Writing

Keys to a Balanced Writing Diet

6:00 AM

"You're so pretty."

"You're so sweet."

"Man, you're such a good writer!"

"I love your ideas--you're so creative and inspiring!"

Don't comments like this just make your day? When someone says something, be it in a blog comment or in an email or message, I get all warm and fuzzy inside. The words lift me up into the clouds and make me feel as if I can do and be anything.

The power of words is extraordinary.

But while words are good and healthy and beneficial to us, they can also be dangerous. 

See, while compliments can lift us up, insults and criticism can bring us down. If we let the words of others have too much power over us, we surrender our peace and happiness to their will. It's easy to see the harm in harsh words, but we have to remember that whether it's a compliment or an insult, it's still one person's opinion. Ultimately, you need to decide what you think of your book. You need to decide if you're going to keep writing and why. Are you going to write because your little sister thinks it's the most amazing book ever? What happens when she finds a new favorite book? Or her best friend thinks your first chapter was just "okay"?

Feedback and praise from others is so great to take in. But it's kind of like sugar. It's sweet--but addictive. If you only eat sugar, you're going to get weak quickly. You need solid foods in your body. The protein of good craft books and blog posts, the vegetables of self discipline, and the grains of determination.



PROTEIN 

If you keep feeding yourself constructive criticism, you'll keep growing. One problem with just eating sugar is that while it tastes good, you don't grow. That's why constructive criticism is so valuable. It expands you as a writer, and helps you see both your strengths and your weaknesses.

The best kind of feedback is full of positive comments, and notes on weaker areas in your writing. Even though that doesn't feel like the most awesome feedback at the time, it is the healthiest for you. Everyone needs protein, even if they don't really like eating chicken or kale.


VEGGIES

Everyone needs their veggies. In writing life, you've got to write for more than just your readers. You've got to write for yourself. Because at the end of the day, it's you that has to do all the work. It's you that's left with your characters, it's you that has the stack of paper filled with your messy words, red pen waiting. You're the one that has to spend hours in front of a screen trying to find the right words.

At the end of the day, you're the one that writes the book. While sugar is a great treat--word wars and sharing snippets--sometimes you're not going to have access to those sweets. You won't be able to find a good snippet to share, and so you won't be able to flail much with your writer friends. You don't really have a good way to explain your book, so you just have to tell them theirs sounds amazing, and you'll tell them about yours someday.

At the end of the day, it's up to you.


GRAINS

Shove down the rice. You've got a book to write.

Determination is your fuel. Just like carbs give you energy to run that mile, determination will see you through those countless hours of work that your book requires of you.

Writing stamina is something that grows over time. But it's also something you can't get from anyone else. People can encourage you and help you along the way. They can give you boosts and spikes of energy, but the long endurance of the writing journey is up to you and you alone. If a certain writing friend were to stop messaging you, would you still write your book? If a dear friend you met through writing were to grow apart, would you drift from your novel also?

Grains are important. And grains are a lot of small things that pile into a big one.


DESERT 

Sugar is not a meal. It's a reward for having eaten (as we say in my family) a "happy plate". Once all the veggies and meats and grains are gone, you get to reward yourself by downing that delicious bowl of ice cream.

Struggling to edit your next chapter? Tell yourself that when you finish, you can look at the comments your critique partner sent over. Having trouble editing during the war? Tell yourself that if you meet your goal, you can tell your friend about that book idea you had the other day and can't stop thinking about.

Others can help you (we need their help!), but they cannot do the work for you. Writing can be encouraged and supported, but being a writer is up to you.
What are your small grains? What keeps you writing? What do you think of feedback?

<3

Plotting

Writing Small

6:00 AM



The first book I ever wrote was 453 pages long. I've estimated that it's around 92k, but I'm not sure, given that I wrote it by hand. Once I did get around to typing it up, it came out at 97k words. As I grew more serious about my writing, I wrote an 85k draft which morphed into a 124k monster. The book I wrote with my cousin was 137k. Our sequel to it is already at 110k, and we're not even done yet.

When I set out to write my first middle grade novel, I knew I needed to write smaller. That didn't really work however, and I ended up with a 94k novel. I thought that was doing well, until I figured out that Middle Grade books were supposed to be 30-60k.

Even now, it's hard for me to imagine such a small book. I think reading so much young adult fiction has made my brain work on that wave length.

You see, I realized after writing that first Middle Grade book--which was The Dream Walkers, by the way!--that plotting for Middle Grade novels is not the same as plotting young adult novels. Young Adult novels are much more complex and intricate. There are multiple plot threads weaving together, lots of characters with lots of issues, and lots of high stake conflicts happening.

Middle Grade is different. It's not that Middle Grade is less intelligently written. Middle Grade writers don't have to dumb stuff down to be at "kid level". Kids are much smarter than most people realize.

But. In order to write a book of appropriate length that will keep children's attention, cutting is required.

My first successful children's book (word count wise) was my July nano novel last year: The House at the End of the Lane. It was a spooky little novel, one that was simple in my mind and didn't require a ton of plotting. I wrote it, and it was 36k. Thirty. Six. That's under half the size of my shortest work.

But it didn't just happen. I planned for this. I read Coraline and took extensive notes, analyzing structure and pacing. I figured out the guidelines of a smaller plot, and I fit that book to those lines.

And it worked! I wrote a short novel! I wrote a Middle Grade book. And I loved it. I can't wait to dig into edits. This month, I'm writing another short and spooky Middle Grade novel, and so far it's going great. 

So what does all this boil down to? 

The structure of a Young Adult novel is very different from the structure of a Middle Grade novel. That's why the sizes are so different. You don't just drop 50k to make a book a "children's book". The entire core of the story has to change. 

If you're struggling writing smaller Middle Grade books, or longer Young Adult novels, read. Read and study the structure of the story. Study the pacing and flow of it. Get familiar with what a 30k word book looks like, vs. a 130k word novel.  

Once you know what the book you want your novel's size to match looks like, go and plot intentionally. With writing small, I had to stop myself from throwing in exciting plot threads that were fun and cool--but would make my word count shoot up. I have one big plot thread and a few tiny others, and that's what my story hinges on. There's not a ton going on behind the scenes. There simply isn't the page time to afford it. 

And lastly, just write the book. It's always nerve wracking for me to write a book with what feels to me like very little plotting. I'm afraid I'll run out of content and the story will end at a meager 20k, and I won't know how to beef it up. But I can, and you can too. That's very important to remember. How can you write fearlessly without first knowing that you can always go back and change things? Writing is different than real life. You can always go back and edit. There's always another draft. 

What's your target audience? Are you doing Camp Nano this month? If so, what are you writing? If not, what are you up to? 

Writing

Fight the Filler!

6:00 AM

I've been doing a lot of critiquing lately, and there's something I've noticed.

You can't comment on everything. So when I comment, I comment on what sticks out to me. There's a lot of good in a book, but I can only highlight so much of it. So when I'm highlighting the good stuff, I pick what really sticks out. What makes me squeal. 

Not every book is going to be all good. We all know this. And not every book is going to be all bad. We know this, too.

Some books will be half and half. There's a bunch of good stuff, and there's also a bunch of bad stuff.

And then some books, the majority of books I've found, tend to be about 20% ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, 40% this needs to be fixed, and 40% eh.

What's the "eh"? What's the stuff that doesn't stick out. The stuff we kind of gloss over.

