Painstaking Process

A great comment was left on one of my other blog posts recently. Good ol' Angie Kate said that editing is much less fun and much more time consuming than writing, but equally necessary.

She's right, of course, but I wish she wasn't. I'm not a big fan of the re-writing, because it seems like it takes gobs and gobs of effort and concentration to produce a couple of ounces of tangible, realized outcome.

However, in the early stages of my editing/re-writing of my work in progress, I've begun to realize the dividends. Polished copy is much (so much) better than that rough, thorny stuff I first threw out there when I was hammering out the first draft.

There are the points where I'm really ticked at myself for writing what I see as a rotten sentence, and it takes me 45 minutes to rehash the mess around it. Like that one rancid sentence infected all the other ones around it, and now I have to send in the clean-up crew for the whole dang paragraph. Sigh.

Sure, the process is painstaking, and I totally (and I mean totally) agree with Angie Kate's assessment, but I'm still going through it with as much zeal as I can. I don't like it as much as the writing, but I know that it's making me a better writer in the long run.

It took me a little bit to warm up to it, and I'm not exactly cozy yet, but I see the importance. So I'm teaching myself to love it. After all, I know I'll be more happy with the overall project when I go back and read it again.

Opening the drawer

The first draft of my first novel is officially out of the drawer now, and going through this first round of edits has brought on some realizations.

First and foremost, there are a lot (and I mean A LOT) of "I wrote this?" moments. And that can be both good and bad. Sometimes it's "Ugh, I can't believe I wrote this!" Other times it's more fulfilling "Hey. Wow. I wrote this."

I haven't decided which one of these I get more out of. While I like the good stuff, and it's good for the confidence, the stuff I don't like probably produces more. It opens up more re-working and (hopefully) improving what I've done.

I haven't decided if I like this process. Re-writing and editing is a completely different animal than writing. It's more pain-staking, and it's a real thinker. I stare at a sentence or two for long periods of time, contemplating better ways to tell the tale. It's tough.

When I write, I just sit down and write. Now I'm being critical of my own work, and I have to make sure that I'm the biggest critic. That usually isn't a problem, but I have to be conscious of everything. When I'm writing, I could pretty much close my eyes and go sometimes. Now I'm sitting a couple inches away from my screen, moving the blocks around.

The thing I'm most proud of is that I was able to leave this thing in the drawer for as long as I did. Eight weeks I stayed away from this thing. I was ultra-proud to have finished the first draft, and I think I've got a good story.

Now I'm making it better.

Back, with Resolution

Long time no write! (At least on the blog anyway)

But I have a good excuse.

I have been on vacation from work, and decided to take the time off from all computers (for the most part). I did not check email, Facebook or Twitter for nine solid days. And I'm not kidding.

I stuck with the writing, though. Some of it I liked. Some of it I didn't. I'm sure I'll check out some of it later on this year and like it, and some of it I won't like. If I learned anything in 2009, it's that not everything I write is going to be good. Or bad.

But now I've returned to the good ol' world wide web, and I have decided to make 2010 my year of writing.

In 2009, I wrote two first drafts of novels. That's two more than I thought I would write. Ever. I now have the confidence and the gusto to know that it's something I can do. I've tucked both of them away for a long time, and January is going to be spent editing, editing, editing. Jan. 1, they come out of the drawer.

I'm also going to unleash a more aggressive schedule with my writing. I've seen that I can do it, and I've seen (and heard) that it puts me in a better mood to unleash that stuff onto the blank page. So here's the plan:

For 2010, I'm going to wrap up at least one of those first drafts into a draft I'm comfortable unleashing to the world. It's going out with queries, and I'm looking forward to gobs and gobs of rejections (I can't wait to hear how crappy it is so I can fix it!)

But more importantly, I'm going to write more and more. I want to knock out three more first drafts of novels, and at least five polished short stories. The novels will be rough (probably very rough), but I want to pore over and fine tune the short stories to try and get them published some where.

I have some ideas for both novels and short fictoin, and I work fairly quickly, so these seem like reasonable goals.

I'm raising the bar for 2010, and I'll keep you posted on here. It all starts tomorrow.

