Return to Writing: Twelve Ways to Get Back on Track

The last few weeks have seen me getting back into writing full-time again, hence my long blog hiatus. And with writing comes, of course, editing and revising, and then revising again, and well, you know how it goes. An endless cycle of chop, change, doubt, re-organization, and finally having to say, "That's it! This book is FINISHED. No more edits until a copy editor tells me what to do." 

It wasn't easy to settle back into a writing routine. Most days I just wanted to go through my photos from Taiwan and play with watercolors. Fun ways to make the hours fly, but nothing that was going to get my WIP ready for a potential agent or publisher.

In order to instill some discipline into my writing life, I desperately needed to remind myself of all the things I've ever taught and encouraged my own writing students to do. (Sometimes you have to be your own teacher!) 

Grabbing a new dry erase board and pen, I made myself a flow chart listing the top 12 ways to get me and my manuscript back into the writing zone. Here's what I came up with:

1. Focus. Boy, did I need this one. After Taiwan, my mind was a mess: I wanted to work on my novel, only to then want to write poetry, or work on a screenplay, or hey, what about that Young Adult thing in my filing cabinet, or no, a picture book might be even better. . . .  After several false starts, I knew this had to stop. I had to narrow my vision, forget about the other projects (they're all lined up in boxes ready to be tackled one at a time), and concentrate solely on the most important manuscript, the one I was working on before I went on my trip. That's it. Just one manuscript at a time.
2. Mindfulness. Because I so desperately wanted that manuscript finished, I started to slash words, sentences, and paragraphs without thinking about how much work had gone into creating them. It seemed easier to toss phrases and pages that were bothering me rather than try to improve or rewrite them. After several hours of draconian "ruthless revising" I went back and retrieved all those toss-outs, learning that it was far better to savor each unwanted word, sentence, and paragraph until I knew how I could either fix or use them elsewhere in the story to their advantage.
3. Brevity. That said, sometimes my choices were right. Less is better in a manuscript. Focusing with mindfulness, I looked for all the ways I could say what I wanted to say without having to say it twice or with too much description.
4. Let go. It was imperative that I let go of everything that was blocking my way forward or eating my time: unrealistic expectations that I could be finished in a few days (leading to speed-editing); unnecessary shopping trips; housework that was simply routine and not because the house was dirty; and especially social media sites, including, unfortunately, my blog. It was hard, but I got so much done. And I'm back now!
5. Ritual. For some people it's lighting a candle before they start work, or choosing a favorite pen. My writing ritual, at least for this current book, was to make myself a cup of jasmine green tea, go out of my office and upstairs to my breakfast nook, and read a Chinese poem (translated into English!) from The White Pony before I began freewriting or editing. It was a great system, and one I intend to continue with my next project.
6. Music. I've always loved the idea of writing to music, and have enjoyed doing so when I've been in workshops or seminars, but it's often something I forget to do on my own. Recently I bought a small portable radio that I can use in both my office and the breakfast nook (or anywhere else for that matter). I've found it very helpful to put on what I used to call "elevator" or "waiting for the dentist" music to calm me down and set the tone of my writing session. 
7. Magazine or artwork prompts. Using cut-out images from magazines, old books, and catalogs has always been my go-to story starter. Whether the pictures are of fashion models or reproductions of famous artworks, I couldn't live without my image library. For my current WIP I thought I had more than enough pictures to keep the story flowing, but I also realized many of the images had become somewhat stale--I had looked at them so often I had stopped seeing them. Starting a new collection solely for the last stage of the book seemed to revive all my interest in the story again, and gave me a fresh perspective on the older pictures when I paired them up with the new ones.
8. Meditation. I've never been a "good meditator" (whatever that means), having hopeless monkey mind and a tendency to squirm when I have to sit still without a book or a pen in my hand. That said, I have always appreciated the need to be quiet for a bit before I start my day or any creative work. The secret I've learned is to not set a time: "I will meditate for twenty minutes straight or else!" but just to give myself permission to stop and not be so busy-busy from the minute I get up or the second I sit down to write. Take a breath, take a minute, relax. Let go.
9. Choose a path/theme/genre/medium. My usual working style when starting anything new is to just let it happen. More times than not, genre or theme is something I choose for my work after my first draft. This time, though, and following through with #1: Focus, I decided to study and develop my genre/theme before I did anything else. It was a good decision--I found myself taking less side trips and getting right to the heart of my story a whole lot faster than in the past.
10. "How can I help?" It's nice to help other people, wonderful, in fact, but how often do we stop to help ourselves? I once read a quote that has always stayed with me about how the writer would never work for a boss as mean as she was to herself. Me neither--nothing but constant criticism, impossible deadlines, food and drink deprivation, and definitely no bathroom breaks allowed! When I'm writing, I can be horrible to myself. To break this tyranny, I wrote a "Letter to Me" asking what kind of help I needed to change the pattern. Some of my reply includes writing in 25-minute increments, followed by 15 minutes of anything non-writing related; rewarding myself with something special at the end of each day (can be as simple and inexpensive as a new library book); and making sure I put my writing, rather than the laundry, first.
11. Find a problem, brainstorm a solution. Halfway through my manuscript I realized I was being far too darn nice to my characters. I hated it when anything bad happened to them, so I'd hurriedly make it all better so they wouldn't suffer. Bad idea. Characters crave suffering--it's what makes them whole in the end! My solution was to make lists of terrible things that could go wrong for each of them, and then brainstorm several dozen ways to prolong the trouble. The lists also gave me ways to solve the problems without relying on coincidence or magic wands.
12. Write a gratitude or daily achievement list (especially after a rejection or a bad writing day). Not every writing day is a good day. In fact, a lot of them can be downright horrible, or at least they can seem to be until you really examine how the day went. Writing a gratitude list at the end of every day is an amazing practice. I like to go for a list of twelve. Even if the best I can do is write, "I have enough ink in my printer to send my manuscript out again." Or, "I got rid of four typos in Chapter 3," it's a win. (It's also positive proof that you're making progress, a good thing to remember and remind yourself when you don't even have ink in the printer.)

