I love to draw. I'm not terrible at drawing, but I'm also not very good. Like most of the creative arts, I have a natural knack for it, and if I had ever received good instruction, I probably could have become quite proficient, but alas and alack for time and energy and life. When I was a child and had more of all three, I used to keep sketchbooks for all my stories, and those sketchbooks were like gold to me. You see, I'm an incredibly visual person, and as such, my stories live first in my head--in full, vivid, sharp detail--and it's always been the case for me that the itch to get the images down on paper has overwhelmed, at times, my better sense that tells me I'm not a good enough artist to do the images justice. (Someday I'm convinced I WILL make movies, but there's so much that has to happen first.)
When you're writing a story, however, getting the images just right IS important, and that's one reason why my bumbling attempts to draw what is inside my head has always frustrated me. Yes, I realize it's my job to paint pictures with my words, but when creating worlds that don't exist, the longing to see those worlds is sometimes overwhelmingly powerful. And I'm not one to believe we ever create ex nihilo, so sometimes having the images to view as we create is also, in and of itself, a form of inspiration. So allow me to let you all in on a little secret of mine... Now, instead of sketching out my characters or settings, I collect images on Pinterest. I've had an author account on Pinterest for years, but I kind of just picked at it, never really realizing its full potential until recently when I downloaded the app. And Pinterest is so vast, I can usually find just what I have in my mind, or close enough, or sometimes (even better) what I never knew I wanted but come to realize is related to my idea through the Pinterest search engines. Eureka! Now I scroll through it while cooking dinner and doing other menial tasks, and I collect images to people and inspire my worlds. Some of my boards (like my Girl in the Sea board) are public, but I keep several private boards full of images for future projects I'll someday release to be viewed by all--once the books are written. I can't tell you how helpful Pinterest has been for me as a working mother who also--oh yeah--writes books, public speaks, and manages all my own marketing and social media on the side! I no longer have time to sketch, but I do have time to Pinterest, and that means I can still visualize my stories. And if I can visualize my stories, I can better bring them to life through words, and that benefits my readers. Check out my Pinterest boards HERE! I hope you will be encouraged to start your own writing inspiration boards, too.
0 Comments
1/2/2017 0 Comments Write that Novel in 2017!It's a new year, and we all know what that means, don't we? Resolutions! If you're reading my blog, there's a good chance you are a reader, and if you are a reader, then perhaps you are also a writer. I've met a lot of people over the years with aspirations to write a novel. Some have started, many have stalled, most have not finished. One of my goals in 2017 is to help more fledgling writers start and finish novels--and not just put words on the page, but put good words on the page. This blog post is my first step in that direction, and I'd like to lay out a few basics of the process for you.
1) You must have a story to tell Okay, so this seems like a monumental "Duh," right? But you'd be surprised how many people are infatuated with the idea of writing a novel without actually having a story burning within them. I use the word "infatuated" purposely here, because infatuation burns out, and it carries with it unrealistic ideas and expectations. If you think you are going to slap something brilliant on the page, shoot it off to a publisher, and make a million dollars overnight, then being a novelist is not for you. Likewise, if you want to be known, or respected for having a Very Brilliant Mind (really, if you want to be a household name of any sort at all), walk away now. Being a storyteller--being a novelist--is hard work, and it's not for the faint of heart. Chances are very few people will ever know your name or appreciate what you do, so that can't be your motivation. And you probably won't make a lot of money (sorry, it's true). No, if you're meant to be a novelist, you will have a story burning within you--one that haunts you and won't let go--and that's why you must write. I've had people tell me, "I want to write a novel, but I don't know what it should be about. I just know I want to write one." Full stop. They're not ready. Maybe someday they will be, but until you have your story, you can't move forward. 2) Develop your story So you have your story? The one that won't let you sleep at night? The one you daydream about in the shower and scribble about in church and doodle pictures of in class? Fantastic! Now what? A lot of people stall out here because they are either too afraid or too eager. The too eager writers jump right in to the actual writing without any story development at all. Outlining? Plot development? World building? Characterization exercises? Who needs it! I think these people (and I was like this at one time) tend to be afraid that if they don't start right away, their brilliant story idea will slip away into the ether and be lost forever. The main problem with starting to write without any plot or character or world development, is that the opposite usually happens: good ideas are spoiled by sloppy storytelling. Take time to develop your ideas--to