Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Paralysis by Analysis
Someone coined this term on another blog, referring to the effect on creativity that comes from too much information about writing and publishing.
I've spent an hour this morning surfing various websites to gain information about editorial services and pricing. For a book I'm terrified to try to finish, for fear it will be horrible. It's all quite depressing.
The conundrum is this: I probably won't get published until I have shelled out at least a thousand dollars for writing conferences and editorial services to improve my manuscript. But I won't have the money to spend on those things until I get published. And don't feed me that crap about every business requiring investment. If I don't have it, I don't have it.
So why do I think I need an editor? Because I have taken the advice of some of my readers and tried to infuse my story with more emotion. The problem is that sentences like, "Her heart lurched wistfully" and "His heart was so heavy that he thought it would pull him tumbling down the path," (both actual examples from the current draft) make me gag.
If I put in too many more of them, I might vomit on my keyboard. But then, I haven't read any of Stephanie Meyers' books (at least not past the first agonizing, first-person, teenage angst-ridden paragraph of 'Twilight') and perhaps this is what readers want.
Do they? Or is it just romantic female readers - my most likely audience, unfortunately - who want this stuff spelled out for them?
My concept is large and glorious, and my ability to convey it woefully inadequate. I am constantly torn between trying to find the absolutely, perfectly right words, and wanting to just finish it so it can be done.
Can one write a masterpiece the first time out? Obviously, yes. It's been done before.
Can I be happy if I don't? Even if it's not published, I would be happy if I could satisfy my own internal critic. But I fear that she will never be satisfied, at least not at my current level of proficiency.
My heart is lurching wistfully in a manner that suggests I might vomit it onto the keyboard, if it doesn't pull me tumbling down the basement stairs when I go to check on the laundry.
I've spent an hour this morning surfing various websites to gain information about editorial services and pricing. For a book I'm terrified to try to finish, for fear it will be horrible. It's all quite depressing.
The conundrum is this: I probably won't get published until I have shelled out at least a thousand dollars for writing conferences and editorial services to improve my manuscript. But I won't have the money to spend on those things until I get published. And don't feed me that crap about every business requiring investment. If I don't have it, I don't have it.
So why do I think I need an editor? Because I have taken the advice of some of my readers and tried to infuse my story with more emotion. The problem is that sentences like, "Her heart lurched wistfully" and "His heart was so heavy that he thought it would pull him tumbling down the path," (both actual examples from the current draft) make me gag.
If I put in too many more of them, I might vomit on my keyboard. But then, I haven't read any of Stephanie Meyers' books (at least not past the first agonizing, first-person, teenage angst-ridden paragraph of 'Twilight') and perhaps this is what readers want.
Do they? Or is it just romantic female readers - my most likely audience, unfortunately - who want this stuff spelled out for them?
My concept is large and glorious, and my ability to convey it woefully inadequate. I am constantly torn between trying to find the absolutely, perfectly right words, and wanting to just finish it so it can be done.
Can one write a masterpiece the first time out? Obviously, yes. It's been done before.
Can I be happy if I don't? Even if it's not published, I would be happy if I could satisfy my own internal critic. But I fear that she will never be satisfied, at least not at my current level of proficiency.
My heart is lurching wistfully in a manner that suggests I might vomit it onto the keyboard, if it doesn't pull me tumbling down the basement stairs when I go to check on the laundry.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Are We Just Crazy?
Today I am more than 6,000 words behind my goal for JanNoWriMo. The only thing saving me at this point is that I am revising and much of what I've already done requires little editing. However, it's also getting pretty boring the fifth time around. I keep finding excuses not to work on it.
Which isn't to say that I need any excuses, as there certainly is enough for me to do around here at any given moment of the day.
Which brings me to the age-old question: Are we crazy? Why do we push ourselves to write?
Vikk Simmons has an interesting post about the psychological phenomenon of optimal experience, aka "flow," which is supposedly the truest form of happiness. She postulates that writers, like all other artists, do what we do in order to experience flow - the suspension of time and place that comes from total immersion in our art.
I agree that in the first draft - when our imaginations are in high gear - there is definitely that suspension of reality that produces a euphoric high. But by the fifth time around, writing is more like drudgery. What we are doing, however, is fine-tuning our work so that one day, if all the planets align and the publishing gods smile upon our efforts, our readers can experience that same suspension of reality.
