It was actually over yesterday, but tomorrow is when the 2000 words a day officially starts. I did write today with my small group but didn't keep track of how many words got written. I can tell you that the book is now at 32,377 revised words. Also, my copywriting class began yesterday and I have homework already. Seems to me I now need a schedule.
I already know it's best to write in the morning. If I wait until after lunch, most likely it won't get done. I am most anxious to get the book done and shoved out the door now that the severance nest egg is quickly dwindling. Not that I think I'll make loads of money off the first endeavor. I just want to get on with the next one, get it done so I can move on to the next one after that.
I've probably mentioned this before, but a repeat certainly can't hurt - especially since I'm saying it for my own benefit as much as anyone who happens to be reading this.
My plan has always been to just keep putting my books out there on Kindle, Nook, and any other place it can be self-published, build that audience then maybe go for an agent once that audience is there. I said maybe because I've learned something important about having an agent and being published by one of the big houses - I don't get to keep all the money my books earn.
Now, if I were, say, J.K. Rowling, that might not be such a big deal. As a nobody just getting started and in need of an income - yeah, pretty big deal. I see heads nodding in agreement so I know I'm not alone with that thought.
I understand why, though. An agent hopefully works hard to get their client published. The publishing house works hard to bring that book to the masses. There's also the possibility of that all important advance when agents and publishing houses are involved. On the other hand, self-publishing means the book is out there a lot sooner, so it can start earning a lot sooner. Maybe not a lot to begin with but with more books on the virtual shelf, the better the odds of one of them making it big. Right?
That's my theory, right or wrong.
I know, I know - just putting a book out there doesn't mean it'll sell. There's got to be a little more effort put in and I agree. No one can buy my book if they don't know it's there. That's where social media comes in.
Facebook and their greedy ways aside, there are other ways of selling my wares. This blog is one example and even if Facebook won't share my posts with people who actually want to see them, anything I do post there ends up on Twitter. I can have a website created to feature my books, share that URL around. Lots of free and inexpensive options for getting the word out and probably some I haven't even heard of yet.
Word of mouth is also a way of getting a book known, bought and read by more people. If it's good enough, that is, and I hope it will be by the time my beta readers have torn it apart and I do final revisions based on their suggestions.
One thing must happen first, though. Gotta finish the darn thing.
Tomorrow, 2000 words a day, everyday. More if possible. Book out to the masses - end of the year?
Doable, I think.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Apparently, I'm On Sabbatical
I've been feeling lately that I really should be doing something. I think it's been stressing me out, too.
I haven't done a lot of writing since my last post. Can't seem to get back into the groove yet. I was lamenting this to one of my friends yesterday and she said that I should consider myself as being on sabbatical until the 29th, when my copywriting course starts.
I like that word, sabbatical. Means I'm allowed to do whatever I want, even if that's nothing at all. Well, that's the definition the word is getting for me right now.
This conversation took place at Panera, where I should have been concentrating on writing but just couldn't do it for some reason. I'd start a new page, get only halfway down, read what I just wrote and erase it all to start over. Just could not get into it. Sometimes, when it gets like this for me, I'll pull out the old "Novels In Progress" file from my computer and read some of my past writings.
Though a few writers might deny this, every writer has a similar folder or notebook or something where they've written pieces and parts of new projects that were subsequently abandoned for one reason or another. For me, it's generally that I either lose track of where the story was going, lose interest or the story just isn't really going anywhere to begin with. These are the projects that I keep because 'someday' will come.
There's quite a bit of good writing in this folder and even I will sometimes swear at myself for abandoning what might have been a good story. Rarely does that mean I'll pick the project back up to work on. A lot of what I've written in the past revolves around Star Wars characters. Whenever I get stuck or just need to free write a plot idea, I'll use the characters from Star Wars so that I don't have to fiddle with character development. I can just write the plot and see if it's useful. A lot of times it isn't because the other elements from Star Wars tend to creep in and I just don't have it in me to try and come up with alternatives.
Still, these stories are a good read for me and I do find encouragement to battle on once I've read some of them.
I also have a folder entitled "Story Ideas". Again, many of these involve Star Wars characters but are only a few lines and mainly written for my own entertainment. Not really something for public consumption. I also get a boost from these as many were written off the cuff and within a short burst of writing frenzy, something I apparently do quite well - except with my current project.
Um, where was I? Oh, yeah.
So, yesterday, when I tried to look at some of these abbreviated and abandoned projects on my laptop, I had forgotten that while these stories were written in Word, I do not happen to have Word on my laptop. Computers no longer come with Word as a standard program - haven't for a long time. Which means, when I pulled up some of these files, all I saw was a bunch of garbled nonsense. I guess sometimes Word documents don't translate well to Notepad or Wordpad.
That's when I decided to see if there was an ad supported Word program I could get for free. My friend has one on her netbook and since I only wanted it to read these files, I didn't think the ads would bother me. How did it work out? Let's just say that I ended up doing a system restore. Not only was the program not an ad supported free program, I ended up with a lot of other bloatware on my computer that would reinstall itself as I was trying to uninstall it. Lesson learned.
Once I got home, I started searching for a compatible program or app that would allow me to at least look at these files in a readable format. Little did I know, I already had something like that on my laptop - Google Docs. Who knew?
So now I can look at these files, read them more easily and continue to gain inspiration from them. I finally came to the conclusion that, while I'm not sure where to go next with my current project, I do have one or two things that definitely have to happen in their current setting. I'll make a list of those things and then see if that doesn't inspire some written prose or dialogue. But is that the kind of thing one does on a sabbatical?