Happy/Busy New Year!

Nose? Meet grindstone

Whoa, does Christmas keep you away from the blogosphere and Internet.

Not only have I been ultra-busy at work (vacation isn't really vacation when they cram two weeks of work into the seven days before you leave), but I've also had to worry about things like getting Christmas lights on the house, shopping and gearing up for a trip to the parents' house for a few days.

I've also found that cramming in writing and editing and all that fun stuff has been tough, too. I've written plenty of posts on how you can't let life get in the way, how sometimes it still does, and how you can make up for it.

But this month is a little different. Everybody told me that November would be a pain in the neck with National Novel Writing Month - that it would bury me up to my neck in working on the book. Well, November has nothing on December.

I probably haven't written as many words in December as I did in November, but I'm finding my sessions to be more intensive because I don't want to waste the precious few moments I have to work on things.

That said, I'm going to really have to buckle up and focus in this next week. All that family stuff is great, and I like hanging out with my family members I never get to see all year as much as anybody else. But I'm a writer, too, and that means I have to try and find time to write (if I can).

I don't want to take any days off (unless it is completely unavoidable), because one day turns into two, into four, and then into 10. At least that's the way it is for me.

So batten down the hatches, Christmas, I'm going to work straight through whether you want me to or not.

Tis the season

I have not blogged for awhile, but that doesn't mean I haven't been writing.

It's tough not to get inspired when all anybody around me can talk about is how inspired they are by the Christmas season. All right. That's not fair. People talk about more than Christmas, but that's not the point.

What I'm saying is that, for whatever reason, I find myself trying all differnt kinds of techniques in my writing now that there is snow on the ground. I don't know why, but the change in the season has really got me toying with a bunch of new stuff.

For example: I'm writing a lot more short fiction, but I'm doing it in a bunch of different ways. I'm writing in first person, third person and from the sandpoints of a number of changing characters.

This shows me where I am strong, and where I am weak in my writing. It shows me what I need to work at, and what I'm really good with. That's valuable information since it's making me more of a complete writer.

I'm glad that I'm writing a bunch of changing things, an it's helping me form a style and a voice and those are things that can always use help.

But I am worried. What the heck is going to happen when spring hits?

Mood lighting

I have come to another realization. I'm sure I'm not the first to say this, but it just happened to me, so you're going to have to hear about it.

I've been writing some short stories and things of that ilk lately, and the tone and voice of those things almost always take on thhe form of whatever mood I happen to be in. That's no news flash, but it got me thinking.

I write differently when I'm writing the short stuff. A novel is something I have immersed myself in, and I take on the form and voice of what the novel is for me. With the short stories, it's more like me blasting out whatever is in my head, guided by whatever emotions and mood I happen to be in. What I'm trying to say is that I write differently when doing these different things, and it's really helped my writing (in my opinion).

All right, I have two first drafts on my hands now. That gives me two - both very, very rough. One from this summer, and the ultra-rough National Novel Writing Month piece. However, I'm giving both a breather so I can look at them with fresh eyes.

I'm still writing every day, but like I said, it's mostly the short stuff. I thoroughly enjoy working on novels and writing short stories, and now I've found that I love the change in dynamic between the two.

They're both different, but they both work. At least they seem to work for me.

So try and broaden your horizons by writing different stuff. It might put you (or keep you) in a good mood.

NaNoRebellion: Guest post by Sara McClung

(Here is a guest post from Sara McClung, a full-time writer that might just be the most bubbly person on the Internet. She took a different approach to National Novel Writing Month. Enjoy.)

I was a NaNo insurgent.
I registered as a NaNo participant. But on November 1st, I continued writing an already started novel. I wrote just over 30,000 new words in the first 2 ½ weeks. And then I stopped. I never aimed for 50,000 - I knew there weren’t that many words left before the novel would be finished. And after 30,000 words - that’s exactly what it was!

Am I technically a NaNo winner? No.

Do I feel like a winner anyway? Heck yes I do! I finished my novel!

NaNo rebels follow two of the most important NaNo principles (in my opinion):

1. We use the month of November to push forward with devotion and persistence in our writing.
2. We force ourselves to write with complete intensity without getting stuck on minor details along the way.

