Month: January 2010

Jumping into Fiction Again

Take a deep breath. Calm the shaking hands. It’s done. The book has been sent to iUniverse and I’m on my way to actually holding a book with my name on it in a few months time. Exciting, scary, and a huge relief to have it done. Now what?

No problem with that.  I have several things that I can’t wait to start working on. I was lucky enough to get a Writers’ Reserve Grant from the Ontario Arts Council at the end of December and I haven’t written a word. Now I am free to start working on the revisions to a YA novel that someone liked the first 10 pages of well enough to actually send me money.  I have a middle grade fantasy novel that’s been lingering for a while and I want to take a look at my NaNoWriMo manuscript, too. That’s three projects to start and I’d also like to include a short story for children in the group. Yup, no problem with what to start writing.

I can’t wait to jump into fiction again. I look forward to revisiting the many voices I have created who are telling my story. With non-fiction, the only voice is mine, and as charming as I may think it is, it’s not as much fun as playing with a bunch of characters who walk, talk, and act in sometimes surprising, but always different ways.

Writing fiction is like visiting my local flea market. New sights, textures, people, and even smells are around every corner and I get to sample them and see if they fit in with the work I’m doing. Sometimes my choices are a perfect match for my project and other times they end up in the bin, but always they are a part of my creative fiction process. I learn as much from the things I decide to eject as I learn from the ones I keep.

With fiction the shoulders come down a bit. I allow myself more room for experimentation, for deviating from the plan, for just playing around. For my non-fiction book (Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Teens) I had a strict deadline because I knew when I needed to have the books in my hand. My fiction deadlines depend solely on me and I have deliberately set them for several months and more down the road. I want to have some play time, some time to remember how to write fiction again, some time to rediscover the voices of my characters and the rhythms of their stories.

And I’m starting now.

9 Things I’ve Learned About Working to a Deadline

1.          Never make the deadline the deadline

If your project is due in five weeks, move your deadline up a week and give yourself only four weeks to complete the work. Too many things can go wrong (aside from your own procrastination) to interfere with getting the job done on time—computer problems, catching the flu, a major sports playoff that you just have to watch. With a week to spare you have time to do a great job on revisions and be sure that you hand in your best work. Also, handing work in ahead of time can give you a reputation for being well-organized and a good person to trust with a project.

2.         Set daily or weekly goals

Divide the large total of words into manageable chunks and the entire project just looks a whole lot more attainable. I like to give myself weekly, word-count goals and log my achievements on my calendar. If I exceed my goals, I definitely take a congratulatory trip to Starbucks, but I don’t use my success as an excuse to slack off on the next week’s quota—besides a café mocha is at stake!

3.         Organize your research notes

There’s nothing worse than sitting down to write, surrounded by piles of paper or a list of saved articles from the Internet, and feeling overwhelmed before you even begin. If you’ve got notes or articles printed from the Internet, staple the pages together and write in bright-coloured ink on the top page what the focus of the article is, or attach a sticky note. Highlight the quotes or information that you want when you read through the article for the first time, then you only have to read the article once. Put a sticky note on the highlighted pages with part of it sticking out like a bookmark. Put a short note on that part so you can see at a glance the material you need.

4.         Organize your “favourites” file

When you save web pages from the Internet, always put them in a special file just for this project. I usually change the name of the article I’m saving and give it a title that tells me right away why I saved it, for example: “Background on xxx” or “quote from Y about xxx.”

5.         Make sure to allow time for research

Even if you’re writing a children’s story, there’s bound to be some piece of information that needs looking up, i.e. When do kittens open their eyes? How tall is the average seven-year-old? And sometimes questions crop up as you write, or interesting tangents present themselves that need exploration to add to your project.

 6.         Forgive yourself

If you don’t make quota, don’t get frantic. Take a good look at your upcoming week and find the extra couple of hours you need to do the work. Then give yourself credit for being tough enough to get the job done.

7.         Reward yourself

Celebrate exceeding your goal. (Meeting it was your job, remember?) A small incentive can go a long way to keep the words adding up.

 8.         Find an encouraging writing partner

There’s nothing like knowing that someone is going to be regularly asking you, “How’s the project going?” to keep you working. I calculate my progress in percentages so that I know that the project is 60% completed or, better yet, that there’s only 40% left to do. Everyone likes a pat on the back for a job well done. I have a writing group that I meet with once a month and I look forward to reporting my progress on my work. That monthly meeting is a great incentive. I’m surrounded by talented professionals who inspire me to work professionally, too.

 9.         Turn off the e-mail

You’re a writer and your job is to write. People can wait to hear from you for a few hours and, yes, even days. Saying ‘no’ to the distractions honours both you and the work you are doing. For a few hours a day, writing is the most important job you have.

One chapter away from “The End”

Yup, that’s where I am. I am facing the final chapter in my book, deciding how to bring it to a close and wondering how it’s going to feel to finally send it out to iUniverse for them to work their magic—or at least turn it into a professional-looking, attractive, and sellable product.

