Julie Lence's Blog - Posts Tagged "computer"

I grew up on the east coast. Snow and cold temperatures were the norm for the winter months. Sometimes, if we had a really harsh snow storm, the school district would take pity on us and close. Most often, school was open and that meant bundling up in snow pants, coats, hats, scarves and mittens and walking to school. Or standing on the corner waiting for the school bus. But as kids, my brothers, sister and me liked the cold. We had a big back yard. One year we turned on the garden hose and made an ice skating rink. That was a lot of fun, but what I really liked was how the man next door had a plow on his pick up. He had a very long driveway and would push the snow all the way into the corner of our back yard, pile it as high as he could and then we'd go out and make snow forts. Nowadays, I prefer to stay inside where it's warm.

So, what does a writer do on these cold, snowy, stay indoors type of days? For me, I try to write--something. Even part of a scene. Or I work on promo. But by the end of the day, I can guarantee I haven't accomplished what I set out to. Why? Because school is usually closed, which means my son is home and bored. Translation--entertain me. To offset the feeling that I've accomplished nothing by the time bedtime rolls around, I make a deal with him: let me work until noon and then we'll do something together after lunch.

I have found this strategy works; sometimes. Usually, by the time I shut off the computer, he's doing his own thing and doesn't want to be bothered. Or, if I'm fighting for one last half hour to finish, he's more than ready for my attention. And that's when I have to remind myself family comes first. Scenes and chapters and promo will wait another day, but the time I spend with him is priceless, and slips away faster with each passing day. Your characters might be calling to your muse, or that last interview question needs to be answered and sent off, but these cuddle on the couch and watch a movie, play a game or bake cookies days won't always be here. Enjoy the cold and snow by spending time with your little ones and don't sweat losing time at the computer. You can always write another day, but you can't cuddle with an eighteen year old itching for the car keys so he can fishtail through the snow.

As authors, we hit upon an idea for a story, plot it out and begin writing, only to find that mid-way through the story, something isn't right. The plot isn't working. The characters are dull and not speaking or acting as they should. And that's when we sometimes panic.

When I began writing Debra's Bandit, I came upon this exact situation with Debra. I knew who she was, what her goals and motivation were, and what she wanted most in life. But then, not even mid-way into the story, Debra began to frustrate me. Not only did she stop talking to me, she wasn't interesting to me, which meant I thought readers would feel the same and close the book. It took a while for me to figure out the problem—she wasn't physically moving. She was stuck inside the mercantile greeting customers and filling orders. Not very interesting when she's the heroine of the story.

After more thought on how to better her, I came to two conclusions. One, she needed a helper to get her out of the store so she could interact with other characters, and in different situations. And two, I realized that working in the mercantile was what Debra did best. Debra honestly enjoyed helping people. Filling orders for flour and other supplies was one way she did that. But the most crucial way she helped the townsfolk was by agreeing to run the store until a permanent overseer could be found.

Back in Debra's time, the mercantile wasn't just a place to go for spices. The store was the focal point of the town. People came for the latest news, gossip and a connection to the community. Debra provided that with her friendly personality, and by offering her customers refreshment so they could stay awhile and partake in the latest rumors and newsworthy tidbits making their way around town.

The warm-hearted, feisty woman I originally envisioned Debra to be eventually found her way into the story through rewrites and deleting of old text. I was happy with the end result, because Debra had spoken to me and given me direction to make her shine. Don't sweat this part of the writing process, the having to go back and make changes upon changes. Your story will be better and stronger with your labor-of-love efforts. And like me, you'll come to appreciate the reason computers come with a 'delete' key.