February 2, 2009

I’ve always been a fan of writing rough drafts at high speed. Turn off that internal editor! Get those words down as fast as you can! Don’t read anything till you get to the end. (And after absorbing Anne Lamott’s classic book on writing, Bird by Bird, I gave myself permission to write really rotten rough drafts as well.)

So Now What?

Today I was reading a couple short chapters in writers in the Spirit by Carol Rottman. Something she said struck an inner chord with me, even though it isn’t actually what I believe. But it’s stayed with me all day, and I’m beginning to wonder. (And I’d like your reactions to it.)

First she talked about how writers used to write: slowly, on paper using a pen or pencil, thoughtfully. That regimen went out the window with the introduction of typewriters, although typing still required white liquid to cover typos. The computer came along and even eliminated messy corrections, and writers were encouraged to create right on the screen. Later, fixing and revising would be a snap.

Then Ms. Rottman said: “There may be a downside to easy writing on computers. More of us are writing, but most are not writing very well. I speak also of myself: I have become a sloppy typist and sometimes, I fear, a sloppy thinker. Knowing how easily words can be changed or rearranged, I don’t give my whole self to the first draft. I am less careful, thoughtful, and creative than I plan to be in the end product. Where once my internal editor ruled,  inhibiting all but the choicest words and  phrases, the antiperfectionist has muscled in, convincing me that anything will do.” I know I am the same way, chanting “just get it down, just get it down” when hurrying through a rough draft. I’m beginning to wonder how wise all that hurrying is.

Is Speed Everything?

Later she adds: “Those imperfect first drafts need the clear thought of a devoted writer if they are to be salvaged by revisions. The creative front end of writing is our first drive for truth-telling. Authentic. Passionate. Perceptive. Not perfectly formed but potent.”

In the interest of not letting our internal editor stop us in our writing tracks, have we perhaps shut her up too much? What do you think? Where’s the balance between slow enough writing to capture what you want to say–and enough speed to build momentum and get the story down?

There are no right answers here, but I really would like to know what you think.

January 16, 2009

I have a confession to make. My Christmas tree is still up, until tomorrow, at least. The Christmas season is so rushed sometimes that I don’t feel I have enough time to enjoy it before Christmas. Since I moved south a few years ago and bought my first artificial tree, I’ve been taking the tree down when I felt like Christmas was over. (I enjoyed it so much the first time that I didn’t take it down until Valentine’s Day!) I loved the looks on people’s faces when they walked into my living room. They obviously thought I was confused about what time it was.

Keeping Their Time Straight

My characters often have the same problem. They forget what day or week or month it is. (Er, I forget what time it is in their lives.) Events get out of order, as my critique group will point out. It’s an easy thing to do, especially after big revisions where you’ve moved events around. Still, you need to keep track of the events in your characters’ lives, or you’re in trouble.

On a new site called Novel Matters, they’ve noted two cool FREE web tools to help you with this problem. One is called OurTimeLines, where you can fill in your character’s birth date, and then find out what was going on in the world at that time, when he went to school, what disasters happened in the world during his lifetime, personal events, historical events, etc. For fun, put in your own birth dates and see what you find. I saw that Velcro was invented when I was four years old and pantyhose when I was nine. Who knew? (You get major historical facts too–not just fun stuff.)

Visual Time Line

Another site mentioned was Dipity where you can generate a visual time line for yourself or any character. You can put down the major events in your character’s life, complete with notes, photos, videos, etc. A fun way to organize your research. (I’d want to print out a hard copy myself as well.)

There are many ways to keep track of the times in our characters’ lives, and these tools certainly make it fun. Maybe I should generate a holiday timeline for myself. Or maybe not. Maybe I’ll watch “White Christmas” just one more time before I take down the tree.

November 26, 2008

I won’t be commenting on my NaNoWriMo status until next Monday when it’s officially over, but I’ve received a few emails from NaNo people who are writing their first novels. As the month draws to a close, they’ve realized with horror that December is coming–with revisions!

“What do I do with this mess?” I was asked. Your rambling rough draft needs to be reworked, but where do you start? “Is there a checklist somewhere I can follow?” another writer asked. I came across such a checklist last week in James Cross Giblin’s The Giblin Guide to Writing Children’s Books.

Jim Giblin spent 30 years as a children’s book editor and publisher (the last 22 as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher at Clarion Books.) He has also written 25+ highly acclaimed books of his own. In his book for writers, the sixth chapter lays it all out for you: “Common Failings in Juvenile Fiction–and How to Correct Them.”

The chapter talks about ten different things to look for, both the problems to spot and how to fix them. The topics to revise range from dull openings and unvarying mood to holes in the plot, many dialogue issues, and weak entrances/exits. If you take your messy rough draft and apply Giblin’s 10-point checklist for fiction, you’ll have an organized and methodical way to tackle each area.

Yesterday I also read a great blog article on what to do if your scene seems trivial (besides giving it the ax, that is.) I found help here with a chapter of my own that had some sagging scenes. It’s called “Away with the Trivial Scene.”

We all have favorite ways to create rough drafts, and we all revise differently as well. What ways work best for you when tackling a first revision?