December 31, 2007

Memorize This!
If you want a writing life that you’ve never had, you’ll have to do things that you’ve never done—and do them consistently. (Copy the preceding sentence, tape it to your computer, and read it many times daily.)

(If you haven’t read “Set 2008 Writing Goals Now” and “Make the Writing Dreams Come True,” stop and read them now. They’re short, but today’s blog builds on the previous two.)

If you want a rich writing life, cut out time wasters and replace them with reading—and reading a lot. Otherwise our creative wells run dry. Also socialize with a purpose more often (SCBWI conferences, critique groups, book discussion groups, book store readings, lunch with writers.)

Be determined to create new ways of working and thinking. This involves both doing different things AND doing things differently. For example, if you want editors and agents to react to you differently, you’ll have to act differently. You may have to do different things (attend conferences, ask questions) or do things differently (write gutsier queries, research the agency better.)

You must also think differently. Yes, making dreams come true is hard—but you can do hard things! Yes, success takes time—but you can develop patience! Change how you view yourself. Determination to make changes won’t be worth much without an accompanying belief in your ability to do so. If you already hold down a job or have children, you already know how to be patient, delay gratification and work hard. Just apply those same attitudes to your writing!

(Look for the next installment tomorrow.)

December 19, 2007

In 2007 I had several deadlines to meet in order to finish writing a middle grade mystery series to be released next May. So, in contemplating ways to write more in 2008, I decided first to add up the actual number of words I’d written this year. It was a LOT less that I had guessed. I had finished the short middle grade books and written two proposals. That’s all. I tried to figure out why, but couldn’t. I had had no major interruptions this year–no deaths or divorces, no horrible illnesses, no new grandbabies. In other words, no real excuses! We had moved to a new house, but that’s a minor thing in the scheme of things.

There was no getting around it. Between the times I turned in manuscripts or submitted the proposals, I must have wasted a lot of writing time. While I was waiting for the next deadline to creep closer, while I was waiting to see what would happen with the proposals, I must have done everything but write. Waiting well is an art that I need to relearn.

Jane Yolen’s advice to write daily (my 12/14 blog) if you want to write more and write better is key. And it’s what we need to do while we’re waiting to hear back from editors. Taking a short break is refreshing. A break that lasts weeks or months is deadly to our writing. We can’t allow ourselves to get caught up in the angst of waiting to hear from editors or agents. We need to turn that emotional energy to writing our next (and better) manuscript.

If writing while you wait is a challenge for you, see my article “Waiting! Waiting!” on Terry Whalin’s website Right-Writing.com.

December 16, 2007

In keeping with our December discussion about writing more in 2008, let’s talk about group challenges and friendly contests. (See the list of upcoming challenges at the end of this post.) For several years I’ve heard about National Novel Writing Month (which takes place every November), but this is the first year I’ve participated. The challenge is to write 50,000 words in the month. The National Novel Writing Month website has grown to where thousands of writers worldwide participate. There you’ll find radio pep talks, places to sign up for supportive emails, an email program and profile set-up so you can get to know the other participants (in your home area and around the world), special outside events, hundreds of forums, and more. Each day you post the number of words written that day.

Did I succeed at writing 50,000 new words in November? No, I didn’t. I was gone some and didn’t get a lot done over Thanksgiving weekend. I also started my new novel a bit prematurely and had to take several days out to re-do some plotting. However, I DID manage to write over 19,000 new words on a novel that had been “sitting on the back burner” of my mind for four years. I also revised about 10,000 words of that novel after re-plotting. I hope to participate in NaNoWriMo again next year, but I will spend more time outlining ahead of time so I can hit the floor running on November 1.

If you missed NaNoWriMo last month, are you stuck on your own till next November? Not at all! They have a page called I wrote a novel–now what? There you will find other NaNoWriMo challenges and spin-off challenges for throughout the year. I’ll list a few of them below. (You can find others at the link above for writers of films, comics, and songs.) Read through them, think about your writing projects for 2008, and choose several challenges. These are really motivating, whether you are working with a contract deadline or not. They are especially helpful if you are trying to meet a personal deadline. Both the challenge and companionship are worth a million bucks!

Which challenges below will you be signing up for?

NaNovFinMo - National Novel Finishing Month (December). Goal: 30,000 words.
JaNoWriMo - January Novel Writing Month (January). Goal: 50,000 words, or whatever goal you set.
NaNoEdMo - National Novel Editing Month (March). Goal: Commit to 50 hours of novel editing. JulNoWriMo - July Novel Writing Month (July). Goal: 50,000 words for a new or unfinished manuscript.
Book in a Week - (Begins on the Monday of the first full week of each month, lasts one week). Goal: Write a novel.
NaNoMangO - The artist’s alternative to NaNoWriMo (November). Goal: Draw 30 pages of sequential art in one month.
AugNoWriMo - August Novel Writing Month (August). Goal: Write a novel in one month.
NaNoPubYe - National Novel Publishing Year (Year-Round). Goal: Get that NaNoWriMo novel ready for publication!