Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘writing’

Apr 8

6 Comments

Suzanne: An Introduction

I’m an American living in Japan with my Japanese baseball coach husband and our eight-year-old twins. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a writer. I’ve been writing stories and novels since childhood. This year – after five attempts at writing a novel – I have finally succeeded in publishing one. Losing Kei, my debut, completed in stolen hours at coffee shops and at the kitchen table while my family slept, was published in January.

Another project which I worked on simultaneously – an anthology entitled Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs – will be officially published next month. And coming up, in November, Topka Press will publish my first children’s picture book, Playing for Papa.

So it’s going to be a great year, and yet I still feel like I’m teetering on the edge of a career as a writer. It’s been two years since I finished writing my novel and the short story that will become a picture book. I’d expected to have another novel completed by now, especially since my children are now in elementary school. And the short story collection that was accepted for publication by a press that I admire is no longer accepted. The editor that I was working with died suddenly, and the press’s interest in my work died along with him. And what’s more, the publisher of my novel has sold his company. The new owners seem to have a different vision for the company, one that might not include me.

So this writing business, I’ve found, is a precarious one. There are infinite levels of failure. Yet I persist. I didn’t start writing for money or fame or adulation. I wrote because I love it. And I still do.

Having written five novels already, I know that I can go the distance and write another one. This month, the members of my writer’s group have committed ourselves to writing 10,000 words. As of today, I’ve completed 2,663 words on my novel-in-progress. Onward!

Apr 4

1 Comment

Miranda: What to paint (or write or make) next

paintbrushesI subscribe to the weekly newsletter of Canadian painter Robert Genn. While Genn writes about painting, I often find that his thoughts apply to any creative pursuit, including writing. This week’s newsletter spoke to the dilemma of deciding which project to work on next–something that Christa recently experienced.

Genn’s newsletter is reprinted here in full, by permission.

Yesterday’s inbox included the short and sweet: ‘I’ve been painting seriously for the last fifteen years, and I now have trouble deciding what to paint. How do I decide?’ The email was signed ‘Diane W. Reitz, BFA.’

Thanks, Diane. Maybe the BFA after your name gives us a clue. Maybe you know too much. But don’t worry, it’s a common problem, BFA or not.

The creative life requires a steady progression of experimentation and discovery. While acquired wisdom is useful, your knowledge must work in tandem with the daily exercise of your curiosity. A life in art is more a working event than the application of prior knowledge. Further, as you paint, you are able to decide what to paint. Paintings come out of themselves.

Prime your pump–your work goes viral.

There’s a pile of tricks you can pull to prime the pump. Go to your earlier inspiration–drawings, reference photos, field notes. Recall the direction this material took you in the past, and then go looking for a new angle. Don’t waste time. Commit yourself to the most humble application of paint. Get it through your system and out onto your reviewing easel. Perhaps reward it with a quick framing. Consider again the possibilities and commit once more, perhaps to a larger size.

Don’t be precious. Try to think like Edison when he was trying different stuff that might do for filaments in light bulbs.

First thing you know you’ll feel refreshed and renewed rather than burdened with making a decision. Further, you will see a need for further refinement. Personal refinement of vision makes creativity worthwhile. What you do may not be unique in the greater world of art, but it’s the sweet ignorance of outcome that drives you on.

When artists see themselves inching forward with minor improvements, they begin a natural flow that becomes unstoppable. I formerly told artists who were unable to decide what to paint that they might not be cut out for the game. Then I realized that our very existence is based on ignorance of where we’re going. What’s important is having the fortitude and patience to dig around and try to find out. Actually, ‘having trouble deciding’ is a good part of the fun. Accept the fun.

Best regards,

Robert

Mar 27

11 Comments

Christa: A tough decision

A few weeks ago I submitted my first novel, HURT, to a startup small publisher for consideration. This came after 90+ agent rejections, some of which provided the feedback that the agents didn’t feel they could sell the novel. I figured it was just the business, and maybe my chances were better with a small press.

Then I read this post by well-known crime fiction critic David J. Montgomery, and I realized I was that desperate writer he was talking about. I realized my novel wasn’t particularly original–well-written, yes, but not about anything or presented in any way new–and that, as he writes, I could actually harm my career (not to mention the small press’s reputation) by trying to get it published.

So I decided to shelve it and start over.

