Category: Writing

Of Course, There’s an App for That, But Does It Help?

I have a Surface tablet. I still use my iPad. I have an Android phone. I’m often confused which platform I am using.

My husband wanted to get me a great gift with the Surface (RT). I had the touch keyboard at first, but it annoyed me that I couldn’t type more than 40 wpm. I broke that barrier once, with great concentration and pounding my fingers into the thing. He switched the cover with the typing cover – about three times the thickness but it has actual keys. I love actual keys. At least I no longer have to worry about the keyboard slowing me down.

My Android phone also has the hidden keyboard, rather than the touch screen. One of my friends always questions how I can text her so fast, and that’s the reason.

I can’t let go of my iPad, though. The Surface was meant to replace it. I keeping seeing those commercials where the Surface beats the iPad. I’m sure that depends on how you use it. If I’m using social media, I pretty much want my iPad. When I update Facebook, Twitter, anything that ought to scroll – the Microsoft version dumps it all in on top, so you have to go down to read the new stuff, then go back to the top, then do it again. The iPad and Android versions all give you a break, then put them on top so you can scroll through them at will in the same direction. It seems like such a small thing, but it annoys me enough to reach for another device.

My phone won’t let me send direct messages on Twitter. No idea why. Just another quirk. I’m trying not to worry about it too much. My son is about to enter his terrible twos. My last phone didn’t survive my daughter through that age.

My WordPress app on the Surface won’t let me schedule posts in advance. I can save them as drafts, but I can only access them from the app. So if I happen to be away when I remember I can send it, it won’t let me. That’s enough to remind me to log into the site instead of using the app.

There are a few apps I use that don’t annoy me, but it seems like I often reach for the iPad when I’m home and scrolling through something.

Typing, however, is wonderful on the Surface. So every time I do 750words or respond to an email or participate with my writing community – that’s all on the Surface. It’s pretty handy to not have to visit my desktop in my office.

That always reminds me I need to clean my office.

For the update on my book progress: I have managed 30k+ on book 3. I think I’ve given up for now on trying to write the novel backwards. I kept going forward from that last plot point to fill in the things I had left out when I jumped. I also realized I knew exactly where this novel started. I had trouble figuring out where I was in the plot when I tried from the end forward. It was still worth the effort, and I’m not done with this book yet. About 40k to go this month.

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When the Writing Gets Tough

Once, not long ago, there were 100 days before NaNoWriMo started. Silly me, I thought, sure, I can double what I’m currently writing and crank out two novels before November, and then write this idea that is simply burning inside.

[Burning means all my “spare” notes and words are spent flopping around in this idea but I haven’t made much progress understanding it yet. It simply takes over my brain with SHINY when I am not concentrating elsewhere.]

There are 36 writing days remaining. I wrote the second book to be 65k words, and I am about 21k into the third book. If I estimated it right and I don’t quit writing, I ought to make the goal. Scary, but possible.

However, I don’t feel like the words are flowing for book 3. Book 2 dumped out in nearly the same fashion as book 1 did last November. But I am always reading things about how to improve, and I tried writing this thing backward. I had the end from last November anyway, 892 words of it, and I wrote what came before that, and what came before that, and then I wrote what came in the middle, then I tried to write what came before.

I’m still trying. It’s difficult to envision where this thing is going when I feel like I’m doing it wrong. I know it isn’t wrong, but it feels off. Sometimes I feel like the whole book is right there, but because of how I chose to write this one, it’s all wonky. Today I ended up writing what came after what I wrote yesterday, because I wasn’t sure how that would fit if I didn’t put that scene in. And tomorrow’s writing might come after today’s. Which means I’m writing forward again instead of backward.

I keep wondering that If it feels so wrong, I ought to change it up, find the beginning, and start from there – except for one thing: I’ve never been good at finding the exact beginning of the story. I write backstory, then cut it off and find where the ‘real’ beginning is in almost every novel I’ve ever written. So I’m sticking with this method for now.

What do you do when the words aren’t flowing? When you feel a bit lost within the overall structure of your novel? Do you always use the same method to attack each novel you undertake? How do you write?

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Writing Samples

Recently I was asked for a couple writing samples. Somehow this always becomes something of an info dump in my head. Questions: What do I send? What do I choose? Why didn’t I edit that other one into submission last week? How much time do I have? How much do I send?

Over the din in my head, I start sifting through the words. This one is too old. This one is too raw. This one is not indicative of my usual work.

Oh, but I like this one. But is it good enough? Nothing is above suspicion. I’ve started trying to uncover something that I might not remember so well. Part of me thinks it might be a great time to make notes about how to make these writings better. Sure, it’s published, but it could still improve. It could always improve.

I hope I find something that is good enough. More than that, I hope I can convince myself that it is the best of my work so far.

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Life is what happens —

When you’re busy making other plans. (quote attributed to John Lennon)

The point is to keep making plans, right? The point is to figure out your direction and take steps toward it no matter what life throws at you.

I’m an optimist. I’ve learned to live with that.

