Chris Baty's Blog, page 252

A Diamond in the Rough

One of the most commonly asked questions on the NaNoWriMo forums is "How do I do this?" It seems like such a small question, with such a HUGE answer. It is, and it isn't.

Over the last decade that I've participated in NaNoWriMo (technically it's nine years, but this will be my tenth event) I've learned a lot about writing, myself, and the process of doing this insane word-count sprint. The age-old saying of the first draft being a "diamond in the rough" is old, and maybe a bit cliche… but it's an accurate analogy.

Think of your NaNoWriMo novel as a diamond. In its finished form, it will be faceted, beautiful, a sparkling gem worthy of the whole world to see.

But if you've ever seen a diamond in the rough, you know that's not how it starts.

To get there, it takes a lot of hard work, and removal of a lot of offal before it even resembles something someone wants, much less something someone would pay money for.

First you have to dig. Dig deep, down into the mine of your mind. There might be dozens, hundreds, or thousands of ideas, but you have to find the one with the most promise.

For some people, it's a flash of inspiration, the first gem they strike. For others, it's going to be harder. They'll have to examine and discard dozens of ideas before they find the right one.

Once you have your idea, you've got to get it out. Steam shovels, picks, and hammers are great when mining real diamonds, but your tools will vary widely in mining your ideas. Some people use outlines, others use character profiles, test out their tools on vignettes, or even write prequel stories. The tools are countless. Some people use nothing at all; they just start on November 1 with a hope of something awesome, and will mine while they write.

Once you have your story written, that's when the real work starts. After you've mined your idea, gotten it out of the ground and onto paper, you've got the diamond in the rough, the truly magical thing that we all hope to have one day: a finished manuscript.

That manuscript is far from complete, though. Like our unassuming lump, it's not something anyone wants to pay money for, nor is it something you want to run through the streets screaming "It's mine!"

Okay, you might do that. I sure do.

Once you've got something to work with, you've got to chip away the layers of dirt, stone, and non-diamond things clinging to the idea. This is where the finer tools come in. Editing, polishing, tweaking, all of that. Everyone's process is different, of course, and this space isn't big enough (and I'm not experienced enough) to advise you on that.

But when you've done all that, you'll carefully strike that glorious stone, until it sparkles and gleams. But anyone can tell you: that won't happen first, easily, or quickly. It takes time, and patience.

So let yourself get there. Think of NaNoWriMo as your personal diamond mine… write, look forward, and don't try to facet your diamonds before you've even finished mining them. What's the point? You're just going to keep getting dirt and mud and other gunk on it in the process! Keep digging, keep chipping away at the stone around your diamond, and know that when you're done with it? You'll have something truly precious to share with the world.

– Heather 

Photo by Flickr user renedrivers

Feeding the Fantastic

In my writing experience, and perhaps in others' as well, some styles of writing are held above others. I often hear about professors who declare themselves unfit to critique science fiction or fantasy because of their lack of experience with it, and it often seems that genre fiction and literary fiction were at odds with one another. I remember several students in my creative writing program who felt left out because they wrote science fiction or fantasy.

Though I respect the notion of needing the authority to comment on a particular genre, isn't that the perfect excuse to explore the topic? Sci-fi and fantasy are both distinct, and there is a wealth of works in those genres that have crossed over into popular or literary fiction. Plus, there are subgenres to suit everyone's tastes: dark fantasy, high fantasy, speculative fiction, diesel punk, cyberpunk, other things ending in the word "punk"—you get what I'm saying.

The first science fiction story I ever read was Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt," which is the kind of story that freaks out kid and parent alike because it makes you glance at your beloved iPhone or temperamental wireless connection, and wonder who's in charge here. (No, really—who's in charge? Must ask Siri about this.) I discovered stories that walked the same eerie line, like Asimov's "Button Button," Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Later still, I was introduced to more adventure-type authors like Kenneth Oppel and Larry Niven. To this day I read science fiction sporadically, but not as often as I used to, and yet I still ache for literary adventure.

