5
Mar
So… I got a happy cupcake award from Joyce… 
First of all – Thanks!
Now I'm supposed to list 10 things that make me happy.
Since this is my writing blog… I'll come up with 10 things that make me happy when I write.
- When an idea hits that's just too good to pass up.
- When everything falls into place.
- When the right word comes, at the right time.
- When the dialog makes me laugh while I write it.
- When the action flows and you can practically feel the punches.
- When someone tells me they love the hero / heroine (or both)
- When someone finishes a beta read — and wants book 2.
- When I can write ten thousand words and later sit there and think "Where did that come from?"
- When I get a rejection with details, rather than a form rejection.
- I'd love to say when I get a contract / published, but that hasn't happened yet!
So those are my ten things.
What are yours?
26
Feb
…or whatever Speedy Gonzales used to say.
A few months ago, one of my critique partners asked the question "How fast do you write?"
She was new with us at the time, but the post raised some interesting questions. (And answers.)
The initial question was raised because, instead of churning out her "usual" 8000 words a day, she struggled to put 3-400 on the page.
It spooked her. She was used to write fast, write hard and get tons of words on the pages.
When my muse is kicking me hard, I can write fast and furious. I can churn out page after page, and every word flows and has meaning. Undisturbed, and given enough time, I can put 5-10k on the pages per day, easy. (I don't get distracted when it goes like this. You can try to distract me, but it won't work. I won't hear you when I'm in "The Zone".)
I love it when it happens like that.
I'm one of the lucky ones who has an understanding man in her life, who leaves her to it when the muse goes on a rampage in her brain.
But I can't do it every day. Not because the words aren't there, not because there isn't enough time — but because if I did this every day, I would be physically and mentally drained.
It's not sustainable over a long period of time. You'd simply burn out.
And then there are the days where my muse laughs at me and takes a vacation. On those days I struggle to put ten words on a page, let alone ten thousand. It's the days when nothing works, when everything you write sucks and you're better off starting over.
I have more of those days than I care to admit.
Way more than I have 10k days.
I thought it was interesting, because the responses were very similar.
Most of us try to write consistently, every day, at least a few words.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks.
There is no formula of how much you should write a day. There can't be, because we are all individuals. You have to find your own rhythm, something that works for you.
Harper put it nicely:
I see it like this: those uber productive times, when I'm chugging away at lightening speed, I'm also using up some creative energy I've stored up. I mean BURN THROUGH the stuff. So I try not to beat myself up when the words only come one sentence at a time. I figure the well is re-filling for the next binge.
Harper calls herself a "quintessential bottle-rocket" — and I know exactly where she comes from, because… I'm similar.
My response was this:
My way of writing:
Explode words onto the page — or explode.
It's that simple.
What wants out, must out. Or else.
Or else is not pretty.
It would either involve some poor CSI picking my brains off the wall next to my desk, wondering why there was a sudden meltdown and having a hell of a time determining cause of death — or a padded cell.
I don't like either scenario, so I make sure I have pen and paper with me at any time.
It hits you… when it hits you. There are no hard and fast rules for how fast you write, it either happens or it doesn't. Sometimes those spurts come one day after another — and then nothing for months.
Don't panic when things slow down. They will, it happens to everyone. Nothing wrong, just your brain taking a break from a lightning strike.
The important thing is to keep a set amount written per day, whether it's good or bad. One word or ten thousand.
Don't sweat it.
Being prolific isn't all it's cracked up to be. Just because you crank out a novel in a month doesn't mean it's any good.
Quality is better than quantity.
It really doesn't matter how much, or how fast you write — as long as you write.
19
Feb
As you might know, every now and then I'll add some pages to the collection here.
Check out the Writing Aids section above (in the menu) and take a look.
Querytracker posted a great article on how to plot, so I condensed the points down, laid out the sheet ready for printing… and there you have it.
9 Steps for Plotting Fiction — all ready for you to print.
However, full credit needs to go to Cynthia Jaynes Omololu, which is where Suzette Saxton got the idea for it.
Enjoy.
N.B.
Please see Suzette's comment.
The original idea came from Verla Kay, so I feel it is only fair to link her pages as well, as I think you'll probably find lots of useful ideas there.
12
Feb
Distractions are the bane of my life.
Not just my writing life, but in general. It's worse when I write, though.
Whether it's surfing the net, or playing an online game (Bad me!), a good movie on TV, or a book I'm dying to read — it's too easy to be distracted.
I am not the only one who has a problem staying focused, it's a common affliction for those of us with the attention span of an average goldfish.
Part of it has to do with the sheer number of distractions available to us today. Part of it is simply down to a lack of self discipline.
So what can you do to be less prone to procrastination?
I find there are some steps I can take to minimise how suceptible I am.
- I close email, browser windows, and any application I don't need to use.
- I get myself a cup of coffee (or make a pot) before I sit down to write.
- I get a snack before I sit down to write.
- I have a cigarette before I sit down to write. (I don't smoke indoors.)
- I set up my music to something I like. (I use headphones btw)
- I close the door, so no one disturbs me while I write.
- I often turn the phone down (won't help to take it off the hook, it'll only ring on the other phone then.)
- I get the reference books I plan on using out and stacked next to me.
- If you have a dog, walk it before you start.
- If you have kids… uh well. Try giving them something to do where they don't need to disturb you? (Don't have any, so I can't help you there.)
- If you're prone to headaches (like I am), have some Aspirin or Ibuprofen handy by your desk.
- I don't have a TV in the room where I write. Never did and never will. If you have one there… get rid of it. (No, I'm serious.) At least don't turn it on!