My plan is to write. My plan is to keep telling stories. I’m often asked or told that no one knows how I do what I do, write with little kids. I don’t know how to answer. I simply do it when I have a moment. It’s not like I can turn off the characters in my head.

I learn by rolling with the things that come my way. Sometimes it is just about writing down goals and sticking to them. I love lists. But it’s also about when something happens and I forget to write, don’t accomplish anything, or completely become overwhelmed – I don’t stop. I am not afraid to give myself a pass for a day (or more) and try again tomorrow.

Then again, I’ve also been labeled as motivated, driven, determined, ambitious. I’m not sure any of us knows what we can accomplish until we make the attempt.

What have you attempted? What do you do to keep yourself motivated? I bet no one told the rocks they couldn’t stay there.

Garden of the Gods, CO
Garden of the Gods, CO

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Need a Break

And sometimes it is good to allow that. There’s a lot going on outside my writing life, and sometimes the writing goals are the ones that need to give. It’s been 41 days of my 1500 words per day writing goal. The last three in a row I haven’t made it. However, my work-in-progress is at 64k words. It’s nearly done, and I promised myself to sketch out the remaining scenes today. Should push me over 65k, and I can live with that.

Preschool begins today. Different activities for my daughter also begin this week. I traveled over the holiday weekend, and we had fun.

But I also remember it is 58 more days (including today) until NaNoWriMo begins. And I want to write another novel in that time, probably at the same pace I wrote this one. Even if I get it to the point I have drafted Book 2, Book 3 will be in decent shape for rewrites. My outline for Book 3 is stronger than Book 2’s was before writing. I think I can give myself a few days – at least until after the weekend – until I start the next book.

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I Need More Fences in this Blog

Fences, you ask? I’ll get to it.Next week, preschool begins. It will be September, and it’s also a new session for my daughter’s activities. I’m looking forward to a new routine, though it always takes a little bit to figure out how to get everywhere at the right time.

I know a few moms who changed the sleep schedule so kids get up earlier, but my kids slept in the past two days and I’m enjoying that. In my house, sleeping in is defined as me staying in bed until 7 am.

Last night, I spent an hour catching up on social media, changing a few passwords, and adding a picture where it needed an update. The picture was the tricky part, because for some reason there aren’t that many pictures of me that I want to share. Most of them are old. Many of them have only my daughter. And it’s very rare these days for someone to take just my picture. It’s always with one or both of the kids.

My project is going well with 1500 words a day. Have 54,743 words and expect to spend less than two more weeks on Book 2 before moving to Book 3. The trick will be to find the writing time with the new schedule.

If I can wear my daughter out enough to nap, I could get some good writing time in. If I can focus, I can also get some editing time in when the kids go to bed. If I can find some quiet time, I can blog and catch up on social media, too. There are a lot of ‘if’s involved, but I think it’s worth doing, and I’ll find the time somewhere.

I even find time to read, because that’s the best way to get my brain to relax to sleep. I want to curse the authors who keep me awake past bedtime to finish one more chapter as much as I hope my readers feel the same about my work someday. At least if I read, I’m much less likely to be remembering new thoughts for the work-in-progress an hour after the lights are out, tapping them into Evernote in my phone.

But back to the pictures. I think I put too much thought into pictures. What should I use to describe editing? Writing? Some other activity? Do I put something else in as visual interest?

Visual interest reminds me of art class in high school. My teacher always had us trying new things, even though our artistic vision might differ. Once, a friend had a painting of a snowman, with skaters on a lake, and a few trees dotted around. The teacher said she needed a fence. It was supposed to draw the eye around the painting. After that, whenever we finished anything – we always joked that you needed a fence in it. I thought of that last night when I read about adding images to posts in Google+. It’s just something to draw in the eyes when you’re trying to get them to read your text.

So here’s my fence:

Fence around Flamingos at Sacramento Zoo
Fence around Flamingos at Sacramento Zoo
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Habits and Goals

This is Day 29 of my challenge to write 1500 words a day
until I finish books 2 and 3 of my trilogy. I’ve failed to meet the goal three
times. I’ve exceeded it a few times, too, which leaves me with a goal of 43.5k
words by the end of today. I’m sitting at 44,884. (I began before the first day with 894. Right on target!)

I often read about goals and habits. Writing has become a
habit for me. A habit I have cultivated deliberately. It takes 28 days to form
a new habit. I’m still not sure what it takes to break an old habit.

Habits are something you get accustomed to doing. It isn’t
about whether the action is good or bad – it is simply what you do in a given
situation. So the habit becomes sitting in a chair and letting the words pour
out onto the paper. I’m practicing to do this every day. It isn’t about good
words or bad words. I know I can edit it later.

Editing is another skill I am cultivating. It is far from a
habit, but I’m progressing.

A goal is something different. Something mindful. Something
you choose to do. Goals are set with the intention to create something, bring
something into your existence, accomplish something. I read about SMART goals,
and it always reminds me of Michelle Tuesday talking about how “more” is a
horrible goal word. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,
Timely.

