You know what’s hard? Starting a new book. That first sentence, that first word, just feels so important.
I’ve been talking to a very cool blog friend about writing lately, and upon reading her latest message, I remembered how hard getting that first bit of writing down is. How exciting and nerve-wracking it could be.
For TNWSY, I stressed over that first sentence a lot. I wrote one, and then analyzed it from every angle. Was it good enough? Memorable enough? Will it bring readers in, or distract them? Will it catch their attention or bore them? I became obsessed. Crazed. That is, until I finally realized “eh, I can change it later.” So I forced myself to move on and you know what? That line didn’t feel as important after I was a few paragraphs in.
So here’s what I’ve learned – just write. That first sentence may not be perfect, but at least you’ve got something. Something concrete. Something to work with. Because in the end, you’ll probably change a lot, but you’ll never get to that moment if you don’t just write.
Oh, and my first line? It was changed twice prior to querying agents.
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that yesterday I finished writing Book 2. To say I’m excited is an understatement.
Here’s a visualization of what happened after I finished typing the last line:
There were also tears and high fives and whatnot.
I’m really excited because, unlike TNWSY, I did not write this manuscript in a month. It took a bit longer, and I was really worried that it would be a million times harder, scarier. I finished one book, what if I wouldn’t be able to finish another?
But the thing is, I needed to write it. It was never a choice. I needed, wanted, loved to do it.
So, yes, it’s done. It’s a first draft, so it’s clearly a mess. I changed an ethnicity of a character halfway through. Two minor characters have the same name. One part actually says “WRITE ABOVE CHAPTER BETTER BECAUSE, COME ON, THAT WASN’T GOOD.” There are also hundreds of grammatical errors, probably, and many cliche moments. So, a lot of editing will be needed. But writing, getting out, the first draft is always the hardest part for me. The hardest part is now done!
TO CELEBRATE…I’m hosting another giveaway! As you may recall, I like buying books from my library to give away on this blog. This way I’m supporting my library while celebrating my readers.
This time I’m giving away The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney! Daisy is a beautiful writer, and all around lovely person. I’m thrilled to be giving away her debut book. (The sequel, The Rivals, came out earlier this year, so if interested, pick it up!)
A bit about the book:
Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.
In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone–especially yourself–you fight for it.
It really is as great as it sounds. Here’s the copy up for grabs:
It’s the original hardback cover. With the exception of a few bent pages, it’s practically as good as new.
TO ENTER! As you know, I like to refer to my manuscripts my their initials. Book 2 finally has a title and it’s abbreviation is: TSWB. To win, guess what the title is! The best, craziest, funniest, favorite answer (as judged by my husband, not me) will win. The deadline is Friday, May 18th at midnight.
When I got my first personal computer in 2001 (a high school graduation gift), my favorite thing to do was change the background image. I really liked the idea that a simple picture could change the entire look of a screen.
Since then, I changed my background rather routinely. That is, until March 2010. Around that time I discovered Smashing Magazine’s desktop wallpaper calendars. For three months, starting in January, changed my background to one of the site’s beautiful calendar images. I loved them. But, again, I stopped in March 2010.
That month, I found a background that just seemed…perfect. A simple tan background, it had the quote…
Are you doing all you can to become the person you want to be?
At the time I was trying to write a book. I was starting and stopping and starting and stopping and nothing felt right. So I kept the background to push myself forward, to give myself the inspiration to keep going. Keep writing. Because that was who I wanted to be…a writer. (And, as it turned out, a librarian. But more on that later.)
You all know the ending of that story. I didn’t become a major author that year, but I did finish a book a year and a half later and today I have an agent. It’s lovely, really.
So yesterday, looking at my desktop background, I considered changing it. Why would I need something to push me to write? I do it easily now. I became what I wanted to be.
But to me? That’s not enough. I want to keep going, keep pushing, keep being. I want to remind myself to keep trying no matter how tough it gets. Because I want to continue doing all that I can. Because it’s not always easy, but man is it rewarding.
What do you want to be? And what are you doing to get there?
At the library, the majority of our volunteers are teens. They’re all really sweet and really helpful and pretty much only know me as that stereotypical librarian (complete with glasses and cardigan. I am a walking stereotype). So it’s fun when they ask me something and my answer surprises them. I was a drummer? I was in the circus? Yeah, like that.
So today I was talking to one of our volunteers, and mentioned being obsessed with pop punk when I was around his age. To my delight, the genre is still around and while I don’t know any of the current popular artists, I’m happy to know people still like it. So he jotted down some bands for me to check out, and I told him I’ll come back with recommendations of my own.
And that – just that – is why I write young adult novels. Because while times do change (I didn’t have a cell phone in high school; Facebook wasn’t invented; Leonardo DiCaprio was the dreamiest – okay he still is), basic things don’t. In high school there will always be the jocks, the cheerleaders, the geeks, the drama kids (me!), the artists, the guys in bands.
But also? There will always be heartbreak so bad you don’t know if you can go on, best friends who you’ll give your life for, crushes that are dreamt about in class over and over again, embarrassments that you think will haunt you forever, pressure that’s beyond overwhelming, songs that feel like they were written just for you, and moments you know you’ll remember forever.
Yeah, I’m a decade older than those teens, but I know what they’re going through because I went through it, too. And knowing that – knowing how things really don’t change – is really kind of great, isn’t it?
Sometimes, when writing, I just need to get up and get away from the document for a handful of minutes. I lose interest, strength to go on, and know that if I keep typing (not writing, typing), nothing good will come. I need to stretch, take a breath, and not allow myself to not scream “I’M THE WORST WRITER IN THE WORLD.”
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there.
Anyway, I used to clear my mind by doing the normal social media rounds (Twitter, Facebook, GReader, etc…), but realized that instead of clearing my mind, they distract me even more and 10,000 clicks later I’m nowhere closer to coming up with a witty retort for my main character. So I’ve stopped doing that (for the most part…) Since then, I’ve been trying different distraction techniques to see if anything could let me breathe for five minutes without fully sucking me in. A quick yoga stretch? Running around the apartment to let my energy out? Singing to whatever Glee song happens to come on my iTunes?
The other day I tried polishing my nails. They were short, brittle, so why not spice them up. And then this happened:
Me: I put glitter on my finger nails! See?
S: Why’d you do that? That’s dumb. (pause) Oh wait, you meant to. (pause) They look great!
And then we laughed. And then I got back to writing. He means well, he really does.
What are some of your mini-distraction techniques?
