Summertime...and the Living Isn't So Easy

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

While some enjoy what's popularly called the lazy days of summer, it's becoming more and more not my favorite season.  Not that it has been for a long time.  As time has gone by, I've grown to think of it as the crazy days of summer.

This week we've been cursed with 100+ temperatures.  Yesterday was 106, and my AC had trouble keeping up.  The temp inside was 80, and I don't find that exactly conducive to being able to concentrate.  I should have managed to write more than 7 pages, but I was grousing about the heat most of the day.  And those 7 pages?  They were decent for a rough draft...but they were in the wrong place in the story line and in the wrong POV.

Silly me, I forgot to take a look at my storyboard.  The question now is whether I leave them and adjust my plot, changing around a couple of scenes, or do I rewrite 2 that were not what I intended.  They aren't bad, they just aren't what I'd expected from my characters at this point in the story.

(Note to self:  Check storyboard and synopsis for plot before taking off on morning walk and letting scenes run wild in my head.)

 Yes, I'm a plotter.  I know a lot of writers aren't, and that's okay.  I also know writers who say they aren't plotters, yet they are.  Most experienced writers go into writing a story with some idea of what the story is about, who the main characters are and their GMCs, and a few turning points.  Add the Black Moment and the Resolution, and they have a plot.  It may not be written down, but it's there, and they know basically where the story and the characters are going.

Let me state that I haven't always been a plotter.  My earliest attempts at writing were done on the wings of nothingness.  I sat down, I introduced a hero and heroine, and then I let them and the story take me away.  Looking back, those first attempts weren't horrible, but they definitely were...different.  Back then, I could write a 50-60,000 word book in 10 days.  Now I allow myself 2-3 months, depending on what's going on with my life at the time.  Take my word for it.  FAST IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER.

How did I got from total pantster to a crazed OCD plotter?  I honestly don't remember.  What I do remember is that my critique buddy, aka Kathie DeNosky, insisted that I learn how to plot, if only enough to know where my story was headed.  Once I sold my first book, she told me, I'd want to sell on proposal, and to do that, I'd better have half a clue who those characters are and what their story is.

Guess what?  She was right.  There's also a bonus to this.  My story goes from point to point, without wandering, and I rarely have to go back and rewrite complete scenes.    When I start to write, I know who the characters are and why they're doing what they're doing.  I know their GMCs and base their story on that.

If you're to the point where you believe you need to learn how to plot or at least want to have an idea of where your story is going and how your characters are going to grow, it's time to get serious about this plotting thing.  I'm here to tell you that it isn't as difficult as it sounds.  Once I learned what I needed to do, the doing became much easier.

Each person creates a story in her own way, but there are some basics that can help make it easier.  If you're ready to start learning those basics or if you feel you need a refresher or something to give you a shove, check back next week.  Let's talk plotting.  :)

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. - Stephen King

The Name of the Game is Scheduling

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

Now don't start moaning and groaning.  Believe me, I understand the pain the word "schedule" can cause.  I've always been one of those people who likes to do things when I'm in the mood...or when I absolutely can't put them off any longer.  In fact, I still have some winter clothes to put away, but since I'm asleep most of the time when I'm in my bedroom, I'm only reminded twice a day.

The thing is, I've had to learn to at least rough out an idea of when I need to do things.  Book deadlines can do that, forcing a more non-conformist into something resembling a pretzel if the lesson isn't learned early.

But writing isn't the only thing in our lives that we sometimes need to fit into a schedule.  With four girls, leaving doing laundry until clean clothes were needed would have been a disaster.  Although my house wasn't always visitor-ready, there were times when I followed a stringent schedule.  Looking back, that schedule wasn't such a bad idea.

Schedules aren't just for getting things done.  They're also for giving us more time to enjoy the things in life we might otherwise not have time for...because we're doing those have-to and need-to things we didn't get done.  That usually happens because we've found some super ways to waste time.  Ouch!


According to ADHD experts, who really know a lot about being a space cadet or having trouble staying on task, there small things we can do to make our lives go a little more smoothly.  Those small things can quickly become our best time savers.

