Amanda Linehan's Blog, page 18

Quality, Quantity and NaNoWriMo

In 2009, I “won” NaNoWriMo, meaning that I wrote a 50,000 word novel in one month (November).

The only qualification for winning was word count. The quality of the story didn’t matter, and you only competed against yourself.

I had a ton of fun, but, honestly, the novel was a mess. I had a basic plot arc, a few characters and some images that had been running around my mind for a while as the clock struck midnight on November 1.

I did not have any notes, an outline, or any experience writing long pieces of fiction. But it didn’t matter.

I was proud of myself for completing something. Especially something that was a big undertaking, but I never would have won had I been too concerned about quality. In that month, I suspended quality for quantity, and got something done, even if it never would win a bunch of awards, or sell a bunch of copies, or would ever be published (it won’t be, that one was just practice).

Completing stuff is underrated, and perfection is overrated. As a beginning fiction writer what I really needed at that time was to get a finished work under my belt. It did not need to be good. It did not need to be publishable. It only needed to be completed.

The working title was The Temple, and it was about this structure (the temple) that sat on a hill above a city. For some reason, the citizens of the city ignored the temple, even though it was the biggest thing on the horizon. But there were a few people interested enough to try to get inside, which it was rumored you could do. Once inside all manner of things could happen. Things that couldn’t normally happen in reality, and you would leave transformed.

It wasn’t really sci-fi and it wasn’t really fantasy, even though things could happen that can’t happen in the physical world. My main character wanders around by herself for half the book, and the plot is all over the map, but none of that really mattered. It mattered that I got it done.

In October 2009, I had written a few pieces of short fiction, and in December 2009 I was a novelist. That was pretty cool. I wasn’t a good novelist, but a novelist nonetheless.

The idea of creating something that not only isn’t perfect, but might not even be good is sort of horrifying to a lot of writers, and probably to a lot of people in general. But the thing is that you might not get it right the first time around, but if you don’t start, you’ll never get it right.

Starting and finishing were probably the two most important things for me to practice as a storyteller at that time. I could whip out a 500 word blog post no problem, but spending day after day with a pretty high word count for a newbie was challenging. And being able to focus on just one thing (completion) was positive and productive.

Once you get into the practice of completion, you can then start to focus on better quality. Not to mention that just sheer repetition will help you get better.

If you write one book, finish and then start the next one you are going to feel more comfortable automatically because you’ve already been there! Things that were unfamiliar are no longer.

I’m two more novels down the road at this point, and I can focus on improving quality because quantity is something I have down at this point. I hate, and I mean despise, starting pieces of fiction without finishing them, so everything I start gets finished. Even when I’m not entirely sure that it’s been successful.

I can always get better the next time around.

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Don’t Get Desperate

When I finished school and was still in the midst of a job search 6 months or so later, I went back to my college to see a career counselor to talk about what I might do better.

One piece of advice stood out to me, even thought it was probably the least tangible thing we talked about. I asked a question about the endurance you need to keep up during a long search, and the advice the counselor gave me seemed to be obvious and unhelpful at the same time.

Don’t Get Desperate

She said this and I thought to myself, “well, yeah, but how does that help me now when I’m already starting to feel a little desperate.”

As it turns out, I didn’t have to wait as long as I thought to be employed, but that advice always stuck with me, and as I have thought about it I think it’s one of the best things we talked about that day (and, clearly, one of the most memorable as that meeting took place about 7 years ago.)

In order to not get desperate, you have to focus on everything you have, and not on everything you don’t have. This is a good exercise at the best of times, but in difficult times it’s essential.

If you feel like you have something, even if it’s only partially what you want/need or if it’s just something you can be grateful for, you’ve got some sort of foundation to stand on. You can say to yourself, “I might not have X,Y,Z but I’ve got this, and that’s not bad.”

In order to not get desperate, you have to be at your most flexible. If all you have is Plan A, you might start feeling panicky when Plan A starts to look like it won’t work out. But if you have Plan B, C, and D suddenly you’re not as attached to Plan A, and you’re not as anxious.

In order to not get desperate, you have to find things that make you feel good – peaceful, optimistic and maybe even joyful. Worry and anxiety don’t make your desperation go away, it makes it worse. You have to keep bringing yourself back to things that make you feel like you’re headed in the right direction, even if the destination is a ways off.

