I finished writing a new novel earlier this month. After letting it sit a week or so, I started rereading it, revising, and sending preliminary drafts out for critique to my writing group.
Now, you must know that the idea for this novel came to me years ago - when I was only a junior in high school. However, all the pieces didn't click together until now, when the book came rushing out of my fingers and pounded in the keys of my laptop.
When I started writing just a few months ago, I began with a sentence (like all of us do). Let's call that Sentence A.
However, when I looked over my notes, I found another beginning sentence I'd written back in high school. This is Sentence B. Not only was it completely different, but it started me almost two chapters prior in the day than what I wrote in Sentence A.
So, naturally, I decided I'd play out what happened between Sentence B and Sentence A. Five thousand words of exposition later, I had a first and second chapter cluttering up the most important part of my novel - the beginning.
It's not like that information is bad, or not useful, or even boring. Things happen. Important characters are introduced. The world is set up.
But it isn't the RIGHT information. It's not the stuff that readers need to know about the protagonist and the inciting incident right from the very first page.
In fact, one of the women in my writing group said, "It's not like Sentence B didn't grab me. It did. It took me by the hand. But Sentence A grabs me by the throat and doesn't let me go."
The strange part about all of this is that I knew that Sentence A was better. I knew that I had to start my novel there all along.
And you know too.
You know when you read through your draft that that verb is too flowery or that sentence isn't right. You know when your protagonist's monologue that stretches for three pages is way too much dialogue and not enough action. You know that you had to start with Sentence A rather than Sentence B.
That's the beauty of being a writer. All you need is within you. You can feel the self doubt creeping in, whispering "that doesn't work." You hear it, even subconsciously, and it puts this seed inside you that makes you show your work to others and ask, "Hey, what do you think of Sentence B?"
Every time (if they're not lying to save your feelings), your readers and critiquers, and yes, your agents, know that you should cut Sentence B and all that precedes it.
The power lies within you. The hard part is learning to listen to it.
The reward, however, is great. I'd much rather grab a reader by the throat and have them tearing through my novel than lead them timidly by the hand.
Showing posts with label Dedication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dedication. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
What To Do When You Hate Your Novel
This being my first post of the new year, I wanted to say something really positive. But I've heard from a lot of my writer friends lately that they've been in a funk. That novel they've been working on that seemed so promising and lovely...now they hate it.
Literally, hate it.
Like, think of it and groan. Look over a terrible paragraph or two and cry. Want to chuck your laptop out the window, kind of hate.
They think, why has this happened, it was going so well? Great, now I've wasted four months of my life on this thing that sucks.
I've been there. I've thought those same thoughts. The thing to remember is, this happens to all of us. As creative people, we doubt ourselves. This is beneficial because it stops us from doing something crazy - like quitting our careers and trying to write the next great American novel on a mountain in Tibet. It is also the driving force behind revision - because we want our work to be the best it can be, which means it needs to be better than the draft I wrote the first time around.
However, self-doubt can also be crushing. It can make you hate your work for really no reason whatsoever. Maybe your own voice annoys you. Maybe you can't riddle out the meaning of a scene. It's so frustrating that soon, you tell yourself you've never been an artist at all. You suck at writing and you should stop writing this novel right now.
What I'll tell you, faithful blog reader, is exactly what I tell my friends when they're in this funk. This is entirely normal behavior, but please, take a break.
First, you need to know that most every writer goes through this - especially with long materials like novels. Sooner or later, you will hate it - either from reading and rereading it too many times or out of frustration with your muse, but it will happen.
Now, it's important that you don't then delete the whole thing, burn your hard drive and spend all your savings on a new car you don't need. What you must do is set writing down for a moment and take a break. Go to the coffee shop for a few hours. Lock yourself in your room and reread Harry Potter. Go sky diving. Take a month or two and travel and meet new friends. Take a year and don't worry about writing.
If you're truly meant to write - if it's something you MUST do - you will always come back to it, and it will be waiting for you. Because, at this point, writing has chosen you as much as you have chosen it.
However, if writing truly does give you unneeded stress and torture, perhaps it hasn't chosen you after all. Perhaps you're not meant to be tortured by it.
For most of us who do the research on blogs and internet videos about the craft, and for those of us who've lost sleep pounding away at the keys in a fit of sheer elation, we're stuck in the writing life forever. Embrace it. But sometimes you can embrace it too strongly and smother the poor thing. This is when you need to take a break. Whether it's an hour or two years, do what you have to do to love writing again.
I promise it's worth it.
Just don't - whatever you do - delete your hard drive in a fit of rage.
Literally, hate it.
Like, think of it and groan. Look over a terrible paragraph or two and cry. Want to chuck your laptop out the window, kind of hate.
They think, why has this happened, it was going so well? Great, now I've wasted four months of my life on this thing that sucks.
I've been there. I've thought those same thoughts. The thing to remember is, this happens to all of us. As creative people, we doubt ourselves. This is beneficial because it stops us from doing something crazy - like quitting our careers and trying to write the next great American novel on a mountain in Tibet. It is also the driving force behind revision - because we want our work to be the best it can be, which means it needs to be better than the draft I wrote the first time around.
However, self-doubt can also be crushing. It can make you hate your work for really no reason whatsoever. Maybe your own voice annoys you. Maybe you can't riddle out the meaning of a scene. It's so frustrating that soon, you tell yourself you've never been an artist at all. You suck at writing and you should stop writing this novel right now.
What I'll tell you, faithful blog reader, is exactly what I tell my friends when they're in this funk. This is entirely normal behavior, but please, take a break.
First, you need to know that most every writer goes through this - especially with long materials like novels. Sooner or later, you will hate it - either from reading and rereading it too many times or out of frustration with your muse, but it will happen.
Now, it's important that you don't then delete the whole thing, burn your hard drive and spend all your savings on a new car you don't need. What you must do is set writing down for a moment and take a break. Go to the coffee shop for a few hours. Lock yourself in your room and reread Harry Potter. Go sky diving. Take a month or two and travel and meet new friends. Take a year and don't worry about writing.
If you're truly meant to write - if it's something you MUST do - you will always come back to it, and it will be waiting for you. Because, at this point, writing has chosen you as much as you have chosen it.
However, if writing truly does give you unneeded stress and torture, perhaps it hasn't chosen you after all. Perhaps you're not meant to be tortured by it.
For most of us who do the research on blogs and internet videos about the craft, and for those of us who've lost sleep pounding away at the keys in a fit of sheer elation, we're stuck in the writing life forever. Embrace it. But sometimes you can embrace it too strongly and smother the poor thing. This is when you need to take a break. Whether it's an hour or two years, do what you have to do to love writing again.
I promise it's worth it.
Just don't - whatever you do - delete your hard drive in a fit of rage.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Bringing in 2016 with Lofty Goals
Hi all!
2016 is just days away and it's about time we started thinking about goals again. While it's great to have goals year round, there's something really exciting about starting the new year with a plan.
Many of us set personal goals: we want to lose weight, quit sugar, save more money for retirement...so on and so forth. But when was the last time you set a professional goal for yourself?
I surely can't think of it.
So, this New Year, along with my personal goal, I'm also going to set a professional goal. And it's a big one.
Drum roll please.......
Whew, I said it. No, I BLOGGED it, which makes it more real.
Now, this won't be my first novel. In fact, I've written five novels/novel length projects since committing to writing as my profession, but the other day I was thinking about how I haven't written something fun (like fiction, essays, or poems) in a few weeks. My life has simply been too chaotic with everything else going on. I'm sure you can relate.
That also got me thinking about my big novels that I've written in the past and how they really need to be revised.
