Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "writing-process"
Now for the hard part
So now that I've been home for a couple of months, I'm getting serious about doing the research for my second book. Really serious. I mean it.
To that end, I spent a few hours at the New York Public Library yesterday. I went there to find some books about Yugoslav history, and while perusing the shelves in one of the third floor research rooms I hit the mother lode.
In three large tomes, I found valuable information about Yugoslav history spanning hundreds of years. I also found information about politics, government, culture and education.
To date, I've gotten plenty of information about communism, socialism, past and present ethnic conflicts from my family, but I'm hoping to gain some additional insight from the library books.
In coming weeks, I'll continue my legwork at the New York Public Library and elsewhere. I'll also begin synthesizing the information in notes and outlines.
From there, I'll probably turn my attention to character and plot development.
Once that's all done, I'll finally be to start on the first draft of the novel based on my father's life.
So for those of you who may be wondering when my next book will be coming out, I can't honestly say yet.
But to keep myself on track, I'll be providing you with weekly updates in my blog. That way, you'll get some insight into the writing process from start to finish.
I hope you enjoy it. It should be a fun ride!
Until next time, "That's life..."
To that end, I spent a few hours at the New York Public Library yesterday. I went there to find some books about Yugoslav history, and while perusing the shelves in one of the third floor research rooms I hit the mother lode.
In three large tomes, I found valuable information about Yugoslav history spanning hundreds of years. I also found information about politics, government, culture and education.
To date, I've gotten plenty of information about communism, socialism, past and present ethnic conflicts from my family, but I'm hoping to gain some additional insight from the library books.
In coming weeks, I'll continue my legwork at the New York Public Library and elsewhere. I'll also begin synthesizing the information in notes and outlines.
From there, I'll probably turn my attention to character and plot development.
Once that's all done, I'll finally be to start on the first draft of the novel based on my father's life.
So for those of you who may be wondering when my next book will be coming out, I can't honestly say yet.
But to keep myself on track, I'll be providing you with weekly updates in my blog. That way, you'll get some insight into the writing process from start to finish.
I hope you enjoy it. It should be a fun ride!
Until next time, "That's life..."
It's about time
So last week, I told you that I'd keep you apprised of how the research for my second book is going. This week, I can happily report that my second trip to the New York Public Library was just as productive as my first.
I found two more books on Yugoslav history and one that was just about Tito. While I am sure they will all be helpful, the one I am most excited about is called The Historical Dictionary of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by Zeljan Suster.
Published in 1999, Suster's book includes what is arguably the single most important resource for another author planning on setting a novel in another time and place -- a comprehensive timeline. Suster's chronology dates from the 5th century to 1999.
Most importantly to me, it provides valuable context and insight into some of the most critical times in my father's life. Here's a glimpse at what I found.
My dad was born in March 1922. Fifteen years later, Josip Broz (best known to the rest of the world as Tito) became general secretary of the Communist Party in Yugoslavia. World War II began when Germany invaded Poland just two years later, in 1939.
My dad was 18 when his country's government established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1940, and he had just turned 19 when Germany invaded Yugoslavia and captured Belgrade in 1941.
The war continued for four years. By the time it ended, my father's adventures were just beginning....
Until next time "That's life..."
I found two more books on Yugoslav history and one that was just about Tito. While I am sure they will all be helpful, the one I am most excited about is called The Historical Dictionary of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by Zeljan Suster.
Published in 1999, Suster's book includes what is arguably the single most important resource for another author planning on setting a novel in another time and place -- a comprehensive timeline. Suster's chronology dates from the 5th century to 1999.
Most importantly to me, it provides valuable context and insight into some of the most critical times in my father's life. Here's a glimpse at what I found.
My dad was born in March 1922. Fifteen years later, Josip Broz (best known to the rest of the world as Tito) became general secretary of the Communist Party in Yugoslavia. World War II began when Germany invaded Poland just two years later, in 1939.
My dad was 18 when his country's government established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1940, and he had just turned 19 when Germany invaded Yugoslavia and captured Belgrade in 1941.
The war continued for four years. By the time it ended, my father's adventures were just beginning....
Until next time "That's life..."
Enough is enough... or is it?
For some reason I can't set foot in the New York Public Library without thinking about Ghostbusters -- but that's aside from the point.
I was back at my favorite haunt last night, and even though the visit was unplanned, it was productive. In fact, I found and photocopied material from three more books detailing Yugoslav history. It took a couple of hours to find and copy everything I wanted, and as I look at the growing stack of research material on my desk I cringe when I think about how many trees were sacrificed for the cause.
To be honest, I'm starting to feel more than a little overwhelmed by this research project. The subject is dense, and it seems the more I find, the more questions I have and the more confused I get.
So I think it's time to stop gathering material and start sifting through what I've already found. I suppose I'll start making outlines and timelines and take it from there. In any case, the bottom line is, that until I not only understand the history of my father's homeland, but feel confident enough to write about it with some authority, I simply can't begin to think about character or plot development.