• Do you forget appointments or that you need to be somewhere?  Or do you lose track of time in the morning, causing you to have to rush or be late to work?  Set an alarm!  It's easy to get involved in something else so much that we lose track of time.  My daughters will be happy to share memories of the times that I was late picking them up from school.  Now that they're grown, there are the grandkids, and although the school is only a couple of minutes away, I need to get there early.  I also am easily distracted, so I've set an alarm on my phone for five minutes before I need to leave, allow myself one "snooze," and then I'm out the door on time.
• Are you feeling overwhelmed about a task?  Set a timer.  Oh, yeah, this one works.  There are times that the thought of having to sit and write X number of pages just makes me want to crawl in a corner.  I've learned that if I set a timer for ten minutes and actually start putting words on paper--whether they're good or not--by the time that timer goes off, I'm actually getting into a rhythm and don't want to stop.  On those occasions when that doesn't happen, at least I accomplished a little.  Eventually and in a much shorter period of time, I'll get it done.
• Is a big project--or even the thought of it--getting you down?  Break the project into smaller, more manageable goals.  Not only does this help make things easier to accomplish, the accomplishment itself can help keep you going.  A book isn't written in one day.  Even if you tried it, you'd find that life is going to demand your attention.  Even meals will need to be prepared/purchased and eaten.  A few pages a day, four or five days a week will do the trick and not take huge chunks of your time.  The trick is remembering that if you write 1 page a day without fail, in a year you'll have a 365 page novel.  And don't forget to reward yourself when each step--maybe a chapter?--is reached!
• Do you walk out of the house, forgetting the car keys, your cell phone or other important items?  That means using precious time to look for what's missing.  Instead, designate a spot near the door for the things you know you'll need.  I finally solved my problem of losing my keys.  I bought a coiled plastic chain that I've attached to my purse and the other has a hook for my keys.  It can tuck into my purse, and it's also long enough to reach the ignition when my purse is next to me on the seat.  Another plus is not worrying about locking my keys in the car.  It's much harder to miss my purse than it is to miss pulling the keys out of the ignition.  Oh, and I love purses with pockets--on the outside and inside--giving everything its own place.
• Do you lose track of time while playing games online, spending time on Facebook or Twitter or even reading blogs?  There's no reason to give up the things you enjoy, only because you've let those things take over your life and your time.  All you need to remember is "moderation in all things" and to set a timer or alarm.
• Are you overwhelmed by all the mundane tasks that are leaving you no room for others?  Ask for help.  Kids, husbands, roommates, anyone who resides with you or even near you is prime for being helpful.  Sometimes all that's need is to ask.  Other times it might require a little training time. Whether is kids folding laundry or hubby sharing cooking duty, there's always something that someone can help with that will free up a bit of your time.

Don't have a clue how to create a schedule?  Check out some online tips and tricks for created a schedule to suit your lifestyle, below, or do a search for others.

• How to Create a Daily Schedule (eHow) 
• Using EXCEL for Schedules and Planners
• Optimize Your Productivity with Daily, Weekly Routines (Zen Habits)

Remember, it may take some adjustments and extra time to find exactly what works best for you.  Even then, nothing is set in stone.  You can adjust your schedule whenever you feel it's needed or when major life changes demand it.  Just don't give up too early, if you feel overwhelmed and have over-scheduled yourself.  That's when a step back and reassessment is needed.

Thanks to iVillage.com for some ideas on the tips used in this blog post!

Moderation in all things. - Andria Terence, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC - 159 BC) 

The Balancing Act

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

CARVING OUT TIME

We've all seen the stereotype of writers.  Male writers enter their den or office, where they sit for hours, surrounded by crumpled paper that never reached the trash basket, while they create the next best seller.  The female version has a woman reclining on a luxurious fainting couch, box of chocolate at the ready, while a plain, bespectacled woman perches nearby, taking dictation.

Yeah, in your dreams.

