Kate Larking's Blog: Anxiety Ink, page 52

Crutch Words

An integral part of writing, really of editing, is knowing your weaknesses as a writer. Previously, I touched on my plot problems, but it’s not like I can just have one weakness and be amazing at everything else.

Life would be a lot easier if it would run like that. Alas.

I want to talk about crutch words today because I think they’re a rather loaded problem. And I’m pretty sure everyone uses them.

During the first draft of any piece I write, I know to just get my fingers moving on the keyboard. I need to let ideas and images spew forth organically regardless of whether I’m working on fiction or non-fiction. The rough stuff needs to be created before it can be polished. And yes, it very much needs to be polished when I decide it’s “finished.”

Experience has taught me that I like filler words –a lot. And my years of French emersion have made my rough drafts extremely wordy because I use superfluous English syntax. That’s not a technical term, obviously; I’m referring to when I do this:

What I first write: in the centre of the paw of the bear there was a red spot; versus what I edit it to: a red dot sat in the centre of the bear’s paw.

As for words I overuse, these are the main culprits:

And,
But,
Of,
That,
Just, and,
The.

I must muse, does overuse of articles count given the constraints of the English language? Hmm.

I used to have an issue with “it” until one of my creative writing prof’s told my class were weren’t allowed to use it. If we had to use “it” it must be used SPARINGLY. Like, once-a-page-if-that sparingly. That was one of the single most useful pieces of writing advice I have ever received and my overall writing clarity improved exponentially from that moment.

If you’re interested in learning what some of your crutch words are, this word counter is pretty useful. I chose to include small words so that I could see how often I use “and.”

I want to emphasize that as far as first drafts are concerned you shouldn’t focus on this weakness! As long as you’re aware of your issues and are prepared to perform or pay for a good, solid edit, you’ll be fine. The last thing you want to start doing is thinking to yourself, “Shit. Didn’t I just use that word a second ago?” when you’re simply trying to get words on the page. It’s better to be writing than worrying.

That said, I’m always prepared for an editing long-haul. Editing is probably my favourite part of writing since it means I have officially created my piece. No longer am I looking at a void of nothing that must be created. There is a tangible thing before me. I’m devoted to it, no matter how long it may take me to polish away the rough edges of my work. But I know a lot of people don’t have the same tender feelings for editing.

It’s give and take. Knowing your writer weaknesses and planning ahead for them or fixing them in the end depends on the kind of artist you are. I do a bit of both but I definitely rely more on the fixing later since editing as I go generally stifles me. What about you?

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Ask the Editor: Thoughts on Beginning Writers

Today I don’t have a question, per se, but a topic that has been on my mind and which I wanted to talk about. It’s the beginning writer.

This will perhaps sound elitist, but when a manuscript turned up in my slushpile by a new writer, often I could tell. It’s not because they all make the same mistakes, but new writers often read new because they haven’t quite mastered the craft yet, which shows up in different ways, but there’s often a sense of being unformed.

I think, largely, the Internet has been a boon to new writers. You can learn SO MUCH so quickly, find community–it’s amazing! But it has a drawback. You can learn about publishing at the same time. And you work through a draft of a book or two and think now you know what you’re doing. And while there are exceptions (I know a few authors who’ve sold their first or second book) you start to focus on how to get published–after all, you’ve done it, right? You’ve written a book. You can check that part off on the road to publication–without ever remembering there are two roads. There is the road to becoming a professional-level writer, and once you’ve gone down that road, then you can take the path to publication. Many new writers are trying to walk those roads simultaneously.

Largely books get published because their authors have taken the time to become masters, not just to do something. A surgeon does plenty of practice surgeries in med school before she graduates and can start doing them for money, with the assurance she does indeed know what she’s doing. So why do so many authors think they can complete a draft of a book or two and suddenly they’re experts?