Let's explore, shall we?



I like car rides.

(Stay with me. I promise this relates.)

I've always liked car rides. But in my experience, there are a lot of people who don't. I've been tailgated so many times that it's not even funny. I've been passed on the road, and I've seen cars zoom off well above the posted speed limit.

Why is that? Why do people rush about everywhere? Why don't they sit down and just ... enjoy the car ride?

I use car rides to pray. I use car rides to listen to music and really think about the words and what the song is saying. I use car rides to brainstorm ideas (since it's finally quiet). I use it to sing at the top of my lungs along to my favorite songs.

Why doesn't everyone appreciate car rides?

Because it's just a "step". It's transportation. The car ride itself is not what you're aiming for. What you're aiming for is the destination. A lot of people have only that in mind: I want to get home. When I get home I'll do this this and this. Or, I want to get to the store. When I do, I'll get this, this, and this.

The car ride itself is almost a nuisance. Because, for a lot of people, a car ride is just a car ride. Let's call it "filler".

Now you see where I'm going, yes? MWAHAHA.

There are things your character has to do. There are places your character has to go, things they have to see, in order for the story to flow right. But often times, the only reason a given scene might be in a book is because it needs to be there for the sake of flow. It has the sole purpose of getting your character from step 1 to step 2. That's it. That's its purpose.

And as a result, it's boring and flat. It doesn't stick out. It's easy to skim past.

How do we avoid that? How do we make every scene in our stories really matter? Not just there to fulfill the purpose of transitioning.

 Can we even make every scene matter?

I am a firm believer that yes, you can. Every scene has the potential to matter. Every word in your story is precious.

Last year at the MYWW, I sat in a workshop class taught by Jonathan Friesen. He talked about how a story is made of moments. He defined a moment as a instant in time where something changes. A belief, a desire, a plan. Something in the character's world (and it doesn't have to be the MC) changes, for better or for worse.

That concept has stuck with me ever since. It has made me view my story differently, and brought emotional depth to my writing and my reading. I notice things in books now that I didn't before.

Emotional depth is not easy. Every now and then, I'll be writing along and realize I'm writing somethign really important. I had one of those (my own little moment, if you will) yesterday, when my characters were arguing. Leni, my MC, wants to steal something from the person she thinks cast the curse on their neighborhood. But Gunther, her friend and companion in breaking the curse, doesn't think Leni's suspect did it. At least, that's what he said.


I'm not claiming to have crafted an expert work here (#firstdrafting) but I was aware of something important happening while typing this. I stopped and took a screenshot, but I've been thinking about it ever since.

Why did this scene stick out? Why is this so important?

It's important because something changes. (In my book, this statement is even a bigger deal hehe but we'll stick with generalities.)

What changes?

Gunther changes. He acknowledges that no one is going to swoop in and save the day. The work isn't magically going to get done while he sits back in safety and watches. Gunther does want the curse to end, and he knows he can make a difference ... but he doesn't want to change it.

Now, he can't play pretend anymore. He can't lie to himself or Leni any longer. He's admitted it to the both of them.

Now, Gunther has to make a choice. To be the one to stand up and make a change, or to run to safety and let the curse rage on.

Not every moment in your story is going to be huge and meaningful. Your story is full of big moments, but it's also full of little moments.

The important thing is that your story is full of change. Big changes, little changes. Think about your life. How many changes, big and small, do you experience every day?

If you have a dull scene, or something that just feels flat to you, take advantage of it. Make it into a moment. Have that character reflect on what's been happening in the story. Sometimes the moments when not much is happening are the most meaningful to your story. There where your character has time to reflect, and make more choices about future actions they take.

Make your scenes matter.


I was feeling this topic, so I posted it. XP Next week I'll try to give a nice Nano Pep talk, and then hopefully eventually sometime in the next blue moon I'll get to that Workshop post ;P

What about you? Do you struggle with story filler? Do you see how you could add some meaning to it to make it a moment?

<3

Life

What I've Learned from Six Years of Writing

6:00 AM

Look at me. *spreads arms* I'm such a seasoned person now! I've been blogging for a year and writing novels for six! That must mean I know alllll the things!

*cricks chirp*

...right?

Unfortunately, that's not how it works. But you do learn a lot from six years of writing, and today I'm going to share six of them.


(I did this last year, with What I've Learned from Five Years of Writing and thought I'd keep up the tradition.)

*WARNING: you will get some sentimental photos in this post. Brace yourself XP

And this first point will go to the "unfortunately" in my "that's not how it works".


1. Growth is a beautiful thing.

Think about how boring it would be if when people started writing, they were all complete bosses at it.

Just think about it. It's one of those things that you kind of roll your eyes at and say, "I know, I know, it wouldn't be so great." But really think about it.

Everyone has to start somewhere. And when you start a brand new thing, it only makes sense to start at rock bottom. And then you work and grow into a beautiful seasoned writer.

And you keep working, and keep growing.

And I think that's one of the most beautiful parts of writing.

We've moved past binders, but here's a photo of my cousin and me when we were eleven, holding our books.

*happy sigh* we were so little.


2. It's okay if you don't write like a machine. 

Meaning, it's okay if you don't rip out 5k words every day and get your 90k word drafts finished in a month, and get that thing whipped into pristine shape in three months and off to beta readers right after, and have it all polished and ready for publication before the year is up.

That's ... unrealistic. Maybe not for some people *pokes those select few and checks pulses for proof of humanity* but for the general public, writing just doesn't happen that quickly. It takes time.

And that's okay.

Maybe someday when you're published and writing is how you make your living, you'll be able to write that fast. You'll be able to write and publish a book every year.

But you will be able to write that fast because it will be your job. You won't have school or other work. You will have loads more time to dedicate to writing.

But right now, if you're not writing for a living ... you've got either school or work. And that takes time. I've been writing for six years now, and I've written ... five complete first drafts. (one of them co-written)

And ... I haven't gotten any one of those into reading shape.

Which leads to number three.


3. Pinpoint the (sometimes) subconscious, unrealistic expectations you have for yourself, and your writing, and DESTROY THEM. 

It's unfair to try to make yourself accomplish as much as a published, writing-for-a-living author. Both to you, and to them. This is what they do for a living. Of course they're going to write more than you!

It took a lot of work and discipline in order for them to get where they are today. Why should you be an exception to that?

Sometimes we have these expectations lurking in the back of our minds. And it makes us insecure in our writing because we're "failing" in all these areas that we feel we should be excelling in. And if you feel bad/insecure about your writing, sit back and try to figure out why you feel that way. Are you wasting time you could be using writing by playing on your phone? Okay, maybe you could work on that one. Are you berating yourself for not having the book you started a year ago off to beta readers? Give yourself a break. Think about why you feel that way. If you're doing your best with the time you have, THAT IS ALL YOU CAN DO. Don't beat yourself up if you're not meeting expectations that you cannot reach.

Figure out what you can do with the time you have, and make the most of it. You'll have a lot more peace in your writing.


4. Themes are actually ... okay? 

You might be squinting right now thinking, "...yeah? Is this supposed to surprise me?"

I don't know how I got this mindset. Back in the early days, I guess I read too many blog posts warning authors not to "preach" when they try to get their theme across. And that just drummed into my mind, "DON'T THINK OF ANY THEMES. DON'T ADD THEM IN. YOU DON'T WANT TO SCARE ANYONE AWAY." And it bothered me for an embarrassingly long time.