So, that led me to the conclusion that I MUST write another novel in 2016. I currently have no idea what it will be about, who the characters are, or even where it takes place. I know nothing other than the fact that I will write it sometime this year.
The universe will give me the idea when it's ready and I am too. I'm sure of that. In the meantime, I'm screaming out into the void of everything saying, THIS is my year. Let's get this novel going.
Do you have any writing goals for 2016? Shout them into the aether of the universe by sharing them in the comments section.
2016 is just days away and it's about time we started thinking about goals again. While it's great to have goals year round, there's something really exciting about starting the new year with a plan.
Many of us set personal goals: we want to lose weight, quit sugar, save more money for retirement...so on and so forth. But when was the last time you set a professional goal for yourself?
I surely can't think of it.
So, this New Year, along with my personal goal, I'm also going to set a professional goal. And it's a big one.
Drum roll please.......
I'M GOING TO WRITE A NOVEL THIS YEAR.
Whew, I said it. No, I BLOGGED it, which makes it more real.
Now, this won't be my first novel. In fact, I've written five novels/novel length projects since committing to writing as my profession, but the other day I was thinking about how I haven't written something fun (like fiction, essays, or poems) in a few weeks. My life has simply been too chaotic with everything else going on. I'm sure you can relate.
That also got me thinking about my big novels that I've written in the past and how they really need to be revised.
So, that led me to the conclusion that I MUST write another novel in 2016. I currently have no idea what it will be about, who the characters are, or even where it takes place. I know nothing other than the fact that I will write it sometime this year.
The universe will give me the idea when it's ready and I am too. I'm sure of that. In the meantime, I'm screaming out into the void of everything saying, THIS is my year. Let's get this novel going.
Do you have any writing goals for 2016? Shout them into the aether of the universe by sharing them in the comments section.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Challenge Post: Opposite Day
I was recently told that I have to do a pretty hefty revision of a short story I wrote months ago. In my mind, the piece was just as it was supposed to be with enough tension and explanation of the plot to get to the next story in the series while still allowing this piece to stand on its own. Of course, that was 5 months ago, so I probably feel differently about it now. (Readers and editors sure do! lol)
To keep myself from the defensive rut of, "I need this paragraph of delicious prose" or "How can they not understand the subtle characterization?", I'm challenging myself to an opposite day.
The rules of opposite day are simple: You must write in an area or manner which is completely opposite to your normal style.
For instance, I normally write behind tightly closed doors where no one but my rabbits (who are too short to see the screen anyway) can hear my fingers dance along the keyboard. I prefer a tomb-like silence and stillness and even the fan of my laptop kicking in can throw me from my meditation.
So, on opposite day, I'm taking my laptop to the coffee shop uptown and writing amongst human beings. There will be talking, cell phone noise, espresso sounds and smells. People will probably come up and ask me what I'm doing. I will have to be cordial.
The whole idea of opposite day is to jolt you out of your normal routine and mindset and make you see your work from the perspective of new readers - readers who often first encounter your piece on their commute to work, or on their lunch break, or while also watching TV.
But I don't want to be the only one using opposite day. I challenge you, fellow blog reader, no matter what day you stumble upon this post, to do opposite day with me.
Do you normally write surrounded by bustling action and many people? Then find a way to write in peace (yes, even if you have to shut yourself in the bathroom). Do you write listening to blaring music? Take off the headphones and see what your characters say in silence. Vice versa.
Change something. See what happens. Even if it sucks, you'll have tried one more option and be another step closer to perfection.
To keep myself from the defensive rut of, "I need this paragraph of delicious prose" or "How can they not understand the subtle characterization?", I'm challenging myself to an opposite day.
The rules of opposite day are simple: You must write in an area or manner which is completely opposite to your normal style.
For instance, I normally write behind tightly closed doors where no one but my rabbits (who are too short to see the screen anyway) can hear my fingers dance along the keyboard. I prefer a tomb-like silence and stillness and even the fan of my laptop kicking in can throw me from my meditation.
So, on opposite day, I'm taking my laptop to the coffee shop uptown and writing amongst human beings. There will be talking, cell phone noise, espresso sounds and smells. People will probably come up and ask me what I'm doing. I will have to be cordial.
The whole idea of opposite day is to jolt you out of your normal routine and mindset and make you see your work from the perspective of new readers - readers who often first encounter your piece on their commute to work, or on their lunch break, or while also watching TV.
But I don't want to be the only one using opposite day. I challenge you, fellow blog reader, no matter what day you stumble upon this post, to do opposite day with me.
Do you normally write surrounded by bustling action and many people? Then find a way to write in peace (yes, even if you have to shut yourself in the bathroom). Do you write listening to blaring music? Take off the headphones and see what your characters say in silence. Vice versa.
Change something. See what happens. Even if it sucks, you'll have tried one more option and be another step closer to perfection.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
An Addition to the Books On Writing Series: BIG MAGIC
As you know from my Books On Writing post series, I read a fair share of books by famous writers talking about writing. So, when I visited my local library last week and saw Elizabeth Gilbert's new book BIG MAGIC: CREATIVE LIVING BEYOND FEAR, I just had to check it out.
Image From Amazon (Book also purchasable there): http://www.amazon.com/Big-Magic-Creative-Living-Beyond/dp/1594634718/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449074141&sr=8-1&keywords=big+magic
However, this book wasn't the ABC XYZ step by step book on the craft that I was used to. Instead, Ms. Gilbert focuses on the most basic of building blocks upon which writing is founded - creative living. At first I though, well I don't need this, I already write and paint and draw and craft - I'm creative, dang it! I live it! But as I've read through (I'm about halfway now), I've found some helpful insight into the creative life that I've never thought of before or that I simply skipped over with tightly closed eyes.
In the "Permission" section of the book that I read last night, I found a delightfully put phrasing that applies so readily to writing and other writers.
To paraphrase the overall idea: Ms. Gilbert says that we need to defend our creative lifestyles (mostly to ourselves and our own egos) by first defining ourselves. "I'm a writer." Actually say it, out loud, to the universe. It is your proclamation of intent.
She then goes on to say:
"This proclamation of intent...is not something you can do just once and then expect miracles; it's something you must do daily, forever. I've had to keep defining and defending myself as a writer every single day of my adult life - constantly reminding and re-reminding my soul and the cosmos that I'm very serious about the business of creative living, and that I will never stop creating, no matter what the outcome, and no matter how deep my anxieties and insecurities may be." (Gilbert, pg. 95)
This paragraph is so inspiring to me because it reveals that even an extremely well known and successful author across nonfiction and fiction genres still has doubts. She still feels unsure of herself and her work. It's a feeling I'm not unfamiliar with myself.
So, whether you're just starting out as a writer and unsure you have anything new to bring to the table, or whether you're a seasoned pro unsure whether anyone wants what you've brought to the table all this time - know that your belief in yourself is enough. If you write, then you are a writer, and you deserve to be one. Your voice and your viewpoints deserve to be heard.
And just as you must dutifully work on your craft everyday, you must also affirm to yourself that you are enough in your creative life.
Go on, say it with me now:
Believe it.
PS> I highly recommend checking out BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert when you have some time. It's definitely going into my Books On Writing category. Both newbies and vets can relate to the primal info contained in this book.
However, this book wasn't the ABC XYZ step by step book on the craft that I was used to. Instead, Ms. Gilbert focuses on the most basic of building blocks upon which writing is founded - creative living. At first I though, well I don't need this, I already write and paint and draw and craft - I'm creative, dang it! I live it! But as I've read through (I'm about halfway now), I've found some helpful insight into the creative life that I've never thought of before or that I simply skipped over with tightly closed eyes.
