Planning For Successful Writing

I just realized yesterday that in less than two weeks it’s October. Holy crap, where did September go? I love this magical time of the year. The heat is finally releasing its miserable hold, leaves are starting to turn vibrant fall colors, and my muse is jumping up and down with anticipation for November and National Novel Writing Month.

I’ve already started looking around at what I can do in advance to lighten my load in November. A few Christmas presents have found their way into the office for storage. Yes, I know it’s early, but I can’t help myself. November is so busy with writing and Thanksgiving, and when December comes, I want to relax, bake like a maniac, and enjoy the season.

I don’t want to run around overcrowded stores trying to find one last tchotchke

But I kind of feel like I’ve got a leg up this year. Last year I wrote a book of suspense with a sort of open ending. My readers immediately responded asking when the sequel would be out. Sequel? Huh, yeah, I’m gonna write a sequel. That’s what I intended all along…heh heh. So now I’m thinking of which characters to develop, where the storyline will go, and whether there will be a book three.

Hey, if you’re going to write two, you may as well write three. Right?

But that doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing. There are still outlines to write, characters to name and assign back-stories to, and pretend cities to map out. Yes, I do draw out my pretend cities. Doesn’t everybody? When you’re writing a whole book in thirty days, you need to have things right there at your fingertips. I don’t want to have to scroll back to remind myself where a landmark was or at which corner my protagonist lives. That’s just proper planning.

So here I am, less than two weeks from October, planning month. I will look for things that can be completed now and not worried about again until December. There will be plenty of food in the cupboards and freezers, deep cleaning will be done, and writing tools will be ready.

Because November only comes once a year.

When A Writing Gig Falls Through

Sometimes things just don’t go the way we want them to.  I know, not a shocking revelation.  After participating and succeeding in National Novel Writing Month in November, I started to get a little cocky about having my novel’s rough draft down.  Well, heck, it is a pretty big accomplishment; I think I deserved a little time to bask in the moment.

And then an interviewee pulled out of a huge assignment I was writing about him.  Ouch.  That one hit me right in the wallet.  I had been poking around in the research and talking to the guy for a couple of weeks.  I was already imagining where the paycheck was going.  And with one brief phone call it was gone.  Poof.

With that extra time on my hands I began to flounder.  I absolutely work better under pressure, and now there was no deadline looming.  There weren’t even any real assignments.  Uh oh.  I tried to do some research on a few ideas, but then the usual distractions of the internet would lure me away.  Damn you, Pinterest.  Facebook, why can’t you just let me work?  Ugh.

Suddenly, during a routine distraction of blog reading, serendipity struck.  The writer was talking about using scene cards to put down and organize your thoughts to aid in writing a book.  I’ve had a nonfiction book about my friend that I have been trying to write for a couple of years.  I know I’ll need to use some serious kid-gloves to deal with the subject matter, so I just keep pushing it down further into the “someday” pile.  This blogger’s technique could finally be the way to make this work.  I felt re-focused.

I began to delve into the next steps of my book, determined to make something out of November’s “shitty first draft”.  And that’s when it happened; the phone rang.  Yep, just like that I had another big assignment to replace the one that got away.  And the research I started on the original gig?  I’m recycling it for at least a small piece or two that I can sell.

I guess life is funny that way.  When you think your ship has sailed, and try to move on, a new train of opportunity pulls into the station.  The lesson I learned?  Sometimes you just have to do a little down-time and start making a new plan.  Surely something will come along to derail it.

Write Good Characters

Ever been stuck trying to come up with a good character?  I’ve recently discovered that I write the best stories when I have a very clear idea of my characters.  For me it had to come down to more than whether they are good or bad, I need to feel like I know them.  Know what I mean?  I’ve also found that it has greatly reduced incidents of writer’s block, and that’s always a bonus.

When I sat down to start writing my last book for National Novel Writing Month, I had a pretty good mental outline of what was going to happen…mostly.  So I started thinking about the “who” of the story, and made some notes on my main characters.  Since I knew (roughly) what was going to happen and which people I wanted readers to cheer for, I assigned them names (more on name selection in a previous post) and began writing their history.

Now, when I say I write my characters’ history, I’m talking pretty detailed stuff.  I come up with their physical description, age, hobbies, maybe a nickname, their vehicle, what kind of dwelling they live in, and so on.  All of that information may not make it into the story, but it helps me to write them when I have such a vivid mental picture.

Still struggling to come up with a character?  Think about family members or people you work or associate with.  Just make sure if you base someone on a person you know, you change the character enough so as not to tick off the real person!  Most of us know someone who could be the start of a bad guy, a good guy, a trollop, etc.  If you can’t think of anyone you know, go out to a mall and people watch.  You could come up with all kinds of things about people from pure observation.  Just unleash your writer’s imagination!

