see how the writer adapted the source material.  Since most extras included with DVD’s tend to focus on special effects, this will help you learn about the writing process. You can gain even more insight by searching for interviews with the screenwriters on http://www.youtube.com.

Movies create thousands of jobs, make actors household names, and earn studios huge profits, but it all begins with the story. It all begins with writers like you.

P.S. My short story, “Harold’s Muse,” was published in Issue #12 of Polar Borealis Magazine. http://www.polarborealis.ca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow-Up

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So, you’ve submitted a short story to a literary journal or a screenplay to a film company, and now you have to cope with the deafening silence. Waiting is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the process.  If your work is accepted, that’s great. If you receive a rejection, you can send it to another editor or producer. It’s the time between the submission and the response that’s incredibly frustrating.

Before you submit any material, check the Submission Guidelines, because it usually tells you how long it should take to receive a reply and how long to wait before sending a follow-up inquiry. Reading the Submission Guidelines may seem like a no-brainer, but when you’ve just finished a writing project, you may be tempted to “just get it out there.” I’ve done it before, and it’s embarrassing when you realize that you haven’t formatted the file as requested by the editor, and perhaps lost an opportunity because of your impatience.

What if there are no guidelines regarding how long you’ll have to wait, after submitting material? One option is to e-mail the editor and just ask how long the normal wait times are, and how long you should wait to inquire about your submission. If the wait times aren’t listed, I usually wait three months before sending a follow-up for literary journals, or six months if I’ve submitted a screenplay to a film company.

My experience with literary journals, anthologies, and magazines is that you always get a reply. You may wait longer that you originally expected, but you will receive an answer. That isn’t the case with film companies.

Some film companies say they’re willing to read one of my screenplays, but six months later, won’t acknowledge my e-mails. It might be a legal issue, if they’re working on a project that bears some similarity to my screenplay. One producer states clearly on his website that he can’t accept screenplays directly from writers, because he has been threatened with lawsuits, for supposedly stealing intellectual property.

Waiting can be frustrating, but don’t let it discourage you to the point where you stop writing. Consider this reason for why you should continue writing: There are 7.7 billion people on the face of this planet, but you are the only one who can write with your voice, your passion. Keep the words flowing….

Note: I recently had an essay published in an anthology; Writing Better Fiction: Craft Tips From Some of Canada’s Best Writers and Editors. It was edited by Brent Nichols and was released at When Words Collide in August 2019.