"It is your mission, if you choose to accept it, to write until your fingers cramp and write some more. You are not to be interrupted and any failure to achieve your mission will result in disavowal."
...or something like that. I kinda feel like we need spy music in the background when we reach that point where we REFUSE to be interrupted. All week long something else has taken you away. Phones ring. Doorbells dong. Kids run in from school dirty and/or hungry and demand your attention. The spouse looses his keys or the dog decides to barf on the carpet because it's prettier that way. Maybe your pet gerbil gets loose and the snapping turtle that never before snapped, decides the leg of your dining room set is the perfect place to practise the long lost art. You've put your laptop down, pushed back from your desktop, or resorted to earplugs so many times you've lost count.
Now you are determined to find the zone. The illllllusive zone where your muse patiently sits and waits for you with a cup of coffee quickly turning cold and clotted. Hope you didn't want that scone because she ate it TWO DAYS AGO while you were fishing dirty diapers out of the saltwater tank while Fido peed on your leg. After all, you do belong to him.
You've had it. HAD. IT. But how do you make it all stop? I'm not a fan of trucking my stuff off to a coffee shop for quick writing (I mean, geez people, they read over your shoulder and whisper those *words* out loud like they carry the plague) or even long detailed writing. But if you don't have an office, it might be your only absolute.
Turn off your phone. Leave the kids with the funky neighbor lady who picks her nose and feeds it to the cat. Yeah, that one who hasn't brushed her teeth in a decade because she'll probably give better care than the man you live with (note: if you live with a woman, then OBVIOUSLY this suggestion doesn't apply because more than likely she rocks and can multi-task like a multi-tasking freak). Grab your lappie and run, run for the hills... or your car and drive to them (this is the preferred method as it is unwise to work up a sweat around electronic equipment... and I used that excuse with my cell phone too. Danger is bad. Back off).
Hopefully you've picked a quiet happy place to visit and where canned music isn't smacking your muse upside the head with a flip-flop. Sit, relax, and get to it, because baby, you deserve to let your hair down for some "me" time. Yeah, I said it. Tell them I said so and pretend to be affronted when they say, "who?", because it'll make 'em feel like an ass. :) Have a day. Go. Now. Ole!
SWX
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
But it's not a "real" job...
There some misperceptions about those of us who work at home.
People think:
• We’re not as busy as those who don’t.
• We’ll have time to do it later.
• We’re not really working – at least not as hard as those who have real jobs.
• Our job isn’t all that important or we’d be doing it in an office.
Because of these misperceptions, friends, family, the PTA, church members, neighbours, acquaintances – well, pretty much anybody and everybody feels comfortable interrupting us. They may not say the above aloud – at least not in quite those words, but the undercurrent of attitude is there. Please note, I’m not saying that all people in my life are this way – and certainly not all the time, but it happens often enough that there’s a definite pattern.
This phenomenon isn’t limited to writers and editors. My sister-in-law does mortgage work from home. Her friends and neighbours constantly drop in uninvited for coffee or try to get her to babysit at the drop of the hat. Amazingly, they’re offended when she explains that she’s working and she doesn’t have time.
Like me, she used to work in an office. I’m guessing these same people would never dream of showing up at her cubicle with their children in tow and try to dump them off there. I also doubt that they’d show up uninvited and insist that she stop what she’s doing and grab a cup of coffee with them.
I know when I worked outside the home, people didn’t call me during work hours to chat. Nor did they drop by unannounced and expect that I would have time to entertain them right that minute.
Most people that work from home work on contract – meaning that if the work doesn’t get done, they don’t get paid. If it gets done late, their pay will likely get docked. If they happen to be writers and don’t get their stories turned in by their deadlines, they may lose some credibility with their bosses.
In closing, I’d like to say that just because our home is our office doesn’t mean that our jobs are not valid or important – we have deadlines and responsibilities just like everyone else. While we may not have to commute to work, we usually spend that extra time working. We have the same outside responsibilities as everyone else, so when our work day gets interrupted, we have to take time away from other areas of our – usually that means extra time away from our family, friends and any form of relaxation.
So if you know someone who works at home, please be respectful. Find out when that person’s work hours are, don’t interrupt unless it’s an emergency and be supportive. If you work from home, let people know when you’re working and let them know what you need from them in terms of respecting your work time and space. The work you do is just as important and valid as anyone else’s and it deserves to be treated that way.
People think:
• We’re not as busy as those who don’t.
• We’ll have time to do it later.
• We’re not really working – at least not as hard as those who have real jobs.
• Our job isn’t all that important or we’d be doing it in an office.
Because of these misperceptions, friends, family, the PTA, church members, neighbours, acquaintances – well, pretty much anybody and everybody feels comfortable interrupting us. They may not say the above aloud – at least not in quite those words, but the undercurrent of attitude is there. Please note, I’m not saying that all people in my life are this way – and certainly not all the time, but it happens often enough that there’s a definite pattern.
This phenomenon isn’t limited to writers and editors. My sister-in-law does mortgage work from home. Her friends and neighbours constantly drop in uninvited for coffee or try to get her to babysit at the drop of the hat. Amazingly, they’re offended when she explains that she’s working and she doesn’t have time.
Like me, she used to work in an office. I’m guessing these same people would never dream of showing up at her cubicle with their children in tow and try to dump them off there. I also doubt that they’d show up uninvited and insist that she stop what she’s doing and grab a cup of coffee with them.
I know when I worked outside the home, people didn’t call me during work hours to chat. Nor did they drop by unannounced and expect that I would have time to entertain them right that minute.
Most people that work from home work on contract – meaning that if the work doesn’t get done, they don’t get paid. If it gets done late, their pay will likely get docked. If they happen to be writers and don’t get their stories turned in by their deadlines, they may lose some credibility with their bosses.
In closing, I’d like to say that just because our home is our office doesn’t mean that our jobs are not valid or important – we have deadlines and responsibilities just like everyone else. While we may not have to commute to work, we usually spend that extra time working. We have the same outside responsibilities as everyone else, so when our work day gets interrupted, we have to take time away from other areas of our – usually that means extra time away from our family, friends and any form of relaxation.
So if you know someone who works at home, please be respectful. Find out when that person’s work hours are, don’t interrupt unless it’s an emergency and be supportive. If you work from home, let people know when you’re working and let them know what you need from them in terms of respecting your work time and space. The work you do is just as important and valid as anyone else’s and it deserves to be treated that way.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Writing Time to Bring You:
A bloody nose
A Fight
“We’re starving”
Lost socks
Video rental returns
Bills to be paid
We’re out of _____________ (pick one: milk, bread, peanut butter, cereal, Mr. Fizzy’s Powered Hyper Elixir) and we need it now.
Sick
Really Sick
Doctor Office visit sick
Car repair
A ringing phone
Email, email, email, EMAIL, email, email, email
Instant Messages from 4 people at once
Boredom
Laundry (unrelated to lost socks)
Forgotten Homework
Forgotten Lunch (never in the same phone call as the homework)
Emergency Science Fair Project
Supernatural (really who doesn’t love Jared and Jensen?)
Dog who needs to go out
Dog who hates snow and wants in NOW
Twenty Question
A Sex Ed discussion
Interrogation as to why the sky is blue
A dissertation on what a nat-20 is and why it’s good.
Mahjong Garden
“So I was thinking…”
“What are you doing?”
“Have you seen/where is…”
Sighing
The Stare
You as a pillow
Power Outage
Chocolate
“Who would win in a match between Spiderman and Superman?”
A wrestling match with the dog directly under my feet.
Holiday/Birthday/Anniversary/Rainy Day Shopping
Discussion by Child A or B regarding what they want for their birthday
Loud Music
Bedtime (not mine…I still haven’t written)
This is a far from comprehensive list of the typical things interrupting my writing time, but it is up to the writer to work around these speed bumps. Headphones work well. Bribery is a proven tactic when on a deadline. Mostly, you just need to write with the realization that you will be interrupted. I’ve learned to listen with half an ear. I multi-task.
I think as a writer this is really important. Most writers work from home, and a downside to that is constant activity around you. Take notes. Compartmentalize. Plot so you don’t get lost. And mostly, write whenever there is silence and everyone else is distracted. It won’t last.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Interruptions
Oy vey. Can we talk about forgetfulness instead? I have been puttering around all week, in my own head space. La La La. Not even THINKING of the blog. Any blog. I haven't even touched my own blog this week. Because I am in the process of buying a house. Hooray.
You want to talk about interruptions? Try getting sick, having the kid move from yellow belt to orange belt in karate, house hunting, shopping for that house, getting ready for RT (which of course means more shopping), constantly worrying about the day job and well, who could possibly write anything?
I agree with Andrea, interruptions can often be like avoidance. Though usually avoidance is our own fault, and intteruptions are the fault of others. Of course, we have to allow those other people to get in our way, and the more susceptable we are to avoidance, the more likely we are to let others interrupt us with petty things.
Sure, the large things you can't avoid. "Mom, my arm is gushing blood. Is that bad?" "Honey, the faucet is blowing water straight into the air. Is is supposed to do that?" If those things are shouted across the house OF COURSE you are going to stop working.
But your own convictions decide if the constant whining of "Mo-om, have you seen my..." gets a response of: A - A terse "NO" shouted back or B - "No, but I would be thrilled to come look for it with you. And we could have some ice cream too. And isn't Spongebob on? I just love Patrick." Me? Well I do love me some Patrick. But Squidworth is my favorite.
Interruptions are everywhere. It's up to you to decide how much you let them get to you.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
You want to talk about interruptions? Try getting sick, having the kid move from yellow belt to orange belt in karate, house hunting, shopping for that house, getting ready for RT (which of course means more shopping), constantly worrying about the day job and well, who could possibly write anything?
I agree with Andrea, interruptions can often be like avoidance. Though usually avoidance is our own fault, and intteruptions are the fault of others. Of course, we have to allow those other people to get in our way, and the more susceptable we are to avoidance, the more likely we are to let others interrupt us with petty things.
Sure, the large things you can't avoid. "Mom, my arm is gushing blood. Is that bad?" "Honey, the faucet is blowing water straight into the air. Is is supposed to do that?" If those things are shouted across the house OF COURSE you are going to stop working.
But your own convictions decide if the constant whining of "Mo-om, have you seen my..." gets a response of: A - A terse "NO" shouted back or B - "No, but I would be thrilled to come look for it with you. And we could have some ice cream too. And isn't Spongebob on? I just love Patrick." Me? Well I do love me some Patrick. But Squidworth is my favorite.Interruptions are everywhere. It's up to you to decide how much you let them get to you.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Chasing Rainbows
As, I believe, the only writer on this blog who doesn't have kids, partner, full time job or all of the above to contend with on a daily basis, I'm going to go out on a limb and say I get far more real world interrupts than everyone else.
Most of my interruptions come from inside my own head.
