I've reached the halfway point in my current work. In fact, I'm over the hump. Oddly enough, halfway through is usually another benchmark. It's that place where you aim for the finish line and rediscover the direction of the story. I will admit to being stuck, because it's also a place of re-evaluating. But I'm over the hump and moving forward once again!
Getting started with a story is exciting and fun, but once the honeymoon is over, once you get, oh, about halfway in, you get stuck. From there, you have to look to the end. Is the story on track? Is it going the wrong direction? Have the characters taken you somewhere you didn't expect as they've evolved and come to life on the pages? It's the mature years of the story's life.
Reaching "the end" is often compared to child birth. You've expressed the whole thing and you need recovery to bond with the end result. I've read several interesting accounts of how different authors deal with the "post partum" phase, almost all of which requires stepping away from the story to let it gel all by itself. I know for sure that once I reach "the end," I'm not going to be done with this one. There are several places I've had to weave and reweave information that I left out on the first draft that is necessary to bring my story to life. That doesn't mean I won't get to "post partum." I've actually scheduled some dedicated extra time to get through this first draft because I'm still excited about my "baby's" heartbeat (when you read this story, you'll get the double entendre in that remark!).
So I'm keeping this post short. Focused on moving forward and anxious to birth this story!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Rejected!
Oh wait, we're not playing basketball. Of course it doesn't feel any better having your shot blocked.
After three long months of waiting, the editor I met at the Spring Fling Conference finally got back to me. She reiterated how much she liked the story premise for Epitaph, but I didn't convince her that this was a book she couldn't live without. Unfortunately, authors develop this fatalist attitude so when the letter came yesterday, I would have been more surprised if she had asked for a full manuscript to review. Is this the end? Nope. Just another bump in the road. I am disappointed, but I have another plan to put into action - starting today. Epitaph is off to the next prospect.
In the meantime, I'm still working on The Next Big Thing (which is not the title). I'm still excited about this one and hoping I can do justice to the concept. Of all the stories I've written, this one just FEELS like something special. Oh, yes, they are all special when you're writing them, and I felt this same way when I wrote The Treasure of St. Paul. The ones between were fun, but none of them had the same spark. In fact, the last story I wrote was pretty flat, but then again, it was written as a catharsis - an homage to a tragedy. That one will likely never see the light of day. But THIS ONE has real potential.
Rejection is a part of the process. One of the hardest lessons is to accept the criticism and learn from it. I don't know of anyone who takes criticism well, but there are very few malicious agents and/or editors. They don't pass along comments to be mean, they do it to teach you something. A famous person once said those who will not learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them. In a highly subjective business, it's easy to discount "one person's opinion." However, when that one person knows what they're talking about, you need to consider why they don't like it before you ignore it. For me, I think the comments I received were valid, and it's a weakness I've seen pointed out by others. At the end of the day, it may be something I'm not able to overcome, but knowing it, seeing it, recognizing it - these are the first steps to correcting it. If I can correct it this time, maybe the next proposal will be accepted!
In the meantime, I'm moving forward on my canyon story, keeping these lessons in mind as I first finish and then edit. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, this one just might be that break-out novel.
After three long months of waiting, the editor I met at the Spring Fling Conference finally got back to me. She reiterated how much she liked the story premise for Epitaph, but I didn't convince her that this was a book she couldn't live without. Unfortunately, authors develop this fatalist attitude so when the letter came yesterday, I would have been more surprised if she had asked for a full manuscript to review. Is this the end? Nope. Just another bump in the road. I am disappointed, but I have another plan to put into action - starting today. Epitaph is off to the next prospect.
In the meantime, I'm still working on The Next Big Thing (which is not the title). I'm still excited about this one and hoping I can do justice to the concept. Of all the stories I've written, this one just FEELS like something special. Oh, yes, they are all special when you're writing them, and I felt this same way when I wrote The Treasure of St. Paul. The ones between were fun, but none of them had the same spark. In fact, the last story I wrote was pretty flat, but then again, it was written as a catharsis - an homage to a tragedy. That one will likely never see the light of day. But THIS ONE has real potential.
