Category: Thoughts and Ramblings

Nanowrimo Advice!

It’s November and that means that many writers are looking at a Word Count Workout!

Yes, National Novel Writing Month (or Nanowrimo) is here again! Nanowrimo is a writing challenge that encourages writers to write 50,000 words over the course of a month. An incredible task for anyone in school or with a day job. Apart from that? Very few rules. Most people have a daily word count or try and push themselves over the course of a weekend (maybe scribbling along the side of their notebooks in class, I don’t know). Some places have meetups where people gather in a coffee shop or library, doing word battle with one another to try to get to their end goal! However you write, the point is that you’re writing!

I have done Nanowrimo 3 times in my life. My first attempt was in college. I honestly forget what it was about, but I failed. Miserably. It was a rough first go, but boy was it fun. So when I attempted the next year, I managed to pull it off! It was rough (to say the least) and it wasn’t pretty, but I had a draft! I still have and sometimes look back on it, trying to find that hunk of gold in the dirt. I rarely luck out. But think I had a noticeable improvement over the first and second attempt around attempt three. I think, honestly, this is the point of Nanowrimo. To just do something!

Lots of writers do Nanowrimo and I encourage others to do it as well! It’s fun, builds a community and motivates better than any other deadline. I know of a few books that have come from Nanowrimo (The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, for one). This isn’t to say that every Nanowrimo novel will be a success, but it shows the potential. Every fifty thousand words of crap you write are better than the five hundred words of pure gold you never write.

So, here’s my number one piece of advice for the first-time (or veteran) Nanowrimo Participant! You have permission to suck. Fail, but do it gloriously. You will learn so much more from a failure than from a success. It’s not called “Nation Novel Writing and Editing Month” for a reason. Try, fail, revise, start over. If your first draft is perfect, you’ve overlooked something.

So, without further ado, get out there and writer, Word Warrior! Your story won’t write itself, no matter how hard we try. Good luck and Godspeed.

Drafts, Editing, and Rewriting

“Picking up your first copy of a book you wrote, if there’s one typo, it will be on the page that your new book falls open to the first time you pick it up.” – Neil Gaiman

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about how we each write/draft/edit. There were a few things tossed around, but one thing we really disagreed on was editing. My friend needs to have a formal, well-thought-out outline before she starts with any word. I, on the other hand, have a looser outline. We jokingly said that my first draft was my outline, though I think that’s true.

I like taking my first draft and using that as a template. I get to think about my overall idea. What works? What doesn’t? Why are these characters doing things that are not in character normally? Do they even need to do these things? I consider a lot while reading through the first draft. It’s freeing, knowing that I may trash 90% of what I’m working with, but still getting the opportunity to say “That doesn’t work for John, what can I do to fix it?”

After research and worldbuilding (depending on the story), my writing probably breaks down to 15% writing, 35% editing, and 50% rewriting.
(Frantically checks the math on a calculator.) Yeah, that’s about right. Or at least some similar breakdown.

Recently, I had the privilege of working with my friend Melanie Venhaus (@libraryofmars on twitter) and have a whole new set of edits to work with! I can’t recommend Melanie enough for anyone looking for a freelance editor. I’m very excited to break into these new edits and hopefully rekindle some of the love I’ve lost in the last few months.

At the end of the day, your first draft should never be your final draft. Whether you have an 18-page outline that transitions from scene to scene or a loose story arc sketch on a bar napkin, you should always check your book for things that need changing. Your brain will only let you see so much and there are better ways to find typos before picking up that first copy.

Terry Pratchett, An Author’s Legacy and The Steamroller

Recently, fantasy fans around the world cried out in agony as Terry Pratchett’s hard drive (containing 10 unfinished novels) was destroyed as per his will. As was his wish, the hard drive was crushed by a steamroller and, honestly, I can think of no better send off. But reading the news got me thinking about other authors and what it means for a work in progress when it’s creator, for whatever reason, ceases to be able to work on it. Is death really the end for an author?

