 Mystery: February 03, 2010 Issue [#3530] |
  Mystery
This week: The 10,000 Hour Theory Edited by: esprit  
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The three-act format of script writing is used to structure a novel. Writers know the importance of structure in keeping the pace smooth and moving forward. It's a simple, logical procedure that saves the author time and work. A copy of the map should be in a new writer's toolbox, good writers don't limit their learning to one genre.
A link to a good example: http://www.freespirituniverse.org/tag/structure/
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The 10,000 Hour Theory
In "The Outliers", Malcolm Gladwell says that a person has to spend 10,000 hours on something before they truly master it.
I read a reference to Mr. Gladwell's book somewhere, so I Googled it. It must be quite a motivational read, because instead of going to the author's page, Google gave me 33,600 hits--each one a post of an excited someone who took the theory to heart. A few believed by spending this amount of hours on a craft, they could automatically become an expert in almost anything they wanted, leaving out of the process the need for good instruction. That's quite a theory.
Practice is the only way to learn and improve what you know, that's true, but we need to know what we don't know in order to know what we need to practice. Did you get that? Writing it your way is fun and can inspire good ideas for stories, but the hours won't make you a better writer unless you are learning the craft inside out.
Those of you who are in school or taking a quality writing course are the lucky ones--listen to your teachers while you can. Do your homework exercises. And please, please, please pass your knowledge on by giving feedback to our new writers. There is something you've learned that they will appreciate knowing.
My Dad used to tell us, "You didn't hold your mouth right." when we messed up somewhere. I always took it for a joke to lessen the humiliation of failing, but it holds a truth. It is the subtleties of a craft that no one thinks to mention that produces skill. They aren't mentioned because we are too often assumed to already know them.
For instance, suppose you wanted to join a ball team. You've thrown a ball since you were two feet high so you've had your 10,000 hours, but did you practice throwing a baseball or football the correct way all that time? Or did you practice the first ten hours of knowledge for ten years?
I borrowed some notes from the instructors of a couple of ball sites to serve my point.
To understand what a four seam means, you must first understand the baseball and it's seams. If you hold up the baseball and grip the ball across the seams...
http://www.pro-baseball-drills-and-equipment.com/fastball.html
Playing Catch - Throwing The Baseball - Page 1
Entire Body
When kids are taught to throw, often the instruction is watered down into just a couple of steps. The act of throwing a baseball is not that simple. Throwing requires the entire body to work together in order to throw the ball accurately and to put something on it.
Playing Catch - Throwing The Baseball - Page 2
Arm Motion
If you have been throwing incorrectly for a long time, then it is going to feel different throwing with a good circular motion. That is to be expected. Practice throwing this way all the time and it will soon feel natural and you should see increased accuracy and velocity.>>
http://www.qcbaseball.com/Skills/pc_throwing2.aspx
Bingo! When new writers post their first writings, often the feedback is watered down to a bit of advice and lots of praise for effort. The act of writing well is not that simple.
If you have been writing incorrectly for a long time, then it is going to feel different writing with good instruction behind it.
This next title reminds me of a how-to book of "How to Learn to Write a Best Selling Novel in Thirty Days". You can't do it by simply reading about it. You must take what you've read and what you've heard and actually practice it. I read this guide and still can't hold a football with one hand.
Now to be fair, the instructors go on to explain the steps and expect real participation out of their students rather than just reading the guide.
After reading this guide to How To Throw a Football, you'll be able to put a tight spiral right in your receiver's arms.
Step 1: Understand the Physics
Just like any projectile, a football is bound by the laws of physics. There are three scientific concepts you'll want to keep in the back of your mind when you're throwing the football.1
Velocity: This is the speed of the ball. The harder you throw, of course, the more distance your ball will cover.
Vector: This is the angle at which you throw the ball.1 Throwing at a steep angle (closer to 90 degrees) will send the ball higher but not as far. A shallow angle (closer to parallel to the ground) will send the ball further, but can be knocked down by defenders.
Rotation
(There are four steps in these instructions.)
Step 4: flick Your Wrist and Let it Fly...cont.
Conclusion
Now that you have the basics, keep your eyes peeled as you watch football on TV. Look at the different ways each quarterback throws the ball. Think of tiny modifications you could make to your throw.
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-throw-a-football
Have you ever had a reviewer similarly advise you to read good books and analyze the way the published writers do it? Scriptwriters know to study movies and note how the tension builds to the plot points. In books and films, note when the plot turns, note how conflict moves the story forward. Study ball games and note how you could make your throw. It's all good advice.
