Sep

10

Working through Writing the Breakout Novel, Part 1

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As I mentioned last week, I’m going through Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook with an eye towards The Morgan Affair. Rather than writing directly in the book (and there are spaces in the book so you can do that), I’m writing it all out in a spiral-bound notebook. That way I’ll have it all together in one place, and can eventually stick it into the “bible” I’m building for the novel (and, hopefully, more books about Alex and her friends).

I’ve finished the first three “exercises” of the workbook, and I’ve already learned something new about Alex: what it is she really wants. It’s not what I originally thought it was going to be, but it’s something she will never be able to have. How’s that for inner conflict?

The workbook recommends reading Writing the Breakout Novel (which I will refer to in the future as WBN) first, so you can learn about the concepts before trying to put them into practice. I’m glad I did that. While each set of exercises are prefaced with examples from actual books in print – ones Maass has identified as breakout novels – there’s not a lot of explanation there. WBN has pretty thorough explanations of the characteristics of breakout novels, but really not much in the way of practical advice on how to do it. And that’s what the workbook is for. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to attend one of the workshops Maass runs in person, so I’m using the workbook as a surrogate.

Okay, enough procrastinating. Time to fold some laundry then get back to “class”. :)

Apr

23

Getting Writing Again

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Oh goodness, I’m embarrassed. All the talk I had about still being stuck on a specific spot in TMA? Well, I just opened up the chapter I’m currently working on and discovered I not only solved that problem, but have moved the scene along. (blush)

I’ve got a good portion of the rest of the scene already written (the stuff from the speed draft/NaNoWriMo version), so we’ll see how quickly this goes. It’s funny. Sometimes I find that editing old work to fit with the new path the novel has taken actually takes more time than writing completely new stuff.

Feb

2

26 Days Until NaNoEdMo

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I’m sure most of you have heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The people who brought you NaNoWriMo also support National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo).

The goal of NaNoEdMo is to spend 50 hours during the month of March. Why did the organizers choose March? Because it’s three months after NaNoWriMo – enough time to let things percolate in your head before you start revising what you wrote in November. Of course, you aren’t limited to editing your NaNoWriMo novel. You can edit anything, so long as it’s a novel.

I won’t be participating in NaNoEdMo, but that doesn’t mean I don’t support their goals. It’s just not something that fits in with my writing plans. I can’t wait until March to do editing for TMA. Maybe some other time, when I’ve got a different project. 50 hours in a month isn’t that bad. That works out to just over an hour and a half a day. That’s an achievable goal.

Jan

30

Month End Evaluation of Goals

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Back on October 22, I posted my writing goals for 2009. As a review, here’s what they were:

January 2009

  • Revise TMA, one chapter per week, minimum 1k words revised per day.
  • Submit minimum 3 chapters to crit group.
  • Do required 6 crits for writing group.
  • Start checking out agents currently accepting submissions.
  • Do Create A Culture & Create A Language for Zaan for Storm King’s Eye.

January is more or less over, so let’s see how I did:

  • I did not get the revisions done, but I did submit the three chapters to my writing group.
  • Completed one crit. I think.
  • Did not start looking for agents.
  • Did not do Create a Culture/Create A Language for Zaan.

Not a very good start to 2009. A big part of not getting the last two things done on my list was, well, because I forgot about the existence of these goals. I have since found the huge planning binder – you know, the one I put in a “safe place” – and will faithfully work from it starting February 1st. After the Superbowl is over.

Jan

20

Top Five Writing Myths

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One common thing whenever human beings gather is the need to talk and share experiences. Often that need turns into something a little more fun, a little more dangerous — gossip. Gossip is often fun but it can also be dangerous because it spreads quickly (because it is fun) and often distorts or even completely avoids the truth. Gossip creates myths in many fields and professions, and the field of writing is especially prone.

Here are the top five myths about writing:

Myth 1: Writing is easy for some people. Let me tell you that is just about the biggest myth going. I have been writing for almost three decades now. I also know professional writers of various ages, experience, and income. I don’t know a writer that will tell you that writing is easy. Writing is brutal, hard work and there are times when I think it would be easier to simply open a vein as Red Smith said. However experience and practice can make many writing tasks easier. There are some writing tasks that I can almost accomplish on autopilot because I have written that specific format and/or topic a lot.

Myth 2: Writing requires talent. I won’t lie. Talent can certainly help and talent is what separates the great writers from the good writers. But the truth is that talent is not enough to make a writer great or even good and talent is not a necessary requirement to be a good writer. Writing is a skill that can be learned, developed and honed. If you practice your craft, if you read the writing of others to learn more about your craft, and if you seek and accept guidance and suggestions about your writing then you will improve and grow as a writer. Dedication harnessed with talent can create amazing results but if I had to pick just one then I would go with dedication. You can always increase your skill level through dedication.

Myth 3: Writing isn’t a useful skill. Even if you don’t intend to make your living with words you will need this crucial skill. There simply isn’t a profession that does not involve writing. Perhaps the form will vary, but written communication is the cornerstone in every professional field. Your writing ability will often impact landing a job as well as advancing in your career. Today written communication is even more crucial in professional and personal relationships.

Myth 4: You can’t make a living as a writer. Lots of people say English Majors end up flipping burgers – you can’t support yourself. The truth is many people never had trouble finding a job and some own their own businesses because of this flexible and important skill. Not only can you make a living as a writer but writing is an essential tool for many other careers and professions.

Myth 5: Writers block is alive and torturing writers as you read this. I’m not dismissing the difficulties inherent in dealing with writers block but whenever I talk with writers purportedly suffering from it they fall within two general groups. The first group actually creates their own block by insisting on the perfect place, mood, or alignment of planets in order to write. This is beyond ridiculous. To be a scucessful writer you have to be able to write in almost any condition or mood. Deadlines will teach anyone how to give writers block short shrift. The second group I have more sympathy for as their problem really is internal in nature. Usually the problem is that the particular story (whether fiction or nonfiction) they want to tell is not yet finished cooking in their brain. In this case, while the writing may be stalled I don’t agree that it is blocked. The writer must listen to that inner voice and respond appropriately. Sometimes the idea needs more time to percolate and sometimes more research and/or planning is necessary. Once the proper adjustments are made the writing will begin to flow again.

Don’t let your writing fall victim to these five myths about writing.