November 30, 2009

Hallelujah! I felt the breeze on my face as I crossed the NaNoWriMo finish line half an hour ago. Getting the words to validate took three tries, but it finally clocked in at 50,093 words. Phew!

It was a good month for writing, but like many of you NaNo writers, it had its bumps and interruptions. In the second week, I had a personal setback and got sick, and by the time I was better, I was nearly 10,000 words behind. It was catch-up the rest of the month.

Challenges

Like you, we had Thanksgiving last week. Although we had five people staying with us for three days, I got up early each day and wrote. “Luckily” I woke up by 4 a.m. each time and was done writing before our guests were up for the day. (And they were so easy to have around–that made a huge difference.)

The only real glitch came on Thanksgiving Day. I went to boot up my desktop PC where I prefer to write–and nothing. I stared. I prayed. I looked to see if I’d turned off the power accidentally. I fiddled with it. No luck. It was dead and fried, and a tech person assured me it would cost more to fix than it would to get a new PC.  So I finished NaNo on my laptop, and I have the backache to prove it.

I would never venture to a mall on Black Friday, but we found a great deal on Saturday, so this weekend I also set up the new computer and started learning Windows 7 and the Microsoft 2007 Office programs. Thank heavens for online tutorials!!!!! I’m sure I’ll love it in a couple weeks, but right now it’s like playing hide ‘n’ seek. (My favorite commands are hiding and I’m seeking.)

Flexibility Required!

This month, in order to write NaNoWriMo’s 50,000+ words, I typed in my office, in the car, in the living room, in my closet, in bed, in the library, at my granddaughter’s house, and once in a coffee shop, just for fun. The name of the game is flexibility. My novel isn’t quite finished, but I will continue to work on it at a slower pace until the rough draft is done.

How did you other NaNoWriMo writers end up? How was your experience? Are you glad you did it? Will you do anything differently next year? I know you still have twelve hours to write, but after you finish, share! Share!

November 27, 2009

How do I journal? Let me count the ways.

Recently I  gathered all my beautiful journals (eight of them) and saw that in each one I had filled about twenty pages before I quit. And I LOVE journaling! So what was up with that?

In the December 2009 Writer Magazine an article called “Stay on track with 6 types of journals” caught my eye. I realized as I read the article that here was the answer to my problem with journals over the years.

Do you ever do this? You receive a neat journal for your birthday or Christmas–something really pretty chosen just for you, the writer. You write meaningful insights there, uplifting passages, maybe some goals. But then the day comes when you’re upset or depressed or stuck, and you don’t want to dump that drivel into your beautiful journal full of inspiring stuff, so you don’t journal. After a while, the book gets stuck on a shelf and forgotten.

What’s the Purpose?

The author of the journaling article (Ann Edwards Cannon) suggests keeping different journals for different purposes. Her six types are the free-write journal, the idea journal, the dream journal, the quotation journal, the submissions journal, and the what-I-wrote-today-and-how-I-felt-about-it journal. I do have a quotation journal and idea journal, but not the others.

But I gathered my stack of mostly empty journals and read through them, deciding what “theme” each one represented, and decided to entitle them as such. Then, depending on my need and mood, I will get out the appropriate journal.

Divide and Conquer                                       

My six journals include five spiral bound ones and one on the computer:

