In this tumultuous year of 2010, I've learned a lot. This is to say; I found all the wrong ways of doing things.
I've learned that just because I had two children did not mean I would be a pro at raising child #3. God love him. I've learned that acquiring a job doesn't necessarily relieve stress-no matter how much you talk in the beginning of the changes that are about to occur. I've learned that sometimes I can't be everything for my children; and even sometimes they can't be everything for me. I've learned that life is never what we expect it to be and our decisions are not often made logically-even though we think we are being logical at the time. I've learned that no matter how loudly we protest that we are not a judgemental person; there is a tiny judge sitting in each of our brains.
And at the root of all this, I started thinking about happiness and how we all search for it in our lives. Even when we are happy, part of the human nature is to drive for further happiness (whether that be in wealth, fame, health,etc..) I realized that in most instances of misery that I hear from friends or family; it's not the lack of knowing what will make them happy, but the cost of achieving it that creates friction. Between parents and children, husbands and wives, lovers and friends; the concern for how our actions will make them feel is a roadblock. Sometimes a positive roadblock-don't get me wrong! I realize this is part conscience that makes us human.
However; what happens when so many dominoes are going to fall at the expense of a smile on your face and peace in your heart?
As writers, this is something that is a crucial part of our character development, plot, conclusion and everything in between that sometimes the thought of it all is so deep and overwhelming I get lost in my thoughts of what-ifs. Think of your past for a moment. Remember that one big thing you did that you really stressed and worried about. A move away from home? A divorce? A marriage? What about an unexpected pregnancy or career change? How many people did it affect and did you weigh the cost of their happiness against that of your own?
Some things to ponder as you pound away. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on the cost of happiness.
Showing posts with label plot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plot. Show all posts
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Nano Panic
Monday's WC: 1,313
Nano is less than two weeks away! I'm excited, I'm anxious, I'm PANICKED. Well, actually, I've calmed down...a tad. I'm really thankful that I've prepared myself with OctoPractiMo. I've learned quite a few things this month, things I'm hoping to reinforce next month with nano. At any rate, I had a dear friend from a writer's board state that she, too, was panicking. Here are a few things that I'm figuring out...and remember, I'm still a beginner. I'm a nano virgin.
Inner Editor Sucks Creativity: Yes, yes, that terrible editor that lives within us all. I read a post a couple of weeks ago (wish I could remember where) where the blogger referred to that editor as a jerk. Yes, he/she is a jerk. Because I write two paragraphs and want to delete them. Or, that one word isn't quite what I was looking for. Or, this plot will never work. Or, or, or... Yup, I struggled with that jerk all week. Even the court jester teased me and my delete button usage. In my head, I think that I'll never remember to fix that paragraph/word/character/scene. So-in order to keep myself from deleting-I highlighted in a strange pink kind of color(it's a very pretty addition to the manuscript)so that I know I want to go back and look at that specific passage or whatever-after I'm finished. Oh yeah, darn! That word...finished.
You see, our first draft is never going to be finished, in the sense of finito! Our rough draft will suck, it will contain punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors. Some paragraphs might not make sense, some plot threads will be left hanging. That's why it is a rough draft.
Time is Precious: Even more so than usual-we have to set aside a time to sit down and write. And write some more. If you have a DVR, I would suggest recording your weekly shows or what have you during the month of November. Because tv time is eating into your writing time. And I have certain shows that I really look forward to throughout the week (Pathetic, huh? It used to be Friday night clubbing that I looked forward to....*sigh*) However, I've made a firm commitment to really evaluate what I want more-tv or a novel. Novel wins. This isn't just about tv either-it could be that for the month of November you could talk someone else into driving the kids everywhere, or at some of the where's. Or, you skip Wednesday night with the girls, or you dutifully take your notebook with you to every function that may give you five minutes or more of down time. There are a lot of ways to adjust your time availability-you just have to look hard.
Plan: Even if you are a 'seat of the pants' type of writer(oh yeah, that's me), something could be said for planning. It doesn't have to be a professional outline, like the kind you had to turn in with your research paper in high school. It can be a simple jotting of notes-events and characters, plot lines, conflicts...these things help you out when you get to that 'stuck' part of just writing on the fly.
