Stupid Stuff for Writers (Essays)

By Biff Mitchell

Blog posts and articles about writing and the writing life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Biff Mitchell
• Release date: Jul 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215904664

Biff Mitchell

Biff Mitchell is a speculative fiction writer known mostly for his quirky humor and keen insights into those aspects of life that likely won't be relevant to anything in our lifetimes, but possibly in some future reality. His most recent publication, Blowing Up (from Double Dragon Publishing) unleashes a barrage of mostly humorous short stories guaranteed to confuse and amuse the most contemporary reader. That just might be you. But...before you dive try dipping your literary toes into some free reading at crazymanadventures.com. Be warned though...nothing good can come of any of this.

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Stupid Stuff for Writers

By Biff Mitchell

Copyright 2023 Biff Mitchell

Smashwords Edition

Can Anyone Write a Novel?

I suppose I’d have to pare this down to the essence of writing a novel: Can anyone tell a story? On this point, I’d have to say, Yes, anyone can tell a story, but some will tell a mesmerizing story while others will put their listeners to sleep.

So really, it’s a matter of teaching poor storytellers how to tell their stories better, and the further question is: Can poor storytellers be taught to tell their stories better? And again, I’d have to say, Yes, of course! But they’re really going to have to work at it.

So how do you teach someone who can barely explain how to boil an egg how to create a cast of exciting characters acting out their dynamic lives in a compelling world?

They Have to Change Their Life Style

First, they have to change their life style. In the decade plus that I’ve been teaching creative writing workshops, I’ve had a surprising number of students who didn’t seem to belong in a creative writing workshop. They weren’t necessarily shy or quiet spoken; they just didn’t generate much interest in what they had to say. They spoke with a flatness that left their words forgotten seconds after they were mouthed. This was just the way they talked and it carried over to the way they wrote (at least 99.99% of the time). It was the way they thought, the way they lived their lives. They lived on the left side (of the brain, that is) where everything is well-delineated shades of gray or simply black and white. The trick was to get them to use the right side of their brains on a daily basis…not once a week or two or three times a week, but every day of the week and, if possible, several times daily.

This one actually has an easily identifiable solution, but not so easy for the student to actually do. It doesn’t require a lot of effort…it can be done without any preparation and no follow-up is required. It’s a no-brainer, which is why I call it mindless writing.

I’m not going to get into a lot of detail on this technique. If you want more in-depth information, I suggest you buy Dorethea Brandte’s book On Becoming a Writer. The basic gist is:

• Set a time to write (5-10 minutes)

• Pick a topic (could just be the word banana)

• Write about it without stopping (no editing and no stopping to think)

• Stop when you reach the time you set

Done in the morning, this exercise primes the right side of the brain for creative thought throughout the day. Done several times a day, it helps break down the barrier to the right side of the brain that left-brainers put up because they’re not used to thinking that way, they’ve been taught not to think that way, or they believe deep down inside that they don’t have the ability to think that way.

Again, done