Mechanical Troubles

Another week gone by and I’ve failed to make my word count goal I had set for myself. Well, I have two options degrade myself for my slothful performance or I could take stock of where I am and adjust my goal. Only one is helpful but it is harder to do the latter.

So how can I cope with my falling short of my goal?

• Know that I will fail some days. It’s natural so be kind to myself.
• Know I can’t fall behind because it’s my plan. Cut myself a break.
• Know why I didn’t make the old goal. Was the original goal too difficult? Am I striving for perfection? Once I assess make the next goal reflect my findings.

Even if I didn’t make my small goal I am still on my path to achieve it. View it as a filling up of my world allowing me to come back to the task refreshed. Then hit it. Carve the time out of my schedule to do the work. If it’s important enough for me to be angry for missing it rededicate myself to it. It’s my dream if I don’t make time for it, who will?

Love,

The Struggling Writer

Made of Rubber

Day-to-day life can wear one down. We have to-do lists pages long. Cars break, loved ones disappoint us, and yet we find the ability to put one foot in front of the other. Where do we get this bounce back muscle? Can we improve our “get over it” instinct?

One of the best ways to help me keep going when the lights feel dim and I’m stumbling, is gratitude. Even when I’m at the bottom, I can normally muster up one thing that I can feel good about. Granted, while wallowing in my mud bath I may get angry at that notion that there’s something to be grateful for but I just repeat it over and over again. In that sliver of time, the light shines on me and I feel a little bit better.

So it is important to find that little bounce in your step, that can remind you that this too shall pass. Go for a walk, talk to a friend, or dare to find a little smile hiding around you waiting to be found.

Score I totally found silly string,

Melissa

Along the Path

I’ve been writing novels for seven years and for three actually been dedicated to it and I’m still learning about my own writing style. My first completed manuscript was written in a month and half coming in over 70,000 words. But with my last manuscript I got to over 20,000 words and I hit a wall with writing. I felt drained and angry that I couldn’t write any more. So I left it alone, worked on other projects and after a few months dove right back in and finished up the story in another 25, 000 words or so.  I figured it was just a one time deal.

Fast forward to this newest manuscript, I’ve hit another 20,000 words and again I slammed into a word wall. I know where my story is going but for whatever reason, I am having a hard time getting it out on the page and when I do I feel worse for it being there. But now that I have a few manuscripts under my belt I can relax knowing that this is part of how I write. I trust that I will allow the story to simmer like a great soup in the back burner of my mind and then I’ll come back to it.

So for now, I stock up on my reading and TV watching. Plus send out query letters and synopsis to literary agents. I’ve got nothing but time.

 

To down time,

The writer

Time Carve

One of my goals this year is to write two complete manuscripts. To do this I must keep track of my goal weekly and tweak my long term goals. For example, I started a new work-in-progress that I want to have approximately 65,000 words manuscript. And I should be able have the first draft written by the beginning of March. Round 1 of edits should take me a month to get through. So by May, I could be ready to start my next work-in-progress.

Rinse and repeat with additional editing sprinkled in between. It sounds easy on paper but hopefully with me constantly checking and keeping my goals insight I can keep on track. By checking the goals at least once I week, I can adjust my time line to see if the original goal is feasible. If it isn’t that’s simple enough to handle, I update the completion date. This isn’t hard but I make sure I’m making progress and not letting myself off the hook.

To the word document I go,

Me

Novel Idea

About a year ago, I was working on honing my ability to use setting effectively in my stories and and I read an exercise about how to create moods with it’s place. I was struck on an idea of all the roads could lead you to a house but if person who owned the house doesn’t want you there you’d never be able to find it. The streets would shift and twist so you’d never reach the destination. And what if this house was old living among newer homes that the newer residence couldn’t understand why they always got lost on seeming straigh streets.

What would that magical house look like? Who would live there? Then I meet one of my main character for my newest novel, that is a work-in-progress. A year ago, I started to flesh out her, her world, and a short story sprouted.

But it was only the tip of the adventure so I continued to write and deleve into the world. Now one year since I read that exercise, I’ve have a first draft of my manuscript done. It’s shorter than my first novel manuscript I finished and since it’s YA, I think that’s fine. Yet I’m excited to rework it and flesh it out.

As I’m wrapping up with this round of writing, I have another character tugging on my ear. Yes, muse, I’m coming. My fingers can only go so fast across the keyboard.

Heading the Call,

Me

Bye 2012

With today being another New Years Eve, it’s time to step back, survey where I’ve been as a writer, and take stock of what’s next.

It started off rough for me. My first completed manuscript was mostly done and I gave it to a beta reader and it blew up in my face. After many tears and tearing out my hair, I put the review aside and went to my first writer’s conference. There, I did a pitch with a massive publishing house and was told that it was a good story; if I changed everything from the main character’s motivation to love interest.