I do feel the urge to do some free writing, though. Who knows? Might actually come up with something useful there.
One thing I have done, I downloaded a program called Grammerly on my chrome browser. It's reviewing this post as I write and telling where I'm going wrong. At this point, it's saying I have two critical errors in what I've written. Let's go see what those are, shall we?
Well, it didn't like my phrasing of 'One thing I have done' and it also didn't like its own name, Grammerly. And now I have to tell it to ignore its own name again.
For those that don't know, Grammerly is a program a writer can use to find grammatical mistakes in their writing. It really doesn't like its own name. Hilarious. Continuing on.
The free version of the program (ha, fooled you, Grammerly!) works inside the Chrome browser and will review anything written in the browser - like blog posts. It only picks up the more typical issues. It will advise on the more advanced issues, but that's a paid upgrade and right now, this poor author can't afford it. Still, that much is helpful even if a bit annoying at times.
You can also upload files into the online version of the program and it will do the same thing there. It's helpful but not really something I'll rely on. Some of my characters do not use correct grammar when they speak and this thing will drive me nuts pointing out all those errors.
I kind of did a bit of rambling there, didn't I. Well, I am on sabbatical so there.
I haven't done a lot of writing since my last post. Can't seem to get back into the groove yet. I was lamenting this to one of my friends yesterday and she said that I should consider myself as being on sabbatical until the 29th, when my copywriting course starts.
I like that word, sabbatical. Means I'm allowed to do whatever I want, even if that's nothing at all. Well, that's the definition the word is getting for me right now.
This conversation took place at Panera, where I should have been concentrating on writing but just couldn't do it for some reason. I'd start a new page, get only halfway down, read what I just wrote and erase it all to start over. Just could not get into it. Sometimes, when it gets like this for me, I'll pull out the old "Novels In Progress" file from my computer and read some of my past writings.
Though a few writers might deny this, every writer has a similar folder or notebook or something where they've written pieces and parts of new projects that were subsequently abandoned for one reason or another. For me, it's generally that I either lose track of where the story was going, lose interest or the story just isn't really going anywhere to begin with. These are the projects that I keep because 'someday' will come.
There's quite a bit of good writing in this folder and even I will sometimes swear at myself for abandoning what might have been a good story. Rarely does that mean I'll pick the project back up to work on. A lot of what I've written in the past revolves around Star Wars characters. Whenever I get stuck or just need to free write a plot idea, I'll use the characters from Star Wars so that I don't have to fiddle with character development. I can just write the plot and see if it's useful. A lot of times it isn't because the other elements from Star Wars tend to creep in and I just don't have it in me to try and come up with alternatives.
Still, these stories are a good read for me and I do find encouragement to battle on once I've read some of them.
I also have a folder entitled "Story Ideas". Again, many of these involve Star Wars characters but are only a few lines and mainly written for my own entertainment. Not really something for public consumption. I also get a boost from these as many were written off the cuff and within a short burst of writing frenzy, something I apparently do quite well - except with my current project.
Um, where was I? Oh, yeah.
So, yesterday, when I tried to look at some of these abbreviated and abandoned projects on my laptop, I had forgotten that while these stories were written in Word, I do not happen to have Word on my laptop. Computers no longer come with Word as a standard program - haven't for a long time. Which means, when I pulled up some of these files, all I saw was a bunch of garbled nonsense. I guess sometimes Word documents don't translate well to Notepad or Wordpad.
That's when I decided to see if there was an ad supported Word program I could get for free. My friend has one on her netbook and since I only wanted it to read these files, I didn't think the ads would bother me. How did it work out? Let's just say that I ended up doing a system restore. Not only was the program not an ad supported free program, I ended up with a lot of other bloatware on my computer that would reinstall itself as I was trying to uninstall it. Lesson learned.
Once I got home, I started searching for a compatible program or app that would allow me to at least look at these files in a readable format. Little did I know, I already had something like that on my laptop - Google Docs. Who knew?
So now I can look at these files, read them more easily and continue to gain inspiration from them. I finally came to the conclusion that, while I'm not sure where to go next with my current project, I do have one or two things that definitely have to happen in their current setting. I'll make a list of those things and then see if that doesn't inspire some written prose or dialogue. But is that the kind of thing one does on a sabbatical?
I do feel the urge to do some free writing, though. Who knows? Might actually come up with something useful there.
One thing I have done, I downloaded a program called Grammerly on my chrome browser. It's reviewing this post as I write and telling where I'm going wrong. At this point, it's saying I have two critical errors in what I've written. Let's go see what those are, shall we?
Well, it didn't like my phrasing of 'One thing I have done' and it also didn't like its own name, Grammerly. And now I have to tell it to ignore its own name again.
For those that don't know, Grammerly is a program a writer can use to find grammatical mistakes in their writing. It really doesn't like its own name. Hilarious. Continuing on.
The free version of the program (ha, fooled you, Grammerly!) works inside the Chrome browser and will review anything written in the browser - like blog posts. It only picks up the more typical issues. It will advise on the more advanced issues, but that's a paid upgrade and right now, this poor author can't afford it. Still, that much is helpful even if a bit annoying at times.
You can also upload files into the online version of the program and it will do the same thing there. It's helpful but not really something I'll rely on. Some of my characters do not use correct grammar when they speak and this thing will drive me nuts pointing out all those errors.
