Tag: writing

Writing: 2013 in Review

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In regards to writing, 2013 has been exciting, to say the least – most notably because TNWSY was sold, and I have an editor, and, YAY! But writing didn’t stop there. Oh no.

Actually, writing-wise, my year started out rather slow.

Project 1: I started work on a new concept early in the year, a topic very close to my heart. I learned quickly that it’s not always the easiest – or best idea – to write what you know. Every word felt forced. Writing wasn’t fun. I only accomplished about 9,000 very poorly written, really despised, words. (For comparison, TNWSY is a bit over 60,000 words.) So I put that project to sleep and immediately felt better. Will I ever go back to it? I’m not sure. I hope to one day, with a new perspective, but for now I’m happy letting go.

Project 2: I had a new, very fun idea that I was keen to work on…and work on it I did. Writing was fun again, but only for so long. At about 30,000 words I realized the story didn’t stand out at all, and it wasn’t something I wanted to tell. It wasn’t unique. It wasn’t going anywhere. I had an ending in sight, but no middle ground. I knew it wasn’t something I was proud of, and I had no ideas of ways to make it better. So, again, I gave up on it and felt better. I didn’t hate it, but I knew it wasn’t the right story for me. It just felt blah – I didn’t need to write it. Will I ever go back to it? Probably not. But it’s still saved, just in case.

Project 3: At this time, Burrow Press, a local Orlando publisher, came into the picture, Each year they put out a 15 Views of Orlando book (among other great books) where local writers contribute a different chapter. The entire book is one story, but each chapter is written by a different author, and they’re allowed to take the story in any way they want. Also, each chapter must take place at a different Orlando location. It’s really unique. Anyway, I was asked to write the final chapter, the epilogue, and jumped at the opportunity, The story was so far from anything I’d ever personally write, that the experience was wonderful. I wrote fast, and was happy with what I created. (I was also able to be in a book with my friend Jenny, which is just awesome) I loved contributing to the book, and cannot wait to see it in print. (Out in April 2014! The book is called FORGET YOU FOUND US; 15 Views of Orlando Vol. III. You can read the first chapter here.)

Project 4: Newly restored, I decided to dabble with a short story idea I had a while back, which never amounted to anything but one page. I started fresh and wrote it…in one day. Seriously. I was obsessed. It was a crazy experience; I only broke to Skype chat with a friend in the UK. So, I sent the 8,000 words to my agent, after editing it, and she liked it too (!!!), with the only suggestion to make it longer. So I did. Again, quickly, easily. Now at about 20,000 words, it’s my little novella that I love dearly. Where it goes next, we shall see…

Project 5: After that, I figured it was time to attempt another full-length manuscript. Again, I jumped on an idea that was floating around in my mind and wrote. And wrote. And wrote. I never outlined it, I just kind of decided what happened as I went. And in a weird, way, it worked. I finished it! It was not very good at first – names were all mixed up, characters weren’t fully developed, the plot wasn’t fully developed, but it was finished and I was so relieved that I could do that again. So I spent a while fixing it up and making it shiny before sending it on. To my delight, agent liked it, too, so we’re editing it now and improving it in ways I never would have thought of without her. Yay!

Project 6: While waiting for agent’s reaction on Project 5, I had a dream that inspired an idea. It was small at first, a tiny flicker, but I started daydreaming about it, and started letting my fingers tap along. I wasn’t planning on writing anything, but it just happened. I’m about 20,000 words in now and still obsessed with it. It’s the first manuscript I’ve written that i’ve needed to do a bit of research for, which I am, and it’s fun. It’s very different than my other stories, but I like that about it. I don’t want to say much now, but I can feel it turning into something, and I’m so excited to see where it takes me.

Project 7: TNWSY, of course! In the midst of all of this, I’ve been editing my book (BOOK!) with my editor (EDITOR!). It’s such an exhilarating process, and I’m thrilled to continue it through the new year.

So where does that leave me now? Continuing my edits for TNWSY, figuring out Project 4, editing Project 5, writing Project 7, and perhaps starting a Project 8 after all of that is said and done. There’s an idea there…there’s always an idea. And though I’m realistic enough to know that some projects will decline and fail as they have for me in the past, I’m still thrilled to see what grows and flourishes in 2014. So, to another year of writing and inspiration and wonder.