Here's how it usually happens.
I get an idea for a book. It's a fantastic idea. It's the best idea anyone has ever come up with in the entire course of literary history - honestly, it is!
However, I'm in the middle of writing another story. It's not as good as the story that's going to grow out of that wonderful idea I've just had, but it still needs to be finished. I'm very strict with myself about that. If I start a first draft it has to be finished before I can start another one.
So that amazing story gets put on the back burner until I have time to write it. In the meantime I turn it over in my head. The characters grow, the plot take shape. My belief that this is going to be even better than sliced bread increases too. Meanwhile, I chip away at the other story little by little until it's done.
Then the moment comes. Everything else finished. I can finally start writing the awesome idea for real. I start. The story is even better than I remember, the character are coming to life on the page. All is well with the world.
Then it happens - the interruption.
Not children, not pets, not other people.
Another idea - an even better idea. A new story idea that's all nice and shiny - and a million times better than this boring old idea I'm writing at the moment. How could I have ever thought that old plot was any good at all?
It's cliched and tired and obvious. And the characters who've been bugging me to write about them for months suddenly go into hibernation or refuse to cooperate. And what's coming out on paper is nothing like I thought it would be. There are already sections that I know I'll have to go back and re-write. This old idea really sucks - and not in the fun, fellatio related way.
Obviously, what I should be writing is this really cool, really sparkly new idea. This story would never turn out to be like the old one...
And so the cycle goes around and around and around. A new story inevitably interrupts what I'm trying to do with an existing idea, and I don't think it's ever going to change.
In truth, as annoying as it is when the flow of one idea is interrupted by another, I don't think I'd change it if I could.
When what I'm writing at the moment isn't going as well or as easily as I hoped it would, it's nice to have a pretty new idea to play with. It's nice to have that buzz that says the next story is going to be great.
If I've got to be interrupted, it's nice that it's by a horizon line or a rainbow's end.
I know the temporary perfection of the story idea that interrupts the one I'm working on will never be fulfilled. But the simple fact that it exists for a little while pushes me to keep going, to keep trying, to write faster - to see if I can catch that fleeting little moment and hold onto it for a little while before the next interruption snatches it away.
Yeah, I guess that sort of interruption isn't that bad :-)
Kim Dare.
By the way, I've got a new novella out in an anthology released yesterday. Whispers is a M/f, BDSM, psychic, vampire story. The anthology is called Night of the Senses.
Just in case you're wondering, the idea for Whispers completely interrupted my attempts to write The Gift. In turn, Whispers was interrupted by two different stories that will eventually form part of my Perfect Timing Series.
Such is life, lol.
Most of my interruptions come from inside my own head.
Here's how it usually happens.
I get an idea for a book. It's a fantastic idea. It's the best idea anyone has ever come up with in the entire course of literary history - honestly, it is!
However, I'm in the middle of writing another story. It's not as good as the story that's going to grow out of that wonderful idea I've just had, but it still needs to be finished. I'm very strict with myself about that. If I start a first draft it has to be finished before I can start another one.
So that amazing story gets put on the back burner until I have time to write it. In the meantime I turn it over in my head. The characters grow, the plot take shape. My belief that this is going to be even better than sliced bread increases too. Meanwhile, I chip away at the other story little by little until it's done.
Then the moment comes. Everything else finished. I can finally start writing the awesome idea for real. I start. The story is even better than I remember, the character are coming to life on the page. All is well with the world.
Then it happens - the interruption.
Not children, not pets, not other people.
Another idea - an even better idea. A new story idea that's all nice and shiny - and a million times better than this boring old idea I'm writing at the moment. How could I have ever thought that old plot was any good at all?
It's cliched and tired and obvious. And the characters who've been bugging me to write about them for months suddenly go into hibernation or refuse to cooperate. And what's coming out on paper is nothing like I thought it would be. There are already sections that I know I'll have to go back and re-write. This old idea really sucks - and not in the fun, fellatio related way.
Obviously, what I should be writing is this really cool, really sparkly new idea. This story would never turn out to be like the old one...
And so the cycle goes around and around and around. A new story inevitably interrupts what I'm trying to do with an existing idea, and I don't think it's ever going to change.
In truth, as annoying as it is when the flow of one idea is interrupted by another, I don't think I'd change it if I could.
When what I'm writing at the moment isn't going as well or as easily as I hoped it would, it's nice to have a pretty new idea to play with. It's nice to have that buzz that says the next story is going to be great.
If I've got to be interrupted, it's nice that it's by a horizon line or a rainbow's end.
I know the temporary perfection of the story idea that interrupts the one I'm working on will never be fulfilled. But the simple fact that it exists for a little while pushes me to keep going, to keep trying, to write faster - to see if I can catch that fleeting little moment and hold onto it for a little while before the next interruption snatches it away.
Yeah, I guess that sort of interruption isn't that bad :-)
Kim Dare.
*****
By the way, I've got a new novella out in an anthology released yesterday. Whispers is a M/f, BDSM, psychic, vampire story. The anthology is called Night of the Senses.
Just in case you're wondering, the idea for Whispers completely interrupted my attempts to write The Gift. In turn, Whispers was interrupted by two different stories that will eventually form part of my Perfect Timing Series.
Such is life, lol.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Mom, can I....?
Hmmm, interruptions. My most consistent interruptions are named Andrew, Matthew and Simon. My question for other writers is: how many times can your children interrupt you when the door is shut and has a big sign that says "Please Knock" before you are justified in screaming at them and locking them out of the house?
My answer: Once :-)
Well, not in the cold winter, but definitely in the summer!
Actually during the week, they aren't a problem because two are in school full days and the other goes half days, and I've finally surrendered to the reality that I have to stop writing at 4:30 pm when they come home. Yelling at them repeatedly from my office which is next to the kitchen to "leave me alone, I'm writing", was not really working for any of us.
I've only been writing for a year and a half so I am still trying to find my rhythm when it comes to hours working. I finally figured out a few months ago to just let the answering machine pickup when I am writing. DUH! Nothing like a chatty girlfriend to send my ideas scattering to the winds.
On Saturday I got a solid three hours of writing done and was only barged in on a few times by the boys. That's the worst interruption for me. When they slam open my office door without knocking, it totally disturbs my wa. (Japanese for harmony, read Shogun for more info, excellent book)
But really most of the interruptions to my writing are self-induced and they look a lot like writing avoidance. Checking email, researching a topic on the internet and getting distracted by all the pretty shiny links, making a cup of tea, reading someone else's novel, watching the snow swirling outside my window...
Uh, where was I?
My answer: Once :-)
Well, not in the cold winter, but definitely in the summer!
Actually during the week, they aren't a problem because two are in school full days and the other goes half days, and I've finally surrendered to the reality that I have to stop writing at 4:30 pm when they come home. Yelling at them repeatedly from my office which is next to the kitchen to "leave me alone, I'm writing", was not really working for any of us.
I've only been writing for a year and a half so I am still trying to find my rhythm when it comes to hours working. I finally figured out a few months ago to just let the answering machine pickup when I am writing. DUH! Nothing like a chatty girlfriend to send my ideas scattering to the winds.
On Saturday I got a solid three hours of writing done and was only barged in on a few times by the boys. That's the worst interruption for me. When they slam open my office door without knocking, it totally disturbs my wa. (Japanese for harmony, read Shogun for more info, excellent book)
But really most of the interruptions to my writing are self-induced and they look a lot like writing avoidance. Checking email, researching a topic on the internet and getting distracted by all the pretty shiny links, making a cup of tea, reading someone else's novel, watching the snow swirling outside my window...
Uh, where was I?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Idea Pigeon
"Ideas are like @$$es. Everyone has one."
Yep, couldn't be more true. I've been nodding my head all week with the contributions from the other authors. I would love to be the one outstanding who says, "Why no! All MY ideas are inspired by the reading of tea leaves and aboriginal bones! Not you?" or that when they strike, the heavens open, those in my proximity fall to their knees, plant their faces on the ground and chant, "Yes, this you must write oh SWX" in perfect pitch. Would be much simpler that way.
My ideas don't come in a shower or a car. They don't dance into my head at the doctor's office or as I drift off to sleep. They don't eat green eggs and ham or hear Whos in Who-ville. They just kinda pop in there. Sometimes from dreams. Sometimes from weird associations I make with something on the TV... like on House the other night when someone was holding a piece of paper and I just went a different direction all together about love in the ER and misunderstood diagnoses.
Oh crap, there's another idea.... must go follow the idea pigeon... check you next Saturday.
SWX
Yep, couldn't be more true. I've been nodding my head all week with the contributions from the other authors. I would love to be the one outstanding who says, "Why no! All MY ideas are inspired by the reading of tea leaves and aboriginal bones! Not you?" or that when they strike, the heavens open, those in my proximity fall to their knees, plant their faces on the ground and chant, "Yes, this you must write oh SWX" in perfect pitch. Would be much simpler that way.
My ideas don't come in a shower or a car. They don't dance into my head at the doctor's office or as I drift off to sleep. They don't eat green eggs and ham or hear Whos in Who-ville. They just kinda pop in there. Sometimes from dreams. Sometimes from weird associations I make with something on the TV... like on House the other night when someone was holding a piece of paper and I just went a different direction all together about love in the ER and misunderstood diagnoses.
Oh crap, there's another idea.... must go follow the idea pigeon... check you next Saturday.
SWX
Friday, February 20, 2009
But That Idea Is MINE
I’m going to look at this subject from a slightly different angle. I often hear authors talking about ideas and saying, “I was going to write THIS, but I just read a blurb by so and so and he/she has the same idea.” Or I hear, “So and so stole my idea!”
I have a few thoughts on this. Unless this person is your critique partner or in your critique group, it’s very unlikely they stole your idea. But you should be cautious. Only share with someone you trust completely. And don’t over share. It’s so easy to talk and talk and talk about a story then talk yourself completely out of writing it. One prolific author I know refuses to talk about what will happen in her stories. In fact, she won’t even share the next scene with her critique partner until it’s written. Writing really is a solitary gig, and your ideas should be protected from overexposure because of these perils.
But what about the first scenario where you see another author ‘has your idea’. Do they really? There are only so many plots and plot elements in the world and the number of them you can use is slashed depending on genre. No two authors write the same and given the same premise two authors will have completely different stories. It’s all about how you twist the elements.
Now, I’m not advocating going out and trolling blurbs to find ideas. I am advocating developing your ideas and not being afraid of them. I know many authors who keeps a writer journals. They write down their ideas in those little notebooks and even track how they got the idea. And as they jot away, the ideas grow and develop into a story. Or they don’t and they move on. My point is that you can have many proofs that what you’ve written really is yours.
So free your mind. Don’t be afraid and write write write!
