Writing Tip #3: You'll fight with yourself and that's okay - just as long as you win!

You know how some days you write and think "Dude! I'm genius!" And then the next day you think "Crap! This is horrible and I should quit writing!" You know? You know what I mean? You get what I'm talking about?  Well I am here to tell you that if you go through this you are defined as a Rapunzel writer.  (Okay so I just made that up, but at least let me explain before scoffing at the ridiculousness and walking away).

In Disney's Tangled, Rapunzel has this hilarious scene in which she is walking through the forest with Flynn Rider. And she is fighting with herself (much like Gollum) about leaving the tower even though her mother told her not to. And here is what she says:

(And to help keep everyone from getting confused, BOLD means she is saying it in an excited tone. And NORMAL means she is saying it in a sad "aww crap!" voice.)

"I can't believe I did this!! 
I can't believe I did this.
I can't believe I did this. 
Mother would be so furious
Well that's okay, what she doesn't know won't kill her, right? 
Oh my gosh, this is gonna kill her.
This is so fun.
I am a horrible daughter, I'm going back.
I am never going back.
I am a despicable human being.
Whoohooooo! Best day ever! 
*Sniffle*

So you see? No? Okay let me use the same idea and change it to the writing situation I am trying to describe.

I can't believe I am writing a book! 
I can't believe I am writing a book!
I can't believe I am writing a book! 
I'm awful! This is terrible!
Well, no! I am going to do this! I got this! 
Oh my gosh, I want to die.
THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! 
I am a horrible writer, I am going back to normal stuff.
I am never going back! 
I am a horrible writer!
Whoooohooo! Best word count ever!! 
*Sniffle*

Alright, now you see what I'm talking about?

So now that you know what a Rapunzel writer is, are you one? No? *Wipes forehead* "Good!" Yes?  Well. . . .than I have some advice for you.  Ready? Take notes.

1. Don't ever give up. 
2. If you have to, be Gollum instead of Rapunzel. (CLICK HERE to see what I'm talking about)
3. Don't ever give up! 
4. Know that you will have low moments and still don't  give up.  
5. And most importantly remember the end of Rapunzel's story. 

You are going to finish that book, and though you may not get in a boat with a really cute guy, you're going to sing! Yep, sing! "AND AT LAST I SEE THE LIGHT, AND IT'S LIKE THE FOG HAS LIFTED." Cause you will have finished a book and you will get it published and you will have learned.

And when it is time to write your next book, open the document, and whisper quietly to it "You are my new dream."  

And always remember, no matter what, you can still succeed. 
There is no expiration date on success.  

Writing Tip #2: Tell the voice "Leave, and never come back!"

You know the voice I'm talking about? No, no, not the ones that belong to your characters. But the OTHER voice. The one that says things like "Quit now." and "You'll never succeed," and "Why bother? You're horrible at this," I'm talking about the voice that tells you to give up.  I'm talking about the voice that doesn't believe in you.  That voice? Yeah I want you to treat that voice the same way Smeagol talks to Gollum.

 You know this conversation from the movie?  Here, let me refresh your memory: 

Gollum:  “You don’t have any friends, nobody likes you!”

Smeagol:  “I’m not listening, I’m not listening.”

Gollum:  “You’re a liar and a thief.”

Smeagol: “No!”

Gollum: “Mur-der-er.”

Smeagol: “Go away!”

Gollum: “Go away?” *Insert Gollum laugh here*

Smeagol:  *Insert Smeagol crying* “I hate you, I hate you!”

Gollum: “Where would you be without me? Gollum! Gollum saved us! It was me! We survived because of me!”

Smeagol:  *Smeagol crying stops* “Not anymore.”

Gollum: “What did you say?”

Smeagol: “Master looks after us now, we don’t need you anymore. Leave now, and never come back!”

Gollum: “What?”

Smeagol: “LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK!”  (Repeat 2x) 

Now pretend this conversation is happening between you and that little voice: 

Evil voice:  “You don’t have any talent, nobody likes your writing!”

You:  “I’m not listening, I’m not listening.”

Evil Voice:  “You’re a horrible writer.”

You: “No!”

Evil voice: “Word killer.”

You: “Go away!”

Evil voice : “Go away?” *Insert Gollum Evil voice laugh here*  

You:  *Insert Smeagol you crying* “I hate you, I hate you!”

Evil voice: “Where would you be without me? Gollum! Gollum Evil voice saved us! It was me! We survived because of me!”

