Sarah Mäkelä's Blog, page 40
November 13, 2010
Writing Through Good Times and Bad
November has been an interesting month so far. Good things have happened and some pretty annoying things as well. Since this month is National Novel Writing Month, I've been writing every day to try to stay at least somewhat on track with my goal to finish the post-apoc paranormal romance novel I'm working on by the end of November at best and mid-December at worst since for Christmas I'll be going out of the country.
I've had positive news, namely a revise and resubmit request (hooray!), and as great as that is, it stressed the daylights out of me. I didn't want to mess up the revisions, so I put them off for a few days until finally the stress of having it dangling out there ate away at my ability to focus on writing my current novel. So, I decided to work on the revisions and then I still stressed about them, which made writing hard, but I told myself I would still get at least some words on page.
I've also had annoying stuff. Well, besides from the changing of season and feeling a little out of whack some days because of the move to an area with season change, as opposed to Florida. So! On to that example of a bad time. Long story short, Wednesday (yesterday) night at my house was very eventful. In between the billowing smoke coming from the fireplace, the frantic running around the house to all of the fans and almost all of the windows, the deafening noise of the smoke detector, and the herding of cats, I, with my blackened nostrils, very easily could've given myself permission to sit the night out from writing. But, I hadn't written that day, and I didn't want to fall behind with my word count goal.
Sometimes in life, it's easy to say that we're not going to write just because things either go well or don't go well at all, and this isn't to say that if you have a really sucky day that you should drop everything to plop down in front of the computer, because believe me, it wasn't the first thought that came to my mind either. But there are a few reasons why opening your word document and getting at least a hundred words down on paper could be a good thing.
You stay connected with your story. You don't go back in a couple days and scratch your head, having to think "What was I thinking the other day when I wrote this?" You have a better idea since there's not a lot of time that is passing by.You develop a habit with writing, just like washing the dishes after dinner or brushing your teeth before bed. It's just something you do every day, which makes it easier to keep up because it becomes second nature. Sure, there are days when you don't feel like doing a habit, but they tend to be fewer.You have the feeling of accomplishment that you actually wrote instead of letting circumstances get the best of you. Looking back on a chart of how much you write each day, you're not necessarily going to say "Oh, that's the day I worked on my revisions. Or the other day when I had a super crazy evening." Besides, you won't feel as guilty (or be as far behind on your word count or page count goal) the next day. You'll know that even though you might not have gotten to your word count goal, you still did something.
How about you? Do you write every day (or almost every day)? And what are things that you keep in mind to help you get in front of the computer regardless of circumstances?
I've had positive news, namely a revise and resubmit request (hooray!), and as great as that is, it stressed the daylights out of me. I didn't want to mess up the revisions, so I put them off for a few days until finally the stress of having it dangling out there ate away at my ability to focus on writing my current novel. So, I decided to work on the revisions and then I still stressed about them, which made writing hard, but I told myself I would still get at least some words on page.
I've also had annoying stuff. Well, besides from the changing of season and feeling a little out of whack some days because of the move to an area with season change, as opposed to Florida. So! On to that example of a bad time. Long story short, Wednesday (yesterday) night at my house was very eventful. In between the billowing smoke coming from the fireplace, the frantic running around the house to all of the fans and almost all of the windows, the deafening noise of the smoke detector, and the herding of cats, I, with my blackened nostrils, very easily could've given myself permission to sit the night out from writing. But, I hadn't written that day, and I didn't want to fall behind with my word count goal.
Sometimes in life, it's easy to say that we're not going to write just because things either go well or don't go well at all, and this isn't to say that if you have a really sucky day that you should drop everything to plop down in front of the computer, because believe me, it wasn't the first thought that came to my mind either. But there are a few reasons why opening your word document and getting at least a hundred words down on paper could be a good thing.
