Revels in Research

What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word “research?”

“Ugh.”
“Oh man…really?”
“I thought I left that all behind when I graduated.”
“Do I have to?”

There are a few anomalous individuals who relish the thought of research, but, let’s face it, most of us don’t enjoy it. For me, it depends on what I’m researching. If it’s about weapons or animals I’m usually very interested and enthusiastic, but many other subjects seem like a tedious way to spend my afternoon.

Some of you might be wondering, “Why do you have to do research, Kat? You write fantasy! You just make everything up! That doesn’t require research.”

WRONG!

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Creative Spaces

Where do you like to write? What kind of place is the best to get work done, to focus your thoughts on writing? What kind of environment do you need to write? And do you have that space already or are there improvements you’d like to make to the one you’ve got?

All writers have special places they like to go and write. Some like coffee shops and cafes with the background noise of other people while some prefer to hide at a desk in their attic or basement. Me, I’ve always been a fan of sitting alone at a computer in a homey office.

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Outlines and Inspirations

HAPPY PECULIAR PEOPLE DAY! Yes, today, January 10th, is the annual celebration of the peculiar people in your life! (If you’re like me, then this is the perfect excuse to dress in as many insane, non-matching articles of clothing as possible.) Hope all of you have a wonderfully peculiar day!

Okay, back to the serious writing stuff. Like outlines and such. ^_^

There seem to be two major “schools” of the writing process: those who outline and those who don’t. I’ve heard the arguments for and against both sides of this amiable conflict. Outliners like the sense of direction and control that outlining gives them, establishing a sense of order and importance to the story and combating the dreaded writers block. Free-writers like the sense of mystery, evolution, and surprise that comes from just sitting down to write with nothing more than a general idea. They like the spontaneity, the twists and turns in both plot and character that take them places they didn’t expect. Outliners accuse free-writers of being too flighty, spending time on areas that may be fun but aren’t conducive to the plot which wastes time or sitting staring at a blank screen because they’ve written themselves into a corner. Free-writers claim that outliners are too stuffy and rigid, suffocating their stories with the weight of outlines and predetermined outcomes that lack true originality.

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The Importance of Editing

Welcome to the New Year! I hope everyone had a very fun (and safe) holiday; I know I did. I’m particularly excited about 2012 because it’s the Year of the Dragon, and, being a Dragon, I’m supposed to have a lot of good luck! Here’s hoping….

And now we return you to your regularly scheduled writing rant. (Writer’s Rant. I like that!)

Today’s topic is editing and editors. Editors get a bad rap. I have a book of quotations for writers and all of the quotes that deal with editors are negative. As an editor myself, that makes me sad and a trifle defensive. Editors are portrayed as butchers who callously rip the heartfelt masterpiece of the artist to shreds without any regard for the heart and soul of the story or the feelings of its creator.

To an extent, they are right.

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