I started on fantasy when I was much younger, but phased out of it even quicker. The very first was The Wind in the Willows. When I discovered the joys of reading about talking animals, it soon became every book in the Redwall series. (Talking animals with accents? Count me in!) At some point I transitioned to Tamora Pierce books (when I wanted to read about chicks who kick butt), and later I discovered an advance copy of a book by Jonathan Stroud. Wanting to commit to fantasy again, I have since agreed to venture into R.A. Salvatore-land and start the Icewind Dale Trilogy. It's a promise I intend to keep, but books that resemble bricks tend to intimidate me (so no, I also never got around to reading Dune).

One of my favorite things about both sci-fi and fantasy is the that you can't make any assumptions. The author has the almost impossible job of telling you just enough for you to experience everything, but not so much that you feel like you're reading a field guide (with one clever exception, of course). Really, there's a lot to respect, and even more to try to understand. I don't want to learn to involuntarily crinkle my nose at genre fiction. I phased out of it too quickly. Maybe genre fiction and literary fiction were never at odds with one another. Maybe somewhere beneath all this is still a reader who yearns to be fed the fantastic.

And maybe the greatest reason that sci-fi and fantasy are a joy for readers everywhere is because good genre writing latches on to the coveted need for us to explore, examine, and create things beyond the immediate present.

I know that NaNoWriMo is a major event for science fiction and fantasy writers, so I'm guessing that a lot of you are also fans. Who are your favorite writers in the genres? There are many beloved authors I didn't mention in this post, but my current favorites are Neal Stephenson and Suzanne Collins.

– Ari

Reading Whale-Sized Books

A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to catch a screening of Raul Ruiz's last film, Mysteries of Lisbon, on its brief (but glorious) theatrical sprint through San Francisco. The film is very much concerned with the passage of time, and all told, your ten bucks gets you 272 minutes (four and a half hours) of entertainment, not counting a 10-minute intermission.

I've never been one to shy away from a long movie, but when it comes to fiction, if a book is longer than 400 pages, it's going to need some really exceptional cover art to get me on board. It's not that I don't believe these books won't be great, it's that I'm a painfully slow reader who hates putting down a book half-finished. If I start a novel that's 900 pages, I could be working on it for a few months. What if it's not brilliant? (On the other hand, as a friend pointed out, this could be extremely cost-effective entertainment.)

But lately I've been developing a taste for long fiction, too. It's nice to be able to really get comfortable inside a book. The high point of my journey has been The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which I really enjoyed. Next, I decided to take a step back in time, and, in the spirit of not-being-intimidated, take a shot at Moby Dick. In my education so far, the book's name has been used as a symbol of impenetrable art, more often than the book itself has fallen under any real discussion for its form or content. So I figured this would be a rite of passage.

Even as a first-time reader, I somehow expected the classic to be dull by way of familiarity, since a lot of the book has become cultural background stuff. Ahab. Crazy. White whale. "Call me Ishmael." Got it. But nothing could have been further from the truth.

The best thing about a massive work of fiction is that we have time to become internally familiar with the way that everything works inside the story-world. I haven't read anything in a series since high school, but I suspect this is always a large part of the pleasure.

On the other hand, you have to wonder about some of Melville's footnote impulses. I'm a little scared of them now. Every so often you get a 500-word gem that starts out. "I remember the first time I saw an albatross…" I'm not kidding.

Are you more likely to pick up a book because it's 190 pages, or because it's 900 pages? What's the longest book you've ever read? Have you ever written a white-whale sized epic? Do you have irrepressible footnote impulses?

– Max

An Early Start: A Q&A with Eva Ridenhour

At eight years old, Eva Ridenhour already defies expectations about what it means to be a writer. Eva writes, illustrates, and publishes her own stories, and has already toured the country selling her own work alongside her father, novelist Jamieson Ridenhour. She's also uploaded a series of short writing lectures about her process, which you can find on her site. Eva was inspired by NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program, and has written her own work in November two years in a row. Via email, OLL got a chance to speak to Eva regarding her work and experience with NaNoWriMo.

