Don't Get It Right, Get It Written

What now?

2011-10-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

A wonderful surprise arrived in the mail this week. My friend, Leslie, sent me Ann Patchett's, What now? It is a book that summarizes a graduation speech she gave at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence. It wonderfully and succinctly describes the feeling we all have as we teeter on a precipice wondering, "What now?"

The other point Ann makes is that to be a writer, you have to do a lot of what she calls staring. As in, sitting in one place, gazing out at nothing. That's how she gets a lot of her ideas. I stare a little. Mostly, I think right before I'm drifting off to sleep. I once tried to recreate this moment of subconscious thought by hopping on top of my bed in the mid-afternoon, closing my eyes and thinking. It worked. Another technique I have is to walk.

And I'm happy to report that just the other day when I was walking, I thought of three terrific plot strands that I knew would work. Only problem - it's for a different WIP...

Thinking

2011-10-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've written, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working. I've actually been working hard - doing a lot of thinking and reading. There seems to be lots of revision necessary for my latest WIP, so I've been trying to decide how to approach it. I'm not usually that attached to a manuscript once I submit it, but this one has parts that I really love, so without specific line-by-line guidance, it's been hard to chop it up.

So, what I've been doing is trying new plot strands to see if I like what's happening with them. Normally, I LOVE the revision process, but this manuscript is a little tougher to clip, so I need to see how I can do it so that it feels right.

Anyone out there feel the same??

Waiting...

2011-05-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

It's done. It's finished. It's ready. That is, my manuscript is ready to be read by my agent. I could have gone over it another 20, 30, 40 times. Really. But I also wanted to send it to her by the end of April. So I did. April 28th, to be exact.

And now I'm waiting.

I don't like to wait. It's especially hard because I usually have a number of other readers before I send it out. But this time, in the interest in time, I just had one: me. I'm very critical, but I'm still me.

This me is wondering every third minute, "Is it good???? Will she like it????"

I don't know. I don't have any answers. But in the meantime, I will try - very hard - to be patient.

Stay tuned. I hope the news is good...

Done!

2011-04-21T13:50:00.001-08:00

I'm done. That is, I do indeed have a first draft.

What does that mean, exactly? You may be thinking, "Well, I thought she had a first draft on March 31."

That first draft was the real First Draft which really should be called the first rough draft. This new draft is the first smooth draft.

This draft means that I've been through the manuscript several times on the computer. It means I've dotted as many i's as I could find and crossed the same number of t's.

It means that I think it's organized and coherent. I think it flows and makes sense.

I am printing it out, right now, as I type this post. My next job is to read through it, make changes and then, do that several more times.

And then? Whoopee - it's off through cyber-space to my agent.

Double Yippee!!

Done?

2011-03-31T08:42:00.002-08:00

I---- think---- I'm---- done?

Maybe done. Maybe have a first draft. Here's the last line: So he got the peppermint treat which guarantees sweet dreams.

I don't know if it will stay like that, but for now, I like it.

Next step: read through this messy, rough first draft page by page. There is a lot of organizing, foreshadowing, streamlining and expanding to be done. But I'm feeling so happy, contented and thrilled that I have come this far.

The word count: 47,777. Remember when I wanted to get to 40,000 words? Then 50,000? Then 60,000? The word count is a helpful, measurable goal when I'm starting out. But at some point it doesn't matter because I know I'll get to the end, and I know it will be long enough.

Yippee!!!!

Reading Aloud

2011-03-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

I think a writer has to really love what she's working on in order to keep going. That might sound a bit ego-centric, but if you don't like the story - and you're the one creating it - who will?

The moment I know I love what I'm writing is when I start to read it out loud. Sometimes it happens at the very, very start and this euphoria can keep me going for the first 10,000 words. But mostly, it's later, when I look back on it, I'll realize that I like - or maybe even love - what I've done. I'll want to hear the cadence and rhythm of the words that make up my story. I will want to spend some of my precious writing time reading favorite parts out loud, just enjoying what I've created and how it sounds.

The other good thing about reading aloud is that it's a super way to edit. As you read, the parts that don't flow, that seem to "stick" will be very apparent.

Yay!

2011-03-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

I see that my last post was Ugh. Now it's Yay. What a difference a month can make. And why don't I remember this when I'm in the midst of the Ugh?

I spent a lot of time in February trying to edit an area I felt was going off in a direction I didn't like. The only thing those days of editing did for me was to stop the flow of creativity. Because once I gave up on the editing and plunged back into the narrative, I was on my way again.

I know that editing as you write works for some people, but I must remember that it does not work for me. I have to stay in the story and keep going forward (regardless of the junk littering up my manuscript - it will get cut later) to finish the project.