Most writers don't have the luxury of locking themselves in a room--with or without fainting couch--and devoting themselves exclusively to their writing.  I don't know about everyone else, but for most of my writing life, it's been a struggle to find even a small block of uninterrupted time.  Even when I was a married stay-at-home mom, the day wasn't exclusively my own, and writing was often done late at night when the family was asleep.  Back then I could function on a few hours of sleep each night.  Not so much anymore.

So what's a writer to do?

One of the things I discovered was that it took sacrificing a few things, doing some pre-planning, and learning to be flexible.  No, no, don't click that little X up there in the corner.  Stick with me and let me present the case for one of the ways of carving out time.

Sacrificing

This is the hardest of all.  None of us likes giving up something we enjoy.  But if we want to add something new to our life, something has to give.  Below are 3 things I've enjoyed (and still enjoy!) in my life as a writer and an adult.

• Television
• Reading
• Arts & Crafts

Television

Many of us are card-carrying members of the Boob Tube Generation.  We were the group who grew up watching (the original) Captain Kangaroo, Annie Oakley (the series) (the original) Mickey Mouse Club, and dozens more that would take forever to list.  I remember the old black & white TV that was a focal point of our living room during my childhood.  That's it on the left, with the Christmas tree (circa 1954, if my calculations are right) at center stage.  I spent a lot of time watching that TV.  In fact, a few years later, there was a stain on the carpet from the bottle of Mercurochrome I spilled while tending to who knows which scrape, and that's where I chose to sit, after that.  (Yes, I really am that old.)

And then came Beta and VHS, and we could record programs when we were away from home!  (I taped General Hospital every day and watched when I got home from work.)  Along came satellite and movies on VHS/DVD and cable TV.  And because it was impossible to watch 2 programs at once, we were gifted with the DVR and things like OnDemand to make it easier.  We are never without television.

If you're spending most of your free time (what little there is) watching TV, this should be on the top of your list to trim down.  Your TV-watching time needs to go on a diet.  You don't have to give it up completely, but removing one or two hours of TV a week could net you up to eight hours in a month.  And just think how much writing you could get done in that time.  The Bachelor can get along just fine, even if you aren't there to cheer or boo him on.  I promise. ;)

Reading

From my first Little Golden Book to now, reading has been a big part of my life.  I love to read.  I love to lose myself in a story and forget about the reality of life.  Before I started writing with a goal to maybe someday having a book published, I read constantly.  I still read all I can, but not even close to what I did.  Now I spend more of that time making up and writing my own stories and characters

But like TV, giving up reading all together isn't a good idea.  We all need that take-me-away, and reading is a great motivational tool for writers.  Keep reading!  Just gently reduce the amount of time you spend doing it.  In fact, giving yourself the gift of time to read when you've reach a goal is the perfect reward!

Arts & Crafts

I learned to sew when I was eleven and sewed many of my own clothes throughout high school. Later, I took up decoupage, macrame, crochet, t-shirt painting, (big breath), and even learned to knit...something my mother did very well.  I enjoyed every one of them.  Doing crafts and art projects can sometimes be a  restful activity.  But if you want to add the craft of writing (an art of its own), and if you're struggling to find time to do it, then it might be time to cut back a little on the other arts and crafts.

Please note that I never once said to give up anything!  To be well-rounded and interesting people, we need to have many interests.  Doing only one thing, over and over, is a sure bet way to learn to despise it...not to mention becoming very boring.  But if finding the time to write is something you've been struggling with, take a close look at what and how much time you devote to other things and consider reducing one.  Or two.  Don't completely deprive yourself of anything!  Well, not unless it's a bad habit you wanted to give it up anyway. ☺

Trim the fat of life and carve a new path!  You might be surprised at what you'll discover.

Next week we'll take a look at pre-planning and discover ways it might help net some writing time.

“People always make time to do the things they really want to do.    

        —Anonymous

Scarlett O'Hara Syndrome

MOTIVATION MONDAYS


You may be asking, what is Scarlett O'Hara Syndrome.  There's a simple answer to that.

"I won't think about that now, I'll think about that tomorrow." 