Despite his death in 1973, J.R.R. Tolkien’s works are still published regularly with revivals of legends of Middle Earth or companion guides to his world. Easily the most recognizable name in fantasy today, Tolkien’s impact on the realm of fantasy cannot go unnoticed, his stories still fresh and new 44 years after he died. His world and words live on by those who tell his stories and build upon them either on the page or the big screen. The Children of Hurin or The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, for example, were both published within the last ten years, drawing on the influences from the legends in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.

Douglas Adams, on the other hand, was continued with the best intentions. However, And Another Thing… didn’t quite have the same feel as the previous iterations as the rest of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series did. It was written with the best intentions to honor Adams and his legacy, but it fell flat, in my opinion. It’s a nice, neat continuation of the world of Douglas Adams, but it failed to have that same charm that I had grown to love while reading the books.

I feel that an author’s world doesn’t have to continue after their death. But the unfinished worlds, defined only by the author’s own imagination and intent, should be left. I respect and agree with Mr. Pratchett’s final wish, though I am sad to know we will never read them. But if that’s the end of his unfinished novels, I can think of no end more fitting than what he asked.

A Brief Announcement

Apologies for the past few posts for those who felt spammed. Technology, for all its delights and advantages, doesn’t always cooperate. That being said, this will be a brief announcement for today’s post.

I’ve decided, after some consideration and thought, that I’m going to be doing fewer blog posts on here. While I enjoy the act of posting and keeping my blog active, my current situation makes the blog a little overwhelming. So, starting this month, we’ll be on a new schedule to make things a little easier for me and a little more predictable for you.

The First Sunday of every month will be a general blog post about my writing life and all the Behind The Scenes stuff that people are curious about. I still enjoy those posts and feel like I’m connecting with people and letting them see the side of the writing life that is normally kept very private and unspoken. The Third Sunday will include a new piece of fiction for you to enjoy. I feel like my “One Fiction Piece A Month” pattern is good, but it’s getting lost in between all the other posts (ideally, this will also keep me posting lots of new things on a regular basis). I like posting on this blog, but I also feel like it should be a vessel for my writing, not just ramblings.

This schedule may change as my situation changes, but I feel for my health and this blog, that I need to slow down a little. I have no intention of stopping, just cutting myself some slack. My Twitter will still be very active and I’ll try and keep my Facebook more active. But coming up with totally new content every week is just a drain on resources I don’t have. So, I’m gonna try and step away from the keyboard once in a while.

So, this will be the Behind the Scenes post for the month. Stay tuned for the fiction piece!

Writing, Twitter and the Intersections

There’s arguing that social media is a very powerful tool, whether it’s individuals communicating to one another or a business trying to stand out through the digital marshes, social media like Facebook and Twitter have become cornerstones for our increasingly digital world. And there are so many ways to use it as a writer.

“But, Nick!” You say, “I heard social media was making us more distant. No one talks to each other anymore!”

This is only as true as the idea that newspapers no longer make us social. For anyone who is trying to make a name for themselves, especially as a small business, social media could make a huge difference! And what business is smaller than trying to make a career writing? So in the spirit of that, here are a few of the most popular ways I’ve seen writers use their 140 Characters on Twitter.

Updates: Whether it’s a tour, a new book or a word count, I always like seeing progress being made by my fellow wordsmiths. Hearing an author is going to be in town always gets me to check my schedule really quick, just to see if I can make their event. It’s also fun hearing about new projects or even chatting with other writers about their current progress. It’s important to celebrate little victories!

Give Aways: Everyone loves these. Well-established authors have the opportunity to do promotions, giveaways, and other prize opportunities! Usually, they ask for likes/retweets or something along those lines so that people can very easily enter drawings for special prizes!

Interacting: At the end of the day, this is what social media is all about. Tweeting other writers about projects, answering questions, replying to responses, these are all crucial elements to building a name. An author with fifty thousand followers doesn’t have any advantage over an author with fifty if they don’t interact with their followers in any way. Writing can be isolating and lonely, even if you love it. That’s why it’s important to interact (when you’re not writing) and build a respectful relationship with followers, friends, and fans! I always try and answer questions in the #WritersTellMe and #authorconfessions tags to get conversations going there.

