When it Sucks to Be a Writer

They don't get you. They don't believe in you. Your dreams are an inconvenience to them. They think you are wasting your time on this "hobby", and they make sure you know how foolish you are.

This is a situation every writer faces at some point. Some of us only encounter it when things aren't going according to plan. Some of us live with it for years without a break.

But no matter when or how you face it, you still face it. We all do. It's part of being a writer. And that's what I'm writing about today...

Because sometime being a writer sucks.

Writers are weird. We're different. We don't fit into society's mold. We're dreamers, visionaries, pioneers. Our lifestyles and life choices often don't make sense to non-writers. We spend hours pouring our hearts and souls into a work of art that won't bring in any money for years, maybe never. And we do it because we believe in it. Because it's a part of us. Because we can't NOT do it.

And other people - they just don't get it. And they say stupid things that hurt us. And they make us feel unintelligent and unworthy because we didn't choose a career path that "most" people view as "acceptable".

But you know what? That's okay. They don't have to get it. Someday they'll see what you were doing. The efforts will finally be rewarded. It will finally make sense to everyone. When that day comes, they may finally get you. They may not. But by that time, it won't matter anymore. Your dream will be a reality. You'll be doing what you were created to do, fulfilling a deeper purpose. And that is all you need.

So the next time you're feeling how inconvenient it is to be a writer, remember - every great dreamer faced doubts from their peers. It was how they chose to move forward that set them apart.

Why There Aren't Any Chapters in My First Draft

     This week I started writing the first draft of my newest project - a high fantasy that so far is estimated to be at least 100,000 words long. That's a lot of words! And it has to be sectioned off into chapters just right or it becomes a behemoth to read.

     Normally I'd be starting off with a chapter-by-chapter outline. It's supposed to simplify things. You write up your list of scenes. Then you divvy them up into chapter slots. Then you write your first draft chapter by chapter. I've had it recommended so many times. I always thought it was the sure-fire way to get it done.

     But last week, I did something crazy. Something foolish. Something every other plotter (and even every planter) out there is probably cringing at the thought of.

     ...I stopped using chapters in my outline.

     *gasp*

     I know, right? It seems like such a nutty idea. Now before you go freaking out, just think about it. One of a writer's biggest concerns can become how long each chapter needs to be. Where to start it. How to manage the pacing. How to end it just right so that the reader practically tears a page to get to the next one.

     When you're writing a first draft, you've got enough on your mind. Who wants all of that stress, too?

     That's why I went with a scene-by-scene outline instead. And it's amazing how freeing it feels already. I didn't have to stress during the outlining process. I just wrote up the scenes. I'm not panicking as I realize how many thousands of words are going into each chapter, or how I'm WAY under my word count and have to combine chapters (which would throw everything else off). I'm just plowing through the first draft till I get to the end.

     There's an even bigger plus to this idea than saving initial stresses, though.

     You know what's tight around the corner as soon as I finish drafting? REVISION. That wonderful time when you sit down, pull out the tissues and chocolate, and bemoan how crappy your first draft turned out. When you grab red pens, sharpies, anything with ink and color, and start crossing out, writing in, switching up. It's a mess.

     Believe it or not, THAT is the perfect time to put in the chapters. Once you've decided where everything that's been written needs to go chronologically, you can better determine where your chapter divisions need to be. And it can make the horrible revision process a little lighter, even (unbelievably) fun.

     If you're feeling overwhelmed in writing your first draft, stop and wonder if you're really stressing over your chapters. Step back and ask the question, "Are they helping me or hindering me right now?"

     It could be that using chapter divisions does help you. But if you're anything like me, throwing out chapter divisions will free up your drafting process like nothing but a good villain playlist.

     Sincerely,

          Yours Truly

It's About Time, Time Time...

So, somewhere along the line I convinced myself that writing is a short process. Or maybe I got that impression from how fast I saw myself writing. I'm not a patient person. End of story. (See?) 

I have unbelievable energy and inspiration when I first start a project. And this allows me to get way ahead of other people doing the same thing. 

For a while.

Then I get tired. My inspiration dwindles. I get overwhelmed with how big a project is, sometimes before I've really even started. I get lost in outlines and character profiles and word count goals and writer's block and filler material and Pinterest scrolling. And I lose heart. I give up the battle without fighting long enough to see any ground gained. 

Ever feel like that?

It's part of who I am. I am a highly energetic person. Which doesn't mean I have boundless energy. It means I have great big spurts of energy. And what happens when a spurt fizzles out? What's left afterward?

A great big sigh and an "I can't do really do this, I just thought I could".

