Alledria Hurt's Blog, page 21
December 17, 2015
On Books and Star Wars
Friday, December 18th 2015, a day that will be forever remembered as the day Dark King Rising came out electronically. Okay, so maybe I'm not a big enough deal yet to overshadow Star Wars, but I can dream. It is however important to note that I will indeed be joining the ranks of authors with more than one book out in having my second full length novel, Dark King Rising available for purchase. For those who would prefer a paper copy (more people buy paperbacks than you think), the novel is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I look forward to hearing more from those who haven't yet purchased it. I sent early review copies to my email list several months ago in hopes they would be able to do me the ultimate favor of leaving reviews on that day it becomes fully available. I'm sending out an email with the right links for review leaving tomorrow morning.
So what's today's post about? Gratitude. I feel a lot of it these days. I have no idea how far I would have made it without those who have stood on the sidelines and cheered for me in spite of the obvious setbacks of rejections and depression. No matter what, I have a cheering section and they do everything they can to make sure I keep producing. Most important thing out there. So THANK YOU to all of them. I also want to say THANK YOU to my readers, the many and varied ones that buy my books and make feel as if I have done something momentous by leaving behind little bits of praise. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. I cannot even begin to tell you how much it lifts my spirits to be able to have some small impact on other people's lives.
Finally, I must mention the family. Mom, Dad, and sibs who have always chosen to believe in my ability to do whatever I put my mind to. Otherwise, I might have given up on this ages ago. No one can say what the encouragement is worth.
So what's today's post about? Gratitude. I feel a lot of it these days. I have no idea how far I would have made it without those who have stood on the sidelines and cheered for me in spite of the obvious setbacks of rejections and depression. No matter what, I have a cheering section and they do everything they can to make sure I keep producing. Most important thing out there. So THANK YOU to all of them. I also want to say THANK YOU to my readers, the many and varied ones that buy my books and make feel as if I have done something momentous by leaving behind little bits of praise. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. I cannot even begin to tell you how much it lifts my spirits to be able to have some small impact on other people's lives.
Finally, I must mention the family. Mom, Dad, and sibs who have always chosen to believe in my ability to do whatever I put my mind to. Otherwise, I might have given up on this ages ago. No one can say what the encouragement is worth.
December 15, 2015
Looking for the Magic
Ever get to that point in a story and go: But where's the magic? In a fantasy, this should come early. In others, it may come late. Yet that question should always be there. If you can immediately tell where the magic is, good. Keep going. If you've got to do so digging, or some adding, then you had better get to it.
Please understand I don't mean magic just in the terms of magic systems or flying horses or sentient cutlery. I mean, the draw, what gets your reader in the door, plops them down in the chair, and makes the hours whisk by. Every story has it in there somewhere. By all rights, it ought to be waving its hat at hello on page one, but sometimes you need a little more set up to get it off the ground. Whatever you do, you should never have a story with NO magic. Godawful waste of time that.
If you're a writer, heaven hopes you are also a reader which should be where you get your first taste of this amazing craft. As a younger, I enjoyed Anne McCaffrey's Pern and the worlds of David Eddings. Later, I would cut my teeth in horror with Clive Barker and Stephen King, who remains perhaps my undisputed favorite author of all time. In some of these cases, the magic was magic and the possibility that anything might happen. If you don't know, Pern starts out as Science Fiction and breeding dragons in laboratories. (I am and perhaps will always be a lover of dragons. I liken it to the childish love of horses, magnificent, majestic animals.)
So where's the magic in your story? it can sometimes be boiled down to a question; the central question that keeps your reader reading. In Blades of Fate I posit what would happen if you had waited forever for someone only to find out when they returned they were nothing like you remembered. This is a slightly different question from Chains of Fate the first book in the set which asks, what would you do in order to bring back the one you loved? Or the question behind Dark King Rising, When your imagination creates the greatest evil what will you do?
Each of these asks a question and the text offers an answer by the time you get to the climax. Therein lies the magic of the text, the draw, the beauty. All that makes it amazing.
Happy Holidays to All. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. The paperback of Dark King Rising is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Kindle/Epub edition comes out this coming Friday, so make sure you get yours!