Those are my three most regular uses for twitter as a writer. You can always follow me on twitter @NickWWriting if you aren’t already for regular blog updates (and occasional surprise interactions). If you’re a writer or some other self-promoting artist, how do you use your social media to boost yourself?

 

Burnout Recovery

Man this month, I tell ya.

After a thorough (counts on hands) three weeks of being understaffed and overworked, the day job really starts getting to you. When I’m not on my feet, most of my time is going to writing or errands (with the occasional bout of D&D mixed in for flavor). I’ll be very glad when this month is over and things make sense again. But I’m still trying to keep dedicated to my writing work.

Writing while combatting burnout is, to say the least, stressful. But I find myself doing a lot of plotting/planning while riding the bus or during my almost daily run. Sometimes though, I need to step away from the keyboard and lay on my couch, letting my mind wander.

Tea helps a lot. I find a great deal of relaxation in the actual tea making process. It’s a very sensory process: the smell of tea, the milk spiraling in as it mixes or honey dripping down into the mug, the sound of the boiling water, the warmth that fills the cup and (of course) the taste. It gives me a break to stop focusing on what I’m working on a difficult scene because I focus on the process. And then, once it’s finished, I have a nice cup of something hot to regain my focus.

Burnout happens. A lot. Writing is a very solitary profession and it’s not like you can pass it off to someone else and take a break. So, it’s important to say “Five Minute Break” when you’re fighting a scene. But it’s even more important to come back recharged for round two when you’ve finished making your tea. Just don’t forget it’s there. Nothing worse than cold tea.

Getting Motivated!

I hate alarm clocks. I hate the sounds they make. I hate the “Is it snoozed or is it off?” uncertainty. I hate how they always seem to go off right as you’re getting to a good part in your dream. But, I’ve recently decided to embrace my alarm clock and let it be my ally in my writing (so far, it’s an uneasy alliance but has promise for strong relations).

These last few days/weeks have been kind of rough. Work has been extra stressful and things have been kind of tricky to work out in other areas. My writing, sadly, has suffered because of this. So, I’ve decided to try a new approach. Screw inspiration, embrace the motivation and dedication. There are a few things that I’ve done in the past and will continue to do to make this a reality.

Firstly, I need a schedule again. This has been an issue for me in the past. I get flustered through out the week with a sporadic work schedule and weird morning shifts. So, I’m going to start using my time more efficiently. The blue is the time that I set aside for writing task: Querying Agents, working on a new project and writing blog posts (like this one here). It’s mostly and an attempt to stay in the mode of writing. Doing it first thing in the morning means I won’t be out of energy to do it when I come home at 6:30 or 8:00 at night. By making this schedule and keeping it, I’ll be able to establish a better sense of dedication to my work by sectioning off time at the beginning of the day to write something. I’m using iCal, but Google Calendars and other free apps are also good options.

The next big struggle is motivation. I find that seeing my progress is really helpful. Part of what makes Nanowrimo work really well for me is the accountability and daily goals that make is so much easier. A friend recently recommended the site Pacemaker (pacemaker.press) for developing and keeping a Writing Plan. You put in your goal, your timeframe, your pace preferences and it helps develop daily goals for you to aim for with writing (or any other goal). You can upload these goals directly into your calendar and update the site as you go along. As you can see, it’s pretty hit and miss for me (last month in particular, but yesterday was a great day).

Any art is a matter of habit. The more you do it, the better you get, the easier it is. The problem is waiting for inspiration, for those beautiful moments when the words come pouring out in a string of eloquence and elegance. But that only happens about 10% of the time you sit down to write. If you’re lucky. So, screw inspiration. If it comes it comes, but it’s up to the artist to be waiting for it when it arrives.

The Art of the Start

One of the parts I struggle with when writing is how to begin. Whether it’s the first line of a book, a chapter or a paragraph, it’s your first opportunity to reel in the reader and it doesn’t last long. Some writers are very specific about the details and ideas in their work before they ever sit to set pen to paper. I am much more of an organic writer, or a Gardening Writer accord to George R.R. Martin (though, in fairness, I’m also a writer who enjoys a bit of gardening). The problem with this is sometimes in the beginning. Personally, I have a few methods of going about my writing process in terms of where I want to story to begin. So, here are a few suggestions for those of you who don’t know where to begin your story.

