Writing Tip: Terry McMillan Tips on Writing
On writing: Try writing a scene where your character is having a hard time explaining something. (This is a great exercise!) You’ll be surprised what you will learn about your character. And who she’s explaining it to is equally as important.
On writing: A novel IS fiction. No such thing as a fictional novel. Yes a novel can be too long but it has a lot to do with what doesn’t happen versus what does.
On writing: Write about something your character did that went wrong. And they regret it. It could be something that happened this morning or last year. Whenever. Who else knows about it? Was someone a victim? Why does it still haunt your character?
On writing: One way to tell a deeper truth is to alter how something happened. Change the facts. The characters. The setting. Change everything except the truth of the experience. Capture the conflict.
On writing: Beginning writers often think because something really happened that it makes it more plausible. It doesn’t. It’s usually not as compelling as lying about how it happened. In other words: embellish, slant, make it crooked on the page. Tell it backwards. Fiction is not a reenactment of reality. It’s an exaggeration of it.
On writing: I almost always write about people I don’t understand. Writing gives me a forum in which to try. It usually works, too. Rarely do I write about people I adore.
On writing: Think of someone you dislike. A lot. Someone you would like to slap or tell them about themselves. Then write something from their point of view. Something that might help you understand them better.
Put your brain in prison when you’re writing a draft. When the critic looks over your shoulder and tells you that what you’re writing is terrible, slap him/her unconscious. You’ve got plenty of time to agree later but when you will discover is the pulse and pulp of your story somewhere in the muck. It’s a good feeling.
Catch: You have to start from scratch. There are no excuses for not writing. Get up earlier. Go to bed later. Whatever works. Sometimes quantity is what you’re after NOT quality. Write from your heart and gut. Your …brain comes into play on the next go’ round.
By: Terry McMillan
