I’ve been writing short and long fiction for decades, but I never was much of a planner. I have boxes of dollar store notebooks and steno pads crammed with notes and story starter paragraphs that went nowhere. Others were incorporated into my completed novels or they are part of works in progress (and I have dozens!). My go-to software was Microsoft Word on a Windows computer. However, the longer my documents got, the more unruly Word behaved. My default was to pound out a few thousand words, give the file a name and date then save it. The end result was a messy directory with multiple folders. I didn’t like that disorganized flea market vibe. Using Explorer to search for word strings was maddening. Arranging my ideas into a logical flow before starting a project was time-consuming and took the joy out of writing. I struggled with Excel spreadsheets, spending more hours configuring columns and cells than creating stories. Then I tried Pages. While it was less frustrating, I was impatient with the learning curve. I went back to Word. Easier? Not really. The original outline for the first draft of my novel ended up as an eighteen-page table. Large tables are manageable as eels – the content boxes change shape as you add text. Besides, the final draft of Kenora Reinvented didn’t end up conforming to the outline. Here’s what I did to get organized. I switched from Windows computers to an Apple iMac desktop and MacBook Pro laptop. I won’t go into rhapsodies about how seamless the Apple ecosystem is compared to what I was using previously, but for someone like me with an undisciplined mind, streamlining my writing process made life easier. Collecting ideas. Apple Notes, Drafts app. Both can be installed on handheld devices, laptops and desktops and sync data automatically. Drafts has an excellent dictation app and a browser widget that lets you save URLs and web copy. I can also Airdrop items between devices, take a screenshot, bookmark websites, save into the apps or as a PDF in Books. Planning. Story Planner ($10 USD). Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. You can access your project outlines from any of your devices. You can also choose where you want your files saved – on your computer, in the cloud, etc. I downloaded Plottr ($25 USD), a tool featuring drag & drop visual timelines, index cards, character/place tracking, outline builder and templates (12 Chapter mystery, Hero’s Journey, etc.) Writing. Scrivener ($67 CAD – regular deals for Black Friday). Windows, IOS and Mac versions and plenty of free templates. Clean interface. Composing is a breeze. You can drag and drop scenes, collect research, links, photos and maps. Don’t get discouraged by the learning curve – there’s a 30-day trial period. Storage. Dropbox ($144 USD a year for 2T) I save, share and access files from my phone, iPad and computers. I use Selective Sync and only save the Dropbox files I use regularly to my devices. I also use the Sync software (Canadian) because I’m afraid of losing a single document, iCloud for short pieces and photos, Google and Amazon photos (free but not always user friendly). Formatting. Vellum ($339 CAD – to produce unlimited print and eBooks). Only available for Mac OS. Easy to import a text document, format then upload for ebooks. And print books of various sizes. The software gets better all the time. Yes, it’s a big investment but it can also save time and money. There’s a free trial available. Writing materials. Dollarama is an under-appreciated resource for ‘old school’ writing supplies like notebooks and pens.
Types of Writing “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the things we need most in the world.” Philip Pullman Let’s start with an official definition of ‘story’. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a story is “an account of incidents or events”. Letters, diaries, emails, blog posts, reports, notes to self – they are all stories. My job is to help you create better stories. Writing is like art. We know what we like when we see it, because it makes us feel, hear, taste and touch. Open up your notebook to a blank page. Get ready to make notes. Think about writing that moves you, affects how you think or what you believe or sweeps you away to worlds you’ve never imagined? Make a short list. Who are your favourite authors? What is it that draws you to their stories? What do you want to write? Who do you want to read your creations? My first objective is to share with you helpful tips and links about the art and craft of writing for pleasure, for school or for business. My second objective is to inspire you to write regularly and improve the quality of your writing. Anyone can recount an event. Remember Sergeant Joe Friday from the 1950s television series, Dragnet? He’d always say, “Just the facts, Ma’am’ when investigating a case. That’s a memorable catch-phrase but not a sound foundation for good holding an audience’s attention. Let’s talk about two kinds of writing. Narrative – telling a story (usually about a personal experience) so that the reader learns a lesson or gains insight. What’s your topic? What do you know that the reader doesn’t know? Are you sharing information about an experience that we can all resonate with, that evokes a memory or that will touch our emotions? What is the lesson or insight behind your narrative? Descriptive – describing a person, object or event so that the reader shares the sensory experience of it. Setting. Where did the event occur? Was it crowded, dark, lonely, hot, smelly, raining, alien, loud, etc.? Character. Who was involved? What was unusual/memorable about them? Action or Plot. The rise and fall of what happened. Conclusion. The end. Get to the point. Whether you’re talking about what you saw at the mall, telling a joke, repeating a conversation you overheard (all writers should become eavesdroppers), creating a bedtime story or crafting fiction, you must include details that make a reader or listener care. Look outside your window. Pick an object. Write half a page about it. Create a VIVID descriptive piece.
