Photo courtesy of goodreads

Even though there are a lot of people out there that will say that Nicholas Sparks just recycles his stories, I personally find them all touching and think he's a master at writing the kind of story he writes, even if I don't always agree with the actions of his characters (ex. Dear John).  And what's more, he became a bestselling author with his first publication, The Notebook.  Now there's something I know all of you writers out there dream of every night.

Fortunately for us, Nicholas Sparks (and his website with the fancy new look) has provided us with something very valuable for free: advice for writers on how to be successful.  I must say that I absolutely ate it up and felt inspired afterward, especially since I've let my writing fall into a serious slump.  He not only says things to give me hope but says things that make me want to be even better than I am (a lot better than I am, really).

Before getting into all the technical parts about agents, publishers, query letters, editing, and everything else there is to the business of writing, Sparks offers some truly sound advice about where to begin:

Research
Sparks suggests that aspiring authors should read as much as they can about writing.  Some of the books he suggests are On Writing by Stephen King, The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White, Creating Fiction edited by Julie Checkoway, and A Dangerous Profession by Frederick Busch.  "I also like Screenplay by Sid Field, which isn’t about novel writing, but has a lot of useful information."  I've made all of these books available in the Notes From Carcosa Online store, as well as the 2013 editions of Writer's Market and Poet's Market.

Read
Reading is very important for writers so that they may have a sound frame of reference for shaping their own novel.  Nicholas Sparks states the he reads over 100 books a year and has done so since he was 15.  Not only has all of this reading taught him which authors are the best and to be admired, it has taught him which are not so good and where they made their mistakes.

"Next, focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind."  What he means by this is asking yourself about the various aspects of the book, from "How many chapters?" to "Was the suspense scene mostly narrative or mostly dialogue?", and then asking yourself if those things worked for or against the author.  Really delve into the book, then read another book in the same genre and ask those questions again.

"Little by little, you’ll learn the process."

Write
" The final step is to write. You can’t be a writer if you don’t write, it’s just that simple."  He says that by finishing two novels before The Notebook, he learned not only that he liked to write but that he could finish a novel.

Sparks writes "five or six days a week, usually a minimum of 2000 words, sometimes more."  When he's finished with whatever he's working on, he moves straight on to something else.  He says that writing 2000 words a day takes anywhere from three to eight hours, and he's always striving to improve.


I'll admit that I'm very guilty of not doing many of these things lately, even though I know they're the right thing to do.  I hardly ever read books on writing anymore, I'm currently reading fewer than 20 or 30 books a year, and I haven't written anything substantial in a long, LONG time.  However, I want so much to change this, and hopefully this blog will be a great first step in the right direction!
 
If you'd like to read more of Sparks' advice, please visit the Advice for Writers section of his website, found here.   Let me know what you think about it, and you're welcome to share any of your own advice in the comments!

As part of my efforts to get into a good graduate school next year (or the year after, depending on application cycles and deadlines), I've been studying for the GRE, or Graduate Record Examination.  There are parts of it I know I'm going to ace, but there are other parts I'm a little worried about.  That's why I picked up a copy of the New GRE 2011-2012 Premier with CD-ROM, a study aide straight from Kaplan, the people who design and give the test.

As part of studying for the Verbal section, it is suggested that you keep a vocabulary journal, a notebook where you write out and define words you've never heard before that you find in books or hear said.  It's supposed to help build vocabulary in preparation for the exam, but like the book says, this is a great practice to keep up for the rest of your life!

The book suggests that the method we were taught in elementary school, trying to derive the meaning of a word from the sentence around it, is flawed and that the only way to truly understand a word and the feelings or connotations that may be behind it is to examine it's true definition and roots.  It also suggests making up your own sentence for the word and writing it out to get a good feel for what you've just learned.  Learning the synonyms and antonyms of the word is good practice too.  Using the tips from the study guide, I created a format for my definitions that incorporates all the good practice habits mentioned: Word - (part of speech), (Greek/Latin roots and definitions of roots), (definition), (sentence using word), (synonyms), (antonyms.).   Remember, learning synonyms and antonyms of a word you know can help you to derive the meanings of the unknown synonyms or antonyms later without actually having to look them up!