Please understand I don't mean magic just in the terms of magic systems or flying horses or sentient cutlery. I mean, the draw, what gets your reader in the door, plops them down in the chair, and makes the hours whisk by. Every story has it in there somewhere. By all rights, it ought to be waving its hat at hello on page one, but sometimes you need a little more set up to get it off the ground. Whatever you do, you should never have a story with NO magic. Godawful waste of time that.
If you're a writer, heaven hopes you are also a reader which should be where you get your first taste of this amazing craft. As a younger, I enjoyed Anne McCaffrey's Pern and the worlds of David Eddings. Later, I would cut my teeth in horror with Clive Barker and Stephen King, who remains perhaps my undisputed favorite author of all time. In some of these cases, the magic was magic and the possibility that anything might happen. If you don't know, Pern starts out as Science Fiction and breeding dragons in laboratories. (I am and perhaps will always be a lover of dragons. I liken it to the childish love of horses, magnificent, majestic animals.)
So where's the magic in your story? it can sometimes be boiled down to a question; the central question that keeps your reader reading. In Blades of Fate I posit what would happen if you had waited forever for someone only to find out when they returned they were nothing like you remembered. This is a slightly different question from Chains of Fate the first book in the set which asks, what would you do in order to bring back the one you loved? Or the question behind Dark King Rising, When your imagination creates the greatest evil what will you do?
Each of these asks a question and the text offers an answer by the time you get to the climax. Therein lies the magic of the text, the draw, the beauty. All that makes it amazing.
Happy Holidays to All. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. The paperback of Dark King Rising is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Kindle/Epub edition comes out this coming Friday, so make sure you get yours!
December 14, 2015
The Joy of Random
I have some of the most random conversations with people I like. In a way, it is me attempting to get to know them better by plumbing the depths of their thought process. In another, it gives me an outlet for all the otherwise off the wall stuff that goes on in my own mind. It's beautiful. Hopscotching across topics can be one of the happiest moments of your entire day.
How does this translate into writing? When you're writing, considering having your friendly characters change conversational direction once in a while. I know, I know, we don't necessarily write precisely the way we talk, but it can add a level of authenticity to your conversation it might not have otherwise had. Let your characters wander away from the point and come back to it. Not only to does it offer something of interest, but it also allows you to restate the point for emphasis without seeming as if you're being overly repetitive. This also allows you, by the nature of who does the wandering and who does the bringing back, to show character in how they handle things. If one person wanders away consistently, while the other is usually bringing them back to the point, you have the basis for characterization. Done in one conversation or two.
This sounds like it will add unnecessary length to your conversations, but you can definitely weave something useful into the deviation. Consider what would be on the top of the other character's mind. They might be together having essentially two different conversations. Another point of characterization, plus the opportunity to add in interesting tidbits. All well and good.
Conversation can illuminate so much, so carefully consider how you can use your conversation to bring out more things about your characters, setting, or plot. You'll never be sorry that you did.
What's the most random bit of dialogue (back and forth) that you've ever written?
How does this translate into writing? When you're writing, considering having your friendly characters change conversational direction once in a while. I know, I know, we don't necessarily write precisely the way we talk, but it can add a level of authenticity to your conversation it might not have otherwise had. Let your characters wander away from the point and come back to it. Not only to does it offer something of interest, but it also allows you to restate the point for emphasis without seeming as if you're being overly repetitive. This also allows you, by the nature of who does the wandering and who does the bringing back, to show character in how they handle things. If one person wanders away consistently, while the other is usually bringing them back to the point, you have the basis for characterization. Done in one conversation or two.
This sounds like it will add unnecessary length to your conversations, but you can definitely weave something useful into the deviation. Consider what would be on the top of the other character's mind. They might be together having essentially two different conversations. Another point of characterization, plus the opportunity to add in interesting tidbits. All well and good.
Conversation can illuminate so much, so carefully consider how you can use your conversation to bring out more things about your characters, setting, or plot. You'll never be sorry that you did.
What's the most random bit of dialogue (back and forth) that you've ever written?