But now that I've been reading blogs and craft books for a while, I realize that was a really silly mindset for me to have taken on. Themes are not a bad thing. They are what make your story special. They are what give your book true meaning.

They are what impact readers.

And yes, you don't want to preach. I still try to avoid putting names to my themes, but there are some that I'm aware of and look for ways to incorperate. Like loneliness and sibling-friendships and self worth.

Themes are beautiful. So embrace them, and don't be ashamed of them!

(sentimental photo of me flipping through my first book,
back in the old days)

5. You don't have to let everyone who asks read your work.

STORY TIME!

Okay, so when I was ... thirteen? I think I was thirteen ... Anyway, when I was thirteen, my mom asked me to read my book aloud during our read aloud time.

*cue gasps of horror*

I know, I know. Every writer's worst night mare, right? At least it was for me.

I freaked. out.

I printed out my prologue and first chapter and smoothed it out and took deep breaths, but when I sat in there to read, with everyone waiting and listening ...

I could not utter a single word.

I just burst into tears.

That created a looooot of problems for me in the future which I will not go into right now, but the point I want to make is it is okay to say no to people. Even people who are close to you. People whose opinions you value.

You know when your story is ready to be read. Don't push yourself past that. Just explain to the person in question that it's just a first draft and not ready to be read/going through lots of edits at the moment and you're not comfortable handing it out to anyone yet/etc. There will come a time to share, and you will have to grit your teeth and push yourself to hand those chapters over.

But let yourself have time to give something you're proud of. Something that you've worked hard on. In that way, if they're critiquing it, you'll get feedback you need, too. It won't be stuff you're already aware of but have yet to fix.

I might be smiling here, but should anyone
try to read my work I would shriek and hiss.

Which leads to point six.


6. You will have to share your writing eventually. 

This past year, when I won a contest and got to send the first three chapters of my manuscript to HarperCollins for a critique, I spent a whole month doing almost nothing but editing, desperately trying to whip my chapters into shape to meet that creeping deadline (there's a reason 'deadline' begins with 'dead'). And once I sent those chapters to the editor, my family attacked in full force.

"This means we get to read it now, right?"

"If you can send it to a professional editor up in New York, you can give it to us."

I pretty much had no choice but to hand it over. But at that point, it wasn't that hard to let it go. I had that whole month to mentally prepare myself (I figured my family would finally make me hand over my work) and I had worked really hard on editing these chapters.

In short, I had something I was proud of.

I'm not saying those chapters were perfect. And the feedback from the editor gave me a lot to think about, and a lot of stuff to work on.

But those chapters were some of the best writing of which I was capable at that time. If I look back at them now, I can probably make changes and make it better. But it's been several months. Of course I can make it better.

I've grown since then.

My advice would be to write something you can polish and be proud of. It'll be hard to let go of it, and scary. But it has to happen eventually.

Plus, your family will stop bugging you (save to ask for more).


I hope this post encouraged/enlightened you! I've learned loads more than this, of course, but that's what Stan is for, is it not?
What have you learned from writing? 

<3 

Editing

Every Step

6:00 AM

Sorry for my disappearance last week! I had a super busy and stressful weekend, and week leading up to it, so since I posted on Tuesday I let myself off the hook for Saturday. Hopefully you all survived without my geniusness ;P

But I will make it up to you! Stan's a year old, so I'm a knowledgeable and seasoned blogger by now (right???) and have much smarts and wow words to bring to you.


I don't do monthly wrap ups (Is that a thing you guys would like me to do? If so, please shout out in the comments cause I've been pondering it.) and since I don't do them, I don't have a reason to tell you about my writing accomplishments / updates / etc.

Right now I'm nearing the end of draft 2 of The Thief's Conspiracy which ... has been quite an adventure. My word count has already gone up 30k words since the last draft which I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT. But more edits will come, and that's okay.

Once I finish this draft (which I'm going to do this month - I AM.) I will then tackle edits on my wee little nano novel, The Dream Walkers, which I miss dearly and have not touched since November. *shudders to think what might wait for me* Right now, it sits fondly in the back of my mind, enticing me to come and flip through its pages that burst with beauty and creativity.

At least, that's what it's claiming. *squints* I'm not sure how accurate that is. Probably ... not.

Any-who. So I'm at all these stages in these two different projects, and they both hold a huge place in my heart. And it's great! I've been making so much progress lately.

But here's the thing.

I find often myself unhappy with where I am.



I'm one of those kids that grew up wanting to be older. When I was eight I distinctly remember longing to be eighteen so I could go to the moon and fly (cause, obviously, that was the first thing I would do when I became an adult). And even as I got older, I wanted to grow older still. When I was in second grade I wanted to be in third grade so I could be in the special class at church that everyone raved about. When I was in third grade, I wanted to be in fourth grade so I could go to the special summer camp everyone raved about. And in all those grades, I wanted to be in sixth grade so I could do stuff with my church's youth group. And then when I was in middle school I wanted to be in high school so I could go to the special high school age stuff and be cool and one of the "older kids" and drive.

I was never satisfied. I was never happy with where I was.

And don't get me wrong. It's not like I had a miserable childhood. It was wonderful, getting to grow and do all those things.

But looking back ... I just wished I had taken some time to slow down and appreciate where I was in life.

Cause you're only there once.

You're only nine years old for a year, and then it's gone.

You're only in middle school for three years.

You're only in high school for four.

Life goes so quickly. And each step is new and exciting and beautiful. And even now, I long for the excitement and freedom and newness of college, which is only next year *screams in excitement and horror*

How does this relate to writing?

Well, I found myself doing the exact same thing with writing. Right now, it's the beta readers that are really calling my name.

"You have to whip this book into shape so you can GIVE IT TO ALLLL DA PEOPLE." And while yes, I really want to do that, and yes it's a GREAT thing ... I need to slow down. Because right now, I'm feeling bad about myself. When you are constantly focusing on where you want to be, you forget where you are and where you've been. You forget how much you've already done, and you focus on all the things you have yet to do and experience.

And that makes for feeling like a failure.

So please, I beg you, join me in this new mindset. YES, keep striving for that next step. But remember that writing (and life) is all about growth. And it is completely unfair to mentally beat yourself up over not reaching a place in your writing before you're ready. I have not gone through multiple drafts of TC. So I do not need to beat myself up about not having sent it off to betas yet.

That will come in time.

But first, I have to finish this draft. And the next one, and probably another one.

And I am going to let go of the shame of not moving faster and enjoy doing this writing thing. I'm going to enjoy each and every step of this process, and make it all count and matter. When I go to my little nano book, I'm going to have to remember that it's a first draft and really small and little and it will need lots of work because that's just my process. Good art takes time.

Let go of the pressure, the expectations to whip out books and give them to people. Look at where you are in your writing right. now. and admire it. Find something you love about this particular step. Being in the second draft, I love how I'm making the book better, but I'm still at an early enough stage where I can let go of some problems and fix them later. I won't have that luxury as much next draft.

Enjoy every step, of writing and of life. Because who knows? We aren't guaranteed another. So why spend any of those precious steps in shame and misery?

Smile. Breathe. Relax.

Enjoy writing. Enjoy life.

 Do you struggle with longing to be further than you are? (have fun working out my wordage) What are some perks to the step in writing you're in right now? 