In the "Permission" section of the book that I read last night, I found a delightfully put phrasing that applies so readily to writing and other writers.
To paraphrase the overall idea: Ms. Gilbert says that we need to defend our creative lifestyles (mostly to ourselves and our own egos) by first defining ourselves. "I'm a writer." Actually say it, out loud, to the universe. It is your proclamation of intent.
She then goes on to say:
"This proclamation of intent...is not something you can do just once and then expect miracles; it's something you must do daily, forever. I've had to keep defining and defending myself as a writer every single day of my adult life - constantly reminding and re-reminding my soul and the cosmos that I'm very serious about the business of creative living, and that I will never stop creating, no matter what the outcome, and no matter how deep my anxieties and insecurities may be." (Gilbert, pg. 95)
This paragraph is so inspiring to me because it reveals that even an extremely well known and successful author across nonfiction and fiction genres still has doubts. She still feels unsure of herself and her work. It's a feeling I'm not unfamiliar with myself.
So, whether you're just starting out as a writer and unsure you have anything new to bring to the table, or whether you're a seasoned pro unsure whether anyone wants what you've brought to the table all this time - know that your belief in yourself is enough. If you write, then you are a writer, and you deserve to be one. Your voice and your viewpoints deserve to be heard.
And just as you must dutifully work on your craft everyday, you must also affirm to yourself that you are enough in your creative life.
Go on, say it with me now:
I AM A WRITER
Believe it.
PS> I highly recommend checking out BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert when you have some time. It's definitely going into my Books On Writing category. Both newbies and vets can relate to the primal info contained in this book.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Forcing the Muse
My schedule didn't allow me to participate in NANOWRIMO this year, but I do have a handful of friends who undertook the challenge. My conversations with them has led me to understand one very important thing: Sometimes the muse doesn't come willingly. Sometimes you have to drag it.
One friend of mine sat looking at her computer screen for the first four days of November, slowly falling behind in her word count. She fretted over the fact she had no concept, no characters, no setting, and no plot line.
Her imagination was an empty void.
"I would have quit," I admitted sheepishly to her. "Not writing, of course, but I would have quit NANOWRIMO. Obviously, it wasn't my year."
The beautiful thing is: she didn't take my advice.
On the fifth day, frustrated and crying, she began writing down absolute nonsense.
My headphones are red. The cord is longer than I think it should be. I have a sugar skull eraser. I don't wish to use it in case I erase off the face.
Pages and pages of nonsense ensued. Two lattes were downed and refilled. Somewhere, along the way, her muse remembered how to walk, then run.
By the end of the week she had a character and a novel plot. Her setting unfolded and she caught up, then surpassed her word count goals.
All of us have been here at some point - staring for days, thinking it's finally happened, we've finally lost our ability to write creatively. In fact, as I write this blog post, I'm in that boat. I've been sick for three weeks and with the surroundings of a new state, new house, and new job, I haven't had much time to devote to writing. Now throw in the holidays and it's like my muse no longer exists.
What I'll have to do next, and what you'll likely have to do eventually too, is force the muse. I'm going to have to get her out of her recliner, walking and remembering what writing feels like and how easily ideas can flow. I'm going to have to make her recall the beauty and the freedom in writing.
And while I won't be NANOWRIMOing anytime soon, I'm hoping a new short story or novel flows forth. I'm not giving up until it does.
One friend of mine sat looking at her computer screen for the first four days of November, slowly falling behind in her word count. She fretted over the fact she had no concept, no characters, no setting, and no plot line.
Her imagination was an empty void.
"I would have quit," I admitted sheepishly to her. "Not writing, of course, but I would have quit NANOWRIMO. Obviously, it wasn't my year."
The beautiful thing is: she didn't take my advice.
On the fifth day, frustrated and crying, she began writing down absolute nonsense.
My headphones are red. The cord is longer than I think it should be. I have a sugar skull eraser. I don't wish to use it in case I erase off the face.
Pages and pages of nonsense ensued. Two lattes were downed and refilled. Somewhere, along the way, her muse remembered how to walk, then run.
By the end of the week she had a character and a novel plot. Her setting unfolded and she caught up, then surpassed her word count goals.
All of us have been here at some point - staring for days, thinking it's finally happened, we've finally lost our ability to write creatively. In fact, as I write this blog post, I'm in that boat. I've been sick for three weeks and with the surroundings of a new state, new house, and new job, I haven't had much time to devote to writing. Now throw in the holidays and it's like my muse no longer exists.
What I'll have to do next, and what you'll likely have to do eventually too, is force the muse. I'm going to have to get her out of her recliner, walking and remembering what writing feels like and how easily ideas can flow. I'm going to have to make her recall the beauty and the freedom in writing.
And while I won't be NANOWRIMOing anytime soon, I'm hoping a new short story or novel flows forth. I'm not giving up until it does.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
What To Do When the Muse Escapes You
It's a very busy time of year for many of us. School is back in session, summer vacations are over and gone, the days are getting shorter - ugh! With all of this and the stress of normal, everyday life, sometimes our writing falls to the back burner.
Even best laid plans often come out misshapen. You want to write over lunch but there's a twenty minute line in the cafeteria, so you only have a few moments to scarf down food. You want to write right away in the morning, but your alarm clock doesn't sound. You want to write before bed, but your kids aren't used to school-time bedtimes and fighting their energy has you up until midnight.
No matter who you are or what your situation is, these kinds of setbacks in our writing life definitely take a toll. After a week of thwarted plans, you're often too exhausted to write while family watches the football game. And when an early bedtime arises, you take sleep over getting another sentence into your novel.
I get it. I've been there too.
If this is sounding a whole lot like your life, I urge you to check out a brand new muse.
This sounds like more work, you say, but no. You needn't create her.
Instead, pop over to Pulp Literature and check out their "A Message From Your Muse" page. Here, you can sign up for a daily message from the muse either emailed to your inbox, or follow her on Twitter to keep excess emails thin.
Her gems of knowledge and encouragement have made me smile and lifted my writing spirits on countless occasions. I hope her musey effects help you as well.
Even best laid plans often come out misshapen. You want to write over lunch but there's a twenty minute line in the cafeteria, so you only have a few moments to scarf down food. You want to write right away in the morning, but your alarm clock doesn't sound. You want to write before bed, but your kids aren't used to school-time bedtimes and fighting their energy has you up until midnight.
No matter who you are or what your situation is, these kinds of setbacks in our writing life definitely take a toll. After a week of thwarted plans, you're often too exhausted to write while family watches the football game. And when an early bedtime arises, you take sleep over getting another sentence into your novel.
I get it. I've been there too.
If this is sounding a whole lot like your life, I urge you to check out a brand new muse.
This sounds like more work, you say, but no. You needn't create her.
Instead, pop over to Pulp Literature and check out their "A Message From Your Muse" page. Here, you can sign up for a daily message from the muse either emailed to your inbox, or follow her on Twitter to keep excess emails thin.
Her gems of knowledge and encouragement have made me smile and lifted my writing spirits on countless occasions. I hope her musey effects help you as well.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Get Up, Get Motivated, and Write
It's no secret that I am in love with Asheville, North Carolina. If you've ever checked out my Pinterest page, you know that I have an extensive board dedicated entirely to Asheville. I first visited Asheville in March of 2014, when I wrote you this post about my Southeastern vacation. And then there was this post a little over a month ago referring to my move to North Carolina.
What you may not know is that I fell so completely in love with Asheville during my 2014 trip that I (with the help of my mom) convinced my entire family to move to North Carolina with me. My grandparents went first, then finally my parents' house sold and my mom, dad, brother and I moved. However, there was one little kink in my plan: no one else loved Asheville like I did.