December 9, 2015
In Defense of Conversation
There is some old wisdom out there that goes essentially like this: "Keep your ideas to yourself." I think that's a bunch of hooey. Maybe my experience is different from everyone else's, but I generally find out the most interesting things about a story when I'm trying to explain it to someone else. I write my synopses as though I am explaining to my best friend what exactly about this story is cool. It helps me to frame what the reader would find interesting. I know, I know, that's not actually talking to someone about it. I'll get to that. First, I have to flesh it out in a way that explaining it isn't hard. It makes me wonder when I'm figuring out how to illuminate an idea so that others can have the same Aha! moment that I'm having.
So where does the conversation come in?
The conversation comes in when I actually sit down across from a friend of mine and start talking to her about what makes me giddy happy about this story. What makes the horses in my head gallop toward the conclusion. Usually at this point, there are questions. This is my favorite part. She asks me all kinds of things and when I have a total 'I have no idea' moment, I know there is something there I need to address. Whether it ends up in the story or not, I should have answers to most of the questions other people ask. In fact, lots of it won't end up in the story, it'll just be background and brain fodder for me while I'm writing away. Best part, I'm telling you. I know why that character has that name, but I don't have to explain it to everyone. It makes for good conversation at conferences and helps me to be on point when a reader asks the not quite all important question but the one burning a hole in the back of their brain.
Do you have these kinds of conversation with just anybody? I do with people I trust not to crush my dreams like candy under a hammer. You know those people. Don't discuss things which make your heart beat with those people. They'll just make you feel bad. Otherwise, have story conversations with anyone you can have a conversation with. They might not all have great insights, but they will always make you have to think and that's the point. No matter what, thinking is the point. Figure out how to answer their questions. Come up with new nuances of story while you chatter. Enjoy talking! Writing can be such a lonely profession. Being able to talk about our imaginary worlds will ofttimes bring smiles to our faces.
Like right now, I'm working on Blades of Fate, the sequel to Chains of Fate which I put out in June. I sat across from a close friend and discussed the inner workings of the living cities, which you see much more of in the second book. In that conversation, I named all of the cities, got down to their basic personalities, and considered what their history/backstory. All because a friend asked a question and I had to really think about it. Score! Conversation. It serves a purpose.
So where does the conversation come in?
The conversation comes in when I actually sit down across from a friend of mine and start talking to her about what makes me giddy happy about this story. What makes the horses in my head gallop toward the conclusion. Usually at this point, there are questions. This is my favorite part. She asks me all kinds of things and when I have a total 'I have no idea' moment, I know there is something there I need to address. Whether it ends up in the story or not, I should have answers to most of the questions other people ask. In fact, lots of it won't end up in the story, it'll just be background and brain fodder for me while I'm writing away. Best part, I'm telling you. I know why that character has that name, but I don't have to explain it to everyone. It makes for good conversation at conferences and helps me to be on point when a reader asks the not quite all important question but the one burning a hole in the back of their brain.
Do you have these kinds of conversation with just anybody? I do with people I trust not to crush my dreams like candy under a hammer. You know those people. Don't discuss things which make your heart beat with those people. They'll just make you feel bad. Otherwise, have story conversations with anyone you can have a conversation with. They might not all have great insights, but they will always make you have to think and that's the point. No matter what, thinking is the point. Figure out how to answer their questions. Come up with new nuances of story while you chatter. Enjoy talking! Writing can be such a lonely profession. Being able to talk about our imaginary worlds will ofttimes bring smiles to our faces.
Like right now, I'm working on Blades of Fate, the sequel to Chains of Fate which I put out in June. I sat across from a close friend and discussed the inner workings of the living cities, which you see much more of in the second book. In that conversation, I named all of the cities, got down to their basic personalities, and considered what their history/backstory. All because a friend asked a question and I had to really think about it. Score! Conversation. It serves a purpose.