SMART goals are where many of us fail in our resolutions. We
say we want to write more, to lose weight, to do something vague but impressive
sounding. If you want to write my current goal in a SMART way: I will write
1500 words a day, every day, from July 24 to October 31.
This nets me 150,000 words on one project: the two sequels for The Next Jane.
This goal isn’t impossible for me, because I had been writing at least 750
words a day, and I know in times of NaNo I can write a lot more than that. I
can measure this, and I have a time frame that I want to do it. Keeping that pace for 100 days, though, is a bit exhausting.

If that were my only goal, I’d finish it every day. However,
my time limits me to only certain times of day to write.

I’ve seen people write that the only thing you get good at doing with your 750 words a day (from the Morning Pages) is writing 750 words. I know that pushing myself to double that is pushing, but I’m gaining coherence through projects by getting them out in a short period of time. It might be my habit to sit down and write 750 words at a time. But if I plan around that, I create short bursts of story. They coincide with my outline. Later, I wave them together.

Some habits can be put into line with goals to create progress. What are you doing to reach your goals?

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New Writer’s Group

It’s always exciting to find a new one, and this week I managed to attend. I always start out a little aflutter because there are so many ways it can go. What do I take to read? What do I wear? [Yes, I tend to be silly that way.]

But however many groups you’ve been to before, they’re always a little different. I’ve tried to form a few online, to varied degrees of success. I’ve spent time in groups in person in three different cities, and each of them had a personality of their own. I’ve made friends and sparked debates and learned something from every group I’ve attended.

I try to think about what I want out of a group, and what I’m willing to give to them, before I go. While I’d love to trade novels, I haven’t yet been part of a group that was able to listen to an entire novel – I’ve traded those with some writer friends online with good results.

The group Monday does an exercise to warm up, and then they share. I’m not sure it’s a long enough meeting for all of that, but it’s a new group, new people together, and I’m interested to see how it evolves. And it seems they might switch off to do different exercises. It’s almost enough to make me run out and go research different things in that vein.

However, I’m being good and focusing on my WIP. Current word count is 24,181 (97 pages). There are 85 more writing days until NaNo.

What I did decide to take to the writing group next time is information about goals. We talked about writing goals, mentioned NaNoWriMo, and current projects. More than one expressed they wanted to be able to do NaNo successfully (50k words in 30 days). My first NaNo in 2007 was just over 50k, but I didn’t finish the project. Since then, I’ve been working to stay focused and actually finish a project during the month, which I did last year (76k words). I’ve also been writing 155 days in a row today, at least 750 words each day.

And I might take the opportunity to blog about how to do all of that, next week.

I’m most excited about this group being an outlet to discuss writing, the mechanics or the exercises or the WIPs from the members. They’re nice.

What do you look for in a writer’s group? What would you want if you were in a new one from (almost) the very beginning? Do you think ahead of time about what you will take from and what you will give to the group? What would you not want from a writer’s group?

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Forward Progress

The goal is 1500 words a day to get 150,000 words between two novels before November 1st. It’s also to get a first pass through the rough draft of book one.

 

So far, I have gone through the first chapter of the first book. It’s more cohesive and has notes in a few places to add, subtract, whatever. I’ve read through the second chapter, and I think I’ve figured out where to start to get to where I want to be.

 

The second book passed 12,000 words last night. Only one day I did not reach the 1500 words, and if I had stopped exactly at the goal I’d be at 10,500 words. It’s only been a week, but I’m starting to feel the momentum carry me further. It’s easier and easier to open the work-in-progress and jump in with my characters.

 

One of my hardest parts about staying focused through the end of the editing is the ‘ooh, shiny!’ factor. I want to write something else. Right now I’m thinking about machines. I have a couple ideas about how that could go (and yes, I do write them down), but I’m making myself wait for that until November. That will be my NaNoWriMo treat – to be able to start on something completely new. Then I’ll be able to finish the editing during December.

 

And yes, I’ll also be deciding how to shop out the novel I just finished. Do you ever wonder how much you can do in a day? I do. Every day. And I keep pushing myself to do more.

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Trilogy

When I was young and reading every spare moment, it seemed like everything in the speculative fiction section was a trilogy. Some of them became more than trilogies as the subsequent novels refused to wrap up the story.

I always wanted to be the one who had novels on the shelves like the ones I read. They were all in bookstores then as I browsed for something new to devour. The first trilogy I had planned was created while I was in high school. All the characters were named, pieces of the plot are still in my computer, and nothing ever came of it.

Yesterday I started Book 2 of a trilogy. It’s a real trilogy, I guess, in the way that it will be written. It will be edited, and as much as I can possibly manage, it will be professionally published.  On the bright side, if I average 1500 words a day, I can finish the rough drafts of both sequels by NaNoWriMo.

That would be good, because I already have a few ideas for November’s writing marathon. One hundred writing days to NaNo! (I haven’t written yet today.)

One of my friends told me that it was better to think in a series type capacity anyway, especially due to the amount of work it took to build these worlds in speculative fiction.

All I can say is I’m really excited about this adventure. I am finally writing a series.

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