<3

Life

Embrace Your Differences /// #projectcanvas

6:00 AM

Everyone knows something that only they know.

Maybe it's something small. Maybe it's that your sister likes her peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches cut in triangles and won't eat them in squares. Maybe it's that she doesn't like them at all. Maybe you know that if you flick your ear, you'll laugh.

And maybe it's something bigger. Admittedly, the bigger your knowledge is, the more likely someone else knows it too. Maybe you discovered a way to make coffee strong, but without actually using as much coffee. Maybe you wrote a song that brings your mother to tears each and every time she hears it.

You know things. And some things you know really well, like how to do a back flip or play guitar.

Because every person is different.

Isn't that cool? *cue the geek-out moment*

Let's all just think about that for a second. Think about how many people there are in the world. As if there aren't a TON in the world right this second, there have been billions and trillions of people in the past.

Yet we are all, each and every one of us, different. And we all know different things, some that only we are aware of.

Isn't that just ... cool?

Where am I going with this?

Well.

Aside from this being just a super DUPER cool fact, I am here to announce something to you today. People are different and know things, and writers are the same way. We writers know tricks and secrets to this craft we have embraced and are striving to perfect.

And there's not a lot of stuff that only you'll know and no one else will. (you know what your main character would do if a flying antelope asked her to climb trees and eat star fruits, but that's not super relevant for other writers)

But maybe there's an area of writing/art that you specifically enjoy. One that you thrive in. Maybe you're super amazing with character backstories or motives. Maybe you love world building (*cheers on all my fellow worldbuilders*) Or maybe you have a bit of encouragement to offer the world when it comes to writing. Encouragement that isn't really out there.

It's time to share it.

Whether you have a blog or not, it doesn't matter. You have an opportunity to share what you know and love with other writers all over the world, and help each other grow.

It's called Project Canvas.

ISN'T IT JUST BEAUTIFUL???? *swoons*

Ehem. *is professional again*

This is a project that my lovely fren Caroline Meek created. I met Caroline at the Minneapolis Young Writers Workshop last year, and she is a fantastic and creative and inspiring human and I am so excited and honored to be working with her! And you can too.

It's so simple. You pick a topic from the topics page on the website and email Caroline or Olivia about it. Then you write a one to three page article (basically a blog post.) and submit it to them, along with your bio.

It's so simple and easy. And it's a great way to get your name into the writing community.



I wrote an article for this called, What Does it Mean to be a Writer? and it is so close to my heart. It's something I wrestled with for several years and is surprisingly absent from the writing world. I don't see many articles about it. But I know everyone, at some point, doubts themselves, and wonders if they really have what it takes to be a writer. If they even are a writer at all.

I address it in this book, and I'll also give you some thoughts on world building (not sure what area I'm going to write about yet). So please get involved with this book! I wrote a message I want people to hear, and I don't want you guys to miss it. And, what's more, I want to hear what you have to say about your writing experiences.

Having doubts? Please don't.

Do you think you don't have anything to offer us? Any advice to share, any wisdom to contribute?

Well, sorry but ...

You're wrong.

You know something about this writing thing we do. Maybe you know how it feels never to finish a book and have encouragement to offer in that area. Maybe you know what it feels like to be alone in your writing, and have advice for people struggling with the same thing.

Or maybe it's something factual. Maybe you're a pro at backstories and have a formula you've developed that makes the whole process smoother and more efficient. *looks at a certain cousin of mine* Maybe you found a simple way to make maps and want to show other writers.

It can be anything. (writing related, of course.) You have knowledge and wisdom.

Will you join us?

<3

Editing

Letting Go of Your Story

6:00 AM

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was eleven years old, and she loved to read. She also loved to play make-believe with her siblings. They made up all sorts of games in their backyard (creating worlds was her favorite) and always had a lot of fun running from savages, swinging across deadly, bubbling lava to get healing water and cheese burgers from the Supply Tree, and making giant stew for the folk in the kingdom of the clouds.


It was this kind of imagination that fueled this eleven year old girl's first story. 

The story was one you'd probably expect. It was about a young, brave girl who was kidnapped and taken to another world, where a magical ice princess declared this girl had magical powers and was destined to save the world. Of course, the ice princess turned out to be an evil ruler of the land, and the young heroine is rescued by the real heroes, who tell her she IS destined to save the world, but from the ice princess, and that in order to do so she must learn how to use her magical powers that are, of course, practically limitless and very, very special, and then she must embark on an epic quest to save the magical world she's been dragged off to.

There were lots of dragons and faeries and princesses and magic in this story. There was lots of running and fighting and kidnapping and escaping and action and adventure. The story was fun.

But the story was childish. It was conceived and written by this eleven year old girl, after all. 

This eleven year old girl wrote on this story for an embarrassingly long time. In fact, she didn't realize it was time to move on until four years had passed. Only in her fifteenth year did she begin to overcome her deep attachment for her childhood story and see that it was time to move on.


As you've probably guessed, this eleven year old girl was me. This was my story. I used to be embarrassed (and perhaps I still am, just a little bit) of it. It was cliche and childish, and I knew it pretty early on into writing it. 

But I didn't care. This was deeply rooted in my heart, and I couldn't let it go.

Which poses a big question.

How do you know when the time has come to let a story go? 

Let me make sure you understand. I've spent four and a half years of my life on this series. I have all nine books planned out. All the characters and their arcs, all the big plot twists that work their way through the entire stinkin' series. Pretty complex stuff.

I have extensive maps (fourteen? fifteen?), which includes extensive world building. Lots of unique places, a lot of history (like, a LOT), tons of cultures and races and species. Lots of different beings and creatures and people. I'd built a really extensive, complex magic system.

So many characters and plots and plotlines and NOTES. SO MANY NOTES. Five journals are full of notes dedicated to just this series. Five. Completed.

see themmm? the bottom one is mostly for this series, except for the last 20
pages which contain the first brainstorming I did on my WIP.
the pink one was my very first journal to complete.


You see, I only wrote this series. From the moment I started writing and on, this was the only project I worked on (excepting a book I coauthored with my cousin).

I had some ideas, but they were simply that: ideas. I didn't really work on any of them. 98% of my creativity went pouring into this project. And I had a ton of ideas.

To let all of that go?

How? How could I do that? It was so. much. work. So many ideas. Book one: 453 pages, handwritten. Book two: 416 pages, also handwritten. The beginning of book three, almost a hundred pages. And then typed up drafts of books one and two, coming out 97k and 92k. Not to mention endless rewrites after that of book one, a book I just couldn't seem to get right.

When the thought of letting go of this story finally settled in my mind almost a year ago, I balked. How could I do this? So much work ... what a waste! Seriously. How could I just throw this story away?

(yup - those are the first three books. Book three is unfinished)

Well, point one is that I didn't throw it away.

I still plan on writing all nine books. They're in my head, and I can't get them out. I might just hand write them, not go on to type them up or edit them. We'll see.

And I think if you're losing  hope in a story, that's the first step. Put it aside for a while, but don't trash it. Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted and many other amazing books (she's such an amazing author aksjdflhkasdjflhsdkj) talked in her book, Writing Magic, about never throwing away anything you write. And that is so true.


 Point two: what is your reason for writing the story? 

Are you just starting out? Maybe your WIP is your way of getting a feel for this writing thing. The best way to learn how to write is by doing it. I had to write a massive amount of words before I started to get the hang of it. All of the pages you see in the picture above are full of horrible words. So are most of the typed versions.