I kind of did a bit of rambling there, didn't I. Well, I am on sabbatical so there.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Life After The Flu Or How to go back to writing after not....writing
So, the first full week of the new year saw me down with the flu after spending a week with family in southern Ohio. An aunt of mine had passed away and my Mom and I went down for her funeral. We spent some time after the funeral with my Mom's youngest sister. Her husband was sick and, of course, Mom and I became sick once we got home. We didn't have it as bad as my uncle did but it was bad enough to keep me, at least, doing a lot of sleeping to get over it.
I am better now but it has been a little over two weeks since I've written anything other than my last post here and one on my nail blog and some Facebook comments. Oh, I did do a little editing after realizing I had created a couple of major continuity issues with the first few scenes. I suppose I did do a bit of extra lines to continue a scene but for the most part, I haven't touched the book for a bit of time.
And no, I did not prepare a short story for the contest at Writer's Digest. Well, I could probably cut down something I already have written but I think my time would be better spent elsewhere now. They always have a contest of some sort going so I'll get another chance at a later time. For now, I'll be headed in a different direction.
I don't know about you but when I've been away from writing for a bit of time, I need to get reacquainted with the story and characters before I can continue on. That usually means skimming through from the beginning to reacquire the flavor of the piece. It also usually means I see places where changes are needed.
Today was to be the beginning of my copywriting course but I've learned that the live version starts at the end of the month and I would really prefer to do it live. The sessions will be updated and I just think the feedback would be better.
All of which means, I have another couple of weeks to work solely on the book. Time to get back into the habit of writing everyday. But how does one do that when one has been doing pretty much nothing but binge watching Falling Skies and playing Disciples 3: Reincarnation or Torchlight 2 or any one of the many games I have on my computer?
Discipline.
That word. That word! Oh, that word.
Yes, it takes discipline to stay the course when there's so many other things that are calling for my attention.
Discipline never has been one of my strongest abilities. I am very easily distracted by things shiny and otherwise. Imagine the dog from the movie 'Up' and you'll understand. There's always something else that I could be doing but not everything leads to the kind of productivity I need in order to make this full time writer thing work out financially. You have to have a finished project in order to sell said finished project.
So, it's back to daily writing for me. But not just writing. Not only should the writer practice the craft on a daily basis but the writer should also be open to continuing education relating to the craft. This means reading - not only books about writing but published works by successful and, dare I say it, not so successful authors.
If you own a Kindle or a Nook, you know there are a lot of books out there for free or cheap. Not all of them are good but I believe a writer should be reading the not so good as well as the good. For me, it's a lesson in how not to write. Of course, being a writer myself, it's hard these days to read as a reader. I'm constantly rewriting in my head what I'm reading in the way I would have written the story if it were mine. It's only when I'm reading something excellent that the writer in me can walk away and leave the reader alone - as is the case with what I'm currently reading, Watership Down by Richard Adams.
It also helps that I've bought the professional narration to go along with the book. I'm being read to as I'm reading and I'm finding it quite easy to forget I'm a writer while my mind imagines the scenes I'm hearing and reading. It's been a long time since I've read this book but it's still just as good as I remember. Mr. Adams writes so well that it's easy to imagine the action and become so immersed in the story that it feels quite real.
I have found in the past that if I'm reading while working on my own project, my writing tends to improve, especially if what I'm reading is an excellent example of good writing. Not that I adopt the bad writing from the books that are just plain not good. I learn from them as well. It doesn't matter how good or bad the reading is, the writer can always learn from it.
Which brings me back to that word - discipline. It takes discipline to stick to anything worthwhile. That includes daily writing, daily reading, daily exercise, daily you fill in the blank. For me, I'll apply the concept of discipline throughout the rest of this month to my book as well as both types of reading. By then, I should be so steeped in discipline that it will be easy to stick to the copywriting course schedule and complete those assignments on time.
It's back to 2000 words a day for me, regardless of what the days bring. More than likely I'll exceed that goal and will eventually increase it but for now, that's the goal. Writing in the morning, reading in the afternoon - sounds like a full day to me.
I am better now but it has been a little over two weeks since I've written anything other than my last post here and one on my nail blog and some Facebook comments. Oh, I did do a little editing after realizing I had created a couple of major continuity issues with the first few scenes. I suppose I did do a bit of extra lines to continue a scene but for the most part, I haven't touched the book for a bit of time.
And no, I did not prepare a short story for the contest at Writer's Digest. Well, I could probably cut down something I already have written but I think my time would be better spent elsewhere now. They always have a contest of some sort going so I'll get another chance at a later time. For now, I'll be headed in a different direction.
I don't know about you but when I've been away from writing for a bit of time, I need to get reacquainted with the story and characters before I can continue on. That usually means skimming through from the beginning to reacquire the flavor of the piece. It also usually means I see places where changes are needed.
Today was to be the beginning of my copywriting course but I've learned that the live version starts at the end of the month and I would really prefer to do it live. The sessions will be updated and I just think the feedback would be better.
All of which means, I have another couple of weeks to work solely on the book. Time to get back into the habit of writing everyday. But how does one do that when one has been doing pretty much nothing but binge watching Falling Skies and playing Disciples 3: Reincarnation or Torchlight 2 or any one of the many games I have on my computer?
Discipline.
That word. That word! Oh, that word.
Yes, it takes discipline to stay the course when there's so many other things that are calling for my attention.