I'm actually in sight of the end. I think I have about 30 more pages. I don't have the end worked out, but I know that when I get there, it will work out.

Stay tuned!

Ugh

2011-02-14T11:00:00.000-09:00

I'm not saying ugh just because it's Monday because I actually like Mondays. It's an UGH day because I'm in what I think is about the last quarter of this book, and I'm having a lot of trouble. I spent way too much time this morning trying to make it work and it really didn't work. So now - after 482 words - (which is not nearly enough if I want to get a first draft done by the end of February...) I'm stopping. Fortunately, it's not raining, so I'm going to get some fresh air and walk down the hill to the post office.

I am hoping that my brain will continue to work while I walk and when I return, I'll have figured out some things about this manuscript.

Stay tuned.

Organization

2011-02-11T14:46:00.000-09:00

Oops.

I made a big mistake this morning. I felt like some organization of the manuscript was needed. So I printed out (a first and usually a very exciting time to actually see the story on paper) about 70 pages starting at page 94. Then I spent most of the morning and all the way until 1:30 this afternoon trying to set up one of the secondary characters. The result is that I accomplished it but I don't feel particularly good about it. Even though I advanced the word count (42481) I didn't move the story ahead. And that's really - for me - the measure of a successful day. Because then you have more of a place to start the next time.

I think I'm avoiding some part of the plot. So that's the place I need to start Monday morning. See you then.

Distractions

2011-02-11T14:38:00.000-09:00

One of the most important things when writing is staying in the story. But sometimes there are distractions. These come in all shapes and sizes. For me it was the holidays, company and some travel. I finally tossed in the towel in mid-December knowing I wanted to make butter cookies more than I wanted to write.

In late January, I jumped back in, finally meeting my New Year's goal of 40,000 words last Friday. The 40,000 words was mostly psychological as I'm no longer worried about the number of words I have to write as I feel pretty confident that the story will take at least another 20,000 words to tell.

30,000 words

2010-11-15T10:25:00.001-09:00

Today was one of the best days in awhile. I've been avoiding writing about the grandmother in my story (mostly because I don't know enough about the grandmother to start...), but prior to sitting down today, I had a great image in my head of the grandmother in the hospital bed unable to eat. How would my main character and heroine, T, cope with this? How could this scene show what she was all about? So I jumped into the interchange, and before I knew it (and despite numerous interruptions which didn't seem to matter as the scene flowed delightfully wonderfully...) I had over 1,000 words.

Now I've crossed into the 30,000 range. And I will try to remember this: if you're stuck, one nearly sure-fire remedy is to write through it. Just write what you think you know and the rest will come. Your characters will start talking to you and show you the way.

Yippee!

The rain has stopped, and the mist is wisping through the distant mountains. I'm off for my walk to celebrate.

Whales and Goals

2010-11-12T11:10:00.001-09:00

I took some time off, but now I'm back. Some of it I can blame on the humpbacks in the Narrows. They're never here at this time of the year. So who could resist watching them bubblenetting, their huge tails rising up from the water?

But back to goals. I've got some new ones, and I feel great about them.

Goal # 1 - 40,000 words by January 1, 2011
Goal # 2 - 60,000 words by April 2011
Goal # 3 - First draft by May 2011

I think they're do-able, and I feel good knowing that. I just have to keep my eye on the story and put in my time, right here, at the computer. Every morning, even weekends (?). The calendar idea really helps - putting down in each day box how many words I wrote, and how many I have total.

Here are the results for today: 773 words; 29,812 total. Yay! That means I have about six weeks to write the necessary 10,000 words for Goal # 1.

I think I'll go have a cookie to celebrate.

Wandering

2010-10-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Wandering. That's what I've been doing this week and last. I've also been avoiding. Avoiding writing about the grandmother in my book. I didn't know much about her, so I stayed away. Usually when I don't know something, I write through it, and then finally I figure it out. But I didn't do that this time. I continually detoured because I really had no idea what she was all about. I had also tried quite a few qualities on her, like new hats, and nothing fit.

Then finally I jumped in and got nowhere. But instead of swimming to the nearest shore for safety, I stayed there, floating around in the current trying to figure out who this character was.

It didn't work. At. All.

But because I had been trying, had been writing through it, my subconscious began stewing over it even when I wasn't. And that's what's magical.

Because, finally, at around 2 AM on Thursday, I knew.

This is truly one reason to write. That wonderful, incredible feeling when the character starts to talk and it's almost impossible to capture her conversation, so quickly and forcefully she speaks.