NaNo NaNo

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It’s NaNo time again!

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of National Novel Writing Month. It’s how I wrote TNWSY. It’s how so many other amazing authors completed their novels. (The Night Circus, for example. Yes. That one.)

So for any writers interested in jumping aboard, here are my pieces of advice:

1) Don’t think, just do it. A lot of people don’t attempt because they don’t think they’ll be able to finish. So? Sure, 50,000 words IS the end goal, but if you don’t finish, it’s not the end of the world. At least you started. At least you tried. And that might just be the push you need.

2) To Plot or not to plot. I’ve seen a lot of Twitter posts from people prepping for NaNo. They’ve gotten their entire books plotted out, and they’re ready to go. And still, I see others who have no idea where their books will take them, and just want to try. I say do whatever you want. Don’t be intimidated by those with 20 pages of pre-notes. (I had none – I had a basic idea, and after a few days of writing, I made a rough outline of where I wanted things to go. I mean rough. Like, half-a-page rough.) And don’t think that if you have nothing, you won’t succeed. If plotting makes you feel prepared, awesome, go for it. If not, then just start.

3) Write every day. It’s such an easy thing to think about doing, but in actuality it’s hard. Sometimes you don’t have the motivation. Sometimes you’re busy. But if you can write for just 10 minutes, it’s something. Even if you accomplish only 10 words, even if you get one sentence down, you’re one sentence closer to the end.

4) Don’t look back. The best part of NaNo is that it doesn’t let you self-edit. You don’t have the time. So if your character name changes halfway through, awesome, don’t go back and change it. If you decide to change the setting towards the end, that’s great, don’t switch out the other references. All of that can be changed during editing. Just keep writing. Don’t let yourself look at previous pages. (Unless you have to find a name or something.)

5) Make writing fun. This shouldn’t be a chore (though around 30,000 words I think every writer finds it frustrating). It should be fun! Write where you’re comfortable. Go to a coffee shop or bookstore. Or find a comfortable place at home. I wrote my entire first draft of TNWSY on Google Docs (now Drive) because I wanted to work on it all times, and didn’t always have my laptop. Since it was cloud based, it was always with me. And that was awesome.

6) Keep notes. Have a notebook. Jot down notes as you go. Write ideas for a future scene you dream up. You may not end up using them, but they’re neat to look back to once you’re done.

7) Celebrate. No, really. You survived! Go forth and celebrate! That’s such an amazing accomplishment. Seriously, be proud of yourself, even if you don’t finish.

I’d join you all this year, but I’m heavy in revisions. I wish you all luck. Let me know how you do!

Community

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If you’ve been to my website recently, you might have noticed the shiny new Goodreads logo on the right (—->). This means two things:

  1. I finally joined Goodreads. Friend me?
  2. My book did, too! You can mark TNWSY as “to read” if you’d like. Or, “to not read.” Or, “that book some chick wrote.” You know, whatever suits you.

In other news, I run two monthly programs at the library, and am at the cusp of adding two more. (I also run other programs, but they’re usually one-time events, such as the My Little Pony program coming up. Let’s not be surprised that i’m dressing up as the librarian pony, Twilight Sparkle.)

My first monthly program is the book club. Mostly full of ladies my mom’s age and older, we meet once a month to loosely discuss a book. I say loosely because usually about 30 minutes are spent on the book, while 30 on personal lives, gossip, normal chatter, etc. The ladies are lovely, and while we sometimes have disagreements (was I the only one who enjoyed A Discovery of Witches?), we always meet back up happily. And the older ladies are hilarious. (We just had our one-year anniversary!)

My next monthly program is my prized possession, my nerdfighter meetup. Once a month, teens and older meet to simply hang out. We make crafts, we play board games, we chat. They usually stay from the beginning of the program until the library closes (four hours!) and in the process talk about everything, from books they like to serious moral debates (seriously!). I love this program so much because it’s given an outlet to those looking to find fellow neat people, and simply hang out. Those wanting a safe, fun, judgement free zone. My ultimate goal as a librarian was creating something like this, and i’m so glad it’s come to be. These nerdfighters are my favorites. (Sept marks the one-year anniversary of the first meet up!)

I recently received a grant to bring technology to the library for teens, so I invested in filmmaking equipment. We’ve had a few programs since, and eventually, come fall, i’ll make it a monthly lesson/activity. I’m excited about this.