Where do you get ideas for your stories?

I get my story ideas by looking around and exaggerating simple things. For instance, if I'm playing with stuffed animals, I make up a whole new story idea. My favorite stuffed animal is named Kinzy (he's a koala); he has a big imagination. I like to make up stories about the Koala Wars with all sorts of funny things that have to do with Kinzy. It's very fun to give him a personality. He loves to eat, and has a best friend named Mark. He's not very smart, but thinks he's the most Awesome Thing Ever.

I also love reading. My favorite books by far are the Harry Potter series. They give me lots of ideas, because I like that kind of magical story, and it makes me want to write magical books.  

I was inspired to write Birds on the Run and Attack of the Reptiles (my first two books) by my love of bird watching. I like watching how birds act, and could imagine them coming into my house, and talking to me. So I made that come to life.

What do you enjoy more: writing or illustrating?

Writing, hands down. I like writing, because I'm able to bring my imagination to life through words, and I love to read.

In one of your videos, you mention touring with your father. What was the book tour experience like?

It was very fun. I had to get up and talk to people. It made me nervous the whole time, but I loved it, because I got to talk with so many people and meet new people. I liked talking about my books. Once I begin, I can hardly stop!

Selling and signing the books was fun too, because it made me feel excited and happy. It feels good to know that people like my stuff.

Can you tell us a little about your next book?

I am working on more than one book, but I'll tell you about one in particular. This one is about a monster slayer. I don't know exactly how it's going to turn out yet, but there will be werewolves and lots of fighting and fun. The monster slayer is a 12-year-old girl named Talen who has an unusual life. She has alien parents and was born in the stars (but she doesn't know that); she now lives in a tree. She fights monsters, because a pack of werewolves attacked her on her 12th birthday. There's also a very wimpy boy named Kevin who has never seen adventure before; they eventually become friends and fight together, even though Talen is a much better fighter than Kevin.

Where did you get the idea to start making videos about your writing?

I was on the book tour when I had the idea of the writing videos. I discovered that I had something to say—that I inspired people. The videos help me talk to people without having to go everywhere. I am hoping that teachers will find my videos and show them to their classrooms. I'm trying to get the word out now by going to teachers' conventions. My parents are also emailing them to teachers and writers.

What has been your coolest experience as an author?

Neil Gaiman watched my videos, and that's so awesome nobody can imagine it. He even commented on them. He said, "She does an amazing job." Debbie Dadey, who writes the Baily School Kids, commented on my website itself. She liked my videos too!

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

I like writing the books themselves more than illustrating, revising, or the rest of the writing process. When I'm writing, I feel like I'm inside the story, doing all the stuff my characters are doing. And I'm having fun!

And the Publisher Said, "Faulkner, You Don't Have a Story to Tell!"

To get you ultra-ready and inspired for NaNoWriMo, literary expert Celia Blue Johnson—author of the new book Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway: Stories of Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature —has a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes to share about those classic novels we know and love. (Here's Part 1.)

No, you didn't misread the heading above. William Faulkner's publisher sent him a rejection letter that would prompt most writers to pick a new career path. Even worse: Faulkner thought he had created a masterpiece. The book was Flags of Dust and it was written on the heels of Faulkner's second book, Mosquitoes. It wasn't long after Faulkner submitted the manuscript to Horace Liveright of Boni and Liveright that he received a negative response, culminating in the following sentence: "My chief objection is that you don't seem to have any story to tell and I contend that a novel should tell a story and tell it well." Surprisingly, Faulkner didn't quit. With his professional career at a standstill, he decided to write for himself. Faulkner recalled the career-altering moment: "One day I seemed to shut a door between me and all publishers' addresses and book lists. I said to myself, Now I can write." And he wrote The Sound and the Fury, his best known work today.