The author of the book that she cites, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, has this to say:
"The best moments usually occur when the person's body or mind is stretched to the limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen."
So, let's make it happen.
I think that the best way for me to do that is to stop going over the same old ground, and jump to the end of the last batch of revisions. I stopped about 1/3 of the way through the book and went back to the beginning after my flogging. I think I should pick up where I left off and focus on completing the entire manuscript before I revise again.
Which isn't to say that I need any excuses, as there certainly is enough for me to do around here at any given moment of the day.
Which brings me to the age-old question: Are we crazy? Why do we push ourselves to write?
Vikk Simmons has an interesting post about the psychological phenomenon of optimal experience, aka "flow," which is supposedly the truest form of happiness. She postulates that writers, like all other artists, do what we do in order to experience flow - the suspension of time and place that comes from total immersion in our art.
I agree that in the first draft - when our imaginations are in high gear - there is definitely that suspension of reality that produces a euphoric high. But by the fifth time around, writing is more like drudgery. What we are doing, however, is fine-tuning our work so that one day, if all the planets align and the publishing gods smile upon our efforts, our readers can experience that same suspension of reality.
The author of the book that she cites, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, has this to say:
"The best moments usually occur when the person's body or mind is stretched to the limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen."
So, let's make it happen.
I think that the best way for me to do that is to stop going over the same old ground, and jump to the end of the last batch of revisions. I stopped about 1/3 of the way through the book and went back to the beginning after my flogging. I think I should pick up where I left off and focus on completing the entire manuscript before I revise again.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Subplots and Character Arcs, Oh My!
Two great sources to visit this week about the supporting structures of our stories.
Lynnette Labelle discusses subplots in her posts Why Use Subplots and 5 Subplot Blunders to Avoid.
Pam Halter talks about Character Arcs.
I can't add to their excellent posts, so hop on over and check them out.
Lynnette Labelle discusses subplots in her posts Why Use Subplots and 5 Subplot Blunders to Avoid.
Pam Halter talks about Character Arcs.
I can't add to their excellent posts, so hop on over and check them out.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Book Review: Flogging the Quill
I discovered the Flogging the Quill website last April and have been a faithful follower and participant ever since. Where else can you get a professional critique of your first page by a real, live editor absolutely free? What keeps me coming back is that the advice is not just free, but that it is good.
The one disadvantage to the FTQ website, however, is that submitting to a public "flogging" of our words is always difficult. No matter how much we psyche ourselves up for criticism, it's tough. As Seargant Major Harper said after being flogged in Sharpe's Enemy, "Jeez, it hurts like hell. I don't think I could have stood any more."
Now, you don't have to.
Ray Rhamey has taken all of the wisdom, humor and encouragement of his website and packed it into a highly readable workbook-style guide titled Flogging the Quill: Crafting a Novel that Sells. I am not a fan of most writing books because they all seem to say the same things: Show, don't tell. Create believable characters. Keep your plot moving.
Rhamey doesn't just tell you what to do, he *shows* you with concrete examples and a humorous touch. I learned more from this book than I have from all the other books on writing I've read so far combined. The bigger page size definitely helps with readability, as do the cartoons and illustrations sprinkled through the text. Every section ends with a practical exercise, and there are additional samples on which to practice your new-found revision skills at the back of the book.
To make it even more fantastic, Ray is giving a free critique of your first three pages, or a free half-hour phone call (one hour for groups) to discuss writing topics, with the purchase of each book. You can't beat that for an incentive.
This is truly the best fifteen bucks I've ever invested in my writing. Go ahead and try this at home.
The one disadvantage to the FTQ website, however, is that submitting to a public "flogging" of our words is always difficult. No matter how much we psyche ourselves up for criticism, it's tough. As Seargant Major Harper said after being flogged in Sharpe's Enemy, "Jeez, it hurts like hell. I don't think I could have stood any more."
Now, you don't have to.