Be Courageous! “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Sylvia Plath. Strong words, but don’t shrink from the notion that you are truly a writer. Let’s take a closer look at what Plath said. “Everything is life is writable”. Do you jot notes to friends or relatives? Do you compose orderly shopping lists? Have you typed a letter to complain to a company or ask for something? Ever commented on a blog post or media article? Written an essay, a eulogy, a thank-you note or letter to the editor? If the answer is ‘yes’ then you, my friend, are a writer. The very first time you picked up a pencil and copied what the teacher printed on the board that took ‘guts’. That’s when you began your journey to becoming a writer. It was scary, but do-able. “The imagination to improvise”...Remember writing ‘compositions’? You shared stories about your summer vacation or your new puppy. Did you critique your ideas or the words you wrote? I doubt it. You sat for a while before that blank lined notebook paper, thought for a while as you nibbled the end of your pencil, then began to scribble one line followed by another. You left a blank line and started the second paragraph. Another blank line and the third paragraph unspooled. Shifting ideas from brain to fingers to paper wasn’t so difficult, was it? You’ve got the skill. The challenge is to apply it. Sylvia hit the nail on the head when she said: “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” When you write an email or a Facebook post, do you second-guess yourself (beyond making sure that the spelling and grammar are correct)? Probably not. You’re being creative without struggling, stringing words together so they make sense to whoever reads them. In other words, you’re a writer. You are putting yourself ‘out there’ without over-thinking. That’s the key – start with an idea and pile words like bricks to build the walls of your unique story. Just as constructing a strong building takes practice, building a good story can be learned. As children, we were more fearless, imaginative and open-minded. As we grew older we got busier, less inspired, more critical and less willing to put ourselves ‘out there’. You have a ‘voice’. Writing is one means of having your voice heard. Can you imagine going through life without communicating? No words, no sounds, no facial expression, no hand movements? Writing – no matter what the form - is communication. It’s a conversation with a reader, a form of expression. Get yourself a new notebook. Find a pen that feels comfortable between your fingers. Flip to page 8 of today’s newspaper and select a sentence. Using that sentence, write a poem or a fifty word story. Read it slowly. Revise. Admire.
I was thrilled that Becca, of Writers Helping Writers asked me to be a guest contributor for this important and sensitive topic. I’m not an expert, however, even though I am a Person of Colour, so make sure to do your own research. Everyone has a unique lived experience – talk to people from those groups you wish to write about to learn some of their perspectives. No matter what, keep practicing so that your writing stays authentic, lively and true to your plot and cast of characters. June 30, 2022 Readers have spoken: they want more diversity in fiction. And writers are stepping up, but it can be hard to write about someone who’s different than you. Careful research is the key to avoiding misrepresentation, which causes harm to the very identities being portrayed and creates fallout for well-meaning writers when they’re called out by readers. For this reason, we’re running a series of posts on avoiding stereotypes in fiction. Written by a diverse cast of talented authors, each post highlights a different people group—the common stereotypes to avoid and how to write those characters realistically. We hope this series arms you with the knowledge and tools to write characters you may have been reluctant to write before—ones that will take your story to the next level. Where to begin a conversation about stereotypes of People of Color (POC)? This is a fraught topic. For clarity, let’s start with a definition for this term: People of Color: Applying to non-White racial or ethnic groups; generally used as an alternative to the term ‘visible minority.’ Be aware, though, that some members of ethnic and racial groups take issue with being lumped together as POCs rather than being treated as unique. Others, however, embrace Racialized or POC as terms of solidarity and empowerment. As writers, we have a role to play in ensuring that the worlds we create are representative of the broad spectrum of personalities, identities, traits, cultures and races in our communities. Whether we’re talking protagonists, villains, or supporting characters, let’s keep them entertaining, fully formed and authentic. What do I mean by ‘authentic’? Believable, realistic, genuine individuals. Mind you, that’s a best practice for any character you create, isn’t it? Let’s talk about some of the common stereotypes that have been used in portrayals of Racialized People. Angry/Hysterical/Powerless Women There are numerous examples in