Writing

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48 articles tagged as Writing

September Status Update

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We are now 1 week into September, which means I have 3 weeks left to finish my first draft if I’m going to meet my deadline. As it stands, I have 30,057 words, or 105 pages. Can I make it to the finish line? I’d better.

This leaves me about 3 weeks to write 15,000 words. Considering NaNoWriMo participants write 50,000 words in 4 weeks, and my most successful year I wrote 40,000 (the basis for my current WIP), it should be doable. Of course, of those 40,000 words I wrote in those 4 weeks, I have only kept about 10,000, if that.

Why the push to finish my first draft by September 30?

There are a couple reasons:

  • To give me time to edit it and have it submission ready by the end of the year. I’m not sure how long edits will take, but I’m hoping this will be enough time. I plan on hiring an editor through Grub Street, so hopefully that will help speed up the process.
  • I have a YA book concept pulling at my creativity and I’m dying to start outlining. I’m already having trouble deciding which book to plot out in my head before bed – my WIP or this new concept I’m loving more and more each day
  • To gear up for NaNoWriMo – I plan on using my new YA concept for this years challenge, and I want to spend all of October hammering out a solid outline (I know, this sort of breaks the rules, but they never actually rule out outlines, they just dissuade you from using them). I’m hoping to finally complete my 50,000 words in 1 month and be well on my way to completing a second book. If this first book attempt has shown me anything, it’s the importance of writing from an outline. Going into my current WIP not knowing how it was going to end has really slowed things down.
  • I need to finish. Come November 1, I will have been working on this book for 3 years. I remember reading somewhere that it takes most first time authors about that long to write their first book. I didn’t believe it at the time. And now here I am, approaching my 3 year mark. It’s not so much about the time I’ve put into this, but it’s more about the emotional connection. I’ve been with this WIP longer than some divorces I know were married. The more emotionally connected I get to this book, the harder it will be to deal with criticism and edits. I need to be done.
    I need to move on.

My plan of action

I have to reach ~750 words a day. This is actually not that difficult. Most days I write during lunch. I can usually got 500-600 words in my 30 minute lunch period. That just means I will have to devote another 15-30 minutes each evening to writing, plus 30 minutes to entering everything into the computer (I write by hand during lunch and before bed).

Naturally, life will get in the way some days. I don’t want to blow all of my creative energy this month and have nothing left for November, so I would like to still have a life this month. But lucky for me, I already know of a few things that will help me out. Take next week. I will spend 3.5 hours on the Acela Monday morning. There’s nothing I love more than writing on trains, and isn’t that how J.K. Rowling outlined her entire series, on a train trip? I will then spend that entire week in New York, meaning a hotel room waiting for me every evening, full of few to no distractions and time for lots of writing. Then there are the weekends. If I stay focused, I can get a couple thousand words each weekend day. Piece of cake.

Of course, this means my creativity time will be extremely important. But who knows, maybe I’ll throw a celebration in October once the 1st draft is complete. And now that I’ve just written close to 700 non-WIP words, back to writing.

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Strong Word Choice

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Tips for Writers
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There was a great guest blogger on Ask the Publishing Guru the other day. The post, Using Strong Verbs for Strong Writing by Jose M. Blanco, explored the difference verb choice can make in your writing and included several examples. The suggestions provided in the post will prove to be extremely valuable when I get to the editing stage. The main suggestion was to underline any use of “Be, Is, Are, Was, Been, Being, Were, Has, Have, Having, Had.” These verbs are generally weak verbs. By underlining them, you can pinpoint where you are using them and then see if you can find a stronger verb choice. You should definitely check it out and bookmark it for your future editing needs. Once I get to that point in editing, I will let you know how this exercise works for me.

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On Word Counts

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Tips for Writers
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I was flipping through some posts on Literary Rambles today and came across a post from a couple weeks ago: Tip Tuesday # 47. The author suggested that instead of being overwhelmed by how much more we have to write to finish our first drafts, we should instead think of the word count as a 401k. While you don’t have enough to retire on today, you are building towards it.