Plan some More: 50,000 words in 30 days is daunting enough-then look at it broken down and it's still daunting. 1667(approximately) words per day. Of course-this is assuming that you write seven days. Remember-kids have a short Thanksgiving break, do you have family coming in? Are you cooking the bird? I know I have to take care of Thanksgiving around here by myself. The day before and day of are spent cooking-like most women. I also know that when the kids are home on weekends, I don't write as much...so I know that I will have to adjust my word count. My goal is to write a good 3,000 to 3500 once a week to keep up. Will this goal hold true? I don't know-but it sure looks good on paper and when it's on paper-I tend to try a lot harder to achieve it.
READ: There are a lot of bloggers and websites that have great and helpful information from those much more experienced in the Nano life. I have linked to them below.
Reward Yourself: Even if it's something simple, like a chocolate bar, or a walk around the block or a bubble bath-when you reach your wordcount goal consistently for a few days or a whole week, remember to give yourself a little instant gratification. It makes it easier to go all the way to the end goal.
Kristi Holl: Wonderful advice all the time, but she has some great links for nano on her blog.
NanoTools: This squidoo page holds great links to fun programs that might make reaching your word count a little easier.
Liana Brooks: She also posted a little 'plan' post for Nano, reminding us that plotting in advance is key for writing under a deadline.
Lynn Viehl: She links several different documents that she uses for plot planning, character development, etc.. She also shares with us other links of interest specifically for nano.
Nano is less than two weeks away! I'm excited, I'm anxious, I'm PANICKED. Well, actually, I've calmed down...a tad. I'm really thankful that I've prepared myself with OctoPractiMo. I've learned quite a few things this month, things I'm hoping to reinforce next month with nano. At any rate, I had a dear friend from a writer's board state that she, too, was panicking. Here are a few things that I'm figuring out...and remember, I'm still a beginner. I'm a nano virgin.
Inner Editor Sucks Creativity: Yes, yes, that terrible editor that lives within us all. I read a post a couple of weeks ago (wish I could remember where) where the blogger referred to that editor as a jerk. Yes, he/she is a jerk. Because I write two paragraphs and want to delete them. Or, that one word isn't quite what I was looking for. Or, this plot will never work. Or, or, or... Yup, I struggled with that jerk all week. Even the court jester teased me and my delete button usage. In my head, I think that I'll never remember to fix that paragraph/word/character/scene. So-in order to keep myself from deleting-I highlighted in a strange pink kind of color(it's a very pretty addition to the manuscript)so that I know I want to go back and look at that specific passage or whatever-after I'm finished. Oh yeah, darn! That word...finished.
You see, our first draft is never going to be finished, in the sense of finito! Our rough draft will suck, it will contain punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors. Some paragraphs might not make sense, some plot threads will be left hanging. That's why it is a rough draft.
Time is Precious: Even more so than usual-we have to set aside a time to sit down and write. And write some more. If you have a DVR, I would suggest recording your weekly shows or what have you during the month of November. Because tv time is eating into your writing time. And I have certain shows that I really look forward to throughout the week (Pathetic, huh? It used to be Friday night clubbing that I looked forward to....*sigh*) However, I've made a firm commitment to really evaluate what I want more-tv or a novel. Novel wins. This isn't just about tv either-it could be that for the month of November you could talk someone else into driving the kids everywhere, or at some of the where's. Or, you skip Wednesday night with the girls, or you dutifully take your notebook with you to every function that may give you five minutes or more of down time. There are a lot of ways to adjust your time availability-you just have to look hard.
Plan: Even if you are a 'seat of the pants' type of writer(oh yeah, that's me), something could be said for planning. It doesn't have to be a professional outline, like the kind you had to turn in with your research paper in high school. It can be a simple jotting of notes-events and characters, plot lines, conflicts...these things help you out when you get to that 'stuck' part of just writing on the fly.
Plan some More: 50,000 words in 30 days is daunting enough-then look at it broken down and it's still daunting. 1667(approximately) words per day. Of course-this is assuming that you write seven days. Remember-kids have a short Thanksgiving break, do you have family coming in? Are you cooking the bird? I know I have to take care of Thanksgiving around here by myself. The day before and day of are spent cooking-like most women. I also know that when the kids are home on weekends, I don't write as much...so I know that I will have to adjust my word count. My goal is to write a good 3,000 to 3500 once a week to keep up. Will this goal hold true? I don't know-but it sure looks good on paper and when it's on paper-I tend to try a lot harder to achieve it.
READ: There are a lot of bloggers and websites that have great and helpful information from those much more experienced in the Nano life. I have linked to them below.
Reward Yourself: Even if it's something simple, like a chocolate bar, or a walk around the block or a bubble bath-when you reach your wordcount goal consistently for a few days or a whole week, remember to give yourself a little instant gratification. It makes it easier to go all the way to the end goal.