December 8, 2015
Dribs, Drabs, and Debris
There is definitely something to be said for throwing nothing away. I don't mean that in the hoarder sense of keeping even the trash, but more in the writerly sense of every piece of prose could possibly be gold one day. To illustrate, the other day I reopened my Google Drive (I often forget I even have the silly thing on two email addresses) and found a piece of fiction full and complete that I had put away years ago for reasons I cannot currently call to mind. A perfectly beautiful piece of work forgotten and languishing in limbo because I forgot where I put it. Now that I know where it is, I will be putting it back in the rotation of things I have out to publishers because it's too pretty not to share.
I do this occasionally because I write across multiple platforms and devices. Several years ago, I still wrote everything in Microsoft Word and saved everything to GoogleDoc, which is now Google Drive. So on top of that piece I found that was complete, I have other pieces that are unfinished. Wonderful thing when I'm looking for another possible avenue for my creativity. Ripping something down to concept and then writing it up again could be the key to having yet another book published.
So what do you do when you have a piece you've found? That depends entirely on how finished it is and how much you like it. If it's finished and you like it: Submit it somewhere or self-publish it. If it's not finished but you like it: Finish it and then publish it or submit it. If it's finished and you don't like it: Toss it. If it's not finished and you don't like it: Rip it down to concept and start over. It's that simple. No matter what state it's in, you can do something with it. Even if that something is just throw it away and make room for something else to take up your time and energy. I'm not a big fan of throwing things away, but sometimes that's the only thing you really can do. Throw it out! However, before you do, you should take some time with it and see if you still love the kernel at the center. If you still love the kernel at the center, you can take that out, put it away, and see if something else grows off it.
It sounds as if I'm espousing throwing nothing away wholesale, which is true. I keep a small file of ideas that I like. Some of them I've attempted before and failed at. They aren't bad ideas, but I'm just not in the right place in my writing journey to write them the way I want to. If I come back to them in a few years, maybe I'll be better prepared to create the world I dream up when I think about that idea.
I have a lot of debris from things I've exploded over the years. Sometimes they fit together in new and exciting ways. One thing is certain, I will never run out of ideas and that alone can be comforting. If you're willing to occasionally repurpose and retool ideas, you will have an almost neverending source of things to work from. That's what I love about writing debris.
What do you think? Should a writer choose to rewrite things they've already written if they haven't completed them to their personal satisfaction? I think they should, but that's just me. I want to know what you think.
Leave a comment below.
I do this occasionally because I write across multiple platforms and devices. Several years ago, I still wrote everything in Microsoft Word and saved everything to GoogleDoc, which is now Google Drive. So on top of that piece I found that was complete, I have other pieces that are unfinished. Wonderful thing when I'm looking for another possible avenue for my creativity. Ripping something down to concept and then writing it up again could be the key to having yet another book published.
So what do you do when you have a piece you've found? That depends entirely on how finished it is and how much you like it. If it's finished and you like it: Submit it somewhere or self-publish it. If it's not finished but you like it: Finish it and then publish it or submit it. If it's finished and you don't like it: Toss it. If it's not finished and you don't like it: Rip it down to concept and start over. It's that simple. No matter what state it's in, you can do something with it. Even if that something is just throw it away and make room for something else to take up your time and energy. I'm not a big fan of throwing things away, but sometimes that's the only thing you really can do. Throw it out! However, before you do, you should take some time with it and see if you still love the kernel at the center. If you still love the kernel at the center, you can take that out, put it away, and see if something else grows off it.
It sounds as if I'm espousing throwing nothing away wholesale, which is true. I keep a small file of ideas that I like. Some of them I've attempted before and failed at. They aren't bad ideas, but I'm just not in the right place in my writing journey to write them the way I want to. If I come back to them in a few years, maybe I'll be better prepared to create the world I dream up when I think about that idea.
I have a lot of debris from things I've exploded over the years. Sometimes they fit together in new and exciting ways. One thing is certain, I will never run out of ideas and that alone can be comforting. If you're willing to occasionally repurpose and retool ideas, you will have an almost neverending source of things to work from. That's what I love about writing debris.
What do you think? Should a writer choose to rewrite things they've already written if they haven't completed them to their personal satisfaction? I think they should, but that's just me. I want to know what you think.
Leave a comment below.