I have a few thoughts on this. Unless this person is your critique partner or in your critique group, it’s very unlikely they stole your idea. But you should be cautious. Only share with someone you trust completely. And don’t over share. It’s so easy to talk and talk and talk about a story then talk yourself completely out of writing it. One prolific author I know refuses to talk about what will happen in her stories. In fact, she won’t even share the next scene with her critique partner until it’s written. Writing really is a solitary gig, and your ideas should be protected from overexposure because of these perils.
But what about the first scenario where you see another author ‘has your idea’. Do they really? There are only so many plots and plot elements in the world and the number of them you can use is slashed depending on genre. No two authors write the same and given the same premise two authors will have completely different stories. It’s all about how you twist the elements.
Now, I’m not advocating going out and trolling blurbs to find ideas. I am advocating developing your ideas and not being afraid of them. I know many authors who keeps a writer journals. They write down their ideas in those little notebooks and even track how they got the idea. And as they jot away, the ideas grow and develop into a story. Or they don’t and they move on. My point is that you can have many proofs that what you’ve written really is yours.
So free your mind. Don’t be afraid and write write write!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
"Hey, I've got this great idea for a book..."
For some reason I often have people approach me and say, “I’ve got a great idea for a book that I want you to write, and after it’s published we can split the royalties.”
Yes...this has happened several times.
Yes...these people are completely serious.
Often they’re total strangers.
Weirder still, they get angry when I tell them that if they’re really passionate about their idea, they should write their own book. I’ve been accused of being too snobbish to appreciate a good idea. I’ve been accused of planning to use their idea without telling them as well as being greedy and wanting to keep all the money for myself.
So anyone else have this happen?
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just me. People tell me crazy stuff all the time – especially complete strangers. For instance, there was the time I was in line at McDonald’s and the man in front of me turned around and immediately began telling me how during the cold war, he used to trade butterflies with Khrushchev’s son and how he was smart enough to work for the FDA but they didn’t want him because his education wasn’t “well-rounded enough.” Really? ‘Cause I think the crazy might have more to do with it than the education or lack thereof...but I digress.
The point is, there are people out there who are more than happy to come up with story ideas, but completely unwilling to take the time to nurture them into story. I find it interesting that these same people are then offended when you decline to do the work for them.
Back to the ideas themselves, for a moment. I’ve never once felt compelled to write a story based on an idea that someone tried to foist upon me. My stories spring from snippets of overheard conversation, a photograph, a piece of artwork, a scene or a bit of dialogue that pops into my head, landscape that I’m driving past, the foyer of an old building, a song, a misread sign – who knows, maybe the crazy butterfly guy will end up in a story someday. Probably not, but there’s inspiration everywhere. I rarely question why something sparks a story idea and focus more on what next.
Like some of the other writers mentioned, I have what I consider to be my muses.
There’s the Shower Faery. If I don’t have paper and a pen in the bathroom, I’ve been known to call my husband in to take dictation when inspiration hits. Luckily, he’s usually quite good natured about it.
There’s the Car Faery. If I’m not at a place where I can pull over and jot something down, my eldest son is pretty good about taking notes. Of course, depending on the subject matter or dialogue in question, I have to use a special shorthand that I’ll hopefully remember by the time we get home.
Finally, there’s the Receptionist Faery. She brings me all kinds of fabulous dialogue and insights as I’m drifting off to sleep for the night. I’m not sure why I started calling her the receptionist faery, because she certainly doesn’t take messages. If I fall asleep without writing down whatever she’s whispering in my ear, it’s gone, gone, gone. My theory is that the receptionist faery is a temp and she doesn’t give a shit if I get the message or not. So as soon as she starts whispering those lovely little ideas in my head, I have to write them down no matter how tired I am...or how tired the hubby is. He gets that it’s one of the many perils of living with a writer, and he did give me a lovely little light up pen for jotting down memos from the receptionist faery.
For me, ideas are everywhere. I just need to write them down before they float away.
Yes...this has happened several times.
Yes...these people are completely serious.
Often they’re total strangers.
Weirder still, they get angry when I tell them that if they’re really passionate about their idea, they should write their own book. I’ve been accused of being too snobbish to appreciate a good idea. I’ve been accused of planning to use their idea without telling them as well as being greedy and wanting to keep all the money for myself.
So anyone else have this happen?
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just me. People tell me crazy stuff all the time – especially complete strangers. For instance, there was the time I was in line at McDonald’s and the man in front of me turned around and immediately began telling me how during the cold war, he used to trade butterflies with Khrushchev’s son and how he was smart enough to work for the FDA but they didn’t want him because his education wasn’t “well-rounded enough.” Really? ‘Cause I think the crazy might have more to do with it than the education or lack thereof...but I digress.
The point is, there are people out there who are more than happy to come up with story ideas, but completely unwilling to take the time to nurture them into story. I find it interesting that these same people are then offended when you decline to do the work for them.
Back to the ideas themselves, for a moment. I’ve never once felt compelled to write a story based on an idea that someone tried to foist upon me. My stories spring from snippets of overheard conversation, a photograph, a piece of artwork, a scene or a bit of dialogue that pops into my head, landscape that I’m driving past, the foyer of an old building, a song, a misread sign – who knows, maybe the crazy butterfly guy will end up in a story someday. Probably not, but there’s inspiration everywhere. I rarely question why something sparks a story idea and focus more on what next.
Like some of the other writers mentioned, I have what I consider to be my muses.
There’s the Shower Faery. If I don’t have paper and a pen in the bathroom, I’ve been known to call my husband in to take dictation when inspiration hits. Luckily, he’s usually quite good natured about it.
There’s the Car Faery. If I’m not at a place where I can pull over and jot something down, my eldest son is pretty good about taking notes. Of course, depending on the subject matter or dialogue in question, I have to use a special shorthand that I’ll hopefully remember by the time we get home.
Finally, there’s the Receptionist Faery. She brings me all kinds of fabulous dialogue and insights as I’m drifting off to sleep for the night. I’m not sure why I started calling her the receptionist faery, because she certainly doesn’t take messages. If I fall asleep without writing down whatever she’s whispering in my ear, it’s gone, gone, gone. My theory is that the receptionist faery is a temp and she doesn’t give a shit if I get the message or not. So as soon as she starts whispering those lovely little ideas in my head, I have to write them down no matter how tired I am...or how tired the hubby is. He gets that it’s one of the many perils of living with a writer, and he did give me a lovely little light up pen for jotting down memos from the receptionist faery.
For me, ideas are everywhere. I just need to write them down before they float away.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Like Sand Through the Hourglass...
these are the days of our lives. No wait. That's not right.
Ideas. Where do they come from? How do writers cultivate them? Are there any original ones anymore? Do they come easily to you? Do you struggle to grasp one that is worth holding onto?
Well, let's see. I don't know. I'm not really sure. Sure there are. Sometimes. More often than not.
Does that help? Okay, okay. That's not the kind of crap you're looking for from me this week I take it. Well, this is a hard subject for me. Because my ideas come from all over the place.
I can wake up from a dream with a story fully formed, beginning to end, in my head. I can have an idea so fresh, so original, so mind-boggling amazing that I tinker and toy with it for months until I finally kill it under the weight of...what was our topic last week? Right, writer's insecurity. I have a book on my hard drive that I am over 50 pages into. And when I started it, this thing was going to be amazing. It was going to get me mainstream and make me a household name. But I haven't even opened the file this year, and after being told that it is similar to something that someone else is currently working on now I will probably scrap it all together. It was my idea, but now it can be hers to do with as she pleases. It happens. We're writers and our brains function very similarly.
Anyway, sometimes an idea is just a scene. It can be at the beginning, middle or end of a story. And if the scene sticks with me I will build an entire book around it. Really, it's happened. Once it happened from a single line uttered under the breath of an invisible imaginary man in my head, coupled with a show that ended in a way I did not approve of and BAM an entire novel is born. *Cough MITCH - Available from Total-E-Bound April 2009 *Cough. (Smooth huh?)
My biggest gift with ideas seems to be dialogue. Not to boast or anything but I can come up with some pretty witty dialogue. So the above mentioned line in my head is not the exception, it is usually my norm. I will get parts of conversations that have not happened yet stuck in my head. They will play on repeat like a skipping record (remember vinyl? No? Ugh! Kids.) sometimes getting longer at the end, sometimes gaining more at the beginning. I have built books from the middle to the beginning then back to the end. (I don't recommend this. It's hard to get stuff to match up properly and your editor has fits trying to figure stuff out. I especially do not recommend it for a FIRST novel unless your editor is completely chuffing brilliant as mine is or something will be missed and you will be a laughing stock of a new author. Consider yourself warned.) Fortunately my editor is chuffing brilliant and Sweet Dreams was a pretty good book. Again, not to toot my horn or anything.
While I may not recommend the out of order writing thing, I have to admit something to everyone...I'm going to have to do it again. I know, I know, the horror of it all. But the current WIP stalled and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why, until now. It stalled because I am refusing to write it. The muse has given me IDEAS for scenes, and I am hoarding them because it is not time in the plot for them to happen. Well, screw that. I have ideas, I need to get them out. The story will get there eventually. In the mean time, the best advice I can give anyone is: Don't fuck with the muse. If she gives you something that you like, then use it. The rest will pan out by the end of the work anyway.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
In a strange headspace today. Sorry if this wasn't coherent.
Oooh, but wait. I forgot to tell you that my new book came out on Monday. To Hate and To Hold is available at total-e-bound.com right now. Yes. Really. RIGHT NOW. Go fetch a copy. It was a great idea.
Ideas. Where do they come from? How do writers cultivate them? Are there any original ones anymore? Do they come easily to you? Do you struggle to grasp one that is worth holding onto?
Well, let's see. I don't know. I'm not really sure. Sure there are. Sometimes. More often than not.
Does that help? Okay, okay. That's not the kind of crap you're looking for from me this week I take it. Well, this is a hard subject for me. Because my ideas come from all over the place.
I can wake up from a dream with a story fully formed, beginning to end, in my head. I can have an idea so fresh, so original, so mind-boggling amazing that I tinker and toy with it for months until I finally kill it under the weight of...what was our topic last week? Right, writer's insecurity. I have a book on my hard drive that I am over 50 pages into. And when I started it, this thing was going to be amazing. It was going to get me mainstream and make me a household name. But I haven't even opened the file this year, and after being told that it is similar to something that someone else is currently working on now I will probably scrap it all together. It was my idea, but now it can be hers to do with as she pleases. It happens. We're writers and our brains function very similarly.
Anyway, sometimes an idea is just a scene. It can be at the beginning, middle or end of a story. And if the scene sticks with me I will build an entire book around it. Really, it's happened. Once it happened from a single line uttered under the breath of an invisible imaginary man in my head, coupled with a show that ended in a way I did not approve of and BAM an entire novel is born. *Cough MITCH - Available from Total-E-Bound April 2009 *Cough. (Smooth huh?)