I had to start bad. We all do.

So why are you writing this story?

When I was trying to decide if I should give it up, let the story go and put my creativity and time into something else, my cousin came to me with wise advice (as she always does).

She said something along the lines of, "Maybe you don't need to publish this story. Maybe that's not what it's for."

At first, this idea took me completely aback. Publishing is every writer's goal, right? It hangs in the distance, a sparkling, tantalizing beacon of light that guides us on the long winding road.

I'd never really thought about not publishing.

But when I really thought about what my cousin was trying to say, I realized she was right (as usual). This series, as it is right now at least ... it doesn't want to be published. That's not why I wrote it. I wrote it because I needed to start somewhere. I needed to develop my writing style and refine my craft.

It was my "trial run" if you will.

And sure, we're constantly learning more and getting better at writing. But there does come a point when you hit this mark and your writing evens out. I can look back at some of my writing from yesterday and not flinch like I did when I was thirteen.

Ask yourself - what are you writing this book for?


Point three is that, whether you plan to keep writing it or not, whether you plan to publish or not ... we all have to let go of our stories at some point. 

It's just a given. The moment you let someone read your words, you have to let it go. Because it's not just yours anymore.

You even have to let it go before that. Before you sit down to write the first word, you have to let it go.

Remember the thing about butterflies? They're beautiful and perfect ideas when they live in your brain-garden, free from the 2D world of writing.

When you begin your book, you have to let go of that perfection.

You can't write it perfectly on your first try. There are going to be plot holes and messy descriptions and inconsistent characters. And even little things, like grammar errors and typos - they're all there in draft one. And often in draft two, three, four, and so on.

You have to let go of your story.

When you write the first word, you have to let it go. Let go of the perfection.

When you give it to a reader for the first time, be it your cousin or your mother, you have to let it go. Let go of your story so when they give you feedback/critiques, you can handle it. You can know they're not attacking you as a person. They're just trying to help you make the story better.

And if you reach a point with your book when you don't feel called to keep writing it anymore, then ... put it aside. Ponder why you started it to begin with, and why you're still working on it.

Let it go.

 Have you let go of your story? Do you struggle with giving it up? 

<3

Nano

What is Nano Really About?

6:00 AM

As writers, we tend to get really attached to our books. I think all artists get attached to their works. A painter (probably) has a deep connection to their paintings, just like a musician finds meaning in all their pieces.

Since we are so deeply connected to our artistic works, it's easy to get 1) obsessed, 2) defensive/over-protective, 3) overly attached, 4) deeply emotionally invested, and lots of other similar things.

(Hey, it's the end of nano. My words are in short supply. Cut me some slack.) XP

So here a lot of us are, nearing the end of nano. And that big question looms.


Will I hit 50k?


It's the Big Question, after all. It's what we've all been working towards all month ... right?

If you haven't hit this number yet, you might be experiencing some doubts and fears that you won't reach it. And that will somehow make you ... a failure at writing.

After all, this goal has been set. When we don't reach a goal, we fail.

...right?



Guys, I hope you don't think this. I've probably said this before, but I'm going to say it again.

We are creating art here. And we're not all going to do it the same way.

The goal of this month, the goal of NaNoWriMo itself, is NOT TO HIT 50K.

The goal is to get you to write.

The goal is to get you to think about writing. To try to find time this month to dedicate to your novel. How you do that is up to you. How much time you spend is your choice personally. Some have more time to dedicate to writing than others.

And that's okay. That's just how life works.

If you're not at 50k yet, don't despair. You still have time to punch out the words and hit that mark. And even if you don't hit that 50k, even if you've only written 100 words this month, you still wrote.

And that makes you a winner. Because this month is not about 50k. This month is about working on our stories. Our art. What we love.

Don't let yourself get down in the dumps if you didn't write as much as everyone else did. Where would be the fun in that, if we all wrote the same?

So spent these last few days of November how you will. Write when you can, and write what you love. Have fun. Enjoy yourself. Whether you write it all this month or not, if you put your mind to it this book will get written eventually. So keep writing, nano or not. Have confidence in who you are and what you do.

Do what you love, and do it boldly.

Have you hit 50k for nano? If not, do you have another goal in mind? Are you struggling with your word count, or are you feeling okay / good about it? If you need some encouragement, I'll try to respond to your comments on Sunday! (I'm gone all day today and for most of Sunday though, but I'd love to chat with you guys) 

<3

Writing

The Monstrous Beast of Comparison

6:00 AM

How are you guys surviving? I'M NOT. HAHAHA. AHAAAA. Ehem.

Well, I mean ... I guess technically speaking I am? Because, um ... I hit 50k on Thursday. *sheepish grin* BUT I STILL FEEL LIKE I'M DYING. I had 3k to go on Thursday evening but was severely lacking in motivation for some odd reason, but Katie was amazing and word crawled me to 50k, even though she had a long day and was sleepy. *hugs the lovely Katie*

I was pleasantly going about my day on Friday when I realized I hadn't gotten a post ready. So here's what's left of my coherency XP

Today we're going to talk about a beast that lurks in many places. It hides within NaNo and other group projects, and other projects, period. It's a nasty beastie.

It is ... Comparison.



CONFESSION TIME. Some of you might remember that I switched my nano novel in the beginning of October. I took on a whole new project about dreams. I was so excited, I did my first Beautiful Books post about it.

And then I read two other Beautiful Books posts. You know what their books were about?

Dreams.

Immediately, I felt that warm glow of excitement, the rush of happiness as I plan a new creation, that love and passion for an idea ... I felt all of that fade. Like iron heated over the fire, I had been thrust into the water, and my warmth for The Dream Walkers, my excitement and passion for it fizzled.

 Their books are better, a little voice whispered in my ear. Their ideas are cooler. You think this is such a good idea? You're stupid. A goose could write this book better than you. You should just give up now, before you embarrass yourself.

This was stupid. I knew it was stupid. For any book I choose to write, I'm going to find similar ideas out there, or at least stories with similar elements.

That's why comparison is such a dangerous beast. It's so easily accessible. All you have to do is poke in on a writer friend and be like, "Oh heyyy how's nano?" and then they'll say, "Oh, I'm super behind at only 181473298474897562523k words" to which you reply

i'm done


It's so easy to feel bad about yourself then. Why can't I be at 181473298474897562523k words like so-and-so? UGH I'M SUCH A FAILURE AT WRITING.

That is where I will address my first qualm with comparison.

Qualm #1: everyone has their own pace

I did a post on the woes of word warring a while back, and in it I talked a bit about pace. (not the pace of a story, but the speed at which one writes)

In a really good war, I can crank out 300 words in 5 minutes. That means in a 10 minute war, I will (on occasion - when I'm steaming and words are explosive) crank out 600ish words.

This is my pace.

It's my goal now that I've pinpointed it. Yes, I am capable of writing 300 words in 5 minutes. Yes, I can write 600 words in 10 minutes. That is my pace.

So when I word war someone, I am not aiming to beat them.

I'm aiming to beat myself.

And that perspective needs to be zoomed out to encompass all of NaNoWriMo. For some, it is possible for them to crank out 20k in a day. *pointedly looks at a few particular people* Some people can finish NaNo in THREE STINKIN' DAYS. Heck, Katie did hers in 10 (i know, she's a boss).