• LifeJournal computer software: This is my password protected journal for ”dump and flush” sessions. This is where I write the nasty letters that I never send, where I process something hurtful said or done to me, or process personal problems I wouldn’t want others to find and read about. There’s also a special LifeJournal for Writers you might want to check out. (Put it on your Christmas list!) This is also where I keep the “wild reactions” I wrote about here.
• Work Journal (with typewriter on front): This is where I talk about what I’m working on, troubles I’m having with a project, ruminations on getting another form rejection from an editor or agent [yes, I get them too, as do most writers], and keep track of hours or words written. I count words when doing a rough draft–I count hours when revising and editing.                                 
• Simplicity Journal (with Jane Austen picture and quotes): When feeling frazzled by time pressures and To Do lists longer than the hours in the day, I know I need to simplify. Here I make plans to declutter my life (physical environment, emotional baggage, etc.)
• Gratitude/Prayer Journal: spiritual insights and quotes, answers to prayer, spiritual struggles, quotes from favorite authors, prayer requests from other people.
• Idea Journal: This is where I make notes to myself of that brilliant idea I had in the shower for a series, the weird dream that woke me up, the funny thing my grandson said that would make a great story, etc. Just remember to go back and thumb through your ideas from time to time, if it’s going to be of any use to you.
• Quotation Journal: Since I read a lot, I come across quotes I love and want to remember. I need to get into the habit of reading with my quotation journal right there as well. If I don’t write down the quote when I first see it, I rarely go back and capture it later.
• Before/During/After Journal: for mental, physical, or emotional “addictive” behaviors. For example, when I’m tired or feeling neglected, I want comfort food. When I’m happy and want to celebrate, I want chocolate. When I reward myself after a long writing stint, I gravitate to food. When I’m really exhausted, I want to pick a fight or not write at all that day. My healthy side knows that none of that is a good idea. By journaling how I feel before I do the behavior, how I feel during the behavior (either pigging out or using self-control), and how I feel afterward, I see the patterns. I can read previous entries and remind myself how I felt after indulging in certain behaviors. Often that’s enough to propel me to make the right choice.                                                                                                   

If you like to journal, try having different journals for different purposes, and see if you find that helpful. Or have a three-ring binder with colored tabs for each separate section. Whatever works for you!

November 25, 2009

For the last four months, besides working full-time as a writer and instructor, I’ve been heavily involved in running two community groups and serving on the board of another. The biggest commitment finishes just before Christmas, and frankly, it’s just in time. I’m pooped!

I have been reading a great book called The Worn Out Woman: When Your Life is Full and Your Spirit is Empty by Dr. Steve Stephens and Alice  Gray. There is a lot of wisdom in this book. (And as I’ve talked with men who juggle a day job, a family, and writing, I’ve come to believe the following is not gender specific.)

How Did I Get Here?

“Most worn-out women struggle with expectations. Everyone seems to want more and more. They want you to do things better and bigger and quicker, all the while with a smile on your face. Everywhere you turn, there’s another expectation…until you’re exhausted just thinking about it,” say the authors. “Your family, your friends, your work, your neighbors, and even your church have expectations for you. You have expectations for yourself as well. It’s too much. Yet the shoulds and oughts don’t stop. As they grow, you can feel the arms of the octopus wrapping tighter.”

And what do Stephens and Gray say is the answer? “The only way to stop the octopus from dragging you down is to starve it.” If you take away the three foods it thrives on, the octopus will lose its power. The three foods are comparison, people pleasing, and perfectionism.

Know Thyself

Only you know where the three “foods” show up in your life. Are you a perfectionist housekeeper who won’t allow anyone to help you–even your family members–because they don’t clean up to your standards? Do you compare your flower beds to your neighbors and then spend your precious writing time weeding and watering? Are you afraid to displease your mother-in-law when she requests your presence on the Saturday you planned to write at the library?

Take a good look at the behaviors that are wearing you out and robbing you of your writing time. Plans on how to get rid of them would make some good new year’s resolutions!

November 23, 2009

Winston Churchill once said, “Continuous effort–not strength or intelligence–is the key to unlocking our potential.” I believe he’s right. Over the years, the writers I’ve seen succeed were the ones who refused to give up.

I’ve been surprised sometimes too. Some of my most brilliant students gave up after a rejection or two and never were published. But I have books on my shelf from medium-talented students who refused to give up on their dreams–books published by large New York publishers.

Plugging Away

I’ve been remembering that principle this month during NaNoWriMo when I was either sick or gone or interrupted. Many days, I felt weak and the novel sounded silly and self-serving, but I kept plugging away. Last week I was about 8,000 words behind. Today I am almost caught up–only by doggedly plugging away.

Samuel Johnson said, “Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” In a like vein, Helen Keller (one of the most determined people you’ll ever read about) said, “We can do anything we want to as long as we stick to it long enough.” That’s good news to me! Is it to you?