My biggest gift with ideas seems to be dialogue. Not to boast or anything but I can come up with some pretty witty dialogue. So the above mentioned line in my head is not the exception, it is usually my norm. I will get parts of conversations that have not happened yet stuck in my head. They will play on repeat like a skipping record (remember vinyl? No? Ugh! Kids.) sometimes getting longer at the end, sometimes gaining more at the beginning. I have built books from the middle to the beginning then back to the end. (I don't recommend this. It's hard to get stuff to match up properly and your editor has fits trying to figure stuff out. I especially do not recommend it for a FIRST novel unless your editor is completely chuffing brilliant as mine is or something will be missed and you will be a laughing stock of a new author. Consider yourself warned.) Fortunately my editor is chuffing brilliant and Sweet Dreams was a pretty good book. Again, not to toot my horn or anything.
While I may not recommend the out of order writing thing, I have to admit something to everyone...I'm going to have to do it again. I know, I know, the horror of it all. But the current WIP stalled and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why, until now. It stalled because I am refusing to write it. The muse has given me IDEAS for scenes, and I am hoarding them because it is not time in the plot for them to happen. Well, screw that. I have ideas, I need to get them out. The story will get there eventually. In the mean time, the best advice I can give anyone is: Don't fuck with the muse. If she gives you something that you like, then use it. The rest will pan out by the end of the work anyway.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
In a strange headspace today. Sorry if this wasn't coherent.
Oooh, but wait. I forgot to tell you that my new book came out on Monday. To Hate and To Hold is available at total-e-bound.com right now. Yes. Really. RIGHT NOW. Go fetch a copy. It was a great idea.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Who needs sleep?
I’m a night owl by nature. I’ve had insomnia for years as a result, but since I find I write best at night it’s not an entirely bad thing. I was going to say that I get most of my ideas at night too, but after thinking for a while I’ve realised that’s not strictly accurate.
I get ideas all the time. There’s a pretty steady flow of them. Every TV show, every conversation, everything around me sparks off ideas inside my head.
But here’s the thing. Everyone always asks writers where they get their ideas from. Now, I don’t mean the little ideas, the ones that tell you how to get the characters from A to B in the plot. I'm not talking about them. I mean the big ideas – the idea behind the book.
But, for me at least, the idea isn’t the important thing. Ideas are easy.
Maybe I should write a story about someone who is determined not to have a D/s relationship with the man he loves is an idea.
Maybe I should write a story about a vampire who can read his lover’s mind is another idea.
They aren’t good ideas or a bad ideas. They are just ideas. They aren’t that interesting or that original. Most ideas aren’t in and of themselves. It’s what you do with the idea that makes them thrive or fail.
The idea is nothing unless you make it more than just an idea. Plot. Characters. Setting. Conflict. Dialogue. Romance. Sex. Kink. Psychology. You’ve got to add a hell of a lot to an idea before it’s worth writing about, let alone worth reading about.
That’s the bit I do at night when I can’t sleep. I turn ideas over in my head. I don’t write anything down about them, except maybe the title, until I’m just about ready to start work on them in earnest. All I do, is just let them percolate for a while, swirling around inside my brain to see what happens to them.
Often my starting point is a little bit of dialogue. So I let my mind wonder around working out who would say it, then who they would say it too, where they are in their relationship at that point and everything else comes from there.
Some ideas die. Some grow. Some become more than ideas. Quite a few get added to my write it when I get the time list. And some of those ones become books. But it’s what happens after you get the idea that is important.
For my way of doing things, focusing too much on the idea – on the initial spark of inspiration – on the maybe it’s a good idea to… bit - isn’t that helpful. You can spend a lifetime trying to think of a great idea. And you can waste years dismissing ideas because they aren’t perfect.
So, I’m a great believer in giving every story idea brain room for a few days. It’s often the most unpromising ones that turn out to be the ones that grow into something you end up feeling pretty chuffed with in the end :)
Kim Dare.
Kink, love and a happy ending. Do you Dare?
I get ideas all the time. There’s a pretty steady flow of them. Every TV show, every conversation, everything around me sparks off ideas inside my head.
But here’s the thing. Everyone always asks writers where they get their ideas from. Now, I don’t mean the little ideas, the ones that tell you how to get the characters from A to B in the plot. I'm not talking about them. I mean the big ideas – the idea behind the book.
But, for me at least, the idea isn’t the important thing. Ideas are easy.
Maybe I should write a story about someone who is determined not to have a D/s relationship with the man he loves is an idea.
Maybe I should write a story about a vampire who can read his lover’s mind is another idea.
They aren’t good ideas or a bad ideas. They are just ideas. They aren’t that interesting or that original. Most ideas aren’t in and of themselves. It’s what you do with the idea that makes them thrive or fail.
The idea is nothing unless you make it more than just an idea. Plot. Characters. Setting. Conflict. Dialogue. Romance. Sex. Kink. Psychology. You’ve got to add a hell of a lot to an idea before it’s worth writing about, let alone worth reading about.
That’s the bit I do at night when I can’t sleep. I turn ideas over in my head. I don’t write anything down about them, except maybe the title, until I’m just about ready to start work on them in earnest. All I do, is just let them percolate for a while, swirling around inside my brain to see what happens to them.
Often my starting point is a little bit of dialogue. So I let my mind wonder around working out who would say it, then who they would say it too, where they are in their relationship at that point and everything else comes from there.
Some ideas die. Some grow. Some become more than ideas. Quite a few get added to my write it when I get the time list. And some of those ones become books. But it’s what happens after you get the idea that is important.
For my way of doing things, focusing too much on the idea – on the initial spark of inspiration – on the maybe it’s a good idea to… bit - isn’t that helpful. You can spend a lifetime trying to think of a great idea. And you can waste years dismissing ideas because they aren’t perfect.
So, I’m a great believer in giving every story idea brain room for a few days. It’s often the most unpromising ones that turn out to be the ones that grow into something you end up feeling pretty chuffed with in the end :)
Kim Dare.
Kink, love and a happy ending. Do you Dare?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Ideas, Ideas. Where art thou, Ideas?
Where do my ideas come from?
My shower muse.
No, really my muse lives in the shower. There's nothing like standing under hot running water, all alone, with no little boys running through the room, to let my mind wander over my forthcoming scenes in my latest WIP.
In fact just yesterday my husband came into the bathroom after my shower and found me wrapped in a towel, my hair wrapped in a second towel, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, scribbling madly away in my journal that I leave in a bathroom drawer. I hadn't even taken the time to put my glasses on so it truly was scribbling. I just hope I can read the scrawl later today when I need to plug the scene into my current project. When I told my husband that I worried about the extra hot water I was using, he told me not to worry. He's sure my first contract will cover the cost of heating the water. God, I love that man!
So my muse mostly lives in the shower. She never fails to help my current scene move along if I just turn my attention over to her. Because honestly, washing my hair really doesn't require too much of my attention.
When I'm not in the shower, I sit at my desk looking out at my tree-filled backyard and play my scenes in my head like a movie. Sometimes the movie projector gets stuck and flips the same moment over and over again, then I have to give it a good kick. Sometimes I thumb through one of the writing books I mentioned in a previous post, and I will come across something that triggers the scene back into motion.
Perhaps my favorite way (but not the most efficient way) of generating ideas is sitting at the kitchen table with my husband and our three boys ages 10, 7 and 5 and brainstorming with them. I'll tell them what I am stuck on and they start throwing out ideas. Of course, most of their suggestions aren't really helpful, especially because they want me to write sci-fi and I am definitely not currently writing in that genre. But we laugh a lot and have fun and they feel like they are involved in my current work.
Where do your ideas come from?
Cheers! Andrea
My shower muse.
No, really my muse lives in the shower. There's nothing like standing under hot running water, all alone, with no little boys running through the room, to let my mind wander over my forthcoming scenes in my latest WIP.
In fact just yesterday my husband came into the bathroom after my shower and found me wrapped in a towel, my hair wrapped in a second towel, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, scribbling madly away in my journal that I leave in a bathroom drawer. I hadn't even taken the time to put my glasses on so it truly was scribbling. I just hope I can read the scrawl later today when I need to plug the scene into my current project. When I told my husband that I worried about the extra hot water I was using, he told me not to worry. He's sure my first contract will cover the cost of heating the water. God, I love that man!
So my muse mostly lives in the shower. She never fails to help my current scene move along if I just turn my attention over to her. Because honestly, washing my hair really doesn't require too much of my attention.
When I'm not in the shower, I sit at my desk looking out at my tree-filled backyard and play my scenes in my head like a movie. Sometimes the movie projector gets stuck and flips the same moment over and over again, then I have to give it a good kick. Sometimes I thumb through one of the writing books I mentioned in a previous post, and I will come across something that triggers the scene back into motion.
Perhaps my favorite way (but not the most efficient way) of generating ideas is sitting at the kitchen table with my husband and our three boys ages 10, 7 and 5 and brainstorming with them. I'll tell them what I am stuck on and they start throwing out ideas. Of course, most of their suggestions aren't really helpful, especially because they want me to write sci-fi and I am definitely not currently writing in that genre. But we laugh a lot and have fun and they feel like they are involved in my current work.
Where do your ideas come from?
Cheers! Andrea
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Security of Insecurity
I figure, being a transitional writer, I’m either extremely confident or terribly insecure. I don’t like either of those explanations. But since this is topic is about writer insecurity, let’s explore that realm and see what we come up with.
My biggest point of insecurity was in the submission of my first work. I spent years on it. Labored over it. My mind fondled the words like a lover, caressing them as they rolled off my mental tongue. I smiled at it, patted myself on the back for each chapter break. Sometimes I’d play with the font and sizing then delight when I put it back again. Like peek-a-boo with my work. I could have licked each and every quotation mark. I’d laugh again at the witticisms spewing from my characters. God they were fantastic! I was fantastic. No one had ever written like this.
I knew it was perfect. So perfect no editor would reject it. All I needed to do was write that query, tighten the synopsis and then—then it was magic. My guarantee to publication.
And every bit of it was a road map to my insecurity. You see it, don’t you? The more I messed with it, altered it, told it how pretty it was, what a sexy little book it was, the longer I could delay sending it. Sending it meant I risked being told I was wrong. And what does wrong mean but confrontation with the fact that I sucked at writing, sucked at plotting, character development, the happy ending, voice, tone, ellipsis, eclipses, symphony, pitch , moonbeams, dance cards, toe jam and all kinds of crap I pretended to understand but didn’t.
Fear. Insecurity. Letting go and praying like mad you aren’t completely insane for doing it. And yes, we all have that to some extent. After your tenth story you may not worry your work bites the big Bozo but you worry about other things: split infinitives, misspellings, historical accuracy, losing your voice. And no, it doesn’t change between genres. You take your insecurities with you.