You stay connected with your story. You don't go back in a couple days and scratch your head, having to think "What was I thinking the other day when I wrote this?" You have a better idea since there's not a lot of time that is passing by.You develop a habit with writing, just like washing the dishes after dinner or brushing your teeth before bed. It's just something you do every day, which makes it easier to keep up because it becomes second nature. Sure, there are days when you don't feel like doing a habit, but they tend to be fewer.You have the feeling of accomplishment that you actually wrote instead of letting circumstances get the best of you. Looking back on a chart of how much you write each day, you're not necessarily going to say "Oh, that's the day I worked on my revisions. Or the other day when I had a super crazy evening." Besides, you won't feel as guilty (or be as far behind on your word count or page count goal) the next day. You'll know that even though you might not have gotten to your word count goal, you still did something.
How about you? Do you write every day (or almost every day)? And what are things that you keep in mind to help you get in front of the computer regardless of circumstances?
November 4, 2010
What I've learned this year with Nano
This year, I had a few setbacks with figuring out which story I was going to work on. Some years, I've forgotten to figure out a story until the last minute, but this year, I'd planned on doing the historical urban/dark fantasy, then I decided that wouldn't be possible without me doing further historical research for the time period I want to write as well as for my heroine. So sadly I put that idea aside and struggled to pick a new one. I was torn between one I'd like to do, and one that I'd just had sitting around that would be cool if I mustered up some enthusiasm. Needless to say, I went with the one that I needed to muster up enthusiasm.
Except for the fact my critique partner, Kinley Baker, went to a chat room pitch session through our RWA chapter FF&P, so I decided to tag along for support. Long story short, at the last minute I was able to pitch to the editor as well, and I had one story I thought could pitched and gain some attention with her. A story that Kinley said should be lengthened. I ended up throwing out that I needed more enthusiasm on since the editor wanted a full and said it needed lengthened. Now I'm working on that story.
So, the things I've learned.
If you have a good critique partner, trust him/her, at least sometimes. They should be looking out for you. I pondered about lengthening my current novel, but I figured if I did, it'd be something I'd work on "one of these days." I didn't expect to get interest and have that reiterated by an editor.Just because a story starts slow, and you're wondering if maybe you should give it up, don't give up on it yet. My current story started a little slow, and it's involving a little more science than I'd like. But I kept with it and am super thrilled with the story.Speaking of the science, just because you notice an element in your story that you feel uncomfortable with, don't try to eradicate it. Try to figure out how it can work to your advantage and make your world that much more unique.This one especially pertains to Nano. If you feel like you're getting stuck with a certain scene, write out some of it and leave yourself a note on what you think should happen there. And move on. Last night, I stumbled upon I scene in the Hero's POV I knew needed to be there, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me what else he should do. So I wrote what I could, and I went back to the Heroine who was being especially interesting to write.And lastly, it is important to make sure what you're writing isn't illegible to you. Don't feel in such a rush that you can't write clearly. It doesn't have to be perfect prose, this is a first draft after all, but I've gone through in previous years and rushed. Sometimes, I was left with a good sentence that had an illegible word that I couldn't for the life of me figure out, so I had to throw out what I'd written.I hope any of these help! If you're curious, I'm currently working on a post-apocalyptic paranormal romance, and my current word count is 9,035. =)
Except for the fact my critique partner, Kinley Baker, went to a chat room pitch session through our RWA chapter FF&P, so I decided to tag along for support. Long story short, at the last minute I was able to pitch to the editor as well, and I had one story I thought could pitched and gain some attention with her. A story that Kinley said should be lengthened. I ended up throwing out that I needed more enthusiasm on since the editor wanted a full and said it needed lengthened. Now I'm working on that story.
So, the things I've learned.