After you've toiled away on your manuscripts during National Novel Writing Month, you are going to ask the inevitable question: "What next?" If our literary heroes could tell us one thing, I think they'd say, "Don't give up. We didn't." Then they'd add, "And don't let people get you down." Every writer must steel themselves against overwhelming opposition. Faulkner wasn't the only literary star who had to overcome critical odds (and critics come in all different forms, as you'll see).

Margaret Mitchell had a huge stack of paper that was gathering dust in her closet in Atlanta, Georgia. Harold Latham, an editor visiting from New York, caught wind of the epic novel, but Mitchell refused to give him the manuscript. It wasn't ready (and might never be). The same week, an up-and-coming writer found out about the novel and exclaimed to Mitchell: "Really I wouldn't take you for the type who would write a successful book. You know you don't take life seriously enough to be a novelist." Her dander up, Mitchell handed her unfinished manuscript to Latham. He had to buy an extra suitcase to carry it home, but it was worth the money. It wasn't long before he made an offer for Gone with the Wind.

If you want to free yourself completely from critics, then follow in Virginia Woolf's footsteps. Woolf and her husband launched Hogarth Press so that they could publish her experimental novels along with their friends' poetry and prose. Woolf wrote Mrs. Dalloway for Hogarth in a storeroom beside the printing press, which was located in the basement of her house. Woolf no doubt heard the bustle of work in the background, but tucked away in that enclosed space, she was free. In the margins of her manuscript, she wrote: "A delicious idea comes to me that I will write anything I want to write."

"Faulkner, You Don't Have a Story to Tell!"

To get you ultra-ready and inspired for NaNoWriMo, literary expert Celia Blue Johnson—author of the new book Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway: Stories of Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature —has a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes to share about those classic novels we know and love. (Here's Part 1.)

No, you didn't misread the heading above. William Faulkner's publisher sent him a rejection letter that would prompt most writers to pick a new career path. Even worse: Faulkner thought he had created a masterpiece. The book was Flags in the Dust and it was written on the heels of Faulkner's second book, Mosquitoes. It wasn't long after Faulkner submitted the manuscript to Horace Liveright of Boni and Liveright that he received a negative response, culminating in the following sentence: "My chief objection is that you don't seem to have any story to tell and I contend that a novel should tell a story and tell it well." Surprisingly, Faulkner didn't quit. With his professional career at a standstill, he decided to write for himself. Faulkner recalled the career-altering moment: "One day I seemed to shut a door between me and all publishers' addresses and book lists. I said to myself, Now I can write." And he wrote The Sound and the Fury, his best known work today.

After you've toiled away on your manuscripts during National Novel Writing Month, you are going to ask the inevitable question: "What next?" If our literary heroes could tell us one thing, I think they'd say, "Don't give up. We didn't." Then they'd add, "And don't let people get you down." Every writer must steel themselves against overwhelming opposition. Faulkner wasn't the only literary star who had to overcome critical odds (and critics come in all different forms, as you'll see).

Margaret Mitchell had a huge stack of paper that was gathering dust in her closet in Atlanta, Georgia. Harold Latham, an editor visiting from New York, caught wind of the epic novel, but Mitchell refused to give him the manuscript. It wasn't ready (and might never be). The same week, an up-and-coming writer found out about the novel and exclaimed to Mitchell: "Really I wouldn't take you for the type who would write a successful book. You know you don't take life seriously enough to be a novelist." Her dander up, Mitchell handed her unfinished manuscript to Latham. He had to buy an extra suitcase to carry it home, but it was worth the money. It wasn't long before he made an offer for Gone with the Wind.

If you want to free yourself completely from critics, then follow in Virginia Woolf's footsteps. Woolf and her husband launched Hogarth Press so that they could publish her experimental novels along with their friends' poetry and prose. Woolf wrote Mrs. Dalloway for Hogarth in a storeroom beside the printing press, which was located in the basement of her house. Woolf no doubt heard the bustle of work in the background, but tucked away in that enclosed space, she was free. In the margins of her manuscript, she wrote: "A delicious idea comes to me that I will write anything I want to write."

Wait, There Was a Real Sherlock Holmes?