Maybe that's why I've only finished less than a handful of manuscripts. Maybe that's why I have notebook after notebook of great story ideas collected over fifteen years of writing...and only one published novel in the same amount of time.

Today, I had a revelation. And it began as I read authoress Marissa Meyer's blog series "From Idea to Finished". I noticed how much time Meyers was suggesting putting into each step of the writing process. And how much time was devoted to the novel before it's rough draft stage.

I suddenly felt very sheepish. I do my share of character profiles. But once I write up a list of their physical features and personality quirks, I want to say "that's enough" and jump right into my rough draft. Sometimes I don't even get a basic outline done completely. And then I wonder why I have to go looking for filler material (like in my last blog post).

That blog series got me thinking. (As it will you - please read it; it will change how you view the writing process!) 

How much time does it really take to write a novel?

Maybe the better question is, how much time does it take to write a novel and how much time does it take to write a best-seller that an editor will actually take the time to read? Another good question: why do I rush into writing the rough draft so quickly and expect the writing, the revising and the polishing to end up like I want it to?

I have definitely been cheating myself out of accomplishing my best. I've been cheating my beta readers out of having finished manuscripts. And I've been cheating my future audience out of ever actually getting to read anything I've written.

Publishing is a scary business. From a writer's standpoint anyway. It takes a LOT of guts to send in a manuscript, knowing that you have worked for months to make it "perfect". It takes almost as much bravery just to think about sending in a manuscript. Especially to a big name company. (Seriously, just sitting here contemplating having a best-seller publishing house read MY manuscript makes me want to cling to it and hide in a closet!)

What if I could overcome that fear? What if instead of fearing I hadn't done my best I knew I had done my absolute best? What if I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I hadn't taken any shortcuts? That I hadn't cheated my novel out of the preparation and attention over time that it was due?

Would it make me braver when it came to sending that novel in to a publisher?

Would it make my novel worthy of being published?

The answer is a definite yes. Oh, there will still be PLENTY to fix come rewrite time. And my beta readers and editors will still have PLENTY to say about things I need to change. But the difference will be that when they see a manuscript of mine, they will see hard work, perseverance and patient, detailed everything. 

Not a second-rate rushed-onto-paper hash of cliches and I-put-this-here-cause-I-didn't-take-time-to-plan-it-out-better.

Not a narrative style that feels more like a bystander calmly observing a distant scene.

A vibrant piece of fiction! Dripping with drama, rich with characterization, satisfying with completed plot lines, engaging with detailed setting...A real, genuine page-turner.

So what is the proper amount of time and prep it takes to write a novel worthy of the New York Best Seller list? I'm not sure yet. But I now know that I can count on it taking a minimum of a year if need be. And you know what?

That's okay.

It's time I quit rushing into the rough draft. I need to slowly but surely sift through ideas and ask the important questions. It's time I eased off on the gas pedal during rewrites. I need to slowly but surely sift through each draft with specific goals in mind. It's time I quit getting discouraged by how long it's taking me to get finished. I need to take my time and enjoy the ride. Because once this manuscript is finished and sent to an editor, I need to know for sure and certain that it is my very best effort. 

This time, I know. This time, things will be different. And it will be a beautiful difference.

Sincerely,

Yours Truly

The Five-Point Stress-Eliminating Outline Guide

Tonight (or rather this morning; it happens to be 2:36am. Why is it that inspiration strikes at the most inconvenient times ever?!....Ahem, let me try this again…)

Tonight I am working on Part Two of a four-part-novel outline. Ever since I started working on this book – actually, since I’ve started writing fiction period – I have found myself trying to come up with brilliant “filler material” that somehow flows seamlessly with the rest of the novel. However, as you all are well aware, filler material tends to be just that. A random set of scenes stuck into the book to fill a gap in time between the two scenes that we actually feel inspiration for.

Needless to say, I keep coming up with bland narratives of boring events that are only made more pathetic with my attempts at clever, distracting dialogue and description. So I decided to take a step back from my attempts and look at the situation with a little more scrutiny. (After all, which is better – a novel thrown out there stuffed with whatever-I-could-find scenes, or a novel that will sit in a folder, quiet and content, until it is ready to be rewritten in a manner that is actually readable?)

It finally occurred to me that my search for 'filler material' was really my novel's desperate cry for some much needed attention. I wasn't trying to tell a story. I was trying to get a book finished. I realized that what I needed for each scene, each paragraph, each sentence, was a goal. A goal that went beyond the simplistic ‘word count’ we writers throw in there to make it seem like we have a goal. I needed to give myself an outline that included only things that would flow smoothly from Point A to Point B without the need for awkward “filler material”. And I needed a system that would work with any genre, narrative style or word-count.

