It’s true, the oft repeated wisdom that sometimes you just have to put the darn thing away for a while. I was discussing with a writer friend of mine the other day how solutions seem to magically ferment while the manuscript is stuck away in a drawer. Somehow, there’s a weird chemical reaction that occurs, linking The Untouchable Drawer to the author’s brain. It brews up answers to puzzling dilemmas and makes glaring errors we couldn’t see for being too close to the work, visible.
Last spring, I started my western/whatever-it-is novel with a character that I really enjoyed: Jimmy Donovan. A charming but irresponsible rogue, he was going to be one of the primary POV characters in the story and in fact, started the story off and running. Before too long, I was actively looking for something for him to do in order to justify his presence in the story, because I liked him. A lot.
Nada is what I kept coming up with. Well, I’ll just write around him and his “stuff” for a while, as long as I’m writing in random scenes anyway, I said. So I did.
Over the winter, I put my MS in the drawer for reasons that had more to do with pouting than authorial wisdom, but there was this surprising benefit: When I took it out again and looked it over, I – just like that [envision fingers snapping here] – decided to get rid of Jimmy Donovan. Piece of cake.
The emotional distance I gained from sticking him in the drawer for months allowed me to see the “obvious” solution: Dispose of a character who wasn’t adding anything of substance to the story.
Later still, I decided that, rather than get rid of him entirely, I would just reduce him to a reference, where Kit receives a Dear John from him at the outset of the story. He becomes then, just one more piece of her terrible, rotten, hideously bad day.
Now, if I choose to write the second and third books of the series I have in mind (assuming I WILL one day finish this first one!), he will appear in one of them. I still like the guy, after all. He’s got possibilities. He’s just not necessary to the current story, so out he goes.
I have a hunch that something better is going to come of Jimmy Donovan, once he’s had the chance to ferment in that drawer for another year or so. ;)
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Work, Work, Work
Okay, I haven't set any specific goals for the last few days but I have been working. (My goal for the month was 15,000 words, and I think I'm about there now.) I've got the first draft of the final chapter of the western underway. No, this doesn't mean I'm done with the first draft of the book, since I'm not writing it in order, but I know enough of the other events in the story now that the final chapter can be written - at least roughly.
I suppose I could have written the final chapter first, considering that I've known from the beginning what the ending was going to be. But, I've been writing scenes and chapters as the spirit moved me, and just lately, it's moved me to the finale.
***
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Started the final chapter of the western.
Today's Target:
Continue roughing out the final chapter.
On the Percolator:
What happens next at the riverside in fantasy?
I suppose I could have written the final chapter first, considering that I've known from the beginning what the ending was going to be. But, I've been writing scenes and chapters as the spirit moved me, and just lately, it's moved me to the finale.
***
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Started the final chapter of the western.
Today's Target:
Continue roughing out the final chapter.
On the Percolator:
What happens next at the riverside in fantasy?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Blowing It or Blowing It Off
It's all about attitude.
Myself, if I have a day where I don't do squat, I call it blowing it off. 'Blowing it' has too much of self-flagellation about it and, as good as I can be about guilting myself, there is such a thing as going too far. No sense in beating myself up for being human.
And, as one might just guess...I blew off writing yesterday (other than updating the blog).
Back on the horse today, though.
Giddyup!
***
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Er, see above.
Today's Target:
1000 words of MS for western. (And not getting so involved I forget to go to my dentist appointment.)
On the Percolator:
1000 words of MS for western.
Myself, if I have a day where I don't do squat, I call it blowing it off. 'Blowing it' has too much of self-flagellation about it and, as good as I can be about guilting myself, there is such a thing as going too far. No sense in beating myself up for being human.
And, as one might just guess...I blew off writing yesterday (other than updating the blog).
Back on the horse today, though.
Giddyup!
***
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Er, see above.
Today's Target:
1000 words of MS for western. (And not getting so involved I forget to go to my dentist appointment.)
On the Percolator:
1000 words of MS for western.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
This 'n That
My, my, time is flying. Before I know it, summer will be gone and I’ll be back to my day job – my paying job, more to the point. Boo hoo. Well, I suppose it’s a necessary evil*. Certainly right about now it’s seeming more necessary than evil. Being broke sucks, that’s for sure.
* Not really evil, however. I actually like my job. Love working with kids and with computers, and that’s almost all of what the job is, so I have no complaints (except the fact that I’m not independently wealthy without having to work at all).
