I want to start writing again. I haven’t written anything–apart from a handful of blog posts–in six months. I want to. I’m just…scared. My world is not what it was six months ago. I’ve changed a lot. I almost died. Rediscovered my purpose. Decided to link my dreams with that purpose. I’m actively taking steps to make both dream and purpose a reality. I’m changing schools and majors (two of those steps). And my writing is another one of those steps.
But starting to write again is scary. Coming up with an idea worthy of all my changes is intimidating. And the thought of failing is terrifying. Which leaves me mentally–and creatively–paralyzed.
Any ideas to get back on the horse again, so to speak?
(Okay, so “piss off” is probably not a politically correct term. But it’s so much more…appropriate than “anger”. I mean, really, anger sounds so civilized. And that’s not what I’m feeling right now. Warning: if you’ve done me wrong recently, I’m talking to you. <insert evil grin>)
Everyone knows it’s not a good a idea to cross Taylor Swift. That’s a good way to end up in a hit song, and even her veiled references to events don’t always protect the guilty. But have you ever thought about the people who cross, say, Stephen King?
Most writers take inspiration from people they know. It may be a single character trait. It may be an odd quirk they notice in a stranger. It may be the way someone walks. But all those little things combine together and end up in a single, life-like character that jumps off the page. Now, if you’re on the writer’s good side, you can find yourself in the pages of their newest novel, and take pride in the compliment.
But if, on the other hand, you and the writer have a bit more…hostile relationship, you might also find yourself on the pages of a story, albeit in a much less complimentary fashion. Think about it: all those horrible villains are based on someone. And villains have to die somehow (and usually, the more painful and gruesome, the better). I’m just saying, maybe all those Stephen King characters wouldn’t have died so violently if the people he was thinking of when he wrote them had not made him angry.
Personally, I’ve been known to base characters, events, clothing, lots of things on people I know. And the way I’m feeling right now…well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be too surprised if a character in my newest novel happens to be heavily tattooed, short, selfish, and full of lies….and dies tragically when run over by the karma bus. Repeatedly. I’m just saying….revenge is sweet. Even if it’s only in my own mind.
What makes you want to read a book? For me, there’s one sure way to guarantee I’ll read a book: if it’s by an author I’ve read and enjoyed before. That’s a safe bet. But for a new (or new-to-me) author, what’s a good way to get me to pick up the book–and then make an even bigger investment of time and money–and buy it?
The cover of the book is one way. It’s hard to place too much importance on the book cover. Honestly, I can’t even tell you the number of book covers that have intrigued me enough to actually buy the book. Here are three book covers that intrigued me enough to buy the book:
Before I Wake, by Rachel VincentFlirting with Forty, by Jane PorterAlice in Zombieland, by Gena Showalter
There aren’t really any common elements between. They are all just really well-done covers. If it catches my eye on a bookshelf, at the very least I’ll pick it up, flip it over, and read the back cover copy.
Cover copy is another way to attract readers. Last week, I saw the blurb for Coleen Patrick’s new book Come Back to Me:
Whitney Denison can’t wait to start over.
She thought she had everything under control, that her future would always include her best friend Katie… Until everything changed.
Now her life in Bloom is one big morning-after hangover, filled with regret, grief, and tiny pinpricks of reminders that she was once happy. A happy she ruined. A happy she can’t fix.
So, she is counting down the days until she leaves home for Colson University, cramming her summer with busywork she didn’t finish her senior year, and taking on new hobbies that involve glue and glitter, and dodging anyone who reminds her of her old life.
When she runs into the stranger who drove her home on graduation night, after she’d passed out next to a ditch, she feels herself sinking again. The key to surviving the summer in Bloom is unraveling whatever good memories she can from that night.
But in searching for answers, she’ll have to ask for help and that means turning to Evan, the stranger, and Kyle, Katie’s ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, life flips again, and Whitney finds herself on not only the precipice of happy but love, too, causing her to question whether she can trust her feelings, or if she is falling into her old patterns of extremes.
As she uncovers the truth about her memories, Whitney sees that life isn’t all or nothing, and that happy isn’t something to wait for, that instead, happy might just be a choice.
I was so intrigued by the description of the book, I clicked on the link and bought it immediately (Great read, btw!) Again, there’s no list of ingredients for how to write great cover copy, but using active descriptions instead of boring passive-voice is a must, as is giving the reader just enough details to whet their appetite (and have them chasing the carrot).
A great title is also a way to get me to commit to a book. Gena Showalter’s Alice in Zombieland is a fantastic example of this. I would have bought this for the title alone (even without the great cover and fantastic cover copy). As a writer, coming up with the perfect title is something I tend to obsess about, so I love to check out other authors’ titles, hoping to find something that will give my own Muse a nudge in the right direction.