That is how I came up with the system you will find in this blog post. I call it the Five-Point Stress-Eliminating Outline Guide. It is an outline guide that will make outlining a joy again, instead of a burden, and *gasp* will keep you from needing to find any “filler material”. As in, ever again! (Most likely. Unless you, like me, tend to slip back into bad habits.)

Are you ready folks? Here it is – the solution to a problem that has plagued generations of writers!

*dramatic drumroll*

1)      Main & Side Character Development

You may have to start back at square one for this. Oftentimes we writers get so caught up in the things that happen in our stories that we forget to tell what is happening inside our characters. Events change people. Growing up changes people. Meeting new people, new challenges, new victories and defeats – it all changes people. That is what every story is truly about. And it’s what makes a story click with the audience.

            If you haven’t already, a good place to start is to make a literal arch on a piece of paper – it looks like one of these ( turned clockwise – and write out where your character starts off, where your character ends, and all the twists and turns in between. (Not plot twists and turns; emotional/mental/spiritual twists and turns.)

            Now, take that written arch and look back over your outline. Your potential scenes. Your random piles of filler material. What is going to show off each bump, up or down, in your character’s arch to the best possible potential? Does this scene grow him as a person? Does this situation give us a chance to look into her soul? Do we see change? Do we see a stubborn persistence in behavior or attitude? To put it succinctly, is this scene important to him/her? It doesn't have to be huge and life-altering. It just needs to point us to that arch in some way, subtle or shocking.

            This doesn’t just apply to main characters, either. The best minor characters (whether villainous henchmen or hilarious side kicks) will only come to life if you give them a life to display.

2) Introductions (culture, crucial characters, questions that pique the audience’s curiosity)

Your main character walks into a new place that needs some element of explanation. A minor character needs to make their first appearance. An event makes your audience curious and makes them want to keep reading.

            If none of this is happening, you may need to rethink how you are telling this story. Major introductions should end after the first third of the novel. But you’re making an outline, so take the opportunity to go through the first third of it with a fine-tooth comb. (Trust me – it will be worth it!) Also, never forget that you need to keep bringing in additional questions throughout your novel to make your audience turn the pages. In fact, the last chapter is the only chapter where no new questions are allowed. (For a brushing up on good “hook” questions, check out my post on the subject!)

It is SO helpful and truly inspiring to the outline weary. When looking for “filler material” to get you from Point A to Point B, think of those three elements of introduction (culture, characters, questions). You’ll be surprised at how quickly your fillers become crucial turning points.

3)      Interpersonal Relationship Developments

Relationships are some of the most important points in our novels. Yet they tend to be neglected once the two lovers finally express their love, or two friends realize they are best friends, or two brothers who betrayed each other realize they will have to work with each other after all. The battle sequences, plot twists, and introductions are all important. But once two crucial characters are introduced and a relationship of any kind is begun, you don’t dare let it lag! That is the burial ground for realistic and interesting novels.

            One way to come up with a good filler scene, or to decide if an old scene needs to go, is to ask this simple question: have relationships between my main character and the other characters in the story been revealed, developed or destroyed lately? If the answer is NO, you can use this opportunity to invent a scene that will openly display the relationship between characters.

            NOTE: Again, it doesn’t have to be a jaw-dropping twist to the story. Often readers relate as well to simple glimpses into a good friendship or ongoing romance as they do to new information. And in an incredibly complicated, serious, heavy-material-type story, it can be a good breather.

4)      Subplot Developments

Speaking of minor characters…what about their lives? As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite examples of excellent subplot development is Charles Dickens’ work Little Dorrit. In it, he creates unforgettable side characters that further the main character’s journey…all while showing glimpses of complicated journeys of their own. True, it is a bit confusing. (When you watch the film version, you end up a bit dizzy.) But it’s still a good lesson to us modern writers in how important subplot development is.

            If you haven’t already, fix yourself a page separate from your main outline and write down all your important minor characters. Then, give them each a journey that they are going through that will tie in with the main plot or main character’s development. It doesn’t have to be the extremely important kind of subplot (not every character has to be the secret son of the main character’s mother). But it should affect the main plot in some way, even if all it does is give the main character a reason to step back and evaluate their own life. This makes filler material even easier – try and squeeze in at least three scenes throughout that specifically deal with a minor character’s life in a way that develops that character and the main character. Easy filler – and enjoyable read!