Oh and uh, Happy Valentine's Day.
SWX
My biggest point of insecurity was in the submission of my first work. I spent years on it. Labored over it. My mind fondled the words like a lover, caressing them as they rolled off my mental tongue. I smiled at it, patted myself on the back for each chapter break. Sometimes I’d play with the font and sizing then delight when I put it back again. Like peek-a-boo with my work. I could have licked each and every quotation mark. I’d laugh again at the witticisms spewing from my characters. God they were fantastic! I was fantastic. No one had ever written like this.
I knew it was perfect. So perfect no editor would reject it. All I needed to do was write that query, tighten the synopsis and then—then it was magic. My guarantee to publication.
And every bit of it was a road map to my insecurity. You see it, don’t you? The more I messed with it, altered it, told it how pretty it was, what a sexy little book it was, the longer I could delay sending it. Sending it meant I risked being told I was wrong. And what does wrong mean but confrontation with the fact that I sucked at writing, sucked at plotting, character development, the happy ending, voice, tone, ellipsis, eclipses, symphony, pitch , moonbeams, dance cards, toe jam and all kinds of crap I pretended to understand but didn’t.
Fear. Insecurity. Letting go and praying like mad you aren’t completely insane for doing it. And yes, we all have that to some extent. After your tenth story you may not worry your work bites the big Bozo but you worry about other things: split infinitives, misspellings, historical accuracy, losing your voice. And no, it doesn’t change between genres. You take your insecurities with you.
Oh and uh, Happy Valentine's Day.
SWX
Friday, February 13, 2009
Editors Suffer From Insecurity Too
I have a friend who has a mental image of editors as evil, all-powerful beings who are just waiting to crush the authors who submit to them. I’m here to say...not so much.
Yes, we have the power to accept or reject manuscripts but that doesn’t make us omnipotent and it certainly doesn’t make us infallible.
As an editor there are several things I worry about. First and foremost, I worry about missing things in an author’s manuscript. Whether it’s a typo or a continuity issue, I worry that I’ll become so wrapped up in the magic of a story that I won’t notice that the heroine started out a blonde and ended up a brunette without a trip to the salon. My authors are very important to me and I want to make sure they get my best work.
I also worry about missing out on a good thing. First, let me give you some background. There are times when I’m on the fence about whether or not to accept a manuscript. If there are flaws but I think it’s worth pursuing, I often make suggestions and invite the author to make changes and resubmit. Often times, the writer makes changes and I accept the manuscript. However, there are times when the changes the author has made just don’t work and I end up having to reject the manuscript after all. I always feel badly about it, but I get that it’s part of my job and move on.
A couple of months ago, I was blog hopping and I noticed a name that sounded familiar so I took a closer look. Turns out it was one of the authors I’d had to reject after she’d done some revisions and she’d sold the book I’d rejected to another house. I had a moment of panic. Did I make a mistake? Did I miss out on something really good? After the initial burst of dread, I read the excerpt she’d posted on her blog. I came to the conclusion that if I had it to do over again, I would have made the same decision. But that doesn’t stop the worry. What if I make the wrong choice? What if I reject the next Nora Roberts? What if my boss finds out I rejected the next Nora Roberts?
While an editor’s insecurities might be slightly different than a writer’s, we certainly have them too. I realize this will play havoc with my friend’s image of the all powerful editor—but there it is—editorial insecurity.
Yes, we have the power to accept or reject manuscripts but that doesn’t make us omnipotent and it certainly doesn’t make us infallible.
As an editor there are several things I worry about. First and foremost, I worry about missing things in an author’s manuscript. Whether it’s a typo or a continuity issue, I worry that I’ll become so wrapped up in the magic of a story that I won’t notice that the heroine started out a blonde and ended up a brunette without a trip to the salon. My authors are very important to me and I want to make sure they get my best work.
I also worry about missing out on a good thing. First, let me give you some background. There are times when I’m on the fence about whether or not to accept a manuscript. If there are flaws but I think it’s worth pursuing, I often make suggestions and invite the author to make changes and resubmit. Often times, the writer makes changes and I accept the manuscript. However, there are times when the changes the author has made just don’t work and I end up having to reject the manuscript after all. I always feel badly about it, but I get that it’s part of my job and move on.
A couple of months ago, I was blog hopping and I noticed a name that sounded familiar so I took a closer look. Turns out it was one of the authors I’d had to reject after she’d done some revisions and she’d sold the book I’d rejected to another house. I had a moment of panic. Did I make a mistake? Did I miss out on something really good? After the initial burst of dread, I read the excerpt she’d posted on her blog. I came to the conclusion that if I had it to do over again, I would have made the same decision. But that doesn’t stop the worry. What if I make the wrong choice? What if I reject the next Nora Roberts? What if my boss finds out I rejected the next Nora Roberts?
While an editor’s insecurities might be slightly different than a writer’s, we certainly have them too. I realize this will play havoc with my friend’s image of the all powerful editor—but there it is—editorial insecurity.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Harness the Negative Energy…
And make it positive.
I hate to have to tell the truth here, but the insecurity doesn’t go away. We all know why it’s a bad thing and earlier this week the other authors have laid out some great techniques for overcoming, but now I want to tell you why I have embraced it.
No, I don’t embrace the paralyzing “what if the entire world hates my writing, what if I never have another idea, what if everyone discovers I’m a no-talent hack” philosophy. Letting those voices in your head win is not an option. Working with them is.
When you have doubts and insecurities, you can turn them into strengths, especially as a published writer. They can keep you honest and keep you thinking when it might be really easy to just pop off a book and call it good. I’ve instructed several people to slap me silly if I ever start doing that. I won’t. I think and agonize over every book—because of those insecurities. I don’t ever want a book to be something I just slap-dash out there.
Your insecurities can also help you search and destroy your weaknesses and develop strengths. Sometimes what you fear comes from something you dislike in your writing, or something you know you’re not very good at. Taking time to focus on that and learning to overcome it can improve your writing. If you know you make a particular mistake and you’re afraid of making it again, you are more vigilant not to do it again. If you’re afraid people will dispute your facts, then you research all the harder to make sure you’re right. If you’ve noticed other people messing up their time lines or the details in their book and you’re afraid of doing that, then you’re careful to keep notes so that you don’t do the same.
Insecurity can work for you.
There are some things you can’t control. The things I’ve mentioned, you can.
Use the techniques from earlier this week to control the voices, but keep in mind the things I’ve mentioned and use insecurity in your favor.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Insecurity Schminsicurity
Okay, mostly I like to make up words that make my editor cringe. :D
I am a writer, of course I am insecure. I have chosen a profession that lets me hide in a room for hours a day. If I spend three days or three years working on the same piece it's okay, cause I am a writer. No one REALLY knows what it's like except other authors. And while we share a lot with you here, some of the inner workings of the writer's psyche just can't be explained in words. It's something that just IS. And while we recognize it in each other we just don't have a name for it.
Where was I? Oh, right, insecurity. Let me say this, it takes a lot of balls to be a writer. No really. (Well, the figurative ones. Not real balls obviously.) You have to have thick skin because rejection is just a part of your life. There is no escaping it. The richest most famous authors in the world have been rejected. Agents, editors, publishers whatever you submit to, not everything you write is gold to everyone who owns an outlet for you to share through. And you have to take it.
Once you break through that step, you get accepted, then it gets edited. To within an inch of your baby's life it is cut, re-arranged, changed, fixed until it is up to the standards of the person who accepted the piece. And you have to take it.
Then, it is published. Oh joy! Happy day! You are a published author. Woo Hoo! Ooh, what is that in your inbox there missy? A review? Well open that puppy up. Whats that? It's....oh, it's a bad review. Ms. Holier-Than-Thou.com didn't like your book/story/essay huh? Characters flat? Ouch. Plot sucks? Yuck. Bad luck kid. Guess what...you have to take it.
This is after you have actually fucking written something. Which is a whole different post on a whole different subject. Jeez aren't you scared yet? Aren't you huddling in a corner with your arms wrapped around your knees muttering to yourself that it's just a dream, it's all just a dream and you'll wake up safe in your cubicle and none of this has really happened?
Of course we are insecure. We are beaten down,exhausted, crippled with fear and doubt. But like the dog that's been kicked one too many times, we'll still sniff that hand because maybe this time it will be someone with hugs instead of pain. Inside we are cowering, our tail between our legs, but on the outside we have to pull up our big girl panties and deal with it. Because you see, there is this spark inside of a writer, there is no word for it but it is in all of us. It is this bright little ball of hope, fear, light, dark, masochism, love, heartache, skill and trepidation. It can't be stamped out no matter how downtrodden we feel. Because we are writers damnit.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
I am a writer, of course I am insecure. I have chosen a profession that lets me hide in a room for hours a day. If I spend three days or three years working on the same piece it's okay, cause I am a writer. No one REALLY knows what it's like except other authors. And while we share a lot with you here, some of the inner workings of the writer's psyche just can't be explained in words. It's something that just IS. And while we recognize it in each other we just don't have a name for it.
Where was I? Oh, right, insecurity. Let me say this, it takes a lot of balls to be a writer. No really. (Well, the figurative ones. Not real balls obviously.) You have to have thick skin because rejection is just a part of your life. There is no escaping it. The richest most famous authors in the world have been rejected. Agents, editors, publishers whatever you submit to, not everything you write is gold to everyone who owns an outlet for you to share through. And you have to take it.
Once you break through that step, you get accepted, then it gets edited. To within an inch of your baby's life it is cut, re-arranged, changed, fixed until it is up to the standards of the person who accepted the piece. And you have to take it.
Then, it is published. Oh joy! Happy day! You are a published author. Woo Hoo! Ooh, what is that in your inbox there missy? A review? Well open that puppy up. Whats that? It's....oh, it's a bad review. Ms. Holier-Than-Thou.com didn't like your book/story/essay huh? Characters flat? Ouch. Plot sucks? Yuck. Bad luck kid. Guess what...you have to take it.
This is after you have actually fucking written something. Which is a whole different post on a whole different subject. Jeez aren't you scared yet? Aren't you huddling in a corner with your arms wrapped around your knees muttering to yourself that it's just a dream, it's all just a dream and you'll wake up safe in your cubicle and none of this has really happened?
Of course we are insecure. We are beaten down,exhausted, crippled with fear and doubt. But like the dog that's been kicked one too many times, we'll still sniff that hand because maybe this time it will be someone with hugs instead of pain. Inside we are cowering, our tail between our legs, but on the outside we have to pull up our big girl panties and deal with it. Because you see, there is this spark inside of a writer, there is no word for it but it is in all of us. It is this bright little ball of hope, fear, light, dark, masochism, love, heartache, skill and trepidation. It can't be stamped out no matter how downtrodden we feel. Because we are writers damnit.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Three little quotes and a lot of hope
I've started writing this post several times. My problem isn't that I don't have anything to say about writer's insecurities. No, I have the opposite problem at the moment.