If you have a good critique partner, trust him/her, at least sometimes. They should be looking out for you. I pondered about lengthening my current novel, but I figured if I did, it'd be something I'd work on "one of these days." I didn't expect to get interest and have that reiterated by an editor.Just because a story starts slow, and you're wondering if maybe you should give it up, don't give up on it yet. My current story started a little slow, and it's involving a little more science than I'd like. But I kept with it and am super thrilled with the story.Speaking of the science, just because you notice an element in your story that you feel uncomfortable with, don't try to eradicate it. Try to figure out how it can work to your advantage and make your world that much more unique.This one especially pertains to Nano. If you feel like you're getting stuck with a certain scene, write out some of it and leave yourself a note on what you think should happen there. And move on. Last night, I stumbled upon I scene in the Hero's POV I knew needed to be there, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me what else he should do. So I wrote what I could, and I went back to the Heroine who was being especially interesting to write.And lastly, it is important to make sure what you're writing isn't illegible to you. Don't feel in such a rush that you can't write clearly. It doesn't have to be perfect prose, this is a first draft after all, but I've gone through in previous years and rushed. Sometimes, I was left with a good sentence that had an illegible word that I couldn't for the life of me figure out, so I had to throw out what I'd written.I hope any of these help! If you're curious, I'm currently working on a post-apocalyptic paranormal romance, and my current word count is 9,035. =)
November 2, 2010
Praise of Nano and the End of Day 1
2010 marks the sixth year that I'm done National Novel Writing Month. Honestly, I think NaNoWriMo is a fantastic way to give people who have always wanted to write a book the permission to just do it. And that's basically why it was created. Chris Baty and his friends LOVED books, and therefore adored writers, so he wanted to have a way to what he loved. Not all of the people participating in Nano are pursuing lifelong publishing careers, they just want to have some fun and tackle what they've always wanted to do. Write a book. A lot of the people who do this, write only once a year, during Nano. Why give them flack for doing something they enjoy?
But it also has Pros for people who do want to get published. It's a good way of jump starting a project might only take two or three months to finish as opposed to a year or more of 200 (give or take) words a day. Like Chris Baty says in an guest blog he did yesterday, "Human beings are amazing procrastinators. Give someone two years to write a 50,000-word novel, and what you're really giving them is two years to feel guilty about not writing their 50,000-word novel. Give that person 30 days to write the same book, and they'll get it done, no sweat. Tight deadlines bring focus and build momentum, which ultimately makes them much easier to achieve than their open-ended cousins." And I couldn't agree more. Unpublished writers don't have set deadlines to finish their books like our published and contracted peers.
But 50,000 words in a month produces pure crap? Not necessarily. If it was so horrible with quantity over quality, why do published authors like Jocelynn Drake and Kelley Armstrong amongst others participate in Nano? Besides, authors on deadlines put out amazing numbers daily, I've seen Laurell K. Hamilton talk about doing 20 pages in a day. Yesterday, Jocelynn Drake wrote a little over 5,000 words. Does that mean either of them are producing crap? No, they're producing first drafts. But that's Nano is about, isn't it?
Writers doing Nano who want to pursue publication do need to research the industry and know that just because they type THE END and give the manuscript the once over, doesn't mean its ready to send off to an agent. Manuscripts need to be revised thoroughly before being sent off. And if a writer knows they work a certain way better (pantser vs. plotter), they should prepare before diving in with both feet. That's why people who typically do Nano reserve October for getting ready.
Still don't think it's possible to publish a Nano novel? Think again, here's a link to a page at National Novel Writing Month's website that lists the people who have had their Nano books published. (Including a #1 NYT Bestseller, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen) http://www.nanowrimo.org/publishedwrimos
The most common advice writers give to aspiring authors is to "Write, write, write." (As well as Read, read, read, but hopefully people who like to write, also like to read.) And writing is the thing Nano is about.
As this is my 6th year doing Nano, I can say that during my first year, oh yes, my writing was not that great, but through the years, it's given me the chance to have at least one month a year to focus on honing my craft (through THREE years of college finals, parents, and getting married, no less.) And it taught me how to make a deadline, no matter what.
In closing, for the end of day 1, I wrote 3,150 words that I'm proud of and that didn't exist before. Currently, I'm at 4,070 with hopes of reaching 6,000 before the end of day 2.
But it also has Pros for people who do want to get published. It's a good way of jump starting a project might only take two or three months to finish as opposed to a year or more of 200 (give or take) words a day. Like Chris Baty says in an guest blog he did yesterday, "Human beings are amazing procrastinators. Give someone two years to write a 50,000-word novel, and what you're really giving them is two years to feel guilty about not writing their 50,000-word novel. Give that person 30 days to write the same book, and they'll get it done, no sweat. Tight deadlines bring focus and build momentum, which ultimately makes them much easier to achieve than their open-ended cousins." And I couldn't agree more. Unpublished writers don't have set deadlines to finish their books like our published and contracted peers.