5)      Furthering of Main Plot (a.k.a. story continuity)

This one is obvious at first glance. But a second glance shows that Point 5, like the others, tends to be left in the dust very quickly. We hurry and scurry to make filler scenes – and then we wonder why they don’t seem to match the rest of the story. IT’S BECAUSE THEY DON’T! They weren’t created with the main plotline in mind, so they won’t further it. And this makes them awkward, unnecessary, and incredibly annoying. The easiest way to decide if a scene works with the rest of the novel is to look at it and see if it has any ties to the main plot.

            Each scene should somehow reflect on the overall arch of the story itself. We should fill it with side stories, minor characters, character development, and interest-piquing questions. But throughout the entire story should be woven one master thread. Once a scene loses contact with that thread, it loses all importance to the story. Now it is officially “filler”. Congratulations. We just lost our audience!

            Look at EACH SCENE individually. Look for that main thread. It doesn’t have to be huge. It doesn’t have to be blatantly obvious. It just needs to be there, subtly drawing the reader into the novel, leading them through every page with a consistency that promises the wait is worth it. If you can’t see the point of a scene, trust me – they can’t either. On the flip side, when every scene reminds the reader that things are moving forward, when each event gives us a glimpse into our character’s soul, when no paragraph is there just to be there but rather prods the reader to keep reading…that’s what you call a Best Seller novel in the making.

           Whew!

           Okay, that took a LOT more words than I thought it would. But I’m glad I wrote it. Now I will have a better vision as I write down my outline goals. I hope you do, too. I hope this inspires you to go out there and get that outline done. Because, let’s face it – road trips are so much easier with a map to guide us.

            I remain, as always,

                                    Yours Truly (and dreadfully sleepy)

He Said, She Said...and Neither Needed To

     What is dialogue? The online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary brought up the following definitions:

     1) The things that are said by the characters in a story, movie, play, etc.

     2) A discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement.

     3) A conversation between two or more people.

     You'll notice that none of those three definitions included the phrase "used to describe scenery or actions in a book so that the author doesn't have to bore the audience with a sentence or two doing the exact same thing in the narrative". 

     And yet that is exactly how too many amateur authors and authoresses treat dialogue. Seriously, why is that so hard to avoid? There are a couple of semi-valid reasons that writers resort to this method of description. Fortunately (for me at least) they are also very easy to address.

     One reason an author may be tempted to insert description during dialogue is that it seems far more clever than the traditional route of using the narrative. And I have to agree - that is a VERY tempting proposition. Especially when you have reader friends who keep insisting that you stop "writing like Charles Dickens". (Trust me, I've had my full of that. It's called GOOD WRITING, people!...Ahem...) It sounds simple enough. Take all the boring descriptions; slip it into the dialogue. Nobody will notice, right? Um, wrong!

     Another reason is that the author is actually attempting to write in a classic style. Everyone looks up to "the classics". Even authors of what my mother calls 'fluff novels' can become famous for their flowery narrative. That's what people look for in good books, so why not include it in the dialogue and make it really flowery? Again, wrong!

     And then there's a third reason. (And please don't be offended by it.) But a very big problem with many amateur author's dialogue sections is plain ignorance. You hear some description in dialogue every day. 

     "Hey - who's that?" 

     "Who?" 

     "That blonde girl walking in with Prescott." 

     "Where?" 

     "Over by the entrance." 

     "Which one?" 

     "Seriously?! The one by the water fountain."

     You hear that and it sounds natural. So it's no surprise that many amateur authors try to fit that kind of dialogue into their stories. But they get carried away and don't realize that they're including too much description. Instead, it turns out like this:

     "Hey - who's that girl?"

     "What girl?"

     "The girl with the flowing blonde hair and the pretty, sharp green cocktail dress? She's walking in in those stunning bejeweled stilettos."

     "Where?"

     "Over there behind the vine-covered columns near the southwest entrance."

     "Which one is that?"

     "Seriously?! The southwest entrance by the blue trickling waterfall surrounded by sweet mermaids."

     (I kid you not - I have actually read a published book written by a friend that read like that!)

      See? Not nearly as natural. Way overdone. Almost annoying. And it will easily lose that author's audience.

     Now all thee of these reasons seem legitimate at the time. But you take a dialogue sequence like that, and - well, it's just not worth the effort you'll have to put in once it's time for the rewrite. 

     So, how to nip it in the bud? 