So, instead of moving straight to my utopia, I landed an hour and a half away in a suburb of Charlotte. It's great here, don't get me wrong - the weather is blisteringly awesome, and I'm having a lot of fun decorating my new room and taking evening trips to Charlotte - but it isn't Asheville.
When I heard that the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015 was located in Asheville, NC - my Asheville, NC! - I set a countdown widget and waited for the first day I could begin entering. Since that day, I've logged on to the Urban Oasis site everyday and entered to win my perfect dream home in my perfect dream location.
As soon as I turn my computer on - before I begin writing or blogging or searching Pinterest - I go to the site and enter myself into the drawing for the Urban Oasis.
And that routine got me thinking...what if we applied this sort of routine to writing life? If you're truly dedicated to writing, if it's what you long for and desire above everything else is to write, then why not make it the start of your day, every day?
Before you check your email - write a sentence.
Before you heat your tea - write a paragraph.
Before you walk out the door for your commute - write a phrase, a period, a word - anything!
If it's your dream, if it's something you want with all your heart, then why shouldn't you make it happen in any way that you can?
John McPhee once did an interview with The Paris Review where he said,
"put a drop in a bucket every day, after three hundred and sixty-five days, the bucket's going to have some water in it."
Writing takes dedication and motivation. It takes getting up early and staying up way too late. Sometimes, it takes sneaking a sentence in here and there whenever you can, just so you can move that story farther along.
But the more you do it, the more it repays you. In the end you could have a wonderful piece that's ready for publication. You could have a whole novel or an epic poem. You could be walking away with your own dream house.
What you may not know is that I fell so completely in love with Asheville during my 2014 trip that I (with the help of my mom) convinced my entire family to move to North Carolina with me. My grandparents went first, then finally my parents' house sold and my mom, dad, brother and I moved. However, there was one little kink in my plan: no one else loved Asheville like I did.
So, instead of moving straight to my utopia, I landed an hour and a half away in a suburb of Charlotte. It's great here, don't get me wrong - the weather is blisteringly awesome, and I'm having a lot of fun decorating my new room and taking evening trips to Charlotte - but it isn't Asheville.
When I heard that the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015 was located in Asheville, NC - my Asheville, NC! - I set a countdown widget and waited for the first day I could begin entering. Since that day, I've logged on to the Urban Oasis site everyday and entered to win my perfect dream home in my perfect dream location.
As soon as I turn my computer on - before I begin writing or blogging or searching Pinterest - I go to the site and enter myself into the drawing for the Urban Oasis.
And that routine got me thinking...what if we applied this sort of routine to writing life? If you're truly dedicated to writing, if it's what you long for and desire above everything else is to write, then why not make it the start of your day, every day?
Before you check your email - write a sentence.
Before you heat your tea - write a paragraph.
Before you walk out the door for your commute - write a phrase, a period, a word - anything!
If it's your dream, if it's something you want with all your heart, then why shouldn't you make it happen in any way that you can?
John McPhee once did an interview with The Paris Review where he said,
"put a drop in a bucket every day, after three hundred and sixty-five days, the bucket's going to have some water in it."
Writing takes dedication and motivation. It takes getting up early and staying up way too late. Sometimes, it takes sneaking a sentence in here and there whenever you can, just so you can move that story farther along.
But the more you do it, the more it repays you. In the end you could have a wonderful piece that's ready for publication. You could have a whole novel or an epic poem. You could be walking away with your own dream house.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Document and Forget
****Important Blog Info****
Next Tuesday is the closing date for my Wisconsin house. The closing is in the morning and then we start the long drive with four people, three vehicles, two trailers, two rabbits, one dog, a dozen house plants, and our essential belongings through most of the Eastern US until we reach North Carolina.
This means that it will literally be impossible for me to blog next week on Tuesday.
Sorry in advance, guys. Thanks for understanding.
Next Tuesday is the closing date for my Wisconsin house. The closing is in the morning and then we start the long drive with four people, three vehicles, two trailers, two rabbits, one dog, a dozen house plants, and our essential belongings through most of the Eastern US until we reach North Carolina.
This means that it will literally be impossible for me to blog next week on Tuesday.
Sorry in advance, guys. Thanks for understanding.
# # #
With that established, let's get down to business today.
A few weeks ago my cell phone contract came up for renewal. I went to the cell phone store, waited almost three hours, paid out an entire pay check worth of funds, and finally left with a new phone. This upgrade was a massive switch for me. I was going from an Android Razar to the iPhone 5S.
It took me awhile to get used to the new graphics, the new home screen, and, of course, Safari. Heck, let's face it, I'm still not very comfortable with where everything is located, but I'm getting better at using it on a daily basis.
The other day, I turned on my old Droid to sort through the thousands of Notes I stored on it. Because switching my old pictures onto my iPhone was easy, but Notes was a whole 'nother story. I started at the top, wading through vegan smoothie recipes concocted during three a.m. moments of clarity, ideas for new paintings, cool character names I read or heard, hundreds of notes on novels and stories in progress. full poems written during lunch breaks, pointless rants I wrote when I needed to vent about that rude customer or this horrible boss, and lists of old grocery needs. However, the most important notes I found were titled simply "STORY IDEA". There were three. I expected to type them into a Word Document on my laptop and file them away for a later time when I needed a break from a novel revision or couldn't get a new story idea brainstormed. The first two I transferred over with no problem. One was an interesting exchange of dialogue I overheard while making someone's pizza that had blossomed into a possible literary story. The other was a link to a scientific study on genes and a possible sci-fi story idea.
But the third made me stop. It was a mere five word sentence - probably a news story I had heard while walking past a newscast on TV. It was so short, that, had I written it out on a piece of paper, I probably would have thrown it away thinking it was nothing.
What the note contained was so inspirational, I abandoned my Droid transfer and started writing a story around that idea.
The moral of this anecdote is that I had completely forgotten about the original event that sparked the STORY IDEA note. I had completely forgotten that a story idea like that had ever crossed my mind. If it weren't for that five word sentence, I would never have written the story I'm currently working on.
So, while I'm moving cross-country, I want you to start a Notes file on your own cell phone (or, if you're more old school, feel free to keep a pad of paper and pen in your bag) - just make sure you have something with you so that, when you walk past the TODAY show story in the hospital lobby and hear a weird tidbit about a remote county in Ohio, or your overhear a strange conversation between two women also waiting for their lattes, you can write it down. You don't have to have a story idea right at that moment. Just write down anything that makes you really listen or take notice. Document and forget.
Then, when you come back to it weeks, months, or years later, it will effect you. Because it will be the right time for your note to spark an idea. It will be the push you need to start something new or to take up your old writing hobby.
Notice everything.
Write it down.
Keep it safe.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Moving House and Home
Sorry about the late post, and about the brevity this week. I do have good news to share, though...............my house is under contract and I will be moving!
This is exciting, frightening, and exhilarating. It is also throwing my writing routine for a serious loop. So I must ask that you bare with me through the next month or two as I pack up, move, and then resettle. I will post as much as I can and be as helpful as possible through this time.
In related writing news: I'm currently revising. Revising what you ask? Oh, it feels like everything. Poems, my YA novel, every short story I have, some work for children - the list goes on. In many ways, it feels as if those little contained worlds are reworking their homes as well. Some of them are simply remodeling or repainting and others are moving cross-country just like me.
I've revised some pieces so many times, the paper is thin and translucent from where I've erased and erased over new and better ideas.
Who knows, maybe I need to take my own advice and let it all sit in a cardboard box as I move. Then, when I unpack, not only will I be in a new creative space, I'll be in a new state of mind.
And then all the right diction and plot points will fall right into place.