To get you ultra-ready and inspired for NaNoWriMo, literary expert Celia Blue Johnson—author of the new book Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway: Stories of Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature —has a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes to share about those classic novels we know and love. What tale will you someday tell about the origin of your bestseller?

We've all experienced that moment of waiting for our minds to take a creative leap. With National Novel Writing Month upon us, many of you are probably spending more time in front of your computer screens, searching for an idea that will carry you from page one all the way to the end. Our heroes weren't all that different from us. They fretted. They went blank. They crumpled page after page of failed ideas. If you're stumped, I propose walking away from your computer. Most literary legends found inspiration far from their desks.

There must be something about a live audience, because writers often stumbled upon their best concepts while telling a story aloud. Maybe it is because people won't sit patiently like a piece of paper. They expect the storyteller to zip from one scene to the next. Lewis Carroll did not skip a beat one summer day when the three Liddell sisters shouted,"Tell us a story, please!" As they rowed up the River Thames, Carroll spun a tale that starred Alice, one of the girls on the boat, who, he quickly devised, fell down a rabbit hole into Wonderland. For L. Frank Baum, one story led to another. Baum was entertaining his children with an adventure when he lost track of what he was saying. His mind was eclipsed by an entirely new tale set in Oz (a name he would pull from a filing cabinet drawer labeled "O–Z"). So if you find yourself face-to-face with a blank screen, corral a few friends for an evening of storytelling.

Or try people watching. You never know where you'll discover an unforgettable character. When Arthur Conan Doyle walked into a classroom at the University of Edinburgh, he had no idea he was making literary history. Conan Doyle's professor, Joseph Bell, was a star in the medical field. Patients would walk into Bell's office and within moments he knew all about their lives, simply by using his knack for deduction. When Conan Doyle failed as a doctor, he tried his hand at writing detective fiction, and Bell was the perfect model for an eccentric sleuth (Sherlock Holmes). It's surprising to discover how many fictional icons had living counterparts. Jane Austen danced with a real Mr. Darcy at a ball months before she wrote Pride and Prejudice. Virginia Woolf was dragged to parties by Katharine "Kitty" Maxse, who served as the inspiration for Mrs. Dalloway. And the young Mark Twain used to sneak out of his house to cause mischief with Tom Blankenship, later captured on the page as Huckleberry Finn.

These literary legends have very little in common, aside from fame and one uniting thread: they were all prepared to grab hold of inspiration the moment it struck. Perhaps the best advice from the masters is to leave the computer but keep a stack of note cards (like Joseph Heller, Catch-22) or a notebook (like Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days) handy, so that you can jot down an idea wherever you are!

Look for Part 2 of Celia's series tomorrow!

Natalie Goldberg on NaNoWriMo

Author Natalie Goldberg's books on writing are some of the best in the business. We love her and her no-nonsense approach to writing. So you can imagine how delighted we were to receive this fabulous video full of advice on NaNoWriMo from Natalie Goldberg herself!

Not only do we have this video to share with you, but to get you even more inspired, we're giving away three copies of the digital version of Natalie Goldberg's classic on writing, Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life. Wild Mind is an inspirational, practical, and often lighthearted guide on how to find time to write, how to discover your personal style, and how to make sentences come alive—all very important to keep in mind this November!

Want to win a copy? Tell us about what inspires you to sit down and write, and you'll be entered to win! Please include your NaNoWriMo site username in your comment so we can get in touch with you more easily.

You can find even more of Natalie's great advice in this article.

Thank you so much to Natalie Goldberg and the folks at Open Road Integrated Media for sharing this great video with us, and for sponsoring the giveaway. NaNoWriMo is looming and we all need all the inspiration we can get—so share yours with us and win a copy of this writing classic!

– Sarah

Calling All University Students!

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This will be my seventh NaNo, and my fourth as a university student. My Novembers usually look something like this: 15 hours of class every week, at minimum 20 of homework, and 40 at work. Then I have between two and four write-ins or other NaNo events, and on top of all that, an attempt to cook, clean, and make sure my cats don't forget who I am. I only daydream of a social life, or anything resembling adequate sleep. Anyone who has NaNo-ed as a full-time university student probably knows exactly what this is like.

