November is National Novel Writing Month. I’ve never participated in the official month, but I did follow the excellent system proposed by Chris Baty in his book No Plot? No Problem! to write a novel in a month. I’m a big believer in creativity boot camp as a way to spur ideas and to get things done, and it turns out it is possible, and quite exhilarating, to write a novel in a month.
So, in honor of NaNoWriMo, I’m posting these eight writing tips from one of my favorite writers, Flannery O’Connor. Her work isn’t for everyone, but I love it.
In fact, I love it so much I can hardly bear to read it — does that ever happen to you?
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Hi Ruben,
Great article. I loved to read it. I agree with most of the points mentioned. I am 32 years old and have started writing only six months back. I have a lot to learn. I would like to ask one question. How you think age affects the writing potential of a person.
warmly
yogendra
For several years B4 being diagnosed as Bipolar; I wrote ‘journals’. At one time I had almost 20 of them. Most being about 1/4″ thick and 2 in 2 1″ binders. Oh how I wish I had NOT destroyed them; but, I did. Kept them at my office where I knew they would be safe. I can ‘type’ for hours on end but my writing skills are pretty ‘jumpy’. I write what hits me, and sometimes one story makes me ‘think’ of another. Like last night; had a strange dream; and woke my self up ‘talking in my sleep’. Woke my husband up, but … I felt perfectly calm and I told him that I loved him. A few minutes later … sat straight up in bed. I moved my arms and legs to make sure I was not ‘in what I had dreamt …; and went back to sleep and slept the rest of the night – waking up but not remembering as much as I had when I first did. From Sept – Dec; I go through a whole lot of ‘anniversaries’ … some good, some not so good. And holidays during this time are usually extremely stressful. I was extremely proud of how I handled something today that could have turned out ‘very nasty’; but I did NOT allow this person to do what she seems to enjoy doing best – making me ‘look bad’ in front of my own family. It was a very quiet meal and for me – ‘silence was very golden’ since I did not allow her to push the responsibility of the moment on me. I’m not perfect; but, I am certain NOT HALF BAD! I like myself, I enjoy myself, and I even enjoy the moments I have – to myself without interruptions. One minute she tries to make me ‘look like an idiot’; yet she (through several ‘channels’) wants me to do things that makes her life more convenient for her. Today, … I just did NOT ‘take the bait’; and I think it really surprised her … as well as all the others in the room. It is MY responsibility to make me ‘happy’ because I am the only one who is with me 24/7/365+ and I do not plan to have anyone make me a ‘reactionary’ person. That was NOT the way I was brought up to be. I had some very good positive experiences growing up; and, I was always ‘allowed’ and ‘encouraged’ to try doing whatever it was I wanted to try. I know because we have Bipolar genes and triggers running through my bloodline (probably on both sides) – and my sisters and I had the same gene pool; I’d rather have the one obstacle I have to learn how to deal with and not the others. I love my art and that is a great release for me and my ‘family’ is very important to me as well; but, I am NOT going to allow someone who is a ‘member of my “family” to succeed at driving ‘wedges’ between my ‘core’ family just to have a scratch deep enough to put that wedge in so it will stand up so she can hammer it home. LOL! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you told someone ‘how thankful you are that they are in your life’. I know that I have – several times over. I’ll probably hit the ‘submit comment button’ and 75% of this will be broken off; and I might have to make more than one post to get it through! I hope not; and I hope to be ‘more succient’ in the future with my postings.
Ray Bradbury’s The Zen of Writing!
Hard to go wrong with Flannery!
I’m reading your site for the first time. Introduced to me by a friend. I’m 62 and just started a new career as a writer. I’ve got a lot to learn but having a good time anyway. Thanks for this post. Keep on writing.
Jimmie
Hey!
Thx for those helpful tips. I started a writing course a few weeks back, but any extra tips are welcome, so thanks again!
7. “This may seem a small matter but the omniscient narrator never speaks colloquially. This is something it has taken me a long time to learn myself. Every time you do it you lower the tone.”
Regarding the above, I tried to find anything that O’Connor might have had to say about Carson McCullers, at least with respect to The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, as that is as of yet the only book of hers that I have read, and it indeed contains colloquial speech from the omniscient narrator.