My goal is to continue following these principles beyond the month of November. In fact, I may just hold my own little SaRaNoWriMos from time to time throughout the year...

Unfortunately, one part of NaNo that won’t carry over into other months is the motivation inspired by the other participants! Knowing that there were thousands and thousands of other writers out there typing away furiously at the same time as I was helped to keep me going. The forums, the twitter hashtags, the blogs... Talk about motivation by the bucket loads! I’ll definitely miss the community energy.
(Thankfully, when I need motivation now - I can visit the #amwritingparty crew every night on twitter! http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23amwritingparty )

Though NaNoWriMo intends for writers to start fresh, fictional pieces, the staff understands that not everyone will be at the right place to start something new - nor will everyone want to write fiction. And guess what? They still encourage us to enter! So if you missed out this year because you couldn’t follow their posted rules - I suggest you check out the NaNoRebel forum for next year! http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/forum/304

PS. As I’m sure you read in his posts, Kerry participated in NaNoWriMo. He was a legit, law abiding, new novel starting participant. He began a new novel on November 1st and wrote toward the 50,000 word count goal that would make him a winner. And guess what? HE WON! He wrote over 60,000 words before November ended. So I’ll end this guest post by tipping my hat to you, Mr. K. C. Collins! You rocked it... the REAL way :-)

Sara McClung is a full-time writer that you can follow on Twitter @saramcclung. She also has a great blog that you can find at http://babblingflow.blogspot.com.

Thanks, Thanksgiving

I haven't been around much lately, and I apologize for that. With Thanksgiving and all that jazz, I was out of town with the in-laws, spending much needed quality fun time with that side of the family.

However, there was one negative to the whole thing. While I managed more than 2,000 words on my first day away from home, I managed roughly 1,000 over the next two days - combined.

I know what you regular readers of my blog are going to say, but let me stop you before the words leave your mouth or you scurry down to the comments section.

YES, I'm the guy that constantly harps about hitting 1,000-2,000 words EVERY DAY REGARDLESS OF WHAT'S GOING ON. And YES, I'm the guy that also blathers on and on about setting aside time to write and NOT LETTING LIFE GET IN THE WAY.

So I dropped my own ball. And it was Thanksgiving. If you're going to call me out onto the carpet for that, you're a rough crowd, to be sure.

But I picked up that ball, and kicked the crap out of it after I got home so *flllbbbbbbt* (that's my sound for sticking my tongue out and spitting at you). I hammered out more than 6,000 words today, and put a decent cap on my National Novel Writing Month work in progress. Marking my biggest day ever.

If you count those words today, and the roughly 1,000 I did over the two days I was AWOL, that leaves me with well over the 2k goal I usually set for myself. So there.

Granted, my draft from NaNo is ultra-rough, and I still think there are things that need to be added to it (and taken out, oh momma are there things to be taken out). But I'll go through all of that stuff on Dec. 1, and then look out.

As far as lessons learned from those three days: 1) I can really put together a huge day if I really want to and, more importantly, need to. 2) I tried to write, I really did, and the few hundred words each session wasn't much, but it was something. You take what you can get sometimes. 3) I really, really love green bean casserole.

Crash! Boom! Pow!

I'm no pro on the novel circuit, but I can see why people want to be - and why I'm aspiring to be.

I'm closing in on my 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month, and that's all well and good, but that's not the big deal. What gets me going is making things explode. No, I'm not some pyromaniac. I'm talking about getting to the juicy part of the book where worlds collide.

I'm probably 20,000 words or so away from wrapping this sucker up, and all of that stuff I've been building toward is finally starting to boil over the top. It's crazy and fun figuring out where to put these characters, and how to get them in there place. But the most fun is tossing in the twists and turns that they have to take to scramble back to (some sort of) normal.

Of course, I knew these things were going to happen to them, but the characters didn't expect it. What fun would there be in that?

Coming up with some ideas for a book - or for your plot - is always great. It's those single, solitary moments of realization that are very rewarding. But doing the work to build up to the fireworks is the tough part.