I have a novella that came out yesterday. (Will anyone buy it? What if they hate it? What if they hate this particular story so much they decided they'll never read anything I've written ever again? etc.)
Another waiting for a verdict from a publisher. (Will they accept it? What if they hate it? What if... etc.)
And another project I'm just starting work on, which is way outside my current comfort zone. (I'm sure you can guess what comes here, lol)
I have plenty of insecurities, but I'm not sure I'm capable of writing any more about them at the moment without freaking myself out.
So, I'm going to share three quotes with you instead. These are what I say to myself when I get insecure about the various stages of writing.
The heights by great men, reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upwards in the night.
I'm a great believer in the idea that decisions are made by the people who turn up, and books are written by people who get the work done.
You type out one word at a time, until you get a first draft. You chip away at that first draft until it slowly starts to form into something like a readable story. You polish it until it starts to shine as much as you're capable of. You submit it to one publisher, and if the first one doesn't accept it, you send it to someone else.
You get the work done.
It's easy to feel insecure when you're working your socks off and not getting anywhere. Sometimes I think it helps to remind yourself that anything that's worth doing inevitably proves to be bloody hard work at some point.
Please, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
You know that comma you've moved from place to place 27 times so far? It might be time for a little bit of serenity here. That particular sentence might not be 1000% perfect. You might just have to learn to live with that at some point.
You know the character who really isn't going to work out unless you go right back to the start of the story and re-write him practically from scratch? Courage. If it needs to be done, sooner or later, you just have to do it.
It's practically impossible to feel wise when you're trying to make these decisions during the editing of a book. You're too close, too caught up in it. You end up insecure about everything.
Deep breath. Repeat the above quote several times. Remind yourself that if you were the only person who felt like this, no one would have gone to the trouble of making up this little verse. Doesn't always work, but sometimes it does.
It's better to be hated for who you are,
Than be loved for who you're not.
This one might be the hardest one of all. It's all too easy to think about the people who are not going to like your book.
I remember reading a thread on a book sellers message board some time ago. It was all about what people found to be huge turn offs in books. Maybe it was just that I paid more attention to the posts that applied to the stories I write, but I left the message board completely convinced that nobody in the entire world wanted to read male/male or BDSM. Which was a bit of a bugger, considering they are the only things I write - usually at the same time.
The thing is, I couldn't write a book that would appeal to the people on the message board and tell the stories that I want to tell - or tell the kind of story I would want to read. Yes, they are going to hate my books. But would I really feel better about myself if I sold out and wrote something they liked and I hated?
When security comes at that sort of price, insecurity doesn't seem quite so bad.
And that's it, lol. My whole system for dealing with anything the writing world can throw at me are three little quotes and a lot of hope.
P.S.
If you're wondering about the novella I said came out yesterday, here's a little bit about it.
Secret Service is a Male/male BDSM novella and part of Total-e-bound's My Secret Valentine Collection.
Blurb:
What’s more important, their love for each other or their differing attitudes to kinky sex?
Alistair has made it very clear he isn’t into anything even vaguely kinky.
Sheridan knew he was in love with him the day he found that out, and then decided to stay with him anyway. Unable to ease his desire to serve at home, Sheridan volunteers at a club where he can secretly serve the patrons, and feed his submission, without upsetting Alistair by revealing that side of his personality to him.
When chance drags Alistair into that same club on Valentines weekend, Sheridan’s leather mask can’t keep his secret safe any longer. With his desire to serve out in the open, it’s not long before other secrets start to come out and they both have to make a choice.
Does Sheridan give up on ever being allowed to submit to the man he loves, or does Alistair take the risk of becoming the master his love has always wanted?
If you want to know more about it, just click on the cover - top left of the page. If you don't want to know more, that's okay too. I'm secure enough to handle it ;-)
I have a novella that came out yesterday. (Will anyone buy it? What if they hate it? What if they hate this particular story so much they decided they'll never read anything I've written ever again? etc.)
Another waiting for a verdict from a publisher. (Will they accept it? What if they hate it? What if... etc.)
And another project I'm just starting work on, which is way outside my current comfort zone. (I'm sure you can guess what comes here, lol)
I have plenty of insecurities, but I'm not sure I'm capable of writing any more about them at the moment without freaking myself out.
So, I'm going to share three quotes with you instead. These are what I say to myself when I get insecure about the various stages of writing.
The heights by great men, reached and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upwards in the night.
I'm a great believer in the idea that decisions are made by the people who turn up, and books are written by people who get the work done.
You type out one word at a time, until you get a first draft. You chip away at that first draft until it slowly starts to form into something like a readable story. You polish it until it starts to shine as much as you're capable of. You submit it to one publisher, and if the first one doesn't accept it, you send it to someone else.
You get the work done.
It's easy to feel insecure when you're working your socks off and not getting anywhere. Sometimes I think it helps to remind yourself that anything that's worth doing inevitably proves to be bloody hard work at some point.
Please, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
You know that comma you've moved from place to place 27 times so far? It might be time for a little bit of serenity here. That particular sentence might not be 1000% perfect. You might just have to learn to live with that at some point.
You know the character who really isn't going to work out unless you go right back to the start of the story and re-write him practically from scratch? Courage. If it needs to be done, sooner or later, you just have to do it.
It's practically impossible to feel wise when you're trying to make these decisions during the editing of a book. You're too close, too caught up in it. You end up insecure about everything.
Deep breath. Repeat the above quote several times. Remind yourself that if you were the only person who felt like this, no one would have gone to the trouble of making up this little verse. Doesn't always work, but sometimes it does.
It's better to be hated for who you are,
Than be loved for who you're not.
This one might be the hardest one of all. It's all too easy to think about the people who are not going to like your book.
I remember reading a thread on a book sellers message board some time ago. It was all about what people found to be huge turn offs in books. Maybe it was just that I paid more attention to the posts that applied to the stories I write, but I left the message board completely convinced that nobody in the entire world wanted to read male/male or BDSM. Which was a bit of a bugger, considering they are the only things I write - usually at the same time.
The thing is, I couldn't write a book that would appeal to the people on the message board and tell the stories that I want to tell - or tell the kind of story I would want to read. Yes, they are going to hate my books. But would I really feel better about myself if I sold out and wrote something they liked and I hated?
When security comes at that sort of price, insecurity doesn't seem quite so bad.
And that's it, lol. My whole system for dealing with anything the writing world can throw at me are three little quotes and a lot of hope.
P.S.
If you're wondering about the novella I said came out yesterday, here's a little bit about it.
Secret Service is a Male/male BDSM novella and part of Total-e-bound's My Secret Valentine Collection.
Blurb:
What’s more important, their love for each other or their differing attitudes to kinky sex?
Alistair has made it very clear he isn’t into anything even vaguely kinky.
Sheridan knew he was in love with him the day he found that out, and then decided to stay with him anyway. Unable to ease his desire to serve at home, Sheridan volunteers at a club where he can secretly serve the patrons, and feed his submission, without upsetting Alistair by revealing that side of his personality to him.
When chance drags Alistair into that same club on Valentines weekend, Sheridan’s leather mask can’t keep his secret safe any longer. With his desire to serve out in the open, it’s not long before other secrets start to come out and they both have to make a choice.
Does Sheridan give up on ever being allowed to submit to the man he loves, or does Alistair take the risk of becoming the master his love has always wanted?
If you want to know more about it, just click on the cover - top left of the page. If you don't want to know more, that's okay too. I'm secure enough to handle it ;-)
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday Already?!?
Yikes! It's Monday and I haven't written my blog entry yet. How did we get to Monday again so soon?
It's funny. I thought I was in a groove and didn't need the big note taped to my wall that said "Monday - Post to Writer's Evolution". I almost threw it away last week when I cleaned my office. Guess not.
Writing Insecurities - hmmm. Sounds a lot like my entry from last week. Sounds like good reasons to avoid writing. Sounds like it could be the reason I haven't written this blog entry yet.
Besides the insecurities I mentioned last week (fear of failure and fear of success), my current insecurities are focused on my WIP, my first full-length novel. After completing a gazillion revisions to my first draft, I thought I had a finished product last summer. After letting a few friends and family read it and after I sat on it for a few weeks, I decided it was a "nice" story. But it wasn't special. It was too pedestrian.
Over the past several months I have been investigating what makes a novel "special", something readers pass on to their friends and tell them "you have GOT to read this". (something in addition to the great sex scenes)
Reading Donald Maass's book, Writing the Breakout Novel, has been very helpful. It has shown me what is missing. But now it is up to me to find the pieces to add. And that is where the insecurities abound.
Am I creative enough? Am I smart enough? Do I need a MFA in English to write good novels? How could I wake up one day and think I could be a writer? How much more stuff about writing do I NOT know? How will I find out I don't know it? ugh.
Now let me bring it down to the concrete level.
In my current revision work of my WIP, I can see how little conflict I have in my scenes. Uh oh, very bad. Conflict is what makes a novel worth reading, and I have little. (No wonder this story is too pedestrian.) The trouble is that I am a problem solver. I see a problem, I like to solve it as soon as possible, in life and in writing. I'm too nice. It goes against my grain to make my characters suffer too long. So now I need to get over it and make my characters go through more agony and suffering. I have to remember to hold off on the HEA until the end of the book, not the middle of every scene. I have to think like a problem maker and not a problem solver. Stir up the pot, throw everything and the kitchen sink at them, make the conflict immediate, credible, personal, unavoidable and urgent. Do I have what it takes to create this? That is the source of my insecurities.
So here are my ramblings for this Monday morning.
Any suggestions?
Cheers! Andrea
It's funny. I thought I was in a groove and didn't need the big note taped to my wall that said "Monday - Post to Writer's Evolution". I almost threw it away last week when I cleaned my office. Guess not.
Writing Insecurities - hmmm. Sounds a lot like my entry from last week. Sounds like good reasons to avoid writing. Sounds like it could be the reason I haven't written this blog entry yet.
Besides the insecurities I mentioned last week (fear of failure and fear of success), my current insecurities are focused on my WIP, my first full-length novel. After completing a gazillion revisions to my first draft, I thought I had a finished product last summer. After letting a few friends and family read it and after I sat on it for a few weeks, I decided it was a "nice" story. But it wasn't special. It was too pedestrian.
Over the past several months I have been investigating what makes a novel "special", something readers pass on to their friends and tell them "you have GOT to read this". (something in addition to the great sex scenes)
Reading Donald Maass's book, Writing the Breakout Novel, has been very helpful. It has shown me what is missing. But now it is up to me to find the pieces to add. And that is where the insecurities abound.
Am I creative enough? Am I smart enough? Do I need a MFA in English to write good novels? How could I wake up one day and think I could be a writer? How much more stuff about writing do I NOT know? How will I find out I don't know it? ugh.