Writing a novel is a major endeavor. There are so many aspects and pieces to it. In most cases, it usually takes repeated practice to get even some of these elements right, enough to get published. I think the Internet and the age of self-publishing (and instant gratification) have lulled us into an expectation that we don’t need to put all that extra work in. That we can do a thing (one of my favourite memes is the tiny potato–“Do the thing!”) instead of we can repeat the thing over and over. It’s taken me a long time to figure this out. And I do NOT say it to put down writers who are learning quickly, working diligently, and putting their stuff out there. But I think more writers would benefit from a cocoon, from forgetting about publishing until they have learned exactly what they like to write, and how they write, what works for them. Until they are reasonably confident in their ability to convey the story they want to tell in the manner in which they want to tell it, and how to fix problems they may run in to along the way. Those are all skills of a professional and you need all of them. One of the first and best pieces of writing I got was Jenny Crusie saying keep the writing and the publishing separate, and new writers need to hear that. Let publishing go for a while longer. It will be there. It’s not why you’re here, writing, anyway.

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Writing Goals for 2015 – Update #1

So, back in the day, somewhere around three months ago, I made some goals. It’s a little early for an update. But… I said then that they were up for changes depending on what happened in the year. And my goodness do I need to update them.

When I lined up my writing goals last year, I did so in a pretty unorganized manner. And my writing goals evolved over the course of the year based on what I was doing.

I have less time for writing than I thought. I have less energy to spend on things I don’t truly want right now. So revisions must take place.

Writing Goal—Non-fiction: Write, edit, and publish my planned Street Teams edition of Novel Marketing for August 2015. Yup, this one is getting revised. I am taking a backseat with the planning and will instead work on publishing sections on Art is my Business. In the end, they will be collected into an ebook but I’m not going to rush for August.
Writing Goal—Fiction: Create, write, edit, and publish at least one edition of my space serial. I’m going to just bite the bullet and make my fiction happen. I’m excited and terrified.

Looks like this is still going ahead. Will it be a serial? Or will I try to get it published traditionally? I’m not quite sure yet.
Writing Goal—Development: Take a writing course. I have one planned for the first part of the year.

Accomplished! Today is my last session in my class. I learned a lot, but in different areas than I thought. In truth, I should be working on an assignment right now instead of this blog post :P.
Writing Goal—Conferences: Attend two writing conferences. I have already picked up When Words Collide in Calgary and Sirens in Denver, CO. If there is an opportunity to attend a third, I will. With conferences, I will work to present at least once at each conference.

On schedule!
Writing Goal—Blogging: Continue to establish my new partnership, ArtIsMyBusiness.com (I post Mondays! Marketing Mondays!), as well as maintaining Anxiety Ink (every Wednesday).

On schedule!

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Sparks

Kate posted a couple weeks ago about being overwhelmed with possible stories. They come from everywhere, and it can be difficult to keep up.

I keep a sparks page. I flip to the back of my current notebook and label a page “Sparks.” And that’s where any sort of story glimmers go that I’m not ready or willing to spend time on.

These sparks are a phrase someone says, or a description that pops into my head that’s perfect for a moment I haven’t written yet. Once while driving, I saw a sign, “Morningstar Midwifery,” that I had to jot down as soon as I stopped; the idea of Lucifer becoming a midwife to better search for the anti-Christ makes me smile.

I do a lot of writing in the back of my notebook. On average, a quarter to a third of a notebook is written from the back. The front is for the current project. The back is for everything else, allowing me to operate as though using two or three notebooks instead of just the one.

Dreams I want to remember go back there, as do story notes and verbal vomit sessions to jumpstart the writer-brain.

When I have something that is slightly more than a spark – enough to make concentrating on the current project even harder – I’ll flip to a blank page at the back of the book and start working it out. After a page, or two, or three, I can let it go and return to the current project.

The back of the notebook lets me avoid commitment without losing any idea-seedlings. The sparks page gives me a place to keep things I wouldn’t normally try to keep because they’re too unformed or unattached to a particular story.

It’s not a great system if you want everything organized, specific and easily found; I work better with a little chaos, so it’s perfect.