Discipline never has been one of my strongest abilities. I am very easily distracted by things shiny and otherwise. Imagine the dog from the movie 'Up' and you'll understand. There's always something else that I could be doing but not everything leads to the kind of productivity I need in order to make this full time writer thing work out financially. You have to have a finished project in order to sell said finished project.
So, it's back to daily writing for me. But not just writing. Not only should the writer practice the craft on a daily basis but the writer should also be open to continuing education relating to the craft. This means reading - not only books about writing but published works by successful and, dare I say it, not so successful authors.
If you own a Kindle or a Nook, you know there are a lot of books out there for free or cheap. Not all of them are good but I believe a writer should be reading the not so good as well as the good. For me, it's a lesson in how not to write. Of course, being a writer myself, it's hard these days to read as a reader. I'm constantly rewriting in my head what I'm reading in the way I would have written the story if it were mine. It's only when I'm reading something excellent that the writer in me can walk away and leave the reader alone - as is the case with what I'm currently reading, Watership Down by Richard Adams.
It also helps that I've bought the professional narration to go along with the book. I'm being read to as I'm reading and I'm finding it quite easy to forget I'm a writer while my mind imagines the scenes I'm hearing and reading. It's been a long time since I've read this book but it's still just as good as I remember. Mr. Adams writes so well that it's easy to imagine the action and become so immersed in the story that it feels quite real.
I have found in the past that if I'm reading while working on my own project, my writing tends to improve, especially if what I'm reading is an excellent example of good writing. Not that I adopt the bad writing from the books that are just plain not good. I learn from them as well. It doesn't matter how good or bad the reading is, the writer can always learn from it.
Which brings me back to that word - discipline. It takes discipline to stick to anything worthwhile. That includes daily writing, daily reading, daily exercise, daily you fill in the blank. For me, I'll apply the concept of discipline throughout the rest of this month to my book as well as both types of reading. By then, I should be so steeped in discipline that it will be easy to stick to the copywriting course schedule and complete those assignments on time.
It's back to 2000 words a day for me, regardless of what the days bring. More than likely I'll exceed that goal and will eventually increase it but for now, that's the goal. Writing in the morning, reading in the afternoon - sounds like a full day to me.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Welcome To 2015!
Year end vacation is nearly over. Monday the work begins again. I'll be starting that copy writing course as well as getting back down to it on the book. Although, Writer's Digest is having a short story contest right now. They extended the deadline to enter until January 16. I'm thinking of banging something out and sending it in.
Maximum word count is 1500, entry fee is $25 per manuscript. In addition, all entrants will receive a special pass to an upcoming webinar on marketing short fiction. You can find more details here. If you've never explored the Writer's Digest website, I highly recommend you do so. Lots of good information for free and even more when join up.
I also recommend their tutorials. There is a cost - either monthly or yearly. Yearly is the best value. I'll be watching more of those beginning Monday, as well.
For now, though, since it's gloomy and gray and pouring with rain outside, I think I'll just get bundled under a quilt in my chair and continue with the book I'm currently reading - Watership Down. I finally got the book on my kindle and even got the professional narration. They call it immersion reading. I'm finding I quite enjoy being read to. The narrator even alters his voice for each character. I had forgotten just how good this book is. I remember reading it a long, long time ago.
Hope everyone had a good holiday and is looking forward to a brand new year. I know I am.
Oh, and since I am in Ohio.....GO BUCKS!
Sorry. Just had to do it.
Maximum word count is 1500, entry fee is $25 per manuscript. In addition, all entrants will receive a special pass to an upcoming webinar on marketing short fiction. You can find more details here. If you've never explored the Writer's Digest website, I highly recommend you do so. Lots of good information for free and even more when join up.
I also recommend their tutorials. There is a cost - either monthly or yearly. Yearly is the best value. I'll be watching more of those beginning Monday, as well.
For now, though, since it's gloomy and gray and pouring with rain outside, I think I'll just get bundled under a quilt in my chair and continue with the book I'm currently reading - Watership Down. I finally got the book on my kindle and even got the professional narration. They call it immersion reading. I'm finding I quite enjoy being read to. The narrator even alters his voice for each character. I had forgotten just how good this book is. I remember reading it a long, long time ago.
Hope everyone had a good holiday and is looking forward to a brand new year. I know I am.
Oh, and since I am in Ohio.....GO BUCKS!
Sorry. Just had to do it.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Still Here!
No, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. Just been dealing with the nitty gritty details of being recently unemployed. Do something with the retirement account, decide on COBRA or Obama-care, but more importantly, relax and recharge from a job that had drained me more than I even realized.
The retirement account has been dealt with and satisfactorily so. I did decide on COBRA - I'm sorry but the plans I saw under Obama-care really sucked. I take a very expensive drug for my Diabetes and since it's on everybody's tier 3 formulary, it just wasn't worth the saving on monthly premium to have to pay over $1000 at least twice before anything got paid. A copay of $70 for 90 days is much easier to swallow.
Sorry. Rabbit trail. Where was I? Oh, yeah. This is a writing blog. Supposed to be writing about writing.
Well, not much of that has been done in the last few days, either. However, I have been thinking about what has already been written and I've come up with a few of what I hope are better ideas for further rewrites. Nothing dramatic, just a change of venue for the some of the scenes and a way for my hero and heroine to meet that is hopefully a bit better than what I've got down now.
A lot has changed for me in other areas since being a full time writer working from home. I'm losing stress pounds right and left without even really trying. I don't stress eat any more, which is really helping. Not even binge eating while watch Amazon Prime. I play solitaire on my Kindle instead - unless my computer is refusing to stream, in which case, I watch Prime on my Kindle and play a game on the computer. Either way, both mind and hands are occupied so neither one gets the idea to grab hold of food to binge on.