Aiming For a 1st Down

This tip made me think of another analogy. Now bear with me for a moment as I include a disclaimer. I went to a southern college with a big SEC football team (UGA). I am about to use a football analogy. I remember the first game I went to. One of my fellow classmates was painstakingly explaining the rules to me. At one point early on in the game, I asked my friend, “Why is everyone cheering? We only gained 7 yards. We still have 60+ yards to go to get a touchdown.” He then explained that it’s not the big picture you have to concern yourself with. Every 10 yards equals another shot for a big play. You make it 10 yards, you get to have another go. It’s the little goals, the small accomplishments that you cheer for, because these small accomplishments will ultimately lead to the final goal, or, in this analogy, touchdown.

When I write, I try not to think about the final word count. Instead, I aim for something doable. Usually that’s 600 words a day. Reaching my goal, I celebrate. Anything more than that, I do a little happy dance. It’s like making extra yardage in football – instead of going 10 yards on the play, I’ve gone 15. For each chapter I complete, I do a big happy dance (not a pretty sight, I can assure you). As writers, we have to be our own cheerleaders because only a writer truly understands the work it takes to write one sentence, let alone an entire book.

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Cleaning up for the Maid, or Editing before hiring an Editor

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Tips for Writers
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I’m nearing the editing phase (or so I keep telling myself), I’ve been looking for some helpful tips on how to successfully self-edit. During my stint in publishing, I had no problem telling an author that a section slowed down the reader or that a sentence was too wordy. I’ve even been known to throw out entire chapters. When it comes to my own writing, I do not find it to be quite so easy to pinpoint these errors. In short, I either think everything I write is awful and beyond repair (enter the trashcan) or that unnecessary characters/scenes/sub-plots, you name it, are integral to my story.

Before shelling out several hundred dollars to pay a professional editor, I would like to feel that I’m giving said professional editor my best work. It’s the same concept as cleaning up for the maid. You want a maid to spend his/her time cleaning the things you hate cleaning. You don’t want to pay her/him to put your shoes away, which you can easily do for free.

In an effort to start thinking about cleaning up for maid, I have stumbled upon some good blog posts about editing. My favorite post I’ve found in the past few days was from MiG Writers, A Revision Tip, posted by Carmella. In her post, Carmella suggests printing the book out, not how you would print a normal document, but formatted the way it will look in print (horizontal, not vertical). By reading it this way, it will feel like you are reading a real book. You will see the book how a reader would see it. This should help pinpoint problems you may have otherwise missed (see her blog post for specifics).

Because of some tricky plot points coming up, I’ve been thinking that now would be a good time to read through everything I have so far to make sure it is all lining up. I think I will give this trick a try. I’ll keep you updated on how it works out.

*Just read this blog post that I thought I would add: 10 Steps to a Better Story. Good things to keep in mind while editing.

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Coming up with a Concept

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I think the hardest part about writing (for me anyway) is coming up with a stellar concept. While browsing the web, I came across this great post on MiG Writers (a great blog for middle grade and young adult writers) titled Finding a Rocking Premise. Christina Farley lists the following steps for come up with a premise:

  • Daydream
  • Brainstorm
  • Research
  • Have a critique group or writing buddy
  • Choose your favorite/best idea

To add to the above list, while brainstorming and researching, some things that help me find inspiration for my concepts are:

  • Flickr – I like to look at the top photos of the day/week/month/etc. and see if any of the subject matters catch hold of me. I often copy the inspiring photos into a word document and then write out my ideas and a short plot sketch right alongside the photo.
  • Art museum – art is a great source of inspiration
  • Watching kids in the park – not in a creepy way, but rather to see what excites kids. The smallest sentence overheard can develop into a full plot
  • Reading the news – stories in the news can provide great inspiration. I often try to think what would happen if the story were taken to a new level, or if society were completely changed because of this one story.

While I spend 2/3 of my writing time writing, the other 1/3 is spent daydreaming/brainstorming new concepts to add to the future books folder. It’s nice to take a mental break from my current story, and knowing that I have things in the pipeline encourages me to write faster so I can explore where the next book will take me.