In the meantime, write as often as you can, as unbridled as you can, and with as much love and joy as possible. Write because you can't stop. Write because it's who you are.
This is exciting, frightening, and exhilarating. It is also throwing my writing routine for a serious loop. So I must ask that you bare with me through the next month or two as I pack up, move, and then resettle. I will post as much as I can and be as helpful as possible through this time.
In related writing news: I'm currently revising. Revising what you ask? Oh, it feels like everything. Poems, my YA novel, every short story I have, some work for children - the list goes on. In many ways, it feels as if those little contained worlds are reworking their homes as well. Some of them are simply remodeling or repainting and others are moving cross-country just like me.
I've revised some pieces so many times, the paper is thin and translucent from where I've erased and erased over new and better ideas.
Who knows, maybe I need to take my own advice and let it all sit in a cardboard box as I move. Then, when I unpack, not only will I be in a new creative space, I'll be in a new state of mind.
And then all the right diction and plot points will fall right into place.
In the meantime, write as often as you can, as unbridled as you can, and with as much love and joy as possible. Write because you can't stop. Write because it's who you are.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
I Wanna See You Write Brave (Challenge Post)
My schedule has been hectic, to say the least. It seems like everyday I have less and less time to do the essentials like washing dishes and taking care of my buns, let alone fit in adequate time for yoga and writing.
So, this week I want to post a challenge:
No matter who you are, where you are, and what you have going on, I want you to submit something for publication.
Dig out an old poem from your underwear drawer. Uncover a flash fiction file from your hard drive. Or ruffle up the final draft of your novel in progress.
Then, revise and edit it. It should have been sitting long enough by now that you can see it with fresh eyes. Reread, tweak, fix, and polish.
Finally, find a market for your work and submit it. Maybe it's a new startup lit mag. Maybe you decide to go for the magazine of your dreams or the agent you always admired. Maybe you shoot for inclusion in a friend's weekly fiction mailer. Whatever the market, get that manuscript out there.
Because, really, what's the worst that can happen? You get rejected? Pff! It's happened before and it'll happen again. You can take it.
Maybe, just maybe, this will be the time you get constructive feedback. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the time you're accepted.
Whether you take this challenge the week I post this blog entry, two months from now, or three years from now, make the commitment to submit. Because you'll never be a published writer if you don't put yourself out there.
Take the challenge. Be brave. Submit your writing.
So, this week I want to post a challenge:
No matter who you are, where you are, and what you have going on, I want you to submit something for publication.
Dig out an old poem from your underwear drawer. Uncover a flash fiction file from your hard drive. Or ruffle up the final draft of your novel in progress.
Then, revise and edit it. It should have been sitting long enough by now that you can see it with fresh eyes. Reread, tweak, fix, and polish.
Finally, find a market for your work and submit it. Maybe it's a new startup lit mag. Maybe you decide to go for the magazine of your dreams or the agent you always admired. Maybe you shoot for inclusion in a friend's weekly fiction mailer. Whatever the market, get that manuscript out there.
Because, really, what's the worst that can happen? You get rejected? Pff! It's happened before and it'll happen again. You can take it.
Maybe, just maybe, this will be the time you get constructive feedback. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the time you're accepted.
Whether you take this challenge the week I post this blog entry, two months from now, or three years from now, make the commitment to submit. Because you'll never be a published writer if you don't put yourself out there.
Take the challenge. Be brave. Submit your writing.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
The Witchdoctor Scenario
Sorry about the late night post this week, fellow scribes. All day, my rabbit was acting strange, then she stopped eating and stopped moving her bowels. As a mother to any type of living creature knows, no poop = a massive problem.
Rabbits especially are prone to something called GI Stasis, where the gut stops moving so food and waste sit inside the stomach/intestines. It's extremely painful and can lead to death in a matter of days or hours if left untreated.
So, most of my day was spent worrying myself to death, sitting quietly and talking sweetly to a grumpy bunny, and trying to coax food and water into her as much as possible.
It took almost all day, but right now she seems to be improving. She is eating voluntarily (mostly junk foods like seeds, alfalfa hay, cardboard, and a wicker basket - but she does sneak in some good baby kale and grass hay to keep mama happy), and she came out from her hiding place to run around (yes, run) and even do some bunny binkies! If you've never seen a bunny binkie, please look it up on YouTube. They are the best display of rabbit happiness ever and so dang cute.
She even produced a few, albeit minuscule, poops that were either rock solid or a little soft, but hey, that's improvement, people!
Today has definitely been a test on my nerves - a test I sincerely hope is over for now. But all this stress got me thinking: I would give anything for my bunny to get better.
Was it going to take all my money for her to not die? Done. All my time suddenly gone - no sleep before my early shift tomorrow morning? No problem. Would I have to drive two hours to the vet? In a heartbeat. Sell one of my own kidneys to a witchdoctor? Where do I sign?
This terrible, gut wrenching, I'll-do-anything-to-just-make-it-all-right-again feeling was what all of the characters in my stories should be feeling. If not, the stakes weren't high enough.
If their hands and feet didn't go numb with panic. If their vision didn't blacken with dread. If they didn't vomit with worry - the stake's simply weren't high enough. I wasn't putting their absolute most precious thing on the line, and of course, they wouldn't truly care (nor would the reader) unless the stakes were so high, they would do anything.
So, the next time you write an outline, revise a scene, or get an idea for a novel, I want you to ask yourself one simple question:
Would my protagonist sell his/her kidney to an evil witchdoctor - no questions asked - if it meant his/her situation improved or reversed?
Because, really, when it comes down to it, if it isn't really that important, then it's not enough to hang an entire story on.
Rabbits especially are prone to something called GI Stasis, where the gut stops moving so food and waste sit inside the stomach/intestines. It's extremely painful and can lead to death in a matter of days or hours if left untreated.
So, most of my day was spent worrying myself to death, sitting quietly and talking sweetly to a grumpy bunny, and trying to coax food and water into her as much as possible.
It took almost all day, but right now she seems to be improving. She is eating voluntarily (mostly junk foods like seeds, alfalfa hay, cardboard, and a wicker basket - but she does sneak in some good baby kale and grass hay to keep mama happy), and she came out from her hiding place to run around (yes, run) and even do some bunny binkies! If you've never seen a bunny binkie, please look it up on YouTube. They are the best display of rabbit happiness ever and so dang cute.
She even produced a few, albeit minuscule, poops that were either rock solid or a little soft, but hey, that's improvement, people!
Today has definitely been a test on my nerves - a test I sincerely hope is over for now. But all this stress got me thinking: I would give anything for my bunny to get better.
Was it going to take all my money for her to not die? Done. All my time suddenly gone - no sleep before my early shift tomorrow morning? No problem. Would I have to drive two hours to the vet? In a heartbeat. Sell one of my own kidneys to a witchdoctor? Where do I sign?
This terrible, gut wrenching, I'll-do-anything-to-just-make-it-all-right-again feeling was what all of the characters in my stories should be feeling. If not, the stakes weren't high enough.
If their hands and feet didn't go numb with panic. If their vision didn't blacken with dread. If they didn't vomit with worry - the stake's simply weren't high enough. I wasn't putting their absolute most precious thing on the line, and of course, they wouldn't truly care (nor would the reader) unless the stakes were so high, they would do anything.
So, the next time you write an outline, revise a scene, or get an idea for a novel, I want you to ask yourself one simple question:
Would my protagonist sell his/her kidney to an evil witchdoctor - no questions asked - if it meant his/her situation improved or reversed?
Because, really, when it comes down to it, if it isn't really that important, then it's not enough to hang an entire story on.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Bonus Post: Happy 100!