But 50,000 words in a month produces pure crap? Not necessarily. If it was so horrible with quantity over quality, why do published authors like Jocelynn Drake and Kelley Armstrong amongst others participate in Nano? Besides, authors on deadlines put out amazing numbers daily, I've seen Laurell K. Hamilton talk about doing 20 pages in a day. Yesterday, Jocelynn Drake wrote a little over 5,000 words. Does that mean either of them are producing crap? No, they're producing first drafts. But that's Nano is about, isn't it?
Writers doing Nano who want to pursue publication do need to research the industry and know that just because they type THE END and give the manuscript the once over, doesn't mean its ready to send off to an agent. Manuscripts need to be revised thoroughly before being sent off. And if a writer knows they work a certain way better (pantser vs. plotter), they should prepare before diving in with both feet. That's why people who typically do Nano reserve October for getting ready.
Still don't think it's possible to publish a Nano novel? Think again, here's a link to a page at National Novel Writing Month's website that lists the people who have had their Nano books published. (Including a #1 NYT Bestseller, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen) http://www.nanowrimo.org/publishedwrimos
The most common advice writers give to aspiring authors is to "Write, write, write." (As well as Read, read, read, but hopefully people who like to write, also like to read.) And writing is the thing Nano is about.
As this is my 6th year doing Nano, I can say that during my first year, oh yes, my writing was not that great, but through the years, it's given me the chance to have at least one month a year to focus on honing my craft (through THREE years of college finals, parents, and getting married, no less.) And it taught me how to make a deadline, no matter what.
In closing, for the end of day 1, I wrote 3,150 words that I'm proud of and that didn't exist before. Currently, I'm at 4,070 with hopes of reaching 6,000 before the end of day 2.
October 28, 2010
Preparing for Nano
(I'm cross posting this from Castles & Guns.)
This week, I've been getting ready for an intense experience know as none other than... National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short). For those who might not know, it's a month long writing event where you aim to write 50,000 words by the end of November. It begins November 1st, and you have a daily goal of at least 1,667 words. This year will be my sixth year/win. I know, I'm so humble. haha
Preparing is even more important to me this year than previously since I usually give myself November and then finish up my novel in December, but this year, I'm going to Europe for Christmas to spend time with hubby's family. So I'll only have a month and a half for my novel to get done before the end of the year (because I'm a sadist obviously), and I'll have to write quicker than I ever have.
Anyways, the meat of how I'm preparing.
1. First things first, I've let my family and friends know that I will be participating in NaNo. By now, they know how important it is to me, so I'll have their support throughout the month. They'll be there to cheer me on, but also, it shows them that I have set a priority on my writing.
2. I've taken care of (and am finishing up) things that could tie up my time during November and other writing projects are being placed on the back burner while I work on this new novel. Anything that isn't urgent or pressing has been dealt with. I've mostly gotten caught up on my favorite shows, too. That way my obsessions won't take up my time. lol
3. Figuring out what I'm going to work on for NaNo. With the amount of words needed to be written in the span of only thirty days, I always figure out what my novel is going to be about and (some years) outline it accordingly. Now, I'm not the type of person to write fifty page intensive outlines, but I do like to have a road map of getting from Point A to Point B. That way, I have a sense of direction, but there's a lot of options still open. It's still an adventure.
4. Cleaning my desk. Yes, I know. It should be something I keep tidy on a normal day, but with NaNo here... I'll need a place for my story notes, my character list, and my favorite caffeinated beverage, Coke.
5. Lastly, I'm kicking my internal editor to the curb. Recently, I've been doing a decent amount of editing, so the internal editor is strong. I've been doing more reading to try to cage it, and come November 1st, it's not going to be let out. It's important to keep a decent speed with writing during NaNo. If not, it can be easy to run into barriers that you can't figure out how to get around. I've noticed that when I am going quickly enough, that my brain helps me figure these things out instead of crossing her arms and refusing to help.