Tip of the Day: My absolute all-time favorite writing tip ever: Take a nap. Yes! Seriously! Napping can be a real creativity-saver, and it doesn't have to take up a lot of time. Whether it's in the middle of a hot Saturday afternoon, or as soon as you come home from work, don't fight the need to snooze--use it. To turn naps into real productivity, always have pen and paper right by your side so that as soon as you wake up, you can start writing. The results can be miraculous--new insights, new characters, new energy. I love it.

So what works for you? Drop a line in the comments section and let me know some of your favorite tips, too. Thanks for visiting!

The Importance of Background

When I first started taking art classes and learning how to draw and paint, I made a mistake common to most new artists: I painted everything in the middle of my paper and without any kind of background. Everything I drew just kind of hung in mid-air without a context to keep it anchored within the (nonexistent) setting. Over and over I'd have to go back into my pictures and add my backgrounds, if I could be bothered to do so at all, and that wasn't always an easy thing to do.

It was the same with my writing: I'd freewrite an exciting conflict scene out of the blue, add some troubled characters, and then have to figure out where they all came from. I'd have to travel back in fictional time and ask my characters questions straight out of a Henry James or Edith Wharton novel: "You want to marry whom? Where's he from? What's his background? Not one of those dreadful Van der Leeden Hoopsie-Kopecky boys is he??"

A quick and easy fix to both these problems has been to tackle my backgrounds first. The benefits of this have been practically endless, not the least being "No More Blank Paper Staring Me in the Face," and "No More Wondering What to Write or Paint."