These people are all different. They all have their own paces, their own processes, and their own styles. Just because someone can crank out 20k in a day doesn't mean I'm a failure for not being able to do the same.

It doesn't work like that.

300 words in 5 minutes.

That's my pace.

That's MY pace.

It's not yours. You need to find your pace. And if you have a slow war, you can tell yourself, "I know I can write faster." Not, "So and so can write faster. Why can't I be like them?"

That's just not a fair outlook. We are all amazing, unique, talented people. Embrace your pace. Embrace your process and style.

Embrace yourself, for you are unique and special. No one can tell your story like you can, and no one can write quite like you. Take pride in that. Don't let yourself get down because of your differences.

#rantover

(can you tell i'm passionate about this? sorry to rant. actually i'm not sorry.)


Qualm #2: everyone has their own ideas and ways of taking them

I can sum up my book in a single word: dreams.

But something happens when you do that. You lose ... just about everything that makes the book yours. So if you walk around thinking, "I'm writing a book about dreams and it's going to be the best thing ever!!!" that might not be the smartest mindset.

Think about your best friend. What do you love about them? I love my best friend's laugh, and her smile, and her corny jokes that are just so bad I can't help but double over laughing till I can't breathe and my face is red and tears are streaming.

Now imagine what would happen if we all walked around looking at people and seeing their skeletons. Just the bones that support and hold them together.

They're all basically the same, right?

There are no more unique people, with pretty laughs and smiles. That's all gone. It's just bone.

Treat your stories like people. See the story for what it really is - and when you catch yourself comparing your story with someone else's, zoom out. Look at the whole novel. Is probably won't be a similar as you think.

Qualm #3: everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses

My cousin is a boss.

(just thought you ought to know)

I'll have to tell you all the full story sometime of how I became a writer, but my cousin played an integral role in that.

But today is confession day. And I'm here to say that ... I've always been a little jealous of my cousin.

She has such an amazing brain. Her ideas - just ... WOW. So many, so creative, so all over the place. They come so effortlessly to her (or seemingly so).

And like, this girl ... you should see her work at characters. She has page after page after page of backstory on her characters. And not just the main ones. If I asked her who her MC's cousin's best childhood friend was, she would be able to look at me and tell me a summary of this person's life, including major events that shaped them into the person they are today. It doesn't even matter to her if they're in the story or not. Legit. Like, I am not exaggerating. It's crazy.

My brain doesn't work like that. I don't understand how she can do it, and I used to get really down about it. Like, can't I be awesome like that too, please?

But that's not how I work. I come up with the character backstory I really need and don't go much further. (except for in world building - hehehe) and that works for me. Backstory is one of her greatest writing strengths. World building is mine.

We are different.

And that is okay. It is nothing to feel down about, or ashamed of.


Take a closer look before you say something is "better" or "worse". Think more of differences and the beauty we have in being unique. Reevaluate how you think when you look at someone's blurb or snippet or word count. Don't think why can't I be like them? But try to appreciate them for who they are, and show that same courtesy to yourself.

NaNo is a giant, world wide effort. It's really easy to fall into the trap of comparing. You're writing alongside thousands of other writers! Of course it's going to be difficult not to look over their shoulders and see their word count and their snippet that looks so beautiful and say, WHY CAN'T I WRITE LIKE THAT?

But please don't. Don't see differences as being better or worse. Just look at them as differences. It will make the world a much more beautiful place.

How goes nano for you all (if you're doing it)? Do you struggle with comparing?

<3

Nano

How to Ignore your Family and Write Like the Boss You are

6:00 AM

HAI GUYS. IT'S ME AND I'M HYPER TODAY SO IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT YOU GET A HYPER POST. HEEEHE.

Ehem. You might have noticed I write 2 different kinds of posts. Either reasonably deep, or really just incoherent and loud. Today you will receive the latter. 

So. My family has this thing that they do. It's gotten better lately, since I'm the oldest one in the house now, but it was really bad there for a while. Everyone just sort of ... gathers. In my room. While I'm writing.

...like, what?

I’m not sure why this happens. During nanowrimo last year, it happened, like, EVERY NIGHT. I’d be sitting there, typing away, getting really into it, building steam … and then BOOM. The family swoops in to make allllll the noise and distractions. I'm not even in their conversation, just slightly angrily typing away with my writer glare (see below) in place and my headphones (see below) crammed on.

As you can expect, I am now a pro at tuning out loud noises and voices and major distractions. I sat in a room full of people the other day while my friends played a card game (#introvert) and cranked out 200 words in like, five minutes. Allow me to give you some life changing advice so you, too, can be a pro.

What why are you looking at me like that I am completely serious.




Tactic 1 /// headphones

They work the best. Fam sees you with them on and it’s like, oh I can’t talk to her. Headphones are the better than earbuds since they’re more visible, but earbuds will work if that’s all you have. Just pretend you can’t hear them when they say your name. And when they shake you, just tap your ear like, I'm busy, or yank it out and let it hit them and be like, "oops. sorry. now what do you want."

It also makes the awkward silence less awkward when they're sitting on your bed staring at you, and you're happily ignoring them and typing away and grooving to your writer music.


Tactic 2 /// the writer glare 

The fam tries to speak and you kind of look at them. It’s kind of a glare, but it’s more glazed because your mind is on your story and the characters and the scene you’re trying to write and then the family member nods slowly and backs up.


Tactic 3 /// writer threats 

As writers, we have a quite limitless box of threats to unleash. Don't be afraid to threaten banishment to a distant galaxy, death by giant snap turtles, or drowning in ogre snot. Writer threats will scare off the younger siblings. Maybe even the older ones, if you play it right.


Tactic 4 /// ask nicely? 

“Hey I’m trying to write. So can you just … leave?”


Tactic 5 /// the info dump

Your family is probably at least somewhat interested in what you’re writing. So dump it on them. They’ve dared to enter the domain of your room, your top secret writing head-quarters. They signed up for it. (Although, be careful about this one. A) your plot will be so captivating that they want to keep listening, or b) they’ll fake smile and nod uneasily and then creep out of the room and you’ll question if your plot is actually good and wonder what you're even doing with your life. #beentheredonethatoops)


(Can you tell my words are leaving me?) XP


Tactic 6 /// SCREAM


Loudly. It'll startle them. Then just keep doing it until they run away.


Tactic 7 /// just ... ignore them

You’ve got your headphones on. You’re typing away. Your family – for some strange reason – has decided to gather in your small room and party. I DON’T KNOW WHY. MAYBE THEY LIKE BEING NEAR YOUR BOOKS??? But they’re there, and you’ve got skills because you’re in your own little world. Just keep typing. They’ll go out … eventually.


Tactic 8 /// war someone

It's really useful to be in the middle of a word war so you can be like, GUYS GO AWAY I AM IN BATTLE. They might not fully understand the significance of this statement, but when they see the fighting gleam in your eyes they will back away slowly and at least pretend to understand. They don't want to take the place of your opponent.



And that’s about all I have for you. Hopefully I'll think of some more ignore-the-fam-and-write-on hacks, but for now this is the best I’ve got. Of course, not that you should always ignore them. Sometimes, a good game of bananagrams or a nice walk with your mom is needed to break the author craziness. I know it might feel like you’re wasting time you could be spending working out all these plot holes and cranking out all those words, but you don’t have forever with your family. Enjoy the time you have while it lasts. <3

(...while, um, still you know. getting your word count in.)