Remarkably, this doesn’t bother me that much. I think I’d grown tired of the novel, and I came to understand that I don’t want to spend a lot of time marketing something that I know is “just decent” but not great. I’d rather focus on my current WIPs, which I do think are more original, and better written too.

With that, though, I find myself once again back at square one: which project to pursue? HURT is a crime fiction novel, and I’d like to be known as a dark crime fiction author who occasionally forays into horror. So do I work on the next crime fiction project… or continue the horror novella? (I don’t have any particular momentum on the novella, so all projects are more or less equal in terms of desire.) What would you do?

Mar 5

6 Comments

Jenn: I wish I could answer that, Christa

I am feeling a similar funk. I’ve submitted 5 chapters to my editor today, and now I’m tired. I don’t think it’s worth it, but what do you do when you’re too far into it to stop, as you and I are? With partially complete or in your case, fully complete pieces of work?

This is my Spring Break. I should be on vacation. I should have taken my daughter to Iceland. To somewhere, ANYWHERE. Instead, she’s in daycare as usual (rationalization: it’s good to keep her on her schedule), and I’ve spent half of my break sitting at my kitchen table, expending about 100 calories per day, no exercise, horrible eating habits, ignoring everything, and writing. Mabe it’s too much of a good thing? This is what I planned to do for Spring Break, so why do I feel like a loser, misfit, failure of a mom?

I think it will help when the editor gives me some feedback, which she hasn’t yet. I keep e-mailing chapters in and waiting. I have four more nearly done, and two more I’d LIKE to get finished by the time Friday rolls around, and one I’d like to look over and research because it’s my lecture for Tuesday, and getting that in great shape beforehand will make my life easier afterwards. But I am PROMISING myself to spend the weekend with my daughter, doing NOTHING and everything, and relaxing for at least two out of ten days.

I suppose I should also realize that this is a finite project. If I reach my goal and turn in 11 chapters, that means only 9 more to go by the time summer rolls around. And SO WHAT if I lag behind. My editor wanted the book written within a year (staring in February), so why do I have myself on this kill-yourself schedule? Probably because I’m deathly afraid I’ll run out of steam and walk away.

Which wouldn’t be a bad idea. How many books on natural disasters does the world need? There are four perfectly good texts out there. Why am I doing this? Are we having fun yet?

Mar 4

4 Comments

Christa: Is it worth it?

I started this as a comment, but then decided it was getting to be too lengthy and would be better off as an entry…

I’m feeling really bummed out about my fiction career right now. It seems like everyone and their brother is getting a book deal except me. I feel like the biggest loser. Even though I know the reality is harsh, and likely to get harsher with the economy the way it is (i.e. less likelihood of folks taking a risk on a new writer), it’s like this: finally having accepted that you will never be part of the “in crowd,” and that’s OK because they’re boring, you set your sights on the A/V Club instead. Except that even the A/V geeks won’t let you in, because you bring nothing–no new talent, no new insight–to them. How freaking depressing is that??

Part of the problem is the novel I’m shopping. It’s my first. I mean my first-first. It’s gone through many iterations and it’s finally at the point where I think it’s reasonably publishable. Was it a practice novel? Yes, oh yes. Should it be published? I don’t know anymore. Other writers tell me that I’m likely to find an agent who will believe in it and take it (even if it needs revisions) and try to sell it, but I have something like 80-90 rejections. Small potatoes? I don’t know. I do know that by now, I could try to sell better. If I did that, my other option with this first novel is to sell it to a zine that is taking novels that won’t get published, but that the author would like to see the light of day. (That really is in her guidelines!) I’m not sure if my novel fits that description. And I’m not sure I should have spent so much time and money already only to can it and move on to the next project (actually a sequel, but could work as a standalone).

I think it doesn’t help that I’ve completely lost momentum on the novella, and I haven’t written any short stories that are in any shape to send out to zines. I just don’t feel like anyone cares whether I write fiction. Probably no one does. So then why do it? Because I care? Why should I care? I have better things I could do with my time. Like learn how to play with my kids.

Oh well. I’m whining. But anyone else ever faced this?

Mar 1

2 Comments

Bethany: Plowing Ahead

Look at that! I just came in here, commented up a storm and am now writing a post. Hmm.  It’s very reminiscent of how my writing has been going lately.