This is especially helpful when I find myself with a limited amount of time to work on a project, for instance a spare half hour or two when I know I could do something creative, but I'm not sure where to start. Working on the background for a future painting or story is the perfect solution. For some well-spent art time, I try:

• Gessoing art journal pages or full-size paper or canvases. (Admittedly not the most exciting item on my list, but getting it done ahead of time is a huge step forward.)
• Adding some color to the gesso--or simply using color on its own, perhaps mixed with a clear acrylic medium for texture and durability--is a great way to step up the excitement factor.
• As is experimenting with brushstrokes: swirls, linear patterned grids, stippled dots.
• Or doodling into wet gesso with a stick or the end of a paintbrush. A dry sponge or any other kind of imprint-making object is effective too.
• Abstract collage: old newspapers, junk mail, decorative art papers--tear them up, paste them down, paint over with either a thin coat of gesso or a clear acrylic medium.
• Sprinkle sand or seeds, confetti or even dirt into the damp medium for a super textural effect.
• If you want to go beyond an abstract design, try drawing or painting a background of a more structured surface such as stone, brick, or wood. Or practice painting or drawing drapery of different kinds of fabric: seersucker, silk, cotton, terry cloth.

While I'm working on these visual backgrounds, I find it's helpful to not think about what I might place in the foreground. My job at this stage is to build up a good collection of styles, colors, and textures that I can easily turn to when I've got the time and inspiration for a longer painting session.

The same is true for writing. Having a collection of pre-written back stories on hand guarantees that I'll always have something and someone to write about in the future. You can do this too:

• Without referring to any physical references such as a photograph or actual person, start by choosing a name at random, any name: Bunny McPherson; Lucky Holmes; Wendell Marlow. This is your new character. Now write about his or her early life: where have they come from?
• The ancestors--who are they? What's their story?
• Write about your character's childhood through the POV of a best friend--or a worst enemy.
• Write about the various settings in which you could place this person: e.g., home, work, vacation/travel spot.
• Write about a severe emotional trauma this person experienced as a child.
• What's this person's biggest secret?
• Place this character in a setting: restaurant, bus, city sidewalk, farmyard. Now envision the other people in the background: what are they doing? Who are they? How does your character interact with this background? Could any of them become secondary characters in a longer work?

I promise if you do this often enough and on a regular basis, a short story or novel will emerge without you even trying. Goal, conflict, and motivation--the big three essentials to plot and page-turning--are all in that background somewhere, just waiting to be uncovered.

The best part of having all my backgrounds--written and visual--in place before I start any new work is that often the finished background will determine what my next piece will be. Two weekends ago I took out a large piece of paper I had pre-painted in various shades of yellow and green. It turned into a scene I titled "Sunday Lunch." The green leafiness of the background brushstrokes lent itself to framing a shady outdoor terrace set for a lunch party. And because I always think art and writing are but two sides of the one story-telling coin, I was next inspired to write about the people who were going to eat their lunch there--more background grist for the writing wheel!

Tip of the Day: Shake it up: writers, try some painting! Artists--get our your pens and journals! Everybody: practice some backgrounds--ideally it would be fun to put both disciplines together into one lovely piece. How about writing a story or poem onto a painted background?

Now Write! Mysteries and My Blog Giveaway

It's here!  My big blog giveaway where 3 lucky followers will be chosen tonight at 7.00 PM Mountain Time through a random drawing to receive a variety of prizes, including the brand new Now Write! Mysteries; Suspense, Crime, Thriller, and Other Mystery Fiction Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers published on December 29, 2011. 

And (drum roll, please...) I am so thrilled and honored to tell you that I have been included in this collection.  My article "Deep Motivation: Characters Have Feelings, Too" starts on Page 267.

Edited by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson, Now Write! Mysteries is the fourth volume in a series that includes Now Write! Fiction and Now Write! Screenwriting.  Right now I'm totally enthralled with this book (and not just because I'm in it...) and I'm happy to report I'm also doing each and every one of the exercises as per my recent post on staying creative every day.  I'm up to page 20 and, people, I am inspired.  This is an amazing book full of great advice.  I think it's going to keep me happy and writing for the rest of the year and beyond.

If you'd like a free copy, there's still some time to follow my blog today and be included in the random drawing tonight via Random.org.  Note:  Anyone who has signed up to follow my blog through my page at JacketFlap.com is considered a "follower" too and will be included in the drawing.

Prizes in the drawing will include:

1st Prize: The Essential Guide for New Writers

Now Write! Mysteries

Unleashed, of Poltergeists and Murder

Better Than Perfect

The Great Scarab Scam

Journal

Pens

Tote Bag

And a Surprise Gift!