Actually, I think the binge eating was stress eating from dealing with the idea of having to go back to a stress filled job the next day.
My only real problem lately has been giving myself permission to just do nothing if I want - just for the rest of this year, mind you. Come January 2, 2015 the daily writing requirements begin along with the training for becoming a paid copy writer. I felt I really needed to let go of the past before I could take that first real step toward my future.
And it surprised me to learn how difficult it truly is to just do nothing.
I've been working since my senior year in high school, way back in the dark ages - ok, graduated in 1978 just a couple of weeks before I turned 18, you do the math. So, the sense that I should be doing something is quite strong in me right now. Let's face it, doing nothing doesn't pay all that well.
In all honesty, I probably don't want that sense that I should be doing something to go away. Might lead in a direction that isn't good. Still, even a writer who writes every day without fail needs to relax occasionally. Makes me wonder if the pros ever not write at times. I guess it's a personal preference. I know with me, if I skip a day or two of writing, it's harder to get to it when the time comes.
Does that mean I'm just procrastinating here? It's hard to know. My friends say I need to just relax for the rest of the year. My family - well, they really haven't expressed any opinions. My mother just asked me this morning if getting things ready to put up a Christmas tree was worth it. She did ask me this question right after I'd gotten out of bed so my response was not to ask me in the moment because the answer would be no. I'm feeling better about that right now, by the way. Totally worth getting a tree up. We didn't do one last year. Or the year before, for that matter.
And it just hit me what else is bothering me. It was about this time about four years ago that I lost my last fur baby - my dog named Wren.
He had been having small seizures and the Monday before Christmas that year, I had to take him in to the Vet's office for the last time. He must have had a grand mal seizure at some point during the night. I got a call from my mom that morning that something wasn't right. When I got home, I found him with his eyes constantly trying to roll back into his head. He was still alive and somewhat aware. It wasn't really a hard thing for me to do. I knew that our time together was up and that this was the last, best favor I could do for him.
So, yeah. Probably another factor to how I feel right now. I do still miss my little Wrennie Poo but he was 13 at the time and had lived a very good life by spoiled dog standards. I would love to have another dog but the circumstances right now just aren't the best.
My plan is to spend the next 2 weeks relaxing - even if it kills me. I have a game that I've had for a while but haven't played much. It's the kind of game that really forces careful thought and strategy or the character will instantly die in combat. It's one of those turn based games where you can choose an enemy to fight if you come across them in the wild. They don't chase you down - at least, they haven't yet. With some of the enemies, it's possible for a character to die with the first blow so choosing carefully is essential. I like these kinds of games because they do involve the mind in a way that it can let go of everything else for a while.
Trouble is, I also find these kinds of games hard to stop playing. I'll just explore this next area or fight this next battle. One reason I'm trying to get into the habit of setting an alarm to remind me that it's time to stop playing and move on to something else.
On the other hand, because part of the mind is focused in this one area, it gives the rest a chance to mull over any plot issues or scene problems. I usually find resolutions for those problems while playing one of these games so this has become a part of my creative process. I had this kind of synchronicity happen while working, too. I always kept some kind of notes going on while working. Didn't always use them but they were there if I needed them. In fact, in my earlier years at my former job, I would be able to write in my head while performing my main task. I somehow knew when my fingers made a mistake and could go back and correct it then move on. Many of my story ideas came to me during that time.
And now that I'm just rambling, I'll quit and move on to something else. I'll still be doing some writing during the next 2 weeks but probably not every day.
To everyone who observes Christmas I say Merry Christmas. To those who do not or who observe one of the other holidays during this time of year, I say Happy, Merry, Good-Whatever-It-Is-You-Celebrate. I guess Happy Holidays would cover all of that, wouldn't it?
Just in case I don't make it back here before 2015 - Happy New Year to all with the hope that everyone can attain their fondest dream in the coming year.
The retirement account has been dealt with and satisfactorily so. I did decide on COBRA - I'm sorry but the plans I saw under Obama-care really sucked. I take a very expensive drug for my Diabetes and since it's on everybody's tier 3 formulary, it just wasn't worth the saving on monthly premium to have to pay over $1000 at least twice before anything got paid. A copay of $70 for 90 days is much easier to swallow.
Sorry. Rabbit trail. Where was I? Oh, yeah. This is a writing blog. Supposed to be writing about writing.
Well, not much of that has been done in the last few days, either. However, I have been thinking about what has already been written and I've come up with a few of what I hope are better ideas for further rewrites. Nothing dramatic, just a change of venue for the some of the scenes and a way for my hero and heroine to meet that is hopefully a bit better than what I've got down now.
A lot has changed for me in other areas since being a full time writer working from home. I'm losing stress pounds right and left without even really trying. I don't stress eat any more, which is really helping. Not even binge eating while watch Amazon Prime. I play solitaire on my Kindle instead - unless my computer is refusing to stream, in which case, I watch Prime on my Kindle and play a game on the computer. Either way, both mind and hands are occupied so neither one gets the idea to grab hold of food to binge on.
Actually, I think the binge eating was stress eating from dealing with the idea of having to go back to a stress filled job the next day.
My only real problem lately has been giving myself permission to just do nothing if I want - just for the rest of this year, mind you. Come January 2, 2015 the daily writing requirements begin along with the training for becoming a paid copy writer. I felt I really needed to let go of the past before I could take that first real step toward my future.