Rejection is a part of the process. One of the hardest lessons is to accept the criticism and learn from it. I don't know of anyone who takes criticism well, but there are very few malicious agents and/or editors. They don't pass along comments to be mean, they do it to teach you something. A famous person once said those who will not learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them. In a highly subjective business, it's easy to discount "one person's opinion." However, when that one person knows what they're talking about, you need to consider why they don't like it before you ignore it. For me, I think the comments I received were valid, and it's a weakness I've seen pointed out by others. At the end of the day, it may be something I'm not able to overcome, but knowing it, seeing it, recognizing it - these are the first steps to correcting it. If I can correct it this time, maybe the next proposal will be accepted!
In the meantime, I'm moving forward on my canyon story, keeping these lessons in mind as I first finish and then edit. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, this one just might be that break-out novel.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Dog Days of Summer
Someone turned the heat way up this year. I don't mind the heat so much, but the humidity is what kills. Today is one of those days where, when you walk outside, it feels like someone is throwing waterballoons at you. HOT water balloons that don't splash, they just trickle. I walked out of the grocery store this morning and my glasses fogged up. Isn't that only supposed to happen in winter?
These are the days where you don't mind staying inside and immersing yourself in another world, even if (in my current case) that's means the desert.
I'm still having a ball with my current work in progress, but I've re-discovered why I'm the "spit it out, clean it up later" type of writer. With my current story, I've been working slowly, making sure I get the details right the first time (or at least mostly right) when I have chunks of time to write. I'm still slapping down some of the chapters when my time is short in an effort to get them on paper, but the thing that stands out for me is the time I'm wasting.
Yesterday I took a big chunk of time. I went back through the last two chapters that had been slap-dashed onto paper and cleaned them up, then I went to my stopping point to continue on, knowing full well what I want to write, and I was stuck. This is what many people call writer's block: the inability to write. But I'm not blocked. I know what I want to say, but I can't seem to word it the way I want to. So I stare at my computer screen, filtering through all the words inside my head and nothing is translating itself through my fingers, to the keyboard, to the computer screen. THAT's frustrating.
Today, I'm taking a break. DH has volunteered to take me to a movie to escape the heat and I'm going! When I get back, I think it will be time to slap-dash chapters down. I will have another big chunk of time, so once I get started, I can then go back and clean up the mess later. It's how I work best.
These are the days where you don't mind staying inside and immersing yourself in another world, even if (in my current case) that's means the desert.
I'm still having a ball with my current work in progress, but I've re-discovered why I'm the "spit it out, clean it up later" type of writer. With my current story, I've been working slowly, making sure I get the details right the first time (or at least mostly right) when I have chunks of time to write. I'm still slapping down some of the chapters when my time is short in an effort to get them on paper, but the thing that stands out for me is the time I'm wasting.
Yesterday I took a big chunk of time. I went back through the last two chapters that had been slap-dashed onto paper and cleaned them up, then I went to my stopping point to continue on, knowing full well what I want to write, and I was stuck. This is what many people call writer's block: the inability to write. But I'm not blocked. I know what I want to say, but I can't seem to word it the way I want to. So I stare at my computer screen, filtering through all the words inside my head and nothing is translating itself through my fingers, to the keyboard, to the computer screen. THAT's frustrating.
Today, I'm taking a break. DH has volunteered to take me to a movie to escape the heat and I'm going! When I get back, I think it will be time to slap-dash chapters down. I will have another big chunk of time, so once I get started, I can then go back and clean up the mess later. It's how I work best.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Writing is rewriting
You'll have noticed the change in my posts, no doubt. If you go back a couple, you'll see the quote I posted about the ups and downs, as posted by another author in my circle.