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My Novel for 99 Cents + New Book

Hi All. My young adult novel, Uncover, is currently available as an e-book for 99 cents on Smashwords.com with coupon code MP44S (not case sensitive). The coupon code is valid through November 30, 2012, so if you are interested in reading Uncover you can buy it at a discount until then (normally it’s $4.99). Here’s the description:

Marissa wants to put this all behind her. Her best friend, Olivia, has been killed in a car accident, and her death has left more questions than answers for those who knew her best.

When Olivia’s younger sister mentions a lost object that could bring some closure, Marissa reluctantly agrees to help search for it, not sure that she wants the answers she might find.

Along with a group of those closest to Olivia, she sets out to seek the truth, only to find herself trapped in the dark, making all the wrong moves. In order to reclaim her freedom, she must find a way out of the darkness.

Something she’s not sure she can do.

Note about Smashwords: When you buy a book from Smashwords you purchase it  in about 10 different formats (all for one price), including Epub, Mobi (what Kindle uses) and PDF, so you can essentially read it on any device you want to read it on. Also, in order to purchase from Smashwords you will need to create a free account with them.

Here’s the link to purchase Uncover for 99 cents using coupon code MP44S: Uncover on Smashwords

In other news, I have a new short fiction collection available called Writing On The Walls. It’s also in e-book format and is $2.99. Here’s the description:

John wakes up in a dark corridor with no apparent way out. Donna drops her bagel on the train platform and romance ensues. Emily is making up all the rules to her own game, and the Farmer is about to have a very bad day. Writing on the Walls is a collection of thirteen pieces of funny, cute, strange, romantic and suspenseful very short fiction. It’s a little of this and a little of that.

Writing On The Walls is available at most major e-book sellers (I’ll have links up on the “My Books” page soon) and is also currently available for 99 cents on Smashwords with coupon code UW43M (not case sensitive). This is also through November 30, 2012.

Here’s the link to purchase Writing On The Walls for 99 cents using coupon code UW43M: Writing On The Walls on Smashwords

If you read and enjoy either of these e-books consider leaving a review. That would be really helpful.

Thanks!

 

 

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Say What You Mean

A friend and co-worker of mine at a former job once told me: “say what you mean.”

It was in response to my complaining that I had to talk to someone and I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. I didn’t know this person well and we needed to talk about something that was in depth and I felt like I couldn’t get there without a better knowledge of them. This was probably correct, but that’s when my friend suggested the “easy” solution.

“Say what you mean. Say what you’re actually thinking.”

My immediate thought was “I can’t do that, then this person would know what I’m thinking.”

But to my friend that was the whole point. When communicating with someone, he thought that being direct and honest was the easiest thing to do. The way that I saw it, it was the hardest thing to do.

It wasn’t that I had anything particularly difficult to tell this person, but I immediately felt resistance to being honest with them about what I was actually thinking and feeling, which was that if we were going to work together we would need to spend a little more time together before I could figure out how best to help them.

I think I eventually did tell this person what was on my mind, albeit a little awkwardly, because to me the idea of honest, direct communication with people was something I really didn’t have much practice with at that point (I’m still practicing).

As I’ve thought about my friend’s advice in the years since, I realize that in a lot of ways it is much easier to be direct with people and simply “say what you mean.”

When you say what you mean, you don’t have to put on an act for anybody because the words are actually yours. The communication becomes more about problem solving and mutual benefit, rather than trying to sound like you know what you’re talking about (especially when you don’t).

Saying what you mean might be uncomfortable for a few minutes, maybe even a little more than that, but saying something you don’t really mean leaves you uncomfortable for a lot longer because, ultimately, you’re in hiding. You’re in hiding from other people and you’re in hiding from yourself.

I realize that if you always say what you mean, some people aren’t going to like it. But wouldn’t you rather be disliked for who you really are, than for someone you are pretending to be?

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Curiosity

The next time curiosity grabs you and wants to take you somewhere, go wherever it wants you to go. Even if wherever it’s leading you seems odd or unnecessary or if it seems to have no purpose for your life.

In fact, curiosity is often the most rewarding if it seems to have no purpose for your life.

Maybe the best thing about curiosity is that it “forces” you to be playful. If you are following your whims and not looking for any results there’s nothing left to do but play with whatever makes you curious. And whatever you get out of it is simply a gift, something that you weren’t expecting.