2nd Place:  The Essential Guide for New Writers

Now Write! Mysteries

Unleashed, of Poltergeists and Murder

3rd Place:  The Essential Guide for New Writers

Now Write! Mysteries

So is this fun, or what??  You don't even have to leave a comment (but it would be nice to hear from you if you'd like to leave one!)  Winners will have 1 week from the time I notify them of winning to get back with me with their mailing information, etc.  If I don't hear from a winner, the prize(s) will go to the next person in order of the random selection.  I'll announce all the winners after I've heard from each one.

And the best news of all is this won't be my only giveaway.  For every 50 new followers I get on this blog during the year, I'll be holding another drawing. 

Tip of the Day:  Sign up to follow, and who knows?  You just might win a prize!  Best of luck.  Happy writing.

What's Your Medium?

What's your medium?  Two winters back I took a ten-week watercolor class because I thought it would be fun to explore a technique that left plenty of room for error and "happy accidents"--perfect for my experimental approach to any artwork.

And I did have fun--I loved dripping brushloads of transparent color over my paper and watching mysterious, unexpected shapes emerge as if by magic.  I loved the light-filled delicacy of the final results, and I especially liked the contrast of brilliant color against the white areas I left unfinished.  Watercolor seemed like a good medium for me, and I was glad I took the class.

At the same time, though, I noticed many of my fellow classmates were not so happy.  Rather than allowing the watercolor pigment to "do its thing" by meandering and flowing across the damp paper, they seemed intent upon forcing the paint to do what it wasn't designed to do, at least not in the hands of beginners:  dark, stormy scenes set against solid (black) rock face; blood red landscapes dominated by impenetrable forests; mountainous night scenes illuminated by moonlight--very little moonlight. 

At first I thought all this angst-y artwork was a product of our having to get up too early on a snowy Saturday morning to then go plunge our hands and brushes into ice-cold water every week.  But as the class progressed and I watched people grow more and more frustrated, I realized these depressive scenes were based on a yearning to express emotion--deep emotion.  And watercolor wasn't the way to go here.  Drama at this level required oils, acrylics, charcoal, gritty things that expressed mood in a way Sap Green and Gamboge Yellow could not.

This got me thinking:  How often do we use the wrong "medium" in our writing?  And why?  This morning I tried a little brainstorming on the subject.  Here's what I came up with:

• The best medium is the one you love; not the one you're "told to use" or the one you think "will make money."  E.g., "Poetry doesn't sell; think I better write a zombie novel, and fast."
• One size does not fit all.  Sometimes you need color in your manuscript (poetic description, "show, don't tell"); sometimes you need just black and white (short sentences, factual information, minimal description).
• Any single medium is not a "catch-all."  You just can't get the same effect from oil pastel that you might from graphite.  A screenplay is not a sonnet; a short story is not an epic.
• Experimenting with "mixed media" can certainly liven up your work, but you do need to know the properties of each medium before you can use it with confidence and genuine effect.  It's the same with writing:  mixing genres can be the beginner's worst mistake.  But make the effort to learn those genres thoroughly, and surprise, surprise:  they can fit together into a harmonious--and original--whole.  It's just a matter of study and practice.
• Finding the "right medium" for your story can be as simple as asking yourself:  "What is my core story?  Is it sad, happy, funny, uplifting?  What do I really want to say?"  If your eventual theme is basically a tragedy, you won't want to add a lot of jokes to the story line.  And if you're aiming to be inspirational, painting all your characters as "flawed and evil" might not work so well, either.

Tip of the Day:  When it comes to finding your true creative medium, there's no such thing as "waste."  The process of discovery is all about doing--if one medium isn't working, try another, and another after that.  Even if you have to go through a dozen or more attempts, guess what?  You're one step closer to finding the medium that's just right for you.

The Great Scarab Scam Book Trailer

Happy February! And Happy Book Trailer Day! Well, I don’t know if it’s officially “Book Trailer Day” for anyone other than me, but I’m delighted to present the new trailer for The Great Scarab Scam, my Egyptian mystery for young readers. I hope you’ll enjoy it and will want to share it with your friends and family.