Years ago I joined a manuscript club in northern Minnesota.  One of the members (an 80+ year-old woman whom I still consider a dear friend) surprised me when she told me her secret about writing characters.  She told me she took great joy in writing evil characters based on people who somehow wronged her in real life, and then extracted her revenge by killing them in her story.  Now that is advice worth passing on.

3 Tips for Reaching Goals

Well here it is, a new year.  Kind of exciting, don’t you think?  It’s like a clean slate, just waiting to be written all over and packed full of great ideas.  What?  You don’t see that?  I never saw that before, either, but I’m seeing it this year.  Vividly.

Having finished the shitty first draft of a book, I’m now energized to get a second draft and editing done.  I had four readers along on my crazy thirty-day journey writing the book, and all of them said the same thing at the end, “Didn’t see that ending coming!” and “There’ll be a sequel, right?”  Sequel…huh, hadn’t thought about that.  But now I am.  In fact, two of them.  Except, how will I get that done on top of working, freelance writing gigs, and family obligations?  By having very detailed goals.

I’ve mentioned in past posts that it drives me crazy when people say they don’t have time to do things that they really want to do.  Well, if they really want to do it, they’ll find a way to do it.  If it’s not that important, they’ll find an excuse not to.  Yes, most of the time it is that simple.  Which brings me to my first tip on achieving goals:  find the time.

Everyone has the same 168 hours in the week.  On a 24-hour calendar, start by blocking out the time you spend sleeping, commuting, and working.  Next block out the time you spend on family obligations that are necessary.  And when I say necessary, that is your interpretation.  If that is sports events/practices, family meals, whatever, it’s up to you to decide and block them out.  Now block out time for yourself—exercise, meals, even personal quiet time, whatever you need to keep you balanced and focused.  Then, take a highlighter and block out all the remaining time on your calendar.  What have you been doing– television?  Internet?  On the phone?  These are the hours you have to accomplish your goals.

The next tip is to write out specific goals you have for the next year.  Don’t just say you want to lose weight or make more money.  How much weight?  How much more money?  Write down these goals as headers of a column and assign a date to each one.  Next write out the smaller steps necessary underneath each big goal, giving you a series of smaller (and more palatable!) goals to accomplish.  Give each of them a date as well.  For example, if you want to sew a quilt in the next year, your list might look like this:

Research patterns and make selection  1/15/15

Select/purchase fabrics                            1/17/15

Cut out pieces                                             1/31/15

Sew two blocks/month                             7/31/15

Assemble the quilt top                             8/31/15

Sew all pieces together and tie               9/30/15

Now, we know all things don’t work as we planned.  So make sure to leave yourself time to assess your progress along the way and make adjustments as needed.  Better to extend a date and reach your end goal than to scrap it all together.  (Scrap it, sorry, couldn’t resist a quilting pun!)  By having your calendar, you’ll be able to see where you can block out that time to work on your goals.

And my final tip is to keep the list where you’ll see them and share them with others.  Whether you’re looking for encouragement or need someone to hold your feet to the fire, people can’t help you if they don’t know what you’re doing.  Keep the list visible so you see it multiple times a day.  And if you fall off that horse for a day, week, month, whatever, just climb back on.  Better late than never!

Setting Goals, Because A Writer Writes

I read a blog post today about looking back at 2014 and seeing how many goals from your goal list you actually accomplished.  Oops, there’s another thing I forgot to do this year.  But I can still make a list for next year; and I really am going to do it this time.  Seriously.  I am.

Even though I didn’t have a tangible list this year, one goal I had was to compete and win the National Novel Writing Month challenge.  I’m proud to say I can cross that one off my list.  And, unlike the last time I finished, this book really is good.  I know it’s a “shitty first draft”, but the bones of the story are there amidst the typos and grammatical errors.  I had four first readers who all were surprised at the ending.  I call that success.

And my freelance writing is picking up nicely.  I took the plunge and purchased the 2015 Writer’s Market last month.  I cannot believe I haven’t bought this sooner!  What an awesome resource.  I will definitely be pursuing more work in 2015.

It’s been a crazy year for our family.  We closed a family business last November and moved to a rental in a strange city until we found jobs and a new house.  Now last month we moved again to another new city.  Yes, we moved our entire household (including a 120 year old piano) two times in one year.  Crazy?  Probably.  But through it all, no matter how out of control everything else around me felt, I wrote.  Maybe not a lot, maybe not anything that anyone else saw, but I wrote.

So as I look into my magical crystal ball for 2015, I am reminded of the famous quote from Billy Crystal’s character, Larry, in the movie Throw Momma from the Train, “Remember, a writer writes, always.”  It may not be for money, maybe not even for public consumption, but next year I will write.  And that shitty first draft I just finished?  Well, publication is definitely going on my goal list.