And it surprised me to learn how difficult it truly is to just do nothing.
I've been working since my senior year in high school, way back in the dark ages - ok, graduated in 1978 just a couple of weeks before I turned 18, you do the math. So, the sense that I should be doing something is quite strong in me right now. Let's face it, doing nothing doesn't pay all that well.
In all honesty, I probably don't want that sense that I should be doing something to go away. Might lead in a direction that isn't good. Still, even a writer who writes every day without fail needs to relax occasionally. Makes me wonder if the pros ever not write at times. I guess it's a personal preference. I know with me, if I skip a day or two of writing, it's harder to get to it when the time comes.
Does that mean I'm just procrastinating here? It's hard to know. My friends say I need to just relax for the rest of the year. My family - well, they really haven't expressed any opinions. My mother just asked me this morning if getting things ready to put up a Christmas tree was worth it. She did ask me this question right after I'd gotten out of bed so my response was not to ask me in the moment because the answer would be no. I'm feeling better about that right now, by the way. Totally worth getting a tree up. We didn't do one last year. Or the year before, for that matter.
And it just hit me what else is bothering me. It was about this time about four years ago that I lost my last fur baby - my dog named Wren.
He had been having small seizures and the Monday before Christmas that year, I had to take him in to the Vet's office for the last time. He must have had a grand mal seizure at some point during the night. I got a call from my mom that morning that something wasn't right. When I got home, I found him with his eyes constantly trying to roll back into his head. He was still alive and somewhat aware. It wasn't really a hard thing for me to do. I knew that our time together was up and that this was the last, best favor I could do for him.
So, yeah. Probably another factor to how I feel right now. I do still miss my little Wrennie Poo but he was 13 at the time and had lived a very good life by spoiled dog standards. I would love to have another dog but the circumstances right now just aren't the best.
My plan is to spend the next 2 weeks relaxing - even if it kills me. I have a game that I've had for a while but haven't played much. It's the kind of game that really forces careful thought and strategy or the character will instantly die in combat. It's one of those turn based games where you can choose an enemy to fight if you come across them in the wild. They don't chase you down - at least, they haven't yet. With some of the enemies, it's possible for a character to die with the first blow so choosing carefully is essential. I like these kinds of games because they do involve the mind in a way that it can let go of everything else for a while.
Trouble is, I also find these kinds of games hard to stop playing. I'll just explore this next area or fight this next battle. One reason I'm trying to get into the habit of setting an alarm to remind me that it's time to stop playing and move on to something else.
On the other hand, because part of the mind is focused in this one area, it gives the rest a chance to mull over any plot issues or scene problems. I usually find resolutions for those problems while playing one of these games so this has become a part of my creative process. I had this kind of synchronicity happen while working, too. I always kept some kind of notes going on while working. Didn't always use them but they were there if I needed them. In fact, in my earlier years at my former job, I would be able to write in my head while performing my main task. I somehow knew when my fingers made a mistake and could go back and correct it then move on. Many of my story ideas came to me during that time.
And now that I'm just rambling, I'll quit and move on to something else. I'll still be doing some writing during the next 2 weeks but probably not every day.
To everyone who observes Christmas I say Merry Christmas. To those who do not or who observe one of the other holidays during this time of year, I say Happy, Merry, Good-Whatever-It-Is-You-Celebrate. I guess Happy Holidays would cover all of that, wouldn't it?
Just in case I don't make it back here before 2015 - Happy New Year to all with the hope that everyone can attain their fondest dream in the coming year.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Ok, So It's Not THAT Bad...(ramble included for free)
I am very surprised to find that doing these revisions hasn't been that bad - so far. In fact, I'm kind of having a bit of fun at the moment. Of course, that might be due to the fact that I'm revisiting previously written scenes that I loved at the time I wrote them. The basic plot of the story hasn't changed in all of the many versions so cobbling scenes together isn't that much of a chore - yet. In fact, a scene I wrote as a flashback has now become the opening scene, with some minor changes and a major addition.
I just spent (counting on fingers) several hours today slaving over the second scene, which was a conversation in yet another version that, with some minor changes, I could make it fit as a follow up to the opening scene. All the work was well worth it to hear some high praise when I read it aloud to my small writer's group. It became a necessary info-dump scene that presented the plot catalyst so it was important the scene really worked well. Apparently, I nailed the info-dump without it sounding like an info-dump.
Aside from the timing of the plot catalyst, in reviewing scenes from the most recent incarnation of this novel, I quickly realized that somewhere along the way, my plot had become so convoluted that even I had trouble following it. That version was very close to 100,000 words but was nowhere near the beginning of the end. I seem have this issue with the passage of time in my novels. Everyday something must happen. Not sure why I feel this is necessary. I just always have and it's hard to break a lifetime habit.
Not that a novel taking place over a short period of days versus weeks, months or years is a bad thing. I've read novels like that before. Most of what I've read, however, does take place over a longer period of time. The author condenses the time down by a short narrative between key scenes. It's telling instead of showing but I suppose if the telling is brief enough, it's ok?
Which brings to mind to one of my biggest issues with revisions and polishing a novel for publication and just fiction writing in general - the rules of good writing. Sometimes, I think writing was much easier before I learned that writing rules actually existed.
As writer's, we hear phrases like "show don't tell" and "active versus passive" narrative. Ok. But what does that all mean? How do I show a scene in an active sense? I kind of know but what if I only think I know but I really don't know?