I'm 8 chapters into the latest and BAM! I hit a wall. And so I began writing chapters ahead of where I should be because I'm struggling with forward momentum. Not wanting to lose ground, I have placemarkers to go back to. Today I went back to one of those placemarkers and have spent a highly productive day rewriting a poorly written chapter. It's all part of the fun. As we second guess ourselves as writers, we stall out until we catch our second wind (and third wind, and fourth wind).
Yesterday I couldn't think of a word to write, so I picked up the first book I published. I wanted to measure my progress from that point until today. I always felt that The Treasure of St. Paul was written from the heart and I have a great attachment to it, but I've been afraid to go back and read it fearing that I was mistaken and it would show what an unskilled writer I was then. Years later, I'm still proud of that story, and although I did see some rookie mistakes and illegal point of view changes, I'm glad I wrote it. The story was still as strong for me yesterday as it was when I wrote it. Perserverance, hard work, sticking with it, writing, editing, rewriting. It shows in that story and it is as true at any point in the writing journey.
Today I was able to continue on my present story, reassured that maybe, just maybe, I can write just a little bit. Fresh ideas and marketing light bulbs popping. I've also touched base with some old writing buddies who asked about my other stories as yet unpublished. I'm climbing out of my rut with renewed excitement. The icing on this cake would be hearing back from the editor who requested Epitaph at the writers conference. Validation is a wonderful thing :-)
I'm 8 chapters into the latest and BAM! I hit a wall. And so I began writing chapters ahead of where I should be because I'm struggling with forward momentum. Not wanting to lose ground, I have placemarkers to go back to. Today I went back to one of those placemarkers and have spent a highly productive day rewriting a poorly written chapter. It's all part of the fun. As we second guess ourselves as writers, we stall out until we catch our second wind (and third wind, and fourth wind).
Yesterday I couldn't think of a word to write, so I picked up the first book I published. I wanted to measure my progress from that point until today. I always felt that The Treasure of St. Paul was written from the heart and I have a great attachment to it, but I've been afraid to go back and read it fearing that I was mistaken and it would show what an unskilled writer I was then. Years later, I'm still proud of that story, and although I did see some rookie mistakes and illegal point of view changes, I'm glad I wrote it. The story was still as strong for me yesterday as it was when I wrote it. Perserverance, hard work, sticking with it, writing, editing, rewriting. It shows in that story and it is as true at any point in the writing journey.
Today I was able to continue on my present story, reassured that maybe, just maybe, I can write just a little bit. Fresh ideas and marketing light bulbs popping. I've also touched base with some old writing buddies who asked about my other stories as yet unpublished. I'm climbing out of my rut with renewed excitement. The icing on this cake would be hearing back from the editor who requested Epitaph at the writers conference. Validation is a wonderful thing :-)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Happy Independence Day!
I'm not going to use this forum to express my political views. One of the things we are taught is that discussions about religion and politics often end in arguments. We each have a unique stand on these issues that might be clear as mud to the person beside us, so I will choose to exault our independence and be thankful for those who have fought hard to secure it for us, and not condemn those that have taken advantage of it and corrupted the system our forefathers worked so hard to build. (oops, I guess I did express a teensy little opinion . . .)