 

A Final Tip to Win the NaNoWriMo Challenge

Here we are, the last few days of October. Soon you’ll see writers everywhere wandering around, mumbling to ourselves, as we try to work through a scene or come up with just the right word. Beginning at midnight Friday, hundreds of thousands of writers embark on their quest to write 50,000 words in thirty days.  So here is my final tip to win the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge in November.

Find your zone. Yep, that’s the tip.  Seems simple and obvious, no?  Yes.  But not everyone can figure that out.  To me it means find out what time(s) of the day your creative muse likes to appear.  She is a fickle little minx, isn’t she?  For me she pops by first thing in the morning and then intermittently throughout the day.  I try to write as early in the day as possible for this very reason.  If she pops in and lightning strikes while I’m doing something (often the case) I try to jot down a note in my notepad app or in the “real notebook” I usually carry with me. Because even though she pops in, it doesn’t mean she’ll stay long or that you’ll remember the visit!

Normally I write in the same location every day. I believe that is referred to as being locus dependent.  But if you find yourself stuck with a case of writer’s block, a change of venue can do wonders.  Hit the road and go write at the library, a coffee shop, on a bench at the mall…you get the point.  Sometimes that change of scenery brings about a creative change as well.  I know I always make up stories about the folks I see when I’m out people-watching.  Sometimes they may make it into a story or a character may take on a certain trait.  That’s the fun of writing.

So there you have it, the last of my five tips to help you win NaNoWriMo. Peek back through October if you missed the other four tips.  Hey, we all can use some help, right?  To my fellow writers, stock your desk stash, brush off those fuzzy slippers, bribe the Hub/kids to help with extra chores for a month, and write with feverish, reckless abandon.  See you on the other side!

 

 

The Importance of First-Readers

If you’re competing for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge of 50,000 words in 30 days, this is my fourth tip to help you be a winner. Ready?  Okay.  Get a first-reader, or even better, get several.  I know, I know a lot of people don’t like to share their stories while they’re writing them.  I do, and with good reason.

Normally when people ask someone to do a reading of a first draft they’re looking for plot issues, typos, and more detailed things. This isn’t what your first-readers will do.  When you’re writing a novel in a month things are different.  You’re focused on not stressing over typos or grammatical errors.  There’s no going back a few chapters to check a detail.  That is NaNo suicide.  Don’t do it.  You can’t stop once you start correcting.  This is a “shitty first draft”, warts and all.  Deal with it.

The best way to use a willing NaNo reader is to send them your writing every day. Yes, every day.  The hope is that they look forward to it.  It also helps to hold you accountable for daily writing, which is crucial to win this challenge.  Most likely it will only be a thousand or two thousand words a day, so it’s not a huge time commitment.  After they read it you’ll want feedback like:

• Is it believable?
• Does it hold your interest?
• What do you think will happen next?

The last question is very important. You definitely don’t want a boring or predictable story where there are no surprises.  In fact, one of the best ways to get over writer’s block is to kill someone unexpectedly in your story.  Seriously.  Trust me, it works.  This is also why I like to leave wiggle room in my outlines.

So where can you find first-readers? I posted something on Facebook and got three volunteers right away.  If you don’t want to do this, or maybe you want someone you’re not that close to, check some online groups or forums of local writing groups.  There are probably more willing people than you think.  After all, it’s only for thirty days.

I do have one caution about readers, though. It’s a good idea to be up front about the topic of your book.  You may not want your ultra-religious neighbor to read your …ahem… romance novel, or someone who doesn’t like your genre at all to read it and critique.  That surely would not be fun for either of you.

 

Outline and Structure for Your Novel

This week’s tip to win National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November is about outlining and structure. Since this challenge has an underlying goal of writing as fast as you can in thirty days, it will be very helpful if you know vaguely where you’re going.

Once you know what you want to write about, (look here for tips on where to find story ideas) start to break it down into sections.  The first section should be the longest.  This is where you’re introducing characters and leading up to the big climax of the story.  This is where you’ll use all that research and back story you worked so hard to come up with in October.  I would estimate this to be about half to two thirds of your book.

The middle section is the big bang, the climax of the book. This could be where a big cliff-hanger appears or maybe where a big “incident” occurs.  Whatever your story, this section is what you’ve been building up to, make sense?  But remember, it can’t be so revealing that the reader would be satisfied stopping there.  You want them to be excited to keep reading all the way to the end.

The last section is typically the shortest. It is here that questions are answered, mysteries revealed, loose ends tied up, etc.  The conclusion is where you will leave the reader either wishing for more or relieved it’s over, so wrap it up carefully.

