{"id":2384,"date":"2023-02-07T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2023\/02\/07\/roy-peter-clark-writing-tools-narrative-craft\/"},"modified":"2024-10-21T20:06:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T20:06:23","slug":"roy-peter-clark-writing-tools-narrative-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2023\/02\/07\/roy-peter-clark-writing-tools-narrative-craft\/","title":{"rendered":"A whimsical request inspired some essential writing tools"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: This essay is shared with our friends at The Poynter Institute<\/a> by request of the author.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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* * *<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Early last October I received a small package from England, which looked most interesting even before I opened it. The envelope celebrated \u201cHer Majesty the Queen\u2019s PLATINUM JUBILEE.\u201d Five stamps carried the postage, each with a distinctive image: Soldiers from WWII; three lines from my favorite Shelley poem, \u201cTo a Skylark\u201d<\/a>; four members of the Rolling Stones; and a gray cat with its eyes closed.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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When I flipped it over, it was sealed with a Mick Jagger stamp and hand-written note: \u201cHe also can\u2019t get no satisfaction\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\"Writer
Roy Peter Clark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> \n
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I was intrigued. Whoever sent this seemed to know something about my interests and sensibilities. The sender was a writer named Paul Khanna<\/a>. He described himself as a scribe who was, like Jagger, not getting satisfaction from his work; no mention of his acting career. He had written three diet books and had taken a course on screenwriting during the pandemic. He experienced personal setbacks. Both parents suffered serious illnesses and his cat went blind. (I thought of that stamp of a gray cat with its eyes closed.)<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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What did he want from me? It turns out he had read two of my<\/a> books and found them helpful. He then caught a notice of my new book, \u201cTell It Like It Is: A Guide to Clear and Honest Writing,\u201d<\/a> due out April 11. He wanted a preview copy. \u201cJust like the Apollo 13 which launched on that day,\u201d he wrote, \u201cI\u2019m feeling lost in space and can\u2019t wait to find my way home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Along with his letter he sent a tiny notebook he had created, a few pieces of paper stapled together with a request: \u201cWith some distance from writing \u2018Tell It Like It Is,\u2019 perhaps you could scribble some key thoughts down from it.\u201d He included a self-addressed return envelope and $25, enough for postage, coffee and a \u201cjuicy muffin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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He was asking, in essence, that I write him a mini-book, a personal anthology of my thoughts on writing.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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At first, I was put off by the brashness of the request. But then I thought Why the hell not?<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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More and more, it seems to me, what a writer remembers is often the most important.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I would select my favorite bits of advice, not just from the new book, but from the six that preceded it \u2014 the kind of practical strategies that work best in my coaching and teaching. I finished the project in one sitting, writing by hand in the makeshift journal, without reference to any of my books. More and more, it seems to me, what a writer remembers is often the most important.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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A lifetime of writing advice<\/h2>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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As you read these here, you have to imagine them scribbled across the page in black ink from a green Poynter Institute<\/a> pen. The numbers correspond to the order in which they were written.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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1. A page a day equals a book a year.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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2. Good writing is not magic. It\u2019s a process, a set of steps.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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3. My process: Find an IDEA, collect STUFF. Find a FOCUS. SELECT your best stuff. Decide on an ORDER. Write a quick DRAFT. REVISE.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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4. The antidote to procrastination is REHEARSAL, writing it in your head.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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5. The antidote to writer\u2019s block is lowering your standards. You can raise them later.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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6. Draft earlier than you think you can. Not even a first draft, but a Zero Draft.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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7; You don\u2019t need to tell everything in the first sentence. But it should grab the reader\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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8. Use shorter words, shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs at the points of greatest complexity.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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9. Shakespeare did not write \u201cThe Queen is dead, my lord.\u201d He wrote \u201cThe Queen, my lord, is dead.\u201d Place emphatic words at the end. Stick the landing.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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10. It helps to have a daily writing habit.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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11. If you get stuck, step away. Come back and write \u2014 by hand \u2014 quickly.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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12. Read your work aloud, to yourself, to others.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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13. Get a good human voice in your story. Let that person speak early.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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14. Reports give readers information:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Who<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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What<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Where<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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When<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Why<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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15. Stories give readers experience:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Characters<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Scenes<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Settings<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Chronology<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Motives<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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16. Stories need: Details of character. Action in scenes. Dialogue. Points of view. Stories are a form of transportation across time and space.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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17. For clarity:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Subjects + verbs together.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Slow the pace of information. Shorten sentences.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Avoid or translate jargon.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Too many numbers can be numbing.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Avoid clutter, especially at the top.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Introduce characters or concepts one at a time.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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18. Reward the reader with \u201cgold coins\u201d, especially in the middle. Gold coins = anecdotes, examples, good quotes, interesting facts.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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19. Read widely and deeply. Read the kind of thing you want to write.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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20. Keep examples of the best passages you are reading. Talk about them with other writers.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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21. My favorite writing virtues:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Patience<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Confidence<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Empathy<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Curiosity<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Versatility<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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Coffee!<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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22. Embrace your identity as a writer. You are a writer because you write.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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23. Grammar is really glamour, practical magic.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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24. Learn to live inside of words. The sounds, the history, the connotations.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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25. If you want to write a book, find an agent. Mine has really helped me.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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26. Read \u201cThe Uncommon Reader\u201d by Alan Bennett. The Queen is alive \u2014 and reading!<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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27. Read. Write. Talk about reading and writing.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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28. Set an earlier deadline than the one you have. If your work is due on January 1, make believe your deadline is November 1.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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29. Revision is not just proofreading. You can revise all parts of the process. You can revise your revisions.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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30. Write a mission statement for your work.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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31. Break a big project into its smallest parts.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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32. The bigger, the smaller. Find objects with stories hiding inside of them.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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33. Craft is neutral. Connect your craft to a noble purpose.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Rereading these, I can\u2019t help but notice:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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