Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
May 9th, 2008I am a world-class procrastinator, and one of my favorite ways to procrastinate is to read books and articles (paper copies and etexts) about how to write. There is certainly no shortage of information on the subject. Books in Print lists nearly 1100 books currently in print. The Internet offers even greater riches. If I google “how to write,” I get 34,900,000 sites, and even if I limit my search to “how to write a romance novel,” I am given well over 2.5 million sites.
Which of those 1100 books will offer me not just a way to procrastinate but also something useful to take back to my writing? Some titles I can rule out right away. I have no interest in reading advice on how to write resumes, suicide notes, or more effective emails, but I must admit that I am tempted by a book called How to Write Like Chekhov: Advice and Inspiration, Straight from Anton Chekhov’s Own Letters and Work. And Bullies, Bastards and Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction, a Writer’s Digest book by Jessica Morrell, definitely sounds like something I should check out. There is also the boldly titled How to Write It: Complete Guide to Everything You’ll Ever Write, which should surely have something helpful.
Which of the two million plus Google hits can I spend a brief time with and return to my writing reenergized? I know enough to avoid the site that promises I can write a bestseller in less than a month if I sign up for their course, but I am pulled in by fascinating pieces like Stanford Magazine’s article on romance writers Bella Andre and Jami Alden, both Stanford alumnae and Tess Gerritsen’s blog on her own adventures with romance novels. I’m glad I read both of the latter, but they don’t help me with my writing. The problem for me and for other aspiring romance writers is how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Doing so is a monumental task, and not one that I have either the time or the expertise to do, but I thought I would make a modest beginning by sharing with you from time to time some of the “wheat” that I have discovered.
Kernel #1: Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Dillard’s lyrical account of her time spent living at the edge of Tinker Creek in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, is one of those books that really was transformative for me, so I may have been predisposed to find The Writing Life appealing. But I think even if I had never heard of Annie Dillard that I would have appreciated this book that is both a discussion about writing and an illustration of precise, powerful prose. I am hooked from the opening paragraphs.
“When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a miner’s pick, a wood carver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year.
“The line of words is a hammer. You hammer against the walls of your house. You tap the walls, lightly, everywhere. After giving many years’ attention to these things, you know what to listen for. Some of the walls are bearing walls; they have to stay, or everything will fall down. Other walls can go with impunity; you can hear the difference. Unfortunately, it is often a bearing wall that has to go. It cannot be helped. There is only one solution, which appalls you, but there it is. Knock it out. Duck.”
Her words seem addressed to me.
- I, who tell myself that I could be more productive if only I had a better place to write, hear her say, “Appealing workplaces are to be avoided. One wants a room with no view, so imagination can meet memory in the dark.”
- I, who tell myself that sticking to a writing schedule stifles my creativity, hear her say, “A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.”
- I, who am convinced that the path I have chosen is too difficult for me, hear her say, “Writing every book, the writer must solve two problems: Can it be done? and, Can I do it? Every book has an intrinsic impossibility, which its writer discovers as soon as his first excitement dwindles.”
I love this book. It challenges me. It makes me want to write.
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available in the 21st century? How do you separate the wheat from the chaff? What advice, on writing or on other interests, have you found inspiring or useful?
Okay, so actually I couldn’t think of much to say about the French and Indian War. But while I waited for a bolt of inspiration to hit me I sat on the couch and helped my daughter watch HOUSE, MD. Now that got me to thinking–about anti-heroes.







When you’re thinking about subplots, it is a good idea to keep in mind how they support the main plot of the book. You can never shoehorn in a subplot just because it seems like fun. (Well you could, but you’re going to wind up ripping out those pages.) Ideally, each subplot will connect to the main plot, connect to the goals of your protagonists, and resolve in such a way that it makes the resolution of your main plot that much sweeter.

How about you, Vagabonds? Are you a pantser or a plotter? Do you have a system in place for analyzing the structure of your novel or are you making it up as you go along (and there’s nothing wrong with that!). For all you readers, what are some of your favorite subplots and secondary characters? One lucky commenter will win a copy of Alyssa’s latest in the Warriors of Poseidon world, the anthology novel Shifter which also features sections from Angela Knight, Lora Leigh and Virginia Kantra.

Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison’s “Strawberry Wine” (recorded by Deana Carter) evoked youthful memories for thousands of women.