You:  *Smeagol your crying stops* “Not anymore.”

Evil Voice: “What did you say?”

You: “Master I look after us me now, we I don’t need you anymore. Leave now, and never come back!”

Evil Voice: “What?”

You: “LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK!”  (Repeat 2x)

Don't listen to the little voice! Send it away and tell it to never come back! 
Because you are good enough, and you can do this!  

Writing Tip #1: Know what you write.

Writing Tip #1: Write what you know. Know what you write. 

Rather than trying to 'Write what you know,  Why not just Know what you write? 

You don't HAVE to be an expert on the matter.  A little research can go a long way.  Imagine how much a lot of research can take you. 

Let's use armor as an example:

At one of the writer's conferences, I went to a panel about medieval weapons and armor. 

The entire class was AMAZING and in that short hour, I learned a ton! One thing I learned was that Armor is a lot more powerful than I once believed.  In fact, in Lord of the Rings in the last major battle, the Orcs run through and kill thousands of soldiers.  But guess what? The Orcs didn't stand a chance and the Men's armor (in real life) would have been a lot stronger.  The Orcs had hardly any armor and very basic weapons.  There is NO WAY they could have penetrated the armor of the men.  See?  I now know that for when I write epic battle scenes. 

And even more importantly, because I learned that, it led to a lot more research.  I'm still not an expert, but I know enough to write a believable battle scene.  (Well, at least enough about the armor.) :) 

 Write what you know and  Know what you write. 

Cliché’s and why they’re horrible!

Cliché’s and why they’re horrible! 

Let us start with what the word "Cliché" means.

cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.

So why don't we like cliche's?  They are overused ideas/elements.  

They. Are. Overused. 

As in, I have seen that once already.  And the first time it was fantastic. The second time it was OK. The third time and on it has been overused.  As in, I don't want to see it ever again in another book! . . .Ever! 

So, why are cliche's horrible?  Well, because it makes the book boring.  Seriously, if continue to see the same thing OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER (do you get the point yet?)  and OVER, it gets annoying.  Boring.  Irritating even.  Its not longer new or exciting.  It is expected.  And it takes away the thrill of reading a new book.  It takes away the excitement.  

And if I'm being completely honest, it takes away the point of reading new books.  If every author put the same things in every book, I might as well stick the to the same few books that introduced these grand ideas that are now. . . cliche. 

Now that you understand why Cliche's are HORRIBLE, let me give a few examples. 

• The Love Triangle.  Now honestly, in some cases this element in a story, genuinely makes sense.  But in most cases, it makes the book absolutely boring.  And in MOST cases, the girl ALWAYS ends up with the first guy.   Which brings us to another part of the love triangle.  Why is it always One Female and Two Males?  Why can't we have two women fighting over one guy?  
• The "Because I love you".  For some crazy reason, someone must sacrifice themselves. They don't want the love of their life to be in pain so they will leave.  They will walk away to never look back if it means that their true love will be ok.  Guess what?  If I'm in love with someone, I don't want him to freakin' leave!   
• "It will ALWAYS come down to you OR me." For some reason, villain's  think that threatening the heroe's "true love" will fix everything.  And the Heroes tend to let the villain's be right.  I'm sorry but if someone is threatening the love of my life, I'm not gonna weep and beg that they take me instead.  I'm gonna make those villains get down on their knees, begging me to have mercy.   
• "I can't be with you.  I love you too much."  Okay, now I'm beginning to think that the villain is in the right frame of mind.  This person is too stupid to be the hero.  Seriously, leaving the person you love to "protect" them, is not going to help anything.   It just makes you miserable, your "true love" miserable, and the villain is still going to win.  If you love someone, work it out.  If you aren't willing to work it out (and if they aren't willing) then clearly it wasn't meant to be anyway. 
• "The dream."  Yes.  We all have dreams.  Dreams are powerful when you know how to use them.  So are swords.  Don't start the book with a dream.  Don't end the book with a dream.  Don't put a dream in the middle.  If you're character must dream, it better be for a good reason.  

Alright, so honestly this is a very short list compared to what it could be.  And if you would like to read an earlier post I did on things that are over used in books (among other things) you can CLICK HERE. 

I'm pretty sure I could go on forever.  The point is, some cliches should really die and they are horrible and I know nothing is original anymore but as writers, artist, creators,  I think authors could get a bit more creative.  

So, what Cliché’s do you absolutely HATE?