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2015 Goals: First Check-In

I have to ask, how is everyone’s 2015 going? Is anyone else finding that it’s flying by just as quickly as 2014? I can’t believe it’s already March AND time for our first series of check-ins.

Life balance is always the number one thing that I struggle with. Work has leveled out some now and it looks like it will stay that way. Famous last words, though, right? Still, I’m holding out hope! I’ve been back on my part-time status for a month now. I was so excited to have more time to myself for writing, exercising, socializing… Guess what I’ve been doing? Sleeping. Staying up too late reading. Oh, and sleeping some more. I’m woefully out of discipline practice. I figure a month to level out and get accustomed to my schedule again is about enough time.

Have I mentioned I SUCK at change? Even good change. And we sprung forward this week. Ugh.

I had a deadline for early April that made me get my butt in my chair and my fingers on the keys. That deadline is up in the air right now, but I’m so into the story at this point I think it’ll continue to do the trick. Which will cover my “write as much as possible” goal. Booyah. I’ve already got the research aspect of my “next anthology” goal accomplished; and the story has been outlined in part and started.

I’m doing well with my “4 new, 1 old” book reading rule. I’m in the middle of an enormous Russian tome that’s been on my tbr for 10 years. It ties with another Russian tome for oldest book on my shelf. Thankfully it’s really good, but dense. And time consuming. But a decade to sit and make eyes at me is long enough.

I’ve been really on top of the exercising, which is also time consuming. However, with my stationary bike I’m getting a lot more non-fiction reading done. A win-win as far as I’m concerned.

I launched my personal blog on March 3rd! I have fiddling to do but I was happy enough to let E.V. Writes out into the world. I’ll be posting there the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

I have taken real, physical steps when it comes to trying to be more positive. My plan is still in the experimental phase and I want to write a post about it at some point so I shall stay closed lipped right now.

As for my other goals. They still need work and active application from me. Baby steps though. Baby steps will get them accomplished at the end of the year. I think I’m doing pretty good right now and want to stay on this good track. And in this happy frame of mind. Although I don’t watch basketball, I have my own March madness to keep me busy. I’m counting on productive-busy since I’ve given myself a pile of work and I have more writing that I must produce than I did in January.

I do love a challenge.

How’s everyone else doing?

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Impostor Syndrome and the Writer

Let me tell you a story.

Once there was a girl who knew a few people with fibromyalgia. They were in severe pain a lot, moved slowly, had to take days off. All things you would expect of people dealing with a chronic disability. This girl had aches and pains and fatigue as well, but she could do steps. She could go out several days in a row, even if she was always tired, and always felt like she had worked out, even when she hadn’t. Then this girl began to limp and tremble and the aches got worse on very cold days. She went to her doctor, and the doctor told her she, too, had fibromyalgia.

How could that be, she wondered. The weather had turned around and she was exhausted but not too sore. She even went for a walk! She began to think it was all in her head. She didn’t really have fibro. And then the cold came again, her pain came back, and she spent half the afternoon in an Epsom salt bath because she had shooting pain in her left leg and her neck ached and her elbows were stiff. And she conceded that even when she didn’t feel like it, she still had fibro. She couldn’t lose her fibro (no matter how much she wanted to).

That girl is me. And I tell you this because while it’s a depressing spin on things, it highlights very clearly what so many writers go through in their heads. “I’m not a real writer.” We give ourselves arbitrary criteria: I don’t write X pages a day. I haven’t got an agent. I didn’t win an award. Get a starred review. Hit the bestseller list. Finish a story yet. Find a critique partner. Write today. Write all week. Whatever. Pick your yardstick, it’s going to be too high, I can guarantee it.

We call it Impostor Syndrome, that little voice that tries to stop us, our fear. Even the most basic “writers write!” can fuel impostor syndrome if you’re fallow at the moment. And you will be, even if it’s just for a week between books–but sometimes it’s years. Creativity can be forced, of course, but chances are you’ll have feast and famine periods, and that’s okay.