Seriously, looking back at my other post, I was caught between story ideas.  Deliberating between the two, taking a mental scorecard and choosing the “best path” for success.  And somewhere between that post (on a Wednesday) and that following Sunday, I hauled ass.  Big time.  Wrote three chapters in one book and a synopsis of the other (yeah, I write from the 5000 foot view and then into the details).  By some holy miracle, it worked!  A whole 4 days later I had reached my goal.

I’m not going to expect the same output this week.  I’ve learned that I write in fits and spurts.  And when I’m in a writing flurry, if I make those same expectations week after week, I’ll only disappoint myself.  I’m completely inconsistent.  Which… well, isn’t so good.  At least if I am not honest with myself.

Which brings me to my point–this writing fit.  Well, it ROCKS.  And I can’t waste another second on this blog post (sorry!).  I’ve got to ride the wave and write as long as it lasts.  Right now, it’s through another chapter.  Maybe by Sunday (2 days away), I’ll have the goal (through the next 3 chapters).  Maybe not. Either way, writing… any writing is a good thing.  Happy Creativity All and keep plowing ahead!

Feb 28

5 Comments

Christa: Because I am a masochist

Thanks to flu, I’m not doing much writing this week. Working, because I still have deadlines but even more limited time because I am in bed by 8pm most nights, but not on fiction. So what did I do the other day? Of course – I sent out queries for my novel. Who wouldn’t, when snow and sickness and low energy has them so demoralized that they can’t possibly care about another round of rejections? Really, it’s the perfect time to query, don’t you think?

Feb 24

6 Comments

Brittany: Renewal: Spring in South Carolina

I don’t want to rub it in… okay, yes I do. Lately the weather here in Greenville has been hovering in the low 70s. The ground hog in Western North Carolina predicted winter, but the ground hog in Atlanta predicted spring. We don’t have a weather-predicting groundhog of our own, so we have been shifting back and forth between the two. First there’s a 70 degree day. Then the next day or two it’s rainy and cold in the 50s. Once you’ve grown to dislike that weather, you’ll have a beautiful sunny day again, just so you learn to appreciate it. I am in heaven.

We have been putting our zoo membership to good use lately and taking walks to the neighborhood playground as well. Like Miranda, I just can’t seem to find the time to exercise, but it seems a waste not to enjoy the sunshine. It does energize me, much to the detriment of my writing. After a nice walk outdoors, I am ready to write, which is a problem considering that I should be winding things down. But I have come to love my book, as much or more so than the weather, and all this yearly renewal is making me want to create. I sit down and think “I am going to bang out this last chapter” and before I know it, I’ve found a spot somewhere fifteen chapters back where I can write a little scene. Then there’s a touch more dialogue here. And maybe a little exposition there. I have said before that the creation of this book is less a writing exercise and more like the construction of the Winchester Mystery House. It seems that the writing part is neverending. I know I need to stop, but I am enjoying myself way too much. I’ve never finished a novel before, and now that I know I can, I don’t want to.

Feb 23

3 Comments

Jenn: I second that, Bethany

What a timely post, Bethany. I just logged on after sitting at my kitchen table from 2:30 AM to 10:30 AM writing pretty much straight through. And I’m no closer to a finished product. I am in a similar situation in that I have 19 chapters in my book, but each is essentially a stand-alone piece of work. Instead of methodically going through and finishing one chapter, sending it to the editor, and moving on to the next, I’m finding myself chipping away at different chapters in a whimsical fashion.

I suppose I shouldn’t complain, because I *am* working. I’d just like to see a RESULT. (Here comes the part where I say it’s not my fault) The thing is, I’m waiting for the guest writer to send me SOMETHING, and she has a box in every chapter. I can’t send a chapter along to the editor without her input. And none of my students who are (a) fact checking, (b) adding and updating references, (c) getting figures from websites, and (d) drawing figures for me are getting their stuff to me, either. I’m not complaining, and if they don’t come through, I won’t let any of it hold me up, as I am perfectly capable of doing these tasks myself. But hey, if students want to do them, using their work study, who am I to refuse the help?

Also, I have barbaric dial up at home and no printer, so I can’t print out the figures, print ouf the manuscript, and really have at it. I was GOING to go to school for 12 hours today, as my husband has our daughter, but (BUT!) it’s cold and snowy and I don’t want to go shovel. I’m more of a let-it-melt kind of person.

