Just picked up a new hobby. Today I whittled my first wooden knife. It's crooked, you can't stab anyone/cut anything with it, and it's only about 6 inches long from blade tip to the end of the hilt, BUT it's done except for the sanding.

And of course, you know my writing-oriented mind immediately related crafting the knife to crafting a story.

You start from a base, a foundation (in this case, a blank stick). This base would be the vague story idea in your head. The first slice of the knife, the first word. You cut out the basic shape of the knife. You block in the basic shape of the story. Then, you refine the shape of the knife. This is the writing process known as editing, rewriting, or the seventh circle of writer's hell. The refining process takes small strokes with the knife, delicate care, and a lot of patience, just like actual editing. And eventually you have a finished product that sometimes looks good and is hopefully useful to someone.

Hope I'm a better writer than I am a whittler... this poor little crooked knife wouldn't even make a good letter opener.

In other news, fall break is over tomorrow :( I'm so sad to see it go. I'm packing all of my avoided homework into like 3 hours tonight, once I stop procrastinating on Xanga and Facebook.

(*Note: Written June 24 2009)

 So, I've been sitting here this morning, pondering some books I like (Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, The Song of Ice and Fire series by Martin, and Cannery Row by Steinbeck come to mind). I was wondering, what about these books is it that captivated me so much that I didn't want to stop reading them, that I almost physically didn't want to part with the book?

   And I realized, what I love about these books is that they draw me into their world. They take my spirit and stuff it inside whatever character they're following, but it doesn't feel like I've been stuffed. That other person's skin, it feels like it fits.

   The author draws the reader into the perspective of the character wholeheartedly, without reserve, and the reader loves him/her for it. Because reality is all about perspective (just ask anyone who lives with hallucinations; bet those seem real to them), and when an author can draw a character so finely, so distinctly, the effect is not lost on the reader.

   How do I do this? I wondered. At first, I thought, it has to be point of view. The stories that use first person can obviously draw you in easier. But that's not it at all. Because Cold Mountain, The Song of Ice and Fire, Cannery Row...none of these are in first person, and yet there is something about them that is incredibly captivating. Then I realized.

   In all of these books, there are two characteristics that they share. One is the attention to sensory detail. This attention is so fantastic, that you can't help but see what the narrator (or character) sees, smell what the narrator smells, hear what the narrator hears almost exactly the way they hear it. All of the senses are used in description, and there's a lot of description, but it doesn't bog down the writing because it's infused into everything. Action, description, character development, all slipped into one sneaky sentence after another. The sentences all pull double, even triple or quadruple duty.

  Another thing I noticed is that all of the characters are *remarkably* different from each other. The way they see things is different, the way they describe things is different, but still fitting for each character, hell even the way they say things is often different. Two characters can say basically the same sentence and have it come out completely differently. I find this amazing and captivating and something to strive for.

   So I guess the best place to start is to know your characters. I know, it's been said and been said. But I don't mean just know them. I mean, be capable of wearing their skin. If you're in a situation, think "How would Jeff Bob react in this situation?" or "Would Donna Marie tell a joke out of discomfort, to lighten the mood, or just keep her trap shut?" Figure out what aggravates them, what thrills them, the terrible little things that they'd love to hide from the world, even if those little things aren't a big deal, and as you figure these things out, weave the knowledge of them into your writing.

   Another place to start would be to describe. And describe. And describe until you're sick and tired of bloody describing the damn library and that freaking window she's looking out of and you just want to move on to somebody cutting somebody with swords. If there's too much description, you can always take some out when you edit, and it's much easier to remove than it is to add. Besides, the more you describe something, the more likely you are to get even one sentence that has the complete spot on description that you're aiming for. You know, the one that just rings in the mind as being the absolute truth about what that particular scene/object looks like.

Okay, well, I'm pretty much done now. My brain has wrung out its revelation (a revelation to me, anyways, but I think each writer has to have aha! moments like these, and all the lecturing/explaining in the world only speeds it up a little). My cousin just turned on the tv anyways, so my brain's about to go dead. But I've written half a book, so I don't guess it matters :P

 Anyways, hope this helps anyone who cares to read it. I'll post more writing bits as I read about/discover them.

In the meantime, good luck.
Nik