Back in January of this year, I declared each Monday to be Motivational Monday here on the blog.  The reason was that I'd been procrastinating about all kinds of things, but mostly about things that needed to be done--some desperately needing to be done-- that I'd kept putting off.

I've been working on that problem and although I'd love to say I have it solved, that would be a lie.  Still, I've made some progress.  Most of the time, anyway.

If we tend to put many things off until later, it's probably a habit we formed long ago.  It can be changed, but it takes some work...which probably brings another round of procrastinating.  Definitely a vicious circle.  But it can be better, and a round of seeing a shrink isn't necessarily needed.  Sometimes it's best to just do than to study why it isn't done.

A friend and fellow writers group member blogged at Bits & Bytes on Thursday about her own procrastination. Because I'd been putting off the need to get some words on paper or work on revisions or do a few other things, her post was a painful reminder that I sometimes have that P word problem, too.  Let's face it.  At one time or another, we each will put off what needs to be done the most.

When it comes to writers, when procrastination becomes a normal part of the writing life, there's a chance it's because of one of two reasons:  Fear of Failure or Fear of Success.

Only the procrastinating writer can decided which fear has gained the power to immobilize.  And trying to determine it could end up being yet another tool in avoidance.  So what's a procrastinator to do?  Especially a writer with dreams of being published or a published writer who has fallen into a writing slump?

Here are a few suggestions to try that might break the stagnation and kick start some forward movement.

BEGIN NOW

• Stop beating yourself up.  You can make a change.  
• Stop complaining and whining (yes, we all do it), and form a plan.
• Make a fresh start.  There's nothing we can do to change what we did or didn't do in the past, so leave it behind.
• Set a goal.  Don't sabotage yourself before you begin, so make it small and attainable to begin with.  If your writing has become non-existent or almost non-existent, and you want to change that, set a weekly page or word count goal.  Keep it small.
• Make a new habit.  A GOOD one. ☺  Get up an hour early and devote it to writing or whatever it is you need to do.  Turn off the television for an hour or two in the evening.  If you're a writer, take a pad and pen or a laptop computer and go to a library or coffee shop or even to a park and write.  I've found that my morning walk clears the cobwebs from my brain and gets it working, so that by the time I'm  home again, I have an idea of what I'll be writing.
• Give yourself little rewards whenever you reach a goal.

ENLIST FRIENDS

• Ask a friend to help keep you on track.  Even if the two of you don't share the same goal, you can still  support and encourage each other.
• Find others who are dealing with or have dealt with the same problem and brainstorm some ideas that might help.
• Challenge someone who struggles with the same thing you do.  Remember that it's not who does it best, but that each of you are DOING.

Sometimes there's only one way and that's the Nike way.  "Just Do It"  We can make excuses until the end of time, but if we really want something, we have to take that first step.  After that, the road ahead doesn't look quite as daunting.

If procrastination is something you deal with and you find yourself going nowhere, or if you have some ideas that may help others, please feel free to share them here!


Thank you to Tammy, Reese, Pat, and Debo for the inspiration for this post, their always super ideas, and their friendship.


In the end of GWTW, the real Scarlett--- the strong, independent woman, who never let anyone or anything get her down---gives us all hope.

"Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... tomorrow is another day." - Scarlett O'Hara, the last lines of Gone With the Wind

The Rest of the Story Synopsis: KISS

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

First thing this morning, I emailed the full proposal of A NANNY FOR THE COWBOY, the eighth book set in Desperation, OK, to my editor.  For those who aren't savvy with all the crazy publishing terms, a full proposal is usually considered a full synopsis (a complete telling of the story in four or more pages) and the first three chapters of the book.

Last week, I blogged about using character sketches to begin a synopsis, hopefully solving the age old problem of editors' whys. With that done--my character sketches, that is--it was time to start the telling of the story, aka the heart of the story.

Writing a synopsis is nothing more than a simple telling of a story.  Start at the beginning, where the characters first collide (meet), then move forward from there, each step of the way through the turning points, black moment, and finally to the resolution.  If you've done your character sketches, explaining why a character does, thinks, or believes something has been taken care of.  The one thing to keep in mind is to be sure you include each characters' emotional reactions to what happens in a scene.