December 5, 2015
The Obligatory So Now What Post
December has started. NaNoWriMo has ended. Say goodbye to another year. Not to writing because I do that all year long, but to the breakneck, frenetic pace that is the headlong rush for the finish line I only do during the month of November. All things aside, I got a lot done for the fact that I only wrote 23 days out of the 30 day month. In that time, I managed to pen 70K+ which is nothing to sneeze at. Perhaps not enough to put me up there with those greats who can finish 100K in 30 days, but enough to get me a decent way into writing an entire first draft. Blades of Fate stands to be perhaps my most ambitious novel yet considering it is a piece set in a world I thought I was fully shut of several years ago and thus had to essentially relearn in order to tell this new story. Let me just say, it was not like fitting into a pair of comfy old slippers. It was more like wrangling on a pair of ill-fitting, poorly cared for thigh high leathers. Once you get them on, you're doing pretty good. Getting them on is however a beast.
A little bit of housekeeping. I'm taking down the free story I wrote over the month of October: October Sky. Don't fret. It still exists to be read, but those who didn't read it in its initial run on the blog are going to have to start paying for it. I'm putting it up on Amazon and Smashwords as an ebook with a price varying from Free to 2.99. In short, I haven't quite decided on my price point yet, so it's still up in the air. If you did get a chance to read it and thought it noteworthy, why don't you head on over to Amazon, Goodreads, or Smashwords and leave behind a little review? All the love is much appreciated.
For those who lament when my next book is coming out cease your wailing. I intend to once again start writing short fiction on the blog as well as prepping several of my previous works for publication through Amazon and Smashwords. That should sate the appetite while I come up with new and increasing flights of fancy to send us all on. I'm thinking I might start with something Science Fiction-y. You'll just have to hang out and see.
In the meantime, Dark King Rising is still available for preorder with its debut on the 18th of December. Amazon | Smashwords . The preorder price is 2.99 but it will be going up as well once the first week of the print is out, so get it while there's a good deal.
A little bit of housekeeping. I'm taking down the free story I wrote over the month of October: October Sky. Don't fret. It still exists to be read, but those who didn't read it in its initial run on the blog are going to have to start paying for it. I'm putting it up on Amazon and Smashwords as an ebook with a price varying from Free to 2.99. In short, I haven't quite decided on my price point yet, so it's still up in the air. If you did get a chance to read it and thought it noteworthy, why don't you head on over to Amazon, Goodreads, or Smashwords and leave behind a little review? All the love is much appreciated.
For those who lament when my next book is coming out cease your wailing. I intend to once again start writing short fiction on the blog as well as prepping several of my previous works for publication through Amazon and Smashwords. That should sate the appetite while I come up with new and increasing flights of fancy to send us all on. I'm thinking I might start with something Science Fiction-y. You'll just have to hang out and see.
In the meantime, Dark King Rising is still available for preorder with its debut on the 18th of December. Amazon | Smashwords . The preorder price is 2.99 but it will be going up as well once the first week of the print is out, so get it while there's a good deal.
December 1, 2015
December 18th, Mark Your Calendars
It is coming. December 18, 2015 Dark King Rising comes out for all the public to read. You can get your copy through Amazon. I'll be adding links for Amazon and Smashwords soon. Just make sure you've marked your calendars!
November 23, 2015
[NaNoWriMo 2015] And a wild idea appears!
It is the bane of the writer's existence that we will be somewhere and, like a rare pokemon, an idea will appear.
Lo and behold, not a pen or sheet of paper to be found.
Don't you just hate that?
Like coming across a rare without the right kind of pokeball, having an idea appear out of nowhere can be a frustrating experience without the right tools. Me, I'm an iPhone junkie, so I have my trusty 4s with me at all times. (Yes, yes, I know we've moved on to the 6. That will happen in my life when the time is right.) So when that rare, beautiful, golden idea appears, I have exactly the kind of tools that can help me to capture it. Three things I use:
Camera: While many don't think of the camera as a go to for a writer, I find it quite useful. Sometimes the idea has everything to do with what I just saw; therefore, I need to make sure I can still see what I saw. Thus the camera. If it's a still photograph, that's easy. Just snap a quick shot of what you see to jog your memory and take it home with you. Be careful of being that creepy taking pictures of people though. Sometimes, it is just not the right place or time to take a shot. For those moments, you're gonna need something else.