Does your family have a habit of gathering in your room to watch loud horror movie trailers and play with scorpions? (not exaggerating) How do you write through it? SHARE YOUR HACKS, MY LOVELY STALKER BEANS. 


<3

Writing

Believe in Yourself

11:00 PM

Four years ago, right around this time of the night, I finished my first book.




I remember it vividly. I was sitting at my desk in our school room. It was relatively late at night and everyone was asleep except for my older sister and my dad. The lights were dim. My big purple binder sat on the desk before me, open and ready for the last words that would dub it "finished". My hands were shaking so badly as I scribbled those last few words.

Since this was the first book in a series, I didn't feel like I could
write "the end" but I had to write something XP

They were shaking because I knew I was close to the end. I'd been working towards that moment for almost two years. I knew each word that would form the story's closure. I'd had them planned for a very long time.

And finally I was writing it.

Hands shaking, I managed to scratch out those last few words. Then I set my pencil down, stared at the old notebook page ... and burst into tears.

I sobbed hard for probably ten minutes. Maybe longer. My sister and dad came in and asked what was wrong and I could just manage to croak out, "I finished it."

A year and eight months since I'd started writing this story, I wrote the last words. Why did I sob my eyes out? (I was twelve, by the way) I've never cried when finishing a book since then. I cried twice when I wrote my WIP, but that was during one really touching scene that always makes me almost cry, and while writing the very very tragic climax. Both really emotionally gripping and difficult scenes. But not the ending.

So why was my first book different?

It was my first book. And if you've never finished a book before, you'll probably sympathize with the point I'm about to make.

Up until that moment ... I wasn't sure if I could do it.

A lot of people "write stories" after all. Pretty much all of my friends had at least started a story at one point in their lives, but they didn't usually make it past page three. So when people heard I was a writer, they just assumed I was like them. Not really serious about it. I made it past chapter three pretty quickly (thanks to my cousin) but I still wasn't sure if I was really a writer. I wasn't sure if I had it in me to write a full length novel ending in "The End."

But I did. (you could argue that I didn't, actually, since I didn't end with "the end" but we'll not go into that right now)

*dumps a couple more pictures on you just cause*

I had a hanging bed for several years around this time, and I developed
this ritual of sorts where when a big thing happened,
I'd write under my bed. And so, obviously, I wrote under it that night. XP 
I am way too sentimental but this is the calendar from that year
(forgive my atrocious handwriting ICK)

I also felt like no one believed I could do it. This belief is probably really wrong, but it was there, wedged in the back of my mind. No one takes you seriously, it would whisper. No one believes in you. You should just give up. You're not good enough to write this, anyway. 

But I did. I wrote the book. I pushed through and ground out all four hundred and fifty-three pages of it.

*sniffles* my little baby


I didn't give up.

If you haven't finished a book yet, let me tell you this. You will. You will if you don't give up. So don't give up.

No one believes in you? Who cares. God believes in you. That's why he's given you this passion. This gift. Now it's time for you to believe in you. Believe in yourself. Trust that God knows what He's doing with your life, and plunge in head first with everything you've got.

God believes in you. I believe in you. Now you need to believe in yourself.

Don't give up. Keep writing.

Have you ever finished a draft? If you haven't, are you close? If you have finished a draft, what's some advice you'd give to people who are still trying to get there?

<3

Writing

Write from your Heart

6:00 AM

I don't plan my blog posts.

I know this might seem weird to some of you (especially my fellow bloggers) but it's just how I work. The moment I plan a blog post is the moment the excitement and drive to write it fizzles right out of me into a puddle on my keyboard. It's just like when someone tells me what to do. Even if I was planning on doing it anyway, any desire and drive to do it suddenly leaves and I search for every reason not to do it. It's just the way I am.

If I say, "I'm going to write about [insert random topic] next week," then when next week rolls around ... I find my motivation to write about that topic has drained away (usually. There are sometimes exceptions).

Do you find this happening to you?

Some call it "writers block".

I call it not writing from your heart.




(I'm actually not sorry for all the heart themed posts lately. It's been on my heart. Hehe. He. Ehem.)

Anyway. What happens when your heart is in something?

When you put your heart into something, it comes to life.

Suddenly, they aren't just words on a page. They are words that have been uttered through clenched teeth by the character you created. You can almost hear them being spoken as you read. You can see the setting and you can feel the hurt and anger your characters feel in the sting of a betrayal, or the rush of joy they get when they see an old friend.

But how do you write from your heart? 

Writing just what you "feel" like writing is dangerous sometimes (kind of like how I wait for a feeling to write blog posts. It's not uncommon for Friday to arrive and BOOM I don't know what to write about OOPS).

You want to write from your heart, what you're passionate about ... but in order for it to come truly from your heart it has to mean something to you. It has to be more than just a feeling. It has to mean more than just "Oh, I like this idea! It looks shiny and fun! Let's ditch everything and write this now!"

Those are distractions. They're fun little ideas, but often those need to be given a bit of attention (just enough to lull the bunny to sleep, if you will) so you can focus on your current project.

The one that you're five drafts into.

How? How are you five drafts into this? Heck, how are you half way through a second draft? Because second drafts are hard, guys. Second drafts are ugly. They're messy, and so far they're not really much fun.

So why do we keep writing?

With my WIP, The Thief's Conspiracy (TC), I am slugging through the second draft, which I had to start over again last week. It is hard. It is taking forever. I've been working on this draft for months. Seven months, to be exact. (granted I took almost two months off, but still.)

When I look at it like that, I get really discouraged. I think, "This is taking forever. I just want to write something easy that has no problems."

But I know I never will. Because a) all books have problems, but b) I will never abandon TC. It simply means too much to me.

Because I wrote it straight from my heart. Writing that book was the equivalent of cutting my chest open and bleeding onto the keyboard. My soul went into this project. I cried as I wrote parts of it. I sympathize with all the characters on a deep level.

Because it all came from my heart. It came like all ideas do: new, exciting, intriguing. It captured my attention and I bounded after it. I wrote a few pages of notes for it, then tucked it away for a while. When I decided it was time to move on from my old series and start a whole new project, there it waited.

I'm not sure what drove me to choose that idea from the other files in the idea folder on my computer. But that was the one I picked, and from there, my creativity exploded.

Because I decided to do it. I decided I was going to write it.

And from that moment on, I truly loved my story. That story became a part of my heart, because I chose to make it so.

Do you see what I'm saying here? It's the same concept as love. Love is not a feeling. You love your parents, right? But do you always like them? Do you always want to hug them and gush about how amazing they are?

The same principle applies to your stories. You won't always like them. You'll want to ditch them for something that doesn't give you as much trouble. You'll want to run after pretty new plot bunnies. But you don't. Not if you've made that decision to love your story.

So here are a few tips on how to capture it while you still have that "feeling." Cause, don't get me wrong: the feeling really helps. Wanting to write your book sure makes it a lot easier. Wanting to edit (is that a thing???), wanting to solve the plot issues, having that desire makes everything a lot easier.

So ...

Write it when it comes to you.

When I first get an idea, it is so exciting. I'm sure it's the same way for all of you. It's new, it's fresh, and there are so many possibilities waiting to be explored. Write down the heart of that idea, the beginnings of it. Write it down, before there are any plot holes or character issues or anything. Just write it down.

