Challenge Accepted

Originally posted May 31, 2012

If anyone watches How I Met Your Mother, you’ll recognize one of Barney’s catch phrases in my title.

I’ve always considered myself a novelist when it comes to writing. If you know me personally, you know I can ramble on and on. Short and to the point isn’t really my thing. So, naturally, novels are right for me. I can weave long complicated plots and take my sweet time to get to the point. (That isn’t to say I take longer than I need to; I just don’t have everything wrapped up in 3000 words.)

Since I took that short story class I’ve decided to try to find stories in me that can be told in small segments. I’ve even written 250 word stories. I’m challenging myself to encapsulate events into small sections of time. Not only has it helped my novel writing, it’s just been fun.

Let me encourage all of you to challenge yourselves once in a while. Do something you don’t normally do and see if it doesn’t help you in your usual genre. I bet you’ll be glad you did. I know I am.

La Fine

Originally posted May 25, 2012

I finished the first draft of my mystery the other day. It’s with the publisher being edited. What a great feeling. I started this blog oh so long ago to inspire others to see things through to the end and follow me on my journey as I wrote my book. As it turns out, I wrote a different book before I edited the book I was talking about, but I still finished a project, and that’s something. So now, let’s start the project I meant in the first place.

It’s time for me to revise Battle Scars (WIP, tentative title).

It’s time for you to work on your unfinished/unstarted project, too.

Short Story Class Completed

Originally posted May 10, 2012

So last night was the final night of the short story seminar. It was so different from what I expected. I thought we were going to learn how to develop characters and plot and dialogue, etc. But it was really more of an analysis class. Which, in and of itself, isn’t bad. You can learn a lot from analysis. But I did more than my fair share of analysis when I was in college. I didn’t really want to do more of it now, especially when we didn’t get in depth with it in the class. We only scratched the surface, and analysis is only fun when you dig in. Still, I made some contacts and practiced my craft, which is really all you can ask of a seminar. So, all in all, I’d consider it a success. Now I have to get back to my novel. I’m about 60 pages away from the end, and I’m getting excited!

Continuing Education

Originally posted March 27, 2012

I start a new class tonight. It’s a six week workshop on short stories. We’ll be reading and analyzing existing works, doing in-class exercises, and working on a story of our own. Usually you hear about continuing education with respect to teachers, but I believe we can all benefit from it. I have a master’s degree in writing, but I’m taking this course. I haven’t been in school in nearly twenty years. I’m sure this instructor has a newer take on the topic than my professors did. And even if she doesn’t, it certainly won’t hurt for me to brush up on my skills. I’m excited to be in a learning environment as a student again. When I was a professor, I always told my students I learned from them, and I did, but this time I’ll be on the student side, and that’s a whole different perspective. Should be fun!

Get in the Groove

Originally posted August 24, 2011

I have a routine. I put on music (classical music – channel 866  or classic rock channel 862 on DirecTV) when I’m writing (depending on my mood) or my own personal playlist (the Rocky soundtrack if I’m writing an action sequence or some of my favorite love songs if I’m doing a love scene) and sit down at my laptop. I make sure I have something to drink – water, coffee, or tea – and I make sure the dog has gone out and has toys and snacks at his disposal so I won’t be interrupted.

Then I write.

Routine is important. I need background music for flow. I don’t listen to it, but I hear it, and it keeps me going. I need something to drink nearby because writing hard is exhausting, and it makes me as thirsty as a hard workout does. If I’ve got something to quench my thirst right near my hand, I don’t have to get up, and therefore, I don’t have to break my rhythm. If the dog is placated, I won’t be interrupted, and I can just type.

The familiarity gets me in a groove easier than if I try to write somewhere new everyday. It gets me back in my story faster. And the sooner I’m in the story, the sooner the story is on the page.

Yes, there are benefits to a change in scenery or an interruption or two. If I have writer’s block, changing the music or sitting with my laptop in a cafe or at a park can work wonders. If the plot or characters start wandering in an odd or stagnant direction, a change in my routine can result in a change in my writing – a change for the better. But if things are going well, why mess with the formula?

My recommendation? Find what works for you and stick with it.

Don’t Waste Time – Using the Unplanned Vacation

Originally posted July 30, 2011

Family came to visit this past week, and while I didn’t plan (and don’t recommend) taking off writing while entertaining visitors, sometimes I just can’t carve out the time to write when I have house guests. My family room is my office, and my guests rise early and stay up late, so, really, there was no time to sit down and knock out any revisions. How could I possibly stay productive while they were here? Three in the morning just didn’t sound appealing to me.

The solution: discussing plot hiccups, of course. I’m an advocate of writing groups, and I do belong to one. But sometimes a fresh perspective is just what you need to get you over that proverbial hump. We had some belly laughs at my expense, but once we got past my ridiculous errors in plot-management, I was able to find my way through the problems I had created after seeing things through a few new sets of eyes.

And the jokes brought us closer together in the process. If that isn’t economy of activity, I don’t know what is.

Inspiration

Original post date July 22, 2011

Today I decided that if I wrote a blog detailing my progress through my book, I might be more likely to be motivated. Right now I’m dragging my feet because the rough draft is done, and the rewrites are hard. I know what needs to be done to improve the book, but doing it is painful. So if I put myself under the microscope of the world, I might be more motivated to do the hard stuff. And in the process, people in the same boat as me might be inspired to stop dragging their feet and do what they need to do, too. So all you writers out there with a draft that needs to be edited, hear this: today I realized that the scene descriptions in chapter 1 need to be beefed up and the end of chapter 1 needs to be rewritten. I made notes on both on my critical re-read. What did you do today? Get your drafts out… find a red pen!

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