James Killick's Blog

Yes, I agree, Jenny. It acts as a place to try thi...

2012-05-29T21:02:00.048+01:00

Yes, I agree, Jenny. It acts as a place to try things out and develop ideas. When I write a treatment upfront I tend to keep it as I start work on the WIP. It serves as a reminder to myself of what I originally had in mind for characters and the story. I also tend to update it as things change and develop in the WIP, so the treatment always remains representative of what I eventually write and acts as a condensed view of the story and characters. You can be sure that if it sounds pretty good in the treatment, it will be pretty good in the WIP. In truth though, I don't do this for all projects, but I find myself doing it more and more.

I share Hemmie's sentiment: this is how I star...

2012-05-29T05:42:11.779+01:00

I share Hemmie's sentiment: this is how I start a WIP?
But I just did this (works great as a procrastination technique, btw), and I was glad to find it pretty helpful. I'm not sure that the characters will keep the backgrounds I've given them, but it is good to get me thinking about it. And it's fun--almost like I'm writing a bunch of short stories (which, admittedly, are all vignettes).
Thanks.

Yep, you're right - tension does work. Would y...

2012-05-28T20:46:34.452+01:00

Yep, you're right - tension does work. Would you say tension is evident in the books I address in my post though? I tend to think of tension as something that necessitates good writing to maintain it, while the 'big three' ingredients I reference here can make a book worth reading in spite of bad writing.

Mmm - funny, so much of my writing life seems to b...

2012-05-28T20:33:02.707+01:00

Mmm - funny, so much of my writing life seems to be laughing while nearly crying - normally when I'm reading over my first draft. Glad you liked the post. Hope you stick around for more.

Hi James, sorry I missed this. No, not famous yet ...

2012-05-28T16:21:50.891+01:00

Hi James, sorry I missed this. No, not famous yet and I doubt I ever will be in the sea of writers that inhabit the world. So far only available on Amazon USA and Barnes & Noble. It's a slow process and I'm still waiting for it to arrive at Amazon UK.
Hope all is well with you and yours :-)

Hmmmm, ok...scary thought but it could very well b...

2012-05-26T23:22:24.238+01:00

Hmmmm, ok...scary thought but it could very well be.

Thnks, i´ve been wondering the same thing about ho...

2012-05-26T23:21:06.192+01:00

Thnks, i´ve been wondering the same thing about how certain books ( i.e. twilight) -get published and eventually sell by the millions. Good insight. I would at one little word TENSION.

I´m laughing AND nearly crying. After reading this...

2012-05-26T23:14:03.435+01:00

I´m laughing AND nearly crying. After reading this, i realize that I was right after all. Now I have to bring out all my old first drafts and make peace with them. Thanks for giving us permission to give the world the finger and just WRITE what as want to write!

Very true.Such a nice concept. Your information is...

2012-05-22T12:12:16.234+01:00

Very true.Such a nice concept. Your information is true up to great most of the extent. Thanks for sharing.Thanks for the useful information.Such a inspirable and good post . I am able to get new knowledge while reading this . Keep sharing this type of informative posts.

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Thanks, Hem. Are you famous yet? When and where ca...

2012-05-21T21:37:52.469+01:00

Thanks, Hem. Are you famous yet? When and where can we buy your novel?

Glad you found it useful, John, and thanks for you...

2012-05-21T21:37:08.905+01:00

Glad you found it useful, John, and thanks for your comment and support.

I hadn't heard the term 'treatment' us...

2012-05-18T22:58:56.251+01:00

I hadn't heard the term 'treatment' used in this context, and I'm surprised to see that this is how I start a new WIP. It's nice to have a term to use!
Great blog as ever, James.

Hemmie

Excellent insights, James. I'd never thought o...

2012-05-18T17:51:15.590+01:00

Excellent insights, James. I'd never thought of a treatment as a tool to identify and fix structural problems, but it makes perfect sense.

Now, must spread the word.

Thanks, Hem.

2012-05-08T17:51:53.409+01:00

Thanks, Hem.

Well, thank you for taking the time to read and co...

2012-05-08T17:49:43.210+01:00

Well, thank you for taking the time to read and comment, and thank Lexi for the recommendation if you see her before I do. Glad you liked the post. Hope you find other stuff here of use to you too.

I'm often chatting to my characters when perfo...

2012-05-04T23:39:52.779+01:00

I'm often chatting to my characters when performing mundane chores. Thank you for confirming that I'm not mad. It's good to talk :-)
Great post, James.

Lexi Revellian said that this was a helpful articl...

2012-05-02T12:43:44.028+01:00

Lexi Revellian said that this was a helpful article, and it is! I like the idea that talent is at the bottom of the ladder: useful but not the most important thing.

@Martina - hey, Martina, thanks for taking the tim...

2012-04-11T20:14:57.119+01:00

@Martina - hey, Martina, thanks for taking the time to post - I know you're a busy girl. Glad you liked it.

@Cheryl - thanks Cheryl, you know you're more than welcome to come back anytime!

This is one of those posts I'll return to when...

2012-04-10T17:44:57.856+01:00

This is one of those posts I'll return to when I need a boost in motivation. I need a list like this when discouragement sets in--thanks!

Lovely post. Thanks for the kick in the pants. :D ...

2012-04-10T17:39:37.939+01:00

Lovely post. Thanks for the kick in the pants. :D

Martina

What an immortal words that "a person can'...

2012-04-10T08:32:37.548+01:00

What an immortal words that "a person can't be recognized until he is under stress". Amazing article.hands off to you...

Thanks for publish. It’s really useful products.i ...

2012-04-07T19:54:49.026+01:00

Thanks for publish. It’s really useful products.i really like to study and wish to understand a lot and have a awesome encounter here ! best regaeds Guys…

@Russell - Hi Russell - glad you liked the post. N...

2012-04-02T21:31:10.183+01:00

@Russell - Hi Russell - glad you liked the post. Nice to hear from a prolific blogger like yourself. Keep up the good work on 'In Search of a Life Less Ordinary' and thanks for taking the time to read and comment.

@Sarah - Hey Sarah - yes, writing is better than a lot of things - but it's amazing what you can learn from watching bad TV (mmm, feels like a blog post!). Thanks for commenting, and welcome to the blog.

Lovely post. Sometimes, when I'm sitting there...

2012-03-31T17:12:52.919+01:00

Lovely post. Sometimes, when I'm sitting there and the words won't come, I remind myself that it's better than watching bad television :-)

Great post, James. I think the 'regret' pa...

2012-03-30T02:54:28.517+01:00

Great post, James. I think the 'regret' paragraph resonates most with me. Procrastination and excuses can often be an aspiring writer's worst enemy and to never have tried seems like the worst kind of sin. All good stuff - thanks.