Not deterred, I continued editing the manuscript, wrote up a synopsis and query letter, and sent it out to literary agents I meet at the conference. Got two, “We’ll only respond if you are interested,” and one, “Thank you, no, thank you.”

I guess it’s official, I’ve got a rejection slip so I’m a “real” writer.

I also started and finished another entire manuscript. Plus, I wrote another 7,000 words on my newest work-in-progress. I didn’t take part in this years NaNo month but I don’t feel too bad about it since I’ve been constantly in some phase of writing this year.

Through out all this writing, I also managed to keep up my appetite for books up. I managed to read 123 books. By reading, it helps my words to flow onto the page.

So for 2013, I guess I’ll keep on the path. Add to my word count, continue to shop my stories around, and most of all keep on believing that I am a writer.

Tale of Two Structures

My first serious attempt at writing a novel, I refused to outline. Why? Because I am such a highly structured person they I didn’t want to squish my “creative freedom.” What came out that experiment was heavy on the back story and weak on scene structure. That’s no good.

I set it aside for two years and when I reread it I cut the first 100 pages and began again. This time before I started the story, I did in depth character analysis and plot construction (thank you, first round for giving me all this info). I knew then the arc of the story and some of the subplots, I was ready to go.

In theory, but in reality, all my love for the story was gone. The adventure dimmed. I already knew where it was going when I started. So I set the story aside. I let it breath. Maybe absent would make the heart grow fonder.

In the meantime another character tugged at my mind. So how could I find the Goldilocks spot? The next story had a three week time frame so I put day 1 and mapped out using vague notions like, “Has a bad date” or “Went out to lunch with her mother.” I paired that knowledge with how I wanted the scenes to go and let the minor characters ride the tide of the muse through my fingers.

It was great. I got what I wanted out of the characters without all the heavy plotting and if there were problems with the story I trusted myself to buff them out in the revisions. So know I use this idea of calendaring my stories with key words or character intent and let my muse do the rest. Since I changed to this method, I’ve finished one book, written my first draft for another, and am two-thirds the way through the next manuscript. In my book, I consider that a win.

Moral of the story: Find what works best for you. Read books, take classes, and ask others but in the end find your way. Then write and try out the various nuggets of wisdom to find your personalized style to structure.

Spurs Jingling

Cursor blinking on a white screen. We’ve all been there and struggled with adding to our story. So how to make that little sucker dance across the screen?

• Outline the scene to give you structure on where you want to go.
• Move. Get out of the chair and take a walk.
• If know the mood of the scene play some music to move you into that space.
• Reread the previous scene to keep you in the flow of the story.

No matter what, just keep pushing through. It may feel hard, frustrating, and make you want to drink but it’s your choice. You as a writer have something to say that’s new, different, and all yours so spit it out. Because otherwise you’ll be sitting at the crossroads of “Could’a and Should’a” and that’s not a nice place to be.

Time to Cowboy Up,

The Warrior Writer

Secret Sauce Treasure Hunt

Secret Sauce Treasure Hunt.

Secret Sauce Treasure Hunt

My little linear mind loves to make goals, to-do lists, and the such. But when it comes to this creative game called art, my neat little organizational mind needs to go into hibernation. The lists can suck fun and creativity right out my ear. So how can I make a satisfying meal for both sides of my brain?

I haven’t found the secret sauce ingredient yet but here’s what I’ve found thus far:

• Set goals with creative things as my reward.

(For example, I wanted to start reading the long In Death series by J.D. Robb but I know once I start a series, I will inhale the whole thing without coming up for air. If I did this I would get through the series but have no writing done of my own to show for it. SO now once I finish a large task while working on my book I get a treat; I get to read the next book in the series. Win-win, in my book (yes, pun was totally intended).)

• I must open the document up every time I’m at my computer. And if at the end of the day I’ve haven’t done anything on it, I’m OK with it because I at least opened it and maybe reread a few paragraphs.

(Sometime it’s good enough to allow my mind to mull things around in my subconsciousness without me trying to strong arm it to do something.)

• It’s fine if I watch cartoons, comedies, and do things that bring me joy instead of writing that day.

(I do this because my reason to write is to be in joy not because some mass market is dictating that what I’m writing will be perfect for this year’s latest and greatest writing trends.)

• Appreciate being a noncontracted author.

(Seems hinkey, I know, since I am trying to get an agent/publisher to pick me up but I cherish this time because I decide what I want to write or how I write. There are no demands on my skill. Bliss is my only goal with my pen and story. I am my audience so if I don’t enjoy it neither will anyone else.)

I am excited to keep forging ahead chopping down the jungle as I go along. Some days will be easier than others but I above all write because words are my dear friends that can light up someone’s day. When the days get bogged down I just need to channel the joy and reflect on it from time to time.

Words are my life boat in this sometimes crazy world,

Me~lissa