Last, two nights ago, a co-worker and I hosted a Tea and Talk program, in which ladies in their 20s and up came to drink tea, eat scones, participate in Downton Abbey themed games, and create British-style fascinators. Though we weren’t sure if it would be a success, it was an absolute blast with more than 20 people showing up. All of the women asked for a follow-up, a monthly event for them to have a ladies night out.

Upon creating the next Ladies Night Out event, I realized something very cool – people just want to hang out. Young and old, they just want excuses to meet new people, try new things, and be involved. And I’m so thrilled that the library can be a place for that.

There’s the continuous debate about the importance (or, to some, the lack of importance) of libraries. They’re just holding grounds for books! We have the Internet, who needs them? The thing is, they’re so much more than that. Yes, they have books and movies and such, but they also have community. They’re an open place to simply hang out and meet new people. They put you in the middle of a group, or an organization. They’re a fun zone. They’re a safe haven.

One of the teens messaged me a while ago, and told me that since joining our meetups, she’s made real friends. And that, thanks to these meetups, she’s not as embarrassed by herself, and feels part of something.

I’m so amazed that something I created can cause that much of a reaction. And i’m so happy that libraries are around to make this girl feel that accepted.

Begin Again

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About a month ago, I was SUPER PUMPED about writing this new idea I had. It was shiny and exciting and got me into crazy writing again. (Crazy writing is what I call those moments when I don’t want to eat/sleep/breathe, and just want to write word after word after word. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does I absolutely LOVE it.) (I do stop to eat, though. I’m not barbaric.)

It was fun flirting with this idea, toying around with it and seeing where it went. A few days ago I managed to hit close to 30,000 words and just…stalled. Dead stalled. Lost all hope.

Now, this happens sometimes to me. I just start hating my idea, hating my writing. But usually in that time, I have a clear vision of the end, a light at the end of the tunnel so to say. I know that there’s a way to turn it all around, and make it something I might be proud to show my agent.

But for this one? No light. No hope. Nothing. It just felt like a bland, boring idea. Something that needed spiciness. Something  so similar to what i’ve already written. Something that needed to be completely reevaluated.

So i’m dropping it.

It’s kind of sad because I’ve created these characters that I like, and this story that I indulged in. But it’s not the right story at all. I know it won’t go anywhere, and I know in the end it won’t be anything to marvel at. So I have to step aside.

So, I’m saying goodbye to that story, l’m letting it sit on my desktop for a while. I hope in the future that i’ll pick it back up, say hello to the characters and find their real story. Because, if anything, I owe it to them. But right now? I need to say goodbye.

It’s the hardest thing to do. And sometimes, truly, the best.

Necessities

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So as you can tell, i’ve had a pretty exciting past few days. It’s been kind of surreal, really, hearing that other countries think they can sell my book (ahh!), and officially becoming a contracted author. Honestly. What has my life become?

But before I get all I AM THE GREATEST WRITER OF ALL TIME, I want to pay tribute to how I got here.

Through very, very honest friends.

Here’s the thing about writing a manuscript – usually the first draft is not good. Mine was not at all. I mean, it was a story with a plot and major characters. There was a beginning, middle, and end. Things happened and upon reading it, I thought (hoped) it might have potential. But after editing it to make it all shiny and pretty, I didn’t go straight to querying agents. I queried my friends.

A few of my amazing friends became critique partners. They’d read and go over my manuscripts before anything. They’d tell me what was good, what was bad, and what maybe, possibly had potential. They were honest and brutal. They were kind and helpful. AND THEY WERE AMAZING.

They told me when I used words too often (eyebrows, apparently), and told me when a character just wasn’t sitting right (one actually wrote “I want to strangle her right now.”) They told me when the plot felt meh, and when something just didn’t make sense.

And all of those critiques made not only my manuscript better, but me as a writer better. I need their input. I value it so much. And I know that no matter how many negative things they say about the story, they’re doing it because they want the story to succeed. There’s never anything more.

And now? I love getting messages from them like, “I just saw someone at B&N who reminded me SO MUCH of *insert character here*” or “that was such a *character* thing you just said.” Because, oddly enough, the story that felt real to me all that time, now feels real to them, too.

(Special shout-out to Katie, Colure, Michelle, Misty, and Joe. And S, of course.)