As a Side Note / On Writing

How do I write? Writing Process Blog Tour

by Pete O Shea via Flickr
by Pete O Shea via Flickr

Rachel Stirling from Stirlingwriter blog invited me to take part in a Blog Tour: it is exciting, as it’s my first one. Rachel’s blog post on Writing Process was published last week, and now it is my turn to answer 4 questions. I should also be passing the baton to the next three (un)lucky writers, but unfortunately everyone seems to be enjoying the prolonged weekend and I found no volunteers yet. So I leave the three spots open and if you want to take one of them and write a post for next Monday (28/04/2014) – just let me know in the comments.

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What am I working on at the moment?

At the moment I am focusing on two short stories I have planned: one of them is a sci-fi with a bit of horror flavouring, the other one will be set in an alternative history. It’s a new experience for me to write both of them as I never attempted to write anything horror-related before and the other story is a bit of an experiment as well with two worlds interwoven. But there are always other stories and ideas to be written as well, some of them partially done, some still nothing more than ideas. This way I can avoid writer’s block by jumping into another story if I hit a speed bump while writing the current one. (more…)

6 Comments
April 21, 2014
On Writing / Personal Rants

The Most Dreaded Questions

By takomabibelot via Flickr
By takomabibelot via Flickr

We all have questions that we don’t like to be asked, that makes us feel uncomfortable. From “So, what’s your story about” when you would have to give away the precious plot twist forged so carefully to “So, are you planning on publishing it?” that would lead to hours-long lecture on differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing and why “planning” is not necessarily the correct verb. It even might be “Why did you kill that character?” when you simply don’t know the answer…

But the most dreaded question on my list is something different. It makes me feel a bit lost and I start wondering how one explains passion to others. The ones who have a passion on their own, something that occupies their thoughts almost all the time, will understand, but they rarely ask such question. They already relate and they would instantly understand a simple answer such as “Because I have to.” (more…)

8 Comments
March 16, 2014
On Writing / Personal Rants

Climbing the Literary Mountains

I remember the time from my early twenties when I first went to Tatra Mountains in southern Poland to hike.

Of course, I’ve been there before, but back then I was too young to consider the mountains something more than just pretty surroundings. Our parents took me and my brother around Zakopane, picturesque town at the foothills of the mountain, and strolled with us through valleys that looked like they’ve been stolen from fantasy books. I can still recall some of the views, particular places, the mood even though over a quarter of century passed since then.

Tatra Mountains, Czerwone Wierchy - by Ryszard Zuchowski
Tatra Mountains, Czerwone Wierchy – by Ryszard Zuchowski

But it was only little over ten years ago when I packed my backpack and embarked on a train to Zakopane knowing this time I won’t be simply admiring the mountains, I will be actually climing them. I felt excited and I felt ready: even if I wasn’t an athelete, more bookworm than a fitness freak, I knew I could walk for ages, so I saw no reason why I couldn’t make it to the very peaks. (more…)

18 Comments
January 20, 2014
On Writing / Writing in a second language

Writing in a second language – part III

After a bit of a break I am back with the third part of “Writing in a second language” and a next tip. Last time I advised you to not translate when you write, this time I suggest:

Do not use dictionaries

Catchy, isn’t it? And since I got your attention I will clarify a bit: do not use bilingual dictionaries when you write. Although, all in all, dictionaries are more than beneficial to any writing (be it native or a second language), being too attached to bilingual dictionaries might bring you more harm than benefits. (more…)

0 Comments
December 30, 2013
On Writing / Writing in a second language

Writing in a second language – part II

Last time I promised to share a few tricks that would help you to improve your second language writing skills. These are not ultimate truths (and maybe they will even they will be something obvious for you) and they don’t guarantee your second language will suddenly become perfect: in fact, they might not work for you at all. But I hope that at least they will inspire you to try or to come up with your own tricks.

I thought I’d be sharing all of them at once, but it turned out I have a lot more to share than I thought. This is why I decided to focus only on one or two tricks in a post otherwise the text would be too long and you’d have to wait for it much longer. Today comes the first of the tricks.

Do not translate

I have to admit that I sat for quite a while trying to decide which advice would be the most crucial, the most beneficial of them all. There it is: do not translate. (more…)

10 Comments
December 9, 2013
On Writing

You can find a story in a single sentence

Sometimes it feels like creating a story, a good story, requires a lot of time and effort, but a good story idea might be hidden in one sentence if you only give it a chance.

Of course, one sentence itself is not enough to be a story, there still will be some thinking and creating to be done, but it’s a good start and base you can build on. Contrary to what you think, I am not about to advise you to “try to sum up your story in one sentence”, as this would be something you do after all the creating and thinking is done. (more…)

0 Comments
November 18, 2013