Everyone writes a synopsis in their own way.  I start with a paragraph about the first scene, then another about the second and third scenes.  As a rule, that's my first chapter.  After that, I have a paragraph for each chapter, containing short descriptions of each of the scenes.  Within those scenes are the turning points, which are the backbone of your story.  A long explanation isn't needed.  Just the facts and the reaction/emotions of the character and the hooks.

All the above is why plotting your book in advance of writing the synopsis is helpful.  That doesn't mean you have to know exactly what's going to happen in each and every scene, or every word and look exchanged by the characters, but having a brief idea of what moves the story along doesn't hurt and gives the story synopsis continuity.  Think of turning points, those things that happen to move the story in a large or small new direction.  Think of them as hooks to keep the reader reading, instead of putting the book aside to read later.

Yes, I'm a plotter, and somewhere in all these blog posts are photos of my plotting board(s).  But I didn't start out that way, and my friends had drag me, kicking and screaming, into the light.  Even some of my best writing friends will say they don't plot, but they do.  They just don't put it on paper.  Obviously their minds aren't the sieve mine is.  But truthfully, I'm visual and need to see where I'm going, while those others keep it in their heads.  In the end, we all get to the same place....THE END.  And that's what's important.

For more information on plotting, try these tips from authors:

• Alicia Raisley
• Lisa Gardner
• Stella Cameron

Or simply plug *plotting a novel* into a search engine.  With a little practice, the pain will ease, and you'll be writing a synopsis without throwing your laptop out the nearest window.

When I decided to take writing seriously, I did a lot of reading and analyzing of the books I liked, and came up with what I thought were pretty sound plotting and structure basics.

 - George Stephen

Synopsis Writing: It Should Be Simple

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

Guess what I'm working on today?  You're right!  I'm writing a synopsis.  Okay, I'm trying to write a synopsis.  I can't say I'm breezing right through it though.

Most of the time, writing a synopsis isn't something I fear.  While I don't find it fascinating or fun, I'm usually fairly sane while I do it.  Not so much with this one.

What is it that makes writing a synopsis so difficult?  It shouldn't be, because a synopsis is nothing more than a simple telling of the major points of the story.  There's no reason to "show" how the characters react or feel.  Words such as "angry," "hurt," "devastated" (my personal favorite ☺), and a wide range of adjectives will do the job with a minimum of writing.  Oops!  Better get some glad words in there, too.  Happy, thrilled, surprised and...  Just pull out a thesaurus or, my favorite, The Synonym Book, and find the perfect words to convey the characters' emotions.  No need to show the tears streaming down the heroine's face or the hero's jaw working as he considers an answer to a difficult question.

One of the early mistakes writers make when writing a synopsis is leaving out the GMC of the main characters.  It quickly becomes obvious after receiving a long list of WHYs from an editor.  "Why did [character] do that?"  "Why did this happen?"  "Why did [character] react in that way?"  A writer's first reaction is to tear out some hair and then ask, "WHY DIDN'T THE EDITOR UNDERSTAND?"

Always keep in mind that the editor has no way of knowing things about our characters if we don't explain them or mention them in our synopsis.  Do your characters have secrets from their past? Is there a reason the hero is committing a dastardly act against humanity?  If you want the editor to recognize him as a hero, not a villain, there'd better be a reason, and that reason had better be conveyed in the synopsis.

My longtime author friend, Kathie DeNosky, shared a way to put the character information up front, so it's there in the beginning and questions about GMC, along with the accompanying WHYs shouldn't arise.  I've been doing it her way for so long, I'm not sure I could do it any other.  The bonus to doing this is knowing your character even better, when you're done.

Think of these short introductions of the main characters as character sketches. They are short bios, including relevant details about the character's past, including childhood instances that relate to character's goal and/or motivation. You can also add a physical description of the character (age, hair and eye color, height).  The end of the character sketch should lead to and end with the point where the story starts and also hint at the conflict.

