Life's Pressures

As I have started back at my day job after 4 (nearly 5) weeks off I have started to feel the pressure. Of everything. With my day job I found that it is just as busy and overwhelming as it was before my break, which was quite disappointing. And then I began to worry that perhaps I had planned or hoped to achieve too much with my writing this year.

I also hoped to blog more regularly but what time I do have seems to be going to other things, not always productive.  And then of course there is family, friends, uni work and the occasional spot of reading to fit in.

My main writing focus is my novels and I am currently looking at or working on three. You probably agree with me by this point that I am indeed mad.

Novel Number 1 – trying to get it published, so I’m researching agents, refining chapters to send, writing covering letters. (Although it may be absolute rubbish and never get anywhere)

Novel Number 2 – reworking, revising a first draft into something more (I was at nearly 90,000 words by end of first draft and I hope for it to reach around 150,000 – a long way to go).

Novel Number 3 – early planning stages.

I thought that trying to concentrate on three different stories might be bit much but perhaps the pressure will actually help me get somewhere. I have most of what I need for the first one. I have even picked a favoured agency. Part of me is worried that it won’t get anywhere so I’m holding off a little but really it would only take me a couple of days to get the submission finalised and sent.

When I break it down into clear steps and see that it is not only possible but could be done by the end of the weekend I start to feel better about the process. So if it is rejected that’s ok. I’m all that much closer with my next submission. And if it never takes off, I have another book in the works and a trilogy slowly mapping its way around my study walls.

Novel Number 2 needs a lot more love and attention, every day, and I haven’t been giving it the attention it needs. I know what I need to do and I worked well last year, so time to knuckle down, book out that hour a day and go for it.

Novel Number 3 is happily moving all by itself. I am only spending a couple of hours (at most) a week thinking about plot points and characters and mapping out what should happen when. It is a skeleton and although with some ideas a whole scene comes to mind, I can just put down some notes and move on.

The door is covered in an almost complete Book One, some small gaps towards the end of the book, but I know where the main characters need to be at that point. Some of the detail will come once I start writing it, but as long as I get some ideas down it should work well. I have started using a pencil to get my ideas down (that includes in notebooks) so the cards look blank in the photo. Some contain only a short sentence, others are full.

I have bits of Book two and three but not as ordered as book one. By the time I start writing I would like it all mapped out. This is a very new process for me so I’m interested in how it will go. But as eager as I am to start writing it I think I should wait until I am finished Novel Number 2. Or I will be working on bits of books for ever...

Then of course there are the little ideas that keep creeping in and tapping on my brain asking to be written. Whole new worlds and friends calling to shared. They could be next but when looking at the list above Number 3 is really three books...so I have five to complete before I can move to the next project.

I’ll just continue to scribble down small ideas, either on the door, or the board in the study, or an index card, or one of the many notebooks I have stashed around the place, or typed up here to share with you.

Happy Scribbling

P.S. The Kitchen Door has become a learning tool for my daughter who is learning to read...hopefully sometime soon I can win it back for notes of my own.

Starting at the Beginning

Working through my draft I was hoping that the ending would become clearer. But in looking for that I forgot the most important part – the beginning.

I had reworked the first few chapters but in sharing them with my critical friends I realised I was trying to put the beginning into the context of the rest of the story. I had forgotten what was important for the beginning.

The Hook – that instant or event that drags the reader in. I hadn’t started at the right place. I was trying to pull too much back story in too soon.

Compelling Character – introducing the character so that the reader wants to keep reading, wants to know more about them and what happens to them. I know my main character (we’ve been together some time now) but I didn’t have her in the best light.  Actually one member of the group asked if wanted to portray her as mentally disturbed – big problem.

Appropriate Support Cast – those characters that show the strengths and weaknesses of the main character and help move that story along. They help move the plot. My problem here is that the characters are going to change as my story starts in one world and moves to another. These first supporting characters need to be able to explain why she is prepared to leave this world.

Consistent – the writing, the style and the characters need to be consistent throughout the story. But the set up is here at the beginning. If the beginning is no good then the reader won’t read on.

Now my job is to take all the comments made, the knowledge of what does work and the thoughts and visions of my story and pull them together. To rework a beginning that will have my reader eager to turn the page.

Happy Scribbling

Three out of Five

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to ensure that I have at least three of the five senses in every scene. In my current reworking of my fantasy novel I am trying hard to ensure I have that.

Why not all five?

There are several reasons for this. It may be that it’s too much, or they just aren’t needed. But you will need at least three to ensure your reader is there with you. It provides a better picture (so to speak) of the scene and what the character is experiencing.

They don’t have to be over the top references either. Sometimes it is the smallest detail that will tell far more about a character and the situation that over describing the scene.