print and visual media, where women are portrayed as aggressive, outspoken, shrill, helpless or downright cranky. In real life, we experience a variety of emotions – let your characters show them as well. Angry Men These male counterparts careen through life ignoring social norms, raging at ‘the Man’ or unspecified targets, taking personal risks, committing crimes, or abusing those who get in their way. Male and female stereotypes use similar gestures and language to convey a limited range of emotions – the steely-eyed stare, a swaggering insolence, or a know-it-all attitude that invariably lands them in trouble. Silent Sufferers The opposite is the submissive, ‘seen but not heard’ person of color of any gender who invariably is struggling against adversity but who is a noble role model because they carry on. Maids, doormen, taxi drivers, teachers, nurses and restaurant workers are common occupations. Sex Objects Portraying racialized women as attractive but tough (using their wiles and weaponry to fight injustice) devalues them. A male protagonist like Black private detective John Shaft, described as a ‘sex machine’, harks back to the trope of Black men being randy and predatory. The Phoenix from the Ashes Performers, athletes, or professionals are often portrayed as rising up from poverty to fame or as promiscuous, hard-edged rule-breakers. This ignores the reality that most people of color are also soccer moms, bankers, and emergency service providers working hard and living ordinary lives. Straw Character Caricatures These cartoonish depictions of gangbangers, career criminals, barbers and hairdressers who always have the last word, the whore with the heart of gold, the struggling single mom, the sharp-tongued taxi driver, the weary, hard-working racialized father or the deadbeat dad, the wise-cracking sidekick, flamboyant roommate, spunky girlfriend, or plucky survivor are stale tropes. The common denominator of each is lack of nuance. What To Do Rest assured, it is acceptable to write about racialized characters. Wouldn’t your fictional world be monochromatic and boring if you didn’t? Yes, complexion, ethnicity, physique and hairdo help define an individual, but if you take away those external identifiers and still have a realistic human being, you’ve done your job. Applying your skills to build worlds that include a range of well-crafted characters enriches the final product. We’re unique individuals trying to live our best lives. What about, ‘write what you know’? Research and learn about the diversity of cultures, religions, and races. Leave assumptions at the curb. Join inclusive organizations. Ask respectful questions. Read the works of authors of color. Dig beyond the obvious to show your character’s true identity. What Not to Do Don’t avoid describing someone’s race, but make sure you’re accurate, e.g., a broad nose, small ears and full lips could describe a person of Asian or African heritage. Say, ‘Amir, a young man from Bangalore’, or ‘Tasha, a tall Black woman from Manchester’. Use names that identify their ethnic origin. Keep in mind, though, that with the globalization of relationships, someone called Sue-Lin Mackenzie could be a mixed-race woman of Korean/Scottish descent. Don’t describe us using food terms. Instead of chocolate, almond or coffee, say, ‘light brown’ or ‘dark brown complexion’. Be aware that the word ‘Brown’ is often used by people of Southeast Asian heritage (Russell Peters). Don’t focus on externals Iike hair styles, complexion, or physical appearance. As with any other character, include descriptors that are relevant. Don’t be patronizing. Unless it’s relevant, describing a Black person or person of color as ‘articulate’ implies there was no expectation that they had mastered the English language. Remember… Everyone has biases, whether about cars, food, or music. Words can wound. They have history and power. Choose carefully. Clothing as costume, artifacts and symbols can contribute to a rich, scenic world or they can stigmatize, e.g., tattoos and piercings, head coverings, jewelry, behavior, and speech. Competent sensitivity readers serve a role but remember, you are getting a single perspective that may not align with the lived experiences of all your diverse characters. Writing multi-dimensional characters requires an open mind, accuracy, and kindness. Diverse cultural perspectives can literally bring color to your writing via family events or celebrations. Whether your characters are funny or sad, strong or weak, forgettable or memorable, your readers will resonate with their authenticity. Resources Writing With Color: Posts on Describing People of Color
Ten Tips on Writing Race in Novels
The Do’s of Writing People of Color: Describe Your Characters
Writing Characters of Different Races and Ethnicities Angela on July 20, 2022 at 12:41 pm You did such a great job on this article – thank you so much, Hyacinthe. I learn more every day, and it helps me shed biases, and in writing I think we have a special responsibility to not pass forward hurtful stereotypes and representations to readers. Articles like this one are so very helpful.