I think this is going to prove to be an invaluable tool for my reading and writing ventures, and I just had to share it with all my readers!  The book lists several words that appear often on the exam, and I must admit, I learned a lot of new ones.  I also started taking the time to define new words I encountered while reading, as well as old words I'd never bothered to truly define.

If you'd like to start your very own vocabulary journal, here are three words to start you off, presented in the format I mentioned:

Vituperative - adj. - from vituperate + ive; Latin vituperatus, meaning to spoil or blame; vitu from
viti from vitium, meaning blemish; perare from parare, meaning to furnish or provide - characterized by or of the nature of harsh, abussive, defaming language; abusive verbally
Ex. - There is no need to be vituperative during these negotiations.
Synonyms: calumniating, castigating, censorious, contumelious, defamatory, derisive, disparaging, insolent, insulting, invective, libelous, maligning, obloquious, offensive, opprobrious, reproachful, reviling, rude, sarcastic, scathing, scolding, scurrilous, sharp-tongued, slanderous, traducing, upbraiding, villifying
Antonyms: N/A

Contraindicate - verb - from contra + indicate, Latin contra meaning against - (medical term) to give an indication against the advisability of something, usually a remedy or treatment
Ex. - The doctor contraindicated certain kinds of exercise in the treatment of his patient's arthritis.
Synonyms: N/A
Antonyms: N/A

Diatribe - noun - from Latin diatriba, Greek diatribe, meaning pastime, study, or discourse - a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism
Ex. - Pay no attention to the repeated diatribes against the senator.
Synonyms: harangue, criticism, abuse, castigation, denunciation, disputation, invective, jeremiad, objection, onslaught, philippic, reviling, screed, stricture, tirade, vituperation
Antonyms: praise, recommendation, compliment, defense, support

So I was taking a look at some of the poetry I've posted on this blog and thinking, "Wow, this is so far from your best stuff..."  Then I remembered why.  I have been trying deliberately not to post my best stuff on this website.  Whew, for a second there, I thought I had no talent!

But why would I do that to myself?  Why would I present myself to the world as having less than an amazing amount of talent?  After all, plenty of people flood the internet all the time with every emo piece of crap they ever put to paper!  Well, the reason is simple.  If you take your writing seriously in any way at all, you're not going to post it on a blog or on the internet.  There are dangers in it you might not even be aware of that could stop you from becoming successful if you feel that your future is riding on that one perfect poem or story you just had to put on your blog.  Here's why you should avoid publishing your best work or work at all on a blog:

The obvious reason is that things posted on the internet are stolen and turned in by every middle school, high school, and college student out there.  People will take your stuff and make it their homework, because that's what the internet is good for: plagiarism.  But it can also go a step further than that; they might go so far as to claim something you wrote as their own under more serious circumstances than school.  However, this is not what should be most worried about.

The thing to really take note of is that everything published in a blog becomes copyrighted.  If you'll scroll to the bottom of this page and take a look at the fine print near the credits for who created this layout, you'll notice the words "Copyright Notes From Carcosa."  You might think that this is a good thing in that it puts a stamp of ownership and a time stamp on the things that you post, but this is wrong if you're seeking to get your work published in a serious magazine or anthology or even if you want to publish your own book.  Publishers, as a legal precaution, almost never publish anything that has been published somewhere before.  If they don't hold the original copyright, even if you just published it in some nothing little school journal or some such, they could find themselves in a legal predicament if someone notices what they've done.  Publishers want your work to be new to the world through them, and they want to avoid any snags that might bring their company trouble.  Many calls for poetry from magazines will specifically ask for "first time publications only."

I suppose I would consider it prudent to post portions of plays or previously published items, as there is little danger of repercussions in those areas.  A play is generally something you hang on to until it is produced rather than published, and something already published clearly belongs to the publisher and to you to advertise it or cite it at your discretion.  It's also perfectly safe to post something you have no intentions of ever seeking to have published professionally.

On a side note, publishers never consider it professional for you to have copyrighted your work on your own, so if you've written an amazing novel or story, don't rush out to the copyrighting office and get your stamp on it; it'll never get published.

I hope you've enjoyed my tips, and I look forward to sharing with you any publications that my writing may appear in.  I haven't submitted anything in ages, but I'm going to have a little break before graduate school during which I can get my work out there.  I appreciate all of your support!