How do you come up with your concepts?

For additional resources on choosing a concept, check out today’s post on Ask the Publishing Guru, The Right Write Idea.

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Combating Writer's Block

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Finding Inspiration, Tips for Writers
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We all get it, some worse than others. But is it really writer’s block? In a post on The Urban Muse, Is it Writer’s Block? Or Overthinking?, the writer examines the real reason behind writer’s block. Perhaps we are not interested in the project at hand, and, like a child being told to do their homework, fall into a mental slump. Or maybe we are over-thinking our writing. Instead of just getting something down and coming back later to revise the content, we worry about getting it just right or obsess about an idea not being perfect. We are so afraid of failure that we do not give ourselves the opportunity to fail.

Sometimes the best cure for me is to take a walk or go for a run. Or if its been a while since I last read my content, I do a reread and mild edits. Usually this happens when I have decided my work is rubbish, and the reread helps me see that its not actually as bad as I thought. Copyblogger recently posted a post about stepping back and putting your work into perspective:

  • Let it rest (at least 24 hours)
  • Read as a reader – I find it easier to do this if I’m reading a hard copy. Something about a hard copy makes it feel more real.
  • Ask for feedback
  • Proofread

Check out the blog for additional details on each suggestion. It was an interesting post.

Another post with good suggestions for ways to break through writer’s block is from Time to Write. And if worst comes to worst, apparently a half hour of exercise can boost creativity, plus it keeps you healthy.

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Capturing Your YA Audience

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Tips for Writers
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I came across this short list of ways to attract your YA audience, or 5 Rules for Writing YA. The rules are:

  • Convince the reader that the protagonist is one of them
  • Don’t speak down to your readers
  • Read YA novels
  • Don’t worry over whether your book will have commercial appeal. Write first, then figure out how to sell it
  • Forge new paths – don’t be afraid to cross boundaries or create fresh content.

I think the rule I have the hardest time following is the 4th one. I find myself worrying about commercial appeal way too much. I know commercial appeal means nothing if you don’t have a product to sell, but I always come back to the nagging question: “What if I write it and no one wants to buy it?” The truth is, even if no one wants my book now, they may want it in the future since markets are not static. Trends come and go all the time.

Which rules do you have trouble following? Can you think of any additional rules?

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Writer's Voice: What if it just isn't very good?

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Tips for Writers
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How do writer’s deal with voice? I’ve been reading a lot on voice lately (mostly in attempts to solve the never-ending problem of which to use – 1st of 3rd person?). While I did not come up with a definitive answer to my question, I did come across a lot of interesting articles about voice.

So what is voice anyway?

To sum up all of the definitions I found, voice is the personal flavor you add to your writing; it is how you inject your own personality into your writing. Of course, this can be problematic. What if your personality is boring? The simplest solution would be to quit writing, but that is easier said than done. For those of us who love to write, giving it up is no small feat. So can you make your voice more engaging?

The good news is, yes! In this blog post on Inky Fresh Press, 5 tips are listed to help improve your writing voice:

  • Pay attention to the voice in the books you enjoy reading. Describe the voice.
  • Write from a different perspective – instead of writing a scene from the point of view of your protagonist, try writing it from the point-of-view of the antagonist
  • Read your work out loud. Does it sound natural? Does it sound like you? Why or why not?
  • Write a scene for a different audience
  • Write letters to friends. I find that writing journal entries and rereading them to see voice helps too.

Why is it so hard to find your voice?

In a blog post on Rants & Ramblings, Rachelle Gardner discusses the reasons we find voice so hard. A writer’s voice is a personal thing. It is who you are, what makes you unique. But it is so easy to try to be something you are not. We spend so much time putting up a front to our friends, coworkers, strangers we see on the street, and even our families that it is easy to get lost and forget who we really are.

Do you find it hard to stay true to your writing voice? Do you catch yourself copying the voices of successful writers?

Check out this additional post from Inky Fresh Press: What is Writing Voice?

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