First of all, I must apologize for missing last week's featured site. As some of you know, I've decided to apply to law school. I'm now in the process of studying for the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT) and taking a business class as well. So, needless to say, I've been very busy.
I may miss a Site of the Week here and there for the next few months. I take the LSAT on June 7th. After that I will be doing self-study to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer. I would like to use my law degree to work with children either in a human rights capacity or to represent unaccompanied minors seeking refugee or asylum status in the U.S. So, I thought working with abused and neglected children would be a good place to start getting some hands-on experience.
Aaaaanyway, after that long-winded explanation, here's this week's site. :-) I needed a laugh after spending the afternoon puzzling over the logical analysis section of my LSAT study guide (only about 70 pages left in that chapter, ugh). So, I couldn't help clicking on a link that popped up on my search that said How to Write a Science Fiction Novel. The page is hosted by eHow.com "how to do just about everything."
Ok, first off, I don't believe there is a formula for writing any type of novel. You can read popular (and not-so-popular) authors to learn from them. You may even read some advice books. But a comprehensive "how to" on writing a book that is broken down into 9 steps that comprise about 400 words and has a difficulty rating at the top of the page that says 'Moderately Difficult.' Sorry, I'm not buying into it.
My favorite quote is step 3 under the "writing" heading. "Remember to be playful and allow your characters to take on a life of their own in the situations and difficulties you expose them to. Trying to force an authorial agenda on a book results in an overlong political tract rather than a satisfying novel."
They also have links to writing Sci-Fi for kids, and general novel writing. If you need to laugh, I highly suggest checking them out.
Well, I believe my work here is done. ;-)
Have a great week everyone.
3 comments:
Wow, you're going into law school? That's excellent! I hope it goes well.
Jai
Wow, everything I needed to know about my chosen profession boiled down into one concise article!
If only I had seen this long ago, I could've saved myself years of stuff like actually trying to improve my writing by, like, writing a lot!
Man, that is funny.
Brad,
I know! Isn't it annoying that we wasted so much time actually writing when all we had to do was read that article? ;-P
Jai,
Thanks. :-) I'm really excited about it. I want to be able to help children who are going through tough, scary times without someone there to speak up for them.
Of course, I'll never give up creative writing. It's my first love.
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