But first I have to write that last chapter, do one last reorganizing of the content and then adios. I’ve typed “the end” before but only on works of fiction. Those went sailing into slush piles everywhere and returned with some acceptances for the short stories and some encouraging “no’s” for the longer works. But this is not the same. When this book is finished it’s going to be published, albeit by me, and is going out there to sink or swim depending on my marketing efforts and a dollop of dumb luck. This is a very different consequence for all my work—a guaranteed actual book in my hands.

This consequence changes the game a little. It’s only my editorial eye and my gut that make the final decision, that says “You’re done; there’s nothing left to do. Send it out.” In the non-self-publishing world there are editors and agents to guide the work to its publishable state. I’m making all those decisions myself.

And the first decision of many comes now. I decide I’m finished. I write my last chapter and say good-bye.

Am I ready? Yes.

The “Light” Side

Sometimes when I look back at a work-in-progress, I get the glooms. I visit the dark side of an unfinished work, the side that echoes with regrets at not being further along, memories of promises to write every day that were broken almost immediately, and wishes that getting to the end wasn’t such a long process. Other times, I just take a deep breath and grimly dig in to keep the project alive.

Today was different.

I don’t know whether it was because the sun was shining or because I’d had a good hair day or because my planets suddenly aligned, but when I looked at my WIP, I got a different result. And it’s one I’m going to hold onto for as long as I can.

I realized how far I had come. I realized that I had accomplished a lot, and rather than regret that it wasn’t more, I was delighted about where I was in the process. And I can’t wait to write more.

What a glorious change from the glooms and also a big lesson in perspective. Now when I’m tempted to visit the dark side, I’m going to take a moment to realize that I am making progress, that I’m further ahead than I was before and that even slow progress is progress.

 I’m going to work hard to remember this day the next time and the next time and the next time I open my WIP file. For today, I’ll just enjoy the “light” side.

That’s My Limit!

Well, I wallowed in self-pity for a day and that’s my limit. I wrote 580 words last night–not a record but good enough for me–and reduced the size of the school prep problems with a lot of friendly help and a change of attitude.

“What a difference a day makes,” says the old song. And it’s true. I’m not a whole lot further ahead today than I was yesterday, but my perspective has changed and I’m worrying less, and that’s letting some light into what was a very dark place.

And I wrote those 580 words. My New Year’s resolution was to be better to myself. Last night, I took the hour my son was in his music theory class and chose not to work but to write–a good choice for me and a  big step toward a much better Thursday. I took the time to honour the writer in me and when we got home I was ready to just hang out, shoulders down, with my family and put the work out of my mind for a little while.

Hey, I’m learning. Here’s to an even better Friday!

If Only …

I’ve got the “wish I’d done more” blues. I got a satisfying chunk of work done on my book over the Christmas break, but now that I’m in the midst of lesson prep for my new semester, I wish I’d done more.

Nothing is going as smoothly as I hoped. The course I’ve been assigned to teach on-line isn’t anywhere to be found on my on-line resources and 3 emails later I still have no answers from the college powers that be. More emails are on the agenda today. Another course requires me to teach new accounting software in 6 weeks time (after the students have mastered the system manually) but I can’t access any of the training programs on the internet site. “Someone is working on it.”

I knew I would be busy this week, but I also expected to be spending some time on the book. Writing time has disappeared into the mess of frustrations that abound right now and that have slowed lesson prep to glacial speed. And today is Wednesday already. Needless to say, large portions of Thursday and Friday will be consumed by meetings. I can feel my blood pressure rising now.

Solution?

Take a hard look at the next 3 days and drag some writing time kicking and screaming out of the morass. It can and will be done. Yes, I’m a teacher, but I’m a writer, too. If I don’t honour that part of who I am, the teacher, let alone the mom, the wife and the person, won’t be worth much.

I’ll let you know how it works out.

A Resolution for All Occasions

I decided to keep things simple this year. Just one resolution to cover all the things I want to do in 2010. Something simple that I can pull out of my pocket and apply to whatever situation I find myself in and that will help me make the right decision.

My resolution is to be better to me.

That doesn’t mean I get to eat as much chocolate as I want and hire someone to clean the toilets. Though at the moment, they seem like good ideas. I spend a lot of time and energy putting things that are good for me (like taking a walk, or reading a book for 20 minutes, or de-stressing with my MP3 player and a crossword) to the bottom of my to-do list. This year, I’m going to be more selfish and put myself first more often.

And I’m not talking about anything complex or hugely time-consuming or expensive. I’m talking about being first in some simple things that will help me become healthier, fitter, less stressed, more productive and creative and maybe even a more balanced person. That’s a tall order for such a small resolution. But I’m ready to take it on and see where it goes. I want to look back at every day and make sure that I can see something that was accomplished for me that will move me toward my goals.

There’s always time in the day to get the work done, and if there isn’t, I make it–deadlines are met, lessons are prepped, household chores are done. I need to be that dedicated to me. As has been said before: If not now, when? If not me, who?

Yes, this year I will be better to me.

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