Ask SD Tracy Harper #15All questions are anonymous. If you know who is asking the question and wish to leave a comment, please respect their rights to remain anonymous.
Q: SD, I was told
that it’s important for me to join a writers’ group or participate in writers’
sites. Do you think this is a good thing to do?
A: That’s a hard one. When I started taking this little big
hobby of mine called Writing a Book, I steered far away from any interaction
for fear that I would change and become a follower then blazing my own trail.
As the old saying goes, hindsight is 20/20 (Perfect). I’ve learn so much from
the few writers’ groups I had joined, but not all are created equal. There were
quite a few that were not, let me just say, right for me. Some wanted fees (I
will admit I did pay for a while). Some wanted your obedience (I quickly jumped
ship-Don’t tread on me). And, some would
only trash my work and never give helpful insight or positive reinforcement
(Even a new writer has an ego that gets hungry I’ll have you know.) But, when I
found the right one for me, it helped my writing 10 fold and I met some very helpful
and friendly full-time authors. Writers’
Groups do help when they are the right fit for you, but don’t stop with the
first one you come across. Take a look at others before you settle on the
one(s) that is a perfect fit for you. Enjoy the journey and celebrate the
destination. SD
Q: SD, I recently
wrote a short story that had two main characters and I thought it came out
alright, but a friend of mine said I can only have one main character or people
will lose focus on my story. My question is, can a story have more than one
main character.
A: This is an
excellent question because I think your friend likes to color within the lines.
That may sound rude, but ask yourself these three questions. Did your friend
read your entire manuscript? Did your friend like your story? Has he ever
watched any show (TV or Movie) where he rooted for the good guy and his friends
cheered for the bad guy or the other way around? The last question is least
important, but it had to be asked. Truthfully, is it really important who the
main character is over your story’s content?
He only
difference between the main character and a supporting character is the amount
of the story that showcase the main or the secondary character. There have been
too many examples where some supporting character ends up being the best part
of a production and they clearly had a smaller role (less screen time, fewer
speaking lines, and even less interaction with the main or other supporting
characters). I would worry less about who the main character is or how many
other characters have significant roles in your story and focus more on your
clarity of subject, flow of content, and grabbing the full attention of your
readers as they immerse themselves in your story. Just write baby write. I hope
this works for you, it sure worked for me. SD
Q: SD, Why is it so
hard to get started?
A: That’s a good
question, but I don’t know where to start. (I wish you gave me more
information). I’ll just answer you with the big three. 1. Starting from the
beginning. 2. Continuing to work on a manuscript that is currently in progress.
3. Ending your manuscript with a bang.
When you make
the huge decision to sacrifice several hours, days, months, and even years of
your life to express yourself with a story for whatever reason, please consider
closely what you what to write and who you are writing for. Are you doing this
for yourself, for others, to get notoriety, or just for the money? These are
important questions that must be answered because they each will steer where
your story goes. Depending on which one will decide what task that has to be
accomplished before you get started (Research!) If you are in the middle of
something you had already started, ask yourself how was it to end and make a
list from the end to where you got stuck. This is a trick that will jar your
memory. You can also take a look at some of my earlier Q&As and Articles
(Yes shameless plug). Lastly is the greatest and most powerful ending. Three
questions must be answered here. One, will there be a sequel? Two, did you go
pass the end of your story and didn’t know it? (Been there, done that, and
moved on to the sequel). Three, you forgot how you wanted it to end. If this
happens, just walk away from your work for a few days and do anything else. Go
have a life. It will come back to you on its own and probably will be better
than you had ever imagined. I hope this helps. SD
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