I wanted to do a short Bonus Post this week to let all of you know that we've just surpassed the 100th post marker! Yes, we've shared 100 blog posts together from the very beginning.
That's a Christmas present I'm happy to receive.
That's a Christmas present I'm happy to receive.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Let Go or Be Dragged
In American culture we're so used to beating ourselves up over the smallest things. You know, when you sneak a few M&M's from the work shared candy bowl and then have to write it in your food journal to forever document your self loathing?
Writing - and really any artistic venture - is no exception. You pulled extra hours at work, went to the kids' soccer game, had to scrounge something up for dinner, and then passed out to do it all over again tomorrow - without writing a word. Even when we make just one sentence happen in a day, we feel like failures.
Really, if we accept life and its challenges, we'd be freer to write when the time presented itself. Gone would be the self loathing and the hate of our inability to function as writers. Instead, our minds would be clear and our inspiration running high - ready to rush in whenever we're ready to accept it.
So free the muse and the worry of yet another part of life. Be free to write again.
And now I leave you this hectic week in my own life, with an inspirational picture from Pinterest:
From http://www.pinterest.com/pin/476326098061537069/
Writing - and really any artistic venture - is no exception. You pulled extra hours at work, went to the kids' soccer game, had to scrounge something up for dinner, and then passed out to do it all over again tomorrow - without writing a word. Even when we make just one sentence happen in a day, we feel like failures.
Really, if we accept life and its challenges, we'd be freer to write when the time presented itself. Gone would be the self loathing and the hate of our inability to function as writers. Instead, our minds would be clear and our inspiration running high - ready to rush in whenever we're ready to accept it.
So free the muse and the worry of yet another part of life. Be free to write again.
And now I leave you this hectic week in my own life, with an inspirational picture from Pinterest:
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Take Your Novel Up a Notch: Research
Think historical fiction writers are the only ones who need to do research? Think again.
All writers need to research - though it may be in different ways. For writers in the sci-fi, fantasy, YA, Middle Grade, literary, romance, or commercial fields, research will take a different avenue than those who write historical fiction or westerns.
How? Well, instead of hours spent in the back of the library bent over a thick tome on boiler combustion until your sciatica aches - like the historical junkie - other writers are sitting on the floor in the YA section or dodging Dr Who cardboard cutouts in the fantasy/sci-fi room. Their research is less about knowing facts about a certain historical item, and more about knowing the conventions of the genre. What's been done? What's been overdone? Is this a good plot? A good voice? Good prose? If it's a popular title - why? Is it the character development, tension, or the romance that really ensnares the reader?
I once heard a good rule of thumb is to read 1,000 books in your genre for every 1,000 words you write. Does this seem impossible? Maybe - at the very least it's a daunting prospect. Most of us don't have the time to write a few sentences per day let alone read so many novels.
But you know what? It really does help you. You'll not only stay up to date on genre trends, publishers, and agents, but you'll also have a better feel for what you're writing. If you know nothing of boiler combustion and try to write a story where this is the main antagonist or a major part of the protagonist's life, it's going to be wrong for readers - especially those who know about boiler combustion. But if you do your research, every detail you add will be like a little piece of candy for your reader to find rather than a gaping hole in your story.
And who doesn't love candy?
Happy Reading (and subsequently, Writing)!
All writers need to research - though it may be in different ways. For writers in the sci-fi, fantasy, YA, Middle Grade, literary, romance, or commercial fields, research will take a different avenue than those who write historical fiction or westerns.
How? Well, instead of hours spent in the back of the library bent over a thick tome on boiler combustion until your sciatica aches - like the historical junkie - other writers are sitting on the floor in the YA section or dodging Dr Who cardboard cutouts in the fantasy/sci-fi room. Their research is less about knowing facts about a certain historical item, and more about knowing the conventions of the genre. What's been done? What's been overdone? Is this a good plot? A good voice? Good prose? If it's a popular title - why? Is it the character development, tension, or the romance that really ensnares the reader?
I once heard a good rule of thumb is to read 1,000 books in your genre for every 1,000 words you write. Does this seem impossible? Maybe - at the very least it's a daunting prospect. Most of us don't have the time to write a few sentences per day let alone read so many novels.
But you know what? It really does help you. You'll not only stay up to date on genre trends, publishers, and agents, but you'll also have a better feel for what you're writing. If you know nothing of boiler combustion and try to write a story where this is the main antagonist or a major part of the protagonist's life, it's going to be wrong for readers - especially those who know about boiler combustion. But if you do your research, every detail you add will be like a little piece of candy for your reader to find rather than a gaping hole in your story.
And who doesn't love candy?
Happy Reading (and subsequently, Writing)!
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
The Stages of Rejection
I'm talking about rejection today, not because I'm in a bad mood, but because I'm ecstatic I received a rejection in the mail today!
That sounds weird, I know, but until now I've only hit level 1 and level 4 on the rejection scale (see below). It's either emailed or mailed form rejection, or acceptance. However, today, I received my first level 3 rejection. Upon opening the envelope, I saw the form rejection and my heart sank - like it always does when you see, "Dear Writer, Thank you for submitting but we regret to inform you..." - but then I took the form out and noticed there was another paper behind it. A familiar one. My manuscript. (And here's the exciting part:) With corrections, editor's note and signature! It was like getting asked to prom by the football quarterback.
I've never been an advocate for saving your rejection letters. I've heard stories and even know of other writers who save every rejection, pasting them to the walls like wallpaper. They know the exact number, "This is 673, it's going on the headboard!", and use the rejections as motivation to do better. I understand this, but saving my rejection letters is not how I get motivated. In fact, I try to purge my life of anything considered clutter or negative (not that rejections are negative, just part of the writing life). So, instead, I save the important ones - like today's (and my first full manuscript request from an agent) - in a binder and store it in a drawer where I won't look at it constantly. That way, it's there when I need someone from the industry telling me I'm on the right path, just not there yet, but I won't obsess and freeze up when the writing needs to happen.
I know this is the part you've been waiting for:
THE REJECTION SCALE
Level 1: The form rejection. They sit in stacks in publishing houses, agent desks, and literary magazine editors' drawers waiting to be stuffed into your SASE. You've probably accumulated a few (hundred?).
Level 2: The motivational rejection. This is the form rejection containing a personal message from the editor or agent you sent the manuscript to. It's often short - one sentence or two - and may or may not come with signature.
Level 3: The personal rejection. May or may not be accompanied by a form rejection - always accompanied by the story being returned to you with edits and critiques (may not be line by line, but will speak specifically about the story you submitted). Usually signed or initialed.
Level 4: Acceptance. The holy grail of writers. You're going to be published. Break out the celebration drinks and party supplies.
Rejections got you feeling down? Take a look at these famous authors' rejection totals:
Stephen King: 30 rejections on his first book Carrie, and 60 rejections on the same short story
J.K. Rowling: 12 - a whole dozen - publishers rejected the first Harry Potter book
Jack Canfeld and Mark Victor Hansen - 140 rejections for the first Chicken Soup for the Soul
James Joyce - 22 rejections on his short story collection Dubliners
Margaret Mitchell - 38 rejections for Gone with the Wind
Madeliene L'Engle - 26 rejections for A Wrinkle in Time
Dr. Seuss - 15 rejections before his first book was published
Whether you burn your rejections letters in a giant pyre to the writing gods, pin them to your walls, or drag the rejection email to your trash box, take heart that even the best have been right where you are now.
That sounds weird, I know, but until now I've only hit level 1 and level 4 on the rejection scale (see below). It's either emailed or mailed form rejection, or acceptance. However, today, I received my first level 3 rejection. Upon opening the envelope, I saw the form rejection and my heart sank - like it always does when you see, "Dear Writer, Thank you for submitting but we regret to inform you..." - but then I took the form out and noticed there was another paper behind it. A familiar one. My manuscript. (And here's the exciting part:) With corrections, editor's note and signature! It was like getting asked to prom by the football quarterback.