I’ve finished the SFD (emphasis on S) of the funeral chapter in the western! Thank you, Lord! It definitely needs a red pen and a lot of filling-in, but I have the essence of it down at least. Onward!
Today’s brainstorm was headpieces that Kailia’s people wear in the fantasy story. Don’t ask me where it came from, other than the need to keep their hair out of their faces, but they’re fairly intricate, involving status and clan indicators as well as serving a practical purpose.
In the fantasy, Grayce has been introduced and has just discovered some of Kailia’s specialness. We left him with his mouth gaping. Hope he doesn’t catch any flies.
* * *
TRACKING…
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Finished the first draft of the funeral chapter. Yahoo! Did a little ordering of the chapters.
Today's Target:
500 words on the farewell chapter in western; journaling.
On the Percolator:
Kailia's Big Thing again...
* Not really evil, however. I actually like my job. Love working with kids and with computers, and that’s almost all of what the job is, so I have no complaints (except the fact that I’m not independently wealthy without having to work at all).
I’ve finished the SFD (emphasis on S) of the funeral chapter in the western! Thank you, Lord! It definitely needs a red pen and a lot of filling-in, but I have the essence of it down at least. Onward!
Today’s brainstorm was headpieces that Kailia’s people wear in the fantasy story. Don’t ask me where it came from, other than the need to keep their hair out of their faces, but they’re fairly intricate, involving status and clan indicators as well as serving a practical purpose.
In the fantasy, Grayce has been introduced and has just discovered some of Kailia’s specialness. We left him with his mouth gaping. Hope he doesn’t catch any flies.
* * *
TRACKING…
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Finished the first draft of the funeral chapter. Yahoo! Did a little ordering of the chapters.
Today's Target:
500 words on the farewell chapter in western; journaling.
On the Percolator:
Kailia's Big Thing again...
Monday, July 17, 2006
Zilch Day
Yesterday was a bit of a zilch as far as writing goes. And in case you’re equating “zilch” with “zero”…well you wouldn’t be far off, but that’s not the kind of zilch I mean.
I expect there are very few who’ve ever experienced a zilch (made up – as far as I know – by DH’s high school crew, back in the day…), so let me ‘splain ya.
Ground rules:
No. 1 You can only make one when you’re camping and
A) Bored silly, and
B) Have exhausted all other forms of entertainment
No. 2 It has to be night time (totally misses the point and visuals, done by daylight)
No. 3 You must follow safety procedures.
[deleted]
Well, after writing up the explanation, and then discussing with myself the wisdom of putting the directions for zilch-making out on the ‘net (yeah, even if I am the only one reading my blog…) I decided not to since I’d hate to think some kid followed the “recipe” and burned him or herself, or set a forest on fire. So, I guess I’m not ‘splainin’ ya. But I will say that it’s something of a pyrotechnic marvel, a unique phenomenon that includes the cartoon-esque sound of a downward spiral.
And that, the sound of a downward spiral, was pretty much what would accompany my writing efforts yesterday. (Long way around the block on that one, eh?) I sat down – several times, in fact – put my fingers on the keyboard, and began to write. So I did do some writing.
Unfortunately, what little came out on each attempt was more or less tripe and drivel. I’m hoping it was the heat and the incipient migraine (which has been hovering, thinking about blowing up for three days). It was above 90 again all day yesterday and as a rule, I start wilting in the 80s, puking in the 90s. Not a big fan of hot, humid weather.
So, some days you’ve got it, and some days you don’t. And you move on.
* * *
TRACKING…
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
I sat myself in the chair and wrote a couple of paragraphs for the funeral scene. Did personal journaling. No blog update. (The day before, I wrote more than 700 words of a new scene and the 300 I was shooting for in the funeral scene.)
Today's Target:
Finish the blasted funeral scene and move on, already! Journaling.
On the percolator:
Same old same old. But I know more about Kailia's life than I did yesterday.
I expect there are very few who’ve ever experienced a zilch (made up – as far as I know – by DH’s high school crew, back in the day…), so let me ‘splain ya.
Ground rules:
No. 1 You can only make one when you’re camping and
A) Bored silly, and
B) Have exhausted all other forms of entertainment
No. 2 It has to be night time (totally misses the point and visuals, done by daylight)
No. 3 You must follow safety procedures.
[deleted]
Well, after writing up the explanation, and then discussing with myself the wisdom of putting the directions for zilch-making out on the ‘net (yeah, even if I am the only one reading my blog…) I decided not to since I’d hate to think some kid followed the “recipe” and burned him or herself, or set a forest on fire. So, I guess I’m not ‘splainin’ ya. But I will say that it’s something of a pyrotechnic marvel, a unique phenomenon that includes the cartoon-esque sound of a downward spiral.