Progress

2010-09-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

I had a hard time getting started this morning. I don't know whether it was the rain, the chilliness, or feeling sleepy, but I kept avoiding my computer. Oh, I'd sit down and write a little, but then I'd go off and do something that clearly could have waited. Then I'd return to the computer, check email, some blogs I like, Facebook - and so on - I know you've all been there.

But the good news is that I stuck it out. I almost quit at 600 words. I was at the end of one scene and could have picked it up tomorrow. But I didn't. I stuck it out, sat there and thought and wrote and then thought some more. And wrote some more. Finally, I was rewarded with a total of 987 words.

I am humbled, once again. The only way to write is to sit there and do it. And no one can do it but you.

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

2010-09-25T11:45:00.002-08:00

What you read can determine what and how you write. I know I'm affected by what I read and since everything that goes into my head could potentially come out in a different form on the page, it's a good idea to read good books.

Many people recommend the classics, but sometimes they're difficult. Although, since starting Francine's book, I'm going to have another go at some of them, particularly Jane Austin. I watched The Jane Austin Book Club yesterday as a treat for my 700 word success (and also a good week of words). It made me go on a serious hunt for a Jane Austin book in my collection, which I couldn't find. I think they didn't make the cut when we moved to AK...

Some words to remember: on page16 Francine says, "Every page was once a blank page, just as every word that appears on it now was not always there, but instead reflects the final result of countless large and small deliberations. All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another. And what grabs and keeps our interest has everything to do with those choices."

Tweaking

2010-09-24T12:39:00.002-08:00

This morning, I spent some time editing. This edit wasn't a careful line edit which I do when I'm actually finished with a manuscript. In fact, I rarely edit during a first draft as, for me, it interferes with the process.

This was a quick clean-up, a tweaking. I had to adjust the Mom character's actions and dialogue in order to more fully flesh-out who she is. Most often when I first write about a character, I know nothing about her. She just starts talking (if I'm lucky...) to me. But then, she may change as I get to know her better and that forces me to tweak in order to make the new her and the old her gel.

The good news is they've gelled.

The better news is that I also got 716 words done.

The best news is that I stopped at a great place which will make it easier to start tomorrow (hopefully) or Monday.

Happy Weekend!

Characters

2010-09-23T08:29:00.002-08:00

Something wonderful happened last night. I suddenly knew that the grandmother in my new book was a hypochondriac. I had known she had some sort of serious psychological disorder, but I didn't know what.

This project began when I decided I wanted to explore some issues in my own life more deeply. I felt I could use these details to weave a compelling story.

But the problems began almost immediately. I never seem to be able to write about real life. Here's why: real life intrudes. My characters are all living, breathing people in their own right. And if I try to take someone out of real life and plop her exactly as she is into my story, the character rebels. So the grandmother in my story was rebelling. I had pegged her as having a number of fairly serious psychological issues but then she just sat there on the page refusing to talk.

After brooding about this for awhile, I finally, finally returned to the most important thing - the story. What would move the story ahead? Grandma could have a condition, it just had to be a condition that would mesh with the story, be important to the other characters and add something. And then in a flash, I knew: she was a hypochondriac. A serious one, at that.

With one swoop of the keyboard, I'll change that real life person into a character and the story will be the winner.

How do you feel about molding characters? Do they do what you want them to do or do they rebel?

Goals

2010-09-22T11:37:00.001-08:00

In August I set a writing goal of 1,000 words per day during the week. I set the same goal several years ago when I was working on a middle grade novel I have since finished. It works. I made a copy of the calendar I keep by my computer and on it I record the number of words I wrote and also the total number of words thus far in the manuscript. Over the month, this helps me to see where I was and how far I've come.

This goal of 1,000 words is a lofty one as most days, I won't reach a thousand words, but on the other hand, some days I will. Maybe I prefer to under reach than over reach. I also know I could write on weekends which would up my productivity a lot. But weekends are for my family and ever time I try to choose, family always wins. Additionally, I don't like to be torn, and having my family in the house is distracting. So I usually opt for thinking about the story instead of actually writing it. Which deserves a lot more credit than I give it.

Today's count was 503. I'm happy with it as I think today's writing was pretty good. (Unlike Monday's which was not.)

Don't get it right, get it WRITTEN

2010-09-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

This post could also be called, "Don't get it right, get it finished." Because getting your project finished is as important as the starting of it. And by finished, I don't mean done. I mean that you have finished Draft 1. There may be 65 other drafts that follow it. Or 5 or 72 or even 102. In each of these drafts, you will be editing which is the other half of the puzzle of writing. As you tighten, agonizing over using this word or that, you will be taking steps - some teeny, tiny baby steps, but steps nonetheless - toward your completed project.

But without Draft 1, there is nothing finished. Nothing to edit.

So go on - don't get it right, get it written. You can do it!