Anyways! That's what I'm doing this year. I hope it gave ideas of ways to make this year a winner if you're participating in NaNoWriMo! Each week in November, I'll blog my journey and share struggles and how things are going. Are you doing NaNo this year? What are you doing or have done in preparation?
The official National Novel Writing Month website.http://www.nanowrimo.org/
More Tips for NaNo.
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/november-is-national-novel-writing-month/
This week, I've been getting ready for an intense experience know as none other than... National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short). For those who might not know, it's a month long writing event where you aim to write 50,000 words by the end of November. It begins November 1st, and you have a daily goal of at least 1,667 words. This year will be my sixth year/win. I know, I'm so humble. haha
Preparing is even more important to me this year than previously since I usually give myself November and then finish up my novel in December, but this year, I'm going to Europe for Christmas to spend time with hubby's family. So I'll only have a month and a half for my novel to get done before the end of the year (because I'm a sadist obviously), and I'll have to write quicker than I ever have.
Anyways, the meat of how I'm preparing.
1. First things first, I've let my family and friends know that I will be participating in NaNo. By now, they know how important it is to me, so I'll have their support throughout the month. They'll be there to cheer me on, but also, it shows them that I have set a priority on my writing.
2. I've taken care of (and am finishing up) things that could tie up my time during November and other writing projects are being placed on the back burner while I work on this new novel. Anything that isn't urgent or pressing has been dealt with. I've mostly gotten caught up on my favorite shows, too. That way my obsessions won't take up my time. lol
3. Figuring out what I'm going to work on for NaNo. With the amount of words needed to be written in the span of only thirty days, I always figure out what my novel is going to be about and (some years) outline it accordingly. Now, I'm not the type of person to write fifty page intensive outlines, but I do like to have a road map of getting from Point A to Point B. That way, I have a sense of direction, but there's a lot of options still open. It's still an adventure.
4. Cleaning my desk. Yes, I know. It should be something I keep tidy on a normal day, but with NaNo here... I'll need a place for my story notes, my character list, and my favorite caffeinated beverage, Coke.
5. Lastly, I'm kicking my internal editor to the curb. Recently, I've been doing a decent amount of editing, so the internal editor is strong. I've been doing more reading to try to cage it, and come November 1st, it's not going to be let out. It's important to keep a decent speed with writing during NaNo. If not, it can be easy to run into barriers that you can't figure out how to get around. I've noticed that when I am going quickly enough, that my brain helps me figure these things out instead of crossing her arms and refusing to help.
Anyways! That's what I'm doing this year. I hope it gave ideas of ways to make this year a winner if you're participating in NaNoWriMo! Each week in November, I'll blog my journey and share struggles and how things are going. Are you doing NaNo this year? What are you doing or have done in preparation?
The official National Novel Writing Month website.http://www.nanowrimo.org/
More Tips for NaNo.
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/november-is-national-novel-writing-month/
October 17, 2010
Making progress...
Although, why is it that I'm feeling more stress about getting things done this month than I have in a while? Could it be simply that Nano is next month? Or the fact that I'm really, really ready to be finished with this urban fantasy novel? I just want to send it out again to find an agent now that it's in good shape. Yet in some ways, the stress isn't really helping me like the good stress Nano brings that pushes me to do insane word counts.
Blah... I'm getting through it. I might toy with my deadline to push it back. Depends on how much progress I'm getting done. I don't want to burn out. Still need to keep up my creativity for next month, especially now that I'm in an area that gets darker and colder than sunny, warm Florida. It'll be my first real winter in several years. Yikes! I'm excited.
I also would love to spend a few days just reading before the month is over. Not only to catch up on my 2010 TBR list, but also just to detox from editing. Haha... I don't want to be in an editing mindset and then have to switch over to a Nano mindset of just letting my fingertips take over.
Blah... I'm getting through it. I might toy with my deadline to push it back. Depends on how much progress I'm getting done. I don't want to burn out. Still need to keep up my creativity for next month, especially now that I'm in an area that gets darker and colder than sunny, warm Florida. It'll be my first real winter in several years. Yikes! I'm excited.