outline them into a cohesive plot. Take time to build the parameters of your world. Take time to get to know your characters. Don't allow yourself to start writing until you know the beginning, middle, and end of your story, until you know the internal logic of your world, and until you know your main characters like close friends. If you can discipline yourself to do these things, then the writing will be easy when you sit down to do it. Now, the flip side of this is don't be too afraid to start. Don't plot out every single detail of your story. Allow room for organic growth. Work with both the right and left sides of your brain (I highly recommend Writing on Both Sides of the Brain as a resource if you struggle with this). Remember: You have to actually begin writing your novel, too, not just endlessly plot! That leads me to my third point... 3) Make a realistic plan Lots of wannabe novelists get caught in an infinite loop of starting and stopping and starting and stopping and starting and stopping and starting and stop--HEY! (You get the idea) Being caught in the infinite loop is not a fun place to be. But if you've done adequate story development, you shouldn't get caught, and the next step in the process is to give yourself a kick in the pants and make a realistic plan with attainable writing goals. This, by the way, can--and sometimes should--overlap the story development stage. At what point the overlap should begin will probably have to be determined by you (or maybe better said, I could help you figure that out, but it's kind of more detailed than I want to get into in this blog post). You're going to have to determine when you will start writing, how much you want to achieve each day (yes, each DAY), how long you want your novel to be (don't just write into the void--have a goal in mind and write to it), and thus when you want to be finished. I know it's cliched, but writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. Imagine how desperate runners would feel if they were told to start running and were never given an end in sight. "Oh, it's somewhere out there. You'll just know when you get there." Ummm... NO. Distance runners would despair and eventually give up if made to run a race like that, and chances are you will despair and give up if you try to write a novel like that. Don't do it. Also like distance runners, novelists need to know their personal limitations. If you need people cheering you on, arrange to have a writing group to act as accountability partners. If you need to take the weekends off as rest days, take the weekends off as rest days. Do what you need to do, but make sure whatever it is, it is working you toward accomplishing your goal. It is possible to write a novel this year, and to do it well. Take your time, be deliberate, and don't waste your great idea. If you've always had a story haunting you, don't let 2017 pass without letting that story out. 10/2/2016 1 Comment Plot, Don't PantsHere we are again, just one month out from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer's Month, for those of you unfamiliar with the lingo), and the age-old (okay, maybe not AGE-old, but popular, at least) question will soon be upon all people preparing to undertake the challenge:
Are you a Planner or a Pantser? Now, for full disclosure, I don't participate in NaNoWriMo. There's no need for me to. The challenge is to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days (November), but I've written that amount (and more) in 30 days many times over just out of necessity. It's hard. I know it's hard. I don't need to put myself through the paces when I'm not writing to a deadline... so I don't! But I do teach a creative writing course, and I use the month of November to give them in-class time to work on NaNoWriMo projects. And I use the month of October to teach them how to plot and plan their novels. See, I'm a mean old (not really--I'm only 33) novelist who is a confirmed Planner, and as a creative writing instructor, I won't let my students "Pants" their novels. What is Pantsing? It's a newfangled term for free-writing. Don't get me wrong--free-writing is a great exercise and absolutely necessary at certain stages of the game. But I will always believe a better product comes from a well-plotted story than one written by the seat of one's pants. Can I prove this? No. But I believe there's great evidence for it in what I know of the writing methods of some of the most successful authors of all time. I also know--personally, of course--that I wasn't able to actually finish a coherent novel until I disciplined myself to start learning the craft of storytelling and until I planned them out before writing. I know the evidence is anecdotal, and every author's methods are different, but having a method to organize your mad creative whimsies is important. It would be a terrible shame if they were to all blow away on you! So if you're planning on participating in NaNoWriMo next month, I encourage you to give Planning a try this year, especially if you've only ever been a Pantser before now. It takes some extra work on the front end, but when you get to actually start writing, you'll find the story flows so much easier, and you'll be more likely to finish that novel. If you don't know where to begin with Planning, check back for my next blog post where I'll be explaining my favorite outlining method (and using an episode of the TV show Daredevil as my example). Or you can check out the NaNoWriMo website HERE for some great tips! Happy Planning! |
Archives from my old blog...
|
Proudly powered by Weebly