It’s Your Choice

We may not be the most talented writers. We may not be the most clever or well read. We may not have an MFA in writing or be able to afford expensive writing conferences. BUT we can each choose to persevere, to stick to it till we finish.

Know where you want to go, and map out a clear strategy on how you plan to get there. There are many ways to study and grow, ranging from free online courses and books to expensive MFA programs at pretigious colleges. But in either case, the only person with an advantage is the one who refuses to quit.

Is that YOU?

November 18, 2009

This morning I moaned and groaned at breakfast about how far behind I had fallen on my NaNoWriMo book project. If I had been on track, today’s word count would have been at 29,988. Instead I was dragging at 21,691 words–more than 8,000 words behind.

I’d given two workshops last weekend, ended up sick a couple of days, and fallen behind. And with Thanksgiving coming next week, house guests for three days, and a huge dinner to prepare, I despaired of being able to get caught up. By my calculations, I’d need to write 3,100 words every day that I would have free in order to pass the 50,000 word mark before December 1.

Why Even Try? 

No doubt about it. I felt defeated. What should I do? Admit defeat gracefully now? Like most of you doing NaNo, I have a lot on my calendar that I can’t scratch in order to spend my days just writing fiction. What to do? What to do?

Later, in the margin of my Bible, I found a scribbled quote that grabbed my attention. It said: “The person who will not command his or her thoughts will soon lose command of his or her actions.”

That was me! My thinking had fallen to the level of complaints and “I can never get caught up!” My procrastinating actions were hard on the heels of my thinking, “proving” I couldn’t do it.

Switching Gears

Well, enough of that. I decided to take charge of my stinking thinking. First, I stared at the “13 Key Truths to Maximize Your Talent” taped to my computer. I read them out loud. I made some of them personal.

• Passion energizes my talent!
• Initiative activates my talent!
• Focus directs my talent!
• Perseverance sustains my talent!
• Responsibility strengthens my talent!

After letting these truths sink deeply into my thinking, I actually felt better! I didn’t feel like quitting anymore–at least, not yet. So I decided to see what I could do in a couple of hours this morning.

I was shocked. Believe it or not, with very little effort and no gnashing of teeth, I wrote 3,513 words in 90 minutes! I never write that fast. But changing my thinking sure changed my performance. You can bet that I’m going to use this technique again tomorrow!

November 13, 2009

I’m about 1,000 words behind where I wanted to be on my NaNo project. The first week was pretty easy, and I expect the final week won’t be bad either.

But the MIDDLE!

Pep Talk

A couple of times per week, wonderful cheerleader writers send pep talk emails to keep the flagging NaNoWriMo participants cheered up and cheered on. I’m going to share one from this week written by Maureen Johnson. It will apply to any writer. It’s about getting through the desolate middle of a writing project, after your initial enthusiasm has worn off, but before you’re heading into the home stretch with built-up momentum.

You’re in a wasteland called the middle. Here’s…

The Letter from Maureen

Dear writer,
I have a very good friend who is Australian. I’ve never been to Australia, so she is constantly selling me on the merits of her homeland and setting me straight on things. For example, I have always wanted hold a koala. She informs me that koalas smell and spread disease. What I want instead, she informs me, are flying foxes, sugar bananas, rainbow lorikeets, mangosteens, and Sydney sunrises.

One thing that always impresses me in her descriptions is just how large Australia is-and how empty in the middle. Australia is comparable in size to the continental United States, but almost everyone lives on the coast. So it would be like having Los Angles, and then New York, with almost nothing in between. Nothing except for monsters, that is. Because almost everything that lives out there in the middle of nowhere can kill you. 97% of the snakes in Australia are poisonous. The spiders are the size of washing machines, but it’s the tiny ones you have to watch for. It’s all teeth and venom out there. So just put a huge “here be dragons” in the middle of your mental map and you’ll have a pretty good picture of Australia. The cities are said to be wonderful-paradises of culture and wine and song. It’s just that middle 2,000 miles that you have to watch out for.

Perhaps this rings a bell right about now, smack in the middle of NaNoWriMo?