Writing has its basic building structure-beginning with an idea. If a step is missed for any reason, the story will remain at the tee ball level, never to be among the big leagues.
There are many articles written on how to write, and they are helpful in learning each separate element such as: developing characters, building tension, voice, show don't tell, what makes a good title, and so on. Learning these things are necessary but they won't make a whole story by themselves. Reading articles and how-to write books won't do a whole lot of good if you don't understand what they mean. Many of them assume the reader is familiar with the craft, and are just looking for a few tips. Steven King's "On Writing" is good, but his intended audience are those who know where they need improvement. Much of it tends to go over a beginner writer's head.
Don't think you can get away with breaking a rule just because an established writer does. Their name is a well-known brand. They've paid their dues and they're given a pass. New writers can't get away with the same things.
There is a second list of elements that are rarely mentioned in feedback. On this list are: good ideas, storytelling, outlines, story architecture, structure, plot and character arcs, concept, theme, and they all need to be understood. The elements in both lists must be blended with the different flavors of conflict to make a complete story. If any are missing the story will be weak, or worse-it will be dead.
Few articles are found that address this second list in depth, and that's too bad because they are the first steps to writing well. Once they are mastered, tension, showing and all the rest will be easier. In my opinion, voice and style are the most misunderstood buzz words of new writers, and too much emphasis are put into developing these two before learning to write. These are developed in direct proportion to developing the craft. They come naturally. It's up to the new writer to pursue good sources of study. They need to ask questions and listen to the answers. They don't know what they don't know, and they need to do all they can to find out. Feedback usually addresses only what is on the page and it may be good or not, but what is not on the page is the part they don't know is missing. If the reviewer is at the same stage of writing as the writer, they won't know either. It's the missing parts that make a story work for a publisher and for perceptive reviewers.
Keep in mind that with ball games a win depends on the whole team cooperating with each other. The proof of correct practicing lies in the final score.
To 'win' a publishing contract a writer depends on his 'teammate' reviewers to cooperate by giving honest feedback. But good writing is subjective. A writer is basically on their own and must take the initiative in finding out what they don't know and practicing constantly. The proof of practicing lies in the official publishing contract--one that the writer didn't pay for. There isn't a short cut to success.
Find a good reviewer, teacher, or mentor who knows what he's talking about and squeeze as much knowledge out of him as you can. Then take your allotted 10,000 hours and practice writing the right way.
Oh, and keep reading good books. They are good teachers if you hold your mouth just right.
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There were more good tips given by our writers.  You guys are cooking! I collect good tips you know, so anytime you want to send yours in--feel free.
Comments on "Invalid Entry"
By: shaara
This article on personality quirks was a great reminder of how to build a character. I loved your idea of researching personality disorders. That offers up some delightfully useful ideas! Thanks!
Thanks, Shaara! I hoped it would do that. Sometimes it's good to go back and refresh our memory about just how much we do know.
By: Coolhand
Your continuing look at character development really gets to the nitty-gritty. Good stuff and great advice, esprit.
I'm glad you think so, Coolhand--thank you!
By: drifter46
The village reminded me of a movie I just saw again. Hitchcock's Rear Window. A perfect view of various characters and their activities as well as a look into personalities. Miss Lonely Heart. Miss Torso to mention just two. Again thanks for the reminder. The apartment is a great way to discover characters
We appreciate the feedback, thanks!
You're right, Jack! I remember that one now. I've seen all of Hitchcock's films, so the idea for the Village may have generated there--thanks for the reminder of how ideas are born.
By: northernwrites
This has been a great series of editorials, esprit.
I think the tootsie-pop may have been used to both contrast with Kojak's personality (it's sweet, he's usually pretty much a hardcase), and as a metaphor for his personality (thick, hard-shell exterior, softer center), since he did actually care. There were a few episodes where that was brought out in the open, and his other trademark quirk, "Who loves ya, baby," wasn't ironic.
Northernwrites
Why, thank you, Northernwrites! I think your analysis is probably right. You've shown how we, as writers, can take a character from inside a book or movie and and figure out how its author used an oddity or quirk. It's a lesson we can put into our toolboxes and a great exercise for developing quirks and their origins for our own unforgettable characters. A good tip.
Editors:
Kate - Writing & Reading 
Vivian 
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