Or, many times I've read that to write something like, 'He went to the cupboard, looking for something to eat', is mixed tense. 'He went to the cupboard' would be past action while, 'looking for something to eat' is currently happening action. Yet, I see that kind of writing all the time in published works, even in debut novels. Is it ok sometimes but not all the time? When is it not ok?
One tutorial tells me to not use so many dialogue tags. Another says to use them all the time so the reader can more easily tell who is speaking. So which is it? I'm confused.
During my Writer's Digest course, I was told by the instructor that I shouldn't start dialogue with action. The action should come after the dialogue. But sometimes, in my head, I see the action first then hear the dialogue - how many others see their novels in their heads as movie and just write what they see? I do.
Because I see the action as a movie in my head, I also sometimes commit another writing crime by breaking up a line of dialogue with what the character is doing while they are speaking. People actually do that in real life, don't they? Especially if it's a difficult conversation. Rarely do people, in normal conversation, spout paragraphs of dialogue without some kind of action during said spouting.
I guess I am rambling on here but this is what I mean when I say writing was much easier when I didn't know these rules existed. Forget that the rules seem to change periodically.
Perhaps the best course of action is to just write the thing and worry about the rules later, maybe even break a few if it makes the words flow more smoothly. That's why an event such as NaNoWriMo is so much fun. A writer can legally gag the mouthy critic and editor for 30 days straight. It frees a writer to just write the darn novel and not worry about things like active versus passive or showing instead of telling or dialogue tags. How many readers even know those rules exist, anyway? I didn't until I learned about them after I'd been writing for a while.
Even though I'm in revisions now, part of those revisions involve additional scenes that have yet to be written. With the exception of the scene I worked on today, I'm hoping to write any additional scenes like it's still November. Get in the writing flow and don't worry about the rules until after the scene is finished. Who knows? I might find that revisions aren't even necessary.
That sound you just heard was collective heads of my inner critic and editor exploding.
I just spent (counting on fingers) several hours today slaving over the second scene, which was a conversation in yet another version that, with some minor changes, I could make it fit as a follow up to the opening scene. All the work was well worth it to hear some high praise when I read it aloud to my small writer's group. It became a necessary info-dump scene that presented the plot catalyst so it was important the scene really worked well. Apparently, I nailed the info-dump without it sounding like an info-dump.
Aside from the timing of the plot catalyst, in reviewing scenes from the most recent incarnation of this novel, I quickly realized that somewhere along the way, my plot had become so convoluted that even I had trouble following it. That version was very close to 100,000 words but was nowhere near the beginning of the end. I seem have this issue with the passage of time in my novels. Everyday something must happen. Not sure why I feel this is necessary. I just always have and it's hard to break a lifetime habit.
Not that a novel taking place over a short period of days versus weeks, months or years is a bad thing. I've read novels like that before. Most of what I've read, however, does take place over a longer period of time. The author condenses the time down by a short narrative between key scenes. It's telling instead of showing but I suppose if the telling is brief enough, it's ok?
Which brings to mind to one of my biggest issues with revisions and polishing a novel for publication and just fiction writing in general - the rules of good writing. Sometimes, I think writing was much easier before I learned that writing rules actually existed.
As writer's, we hear phrases like "show don't tell" and "active versus passive" narrative. Ok. But what does that all mean? How do I show a scene in an active sense? I kind of know but what if I only think I know but I really don't know?
Or, many times I've read that to write something like, 'He went to the cupboard, looking for something to eat', is mixed tense. 'He went to the cupboard' would be past action while, 'looking for something to eat' is currently happening action. Yet, I see that kind of writing all the time in published works, even in debut novels. Is it ok sometimes but not all the time? When is it not ok?
One tutorial tells me to not use so many dialogue tags. Another says to use them all the time so the reader can more easily tell who is speaking. So which is it? I'm confused.
During my Writer's Digest course, I was told by the instructor that I shouldn't start dialogue with action. The action should come after the dialogue. But sometimes, in my head, I see the action first then hear the dialogue - how many others see their novels in their heads as movie and just write what they see? I do.
Because I see the action as a movie in my head, I also sometimes commit another writing crime by breaking up a line of dialogue with what the character is doing while they are speaking. People actually do that in real life, don't they? Especially if it's a difficult conversation. Rarely do people, in normal conversation, spout paragraphs of dialogue without some kind of action during said spouting.
I guess I am rambling on here but this is what I mean when I say writing was much easier when I didn't know these rules existed. Forget that the rules seem to change periodically.
Perhaps the best course of action is to just write the thing and worry about the rules later, maybe even break a few if it makes the words flow more smoothly. That's why an event such as NaNoWriMo is so much fun. A writer can legally gag the mouthy critic and editor for 30 days straight. It frees a writer to just write the darn novel and not worry about things like active versus passive or showing instead of telling or dialogue tags. How many readers even know those rules exist, anyway? I didn't until I learned about them after I'd been writing for a while.
Even though I'm in revisions now, part of those revisions involve additional scenes that have yet to be written. With the exception of the scene I worked on today, I'm hoping to write any additional scenes like it's still November. Get in the writing flow and don't worry about the rules until after the scene is finished. Who knows? I might find that revisions aren't even necessary.
That sound you just heard was collective heads of my inner critic and editor exploding.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
We Now Return You To Regularly Scheduled Revisions - OY!
Revisions! ACK! But the manic writing was so much fun! Why do I have to go back to revisions now?