And that, the sound of a downward spiral, was pretty much what would accompany my writing efforts yesterday. (Long way around the block on that one, eh?) I sat down – several times, in fact – put my fingers on the keyboard, and began to write. So I did do some writing.
Unfortunately, what little came out on each attempt was more or less tripe and drivel. I’m hoping it was the heat and the incipient migraine (which has been hovering, thinking about blowing up for three days). It was above 90 again all day yesterday and as a rule, I start wilting in the 80s, puking in the 90s. Not a big fan of hot, humid weather.
So, some days you’ve got it, and some days you don’t. And you move on.
* * *
TRACKING…
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
I sat myself in the chair and wrote a couple of paragraphs for the funeral scene. Did personal journaling. No blog update. (The day before, I wrote more than 700 words of a new scene and the 300 I was shooting for in the funeral scene.)
Today's Target:
Finish the blasted funeral scene and move on, already! Journaling.
On the percolator:
Same old same old. But I know more about Kailia's life than I did yesterday.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Goal Setting and Desire
Finally, I am getting it. (No, not that! Well, that too, but we're talking goals here, k?)
For most of my life, I've heard, "You've got to set goals blah, blah, blah." Well, I’ve learned that I can set goals until the cows come home, jump over the moon, and come home again, and still never accomplish X, Y, or Z. Unless I want to.
"They" say that, in order to be successful, goals must be attainable, realistic, and manageable. True enough. But they seem to have forgotten to add “desirable” to the list.
I don’t know about others, but I have to really care about accomplishing a goal in order to make it happen. Perhaps I'm just a slacker at heart, but frankly, I can barely work up a tepid "I suppose I aughtta..." over goals for household projects. With writing goals, however, I get something more like an Austin Powers "Yeah, baby!" kick from my subconscious, and so, keep at it. For me at least, desire matters more than anything else in accomplishing a goal (more than anything, once you’ve *set* a goal, that is).
When you have the desire to complete the task, goals are a great thing. They're what get you from F or G (where mere enthusiasm and adrenaline may fade away) to Z! I know this now, because I'm getting there. I’m making better progress in my writing than I ever have in other projects where I’ve tried goal-setting. As a bonus, I’ve developed the ability to persist through “ugly” patches in my writing, rather than starting something new as a method of avoidance.
Now, if I could only inject some of that writing bug into my anemic desire to organize the garage…
Many thanks indeed to Lauri, Cindy, and Ramon in the CS Books & Writers Community for the enlightenment and encouragement. ;)
***
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Hit the target – just over 300 new words for the funeral scene. Did the journaling including a writing exercise. (Thanks to Prill for the link.)
Today's Target:
Finish the funeral scene - get events in better order and flesh it out more; aiming for around another 300 words. More journaling.
On the percolator:
Same as yesterday...What is Kailia's Big Thing going to be?
For most of my life, I've heard, "You've got to set goals blah, blah, blah." Well, I’ve learned that I can set goals until the cows come home, jump over the moon, and come home again, and still never accomplish X, Y, or Z. Unless I want to.
"They" say that, in order to be successful, goals must be attainable, realistic, and manageable. True enough. But they seem to have forgotten to add “desirable” to the list.
I don’t know about others, but I have to really care about accomplishing a goal in order to make it happen. Perhaps I'm just a slacker at heart, but frankly, I can barely work up a tepid "I suppose I aughtta..." over goals for household projects. With writing goals, however, I get something more like an Austin Powers "Yeah, baby!" kick from my subconscious, and so, keep at it. For me at least, desire matters more than anything else in accomplishing a goal (more than anything, once you’ve *set* a goal, that is).
When you have the desire to complete the task, goals are a great thing. They're what get you from F or G (where mere enthusiasm and adrenaline may fade away) to Z! I know this now, because I'm getting there. I’m making better progress in my writing than I ever have in other projects where I’ve tried goal-setting. As a bonus, I’ve developed the ability to persist through “ugly” patches in my writing, rather than starting something new as a method of avoidance.
Now, if I could only inject some of that writing bug into my anemic desire to organize the garage…
Many thanks indeed to Lauri, Cindy, and Ramon in the CS Books & Writers Community for the enlightenment and encouragement. ;)
***
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment:
Hit the target – just over 300 new words for the funeral scene. Did the journaling including a writing exercise. (Thanks to Prill for the link.)