What you may not know is that there is a special section of the NaNo site just for people tackling this crazy endeavour as a post-secondary student. We rolled out NaNo University last year, and if you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should!

There are two sections to this program:

NaNo U for Students has a super-detailed and helpful Guide to Life, with tips and tricks for handling endless assignments, eating things that aren't ramen, writing between classes, and not overdosing on energy drinks. There is also a resources page, with nifty flyers to promote NaNoWriMo on your campus. We also have special pep talks just for students, from people who know what you're going through. Last, but not least, we have the NaNo U Student Forum. Come on over to chat and commiserate with other students.

NaNo U for Instructors is for people teaching NaNo to the over-18 crowd. There is a forum to visit with other instructors, and a resource page with sample syllabi from previous years, and lots of handy hints to help you and your students succeed.

We have a great community of folks in higher education, all eager to lend a hand and share your griefs and joys. Maybe you'll even meet someone at your school, and get out of the library to write for an hour or two!

Have any of you done NaNo while in university? What's the best strategy you have developed for not burning out, or (even better) talking your instructors into giving extra credit for NaNo?

– Paige

Photo by Flickr user DJorgensen

Meet Our Team: Heather Dudley, Forums Moderator

NaNoWriMo has a whole team of folks that make the November magic happen from afar. You've seen them in the forums, and heard their names mentioned in NaNoVideos and emails, but we thought it was time to put a face—and a story—to their names.

Up first: Heather Dudley (also known as Dragonchilde), NaNoWriMo's Forums Moderator.

Heather, how long have you been moderating NaNoWriMo's forums?

I started volunteering with Cybele the same here I first became an ML—2003. Wow. That's um… a lot of years. I volunteered mostly in the "Mechanics, Logistics, and Other Technical Stuff" forums for five years, and have been staff moderator for three. When I try to add up how many hours I've spent on the NaNoWriMo website, my ears start smoking and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" starts playing in the background.

In those many years, what are the biggest changes you've noticed in forum content and traffic?

The broadening of the user base. It used to be a very niche event, with a certain sort of person who tended to come, the crazy-writer type. These days, it's so mainstream. We have participants from all walks of life, all skill levels, all ages, and it's amazing to see the cultural significance go from nonexistent to downright polarizing. The crazy writers are still there, of course, but now we've added kids who've never written a word in their life, grandmas who want to write the Great American Novel, and some people who just don't get it at all, but want to try anyway.  I've watched the traditions we all know and love, like the Trebuchet Club, the Spork Room, even the Traveling Shovel of Death, all grow from funny ideas into icons of NaNoWriMo culture. I've watched that culture change and grow into something nearly alive on its own!

What's your favorite part of modding?

I love the "oh god, thank you!" I get when I answer a question or solve a problem in just the right way. Every year, some kind soul starts a "Thank you, Dragonchilde" thread somewhere in the forums, and it really makes me blush. We get a lot of complaints, so the kudos are true treasures.

How many NaNo-novels have you written? And how many were winners?

I've written nine novels since 2002, most unfinished. Six of those were winners. All of them were terrible… but there were a few redeeming qualities in every one.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you tend to write in any specific genre?

Total pantser. Every year I've written an outline, or tried to plan out my novel, I've failed. When I jump in with an idea and a prayer, I win. I do tend to write fantasy more than anything else, though I've been known to venture into sci-fi (the soft stuff). This year, I think it's going to be horror/supernatural.

What is something Wrimos would never guess about you?

I'm a redhead. A real one. Okay, that's pretty easy to guess. I think that what most of them would never guess is that once upon a time, I was just a plain old participant. A scared first-timer who didn't think she could write a novel that fast, even if she'd been writing all her life. Someone who has failed at NaNo more than once, and who really sucks at finishing what she starts. But loves starting new things anyway.