Ray Rhamey has taken all of the wisdom, humor and encouragement of his website and packed it into a highly readable workbook-style guide titled Flogging the Quill: Crafting a Novel that Sells. I am not a fan of most writing books because they all seem to say the same things: Show, don't tell. Create believable characters. Keep your plot moving. Rhamey doesn't just tell you what to do, he *shows* you with concrete examples and a humorous touch. I learned more from this book than I have from all the other books on writing I've read so far combined. The bigger page size definitely helps with readability, as do the cartoons and illustrations sprinkled through the text. Every section ends with a practical exercise, and there are additional samples on which to practice your new-found revision skills at the back of the book.
To make it even more fantastic, Ray is giving a free critique of your first three pages, or a free half-hour phone call (one hour for groups) to discuss writing topics, with the purchase of each book. You can't beat that for an incentive.
This is truly the best fifteen bucks I've ever invested in my writing. Go ahead and try this at home.
The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. I have not received any compensation from the author.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Up and Down
Writing is full of ups and downs, and today has been one of those roller-coaster days. In the end, it all comes down to confidence. Confidence in our ideas, confidence in our words, confidence in our vision for the finished work - whether it's a poem, short story, article or novel. The thing I have to remind myself is that even if someone doesn't like something I've written as much as I do, at least it was there for them to read. If I hadn't written it at all, they wouldn't have been able to comment on it, now would they?
I feel torn between my two point-of-view characters, who are so very opposite and lend such different flavors to the narrative. I intended it as a strength for the novel, but I'm wondering if it's in fact a weakness: if it will confuse readers.
My instincts say "Just let the characters tell their story." So that's what I'm gonna do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You are a writer. Right now. With only what you have in your head as it is. You don't need anything else. You are a writer. You just need to keep writing. Don't let the Writing Fairy tell you that you aren't. That you need something more, that you're pretending to be something you're not. Hemmingway wasn't Hemmingway when he started. He was just a guy named Ernest who sat down at his typewriter.”
~ Joseph Devon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I feel torn between my two point-of-view characters, who are so very opposite and lend such different flavors to the narrative. I intended it as a strength for the novel, but I'm wondering if it's in fact a weakness: if it will confuse readers.
My instincts say "Just let the characters tell their story." So that's what I'm gonna do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You are a writer. Right now. With only what you have in your head as it is. You don't need anything else. You are a writer. You just need to keep writing. Don't let the Writing Fairy tell you that you aren't. That you need something more, that you're pretending to be something you're not. Hemmingway wasn't Hemmingway when he started. He was just a guy named Ernest who sat down at his typewriter.”
~ Joseph Devon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good Links for Fiction Writers
I went to a new writer's group last night, and had a really good time. It was nice to see real, live persons for a change. Not that I don't adore and value my blogging buddies - you guys are priceless.
Anyway, since several of the people who attended seemed unfamiliar with the resources out there for newbies, and I was foolish enough to give them my blog address, I thought I'd put up some of my favorite links.
Anybody have any good ones to add?
In no particular order, they are...
The Coffee-Stained Writer: Story Arcs
Flogging the Quill:First Page Challenge
Story as River
Transitions: From here to there, and then to now
Openings: Kitty Cats in Action
Formatting Your Manuscript
Basic Query Letter Formula
Ten Commandments for the Happy Writer
How to Write a Synopsis
How a book gets published
How to write a book proposal
What Agents Hate
Do not, I repeat, do NOT, curl up into a fetal ball at any of this information. Feel free to disregard as much of it as you choose. It's taken me three years to get past the fetal ball reaction to even the mention of the "p-word" (publication).
Just keep writing!
Anyway, since several of the people who attended seemed unfamiliar with the resources out there for newbies, and I was foolish enough to give them my blog address, I thought I'd put up some of my favorite links.
Anybody have any good ones to add?
In no particular order, they are...
The Coffee-Stained Writer: Story Arcs
Flogging the Quill:First Page Challenge
Story as River
Transitions: From here to there, and then to now
Openings: Kitty Cats in Action
Formatting Your Manuscript
Basic Query Letter Formula
Ten Commandments for the Happy Writer
How to Write a Synopsis
How a book gets published
How to write a book proposal
What Agents Hate
Do not, I repeat, do NOT, curl up into a fetal ball at any of this information. Feel free to disregard as much of it as you choose. It's taken me three years to get past the fetal ball reaction to even the mention of the "p-word" (publication).
Just keep writing!
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