I've never been an advocate for saving your rejection letters. I've heard stories and even know of other writers who save every rejection, pasting them to the walls like wallpaper. They know the exact number, "This is 673, it's going on the headboard!", and use the rejections as motivation to do better. I understand this, but saving my rejection letters is not how I get motivated. In fact, I try to purge my life of anything considered clutter or negative (not that rejections are negative, just part of the writing life). So, instead, I save the important ones - like today's (and my first full manuscript request from an agent) - in a binder and store it in a drawer where I won't look at it constantly. That way, it's there when I need someone from the industry telling me I'm on the right path, just not there yet, but I won't obsess and freeze up when the writing needs to happen.
I know this is the part you've been waiting for:
THE REJECTION SCALE
Level 1: The form rejection. They sit in stacks in publishing houses, agent desks, and literary magazine editors' drawers waiting to be stuffed into your SASE. You've probably accumulated a few (hundred?).
Level 2: The motivational rejection. This is the form rejection containing a personal message from the editor or agent you sent the manuscript to. It's often short - one sentence or two - and may or may not come with signature.
Level 3: The personal rejection. May or may not be accompanied by a form rejection - always accompanied by the story being returned to you with edits and critiques (may not be line by line, but will speak specifically about the story you submitted). Usually signed or initialed.
Level 4: Acceptance. The holy grail of writers. You're going to be published. Break out the celebration drinks and party supplies.
Rejections got you feeling down? Take a look at these famous authors' rejection totals:
Stephen King: 30 rejections on his first book Carrie, and 60 rejections on the same short story
J.K. Rowling: 12 - a whole dozen - publishers rejected the first Harry Potter book
Jack Canfeld and Mark Victor Hansen - 140 rejections for the first Chicken Soup for the Soul
James Joyce - 22 rejections on his short story collection Dubliners
Margaret Mitchell - 38 rejections for Gone with the Wind
Madeliene L'Engle - 26 rejections for A Wrinkle in Time
Dr. Seuss - 15 rejections before his first book was published
Whether you burn your rejections letters in a giant pyre to the writing gods, pin them to your walls, or drag the rejection email to your trash box, take heart that even the best have been right where you are now.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Bringing in 2014
2014 arrives in less than 24 hours. It's a time for reflection upon the past few breaths of 2013 and a time to dream about the future. It's easy to dream. (At least for me.) But it's hard to do.
So, as you party into 2014 and make your New Year's Resolutions, commit to yourself that this year you won't just dream about accepting a Book Award on C-Span, you'll work your hardest to make it happen. Whether that's actually writing that amazing book, finding an agent, or self-promoting your novel - get our there in 2014 and make it happen!
Original picture from:http://wallpaperhd2014.com/new-year/happy-new-year-2014-cards-wallpaper-hd.html/attachment/happy-new-year-2014-cards-wallpaper-hd
So, as you party into 2014 and make your New Year's Resolutions, commit to yourself that this year you won't just dream about accepting a Book Award on C-Span, you'll work your hardest to make it happen. Whether that's actually writing that amazing book, finding an agent, or self-promoting your novel - get our there in 2014 and make it happen!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Writing Routine CPR
My new job is in the health care industry, and it is also dealing with patient care. Because of this, I spent my morning in a CPR class. CPR has a very specific order (I know, I was just tested on it). First, you assess the scene to make sure the patient is in a safe place (ie, not in the center of the road or lying in shattered glass), then you see if they are responsive. After that, check for a pulse, if no pulse, remove clothing from the chest and start CPR.
This seems like a lot of steps, and I haven't even covered the compressions/breathing themselves.
My writing schedule used to be this strict. Pre-college/work I would write from 9 to 11:30 every night, then go to bed. It didn't matter if it was a Sunday, Tuesday, or Friday. It didn't matter if it was winter or spring. In fact, at that time, if I had suddenly been transported to Mars, that wouldn't have mattered either. 9 to 11:30 was my writing time.
Then I went to college, where time was never truly applicable. After withdrawing, I resumed my writing routine. But then I got an infant rabbit who needed a lot of attention and training, and a long bedtime transition from her exercise pen back to her cage. After that came my health care job. I now wake up between 5:30 and 6:30am on weekdays, depending on my schedule. The rabbit is nearly 5 months old and thinks it's okay to chew on the wires for my computer.
My writing routine is no longer working. I can't stay up that late and hope to wake up that early. So, instead, I've been writing a lot on my lunch break and days off. It's not an everyday assurance like my old routine, but it's what I have to do.
If you've found yourself inhibited by a new work, child, or pet routine, go ahead and break your previous writing schedule. Take a few weeks to adjust and reassess when you can squeeze in some writing. Perhaps it's fifteen minutes after work you can have to yourself. Or the few minutes your infant will sleep.
Adopting this flexibility to change will keep you from stalling out your writing. It's better to write for fifteen minutes every day then to not write for a month.
As parting, here's a few stories of fellow writers:
This seems like a lot of steps, and I haven't even covered the compressions/breathing themselves.
My writing schedule used to be this strict. Pre-college/work I would write from 9 to 11:30 every night, then go to bed. It didn't matter if it was a Sunday, Tuesday, or Friday. It didn't matter if it was winter or spring. In fact, at that time, if I had suddenly been transported to Mars, that wouldn't have mattered either. 9 to 11:30 was my writing time.
Then I went to college, where time was never truly applicable. After withdrawing, I resumed my writing routine. But then I got an infant rabbit who needed a lot of attention and training, and a long bedtime transition from her exercise pen back to her cage. After that came my health care job. I now wake up between 5:30 and 6:30am on weekdays, depending on my schedule. The rabbit is nearly 5 months old and thinks it's okay to chew on the wires for my computer.
My writing routine is no longer working. I can't stay up that late and hope to wake up that early. So, instead, I've been writing a lot on my lunch break and days off. It's not an everyday assurance like my old routine, but it's what I have to do.
If you've found yourself inhibited by a new work, child, or pet routine, go ahead and break your previous writing schedule. Take a few weeks to adjust and reassess when you can squeeze in some writing. Perhaps it's fifteen minutes after work you can have to yourself. Or the few minutes your infant will sleep.
Adopting this flexibility to change will keep you from stalling out your writing. It's better to write for fifteen minutes every day then to not write for a month.
As parting, here's a few stories of fellow writers:
Poet Wallace Stevens wrote his famous poems on commute walks to and from his job.
Ernest Hemingway would write at the crack of dawn...while standing...and drinking.
Victor Hugo had his valet hide all of his clothing so he was forced to write and not leave the house.
Dan Brown writes in 60 minute stints (measured by an hourglass) and then exercises.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
An Update and a Question for You
The back-to-school commercials have aired and a bombardment of first-day-of-school photos clutter the Facebook news feeds. Yes, it's that time of year again - school is in session.
I want you, my loyal blog readers, to know that I will not be joining the fray this year.
Why does this matter to you whether or not I am a student? Well, because a few of you have been there from the beginning when I started this blog out of my college dorm. Others have perused the multiple college class/life posts I wrote at the beginning of this blog's life. But more importantly, I think I can sneak another message out of this one.
Here it goes: You don't need a fancy degree to achieve your goals or get the places you want to be. Especially if you're a writer. (If you want to be, say, a doctor, you may just have to stick it out. Sorry.) But to be a writer you need to...what?...Write! This goes back to the very first post I made in this blog. We're writers not because we have agents or ebooks or publishing deals. We're writers because we write. Plain and simple.