…okay, not really re-thinking. Let’s just say I’m going to try something new (or, actually, old). Confused yet? Let me explain. Have you heard of Holly Lisle? If you haven’t, well, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Holly is a rarity: a mid-list author who actually makes a living with her writing. She’s smart, she’s a great writer, she knows what she’s doing, and, more importantly, she’s really big on paying it forward (she did start Forward Motion, after all). She spends a lot of her time helping her fellow writers out. To that end, she has created lots of helpful things, from the smaller workshops like How to Create a Language, How to Create a Character, How to Write Page-Turning Scenes…and she has also created huge, incredibly detailed classes Like How To Revise Your Novel and How To Think Sideways.
I was in the original HTTS class, as well as the original HTRYN class, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much difference these two classes made in my writing. The way Holly thinks, the way she breaks things down using plain language, worksheets, examples…well, it got me thinking in ways I’d never thought before (which was the point, right?). Since I don’t have much done on The Fall–in reality, I have only a handful of pages written, basically no pre-work, and haven’t touched it in weeks–I’ve decided that I’m going to take it through HTTS. I know the end result will be much closer to the story I have in my head, much more true to the vision I can see for the story. It will just be better. Yeah, it’ll be a lot of work and it will take me a while, but in the end, it’ll be worth it.
I’m a huge fan of Holly’s writing in general, and I know her courses can really get results–if you’re willing to do the work. I am. I haven’t been published, but I’ve gotten some partial manuscript requests because of her courses, and I want to give everything I can to The Fall. I’ve also decided to become one of Holly’s affiliates. I do believe whole-heartedly in her methods, her teaching, and her results, and if you have any interest in checking it out for yourself, go here. If you aren’t a writer, but you’d like to read a great book, you can check those out as well.
I have become a zombie. It’s true. Several months ago, I noticed that most of the people on campus at my university can’t seem to go anywhere without headphones on. It takes what, three minutes to walk between classes, and they can’t go that long without listening to music? And some of them would sit in the classroom/auditorium/lecture hall with their headphones on, until the professor would come in and actually start talking before they’d take them off. Then they’d act like it was a huge inconvenience to be without them. It was like all these people were withdrawing from the world, wanting to live in their own little bubble, with no contact with anyone outside of it. On one hand, it irritated me greatly. On the other, my Muse thought it had great potential to be used in a dystopian story, and that turned into The Fall.
Today I realized I’m guilty of this as well. I don’t know when it happened. I don’t know how. But I rarely go anywhere on campus now without my headphones on.
It’s not because I don’t want contact with the people around me–although sometimes that’s the last thing I want. Have you seen how annoying teenagers are now? (Suddenly, I feel very old.) Plus, there are inevitably people who decide to talk to me, even though I am clearly wearing my “Please Don’t Talk to Me” face (Seriously, people? Can you NOT see the look I’m giving you? Get a clue.). But even that’s not the real reason.
The real reason is because I find myself in desperate need of inspiring and uplifting music to get through the day. My priorities have shifted drastically over the last six months, and one of the things that has changed is the music I listen to most of the time. It keeps me on an even keel. And considering the stress in my life, I need an even keel (and, possibly, a life preserver). Hence the ever-present headphones. But I do take them off when I go into a classroom. And I can’t listen to words with music when I’m writing–not that I’ve done much writing lately–so I don’t use them there, either.
I haven’t written in a couple of weeks, but I did some background work on The Fall this weekend, filling in some details. I also worked on the revision outline for the zombie story, AND the revision on the werewolf story. I also spent an hour or so starting the Scrivener tutorial. I’ll try to finish that up this week, and start actually using it this weekend.
In case you’re wondering where I’ve been (you know, all three of you that are reading this), I need to make a confession: I tend to over-commit myself. Basically, I need about 5 extra hours in every day to get everything done I need and/or want to do. Here’s a list of things I need to be doing on a weekly basis (some of which I’m failing miserably at):
1) Work (2 15-hour days, 1 13-hour day). On my feet….
2) School: 17 hours this semester (5 class, one lab, WTF was I thinking?)
3) 3 blogs (my writing blog, my personal blog, my environmental blog)
4) Write the first draft of The Fall (My Muse thinks I’ve gone on strike.)
5) Revise the zombie story
6) Revise the werewolf story
7) Write book reviews for Examiner.com (assuming I have actual time to read)
8) Keep up with my writing crit circle (I’m trying.)
9) Church (This has become a necessity in my life. Period.)
10) Keep up with all my home projects (the green-friendly ones that are now my priority)
11) Hang out with family and The Diva (so she doesn’t have a complete breakdown. I love you, sister-wife!).
12) Work out. (Ha. Hahahaha. Yeah. With what free time? I’m pretty sure the 5-7 miles I walk at work 3 times a week count for something.)