For a romance, the hero and the heroine each have their own character sketch.  Each should run much longer than a page, and a half page paragraph would be considered short.  I briefly mention birth order, number of siblings, and if the parents are still living.  Leave out any unnecessary details that don't pertain to major life events or things that affect the story.  For a non-romance, the sketch can be kept to the main character.  Minor characters in any are not needed.

What's currently driving me crazy with the synopsis I'm working on are the character sketches.  It isn't that I don't know these characters.  I do.  I just can't seem to find the right words in the right order, so I'll once again re-read what I've written, move some things around, and hopefully finish them before the end of the day.  I only have two days after that to write the rest of the synopsis!  And that rest of the synopsis is what we'll take a look at next week.

First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!

- Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920 - June 5, 2012)

 

All It Takes Is a Little Push

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

ex·er·cise   [ek-ser-sahyz]  verb, ex·er·cised, ex·er·cis·ing.

noun

1. bodily or mental exertion, especially for the sake of training or improvement of health: Walking is good exercise.

Do I like exercise?  No.  Unequivocally, no.  Say the word "exercise" to me, and I cringe, my stomach rolls, and the fight or flight response takes over.  I'm not athletic, and trying to apply the word "graceful" to me would be comical, at best.  Don't take me wrong.  I love to dance.  But exercise?  Huh uh.  No way.

Exercising, which by the way I need, is one of those things that must be done repeatedly.  To be effective, it must become a habit.  Now, I can make habits, but there's a problem with that.  The habits I make are often bad ones, not good ones, and I'm not so good at breaking the bad.

Lately, things have begun to change.  Twenty-six months ago I quit smoking.  I'd tried once before, some twenty years before, but the quit only lasted a year and a half, and I was back at it again.  This time I have no desire to take up the habit again.  I guess that means I've finally broken the habit.  The addiction.  And I feel better.  Well, except for the pounds I've put on.  Again. Which was a big reason why I started up again the previous time.  I'm not letting that happen again.  Not in this lifetime.

And that's where motivation comes in.  For most of us, motivation is the key to doing just about anything.  Sometimes the motivation is the pure love of something, sometimes it's monetary or our health, and sometimes it's because we've pledged to do something, whether to someone else or to ourselves.  No matter what it is, we need that push to get rolling.

At our local annual art and book fair in May, I picked up The Vein of Gold, the follow up book to author Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way.  I always say there's a reason for everything. This time it became clear very quickly.  I've been working on one deadline or another since mid-February and was in dire need of a good creative kick in the pants.

"Walking," says Ms. Cameron, "is the most powerful creative tool I know."

Now why didn't I think of that?  Perhaps because the walking I'd been doing was with one or two or three family members and done sporadically.  And then those family members decided bike riding was more fun.  (Not in 40 mph Kansas winds, it isn't!)  She suggests walking 20 minutes a day during the week, and a one hour walk each week.  Because I enjoy walking and really, really need the exercise (see that word again?), I decided it was time to use this creative tool.

I'm here today to say that it has helped.  A lot.  A whole lot.  For the past two weeks, I've been getting up earlier than usual for my walks.  There's a park within walking distance of our house, but because g-kids start arriving for the day around 8:30 a.m., I drive to the park, still getting in 30 minutes of walking time, before I have to head home.  That 30 minutes nets me 2 miles of walking a day.  On weekends I walk to the park, walk my 2 miles, then walk home.  I haven't had a chance to do an official 60 minutes yet, but I've done a couple of unofficials.

What does this gain me?  For one thing, I've dropped 5 lbs.  While that's not a lot, it's a beginning.  I feel better.  My walks clear my mind and give me time to think about current writing projects or lately have sparked ideas for new ones.  Every day I come home from my walk, ready to hit the keyboard.  Or at least make notes for later in the day.

Yes, there are some mornings when I've stayed up too late and am tempted to stay in bed.  When that happens, I remind myself of what I gain from my walk, and force myself out of bed.  Once I'm up and moving, it isn't hard.

I'm motivated to walk, because my walks motivate me to write.  And there are two kinds of exercise involved:  Physical exercise and mental.

I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow. - Julie Cameron