Have you ever written? Do you plan to write in the future? Do you think like a writer, having ideas and telling stories in your head? Do you identify as a writer? Then you are one. It can’t be taken from you, and there is no certification program for Being a Writer. (There are degrees in writing, but you don’t need one to be one.)

We need to be kind to ourselves. Impostor Syndrome tries to tell you that you can write one day and feel secure in calling yourself a writer, but then the next day it was all in your head. It doesn’t work like that. You’re a writer or you’re not a writer, and only you can decide that. Impostor syndrome is just fear talking. Don’t listen. Fear is a liar (it’s my twitter banner image, so it must be true.)

 

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A Change of Pace

I’ve had a life change in the past week.

My contract work came to an end. I am no longer editing technical and learning language in miniscule font on a screen all day. In ways, this is a blessing. I was getting burnt out at the thought of a computer and would avoid my laptop at home. (You can imagine how productive I was on all things story when I wasn’t wanting to be near a computer.)

This Monday, I started at a new job. This one is different from any job I’ve had since university. That’s because it is in the book industry.

I am now a buyer and retailer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry–anything not a textbook. I started work facing a half-year backlogged mountain of publisher catalogues (about as tall as Jessica Corra) and that was just Fall 2014. There are more behind me. And ARCs–beautiful, beautiful ARCs.

I am attempting to not let the enticing concept of power get to my head. I am failing miserably thus far. I think I need to be grounded more in some of the work drudgery to take that shine off.

But, as of now, things are shiny, novel, and awesome. The idea of inventory on Friday isn’t even fazing me–I’ll get to know what I have to work with.

The only thing I’m worried about is if I will get burnt out in different ways. Bogged down with books and titles already on the market that I won’t have the energy to create my own. Physically, I’m sore moving books all day. Mentally? That will take longer to test.

So let the test begin.

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Report: Scriptwriting Workshop

So the workshop happened. My old high school hosted a regional drama festival over the weekend (and won, meaning they move on to the state competition in two weeks). The first block of performances went up Friday night, so the next morning meant I was leading this workshop on four hours of sleep.

That was fun.

No, seriously, it was. We started out with five kids and another six trickled in as we went. It was a good group, and they had their scenes by the end.

Because this was specifically a scriptwriting focus, due to the theater focus of the weekend, I asked for volunteers to have their scripts read aloud. Not by the writers. Just reading, not critique, but that is a terrifying prospect for most anyone, regardless.

Two kids volunteered their scenes. To start. By the end, all but one or two of the scenes had been read and none of us could stop laughing. The scenes were fantastic and the group supported and encouraged one another, making it a creatively safe space. I do not have words to describe how awesome that was. And is.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I want to do it again next year, but with different focus points.

I’d also love the opportunity to do this more than 45 minutes once a year, but once a year is a vast improvement over none.

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Mobbing Midnight: A Diverse Connecting Point

It’s finally my turn to talk about why Mobbing Midnight matters to me! The anthology April Steenburgh has crowd funding here will be a collection of different genres with one thing connecting all of the stories together: crows.

The day our Kickstarter went live, April featured me in the very first update where I happily got all nerdy about birds. Honestly, I love birds. Always have. From my pre-memory years to the age of 20 I not only had birds as pets, I read about them in the myriad of bird books my family owns, I watched national geographic episodes devoted to them, and I went on hiking expeditions to see them.

My very first bird book.

Birds were the first things my dad and I bonded over. As family members they were some of the first losses I mourned. Seeing any species outside is usually the highlight of my day. I’m happily obsessed with the feathered creatures.

I won’t lie to you and say that crows are my favourite kind of bird. Or that they hold a symbolic place in my psyche as they do Kate’s. They are, however, ideal as a connecting point to bridge the space between genres. If you look deep enough into any culture with creator myths, crows feature heavily. And they always have different roles to play; some noble, some dastardly. No bird is quite as versatile in story or reality.

Heck, you can find crows on every single continent except Antarctica. How awesome is that?