What about you? How do you go about doing research for your own books. Do you take a methodical approach or fly be the seat of your pants?
I'm eager to hear what you think.
Until next time, "That's life..."
I was back at my favorite haunt last night, and even though the visit was unplanned, it was productive. In fact, I found and photocopied material from three more books detailing Yugoslav history. It took a couple of hours to find and copy everything I wanted, and as I look at the growing stack of research material on my desk I cringe when I think about how many trees were sacrificed for the cause.
To be honest, I'm starting to feel more than a little overwhelmed by this research project. The subject is dense, and it seems the more I find, the more questions I have and the more confused I get.
So I think it's time to stop gathering material and start sifting through what I've already found. I suppose I'll start making outlines and timelines and take it from there. In any case, the bottom line is, that until I not only understand the history of my father's homeland, but feel confident enough to write about it with some authority, I simply can't begin to think about character or plot development.
What about you? How do you go about doing research for your own books. Do you take a methodical approach or fly be the seat of your pants?
I'm eager to hear what you think.
Until next time, "That's life..."
Help!
Okay, I confess. I'm stuck. I can't get it in gear. The wheels are spinning and I'm going nowhere fast. I'm...well I'm sure you get the point.
Truth be told, I've got a lot of writing to do in the next few days -- so much that it's hard to decide where or how to start. First there are the artist's statements and pitches for local photo exhibits. Then I've got to write a proposal strong enough to convince the chairman of the the Sociology and Anthropology Department at my Alma mater to let me talk to his students about my book.
On top of that, I decided to enter a prestigious short story contest sponsored by a large daily newspaper -- and the deadline is a mere six weeks away. That's six weeks to come up with an idea, create a viable plot and realistic characters, put everything on paper, wrap it up and then do the fine tuning. Oh, did I mention entries are restricted to fiction and there's a maximum word count? It's 9,000 words.
For some of you, that may not seem like much of a challenge. But for me, it's daunting. As a journalist and a memoir writer, I'm used to writing about real life and true experiences; fiction is an entirely different animal.
How do you juggle your priorities when it comes to writing? Which style do you prefer, fiction or non-fiction? Which comes easier to you and why?
For all of you fiction writers, what inspires you? How do you craft your plot and characters?
Drop me a note and let me know. I'll definitely respond.
Until next time, "That's life..."
Truth be told, I've got a lot of writing to do in the next few days -- so much that it's hard to decide where or how to start. First there are the artist's statements and pitches for local photo exhibits. Then I've got to write a proposal strong enough to convince the chairman of the the Sociology and Anthropology Department at my Alma mater to let me talk to his students about my book.
On top of that, I decided to enter a prestigious short story contest sponsored by a large daily newspaper -- and the deadline is a mere six weeks away. That's six weeks to come up with an idea, create a viable plot and realistic characters, put everything on paper, wrap it up and then do the fine tuning. Oh, did I mention entries are restricted to fiction and there's a maximum word count? It's 9,000 words.
For some of you, that may not seem like much of a challenge. But for me, it's daunting. As a journalist and a memoir writer, I'm used to writing about real life and true experiences; fiction is an entirely different animal.
How do you juggle your priorities when it comes to writing? Which style do you prefer, fiction or non-fiction? Which comes easier to you and why?
For all of you fiction writers, what inspires you? How do you craft your plot and characters?
Drop me a note and let me know. I'll definitely respond.
Until next time, "That's life..."
Off and running
I guess it's time to update my LinkedIn profile. For the past couple of years, it indicated that I've been "laying the groundwork" for my second book. Now I'm actually writing it. I'm writing it even though I never really "finished" my research. I'm writing it even though my trip to Europe in 2013 left me with more questions than answers. I'm writing it even though I haven't even started going through my father's personal effects yet.
Yes, I'm flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I'm relying on memory, imagination, and the research I've done so far. Mostly I'm relying on my imagination, though.
I'm putting pen to paper... or more accurately, fingers to the keyboard, and letting my imagination take me where it will. I'm having a blast.
Some say it's better to pre-plan, outline, pre-plot and so forth. I've tried that technique, believe me. But it just doesn't work for me. The more structure I try to put in place, the more it just kills the creativity.
Perhaps that is because for me, free writing isn't all that different than a technique I learned as a reporter called bloc writing. Using that method, you simply write all of the facts you've gathered first. Then you fill in the rest of the story with quotes from the people you've interviewed, and then you write the first sentence or lede. If nothing else, it saves a lot of time -- and it sure beats staring at a blinking cursor for an hour or two.
At any rate, since I started writing my first draft a week or so ago I've come up with about half-a-dozen working titles. The page count stands at 10 and the word count stands at roughly 4,000. Before you pass judgment on that, keep in mind, I have not been writing every day. I've also been looking for a new day job.
Anyhow, now that you're in the loop, stay tuned for more updates. It's going to be a wild and crazy ride.
Until next time,"That's life..."
That's life...
All you may -- or may not -- want to know about my adventures as an author and other stuff.
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