This is one of the most rewarding parts of writing for me: Writing your characters into impossible situations and then wiggling them out of it - for better or for worse. The climax and all that good stuff surrounding it are the meat and potatoes, they're what people are going to remember.

The least I can do is have a blast writing that stuff.

They're not all home runs

There is nobody that takes advantage of a hot streak more than I do.

When I get on a roll with my writing, I hammer away and pound out chapters like my fingers are my very own printing press. My waves of confidence are high, and I ride them as long as I possibly can. Sometimes, those waves can even carry on into what would be a slump, and I plow right through those, too.

But just like any high, there has to be some coming down from it. I have been cruising, writing roughly 20,000 words in the last week, and I actually feel pretty good about it. There are times I can bash out a chapter or two and feel like "Well, all of that's getting cut later." But this wasn't one of those times. I've really felt good about what I had been doing.

Until this afternoon. Ugh. I got around 1,500 words out, and some of it wasn't that bad, but I wasn't really feeling it like I had been. And that sucks, but that's part of the deal.

Not every day is going to be "Oh wow! I just wrote 7,800 words and they're all made of GOLD." I've come to grips with that in working at a newspaper since I was 17. Not every story I write is going to win an award. But the key is to keep the slumps tiny, and the fireworks displays going as long as possible.

The only way (for me anyway) to trudge through that muck is to step away and come back when my muse has his/her guns fully loaded. So I'm giving that muse some time to get organized.

I'll be back at the laptop later tonight. I hope this slump won't know what hit it.

Obsessed with Numbers

For a bunch of people that claim to be addicted to words, the bulk of us are bunch of unwitting slaves to math geeks. We're all a bunch of numbers freaks.

Whether I'm hammering out words for the latest #wordathon on Twitter, or just trying to meet my daily goal of 1,000 or 2,000 or whatever number I've set for myself, or plowing my way toward 50,000 words in November for National Novel Writing Month, numbers dominate my writing experience.

Some days, I'm even counting how many words I'm writing per hour - which means I'm counting minutes, too! I need to stop.

That got me to thinking. I grew up in love with English class, and I hated math class. I took one math class in college - a wisely chosen course, where the bulk of the grade depended on three papers you wrote during the quarter. So why on earth am I so wrapped up in numbers?

The short answer is this: Well, what the hell. Everybody else I know worries about it, and it's gotten me some good buddies on Twitter. Besides, that's what agents and publishers want to know right off the bat. And it's easier to get locked into a routine if you get that "I'm shooting for 1,500 words every day" routine.

But it still seems bizarre to me. I hate numbers. I hate paying my mortgage (I still do, though), because of what it does to my bank account. And I need to get back to my former math-hating self, even if it's for just a short while.

So tonight I'll be naughty. For my nightly session, I'm just going to write. That's it. I'm not going to check my word count. I'm just going to go until I feel I should stop. And then I'm going to stop, shut the computer and go somewhere and read.

But it will probably be for one night only. I'll probably wake up in the morning and run to the laptop like it's my Christmas stocking to find out what my word count was from the night before, but still.

It's the principle of the whole thing.

In the zone

This is the part of writing that I love the most.

I'm smack dab in the middle of all kinds of crap going on with my characters. I don't know if potential readers will be as enthusiastic about this part of my work in progress when (or if) anybody ever sees it, but I know that I'm having a blast writing it.

I don't want to stop working. Even when it's 2 a.m. and I know I'm supposed to be up and trying to move toward my real job in six hours. Even when it's 2 p.m., and I know I'm not leaving my real job for the next three hours.

This is why I write, for these times like this. I like putting characters in all kinds of tough situations, and then trying to see if I can work them out of it -- all in 80,000 words or less.

It's what I like to call the Writing Rubik's Cube. Mess it all up, and see if you can get things right in the world. Sometimes, you can't but that's fine, too. Even getting one of those sides done correctly can be a victory of sorts, and not everything is always going to be perfect.

Please forgive me

I know what I said earlier, but I'm sorry. I broke one of my own rules earlier today, and I feel horrible about it.