  1. An Event- “It was autumn when the murders started.”
    Kicking right off into the action is especially helpful if you have a high octane thriller or a mystery on your hands! Why wait to jump right into the action if that’s what you know is going to be your point of focus? It doesn’t have to be something driven by action either. A festival at an old market, a coronation of the new king, the launch of a space ship or the grand opening of a new power plant. Events can be a good opportunity to show the setting in action. Not just as a backdrop, but as a living thing.
  2. A Character- “Agatha was the last witch that Jennifer wanted as her tutor.”
    Let’s be honest, characters are the heart of the story. Whether your character is smart, sassy, sarcastic or solemn, you enjoy writing their dialogue, asking yourself what they would do next as their character. Even starting with some snappy dialogue between two characters is a good way to establish a quick report with the reader before they even know these characters very well. Let your characters do the work for you.
  3. A Description- “The torchlight burned slowly, casting elongated shadows against the walls.”
    Not always my favorite (and probably not a whole chapter’s worth of material), but sometimes the situation calls for it. If you want your plot to be gradually increased over time, a description as your start can be helpful to set the scene. If your world is complex and unfamiliar to most readers, having this can be a good moment to establish a few “ground rules” for a fantasy or alien world. Use this sparingly though and try to combine it with introducing a character. Readers want action, even if that action is something as simple as a man preparing a cup of coffee. Or a murder. Whichever fits your story best.

What’s your favorite opening line? Dickens? Melville? Rowling? Leave your favorite one below!

A More Mindful TBR

So…my To-Be-Read pile is out of control.

I’m not the fastest reader. I’d say I’ve read maybe…25% of the books I own (and I moved to a smaller place, so most of my books are in storage across the country for now). And between work, my writing, and this blog, it’s easy to forget I have a stack of books waiting on my nightstand. I need to be a better reader (surprising, I know), but I feel like I also need to read better. I don’t always pay attention to authors as I read, but occasionally an author sticks out for me more than most. Yet, when it comes time to pick up a new book to read, I never think of them.

So, here is a list of authors I’ve read and why I want to read more books by them:

  • Naomi Novik- This is an author that I really like, both Uprooted and the Temeraire series (which I can never spell correctly on the first turn). I’ve read a good chunk of the Temeraire series, but it’s one that I don’t normally think of when I’m looking through my TBR pile. So I’d like to finish her series because I love her style and her work is very unique, with rules governing her fantasy worlds and the mythical creatures that populate her worlds.
  • V.E. Schwab- I loved A Darker Shade of Magic. Admittedly, I don’t think I own any of her other books. However, I had the pleasure of hearing her speak when she visited the bookstore (I lurked in the back, hiding my nametag) and she was funny and genuine, like her writing. I’d like to read the rest of that series, but also want to branch out to more authors.
  • Ursula K. Le Guin- I know, I know. I am way behind on this one. Le Guin is one of the best known and most renowned writers of fantasy and science fiction. But hear me out. I’m currently reading The Left Hand of Darkness and I’m loving it. So I plan on reading a lot more Le Guin in the very near future.
  • Malcolm Gladwell- My first experience with Gladwell was in college, reading Outliers for an intro psychology class. It was probably one of the coolest nonfiction books I had the chance to read in college. He takes on a unique view of the world, our minds, and the questions that you might not think about.
  • Brandon Sanderson- Again, I know, I know. Sanderson is another huge name in the realm of fantasy. The books and stories by him that I have read have always been very entertaining, but I have trouble keeping up with buying his books when I do finally get a chance. But I intend to seek him out and find more of his books in the future.

I’m sure there are names that I’m missing and names that I should add, but there’s only so much reading a person can do at a time!

What are some writers that you’ve read, but haven’t gotten the opportunity to add? Do you sometimes forget writers you really like or do you only read one writer at a time? Leave it in the comments below.

You can follow my reading habits and more by following me on Twitter using the links to the right!