Ok. Now that the whining part is over...
Hi. Welcome to Revision Hell. Won't you join me in my own personal pain?
No, seriously. Revisions are...a necessary evil if one wishes to become a published author of good novels that everyone wants to read. Or so I'm told. And yes, they can be painful.
As I look at the first/second/third/millionth draft of my chosen project, I see where I started the story a bit too late. Well, the most recent incarnation, that is. The inciting incident actually happened in the back story.
What is an inciting incident you ask? Why, that's the whole reason the story exists to begin with. Something happened that triggered other somethings that triggered a reaction that triggered...you get the idea.
I've signed on for a year of writing tutorials with Writer's Digest and one of them I've listened to so far talked about the inciting incident or the plot catalyst as the instructor called it. Now, since the instructor was an actual agent and since she was talking about why queries get rejected by her agency, I was definitely sitting up and paying attention. Her agency is also the one I intend to target with my project once it's finished. Well, one of the first ones I'll send it to. I'll need to pick out a few more because it's not very smart to hang my hopes on just one agency.
There was a lot more valuable information in this tutorial. If you're interested in what the tutorials do have to offer, you can sign up on the Writer's Digest tutorial page. It's $25 a month, $199 a year. Lots of good tutorials there. It's mainly listening and looking at a slide presentation but you can do screen captures and take notes that way. Or listen to the same tutorial over and over again if you wish. I've learned quite a bit already. Which brings me back to...Revision Hell (imagine a booming, echoing voice over here).
So, since I've figured out I started my story too late, it gives me an opportunity to do a bit more writing. Kind of a peace offering or reward for actually working on revisions. My story is going to remain essentially the same, I just back up in the timeline a bit.
I had written a scene as a flashback but now that scene is my opening scene. Event timing is also about to change in which my plot catalyst will occur. In fact, already has as I write this now. Happened in the first chapter. The tutorial indicated that the plot catalyst should happen within the first 30-50 pages of the book. Check!
Now all I really need to do is sift through scenes that have already been written to find the ones that either fit better now or not at all. And there are lot of scenes. This particular project has been in the works since, oh, 1995 and has seen numerous and I do mean numerous revisions, rewrites, complete overhauls, etc. There are scenes that I have written that I really liked but I had to cut then out when the story became something completely different. Not really a good way to write a novel, I must say. It never gets done if you keep writing it over and over.
That's why I now have a deadline to get this novel through this initial revision run so that it can go out to beta readers to rip it apart and tell me where the real revisions are. That deadline is New Year's Eve - this year, 2014, just so we're clear. I know at least two people who might be reading this who are now jumping up and down for joy. They're the ones who have been nudging me to pick something and just get on with it. Now that I have, I'd best get back to it.
Deep breath, make the leap - Geronimo!
Ok. Now that the whining part is over...
Hi. Welcome to Revision Hell. Won't you join me in my own personal pain?
No, seriously. Revisions are...a necessary evil if one wishes to become a published author of good novels that everyone wants to read. Or so I'm told. And yes, they can be painful.
As I look at the first/second/third/millionth draft of my chosen project, I see where I started the story a bit too late. Well, the most recent incarnation, that is. The inciting incident actually happened in the back story.
What is an inciting incident you ask? Why, that's the whole reason the story exists to begin with. Something happened that triggered other somethings that triggered a reaction that triggered...you get the idea.
I've signed on for a year of writing tutorials with Writer's Digest and one of them I've listened to so far talked about the inciting incident or the plot catalyst as the instructor called it. Now, since the instructor was an actual agent and since she was talking about why queries get rejected by her agency, I was definitely sitting up and paying attention. Her agency is also the one I intend to target with my project once it's finished. Well, one of the first ones I'll send it to. I'll need to pick out a few more because it's not very smart to hang my hopes on just one agency.
There was a lot more valuable information in this tutorial. If you're interested in what the tutorials do have to offer, you can sign up on the Writer's Digest tutorial page. It's $25 a month, $199 a year. Lots of good tutorials there. It's mainly listening and looking at a slide presentation but you can do screen captures and take notes that way. Or listen to the same tutorial over and over again if you wish. I've learned quite a bit already. Which brings me back to...Revision Hell (imagine a booming, echoing voice over here).
So, since I've figured out I started my story too late, it gives me an opportunity to do a bit more writing. Kind of a peace offering or reward for actually working on revisions. My story is going to remain essentially the same, I just back up in the timeline a bit.
I had written a scene as a flashback but now that scene is my opening scene. Event timing is also about to change in which my plot catalyst will occur. In fact, already has as I write this now. Happened in the first chapter. The tutorial indicated that the plot catalyst should happen within the first 30-50 pages of the book. Check!
Now all I really need to do is sift through scenes that have already been written to find the ones that either fit better now or not at all. And there are lot of scenes. This particular project has been in the works since, oh, 1995 and has seen numerous and I do mean numerous revisions, rewrites, complete overhauls, etc. There are scenes that I have written that I really liked but I had to cut then out when the story became something completely different. Not really a good way to write a novel, I must say. It never gets done if you keep writing it over and over.
That's why I now have a deadline to get this novel through this initial revision run so that it can go out to beta readers to rip it apart and tell me where the real revisions are. That deadline is New Year's Eve - this year, 2014, just so we're clear. I know at least two people who might be reading this who are now jumping up and down for joy. They're the ones who have been nudging me to pick something and just get on with it. Now that I have, I'd best get back to it.
Deep breath, make the leap - Geronimo!
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