Source.

What’s even more incredible is that they actually have the personality to back up their roles and habitats in our world. I’m not an ornithologist. I have never studied crows at length for hours on end. But I’ve watched them carefully over the course of my life. I’ve seen parents keep watchful eyes on fledgling learning to fly, I’ve seen groups do territory runs, I’ve watched big males get mobbed by blackbirds when they get too close to the marshes, I’ve seen them watch over their dead.

Crows, although viewed as pesks by some, are enigmatic, charming, wily birds. I am beyond excited to make them the focal point of a story for Mobbing Midnight. I know that the stories are going to be just as diverse and brilliant as the crows they will feature.

All we group of writers want is to be given a chance to make this anthology happen. As a group of lesser known but devoted authors we are relying on our campaign to fund. Every single dollar counts and there are AMAZING rewards to be had that will speak to anyone’s tastes.

I’m actually offering up a character name in my own story. It’s not going to have a happy ending but for $100 you can make your name or that of a loved one/enemy go through some serious horror! Isn’t that a fabulous gift idea?

Pages that will feature in my story.

Your support for our Kickstarter is greatly appreciated! March 12th is our deadline.

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Chase the Butterfly: Chaos Theory in Writing

Last week I talked about the book You Majored in What? by Katharine Brooks, and this week’s post is also inspired by the book. The entire premise is that currently, people think about careers linearly. You major in accounting and then become an accountant. But 70% of people end up in jobs with no bearing on their degrees. Brooks puts forth a new way of figuring out what you want to do and how to get there: using chaos theory as a model.

Chaos theory is complicated, but for our purposes you need to know only two things: you don’t know what you don’t know, and always make room for the butterfly.

Have you ever set out to write a book, outlined it, sat down to write, got 1/3 of the way in, and then just puttered out completely? Suddenly it’s like pulling teeth. How did you get unstuck?

In a situation like that–or when I’m at any stage, really–the problem is usually that I’ve thought I knew what should happen, or I should do, and I didn’t. I usually get out of it by backing up, backing off, and working on other things–refilling the well, giving my subconscious space to work–and the answer is usually out of the blue and unexpected. I didn’t leave room for chaos theory, for the butterfly that’s going to make a tornado for me.

It makes sense that this would apply to writing, doesn’t it? Writing is a creative endeavour, making something out of nothing. It needs inspiration, a drop in our barriers. So when we start going through the motions like we already know everything, we’re automatically stifling an important aspect of the process.

If you don’t leave room for a creative answer, you’re never going to find it yourself. You won’t know where to look or maybe even what you’re looking for. Ideas come from places you’d never think could be inspiring–and so do solutions.

So how do you chase the butterfly? How do you purposely leave room for creativity? This is akin to filling the well.

In the book, Brooks makes use of mind maps, and often she’ll ask you to leave a box blank for the thing you don’t yet know. It’s a great idea because we’re all aware we don’t know things, but this brings that space to the fore. When I was making one of my mind maps, I was obsessed with that empty box. Anything could’ve come up to fill it! And when you’re aware of something, your subconscious works on it more. It’s like a blinking neon sign pointing at something to be filled in. It can help you get out of your own way to keep in mind you might not have the answer yet. To the plot problem, whatever it is.

Diversify. If your favourite genre is urban fantasy romance, try reading a book on philosophy. Read a biography. If you prefer literary novels, read a pulp thriller. The more places your brain has to draw from, the more creative and unique an answer it can come up with. (And the less cliche it will be.)

Ask around. If you’re stuck on the scene where your fellowship travels to the Mountains of Magrabeth, maybe start doing some more research on the type of travel they’re doing. Are they on foot? Have you considered giving them horses or a cart? Maybe that ticks off a memory that you should put a farm along the way, because the farmer has vital information they’ll need once they reach the mountains, and suddenly your story’s moving again. All because you didn’t know about horses but thought maybe your characters could do something besides walk.

You don’t know what you don’t know. Chase the butterfly.

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