Aug 04 2008
Hyperventilating
Eight days until my RTB post, and I have nothing. I do NOT want to do the rant. (Although I did get about halfway through a comparison with Coke’s disastrous tampering with its formula before my tantrum exhausted me. I’ll save it, but I’m no longer in the mood to use it.) I don’t want to be controversial (tacky). I don’t want to butt heads with people who have differing opinions (pointless). I’d rather do funny or fun or at the very least upbeat. I’m in the right frame of mind, but the mind in the frame is completely blank. Guidance?
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August 4th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Look for something else? I know, that’s sort of what you’re asking about, but seriously, finding a column topic is like finding a story idea. They’re all around, but the trick is finding the best one to work up and send out there right now. If the rant you mentioned earlier isn’t doing it for you anymore, then it’s like starting from scratch.
The best way I’ve found to generate ideas is to expose myself to a lot of input. Reading articles or commentaries or someone else’s blog post, or several pieces on the same event or topic or controversy or whatever, will often make me think, “Well, yeah, but what about this aspect of it…?” and I’ll find something different to say about it.
For example, the post I just put up a bit ago is about the reader backlash against the fourth Twilight book. I’ve never read any of them so my point isn’t really to comment on whether the book actually stinks or not, but rather the idea that, hey, there are a lot of people returning this book they bought and disliked. I wonder if this’ll set a precedent? If so, then it’ll potentially affect all of us in publishing.
The fact that the Twilight books are YA romance would’ve made it an appropriate topic for an RTB post, if it’d been my turn this week, and I could easily have slanted the write-up toward romance specifically, maybe gone into some of the reasons why people who were expecting the culmination of a romance series were disappointed, and linked to another post where someone did a really good analysis of where the book failed without getting all Outraged Fangirly. It probably would’ve been a good RTB discussion.
But that’s how I do it. And it’s one of the reasons I write about trends and events in the industry, among other things; column topics tend to pop up pretty regularly, and you get automatic interest if you can show the readers why this topic is relevant to them.
Other than that, any priming-the-pump exercises you use for fiction could probably help with your column too. I have no clue what works for you, but could you adapt any of your standard tricks or exercises or acts of desperation [grin] for nonfiction?
Another thought a writer friend just passed on to me for a story, which might work for an article. Write five beginnings, then look back and figure out which one you like best and finish it. Knowing that most of what you’re writing is going to be trashed anyway takes some of the pressure to be OMGPerfect!! off and can help things flow. No clue whether it’ll work for you, but just something to throw out there.
Luck!
Angie
August 4th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Drawing a total blank, though Angie gave some very good advice.
However, if this is the worst thing you’re freaking out over, I’d say consider yourself lucky.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:07 am
When all else fails me, I make a hilariously entertaining top ten list on an unexpected topic. Like the top ten ways to piss off your wife. Or the top ten worst first chapter ideas ever. And then I make my list totally over the top, plenty of hyperbole disguising the few nuggets of wisdom I accidentally left behind, and go for the spew the screen with whatever you were drinking laugh.
Usually works for me. =)
August 5th, 2008 at 4:07 am
Thanks, Angela, Gwen, and C.J. I think I found my angle. Don’t know if it’s spew-worthy, but I’ll take whatever I can get at this point.
ETA: Yeah, definitely got it. Find the right bit of silliness, and it all sort of falls right into place…
August 5th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
August 5th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Twitter, meat, and handcuffs, oh my…