     Easy! When you start writing dialogue, STOP. Talk it out loud to yourself first (as all the parts). The ear is the best writer of all, so they say. (They are totally right, by the way! See my other article on the subject of talking to yourself - I mean, your characters!) Then, while it's still fresh in your mind, write it down as fast as you can. Then, read it out loud to yourself, acting it out so to speak. If it still sounds good, keep going. If not...take a very long break with a big plate of brownies followed by a long walk and a tall glass of water. And start all over again.

     Hope that this helps you! If not...my apologies. 

     Sincerely,

          Yours Truly

Confessions from Camp NaNo

     Six o'clock was much earlier than I was used to getting up. But I could already feel the morning person inside me gearing up for a writing frenzy. I got some breakfast and hot tea, sat down with my computer and notebooks, and started the journey we writers call National Novel Writing Month.

     November was a busy month for me - or at least, what I used to consider busy. I had dance classes twice a week, church and meetings weekly, and let's not forget one of America's biggest holidays (Thanksgiving) at the end of the month (which is always the hardest time for tired writers). But I was determined! The year before, my friend had beaten me to the 50,000 word count goal by a matter of hours. And this year I was going to beat her. No matter what it took.

    That was 2012. And that, friends, was the last NaNo of any kind in which I successfully completed my entire word count goal.

     Allow me to put this into perspective: during this last month (Camp NaNo), I had a word count goal of 15,000, an extremely modest goal given the 50,000+ I completed only three years before. And...I made it all the way up to 4,040 words. Total. Fantastic, right?

     You can imagine how it felt. I, a once-avid writer, had fallen so short of my own word count goals that I was almost embarrassed to admit it to anyone else. Some writer I've turned out to be. Life throws me a few curves and the first thing I give up is writing!

      .....And yet, on the flip side of that coin, I did write almost 5,000 words. And I did complete two of my smaller goals (completing two chapters I was struggling to make any headway with).

     So does it count as a failure or as a success?

     I guess it helps at this point to consider the value of what I gained versus the gravity of what I lost. Because honestly, I didn't lose anything (except a notch on my belt of writerly pride). I only gained. And five thousand words, as sorry as that sounds compared to fifty thousand, are still that many words written down. Not stored away in my brain for a rainy day. Not procrastinated over for months on end. Not sitting idly filling my head with writer's shame. They're on my computer waiting for some additions.

     And isn't that really the goal of writing? To get words onto paper? (Or in this digital age, onto the computer hard drive.)

     Maybe it's just me trying to sound noble after a failure of such epic proportions. But given the fact that the month of July was very unusually busy for me, I'm actually quite proud of myself for getting any writing done. At least now I have one foot in the door for completing what I started. And who knows? Maybe when National Novel Writing Month comes around, I'll be so geared up by Camp NaNo failure that I'll actually complete the much bigger (and more stressful) goal.
   
     We shall see.

      Until my next post, I remain,

                 Yours Truly

Patchwork Writing

     What part of a story do you start writing first? The answer seems simple. The beginning - duh! But is it really that simple? Chronological writing is only one way to write, and for many writers it is the hardest.

     And yet that part isn't too simple, either. You can't just start at the end, or even start in the middle, and end up with a plot line that's all connected and makes sense. However, there are alternatives to starting at the first sentence and writing clear through to the end, especially when you just can't seem to get that first sentence started.

     This alternative is what I like to call "patchwork writing". Because that's really all it is - taking scraps of written scenes and piecing them together once you've finished them.

     Allow me to demonstrate.

     Let's say that I'm working on a scene with combined dialogue and description. The description is really important because it will give my readers a feel for the whole situation and a glimpse into the setting. But let's say that I'm having problems because my dialogue is coming out all wrong. It's stilted and unrealistic and sounds like a bad lip reading of Shakespeare. So what do I do?

     What I always do in such a crisis - I take the dog for a walk and talk the scene out between my characters. Then, once I've got the sequencing right, I write down just that dialogue. I even skip the actions until I've got the part down that I know sounds good.

     Now I've got a workable written portion. What's next? The part that was hard becomes easy. I take my writerly thimble, needle and thread and start connecting the dialogue with the rest of the portions I've written. This would be the description and actions that make up the rest of the scene and all the in-between parts.

     And that trick, believe it or not, solves 50% of my chronological-writing problems. It's my #1 piece of advice to give to writers struggling with chronological writing (especially when it comes to NaNoWriMo). It also keeps me interested in my own writing long enough to finish a project, which, as you may have noticed, is not always an easy thing for me to do.

     So take this trick (if you haven't already done it yourself) and share it with your writer friends. Or just use it yourself and get to that writing project you've been putting off because of this very issue!

     Sincerely,

          Yours Truly