At the same time, though, I must tell you that I had some questions about releasing the trailer. With Egypt currently undergoing political unrest and facing an uncertain future, I was torn—was this a good time to talk about a children’s mystery set in the Land of the Pharaohs? With perfect irony, the day the trailer was ready to upload was the day the protests began. For all of last week I dithered—should I release the trailer, store it away until Egypt stabilized, or maybe never show it at all? I asked some good friends for their advice and over and over I kept getting the same answer: Life is never stable—share your trailer! Kids still want to read mysteries and they want to read about Egypt. Go for it! 

I don’t think there was ever a time in my life I wasn’t fascinated by ancient Egypt: the tombs, the treasures, the mythology, and of course the enigmatic lives of both the royal and more ordinary families. Traveling in Egypt to research my book seemed like a dream to me. When I actually visited the pyramids it was difficult for me to believe that I was there—right there—as in, really there. I was also very sick, and something I remember most vividly is the friendliness and concern of the Egyptian people during my ordeals. Thinking of the young driver who insisted on buying me an ice-cold Coke when I knew he couldn’t really afford it, or the women who suddenly appeared and encircled me, spreading out their skirts to make a tent and rubbing my back when I was sick on the street, still brings tears to my eyes. The widespread poverty I saw was terrible, especially for the children, and I tried to portray some of that in my book. 

So I do understand why Egypt is in crisis, and it is my sincere hope that the country will find a way to improve the lives of all its citizens. And that’s why I think it’s important for me to talk about The Great Scarab Scam, especially now. If I can bring some of the culture, history, and excitement of being in a foreign land to young readers, then I will have done my job as a writer for children. 

Tip of the Day: What ancient era and culture has always called to you? For your next freewriting session, go on an archaeological dig through your childhood interests. With any luck there’s gold in them ‘thar hills—gold you can turn into a short story or nonfiction piece, if not a full-length book, for young readers.

Nanowrimo Week 3, What's Your Genre?

Here we are, nearing the end of National Novel Writing Month 2010, Week 3, and I'm already worrying about my marketing plan.  No matter that my current manuscript won't be ready to sell for a good two to three years, maybe even four; I just want to be sure I can describe my story in a quick and easy logline that starts with a key word:  my chosen genre.

As I've mentioned earlier, for Nanowrimo 2010 I'm attempting my first adult murder mystery.  While the mystery genre is not exactly new to me, my book set in Egypt for 8-12 year olds, The Great Scarab Scam, is more of what you'd call a "caper."  The plot revolves around stolen and forged antiquities, presenting a dangerous puzzle for my junior sleuth, Lydia Hartley, to unravel at great risk.  Despite plenty of action, scary moments, and some real bad guys--there are no dead bodies, an absolute must in the adult mystery.  But there are some deeper levels to writing genre fiction that go beyond "mysteries must start with a murder," or "romances have to end happily ever after."  These extra levels are the real reasons people are drawn to one genre over another.  For instance:

1. Do you believe in justice--that crime doesn't pay and that good can prevail over evil?  The mystery genre might be just right for you.
2. What about love?  Does love make the world go 'round?  Does it "conquer all"?  Do you believe there are such things as "soul mates"?  Romance may be calling.
3. Technology, parallel universes, six impossible things before breakfast.  Science fiction can be a real pleasure to write if you enjoy stretching the "what if?" boundaries of the known world into new and foreign (outer) limits.
4. Using those same stretches of imagination as science fiction, fantasy and paranormal fiction allows writers and readers to explore the world of myth and fairy tale in a modern format.
5. Do you find yourself frequently dreaming about the past, wishing you lived in another time and era where life was more difficult but perhaps much more interesting, too--and the clothes were fantastic?  Historicals may be your perfect genre.
6. Are the stories you prefer centered around women in all the various stages and aspects of their lives:  juggling career and family, being a daughter, sister, wife, best friend?  Women's fiction certainly doesn't  mean "no boys allowed," but it does focus on issues that can be unique, and special, to women's lives and experience. 
7. Do you love the sound of words and language?   Do you enjoy "open" or even tragic endings?   Are you fascinated by experimental, off-beat plots, and "breaking the rules"?  Literary fiction may be a good fit.
8. What about belief in a Higher Power and the role of faith in our lives?  Inspirational fiction can be a dramatic expression of your strongest and most uplifting values.
9. Choosing to write for children does not mean you live in Talking Bunny Land (but if you do, I'm envious).  Neither does it mean you have the mind of a child and are only comfortable with fourth-graders.  What it does say is that you can celebrate themes of wonder and innocence, as well as understand and acknowledge the pain of the "bad stuff":  first betrayals, bullying, fear of the adult world.
10. And what if you just can't stand the "made-up" story, and prefer to write things that "really happened"?  Go for it!  Nonfiction sales make up 95% of the book trade.