OK, so I don't feel horrible, but I figured I'd better come clean in my blog, since you know how a little white lie can fester into a gaping wound. Besides, I love the readers of my blog, and I want complete honesty with you wonderful folks.

Whew. Here goes:
While writing in my National Novel Writing Month work in progress today, I ran into a road block. I didn't know how to get around a particular part without scrapping some stuff. So I caved. I don't like to admit it, and I feel dirty, but I did some editing on the fly.

I know what I said earlier. Just hammer out the words as they come and worry about editing after the draft is done. But I couldn't avoid it. I won't blame you for thinking that I'm a horrible person, but it was just one lapse in judgement, I swear. The edits opened the floodgates to about 1,500 words in roughly 45 minutes, but that's no excuse.

All this proves is that there are moments of weakness in all of us, and sometimes the rules get bent slightly or broken. I'm only human, it's going to happen once in awhile. So I'm sorry.

I promise, it will never happen again. Unless it's absolutely necessary for the creative process.

Stay busy = Stay hungry

I learned a lesson tonight that I know has made my writing better. Since starting this daily writing thing, I know my writing has gotten better - I can tell when I read the stuff I have written that day, and I can feel it in my confidence.

Case in point:
Earlier tonight, I was asked how the book was going. I said I was over 25,000 words, which is right on pace with my 2,000 word-per-day goal for National Novel Writing Month that started on Nov. 1. The person I was talking to was confused. They wondered what I was talking about.

Sure enough, we were talking about different things. While I was talking about my NaNoWriMo project, they were talking about the first draft I finished in early October. We laughed, and then I explained that I was letting that one sit until December to look at it with a pair of fresh eyes, and then both of us went on our merry ways.

And here's the lesson (sorry for the long explanation): I've gained confidence, and I feel my writing is better by sticking to it. I know I love doing it, but doing it has to be a labor of love.

When I finished one project, I kept right on writing on the next one because I wanted to keep the writing flow going. This message isn't anything new, but I think it bears repeating: Immerse yourself in it, and you will get better, and who doesn't want to keep getting better?

My level of busy is directly proportional to my level of desire to make my projects great. That may take awhile, but it won't happen at all if I'm not dedicated to what I'm doing.

Still finding the right road

I am no expert, and I have never been published. To be honest, I don't know what advice I can possibly give you about writing (unless it's newspaper writing, and you want to know how to irk your boss). I just know what I'm going through at any given time a new blog post is published.

I'm flailing my way through this process, too, and this blog is here to hopefully show people that they aren't the only ones pulling their hair out and getting frustrated at that damn blinking cursor in their Microsoft Word document.

I ran into one of those roadblocks last night. Sure, I'm still well on pace to hit my 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month, but that's no big deal. I knew I was going to hit it, anyway.

There are notes and a rough outline for me to follow, but even still, I hit a snag where I had no idea which direction to go to get from Point A to Point B. I know, I know, a straight line. I got it. But the straight line sucked, and so did subsequent curvy lines.

I'm not going to chalk this up to writer's block just yet, more that I haven't found the right path to take yet. (Wait. What's the difference?) In any event, I think this was good for me because it made me type a bunch of stuff I didn't like.

Last night's lesson was this: Just like you have to be able to hack your story to bits when the unncessary words are there, you have to be able to hammer out a bunch of words when the necessary words aren't there.

Another link

Here's a great blog that you should be reading, if you aren't already.

This is one I can't believe I haven't stumbled upon already, but it's http://storyfix.com/. It's written by Larry Brooks, who has a number of published resources on getting other authors, well, published.

Check it out. It even has a post (from Oct. 26, I believe) that is a decent read on making the National Novel Writing Month a more rewarding process. Enjoy.

Catch up!

I'm rocking and rolling during National Novel Writing Month, averaging more than 2,000 words per day.

However, there are a few of my buddies that I chat with on Twitter that are either just getting started or haven't been able to write every single day, so they're behind the pace. For them, I thought I'd throw a few tips out there that have worked for me so far.

1. WRITE EVERY DAY: Taking a day off is unacceptable! Get in a routine where you spend at least an hour a day working on it, and you'll get to the point where you feel guilty if you skip a day. You'll be happier for it, I promise.