Ask yourself this question - would you rather have the degree you're "supposed to" get, but be no better of a writer than when you started; or, would you rather be degree-less but have worked your way into the writer you always longed to be?
Yeah, that's the question that got me thinking.
Now, I'm not trying to discourage people from going to college, or encourage our current college students to drop out, but I do want to get you thinking. What is going to be most beneficial to you in the long run? If, say, you're in college now and it's strengthening your skills and helping you sort out your weak points - great! You've hit the jackpot. For many of us, this doesn't happen. If, like me, your high school counselors and college professors told you you'd go nowhere without a degree, but the whole process just isn't working for you - this is the time to step back. Think about what you really want.
For me, it was to be the best writer I could possibly be. This meant dropping the student loans, school colors, and cramped living quarters. It meant picking up a job, a writing group, and a few stand-alone writing classes that got me no closer to graduation but a lot closer to publication.
So, in future, expect fewer posts about dorm life, class discussions, and microwave recipes (oh stove, how I've missed you!), and more about the business of writing and art. I hope you join me for the ride.
I want you, my loyal blog readers, to know that I will not be joining the fray this year.
Why does this matter to you whether or not I am a student? Well, because a few of you have been there from the beginning when I started this blog out of my college dorm. Others have perused the multiple college class/life posts I wrote at the beginning of this blog's life. But more importantly, I think I can sneak another message out of this one.
Here it goes: You don't need a fancy degree to achieve your goals or get the places you want to be. Especially if you're a writer. (If you want to be, say, a doctor, you may just have to stick it out. Sorry.) But to be a writer you need to...what?...Write! This goes back to the very first post I made in this blog. We're writers not because we have agents or ebooks or publishing deals. We're writers because we write. Plain and simple.
Ask yourself this question - would you rather have the degree you're "supposed to" get, but be no better of a writer than when you started; or, would you rather be degree-less but have worked your way into the writer you always longed to be?
Yeah, that's the question that got me thinking.
Now, I'm not trying to discourage people from going to college, or encourage our current college students to drop out, but I do want to get you thinking. What is going to be most beneficial to you in the long run? If, say, you're in college now and it's strengthening your skills and helping you sort out your weak points - great! You've hit the jackpot. For many of us, this doesn't happen. If, like me, your high school counselors and college professors told you you'd go nowhere without a degree, but the whole process just isn't working for you - this is the time to step back. Think about what you really want.
For me, it was to be the best writer I could possibly be. This meant dropping the student loans, school colors, and cramped living quarters. It meant picking up a job, a writing group, and a few stand-alone writing classes that got me no closer to graduation but a lot closer to publication.
So, in future, expect fewer posts about dorm life, class discussions, and microwave recipes (oh stove, how I've missed you!), and more about the business of writing and art. I hope you join me for the ride.
Monday, June 24, 2013
When the Whole "I'm a Writer" Thing Gets You Strange Looks
If you're seriously considering writing, you've been there. You tell some people you're close to - people you think will understand - that you are writing a book/want to write a book/or want to pursue a degree or career in writing. These usually supportive individuals then look at you like you have just spoken to them completely in nose snorts and tongue rolls. It is as if they are seeing you for the first time with two heads. You become, to them, a new entity.
"Oh," they say. They may nod, sip at a drink, or find a way to excuse themselves from your presence.
When you pursue your dream anyway (though, admittedly hurt that they weren't as enthusiastic as you are about sitting in front of your laptop for three months penning your novel), you will no doubt have to tell other people. Perhaps more distant or new acquaintances. You're at a party or meeting a friend of a friend and someone asks, "What do you do?"
"I'm a writer."
"Oh." [Or if you're luckier] "So you're one of those."
Coming from a family of practical workers with service jobs, I have had my fair share of these encounters. Telling the people around me that I am a writer is somehow equivalent in their minds to me saying that I am an addict who lives under a bridge. Since I'm not guaranteed a 9 to 5 and a paycheck with health benefits, I'm not actually working. It's like writing can be a hobby, but not a career.
Worse still is when they ask, "What have you published?" If you don't instantly answer with a high-brow magazine or house name like The New Yorker, Random House, or the local newspaper, they know you're as crazy as batty Aunt Betty who for the past 70 years thought she was Van Gogh.
If writing is what you want to do and a writer is who you want to be, you'll no doubt experience this if you haven't already. How do you deal? I have no idea. For me (an admitted thin-skinned Midwesterner), I usually hide my distaste in the conversation itself (because we're raised to always be kind) and then go home and brood about how unsupportive my relatives, friends, and friend's friends are. However, no matter what, I still write. Even when I'm tired, sick, or am putting off laundry for another week to do so. Because if you want it bad enough to tell people you're a writer, you have to deliver on your end too. You can't dream all day of being in The New Yorker and having a literary agent if you aren't also working at the same time. If there's nothing to submit and nothing to show for your hours of daydreams, it was all for naught. But if you want it, and you work for it, don't let the practical strangers get in your way. Sure, the odds are not in your favor, but if you keep working, keep creating, and keep submitting, it is likely you will publish something. For some writers, it takes 30 or 50 years. For others it takes only a few months. Don't compare your story to theirs, though, because you are completely different. You have a different schedule, a different work ethic, and a different ability than them, even if it's marginal. Above all, when the career admittance that "I'm a writer" gets you the looks and the weird comments, don't let it phase you. Handle it in the way you need to and then move on. There's a story that needs to be told.
"Oh," they say. They may nod, sip at a drink, or find a way to excuse themselves from your presence.
When you pursue your dream anyway (though, admittedly hurt that they weren't as enthusiastic as you are about sitting in front of your laptop for three months penning your novel), you will no doubt have to tell other people. Perhaps more distant or new acquaintances. You're at a party or meeting a friend of a friend and someone asks, "What do you do?"
"I'm a writer."
"Oh." [Or if you're luckier] "So you're one of those."
Coming from a family of practical workers with service jobs, I have had my fair share of these encounters. Telling the people around me that I am a writer is somehow equivalent in their minds to me saying that I am an addict who lives under a bridge. Since I'm not guaranteed a 9 to 5 and a paycheck with health benefits, I'm not actually working. It's like writing can be a hobby, but not a career.
Worse still is when they ask, "What have you published?" If you don't instantly answer with a high-brow magazine or house name like The New Yorker, Random House, or the local newspaper, they know you're as crazy as batty Aunt Betty who for the past 70 years thought she was Van Gogh.
If writing is what you want to do and a writer is who you want to be, you'll no doubt experience this if you haven't already. How do you deal? I have no idea. For me (an admitted thin-skinned Midwesterner), I usually hide my distaste in the conversation itself (because we're raised to always be kind) and then go home and brood about how unsupportive my relatives, friends, and friend's friends are. However, no matter what, I still write. Even when I'm tired, sick, or am putting off laundry for another week to do so. Because if you want it bad enough to tell people you're a writer, you have to deliver on your end too. You can't dream all day of being in The New Yorker and having a literary agent if you aren't also working at the same time. If there's nothing to submit and nothing to show for your hours of daydreams, it was all for naught. But if you want it, and you work for it, don't let the practical strangers get in your way. Sure, the odds are not in your favor, but if you keep working, keep creating, and keep submitting, it is likely you will publish something. For some writers, it takes 30 or 50 years. For others it takes only a few months. Don't compare your story to theirs, though, because you are completely different. You have a different schedule, a different work ethic, and a different ability than them, even if it's marginal. Above all, when the career admittance that "I'm a writer" gets you the looks and the weird comments, don't let it phase you. Handle it in the way you need to and then move on. There's a story that needs to be told.
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