Now let me bring it down to the concrete level.
In my current revision work of my WIP, I can see how little conflict I have in my scenes. Uh oh, very bad. Conflict is what makes a novel worth reading, and I have little. (No wonder this story is too pedestrian.) The trouble is that I am a problem solver. I see a problem, I like to solve it as soon as possible, in life and in writing. I'm too nice. It goes against my grain to make my characters suffer too long. So now I need to get over it and make my characters go through more agony and suffering. I have to remember to hold off on the HEA until the end of the book, not the middle of every scene. I have to think like a problem maker and not a problem solver. Stir up the pot, throw everything and the kitchen sink at them, make the conflict immediate, credible, personal, unavoidable and urgent. Do I have what it takes to create this? That is the source of my insecurities.
So here are my ramblings for this Monday morning.
Any suggestions?
Cheers! Andrea
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Writing See-Saw
Hi there. I’m the new add-on author. All those other bases were covered (see right upper margin), it only seems right to throw in the “Transitional” author to the mix. I missed the intros a couple weeks ago so bear with me as I give you the scoop.
I have written three short stories for standalone publication, two shorts for anthology with another on the way, one novella, seven novels, and a holiday promotional piece giveaway. With four projects going at any given time, I rarely stick with one genre of writing. I have crossed more than three publishers, held two agents while toting another two along, content edited, spanned several sub-genres and juggled six blogs. I am also entertaining three other manuscript requests, two of which will become series in very different categories.
I’m a classic indecisive who wants it all and won’t be body blocked from it. I guess it’s my constant fluctuation to achieve my goals which makes me the “Transitional” writer for this blog. I just thought it made me slightly insane but thanks to the “Editors” I have been offered a home here. Don’t mind my scratchings on the wall.
To touch on some of the other discussions, I work from home as a full-time writer at my “office” and have several of the research books mentioned in last week’s listing. I did see several I need to pick up though. Amazon should give these ladies a commission.
As someone who lingers in the realm of transitions, I find a lot of reasons to procrastinate and daydream. One of the best methods I’ve found to date is finding another story idea and beginning it. Currently, I’m thinking Sci-Fi.
I love writing. I love stories. I love all things old and dusty found on library shelves and now not so old and (had better not be) dusty, on my eBook reader. Thank you, Writer’s Evolution, for including me in your impressive ranks. I hope to do you proud.
SWX
I have written three short stories for standalone publication, two shorts for anthology with another on the way, one novella, seven novels, and a holiday promotional piece giveaway. With four projects going at any given time, I rarely stick with one genre of writing. I have crossed more than three publishers, held two agents while toting another two along, content edited, spanned several sub-genres and juggled six blogs. I am also entertaining three other manuscript requests, two of which will become series in very different categories.
I’m a classic indecisive who wants it all and won’t be body blocked from it. I guess it’s my constant fluctuation to achieve my goals which makes me the “Transitional” writer for this blog. I just thought it made me slightly insane but thanks to the “Editors” I have been offered a home here. Don’t mind my scratchings on the wall.
To touch on some of the other discussions, I work from home as a full-time writer at my “office” and have several of the research books mentioned in last week’s listing. I did see several I need to pick up though. Amazon should give these ladies a commission.
As someone who lingers in the realm of transitions, I find a lot of reasons to procrastinate and daydream. One of the best methods I’ve found to date is finding another story idea and beginning it. Currently, I’m thinking Sci-Fi.
I love writing. I love stories. I love all things old and dusty found on library shelves and now not so old and (had better not be) dusty, on my eBook reader. Thank you, Writer’s Evolution, for including me in your impressive ranks. I hope to do you proud.
SWX
Friday, February 6, 2009
Avoidance
I’ve been reading the writers' posts all week and thinking the direction I would take. I can’t write on ‘writer’ avoidance, but I think we all have procrastination techniques for things that challenge our brain, are tedious or that we plain don’t want to do. Sometimes we really want to do a particular task, but at the moment, it’s too overwhelming. Or we don’t know how to proceed.Let’s face it. Writers write because they love it. Why would they avoid writing? Well, because the job of writing well is difficult, and then…well, then you have to send it to someone like me who’s going to pick apart the story and decide if she likes the story well enough to contract it for her publishing company. Even more than that, even if she likes the story, she has to decide if the writing style is strong enough to take on. No editor wants to contract a story that will need extensive edits because of grammatical, technical or structural flaws. And if we take the story, then your baby is faced with edits. Those can be painful or they can be easy, but it’s a worry that writers have.
After the editor, the writer faces something even more scary…readers, reviewers, themselves. What if everyone hates the book I’ve written? What if they disparage my work? What if no one buys it? What if I never sell another book? What if I’m a one-book wonder? What if I never get another idea? What will my family, friends, church, co-workers, etc. think?
In the face of that, it’s very easy to go scrub every sink in the house and maybe your neighbors’ sinks, too. Then down a gallon of Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.
People think these are afflictions that only strike the aspiring author. No. This doesn’t go away once an author is published. Except for some rare exceptions, authors are fairly fragile creatures. Sure they develop a thick skin over time, but that doesn’t protect them from what’s inside. Themselves.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
How do I avoid writing...let me count the ways...
I’m not really sure why I avoid writing...but I do. A lot. In fact, I’ve been avoiding writing this blog post. I’ve known about it for a couple weeks...and yet, here I am.
I think part of it is that I fear not being good enough so I put it off thinking that the right words will come later. Only later comes (sans the right words) and then I have to write whatever I’ve put off whether I feel it’s good enough or not. Insecurity...it’s a powerful de-motivator.
So how do I avoid? Let me share.
Reading – That’s a huge and obvious one. Strangely though, when I’m avoiding writing, I rarely read in my own genre. Perhaps it's to avoid guilt over not writing.
Email/surfing the web/blogging – I often try to convince myself it’s for research and networking purposes, but yeah...I think we all know the truth here.
Facebook – it has its own entry because it’s such a delightful, colossal time waster. I have a garden on there, and a farm and I can send presents to people and do quizzes and look at my friends and family’s photographs and make comments about them. (My sister’s mostly drunken college pictures are fun to comment on.) Ah yes...facbook, how I love thee.
Ebay and Pogo – I like playing Word Whomp and Poppit on Pogo – both are mindless and relaxing. I also enjoy scouring ebay for out of print books and my favorite (discontinued) scented candles.
Sewing, knitting, cross stitching, drawing, making cards, making jewelry, pottery (when I have the materials) okay pretty much any craft. There’s something really satisfying about taking skeins of yarn and having toasty warm slippers at the end, or a pile of clay and ending up with a bowl or candle holders by the time you’re finished. It’s tangible accomplishment and besides, these things often make great gifts. But it’s still avoidance.
If I’m really desperate to avoid a writing project...I’ll clean. I loathe cleaning more than I can possibly express, but you can always tell I have a big deadline coming up if my office and kitchen are spotless.
Oddly, I don’t really use tv or dvds to avoid actually working – that’s more of a reward system for me. If I get a chapter done, I can watch an episode of a favorite show on dvd (currently I’m watching House – thanks to an awesome Christmas gift – and also Buffy season 7 and Firefly depending on my mood) or a movie.
I’m slowly getting better about writing avoidance. In fact, I wrote my last book without much at all. However, I’ve been avoiding my current book for over a year. Probably ought to finish that one soon.
I think part of it is that I fear not being good enough so I put it off thinking that the right words will come later. Only later comes (sans the right words) and then I have to write whatever I’ve put off whether I feel it’s good enough or not. Insecurity...it’s a powerful de-motivator.
So how do I avoid? Let me share.
Reading – That’s a huge and obvious one. Strangely though, when I’m avoiding writing, I rarely read in my own genre. Perhaps it's to avoid guilt over not writing.
Email/surfing the web/blogging – I often try to convince myself it’s for research and networking purposes, but yeah...I think we all know the truth here.
Facebook – it has its own entry because it’s such a delightful, colossal time waster. I have a garden on there, and a farm and I can send presents to people and do quizzes and look at my friends and family’s photographs and make comments about them. (My sister’s mostly drunken college pictures are fun to comment on.) Ah yes...facbook, how I love thee.
Ebay and Pogo – I like playing Word Whomp and Poppit on Pogo – both are mindless and relaxing. I also enjoy scouring ebay for out of print books and my favorite (discontinued) scented candles.
Sewing, knitting, cross stitching, drawing, making cards, making jewelry, pottery (when I have the materials) okay pretty much any craft. There’s something really satisfying about taking skeins of yarn and having toasty warm slippers at the end, or a pile of clay and ending up with a bowl or candle holders by the time you’re finished. It’s tangible accomplishment and besides, these things often make great gifts. But it’s still avoidance.
If I’m really desperate to avoid a writing project...I’ll clean. I loathe cleaning more than I can possibly express, but you can always tell I have a big deadline coming up if my office and kitchen are spotless.
Oddly, I don’t really use tv or dvds to avoid actually working – that’s more of a reward system for me. If I get a chapter done, I can watch an episode of a favorite show on dvd (currently I’m watching House – thanks to an awesome Christmas gift – and also Buffy season 7 and Firefly depending on my mood) or a movie.
I’m slowly getting better about writing avoidance. In fact, I wrote my last book without much at all. However, I’ve been avoiding my current book for over a year. Probably ought to finish that one soon.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
All hail the Queen...
of avoiding writing.
No really. I previously blogged about writing in gigantic chunks. Well this is due to the fact that I spend most of my time finding reasons not to write in the first place. Then when I finally have no choice but to write, I have to cram it all in to one or two days to get it done.
The pathetic things is...I love to write. Really. I was born with the need to do it. I am at my happiest when I am hard at work on a new book. But for some reason I look for ways to avoid doing it all the time. (I never claimed to be normal.)
So, because I enjoyed the ease of the list form last week, I will share with you my list of favorite ways to avoid writing. In no particular order:
1. Blogs. I have a lot of blogs. Really. I actually just cut two from my list of them, but I still have like...five. Sure, I don't contribute to all of them every day. But I have them and if I don't want to write I have several to pick from in which to blather on about nonsense for as long as I want.
2. Queer as Folk. This is my absolute favorite way of avoiding EVERYTHING. I can watch this show over and over again and never get sick of it. And if I am talking to the right person I can even convince them it is research and get away with it for a while. I have based many characters off of these two men. Not like stealing from the show. Just little bits of their personalities will crop up in different books. So techincally I am not lying about the research part.
3. YouTube. I LOVE YOUTUBE. I like fan videos of QaF (see above). I like videos about cats, funny ones and cute ones. Cats in bowls and cats on treadmills. I'll watch all of it. Sometimes I go to YouTube to hear a song that I don't have but fits the writing mood I am in. But without fail I am sucked in for a good two hours of bouncing around watching different videos until it is time to go to bed and I have not written a word.