Those first few days with your idea… oh, how wonderful they are! How sweetly it goes! And you wander on, past the city limits, into the bush. The signposts disappear, and the creatures come out. You have wandered into The Middle. Thing is, writers spend something like 97% of their time in The Middle. Once you leave those first pages, those first days… you wander into strange land and you stay there for a long, long time.

It took me a little while, probably a few years of full-time writing, to fully accept that that middle bit was where I was going to be spending pretty much all of my time. This is the thing they don’t tell you. When you see portrayals of writers on television or in movies, what are they normally doing? They’re sipping coffee or cocktails, or jetting around to signings, or solving murders for fun. Lies! I mean, these things do happen, but those are the coastal bits.

Most of the time we are deep inland-sitting at home, or at the office, or some shed or underground bunker. We eat what we find and slurp coffee from anything that is sturdier than coffee. Often, we are inappropriately dressed for any human interaction. This is because we are in the middle. And in the middle, things are rough. You make bargains with yourself like, “If I finish this chapter, I can have a shower!” Or, “If I just get this paragraph right, I can eat those stale Oreos!”

Now, I realize in saying this that perhaps I am not selling you on the writing experience. I’m supposed to be cheering you on! You already know that the middle is a hard place to be. Perhaps right about now you are asking yourself, “What, precisely, is wrong with me? Why did I decide that the best way to spend the month of November would be indoors, strapped to a chair, writing thousands of words a day, alone, friendless, and insane? Why didn’t I just agree to come to my desk every day, bang my head on it for a solid ten minutes, and be done with it? That would have been so much faster.”

Here’s the thing, though…if you’re doing NaNoWriMo, you are a reader, because all writers are readers. Which means that you must admire many authors. Your shelves are lined with the works of your heroes and sheroes. Every single one of them has crossed the wild country where you are now. Every single one of them has been a resident of The Middle. The ground you’re treading is full of the remains of their old campsites. And somewhere around you, just out of sight, current authors you admire are making their own way across The Middle. What’s nice about NaNoWriMo is that you are traveling with a posse of thousands, all of you making your way over the mountains, through the valleys, across the creeks. You are fighting off the beasties.

And once you’ve crossed The Middle once or twice and you’re lounging on the other side, you’ll find you miss it. You’ll realize you long to be out there again, under the sky and the stars. The weather changes a lot in the middle. Some days, the skies are dark and it’s hard to find your way forward. Those days are long and little progress is made. Some days, it’s strangely bright and clear, and suddenly you can see the horizon ahead, and dozens of possible paths present themselves to you. But every day is different, and every day there is a new way to go and a new thing to see.

You will be hooked.

November 2, 2009

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) started yesterday, but I didn’t start till today. I try very hard not to work on Sundays, but I hit the floor running–er, typing–today. Did 2,789 words before quitting to exercise.

The first email pep talk to get NaNo writers out of the starting gate said a couple of things worth repeating. They certainly apply whether you’re doing the NaNoWriMo challenge or not. If you want to hear an additional four tips to get started, check out the short radio spot on their website.

From the organizer Chris Baty: “I wanted to reach out with a couple quick reassurances before we start writing. 

1) Your novel will not be as bad as you fear. All the books we’ve loved started out in a similarly imperfect form. They’re called rough drafts for a reason. No one gets a novel totally right on the first pass. This is true whether you give yourself a month or a lifetime to write the first draft. There’s an adage in noveling that you can revise a bad first draft into a great book. But you can’t revise a blank page into anything but a blank page. Take this to heart during NaNoWriMo. In November, all words are good words.

2) You deserve some fun. Taking care of everyone’s needs while still finding time to buy groceries and bathe every couple days can be a feat. Unfortunately, this means that activities like writing and art and music tend to disappear into the margins of our lives. Think of November as an all-expenses-paid, 30-day vacation to novel-land… For one month, you get to orient your life around your creative spark, rather than vice versa.”

Lighten Up!

I’m trying to keep a lighter attitude during this month’s challenge, and reminders like this help.  They become one-liners to attach to your computer, like You can’t revise a blank page into anything but a blank page and Orient your life around your creative spark.

Here’s to all NaNoWriMo writers this month!