13) I’m taking a 6-week Nutrition class on Coursera (halfway through), with a Philosophy class starting in 2 weeks…
14) I’m pretty sure I’m missing something, but I can’t remember what just now…
You’ll notice this list does not include things like, oh, sleep, relax, hang out with friends. All of which are things I do try to do, too. I’ve had some stuff going on with the Sierra Club and Environment Texas. This past weekend, I had a membership class at church. I have another one next weekend.
Watching TV…sigh. It’s a good thing I have a DVR. That’s all I’m saying. Actually, I did watch two shows I had recorded on Sunday, while I was doing other things. A friend of mine called while I was watching. He asked what I was doing. When I said “Watching TV,” there was dead silence on the line for a good ten seconds, then “REALLY?!” Yeah. Before that, it had been…oh, probably a month, since I had my TV on. Money well spent on the cable bill, huh?
In short, I’d show you my daily planner, but I’m too embarrassed. It’s probably confusing to everyone but me. Plus, I’m severely OCD when it comes to my planner and it might be color coded…
Despite the stresses of this week–my aunt was just diagnosed with breast cancer, one of my best friends had brain surgery today–I managed to finish the revision outline for the werewolf story. It’s not very in-depth, only six pages long, but I think it will help me get organized to actually finish the revision (FINALLY). I’m hoping so, anyway.
I wrote for 20 minutes or so yesterday on The Fall. Only got a few hundred words or so, but that’s better than nothing. Even better, I have an idea for part of the plot. Well. Kind of. I think maybe it’s going to be super-important to the plot…but I could be wrong. It has to do with an up-’til-now-unseen character that disappeared six months before. I think I know WHY he disappeared…where he went…and even more importantly, how it ties into the larger story arc. And here I thought he was just the used-to-be best friend. Who knew? My Muse, apparently….
I love the mystery and the surprises in writing. It’s what makes the whole thing truly worthwhile and beautiful. I love when the little things all come together and something clicks inside my head and it all makes sense. (I just wish real life could make sense like that.) I love when a tiny detail you thought wasn’t important turns out to be the key to everything. I love writing. I love creating.
…to my complete inability to get anything done writing-wise. Something that eliminates a lot of my tendency to procrastinate, and allows me to focus on a project for a short period of time. What is this magical solution? Setting the timer on my phone for 30 minutes.
Yes, this is something super-simple that I probably should have thought of before, but I didn’t. I was trying to bribe my Muse into coming to work today, and said “Okay, if I can just write for 30 minutes, I’ll be happy.” So, I set my timer for half an hour, pulled up my manuscript of The Fall, and started writing. I managed 3-4 pages before the timer beeped. It was a short enough time period that I didn’t get distracted, but long enough for me to actually get something accomplished, which made me feel about a thousand times better than my usual “You lazy bum, you didn’t get any writing done at all today!” vibe.
It worked so well that I tried it twice more. I managed to revise an entire chapter in the zombie story from 3rd-person to 1st-person POV. And I also did 14 chapters in the revision outline for the Werewolf story (less than ten to go). It may not work for everyone, but it’s worth a shot.
If anyone has any other ideas, ways to get over the lack of inertia and start working again, I’d LOVE to hear them!
I’m proud to say I’ve actually made progress this week. Not on writing. I haven’t done any actual writing this week. Sigh….Muse? Where aaaaare you? Hello? Okay. This is what my progress on The Fall looks like over the past few weeks:
You’re right: nothing. No writing. But it’s only Tuesday….Apparently, my Muse has taken off for parts unknown. Knowing my Muse, “parts unknown” is probably code for “a beach with a hammock, a never-ending margarita machine, and a cute cabana boy.” I digress. Where was I? Not on a beach….
I did, however, manage to do my revision chapter outline for seven chapters of the werewolf story this morning. I also converted an entire chapter of the zombie story from 3rd person to 1st person POV. That’s trickier than it sounds…I’ve done short crits for two people in my writing group. Written several blog posts for my other blogs. And looooots of homework. Yay for homework. Except not.
Goals for the rest of the week: Convert another chapter of the zombie story. Finish the revision outline for the werewolf story. Write another chapter of The Fall. Survive.
So, despite loads of homework and reading for school, I managed to do mini-outlines for two more chapters in the werewolf story. Progress, although of the infinitesimal, snail-like variety. Three chapters down, 29 to go…but it will get done. And I promised my best friend/co-writer that I would convert ONE chapter of our zombie story to first-person this weekend. I’m also thinking about trying out Scrivener. Anybody out there used it or have any opinions or comments about it?
I also have this sitting on my desk, waiting to be read:
Personal bribery at its best…
I know, I know. The Wheel of Time series has dragged on forever. I’ve heard all the complaints. Seen all the bad reviews for the series in general. I know. Also, I don’t care. I haven’t opened it yet. IF I get all the stuff done that I need to this weekend–homework, writing, revision, blogging, cleaning, re-decorating, planting–THEN I will start reading it. If not, well, it’ll have to wait. It’s been years since I started reading the series, I don’t think a few more days will hurt me.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 