Notepad: If the camera isn't feasible, but you've got a few minutes to write it out exactly as you'd like to copy and paste to an email, then open up the Notepad and write it out! I mean with dialogue tags and descriptions and everything. Make it as near to what you've got in your head as you can, but don't waste time worrying about whether it's too clean. After all, you're gonna have time to polish it once you get it into your word processor of choice. (I like Scrivener. A LOT.)
Voice Memos: I use this the least of the three, but it's definitely worth mentioning. When I need to just talk an idea out, which happens faster than I'm currently able to type, I open up voice memos and essentially word vomit out loud for the whole world to hear. Then I can play it back later as I ask myself: "Where was I going with this?" Sometimes the act of listening to it jogs a few bits loose like hitting a berry bush. Otherwise, it opens me up to new possibilities that may not have previously been on my map. Both useful happenings when you get right down to it.
There you have it, three tools with a basic iPhone you can use to capture a rogue idea when it has appeared unexpectedly.
Lo and behold, not a pen or sheet of paper to be found.
Don't you just hate that?
Like coming across a rare without the right kind of pokeball, having an idea appear out of nowhere can be a frustrating experience without the right tools. Me, I'm an iPhone junkie, so I have my trusty 4s with me at all times. (Yes, yes, I know we've moved on to the 6. That will happen in my life when the time is right.) So when that rare, beautiful, golden idea appears, I have exactly the kind of tools that can help me to capture it. Three things I use:
Camera: While many don't think of the camera as a go to for a writer, I find it quite useful. Sometimes the idea has everything to do with what I just saw; therefore, I need to make sure I can still see what I saw. Thus the camera. If it's a still photograph, that's easy. Just snap a quick shot of what you see to jog your memory and take it home with you. Be careful of being that creepy taking pictures of people though. Sometimes, it is just not the right place or time to take a shot. For those moments, you're gonna need something else.
Notepad: If the camera isn't feasible, but you've got a few minutes to write it out exactly as you'd like to copy and paste to an email, then open up the Notepad and write it out! I mean with dialogue tags and descriptions and everything. Make it as near to what you've got in your head as you can, but don't waste time worrying about whether it's too clean. After all, you're gonna have time to polish it once you get it into your word processor of choice. (I like Scrivener. A LOT.)
Voice Memos: I use this the least of the three, but it's definitely worth mentioning. When I need to just talk an idea out, which happens faster than I'm currently able to type, I open up voice memos and essentially word vomit out loud for the whole world to hear. Then I can play it back later as I ask myself: "Where was I going with this?" Sometimes the act of listening to it jogs a few bits loose like hitting a berry bush. Otherwise, it opens me up to new possibilities that may not have previously been on my map. Both useful happenings when you get right down to it.
There you have it, three tools with a basic iPhone you can use to capture a rogue idea when it has appeared unexpectedly.
November 20, 2015
[NaNoWriMo 2015] Musing from the Winner's Circle
Today, the 20th of November, the validation process for novels begins. You can copy and paste your entire 50k words into a browser window and validate whether or not you made it over the goal line. I did that today because there's no point necessarily in waiting. On day 20, I am up over 55k. Does this surprise me? Not really. I finished 50k in 17 days, which apparently is about normal for me looking back at my previous NaNo successes. I've been doing this, off and on, for eleven years. My first win was in 2005 after being introduced to the concept by my friend, D. E. Morris. You may remember her as the author of Age of Valor: Heritage which you can purchase on Amazon. So every year around this time, I marshal my forces to write something new and I learn or relearn three things.
ONE: I can write quickly.
Sometimes, because I don't necessarily write every day, I forget exactly how quickly I can write if I buckle down and just spend some time writing. I finish a short novel in a little over two weeks. Not exactly a common feat. From brain to page in 17 days isn't bad. Relearning this every year helps me to figure out exactly how long it would legitimately take me to finish a first draft. Second drafts are usually variable because it depends on what I need to do to the manuscript.