Curiosity operates outside of your plans. You can’t plan to be curious. That’s why it’s so fun. You’re driving along a fast, straight highway just trying to get where you’re going, and curiosity is the billboard that catches your eye and makes you want to stop and explore.

It might slow you down and it might not help you get where you’re going, but it sure is fun and interesting. And, you know, you can always get back in your car when you’re done and continue on.

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There Are No Rules

Rules make us feel comfortable.

We follow the rules, do what we are supposed to do, and reap the reward at the end.

Follow the rules, get the prize. Easy.

Only I’m not so convinced that there really are any rules.

For one, rules can be circumvented. If you can find a way around the rule, while still technically not breaking the rule, then suddenly the rule doesn’t really exist.

And, rules can change (and quickly, too). Usually by someone or something powerful. And the rules that you have been following are now obsolete (along with your prize).

So what do you do when there are no rules? Break them all? Make your own? Go live by yourself on a mountain?

No. Just expect the rules will change.

You can follow them (it’s always your choice anyway), just know that the rules you follow now, you might not be following ten years from now.

Rules are always a part of a context, and when the context changes so do the rules. Rules don’t exist by themselves.

You might hear people say “that’s the exception, not the rule” to discredit the exception. But I find myself paying closer attention to the exception.

You never know, it might be the new rule one day.

Photo Credit: Carrie Scharf

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Focus On The Process, Not The Results

When I have a goal or I want something, I tend to get really caught up in the results that I’m looking for.

But what I’ve learned is that it’s better to focus on the process of what you’re doing, and let the results flow from there.

When I focus on results, I tend to tighten up creatively, because I’m attached to something particular happening. I miss good things along the way that might have helped me get to where I want to go, because they don’t seem to support the thing that I want.

I also miss out on a bit of adventure, because I’m trying too hard to hang on to certainty.

When I’m focused on the process of what I’m doing, I see things on the periphery that seem like they might be good to follow, so I do, and it usually turns out pretty well.

Also, I just enjoy myself more because I can let go of the anxiety I feel when I’m attached to a certain result. The path in front of me is richer because I can consider a detour at any time.

Take blogging, for instance. You can fret and worry about the traffic and subscriptions you are (or aren’t) getting, or you can focus on all the small pieces it takes to keep up a successful blog with a readership – posting consistently, creating the best content you can, responding to your readers, guest posting, sharing your content on social media (appropriately!), etc.

There is a lot you don’t control, but there are a few things that you do, so focus on doing those, and leave the rest up to the universe.

If you have a blog and do all those things above, in some time you will have a blog with a nice, steady readership, and maybe one day you’ll have wild success.

But I wouldn’t worry about that too much now, just do the little things. It’ll add up.

Photo Credit: Carrie Scharf

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The Importance of Completing Things

I‘m a great starter. I love to start things. It’s exciting, new and my energy is high.

I’m also a pretty decent finisher. Mostly because when you finish something then you get to start something new.

But it’s in the middle where I start to have issues.

In the middle, the novelty and excitement of a new thing has worn off, and the end is still a ways off. I find that where I sprint off at the beginning, in the middle I’m starting to drag my feet, trying to find the energy to keep moving forward.

Honestly, I just find middles a little boring. Which is why when I start something, I always make completion my goal. Otherwise I will start several things and never finish them. And then they will be sitting around, and I will never do anything with them.

When I commit to completing things, I grow during that activity because I have to take that thing from beginning to end, and endure all the parts in between. Also, at the end I have something to show for myself, even if it’s not very good. That’s a risk you take when you start something, though.

But the good news is, once you complete something and you start in on something new of the same sort, you now know the drill, and the second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) time around you have a better idea of what you are doing. And you improve.

But completion is instrumental in the improvement. I don’t think you are going to get the growth you want, without the completion.

If you know what NaNoWriMo is, you know that the goal is to write a novel in a month, which sounds crazy – and it is. But the whole point is to complete it, not to make it good quality, which seems like a really odd objective, but if you think about it, it’s not.

Many people never start the things that they want to do because they are afraid that it won’t be any good. So NaNoWriMo allows writers to go through the exercise of completing that novel that they’ve been thinking about, and lets them worry about quality later.

Because, probably, the kind of quality you are looking for won’t come for you on the first go-round. It will only come after completing a few things first.

And once you have a few completions under your belt, you won’t even notice the improvement that snuck up on you.

photo credit: Carrie Scharf

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