For example:

It was then that the light caught the slender wedding band on her old fingers. (sight)

It almost tickled as he ran his thumb along her jaw line. (touch)

The musty scent of the room as she opened the door was overpowering. (smell)

The constant tapping of the shutter would not let her sleep. (sound)

The strawberry was summer on her tongue. (taste)

Taste is one of the difficult ones that I find I can’t always put in. But putting at least three together you could get a real feel for a place, the interactions of those in it, and it enriches the story. That is where I am now, trying to enrich my story. Trying to give more to the bones of the skeleton I have and hopefully pull my readers into the same place I have in my head, watching the same people I am.

There are some great writers out there who are able to do this really well; much better than I can. But with practice and reading of those great writers then one day I may get close.

Happy Scribbling.

Happy New Year

Another year starts and my main concern is that it is going to disappear as quickly as the last one and there is so much that I want to get done. I am still happy with the writing goals I have set for this year. I am hoping that I haven’t set too much but I know where my priorities are so I can adjust if I need to. I have also taken into account my other goals and commitments.

The last few weeks have been productive, despite the holiday period. I have been trialling some writing software Scrivener. I came across this by accident and it is now available for Windows users. I am playing with it at the moment to see if will work for me, but so far so good. There are a lot of software programs for writers out there but I’m not going to go into them now.

My read through of my fantasy novel is done. There are definite holes and gaps but I'm sure that I can fix them, and I have developed the ending. But the main problem (and it is a first draft) is my lack of description. This is something that has been pointed out before and I’m not really aware of it until I reread my work. I think while pouring out the first draft I am just trying to get the story down. Although saying that some of it is not too bad at all. I even had a little cry in one scene so I’m hoping that means it will work for readers as well.

I have finally reworked my study, clearing out a lot of rubbish and finding alternative storage places for other bits. I have replaced the old table with two long desks and I have much more room. I just need to set up a note-board system and it’s done. Even the cat has her place on the desk.

It is finding the time to escape into it now that I need. Holiday mode means more relaxing time and my body is still repairing from a full year, there are also activities and outings with children and friends. I am still sleeping in a little too often but the drive is still there; that overwhelming urge to write.

Happy Scribbling

Merry Christmas

While I try to gather enough momentum to keep me travelling ‘til Christmas my mind has already wandered into next year. I started mapping out my writing goals for next year in October. Over the last week or so I have been reviewing how this year has gone, whether I can actually achieve anything further in the last little bit of this year and thinking about where I hope to be this time 2012.

I have found over the last few weeks that I have been getting progressively fatigued with every passing day. But then I haven’t had a proper holiday since Easter, so I think my body, and mind, are trying to tell me something. Then this past weekend my daughter was ill, really ill, vomit up the walls kind of ill, and before I knew it I had lost another two days (that does sound a little uncaring, but I wasn’t thinking of anything but her, until it was all over and I was washing vomit off everything).

So in the calm and quiet of my study this morning I really looked at my list for this year and thought about what wasn’t quite there yet and what I could do over the next two weeks. I can finish the novel I had hoped to read this month. My Masters work is actually travelling along well, and I’m not where I wanted to be with my fantasy draft but it’s not too far off.

I have ticked off some things this year which has been very rewarding and satisfying, not just for the tick (I love ticking things off lists) but because I have completed these huge tasks. Among them was completing a novel writing course, completing a novel (that should probably be first), and submitted to a publisher and been rejected (as every good writer should be on the first attempt; not sure I’m good but it gives me hope).

Now I am refining what I want to do next year and what I need to do to meet my long term goals. The list doesn’t look that long really, but they are big tasks and I’m still working full time so I want to be realistic but challenge myself a little at the same time.

In no particular order here are my writing goals for 2012:

·         Journal/blog twice a week (once a week has been going reasonably well; time to push it up a bit).

·         Prepare my current fantasy work for publication.

·         Continue the attempt to get novel number 1 published.

·         Write first draft of next manuscript – probably first in the trilogy; other ideas haunting me but trying to ignore them for the present.

·         Write every day (essential).

·         Read at least 12 novels (still a huge pile beside the bed; still avoiding bookshops in fear of buying more).

·         Create a folio of writing – this is a maybe, wouldn’t it be lovely goal; but if I don’t get the time it will drop off the list.

So I’m excited and keen; after I’ve had a little break. I am having holidays from my day job over January. This will mean some more me time, and some quality time with my daughter. I am also continuing my study over the holiday period. There are other non-writing goals I have for the coming year and others I have managed to tick off this list for this year and some not quite there; but I think 2011 has been one of my most productive years yet.

The main reason for this is that I finally decided that writing is what I want to do, no matter what else is happening in my life or what others say. And that I have made that dedication to it, that I write (almost) every day and even when it is hard I know it is what I love. Sitting and losing myself in a story for an hour or so a day is what makes me complete. I hope that one day I can do that more and more; to the point I can spend the day writing and not have to worry about the day job because the two will become one.