TWO: I enjoy interaction
This has been less of a thing since I joined a writing group, but the interaction and general community feeling make me feel some warm fuzzies. Does this mean I need the validation of having someone else telling me to go, go, go all the time? No. I am perfectly capable of getting my work done without someone looking over my shoulder, but having someone to share the joy and the pain with is kinda helpful. It reminds me not to keep it bottled up inside only to come out after someone has poked me the wrong way one too many times.
THREE: The breakneck pace might be a bit much for me to sustain all the time.
The flip-side of knowing I can write quickly, I also have to remember that this pace is not meant to be an all the time thing. I write something between 3k and 5k a day most days because I'm trying to finish the manuscript in as little time as possible. Settling into a pattern of writing 2k-3k a day is more doable over the long term. As little as 1k is good sometimes, as long as I'm doing some kind of forward motion.
All in all, another successful year. There is still work to be done, but that's fine. There is always work to be done.
ONE: I can write quickly.
Sometimes, because I don't necessarily write every day, I forget exactly how quickly I can write if I buckle down and just spend some time writing. I finish a short novel in a little over two weeks. Not exactly a common feat. From brain to page in 17 days isn't bad. Relearning this every year helps me to figure out exactly how long it would legitimately take me to finish a first draft. Second drafts are usually variable because it depends on what I need to do to the manuscript.
TWO: I enjoy interaction
This has been less of a thing since I joined a writing group, but the interaction and general community feeling make me feel some warm fuzzies. Does this mean I need the validation of having someone else telling me to go, go, go all the time? No. I am perfectly capable of getting my work done without someone looking over my shoulder, but having someone to share the joy and the pain with is kinda helpful. It reminds me not to keep it bottled up inside only to come out after someone has poked me the wrong way one too many times.
THREE: The breakneck pace might be a bit much for me to sustain all the time.
The flip-side of knowing I can write quickly, I also have to remember that this pace is not meant to be an all the time thing. I write something between 3k and 5k a day most days because I'm trying to finish the manuscript in as little time as possible. Settling into a pattern of writing 2k-3k a day is more doable over the long term. As little as 1k is good sometimes, as long as I'm doing some kind of forward motion.
All in all, another successful year. There is still work to be done, but that's fine. There is always work to be done.
November 19, 2015
[NaNoWriMo 2015] Staring at the Blank Page
Let's be honest, occasionally we all end up doing this: staring at a blank page thinking "I have nothing to write". That is a lie from the pits of Hades, my friend. We always have something to write. Granted, it might not be useful, but the act of writing spawns more writing. Therefore, do something simple: write a grocery list. Not a practical grocery list but rather a list with your favorite foods on it. That way you're working from memory and not from the part of your brain that is feeling blocked. Does this help? Occasionally. Most of the time though, I go one step further and plan a grocery trip for one of my characters. If it's a contemporary setting, it's easy. Fantasy setting requires me to think a little harder because I have to consider the size of the city and whether or not they would be in a position to trade for certain things.
Whatever you do, don't just take that blank page as a sign you have nothing. You have something. There is always something. You may have to dig a little bit to find it.
When you're done with your grocery list, you can always incorporate it into the piece you're writing. Give your character a new favorite food and make them have to learn how to make it. Or send them on a shopping trip to get something important for the story. Maybe they have to please a picky foodie who has the answer to their next quest or holds the keys to the castle. Could be useful. At absolute worst, at the end of the day, you have a grocery list and your favorite foods on it. The start of a gift list should anyone ever ask for one.
Enjoy!
Whatever you do, don't just take that blank page as a sign you have nothing. You have something. There is always something. You may have to dig a little bit to find it.
When you're done with your grocery list, you can always incorporate it into the piece you're writing. Give your character a new favorite food and make them have to learn how to make it. Or send them on a shopping trip to get something important for the story. Maybe they have to please a picky foodie who has the answer to their next quest or holds the keys to the castle. Could be useful. At absolute worst, at the end of the day, you have a grocery list and your favorite foods on it. The start of a gift list should anyone ever ask for one.
Enjoy!
