Presentation for the local Writer's Guild

I gave my presentation on organizing your writing with software this morning. We had very few people in attendance, which was disappointing, but many people had other obligations come up (family issues, flooding issues, etc.) so that's understandable.

It went well, but I talked too fast. I have a couple strategies to use next time to slow myself down, but that teacher attitude of "gotta get the material in before the bell" gets to me sometimes. ;-)

Now I'm going to present the idea to the state writer's guild and see if they'd accept that as a presentation for next year's convention. They didn't have anything like my presentation this year, and I think people would be interested in learning/sharing ideas of how to get better organized.

Patience is a terrible thing to waste

As I sit here with my knee elevated, enduring the discomfort of the switch out between icepack and heat wrap, I wonder when (if) I will ever learn to be patient. There's a fine line between busting your butt to achieve more and working so hard you hurt yourself, and I've crossed it physically. Now comes the waiting for my knee to heal. I hate waiting. But if I ever want to run again (or even walk without a limp), I need to be patient and give my knee a rest.

I'm also waiting on possible new job interviews, a call from an agent (hopefully telling me my novel is the best thing to hit fantasy since Industrial Light and Magic) and for my husband to get home out of the stormy night. I hate waiting. But if I want to be a successful employee/writer/wife, I have to learn to wait with grace.

So in the meantime I'll write. I'll read. I'll work while I'm waiting. But that doesn't mean I like it any more.

Brain dead

I'm so tired and overwhelmed I almost can't put words together. It feels like mentally wading through quicksand or breathing shaving cream.

There are so many things I need to do for work, for writing, for my social groups, for myself, for my family, etc. etc. And it's raining again (still) and I'm worried about all the people in danger of losing stuff and lives to the flooding. There's just too much to deal with at the moment.

(deep breath) It's days like this I have to remember to take one step at a time. Physically and mentally I'm done for the day. Best call it a night and start fresh in the morning.  I can't solve every problem and I can't win every war all at once. So tomorrow I'll do one more thing, then one more, then one more. Eventually it'll all get done or it wasn't really that important in the first place.

Write every day...right!

It's like eating broccoli. You need to do it. It's good for you. Some of us even like broccoli on occasion. But writing something every day? What if I don't have anything to say? What if I'm too busy? What if it's raining so hard outside that I can't think past is my basement flooded yet?

Yes, I contend that writers must write everyday, that we always have something to say, that if we're too busy to write then we need to look at our priorities, and that when distractions occur we need to have a plan ahead of time.

Is that to say that people who don't write every day aren't writers? Of course not. It's where your focus is. If you have kids, have an intense/stressful job, family drama, water in your basement, etc., that's probably where your focus is. No sin in that. But for those of us who can and are willing to give up daily TV watching, social events, and do laundry in all-day marathons, etc., we can put our focus into writing. There are those amazing individuals who can do the career/family and writing all at once (amazing, stressed-out, crazy people), but I'm not one of them.

And who's to say you can't change your focus? Once the kids are gone, once the basement is dry again, go back to writing. It'll be there waiting, just like the trusty dog that loves you no matter what.

Motivation

While at work do you ever think, "I'd really love to be home writing," but when you get home you're too tired/distracted to write? You'd rather watch TV or sleep or some other mindless drivel? Yeah, I have this problem, too. Often. Usually Monday through Friday and sometimes on the weekends when I really get lazy. However, I learned something today to beat that attitude and it came from my running lesson.

I'm a new runner. Nearly 39 years old and never wanted to run, never could run when I tried. But a couple friends encouraged me to enroll in a runner's training program, so I did. (Sad thing is, both of them had to drop out due to health issues. ;-( So for the past 7 weeks, I've been working up to longer distances and faster times. It hurts. It's hard. I LOVE IT!

Today, for the first time, I ran 3 1/2 miles non-stop in 38 minutes. Nothing record-breaking, but decent. What did I learn from this?

The first mile is the hardest. I feel like my knees are going to shatter every time I step. My lungs keep threatening to burst, my eyes sting from the sweat, and sometimes my feet or legs try to cramp up. But I keep going. The second mile my body quits hurting and I can feel the tension rolling off of me (or is that sweat?) Either way, I feel strong, confident, and able to continue. So I try three. At three, I'm starting to tire so I really have to work on picking up my toes and heading forward, not leaning back. It's a contest between my mind and my body...which will give out first? When the muscles in my legs start tightening like a rattler around a rabbit, that's when I pick a spot and quit. I'm done.