Once you have the three main parts figured out, you can start a rough outline. Some people get very detailed, even crafting the first and last sentences for each chapter.  I like to leave a little more wiggle room.  After all, sometimes a twist will come to you out of nowhere in the middle of the night.  Or a particular opportunity for mischief may present itself, which leads off on a tangent.  Yes, good unexpected tangents are often hard to come by.  They cannot be easily dismissed.

I know some people don’t outline at all and use the seat-of-the-pants method. Unless you are an extremely imaginative person, I’d advise against this approach.  At least put some basics down on paper.  Really, you’ll thank me in November.

Research Tips for NaNoWriMo Success

 

This week’s tip to win National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) focuses on research and background. I think this may be my favorite part.  Since I have a rough story idea, I know a few of the players I’ll need developed.  Now I get to start making them up.  Although, sometimes a character brings to mind a real person I know, and bits and pieces of that personality creep into my background for that player—which can be very fun for the writer!

When I’m naming a character, especially a protagonist/antagonist or another fairly key role, I like to give them a very meaningful name. You know, like a hard-nosed cop named Steel or an ultra feminine southern belle named Magnolia.  Okay, maybe those are a bit trite, but you get the idea.  It’s good to have those names personifying the traits you are trying to convey, even if it’s very subtle.

Don’t forget about locations. Will your story be in a real or fictitious town?  I like fictitious towns because you can really make up whatever you want and it’s a good way to use up some word count.  With a real town you may get bogged down in trying to be accurate—NaNo suicide.  Once you start worrying about making things precise you’ll start burning time.  Even if you think you’ll just go online and check “one thing—real quick”, the temptations are there.  Do all your research in October for character names and locations.

Another benefit of planning in October is learning some lingo. If your character is a cop, lawyer, doctor, etc., you are probably going to want to know some key words and phrases.  Also, things like background, schooling, schedules, whatever makes your story believable to those actually in that profession.  Or if they’re going to have a certain habit, disease, or even hobby you need to be knowledgeable enough to write accurately about it.

I write out very elaborate descriptions of my characters, right down to make of their vehicle. Not all the info makes it in, but it beats trying to come up with stuff during the writing process.  One tip I’ve come up with when a house pops up in the story; use a house with which you are familiar.  For example, in a story I wrote about a burglar, I needed to be able to really paint a picture of the interior of those houses as he crept through.  I used my home’s layout and some of my friend’s and neighbor’s homes so I had a clear picture in my mind as I was writing.  It made it easier for me and very descriptive for the reader.

I don’t like to use names of real (living) people in my stories if I can avoid it. If I look up a character and find someone with that name, I make a few changes.  I’ll run the search again after changing around a couple of letters or adding/dropping an “e” at the end.  Sometimes you can come up with a whole new name by spelling it phonetically.  I had to do that with one of my main characters for this year.

I have two words of caution about names. First, make sure the name you choose is accurate for the time period in your story.  You know, there were probably not a lot of women named Ashley in Medieval times, for example.  Second, if your readers have to stumble over the pronunciation of a name every time they read it, it makes the book less enjoyable.  Every time.  Happy writing!

 

 

 

Where to Look for Story Ideas

Ah October, when fall colors are blooming and a writer’s thoughts turn to November. Why November?  Because that is National Novel Writing Month, better known as NaNoWriMo.  That is when those of us crazy enough to accept the challenge write 50,000 words in thirty days.  Yes, that is a lot of words.

As a previous winner of this challenge, I thought I’d take the month of October to pass on some tips and tricks I’ve picked up. After you poke around and sign up at the website, you may start to panic.  You’ll wonder where you could ever come up with an idea that you can actually expand into a whole book.  Relax, there’s time.

First, think of what kind of book you want to write. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “write what you know” before.  In this particular case I would agree.  Your goal is going to be to write as fast and furious as you can.  So the first thing to do is decide what type of book you are most comfortable reading.  That’s probably a good genre to write.

Next I suggest some deep thought. Either turn off all the electronics in the house and close your eyes or maybe go for a walk outside.  Think about previous experiences you, a friend, or a relative have had.  Think particularly about when that experience involved a difficult choice or situation.  Imagine what could’ve happened if a different choice had been made.

Still can’t think of anything good to peak your creativity? How about a tragedy that happened to you or someone you know.  You could change a few details, tell it from a different point of view, make a big change or don’t change it at all.  However, if nothing is coming to you, don’t fret.  Just turn on some social media, there’s plenty of bad news there.  Jump into someone’s shoes for a bit and let your mind wander.

Muse still not cooperating? Go online and look up writing prompts.  You’ve got a month, I’m sure she’ll pop up before long.  Muses are funny like that.