I find myself today thinking about the evolution of change. The cliche is that nothing is so certain in this life as change, and I know I've seen more than my fair share. In my job, in my life. Change is always difficult, by its very nature. Its our adaptability that measures how difficult that change will be. I see the publishing industry changing, much the same way the music industry changed. It is clear that we are advancing further into an electronic age. I voiced my opinions on the Kindle, et. al. in another post a few months back. I see this as an inevitable evolution, but as in music, it is not clearly one or the other, it is more the trend, allowing for holdbacks and conscientious objectors. The thing that disturbs me, however, is the greed that walks hand in hand with the process of change. Case in point: I have published two e-books in conjunction with the publication of the paperback version of those novels. The selling price was about $5 as I recall (don't quote me, I'd have to go back and check). As I was researching an electronic reader, I came across a disclaimer that I couldn't currently buy any books because they were restructuring the pricing of same. It seems that with increased demand, they feel it necessary to increase the price. So now, instead of buying a relatively inexpensive to produce ebook for $5, they want you to pay $10. I get the economics of it - they have to pay for the hardware and the infrastructure, but on the other hand, isn't a lot of that already in place? They are charging high prices for the readers to cover the cost of manufacture and networking, it seems to me. Maybe I'm missing something and I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I have a real problem with increasing the cost of ebooks just because there is a greater audience today than there was in the past. That being said, if the publishers choose to go away from the production of paperback versions, then maybe they need to cover the cost of marketing and editing and all the other things that go into publishing a novel, but then I consider paperback books in the grocery store. Aren't they still selling for $4.99 or $7.99?
Yes, the face of publishing is changing. I can accept that. I see it as a higher mountain to climb - more competition with an easier to access format. In an already highly-competitive profession, I have my concerns about what the market is willing to bear, and quite frankly, it is influencing my decision of whether or not to buy a book reader. If I'm going to pay full price for an ebook, seems to me holding a paperback in my hand for the same or less would contradict the desire to change. Or maybe I'm just old fashioned . . .
I find myself today thinking about the evolution of change. The cliche is that nothing is so certain in this life as change, and I know I've seen more than my fair share. In my job, in my life. Change is always difficult, by its very nature. Its our adaptability that measures how difficult that change will be. I see the publishing industry changing, much the same way the music industry changed. It is clear that we are advancing further into an electronic age. I voiced my opinions on the Kindle, et. al. in another post a few months back. I see this as an inevitable evolution, but as in music, it is not clearly one or the other, it is more the trend, allowing for holdbacks and conscientious objectors. The thing that disturbs me, however, is the greed that walks hand in hand with the process of change. Case in point: I have published two e-books in conjunction with the publication of the paperback version of those novels. The selling price was about $5 as I recall (don't quote me, I'd have to go back and check). As I was researching an electronic reader, I came across a disclaimer that I couldn't currently buy any books because they were restructuring the pricing of same. It seems that with increased demand, they feel it necessary to increase the price. So now, instead of buying a relatively inexpensive to produce ebook for $5, they want you to pay $10. I get the economics of it - they have to pay for the hardware and the infrastructure, but on the other hand, isn't a lot of that already in place? They are charging high prices for the readers to cover the cost of manufacture and networking, it seems to me. Maybe I'm missing something and I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I have a real problem with increasing the cost of ebooks just because there is a greater audience today than there was in the past. That being said, if the publishers choose to go away from the production of paperback versions, then maybe they need to cover the cost of marketing and editing and all the other things that go into publishing a novel, but then I consider paperback books in the grocery store. Aren't they still selling for $4.99 or $7.99?
Yes, the face of publishing is changing. I can accept that. I see it as a higher mountain to climb - more competition with an easier to access format. In an already highly-competitive profession, I have my concerns about what the market is willing to bear, and quite frankly, it is influencing my decision of whether or not to buy a book reader. If I'm going to pay full price for an ebook, seems to me holding a paperback in my hand for the same or less would contradict the desire to change. Or maybe I'm just old fashioned . . .
Monday, June 21, 2010
Keep Pushing
With constant interruptions to the writing process, sometimes its hard to keep motivated. The day job is rearing its ugly head once again (well, something has to pay the bills!) so it trumps writing time. It doesn't eliminate it, but it does reduce it. That being said, I promised myself I'd make up the difference over the weekend - which I did.
(Saturday) But sitting down, staring at a half finished chapter, trying to figure out where you're going next - sometimes that can be daunting. Especially when your train of thought has been derailed repeatedly. So I started at the beginning, knowing I had some edits to make earlier on. I'm only 6 chapters in, so this isn't so bad as it may sound. Then something magical happens. I get excited about the story all over again, and the words begin to flow.
