Tips for a newbie writer

CornishViking · Post by **CornishViking** » 20 Oct 2015, 21:50

My advice would be relax. When I started I worried so much it wrecked my writing. Relax and have fun and things will flow....then get serious when you have something you feel completely in love with

flowflowdance · Post by **flowflowdance** » 30 Oct 2015, 16:10

Wow these are very detailed plans. I just sort of listen to a song and improve off a lyric or two. It's actually a really easy way to start a story.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 30 Oct 2015, 19:29

flowflowdance wrote:Wow these are very detailed plans. I just sort of listen to a song and improve off a lyric or two. It's actually a really easy way to start a story.

Well, you have to understand that I'm writing full length novels which definitely require more planning than a short story. And especially, as I'm writing mysteries, there are essentials of this genre which engender clues and discovery of such, and the resolution of them. So the story and plot line would be more fixed and less flexible than a mainstream short story.

Gabsmilesmart23 · Post by **Gabsmilesmart23** » 31 Oct 2015, 01:28

I know that mental science is a field of study focused primarly on taking whats in your mind and making the biggest bang for your buck in the application of it in life. This is something I personally feel all writers should be familiar with because its effects are so profound and effective at making you a better writer by the means of a better self. you are the key to your own success or failure after all. I have a book written by Thomas Troward on mental science and have found it enlightening, motivating and very much so impactful on my ability to perform in all areas as a writer. before I read his book I was always in a state of struggle and strife, uninspired, unmotivated and completely illiterate . but now I am growing and developing at a rate far greater then a normal person on a good day. you can put in 1/10th they conscience effort for 10X the results.
I have not exaggerated those numbers either, assuming you are not already familiar with mental science you can learn how to improve your ability to that extent as well.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 31 Oct 2015, 09:40

By "mental science" do you mean psychology or behavior modification, or a more "pure" scientific path such as synapse effectiveness in a lab condition, or what?

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 05 Nov 2015, 08:46

I am thinking more toward brain power science. I have two degrees in Psychology, which is the study of the mind, but the only area of psychology that I think comes close to what he is talking about is Neuropsych, which is focused on studying the brain, how it works, etc. They say people only use 10% of their brain, but in reality people use all of their brain, just not all the time. People have argued that if we could increase how much of our brain is used at any one time we would be able to do more and do it better. I am sure you have seen movies and/or read books about this. My favorite is Limitless

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 05 Nov 2015, 10:46

You may be correct, rachel, but there's a specific term "Mental Science" which is based on a 19th century quasi-scientific (it's in fact not scientific at all, more pop psychology of that era) which speaks about a sort of spiritualism and linking up to the universal spiritual power of the universe, a type of belief system which was prevalent then, as it is today, that there is a universal "spirit" slightly akin to a religiously toned "impersonal creator" and that you can tap that power for your individual growth. It's similar to the current Universalist "churches" which don't worship a religious-type creator but pay homage to a universal spirit of power. A very peaceful and well-meaning belief system. The term "Mental Science" was coined by a writer who started the movement -- I forget his name and I think that's what Gab was talking about.

Thanks for dissing the common but incorrect idea that we only use 10% of our brains. Although at times, when I'm working on my new novel, I kinda think it's true, ha ha.

Akin to yet another misconception about left brain vs right brain, I'm one of those weirdo dual-brained people. Degree in chemistry, minors in math and biology, 2nd major in English lit with focus on James Joyce. Worked for years in polymer physics research, programming for scientific & engineering, supervised teams of computer design specialists, wrote tech specs and tech manuals, consulted on oil & gas exploration and production specs and standards, etc. At the same time, occasionally strung for major daily newspapers, wrote magazine articles about all sorts of things (real articles which were published in real magazines and for which I was paid real money), and now I'm writing a series of private detective novels. Whew.

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 05 Nov 2015, 16:07

I didn't realize there was actually such a thing as "mental science". Not really surprising as I am pretty new age and really don't care much about history! haha

I don't think being ambilobal (yeah made that word up!) is weird. In fact, I would think that as a writer an ability to use both at the same time is important! You need language, creativity, and critical thinking/problem solving to write a good novel (especially detective novels). I think we, as a people, try to classify people too much. We are not "this" or "that"....we are a little bit of everything and some things more than others.

doyle5 · Post by **doyle5** » 01 Jan 2016, 11:15

Write the way you talk don't try to be fancy!!!!!!!
This is very important.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 01 Jan 2016, 12:59

Well, I don't think so. There's a sort of Venn diagram of concentric circles, the largest being our reading vocabulary, inside that our writing vocabulary, inside that, the smallest, our speaking vocabulary.

In my prose, such as when I'm writing an essay, I may use "ten dollar" words and write in a fairly upscale manner. Likewise in my novels. I write in a more elevated vocabulary than I use when speaking.

Of course that's the narrative. In my dialogue, each person speaks with a unique vocabulary, some are educated, some less so, and therefore their own dialogue differs accordingly.

Neverless, doyle, you're correct in that I work very hard to make my characters' dialogue seem realistic, as if spoken by real people. I want it lively and active so that the readers will be interested. Of course, at times, a particular character is a stiff, overblown person, and that character's dialogue is necessarily wooden and stiff, deliberately. And often made fun of.