I had an epiphany last week. I have spent so much time over the last few months agonizing over writing a bunch of "new" stories that I completely overlooked something. A couple of things actually: the two novels I wrote for National Novel Writing Month. Here I have been bashing my head against a wall tearing apart a more recent 20,000 word manuscript, when all the while I had two hidden treasures hiding on a jump drive at the bottom of my purse.
I think I shied away from these two stories because they were (from what I remembered) awkward and clunky. I wrote them in a frenzy, just pounding out the required 1667 words a day word count. Anyone who has done NaNoWriMo knows you don't have time to go back and read passages in the midst of the chaos. In fact, I NEVER read my second novel start to finish once I reached 50,000 words. I saved it and fell over in exhaustion. The poor thing didn't even have an ending because I got stumped right as I crossed the 50,000 word finish line.
But in my "Eureka" moment, I decided I had been too hard on my poor little stories. I could take them out, dust them off, and see if there was something there. Maybe with a little spit and polish, I'd find a couple of gems. You know what I found? They actually weren't that bad. Even with some awkward transitions, holey plot twists, and undeveloped characters there was a foundation there that I can work with and build on. What a relief! I CAN do this novel writing thing, and with more practice I even think I can do it well.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Fly on the Wall
I've spent the better part of the last 3 weeks or so immersing myself in learning about the tips, tricks, resources and networks out there for writers. There is so much that I am usually overwhelmed on a daily basis. My work-life balance is terribly out of whack, especially as it is supposed to be work (day job)-work (writing)- life balance that I am trying to achieve.
I have hunkered down you could say. I'm in student mode trying to feel out different paths that make sense. My Twitterverse is getting a little bit bigger everyday as I find new people to follow, and I've managed a small following of my own (51! Woot!). I inevitably feel like I need to say something clever if I'm posting an original tweet, so have found a level of comfort retweeting other things that I find interesting.
I joined She Writes because I thought the premise was cool, and I was looking to expand my network. (Most of the women tweet as well.) I love the idea of swapping ideas and tricks of the trade with other women. It feels very empowering.
I listened in on a radio interview with Windy Lynn Harris (@WindyLynnHarris on Twitter), an AZ based freelance writer, who gave some great advice on how to find different avenues to market your work. That lead me to start researching contests and other smaller venues which I had not thought to target.
So I'm digging the fly on the wall mentality for now, and soaking it all in. I am confident that soon I'm going to start making some sense of all of this wisdom, and that's when I'll really hit my stride.
I have hunkered down you could say. I'm in student mode trying to feel out different paths that make sense. My Twitterverse is getting a little bit bigger everyday as I find new people to follow, and I've managed a small following of my own (51! Woot!). I inevitably feel like I need to say something clever if I'm posting an original tweet, so have found a level of comfort retweeting other things that I find interesting.
I joined She Writes because I thought the premise was cool, and I was looking to expand my network. (Most of the women tweet as well.) I love the idea of swapping ideas and tricks of the trade with other women. It feels very empowering.
I listened in on a radio interview with Windy Lynn Harris (@WindyLynnHarris on Twitter), an AZ based freelance writer, who gave some great advice on how to find different avenues to market your work. That lead me to start researching contests and other smaller venues which I had not thought to target.
So I'm digging the fly on the wall mentality for now, and soaking it all in. I am confident that soon I'm going to start making some sense of all of this wisdom, and that's when I'll really hit my stride.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Practice until you are done, and then Practice some more
We took the kids to see the Cirque de Soleil show Kooza today. This is my 4th Cirque show, and I enjoy myself every time. There are certain elements that I can always count on. There will be crazy clowns that ensure audience participation. There will be amazing acts of physical prowess and stamina. And unless I read the plot ahead of time, I will have no idea what is actually going on with the story.
That is a great thing about Cirque shows. The storyline is always present, and is deep and thoughtful, intended to evoke our emotional side. But the action within show keeps you entertained for 2 hours even when you have no idea what's going on. You can catch the occasional glimpse, and you can get the general gist of things. There is a beginning, middle, and end that doesn't require any guesswork.
What blows my mind when I sit in the audience is the physical and mental stamina of the performers. The contortionists, the jugglers, the trapeze artists all are flawless in the execution of their acts. As I watch them flip and flow about, I think about the hours of practice time they have put into their performance. They must absolutely love what they do, to do it over and over and over again, and then put it out on display for the world to see.