2. LAW OF AVERAGES: Figure out how many words you need to average per day to hit the 50,000. And then write 500 more per day. By doing that, you'll be covering your rump if you have a day where things aren't clicking and you fall behind.

3. EDITING, SCHMEDITING: Don't worry about that stuff right now. That's why the gods gave us December - so we had something to do while all that snow is on the ground. Just write and write and write some more. Get the words down now. Organize them later.

4. DON'T STOP: One day off easily turns into two, so do whatever you can to find your groove and stay in it. Keep on going, and you'll be surprised how quickly those first 200 words turn into 12,000. Your confidence will go up as that word count rises, and that will make it easier.

5. BELIEVE IN IT: Trust in what you're doing and be passionate about it. If you don't like your story, why the heck do you think anyone else will? You know how it's hard to stop reading a book you really get into? Well, plunge into your own book the same way. Make it something you don't want to stop working on, even when you have to.

Those are a few things that have helped me with my writing, and have helped me with NaNoWriMo. I hope that it helps a few others, too. If I figure out a few more tips, I'll post them along the way.

Good luck, and feel free to drop any other tips in the comments section. And then get back to your novel.

Spread your wings

The National Novel Writing Month is going great. Much better than I would've thought at this point, actually. Four days in, and I have more than 8,500 words. And with a day off from my day job tomorrow, I'm going to be shooting to hit the 11k (or maybe even 12k) milestone.

We'll see how rambunctious I'm feeling.

And that's what this whole NaNoWriMo business is all about, methinks. That's why I'm happy I chose the idea I did for this project. I had a few ideas bouncing around in my head for this thing, but I picked the one that would pose a little bit of a challenge -- one that would force me to ask questions about myself, and one that would force me into a few challenging situations as a writer.

I like finding out what I can and can't do as a writer. Then I try and do as much of the stuff that falls into the "can't" category as I can. That's how you become a better writer. If you keep doing the stuff you know you can do and know you're comfortable with, where are you going to grow?

My advice today for everybody that writes, whether you're working on NaNoWriMo or not, is to keep trying new things. It's all about finding your own voice, so keep pushing that envelope to see how far you can go.

After you've found your limit? Well, then keep going a little bit past that. That's the fun part.

More help always welcome

As I plow forward with National Novel Writing Month, I have uncovered a few more helpful resources for those participating in the November event.

I uncovered this great blog called The Blood-Red Pencil that is absolutely great. More importantly, there are a couple of posts from that blog that have popped up over the last week or so that will be particularly helpful for those participating in NaNoWriMo.

The first post you should check out from the BRP is the Oct. 27 entry on a novel checklist. After you're done reading that and have finished your applause, click on this link to the Oct. 24 entry on creating villains. I found both incredibly insightful.

Also, NaNoWriMo is all about hammering out words and throwing caution to the wind, only to worry about editing later. If you're a nut for edits on the fly like me, but also like the encouraged reckless abandon that goes along with NaNoWriMo, this helpful resource is definitely for you.

By the way, I came across all of these goodies on Twitter. So if you're not following @BubbleCow or @KatMeyer, you should get right on that.

OK, read the links, and then follow those two. You'll thank me for it. Really.

Off and running

My second plunge into the deep end of novel writing started up today as National Novel Writing Month got underway, and it got off to a rip-roaring start with more than 2,000 words under my belt.

As usual, I'll be shooting for 2k per day, and that should get me more than enough words to hit the 50,000 word goal for NaNoWriMo.

I think I have a pretty good idea this time around, but I wasn't sure I'd have the same gusto I had for my first novel. That was an exercise in "Can I do this?" so I was constantly busting my butt to prove that I could. Now I know I can do it, but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to really crank on this project like I could on the last one.

Boy, did I prove myself wrong. My 2,000 words today came in about an hour and a half, and I was able to stop at a comfy spot that will allow me to jump right into things tomorrow.

I probably could have gotten another session in today, but I'm a sucker. Unfortunately, starting on a Sunday produced a lot of distractions. Equally unfortunate, I am very easily distracted.

At least I got off to a good, confident start, and that's always a very important thing.