I also would love to spend a few days just reading before the month is over. Not only to catch up on my 2010 TBR list, but also just to detox from editing. Haha... I don't want to be in an editing mindset and then have to switch over to a Nano mindset of just letting my fingertips take over.
October 9, 2010
Woo!
I'm actually beginning to feel productive, even though I've been working pretty hard on my paranormal romance novella. Yesterday, I finally was able to submit it off to three publishers. It feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I've waited for a long while to be able to get it off the back burner, always looking to work on the next novel and not paying much attention to finishing up the final touches on it.
Needless to say, I now have to do put finishing touches on my urban fantasy novel. Ack... But hopefully it will be a bit easier and just flow out! My goal for it is to have those done by the 21st. There, I've said it. Now I have to stick to it. That would give me the end of the month to focus on plotting my upcoming historical urban fantasy novel.
It'll also give me lots to take my mind off of the submissions, but I like putting those out of my mind anyway. I do like to keep in mind when I expect to be hearing back though. I don't want to be waiting forever on something when a place has lost my submission. Guess it's just a balance.
Needless to say, I now have to do put finishing touches on my urban fantasy novel. Ack... But hopefully it will be a bit easier and just flow out! My goal for it is to have those done by the 21st. There, I've said it. Now I have to stick to it. That would give me the end of the month to focus on plotting my upcoming historical urban fantasy novel.
It'll also give me lots to take my mind off of the submissions, but I like putting those out of my mind anyway. I do like to keep in mind when I expect to be hearing back though. I don't want to be waiting forever on something when a place has lost my submission. Guess it's just a balance.
September 24, 2010
The Things You Learn On Twitter...
It's National Punctuation Day! lol
I didn't know there was a day dedicated to punctuation, but I guess it makes sense. Here's the website if anyone is interested in seeing it. http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/ One of the things they have in celebration of the day is a Punctuation Haiku Contest. I tend to stick with writing novels instead of poems, but I figured I'd try one out here.
In other news, I'm nicely settled int...
I didn't know there was a day dedicated to punctuation, but I guess it makes sense. Here's the website if anyone is interested in seeing it. http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/ One of the things they have in celebration of the day is a Punctuation Haiku Contest. I tend to stick with writing novels instead of poems, but I figured I'd try one out here.
Commas dashes quotes.
What would I do without you?
I don't want to know.
In other news, I'm nicely settled int...
September 11, 2010
Wow!
Okay, I have to share this! I saw Resident Evil: Afterlife in 3D IMAX today! It was so awesome. Wentworth Miller as Chris Redfield was great eye candy, and the action... wow! I haven't seen too many 3D movies (My Bloody Valentine 3D was the last one), but this is definitely one to catch on the big screen and in 3D.I also really enjoyed that aspects of the Resident Evil 5 game were included in the movie. My husband and I grinned at each other a few times during the movie. I think once we get s...
Speculative Fiction 2010 Reading Challenge
Here is the list of books I've read for the Speculative Fiction reading challenge as well as the tentative list of what I've planned to carry me through the rest. I'll update it as I complete new novels.
To Be Read:
Dancing with Werewolves by Carole Nelson DouglasOn the Prowl AnthologyNight Falls Darkly by Kim LenoxCurse the Dawn by Karen ChanceTempt Me with Darkness by Shayla BlackDead Girls Are Easy by Terri GareyMinion by L.A. BanksServant: The Awakening by L.L. FosterWatchers in the...
To Be Read:
Dancing with Werewolves by Carole Nelson DouglasOn the Prowl AnthologyNight Falls Darkly by Kim LenoxCurse the Dawn by Karen ChanceTempt Me with Darkness by Shayla BlackDead Girls Are Easy by Terri GareyMinion by L.A. BanksServant: The Awakening by L.L. FosterWatchers in the...
September 9, 2010
Blogging today at Castles & Guns!
Hello everyone! Hopping in to say that blogging today at Castles & Guns about research. Make sure to check out my post and leave me a comment. The link is http://www.castlesandguns.com/2010/09/research-its-not-just-for-historicals_09.html.