Kristi Holl: Wonderful advice all the time, but she has some great links for nano on her blog.
NanoTools: This squidoo page holds great links to fun programs that might make reaching your word count a little easier.
Liana Brooks: She also posted a little 'plan' post for Nano, reminding us that plotting in advance is key for writing under a deadline.
Lynn Viehl: She links several different documents that she uses for plot planning, character development, etc.. She also shares with us other links of interest specifically for nano.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Calling all Angels.....
For those of you that felt my previous Shout Out post contained ulterior motives, you're right. :) Awww, flattery will get me everywhere, right? ;) I'm kidding, sort of.
I did not intend to post the Shout Out, as most of my blogs go-I don't plan them. I keep ideas written on my dry erase board, but I don't write them out in advance or even know which one I will use for which day. So, it was totally accidentally on purpose that I just acknowledged what a great writing community we are here in the blogosphere and now I need said writing community to help me out.
I would like to start a critique group. I don't have any friends that write near me and with the kids and hubby bein' laid up, I can't get out of the house too often, unless it's for groceries. So, for me the perfect group would be online. Most likely-I'd like to wait until December to start, that way if anyone else is participating in Nano, we won't get behind because of reading others' manuscripts and such.
Here are the bones...I'm writing adult...could possibly cross to YA and I'm clueless. LOL Ok, maybe not clueless, but I'm a baby in this life journey and am looking to those wiser than me. I need people with brutally honest opinions (Kristi-you call this a plot?? Get with it!) and yet enough tact to be supportive. (So, the plot sucks-but your characters rock. How can we brainstorm together to get your plot going?) My stronger points are spelling, grammar and punctuation. ('Course, punctuation is tricky-so I'm not saying I'm perfect) I think I'm pretty good with dialogue, too. The things I KNOW I need to work on is:
Learn to OUTLINE
PLOT
Character Development
PLOT
PLOT
PLOT
So.....anyone interested in helping a gal out? I know many of you are already in groups, online or otherwise and I DO NOT want to take away from any of those!! I promise! My writing partner that is now a very dear friend, is taking a haitus from writing. I tried to discourage that, but how selfish of me! She needs a break-well then, she needs a break!
I'm looking for something relatively small so that the process of reading and critiquing isn't too terribly slow. We are already impatient enough, waiting for responses from queries, contests and publishers.
Any ideas? Suggestions? Members? :) Let me know in the comments, or you can email me directly at rocksister2 [at]gmail[dot]com
Thanks, and happy writing today!
I did not intend to post the Shout Out, as most of my blogs go-I don't plan them. I keep ideas written on my dry erase board, but I don't write them out in advance or even know which one I will use for which day. So, it was totally accidentally on purpose that I just acknowledged what a great writing community we are here in the blogosphere and now I need said writing community to help me out.
I would like to start a critique group. I don't have any friends that write near me and with the kids and hubby bein' laid up, I can't get out of the house too often, unless it's for groceries. So, for me the perfect group would be online. Most likely-I'd like to wait until December to start, that way if anyone else is participating in Nano, we won't get behind because of reading others' manuscripts and such.
Here are the bones...I'm writing adult...could possibly cross to YA and I'm clueless. LOL Ok, maybe not clueless, but I'm a baby in this life journey and am looking to those wiser than me. I need people with brutally honest opinions (Kristi-you call this a plot?? Get with it!) and yet enough tact to be supportive. (So, the plot sucks-but your characters rock. How can we brainstorm together to get your plot going?) My stronger points are spelling, grammar and punctuation. ('Course, punctuation is tricky-so I'm not saying I'm perfect) I think I'm pretty good with dialogue, too. The things I KNOW I need to work on is:
Learn to OUTLINE
PLOT
Character Development
PLOT
PLOT
PLOT
So.....anyone interested in helping a gal out? I know many of you are already in groups, online or otherwise and I DO NOT want to take away from any of those!! I promise! My writing partner that is now a very dear friend, is taking a haitus from writing. I tried to discourage that, but how selfish of me! She needs a break-well then, she needs a break!
I'm looking for something relatively small so that the process of reading and critiquing isn't too terribly slow. We are already impatient enough, waiting for responses from queries, contests and publishers.
Any ideas? Suggestions? Members? :) Let me know in the comments, or you can email me directly at rocksister2 [at]gmail[dot]com
Thanks, and happy writing today!
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