Today's Target:
Finish the funeral scene - get events in better order and flesh it out more; aiming for around another 300 words. More journaling.
On the percolator:
Same as yesterday...What is Kailia's Big Thing going to be?
Friday, July 14, 2006
The Fiend Named Should
Spoke with Vicki C. last night (dear friend, wise woman, artist and soap-maker extraordinaire). She is such a great advocate for my writing. When I started in with, “I should be doing such and so…” she stopped me right away and said “Enough with the shoulds!” or something to that effect.
Though I do seem to need reminding from time to time, I know as well as she the evil that lurks in that word. Should. It’s one of the great joy-killers of life, skulking about in the shadows, just waiting to attack for the moment I start indulging in something that not only gives me great pleasure, but could conceivably lead to a dab of income – or maybe even a bunch of it – in the fullness of time. (Ever the optimist, I!)
The fiend named “Should” belongs in a weighted and chained trunk in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. The disaster areas that are my office, garage and basement will be there – after I’m done writing – and one more day (or week or month or year) of inadequate attention to them won’t make a bit of difference in the evolution of my life. Inattention to my writing, however, will.
* * *
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment: Named the main characters' horses in the Western I'm working on. Silly, but it needed to be done. Also got in another snippet of the funeral scene - bleah. It's dragging horribly.
Today's Target: Continue working on funeral scene in Western (shooting for at least 300 words). Personal journaling. Update blog. (Check.)
On the percolator: What is The Big Thing Kailia must do/find/save in the fantasy novel?
Though I do seem to need reminding from time to time, I know as well as she the evil that lurks in that word. Should. It’s one of the great joy-killers of life, skulking about in the shadows, just waiting to attack for the moment I start indulging in something that not only gives me great pleasure, but could conceivably lead to a dab of income – or maybe even a bunch of it – in the fullness of time. (Ever the optimist, I!)
The fiend named “Should” belongs in a weighted and chained trunk in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. The disaster areas that are my office, garage and basement will be there – after I’m done writing – and one more day (or week or month or year) of inadequate attention to them won’t make a bit of difference in the evolution of my life. Inattention to my writing, however, will.
* * *
TRACKING...
Yesterday's Big Accomplishment: Named the main characters' horses in the Western I'm working on. Silly, but it needed to be done. Also got in another snippet of the funeral scene - bleah. It's dragging horribly.
Today's Target: Continue working on funeral scene in Western (shooting for at least 300 words). Personal journaling. Update blog. (Check.)
On the percolator: What is The Big Thing Kailia must do/find/save in the fantasy novel?
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Confessions of an Apple Polisher
I confess. I am a writer, supposed to be creative, and still I "borrowed" a little for my blog name. It's from the first story I remember really identifying with while I was growing up: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, by James Thurbur. (The Mrs. refers to me, though, not Walter's Mrs.)
How could I help but identify with Walter? I have always been a daydreamer. One of Mom's few recurring bits of advice to me (however much I've ignored it - sorry Mom!) has been to "get your head out of the clouds".
It takes very little to set me off with a new story idea: dramatic music, an overheard conversation, spotting a person who seems out-of-place. (Ignoring new story ideas in order to stay on track with the one I'm currently working on is more my problem. After reading The Writer's Tale (Susan Adrian's blog) today, I begin to understand this is not an uncommon problem among writing types.)
So, back to the borrowing thing... I was going to feel a little guilty about "borrowing" (those 12 years of Catholic education weren't all for naught) but then after reading the Wikipedia entry about The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I decided not to. After all, if a little judicious borrowing was (perhaps) good enough for James Thurbur, it's good enough for me.
How could I help but identify with Walter? I have always been a daydreamer. One of Mom's few recurring bits of advice to me (however much I've ignored it - sorry Mom!) has been to "get your head out of the clouds".
It takes very little to set me off with a new story idea: dramatic music, an overheard conversation, spotting a person who seems out-of-place. (Ignoring new story ideas in order to stay on track with the one I'm currently working on is more my problem. After reading The Writer's Tale (Susan Adrian's blog) today, I begin to understand this is not an uncommon problem among writing types.)
So, back to the borrowing thing... I was going to feel a little guilty about "borrowing" (those 12 years of Catholic education weren't all for naught) but then after reading the Wikipedia entry about The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I decided not to. After all, if a little judicious borrowing was (perhaps) good enough for James Thurbur, it's good enough for me.
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