4. Etsy. Another site that I love. Though this one is bad for several reasons. One, it kills lots of time as I cruise around and check out the different stores and stuff. Two, and the worst one, is that I can't NOT spend money there. This is a huge problem as I don't really HAVE money to spend. And yet...
This is just normal everyday stuff. I am not including "legitimate" excuses such as work and family and friends. I would never think to use them in that manner. ;)
I really do love to write. I know it doesn't always sound like it. But while I love it, it is hard work and sometimes my head hurts or I am running out of plot line or my characters are being assholes and I need to veg out to one of my favorite time killers to gather myself again and start the writing process all over again.
Aren't they adorable? *Sigh. I just love to avoid writing.
XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
No really. I previously blogged about writing in gigantic chunks. Well this is due to the fact that I spend most of my time finding reasons not to write in the first place. Then when I finally have no choice but to write, I have to cram it all in to one or two days to get it done.
The pathetic things is...I love to write. Really. I was born with the need to do it. I am at my happiest when I am hard at work on a new book. But for some reason I look for ways to avoid doing it all the time. (I never claimed to be normal.)
So, because I enjoyed the ease of the list form last week, I will share with you my list of favorite ways to avoid writing. In no particular order:
1. Blogs. I have a lot of blogs. Really. I actually just cut two from my list of them, but I still have like...five. Sure, I don't contribute to all of them every day. But I have them and if I don't want to write I have several to pick from in which to blather on about nonsense for as long as I want.
2. Queer as Folk. This is my absolute favorite way of avoiding EVERYTHING. I can watch this show over and over again and never get sick of it. And if I am talking to the right person I can even convince them it is research and get away with it for a while. I have based many characters off of these two men. Not like stealing from the show. Just little bits of their personalities will crop up in different books. So techincally I am not lying about the research part.
3. YouTube. I LOVE YOUTUBE. I like fan videos of QaF (see above). I like videos about cats, funny ones and cute ones. Cats in bowls and cats on treadmills. I'll watch all of it. Sometimes I go to YouTube to hear a song that I don't have but fits the writing mood I am in. But without fail I am sucked in for a good two hours of bouncing around watching different videos until it is time to go to bed and I have not written a word.
4. Etsy. Another site that I love. Though this one is bad for several reasons. One, it kills lots of time as I cruise around and check out the different stores and stuff. Two, and the worst one, is that I can't NOT spend money there. This is a huge problem as I don't really HAVE money to spend. And yet...This is just normal everyday stuff. I am not including "legitimate" excuses such as work and family and friends. I would never think to use them in that manner. ;)
I really do love to write. I know it doesn't always sound like it. But while I love it, it is hard work and sometimes my head hurts or I am running out of plot line or my characters are being assholes and I need to veg out to one of my favorite time killers to gather myself again and start the writing process all over again.
Aren't they adorable? *Sigh. I just love to avoid writing.XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Things that scare me
Being a writer is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the internet.
It's a quote that's been floating around the net for a long time and, for me at least, there is a little bit of truth to it. But the web is not so much a tool for avoiding writing as much as it is one that makes me look at the clock and wonder where the last couple of hours went.
I get distracted the same as anyone, but don't really avoid writing as a whole - it's very my addiction of choice. So, I wasn't sure what to say on this blog post. But, what Andrea said yesterday made me break down the question a little further.
I realised that I don't avoid writing as a whole, but I do avoid the writing projects that scare me. I get into a comfort zone and I wrap myself up in it, all nice and cosy, and hibernate there.
There are certain things and story lines I don't write because they just don't rock my boat. I'm fine with that. It would be a very boring world if we all liked the same, etc, etc.
But, there are other stories I would love to write. They form a very large part of my "to be written when I feel like I know what I'm doing" list. It could just as easily be called my "will be written when I stop avoiding projects that scare me" list.
At the moment the stories I'm avoiding writing can be split into two main groups.
Anything that's over 60k: I like novellas. I write a lot of them. I'm pretty confident that I can write a story that's that length, edit it and turn it into something submittable.
Don't get me wrong, I work my socks off on each and every one. I put my heart and soul into them. But some of the story ideas I'm in love with can't be written into a short word count, so they get passed over in favour of those that can.
I've written long stories but I've never edited one into a submittable state. Full length novels scare me. So I avoid them.
First stories in proper series: (Series where characters who played a minor role in the last book come back to tell their full story in the next, if you know what I mean.) Once I put a character in the first story in a minor role, I'll be committed to him. I can't change his name/psychology/appearance or anything else.
Now, I change a lot about my characters as I go through the story. Characters often get re-named when I'm on my third or fourth edit. After weeks of playing nicely with me they announce that they have a whole host of personal conflicts that I had no idea of when I first created them. The idea that I can't do that once the first books submitted is sort of terrifying.
Real ongoing series, rather than the collections around a theme that I'm enjoying writing at the moment, scare me. So I avoid them.
You know the really stupid thing? Since January I've had this restless feeling, sort of as if I've been looking for a little challenge to set myself for 2009. I couldn't come up with anything that really fitted the bill.
Maybe, with Andrea's help, I've just stumbled upon it. Maybe it's time I faced my fears and stopped avoiding some of the stories I really want to write.
What do you think? Is February to late for a few New Years Resolutions?
It's a quote that's been floating around the net for a long time and, for me at least, there is a little bit of truth to it. But the web is not so much a tool for avoiding writing as much as it is one that makes me look at the clock and wonder where the last couple of hours went.
I get distracted the same as anyone, but don't really avoid writing as a whole - it's very my addiction of choice. So, I wasn't sure what to say on this blog post. But, what Andrea said yesterday made me break down the question a little further.
I realised that I don't avoid writing as a whole, but I do avoid the writing projects that scare me. I get into a comfort zone and I wrap myself up in it, all nice and cosy, and hibernate there.
There are certain things and story lines I don't write because they just don't rock my boat. I'm fine with that. It would be a very boring world if we all liked the same, etc, etc.
But, there are other stories I would love to write. They form a very large part of my "to be written when I feel like I know what I'm doing" list. It could just as easily be called my "will be written when I stop avoiding projects that scare me" list.
At the moment the stories I'm avoiding writing can be split into two main groups.
Anything that's over 60k: I like novellas. I write a lot of them. I'm pretty confident that I can write a story that's that length, edit it and turn it into something submittable.
Don't get me wrong, I work my socks off on each and every one. I put my heart and soul into them. But some of the story ideas I'm in love with can't be written into a short word count, so they get passed over in favour of those that can.
I've written long stories but I've never edited one into a submittable state. Full length novels scare me. So I avoid them.
First stories in proper series: (Series where characters who played a minor role in the last book come back to tell their full story in the next, if you know what I mean.) Once I put a character in the first story in a minor role, I'll be committed to him. I can't change his name/psychology/appearance or anything else.
Now, I change a lot about my characters as I go through the story. Characters often get re-named when I'm on my third or fourth edit. After weeks of playing nicely with me they announce that they have a whole host of personal conflicts that I had no idea of when I first created them. The idea that I can't do that once the first books submitted is sort of terrifying.
Real ongoing series, rather than the collections around a theme that I'm enjoying writing at the moment, scare me. So I avoid them.
You know the really stupid thing? Since January I've had this restless feeling, sort of as if I've been looking for a little challenge to set myself for 2009. I couldn't come up with anything that really fitted the bill.
Maybe, with Andrea's help, I've just stumbled upon it. Maybe it's time I faced my fears and stopped avoiding some of the stories I really want to write.
What do you think? Is February to late for a few New Years Resolutions?
Monday, February 2, 2009
But why?
Unfortunately I could write a lengthy list of ways I avoid writing. Here are a few: reading romance novels, watching soap operas, downloading ebooks, napping, playing Webkinz (have I told you how much I love to play Color Storm?), etc.
But really the question I start to ask myself is why do I do all these things to avoid writing? Especially because I like writing. I like making words come out of my characters' mouths. I like to see where they are going next in their daily lives. So why do I avoid sitting and doing the work?
1. I haven't done my prep work. If I don't spend time thinking about my next scene BEFORE sitting in front of my laptop, then I find a million ways to avoid working on my story. The best time for me to think through my scenes is in the shower. Then I rush out, grab a towel and try to find a scrap of paper to write down my ideas. I used to have a notebook in the bathroom with a pen, but I ran out of pages. Hmmmm. Time to put a new one in there. If there is no place to write my ideas, then I won't spend my time brainstorming in the shower. Ahhhhh! I see a connection here.
2. Fear of failure. I hate to admit to this one because I like to convince myself that I'm not afraid of anything, especially failing. I have a very outgoing personality. I love public speaking. And I am always looking for a new challenge. So the fact that I secretly fear failing will probably surprise my family and friends. If I don't finish writing the story, then I don't have to fear it will fail to get published.
3. Fear of success. I put off finishing my first story for several months right in the middle of writing it. When I looked at why I had stopped writing, I realized I was afraid I wouldn't have another story to write after the first one was done. What if they liked the first one and wanted more?!?! What if I didn't have another story to tell?
Those are the big 3. Not a pretty list, but if I face them head on, then I have a better chance of defeating those avoidance feelings.
But ya' know, sometimes playing a round or two of Color Storm can be helpful. How do you think I came up with the idea for this post?
Cheers! Andrea
But really the question I start to ask myself is why do I do all these things to avoid writing? Especially because I like writing. I like making words come out of my characters' mouths. I like to see where they are going next in their daily lives. So why do I avoid sitting and doing the work?
1. I haven't done my prep work. If I don't spend time thinking about my next scene BEFORE sitting in front of my laptop, then I find a million ways to avoid working on my story. The best time for me to think through my scenes is in the shower. Then I rush out, grab a towel and try to find a scrap of paper to write down my ideas. I used to have a notebook in the bathroom with a pen, but I ran out of pages. Hmmmm. Time to put a new one in there. If there is no place to write my ideas, then I won't spend my time brainstorming in the shower. Ahhhhh! I see a connection here.
2. Fear of failure. I hate to admit to this one because I like to convince myself that I'm not afraid of anything, especially failing. I have a very outgoing personality. I love public speaking. And I am always looking for a new challenge. So the fact that I secretly fear failing will probably surprise my family and friends. If I don't finish writing the story, then I don't have to fear it will fail to get published.
3. Fear of success. I put off finishing my first story for several months right in the middle of writing it. When I looked at why I had stopped writing, I realized I was afraid I wouldn't have another story to write after the first one was done. What if they liked the first one and wanted more?!?! What if I didn't have another story to tell?
Those are the big 3. Not a pretty list, but if I face them head on, then I have a better chance of defeating those avoidance feelings.
But ya' know, sometimes playing a round or two of Color Storm can be helpful. How do you think I came up with the idea for this post?
Cheers! Andrea
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