Sometimes, despite the best execution, you will see a slip or a miss. For all the practice and preparation, sometimes things just don't go along as planned. But the performers don't stop. They pick themselves up and the audience goes wild, because it seems as much as we love those amazing acts, we don't mind seeing that these performers are actually human after all. We all make mistakes right?
This near religious devotion required to be a performer for the great Cirque de Soleil organization is inpiring to me as a writer. A writer needs to practice their craft with the same level of motivation. Before something is ready for "showtime" it needs to be rewritten, edited, practiced. Even when it is ready, sometimes we still make mistakes. We are only human after all. But that should never stop us. We must continue to practice, because it is only through practice can we hope to achieve perfection.
That is a great thing about Cirque shows. The storyline is always present, and is deep and thoughtful, intended to evoke our emotional side. But the action within show keeps you entertained for 2 hours even when you have no idea what's going on. You can catch the occasional glimpse, and you can get the general gist of things. There is a beginning, middle, and end that doesn't require any guesswork.
What blows my mind when I sit in the audience is the physical and mental stamina of the performers. The contortionists, the jugglers, the trapeze artists all are flawless in the execution of their acts. As I watch them flip and flow about, I think about the hours of practice time they have put into their performance. They must absolutely love what they do, to do it over and over and over again, and then put it out on display for the world to see.
Sometimes, despite the best execution, you will see a slip or a miss. For all the practice and preparation, sometimes things just don't go along as planned. But the performers don't stop. They pick themselves up and the audience goes wild, because it seems as much as we love those amazing acts, we don't mind seeing that these performers are actually human after all. We all make mistakes right?
This near religious devotion required to be a performer for the great Cirque de Soleil organization is inpiring to me as a writer. A writer needs to practice their craft with the same level of motivation. Before something is ready for "showtime" it needs to be rewritten, edited, practiced. Even when it is ready, sometimes we still make mistakes. We are only human after all. But that should never stop us. We must continue to practice, because it is only through practice can we hope to achieve perfection.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Don't Take Yourself So Seriously
As I embark on a blog that has my REAL name attached to it (anxiously biting fingernails as we speak) this little bit of wisdom keeps going through my head. I need to chill out a bit and not take myself so seriously.
There is an inner joy and satisfaction that comes along with writing. That character in your head speaks to you, and you catch it all and put it down. Hopefully what he/she tells me assembles itself into some kind of coherent story, and with some editing and tweaking you are ready to share that story with others.
Where I get stuck is when I stop writing for me, and spend too much time thinking about what other people are going to think about it. Then the angst begins, and pretty soon I have procrastinated right out of writing anything at all. Writer's fear. I think anyone who writes has felt it. But what I have to keep reminding myself is that if I am writing for me, and other people happen to like it too- well that is a great bonus!
I notice when I start trying to write for others, my writing become stiff and lifeless. I get bored with it. There is nothing in it that makes me want to stay and read or write more. And if I don't want to read what I wrote, why would anyone else?
So I'm working on loosening up. Going with the flow. Finding the pleasure in writing and just hanging out with those mysterious characters flying around in my head. I hope that something magical happens, but if it doesn't, well at least I had fun creating it and I can be proud of it.
There is an inner joy and satisfaction that comes along with writing. That character in your head speaks to you, and you catch it all and put it down. Hopefully what he/she tells me assembles itself into some kind of coherent story, and with some editing and tweaking you are ready to share that story with others.
Where I get stuck is when I stop writing for me, and spend too much time thinking about what other people are going to think about it. Then the angst begins, and pretty soon I have procrastinated right out of writing anything at all. Writer's fear. I think anyone who writes has felt it. But what I have to keep reminding myself is that if I am writing for me, and other people happen to like it too- well that is a great bonus!
I notice when I start trying to write for others, my writing become stiff and lifeless. I get bored with it. There is nothing in it that makes me want to stay and read or write more. And if I don't want to read what I wrote, why would anyone else?
So I'm working on loosening up. Going with the flow. Finding the pleasure in writing and just hanging out with those mysterious characters flying around in my head. I hope that something magical happens, but if it doesn't, well at least I had fun creating it and I can be proud of it.
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