Then take your time with it. 

If you're a planner, take your time planning! Keep your journal (or document) open at your side, and let the idea of the project fill your mind. Explore it, ask lots of questions, and have fun.

If you're not a planner, take your time with the first draft! If you don't enjoy writing first drafts, then maybe don't take your time with it, but if you love first-drafting, try not writing so fast. Try taking your time, mulling things over, and enjoying the freedom.


Capture the desire while you feel it. 

This kind of goes back to my post on capturing the heart of your story. Capture that initial love for it. The reason you started. The reason you chose this idea. The reason you chose to love it.

You'll feel the benefits.

I make sure I write every blog post from my heart. If I'm not feeling a topic I've chosen, I don't write it. I write something else. I remember one Friday night, at nine or ten o'clock, I had planned a blog post and written half of it earlier that week but I just wasn't feeling it. And so I opened a new doc and poured out a totally new post that I had not planned to write at all. Guess what? It's my most popular post on this blog. 

And you want to know a scandalous little secret? *leans close and whispers* I don't edit my blog posts. *winces as every reader gasps and stares* I KNOW I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY REALLY NAUGHTY THAT I DON'T. I do a liiiiitle bit. (I edited this one a bit, actually.) I will read it once I'm done writing it, and then tweak a few things sometimes. But when I write a post, it's usually something that has been on my mind/heart for a while or at least stewing in the back of my mind. I haven't planned when I'll write it, and I wait for the feeling that I should. And then I do.

I hope some of this helped you, and it wasn't too all over the place XP Hehe now that I say I don't plan blog posts, I'm going to announce that I've actually planned blog posts for all of October! (Well, right now I haven't, but I have vague idea for what I'll do.) Let's just say, it's going to be NanoThemed *mysterious grin* and YOU WILL STILL HOPEFULLY ENJOY IT EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT DOING NANO. but duuuuudes you totes shoullllld.

Do you struggle to write from your heart? What are your tips on doing so? ARE YOU DOING NANO??? (i know i already asked this but I'm not even sorry so get over it.)
<3

Editing

The Thing About Butterflies

6:00 AM

“For me it's like this: I make up a novel in my head (there will be more about this later). This is the happiest time in the arc of my writing process. The book is my invisible friend, omnipresent, evolving, thrilling. During the months (or years) it takes me to put my ideas together, I don’t take notes or make outlines; I'm figuring things out, and all the while the book makes a breeze around my head like an over-sized butterfly whose wings were cut from the rose window at Notre Dame. This book I have not yet written one word of is a thing of indescribable beauty, unpredictable in its patterns, piercing in its color, so wild and loyal in its nature that my love for this book, and my faith in it as I track its lazy flight, is the single perfect joy in my life. It is the greatest novel in the history of literature, and I have thought it up, and all I have to do is put it down on paper and then everyone can see this beauty that I see.

“And so I do. When I can't think of another stall, when putting it off has actually become more painful than doing it, I reach up and pluck the butterfly from the air. I take it from the region of my head and I press it down against my desk, and there, with my own hand, I kill it. It's not that I want to kill it, but it's the only way I can get something so three-dimensional onto the flat page. Just to make sure the job is done I stick it into place with a pin. Imagine running over a butterfly with an SUV. Everything that was beautiful about this living thing -- all the color, the light and movement -- is gone. What I'm left with is the dry husk of my friend, the broken body chipped, dismantled, and poorly reassembled. Dead.

“That's my book.”

- ANN PATCHETT



The first time I heard this quote was from my dear friend, Sierra. I didn’t quite understand it at first. "Didn't quite understand", as in, really confused and slightly horrified. Like, what on earth?! Dead butterflies? Those are what my books are? How morbid!

But, as I began the second draft of The Thief’s Conspiracy, as I began having to make big changes and decide on things and ideas for my story … I began to realize just how true this quote is.

Our ideas are butterflies, fluttering about in the beautiful gardens of our brains. And, when we try to capture them and pin them on the page, they die. It only makes sense. They lose their magic and beauty when forced into a 2D world.

But you see, it’s not just the book as a whole. Every idea works like this. Every scene idea, character idea, plot idea … they just don’t measure up when you first throw them out on the page.

Why?

When you write your first draft, you’re throwing up. More than that – you’re puking your guts out. (I know that sounds a little gross, but it’s the best way I can describe this.) This book has been brewing inside you, and you’ve got to get it out. So you puke it up.

If you're like me, this form of brain puking is strange. You don't realize you've vomited until you see it again later. In other words, first drafts are a dream for me, full of beauty and discovery. It’s the second draft where I start to see draft one for what it really is: puke. Gross, clumpy brain vomit.

But how can this be? It was so beautiful. So perfect. So exciting.

So when I see this mess I've created, I get frustrated and annoyed. I throw up my hands thinking, "What happened?" 

I wrote it. That’s what happened.

For a long time, I didn’t understand that. I didn’t understand that simply ‘writing’ it was the problem. So I came up with new ideas, 'better' ideas, that I thought would solve the brain puke issue. I thought these brilliant new ideas would clean up the mess I’d made before. That if I just did it a different way, then finally it would be good.

But these new ideas lived and fluttered in the garden of my brain, too. They, just like the ones before them, were magical, ethereal, otherworldly beings. They were butterflies. So the same thing happened as before: when I put them on the page, they died.

And so this went on repeat. Again and again. Every time, that new idea becomes so enticing. The little butterfly dances right in your peripheral as you type, its beautiful wings catching the light and tempting you to ditch what you’re working on and go for the new, pretty butterfly instead.

Do you get what I'm saying here? Do you see the problem?

We don't give ourselves, or our ideas, a chance. We puke them out on the page, and when we read them it's like ... What is this? What was I thinking? This is terrible!

Of course it's terrible. You haven't even edited it yet! It's puke!

Every idea you come up with has its own set of problems. Its own set of plot holes. Its own issues you'll have to work out in the next draft.

So what's the answer? What's the answer to this butterfly problem?

The thing about butterflies is that they can almost always be saved. Once you pin a butterfly, you just have to be gentle and patient. You need a lot of pins, sometimes. A lot of light, a lot of patience, and a lot of time.

Your ideas, your delicate butterflies, are still beautiful. They just need some work. It's such a sad thing to see our ideas - beautiful, flawless bits of our imagination - plucked from our brain and pinned on the page. But that's life, guys. That's what we have to do if we want to share our creations with the world.

Let me give you a word of advice on this. When that idea you were so excited about just doesn't seem the same on the page, don't give up on it. It still has that potential. If you can, try to remember the beauty you saw in it, when it was just you and the butterfly-idea floating in your brain-garden.

Don't give up on your ideas. You just have to give them a chance. Some ideas will fail. They'll turn out not to fit with the story. But always try to give them a chance, unless you're positive it's not going to work out. They're a whole different thing once edited. Give them that chance to shine beyond the first draft.

It will never be the same as when they floated free in you head, but with a lot of time and effort, your enchanting, magical ideas can become beautiful again.


I wholly acknowledge this post was slightly sad (and a little morbid). I will try to plan a happier post for next week! XP Maybe I'll talk about rabbit trails and cute, fluffy bunnies. *nods to self and goes to plan next post*

Do you struggle with this, ditching your butterfly-ideas before they have a chance to be edited? What's a piece of advice you've learned, with ditching ideas or saving them?

<3

Popular Posts