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I don't do all those things every time, but the coffee and music is a ritual of mine.
I'm not saying this works for everyone. I'm not saying this works every time for me, or that I do this every time.
But it's a start, and it's worth a shot, right?
Any other suggestions?
8
Feb
Well, okay. Maybe not all. Every story needs some supporting characters, but if (like me) you find yourself having ten dozen of them… well.
Give 'em the chop.
I've recently cut a supporting character out of a book. I didn't want to. I like him. My readers liked him.
He had to go. He didn't contribute anything. Originally he was the reason for discovery, he was a quirky kid who made the best of a bad situation.
Did I mention I really liked him?
Yeah.
I cut him dead, instead. Chopped him right out of the story and saved about 2k words, an entire chapter, and (hopefully) speeded up the pace.
So is poor Jack going to be dead and forgotten? Did I give him a tombstone? No.
He's safe. Safe in a file, alive and well in another story where he plays more of an integral part. He is part of the plot there, where in this story he was an afterthought, a filler.
Sometimes it is necessary to cut a character out of a story, even if it's a great character.
It's about word economy and flow. It's about continuance. It's about being ruthless.
Sometimes you just have to kill them.
What did I do to get around the plot part Jack played?
I had another character in there already (yes, another one), so he got some of Jack's plot parts instead. It still works.
There was a part where I had to rejig a lot of the story to make it fit, to have a different way of creating the conflict Jack had created, but again — all it took was a little reworking and it fitted nicely. (Okay, not as nicely as I'd have liked, but I'm working on it.)
Ask yourself if you need a character who only shows up occasionally with some pithy lines, but who essentially doesn't add anything to the story.
Do you really need them?
Can someone else come up with those lines?
Do they advance the plot?
Can someone else (already existing) advance the plot instead?
If you can cut them out, don't bury them. Save everything in a file, because that character won't just go away. (If it was a well developed character, they shouldn't, anyway.) He/She might fit as a more integral character in another story, play a bigger, more pivotal role.
Save their background, their traits and weaknesses. Save everything you can, preserve story/plot parts as intact as you are able, because you never know when you might go back to it.
Whether you keep a physical file for those chopped characters, or a digital one — keep it safe.
Just because he's not part of this story, doesn't mean your effort in creating him/her was wasted.
Like Arnie — he'll be back.
So don't sweat it. If you need to cut words in a novel, take a good hard look at the supporting cast and cut with a hatchet, rather than lose a word here and there while you preserve a character that doesn't add anything to the story.
30
Jul
My "Writing Room" is the second bedroom, which I’ve converted into a study. (Believe me, my significant other laments the day.) That’s where the novels come to life, where I hide out to plot and do nasty things to my characters, where my books reside and where I spend most of my time.
It is dominated by my desk. It’s big. It’s oak. It used to belong to the Mother Superior of a nearby convent, therefore it is also holy. (Anyone want a massive holy oak desk???)
I’ll probably have to take a chainsaw to it, if I ever want to get it out of this room again. I’m serious. It takes up a quarter of the room, not counting the big leather back director’s chair.
At least I can get all the reference books stacked onto it, that’s a plus side. I cleaned all those up the other day. You couldn’t even find the desk under all the clutter.
Behind me is a built in, floor to ceiling, book shelf. It’s full. Next to that is a small fireplace (all our rooms have fireplaces, it’s an old building.) and above that is… more shelving. Taken up, of course, by books. To the left of that is another floor to ceiling bookshelf. Also full, bar one shelf. I cleared out some books. Whee!
Next to the big oak desk is a small wooden table unit which has the HiFi and a second monitor on it.
Paul commandeered the corner of my big desk for his laptop. I’ll let him have that, but it irks me. LOL.
Although there are two windows in the room, it is very dark. It’s right by the main staircase, which blocks out all the light, so I end up having to have the lights on in here during the day. I’d love to have a nice, light and airy room, but alas… unless I kick us out of the bedroom, that’s so not going to happen.
So that’s where I write. We live in a very quiet area, so there is practically no noise (not counting the guys downstairs, who occasionally make our floor vibrate with the bass of their HiFi…).
And to top it off…
There you have it.
Where do you write?
If you take a photo, I’d love to see it. Blog about it, and reply with the link.
6
Jul
I’m working on the next novel, while I peddle the completed one.
No matter how disheartening the rejections are, it will not deter me from putting fingers to keyboard.
I write in my head all the time. There isn’t a time when I don’t hatch a story, dabble with scenarios, dialogue or scenery. I can’t not write. Even if no paper is to hand, my mind works in overdrive.
I recently met Katherine Howe, and she referred to it as "Telling myself a story."
I think that’s a good way of putting it. It’s what I do. It’s what a lot of writers do. (By no means all, but probably most.)
After that, you just put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, whichever you chose.) and write it down.
Easy!
What could possibly stop you?
Life. People. Everything.
Everything can get in the way of penning that great story you’ve been telling yourself.
So what can you do?
You can set yourself low goals, achievable goals.
Holly Lisle (http://www.hollylisle.com) has a little challenge going at the moment. You set your own goal, you get AFK days… stuff like that.
There used to be "Sven" (70 Days of Sweat) but I have no idea what happened with that. It’s kinda dead, over there.
If that kind of thing gets you plugging away — go for it.
Do what you can.
50, 100 or 1000 words a day – whatever you can add, it all makes that wordcount grow. Don’t beat yourself up over writing slowly. Not everyone has the time (or the willpower!) to write 5000 words a day.
So the moral of the story is…
Keep at it, and you’ll get there.