(Sunday) Then there is the detail aspect. How do they do that, how do they get there, what does it look like. Once again, I have to take time away, although this is important time away, to research pieces of the story. At some point during the day, I realized I needed to put some words down, so I abandoned my search to be productive. I have the major questions answered, and the detail, while interesting to look up, may not be important to the story. I can fill in the blanks later, if they need to be filled in.
The moral of the story is to keep writing. Even if it's drivel. Even if it's incomplete. Words on the page are valuable. No words on the page are useless. I actually started one chapter with what I wanted that chapter to entail. One short paragraph saying "this is what they're doing and where they're going." It works. Its pushes you through to the next section.
Just keep pushing.
(Saturday) But sitting down, staring at a half finished chapter, trying to figure out where you're going next - sometimes that can be daunting. Especially when your train of thought has been derailed repeatedly. So I started at the beginning, knowing I had some edits to make earlier on. I'm only 6 chapters in, so this isn't so bad as it may sound. Then something magical happens. I get excited about the story all over again, and the words begin to flow.
(Sunday) Then there is the detail aspect. How do they do that, how do they get there, what does it look like. Once again, I have to take time away, although this is important time away, to research pieces of the story. At some point during the day, I realized I needed to put some words down, so I abandoned my search to be productive. I have the major questions answered, and the detail, while interesting to look up, may not be important to the story. I can fill in the blanks later, if they need to be filled in.
The moral of the story is to keep writing. Even if it's drivel. Even if it's incomplete. Words on the page are valuable. No words on the page are useless. I actually started one chapter with what I wanted that chapter to entail. One short paragraph saying "this is what they're doing and where they're going." It works. Its pushes you through to the next section.
Just keep pushing.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Writer's Angst
I've been productive today - looking over my social networks, answering my emails, trading critiques AND writing. One of the writers on my social network made this comment "for the first time in a long time, I feel very content with who and what I am. I'm sure it won't last (I'm a writer, we're neurotic) but I'm very much enjoying it." This is a feeling I can relate to.
As a writer, there are always ups and downs - one of the most frequent questions we ask ourselves is "Why Am I Doing This?" accompanied by a certainty that what we are writing is pure drivel. Neurotic? Absolutely! It goes with the territory. You hit a downturn in the writing process - a plot point that you can't quite see clearly or a slow part that stalls you out.
One of the things that stalls me out is my day job. I hit that "I don't have the time to devote to writing" roadblock frequently, and then I get a big block of quality time - like today - and I discover that I REALLY love the story I'm writing right now. So even though I don't have the right allotment of time at the moment to devote to it, I have SOME time to devote to it, accompanied by large chunks here and there, which I take full advantage of. So even though yesterday I was ready to throw it all in with the whole "why bother?" attitude, today is a new day, and it's these nuggets of inspiration that light up our lives that keep us moving on.
What motivates you to keep going even when you feel like you're fighting a losing battle?
As a writer, there are always ups and downs - one of the most frequent questions we ask ourselves is "Why Am I Doing This?" accompanied by a certainty that what we are writing is pure drivel. Neurotic? Absolutely! It goes with the territory. You hit a downturn in the writing process - a plot point that you can't quite see clearly or a slow part that stalls you out.
One of the things that stalls me out is my day job. I hit that "I don't have the time to devote to writing" roadblock frequently, and then I get a big block of quality time - like today - and I discover that I REALLY love the story I'm writing right now. So even though I don't have the right allotment of time at the moment to devote to it, I have SOME time to devote to it, accompanied by large chunks here and there, which I take full advantage of. So even though yesterday I was ready to throw it all in with the whole "why bother?" attitude, today is a new day, and it's these nuggets of inspiration that light up our lives that keep us moving on.
What motivates you to keep going even when you feel like you're fighting a losing battle?
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