I am taking a little break from blogging over the Christmas period – I’ll be back the week after (twice if all goes well).

Have a joyous and safe Christmas and New Year. I hope your New Year resolutions are already well thought out and written down.

Happy Scribbling

First Draft Struggles

I have been struggling a little this week to continue with the drafting of my fantasy novel. It was going along well and I think improving with every scene. But the problem is I’m not sure how to end it. I am getting close to that point, very close. I know that my main character wins the day, defeats the bad guy and finds inner peace and happiness, well, kind of. But I’m not clear on how she wins the day or exactly how she defeats the bad guy. It is during battle, I’m building up to it, but I just can’t see her actually do it.

My frustration has halted all writing for this work. Sometimes I think that if I just sit down and start typing, when I get to that bit then it will come together. But as soon as I sit down I worry that it may not happen and I freeze up. Then the stress starts that I’m not meeting my word count and that I won’t have the draft finished when I want to. It’s a vicious cycle.

So I am trying to calmly think my way around this problem. Trying to focus on the ending is not helping so I have decided to leave it alone for a while. I know there are large gaps within the story to the point I have got to. Still thinking about it as a first draft I am going to go back to the beginning and read through the entire story so far as if I had finished the draft. I am hoping that this will help with my ending and will enrich the rest of the story. I will be able to mark out what is missing, what doesn’t work, ensure it is all in the same point of view and tense.

I did some experimenting as I went changing between first and third person – I preferred first but played with third – I’m settled on first person now. I also need to think about the tense. I had wanted to do something different and so had written in the present tense. This seemed to work for me, it gave the piece some urgency, helped the pace keep moving. As the character had come to this world from our known one, we could explore the world and its peoples and customs with her; as she discovered things so do we. I also played about a bit here and tried the past tense, it helped with some aspects but I lost others. A read through of the document as one story will help decide which way is working.

I can then spend some time adding to the gaps and by the end of that process have a clear first draft. I can then start with confidence and clearer image of the overall story on the second draft. I like to draft several times. My first novel I reworked/edited 5 times. And I’m sure there is still work that can be done to it. It also sounds a bit messy when mapped out like that. Working back and forth, writing all over the place. But it seems to work for me.

Maybe with my planning for the trilogy my writing process may change somewhat too. Another experiment. If all goes to the current plan I hope to start writing the trilogy in February next year. In the meantime it is all about sorting out this fantasy mess.

Happy Scribbling.

Planning

I am very good at planning my time, well I’m reasonably good at it. I like to know what I have to do and by when I should have it done by. Recently I have been detailing my writing projects in a work plan, like I do my day job tasks. But when it comes to planning out a story I have never employed the same tools.

I may have mentioned that I’m not so good at planning novels. I just start to write from an idea and see what happens. My current work is following this process quite clearly. I just write and although I have an idea of what I would like to happen, I’m not sure where and how it is going to get there until the words are on the page.

I have been reading about different planning techniques and was struck by one so I am giving it a go for my next novel. I am hoping the story will cover three books and I have mapped out most of the main characters and some of the minor characters. I have recently given up the kitchen door to map this out on an old white board. This way I can add to it and not worry about having to rub it off...at least for a while.

The planning technique that I am trialling takes the main characters viewpoints that the story will follow, an idea of how long the work is to be and how long an average scene is. Then taking this, divide the total length by the length of a scene to work out roughly how many scenes I will need. Then decide which characters get the majority of scenes. For example, my story is about three sisters so I want at least half of the book to be from their point of view, the rest will be split up amongst minor characters.

Then using index cards, count out the number of scenes for each character required. Starting with the minor characters viewpoints write out a one sentence idea for a scene do this for the number of scenes you have. Then start mapping out the plot, moving the cards around to work out the right order for the story.

This idea was given as a quick way of plotting for when you’re in a hurry and a bit stuck. But so far it is actually helping me a lot. I only had the first scene in my head for this story, now I have an idea of characters and as I map out the workings of the world more and more characters are coming to me. I haven’t started to put down all the scenes yet but as I think of one interaction between characters, it leads to others and more ideas of what could happen.

I am looking forward to the playing stage, where I can move the cards around and work out how the story fits together. I even have a blank canvas in the study door (pictured) where I plan to stick the cards when they are filled out.

I have found in the past that my characters run away with their own ideas and as they start to develop they don’t always agree with me as to how they should behave or act. So although this series will be well mapped out before I actually start to write it, I am sure that it may not necessarily follow that path, or they may be some changes, or deviations. And I’m ok with that. That, for me, is the joy of writing fiction.

Happy Scribbling