Other points to consider when choosing your genre are things such as patience and endurance levels:  Are you prepared for a marathon (reading and writing hundreds of pages, with months and years of revision)?  Or are you more of a sprinter, enjoying the quick, satisfying read of a shorter word count, and willing to write one or more books per year?  If so, you may be perfect candidate to write a series.  And what about the "multi-genre" book:  the paranormal Western, or a romance where the principal characters are also working for the FBI?  The best approach is to still choose one main category and describe your book in those terms:  "A Western where the sheriff just happens to be a vampire."

Whatever you choose, the secret of genre choice is not what you think will sell, but what you really, really want to read more than anything in the world.  If you love to read it, chances are you'll love to write it.

Tip of the Day:  Brainstorm some of your favorite books and movies.  Identify the themes and genres, and then write about why those themes were meaningful to you.  You may find certain phrases will pop out that can help you easily steer your current WIP in the right direction for both the actual writing and your marketing, too.

What's Your Brand?

I admit I don’t have my own brand, or at least I don’t have one just yet. To be perfectly honest, I’d never even heard of the concept of author branding until a few years ago when I joined the Land of Enchantment Romance Authors here in Albuquerque, NM. The idea of having a unique one-line slogan to describe your writing intrigued me and it’s something I've wanted ever since except for one huge challenge: I can’t for the life of me figure out how to group all my writing under one cohesive umbrella or brand name.

Perhaps because the romance writers I met knew exactly the type of books they wanted to write and why, or else they had already written and sold their manuscripts, it was a bit easier for them to identify their writing styles with a one-line author statement and logo. The practice of branding was something they used to help themselves stand out in a crowded marketplace, useful for both their readers and their various editors and agents. But what if you’re like me, writing across the genres, interested in all kinds of styles and formats, and fascinated by each new writing challenge you set for yourself? How can we describe our writing in a a few pithy sound-bites?

This year I want to figure out what my brand is. Not just so I have something snazzy to put on a gorgeous business card (at one time I toyed with the idea of “Romance Written in the Stars” which I still kind of like if I ever do write a genuine romance) but to help me gather in and identify all my various writing tastes and pursuits. Last night I made a list of what I need to ask myself:

What are my favorite books to read? Why? What is the unifying factor to them? What is my favorite writing style? For instance, if I never had to think or worry about marketability or selling my work, what would I write? And if I'm not writing in that genre or voice, why not? (Maybe it's time I should.)

What are my favorite colors? Favorite clothing? How would I dress if money or messy housework or conforming to a workplace dress code were no object? Do I have any personal symbols around the house or my workspace that identify me? What about favorite songs or music? A favorite painting? A favorite or preferred era in history? Where do I want to travel to? What is my favorite memory and why? Fill in the blanks: “In my dreams I am…” and “My personal statement about life is…”

I want to answer these questions over the coming year. My aim is to find a unifying theme to my work that will help me describe myself to an editor or reader in just a few words; a bio version of the “elevator pitch.” And yes, I certainly want that great business card to go with them!

So what about you? Do you have a brand? How did you find it? How do use it? Let me know, I'd love to find out more.

Tip of the Day: Consider creating your own brand. If you already have one, perhaps you might want to think of more creative ways to expand it to help spread the word about you and your writing.