In relation to writing, I have to start to get anywhere. Simple concept, hard to do sometimes. It's that first paragraph or first page or first chapter that's daunting, but once I'm past that, I can feel the flow of the writing pouring through my fingers. There is a point, though, when my concentration wanes and I have to make a decision: am I being lazy or am I really tired enough that I need to quit? So at that point I need to make a goal, write to that point, summarize what comes next, then go to bed. Start again in the morning.

(yawn) So I guess if I'm continuing the writing metaphor, this blog entry was my warm up. Here's to the first mile tonight! ;-)

Conference Notes-"Reading from the Slush Pile" with Kristin Nelson

This session was by far one of my favorite and the one I learned the most from. The idea was, the agent (Kristin Nelson) read silently while a volunteer reader read aloud the beginning of people's stories. Kristin stopped the reader when something in the manuscript threw up a "red flag" i.e. when she would stop reading as an agent and send a rejection letter. Then she explained why.

This is a painful experience for many because when your work is read aloud and critiqued, sometimes it hurts. Kristin was very tactful about her issues with the pieces, but she was also honest.

She began by assuring everyone that "where you are today isn't where you'll be in six months or 10 years." She wanted to make sure everyone continued to write and didn't quit because of something she said in the workshop.

Only one of the dozen or so stores she read got past the first page. She didn't read mine. (Rats!) Below are some of the issues that came up:

     -setup feels like a short story rather than a novel (when you write in the wrong style for the media you choose, it's gonna feel "off")
     -loose on setting details (when the reader can't picture where/when the characters exist, it's hard to get caught up in the story)
     -panic doesn't stab or prickle, people don't shimmy through doors, people don't growl when they speak, sadness doesn't drag (when using metaphoric language, be careful to make your meaning clear and not just use words/images because they sound cool)
     -if writing from a child's point of view, make sure you use their language and how they perceive the world. Make sure to match the language of the characters to their characters rather than generic phrases.
     -don't be general
     -SHOW. Even worse, don't show it then tell what you just showed (I'm bad about this. School teacher training kicking in.)
     -don't use extra/flowery words and dilute the plot. Get in, make your point, get out.
     -keep the mood, don't switch mid chapter. Choose words that fit your mood.
     -watch metaphors. Sometimes it makes understanding MORE difficult rather than easier.
     -start the story in the right place. This is a hard one, and a topic of many writing books. Basically, for modern audiences, you need to be placed right on top of the action, not 1000 years ago with the history before your story.
     -cut what you don't need. This, too, is a hard one. You may love a word/phrase/paragraph/chapter, but if it doesn't forward the plot or characters, you may need to cut it.
     -prologue is not back story. Back story is world building which should be learned in context. Often the prologue is in a different voice or POV than the story, seems to have nothing to do with the story, and confuses the reader.
     -don't use passive sentences in tense situations.
     -if you create a new metaphor, you need to explain it (in context, obviously, so the reader doesn't get pulled out of the story)
     -you must describe your characters in context. A list pulls the reader away from/out of the story.
     -to sell your characters, you have to instantly place the reader into the context. Don't put a lot of world building in at the beginning otherwise the characters get lost.
     -setting must make physical sense. Is the bedroom going to open up onto the porch? (maybe...) Is the kitchen in the basement? (possibly, but why?)
     -watch the length of description on your action scenes. Action is great, but too much description can be confusing
     -in general, keep the same POV in a section/chapter.
     -explanations in text that are SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF INFORMING THE READER are sloppy writing. You must work explanations into the story so it's normal for the characters to talk/act this way.

I took these hints and combed through the first three chapters of my novel. Pulled out a few hairballs, a fingernail clipping, and a bunch of lint. Eww! Hopefully, with that last bit of spring cleaning, I've found myself representation. We'll see!

Title...Negative, Much!

Several people have commented about the negativity of my title. I can understand if you see it that way, but my perspective is the reality of publishing requirements, not negativity. The reality is, anyone can write words on a page. To take those words and re-arrange, cut, paste, and re-imagine them into a better form takes persistence, intelligence, and sometimes a hack-and-burn attitude about anything superfluous to the plot/characters/setting/marketability of your piece. THAT's why revision is cold, because sometimes your "best" stuff ends up on the virtual cutting room floor.