So I’m WORKING. Yes I am. But it’s not a task oriented work. Is this okay? Should I be drifting like this? The other part of this is that I’m writing as I lecture, and when my student sends me the transcript of what I said in class, I like to get on it while it’s all still fresh in my mind. And while you, Bethany, have a potentially ENDLESS source of book ideas, I have a discrete, 19 chapter book that I eventually have to FINISH. It’s a mixed feeling: I’m happy that I”m working on it so much, but frustrated that I’ve nothing to show for it at this point besides a bunch of files on a flash drive and a bunch of waiting for other people to come through for me.

Right now, for example, I have “Plate Tectonic Theory,” “Plate Tectonic Boundaries,” “Principles of Weather,” and “Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Thunderstorms” all open and I’m swapping back and forth while drinking too much green tea and listening to Alison Krauss and Robert Plant (remember, I’m the one who can’t work at Starbucks because the background music distracts me).

The fabulous, fabulous thing about this blog is that I really REALLY am enjoying the process. It’s so invigorating and fulfilling. I don’t even care if it ever gets done. I just like writing. I suppose I’d better get to the Monday Page so I can heap on some guilt…

Feb 21

4 Comments

Bethany: A Choice of Two

I’m constantly coming up with new book ideas.  Not that I am complaining, because one can never have too many ideas.  No. This is more of a preference.  Which book to I work on now?  See, I’ve been working on one book idea for a while now.  In fact wrote 100 pages, then scrapped them all and began another more detailed outline of the same book–but tighter, more suspense, and definitely more world building that makes the story have that much higher stakes.  This story’s been with me for a while.

Now the other book–let’s call it book 2–it is a newer idea.  One that I came up with during a chat with a friend not too long ago.  All that came to me was a title and an image.  But it was enough to fuel my imagination at 3am that night and get me out of bed.  Again, I have a page of notes to start.  Granted, it is nowhere near the outline the other has–but definitely enough of a plot line to get me started and get the book past the 100 page mark.

So the choice is this– book 1 or book 2?

Whenever I am starting a new book it seems that I am in this predicament.  I have idea folders (yes FOLDERS) on my laptop that I go to for inspiration.  Though I rarely need them.  The ideas, when they’re good, don’t go away.  They stick in your brain and and pick away until you write them down.  Completely.  Or to the point where I am with these two.  Now, it is just a matter of choosing one and getting it done.

But that also means I have to give up reading for at least 6 weeks.  Yep. I’m one of those, I give up one pleasure for the other.  So I can focus.  And I think it comes with the I’m A Mom With Little Time Role. If I am going to have free 15 minutes, I have to choose. And right now, my brain won’t let me read.  I. Must. Write.  But–which one?

Feb 19

4 Comments

Christa: A mixed blessing

This week, Rain Dog is on school vacation at our house. School vacation, as for most families, is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, he’s available, so I should be able to get more work accomplished. On the other, he has his own expectations for his time.

In the past we’ve clashed, but by now I think we’ve learned how to work around each other. Still, I get about as much accomplished as I do during a typical week! The only difference is, I get out and about a bit more, which is actually preferable for me.

As for how it’s going this week: I’m still a little behind on my novella, but that’s as much because of the time I lost with the power outage as with the change in routine. I also had a few freelance projects come in at the last minute, and they all have “urgent” markers on them. Much as I’d like to ignore them and take my own little “vacation” (in which I write nothing but fiction), that would be irresponsible–and since I’m considering expanding my freelance business, I really need to be more responsive to this kind of work.

Meanwhile, I found an early draft of the short story that spawned the novella, which makes me happy because it contains a lot of backstory that I didn’t feel right about deleting. Now I realize that I must have had a sense about this story that I didn’t fully understand until now, and I’m so happy I listened to it!

I’ve been promised a day in which I can sit in a coffee shop and work in peace, so hopefully I’ll be able to bring together the various threads I’ve been contemplating and really pull the trigger on this story–and get back on track.

Feb 11

1 Comment

Bethany: Shhhh… I’ve got an idea!

I get ideas anytime and anywhere. This latest idea, just as I was ready to fall asleep while nursing my daughter last night.  Only problem with that–is that new ideas energize me.  So much so, they consume my brain and sleeping in NOT an option.

Much to my dismay, last night at midnight, I spend over an hour jotting down ideas, character sketches, plot lines I knew about, possible titles, and even a few e-mails to critique partners soliciting a few initial thoughts, etc.  Well, I have 5 pages of hand written notes for a new project.  One I likely will have to back burner for a while–but one I have documented enough, I can jump back in at any time.  Which I love.

I can’t wait to get started!

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »