My current project is a bit more complicated than any of the others that I have undertaken. It is being told in three unique points of view, filled with music and movement, multiple timelines, tons of research, and a historical piece of Brazilian folklore. It is becoming clear that I need to be super organized to make sense of it all.
In all of my other projects, I have just used a single folder on my hard drive to store all of my files for that particular writing project. In it, I had the first draft, scenes without a home, character notes, and a document that had any pictures needed. Easy peazy. I knew where each scene would go in the long run, at least the general order of things.
This project is all over the place. Scenes are popping up in no particular order. There is backstory that will need to be intertwined, one character that doesn't play on the same time schedule as the others, and dealing with the same scenes being told in multiple points of view. I know that until I have all the puzzle pieces pulled out of the box, I can't even begin to figure out how to place them together. And this isn't just a hundred piece level one puzzle. We are talking about a box of a thousand tiny pieces.
I say all of this to say that I am considering using writer software.
So, what about you? How do you stay organized when you are writing?Have you tried any writing software? If so, which ones? If not, have you been tempted to? Are you a pro at one of the many available, or have you only used basic word processor files?
Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion,
share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks
to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.
I am in the midst of trying to pick a better working title for my newest WIP. Local Lore was a quick place holder, but the deeper into the project I go -- I see that it doesn't quite fit the story. I hate not having a title for something that I am working on, but knowing it doesn't work, well, I'm not a fan of that either.
I named Iron Thirst right away, however, it was originally Iron Obsession. It's sequel, Craving Copper, had it's name before I had even written the first 1,000 words. For me, I just want to lend credit to the project, and what better way to do that than to give it a name.
So, for this week's Whatcha Say Wednesday, tell me about your title selections. Do you name something right away, or do you wait until the perfect title comes along? Do you change titles frequently, or do you pick one and stick with it?
How do you select your title? Is it based on a line within the book, or based on popular trends? Do you like short one word titles, or something with more depth? Is there a secret code in the name, or is it something that describes the book?
Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion,
share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks
to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.
I'm starting a new story. The characters and I are still in that honeymoon phase, where we still love each other, enjoy spending time together, and are really just getting to know one another. I sat down on Saturday and interviewed the love interest. He has been very reserved. Most of my male characters are not as open about their feelings. We started simple, such as what type of music do you like? After learning his style, it opened the door to the why, the bigger backstories that make him who he is and will help me write from his point of view.
The female was much easier. It was her personality that even brought me to the story. Sure, there are details that I need to flesh out, but I can clearly see her motives, logic, and patterns of speech.
So for today's Whatcha Say Wednesday, I'd love to know how you get to know your characters. Do you wait for them to speak to you or do you break out interrogation tactics? Is it a quick flash, possibly that even made you want to write the story?
Do you have a set method of quizzing your characters or is each one unique in how you meet? Do you wait for inspiration, or do you put them in their costumes and settings, guiding them through the path?
Better yet, is this something that comes natural for you, or is this an area where you struggle?
Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion,
share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks
to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.
Time and place is a huge part of a novel. There are books that are set in real places with great detail that closely matches the spot a the map. While others are created from scratch with elaborate made-up worlds and unique ecosystems. Then yet there are those examples where the story is set in Anytown, USA--where the setting is barely relevant to the story.
When you write, do you create worlds or do you pick a real place and try to stay true to it? How much time and energy do you spend in researching your setting? Do you try to keep as close to a real map as possible or do you enjoy inventing new spaces?
When you are reading, what do you prefer --- realism or fantasy? Do you want to visit imaginary places that are created by the author or do you prefer to journey to places that already exist? Have you read a book and decided you now need to visit this place to see if the real thing holds up to the picture the author drew?
Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion, share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.
Blinking cursors can be curses. They sit there, mocking you, staring you down. They tick and they tock, like the passing of the clock, relentlessly awaiting your brain to pull words from the air. How long do you stare at the flashing line before cracking open a browser and running off to find cute kitty pictures or articles on organizing pocket lint?
It has happened to all of us at some point. What do you do when you want to write and the words do not come? Do you continue to stare? Do you have a time limit? Do you shut your computer and come back later? Do you chain yourself to the desk until you've made your word count quota for the day?
Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion, share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.
While writing this, I’m sitting in the quaintest, little restaurant/coffee house. The music playing is from, I’m guessing, the thirties or forties—reminiscent of Judy Garland. The room is a calm hue of beiges and tiffany blue with simple feminine décor. The never-ending cup of gourmet coffee still too warm to drink, sitting on the table in front of me, the flavor of which they rotate daily.
I would live here if it was an option. Mmmm, maybe this is my heaven. But I’m only able to come here once every two months or so, when I finally break down and take a sanity personal day.
My normal writing location is anywhere/ anytime that I can find: my couch, a desk, my bed, my car (92.8% of the time when it is not moving. Don’t judge me.) I scribble down my first drafts in a notebook while listening to the gentle whispers of my muse. In fact, the only consistency in my writing is the notebook.
I hand-write my initial ramblings. I find it far less intimidating than the blinking cursor. In addition, when I type out what I’ve written—I’m able to revise slightly, playing with wording. I enjoy the game of guessing how many words I’ve written.
That’s me. But what about you? For today’s Whatcha Say Wednesday – tell me…
Do you hand write drafts, or do you type them? Do you have a set place you write, or anywhere you can? Do you need silence to conjure your muse, or do you need background noise? Do you revise as you go, or do you tackle that at another time, once the story is complete?
Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.
Sending out query letters is a very stressful part of writing. If I am emailing the letter, I stare at the page for a while - rereading and rereading - and then after taking a deep breath, I hit send. If I mail the letter, I stand, hovering the envelope over the drop box and try to channel positive energy into the envelope. Silly, I know, but, hey. But as I am walking away, I tell myself - I did all that I could and now it is up to someone else. But, it got me thinking-- Am I doing enough? Should I have a special chant? A special pair of magic query shoes?
When I receive a letter back, I prepare myself for the no. So if it is a no, I'm not surprised but if I get a beautiful partial request - I am ecstatic. But with each closed door, I open a new one by mailing out a new letter. I once met a published author, who said she would pour a glass of wine and curl up in her favorite chair to read her letters. I don't have that much patience. I rip them open, close my eyes for a brief second, and read it right away.
So, for this week's Watcha Say Wednesday, I ask you - What are your query letter rituals? Do you have a certain day that you send out query letters? Do you get a "no" and then send out a new letter? Do you say a serenity prayer or burn incense? How 'bout them magic query shoes, or shirt, or under britches?
What about when you receive a response from an agent? Do you read it right away, or let them accumulate? Do you only open them in a certain chair, at a specific time? Do you lie down on the floor so that you don't hurt yourself if you faint?
Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell, I'm quite curious.
I’ve met some pretty opinionated authors in my time, and one subject that I see argued from both sides, and quite often, is whether or not to self-publish. Some say they want to publish the book that they wrote, and not the byproduct of a NY publishing house. Others say they want the validation of having an agent, publisher, and editor comb through their words to make them stronger. Some have so many books in their noggin that they don’t want to waste time querying, and are ready to move forward. Some don’t have enough money to self-publish and fund a marketing campaign. Some have tried to go the traditional route, and found that they were ready to see their book in print, broke down and did it themselves.
Of those that I’ve met that have self-published their book, some are pleased with the experience and have done well for themselves. While others have boxes of books in their basement that they can’t move. Some have no regrets, and others wished they would have waited.
So, for Watcha Say Wednesday – I ask you. What do you think about self-publishing? Is that the route you plan to go? Or do you refuse to ever do it? Or is it something that you keep in your back pocket as a last resort?
Have you self-published? Are you glad you did?
Have you read many self-published books? Or do all of the ones on your shelf have little penguins on the back?
If you're more comfortable going anon on this one, please help yourself - but try to be respectful. I understand this can get some people all riled up.
Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell, I’m quite curious.
Hello. It's been nearly three weeks since my last confession blog post. I have missed you all dearly, but needed a little break to catch up on life. I did learn a valuable lesson. When a dentist/doctor/nurse tells you that it won't hurt, they are big fat liars. Wisdom teeth extractions are far more painful than I anticipated. Oh, I understand why they lie; I get that. If they didn't, I wouldn't let them near me. But still.
One thing that I have accomplished since last speaking to you is that I have begun to pitch and query Iron Thirst. I participated in my first face-to-face pitch with an agent (who did ask for a partial), and I have started sending out query letters. I find that I actually enjoyed pitching the book in person, much more than sending out query letters. I talked a little bit about it HERE. Unfortunately, I can't go to conferences every weekend and mingle with agents. So query letters will have to do.
Which brings me to this week's Watcha Say Wednesday.
Do you prefer to send out query letters, or do you prefer the in-person pitch? When you query - how many do you keep outstanding at a time? Do you have an "elevator pitch" ready to go, or do you wing it?
Answer what speaks to you and ignore the rest. But do tell, curious minds want to know.
I've told my story a few times here on Eyes 2 Page. But to summarize, I didn't grow up envisioning myself as a writer. I played around with poems in middle school, but moved past it. It was the story itself that caused me to begin filling a once white Word doc with over 80,000 words. But in that story, I found how much I love to create. It was as if the world had just been opened to me. As if God had slapped me on the forehead and said, "Um, I've been trying to tell you. Pay attention." Now, all other dreams of what I want to be when I grow up, pale in comparison. Which is scary considering how hard it is to survive as an author? I'm a hedge my bets kind of girl, so I'll keep my day job and give up sleep in order to write and dream of one day earning the title - Author.
Which brings us to today's Watcha Say Wednesday. When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? Have you been writing as soon as you could hold a pencil, or was there a moment in your life that shifted your view? Did you make up stories as a kid, or was it a story that had to be told convert you? Did you focus your life around one day becoming an author, or was it a decision made later in life? Or, is writing just something that you "play around" with?
Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell, I'm quite curious.
I have been a busy little bee since we last spoke. I've got the new YA up to about 15,000 words. I've nicknamed it The Hunting Moon (working title). I've retrieved Iron Thirst from exile and started revising. I've become addicted to Twitter thanks to all the funny, clever people that hang out there. Think the last one is not helpful? Well, when you receive horrible critiques, surprise emails, or are just having a bad day and great friends pull you off the ceiling, calm you, and put you back on your feet - you'll see. (Love you guys!) Like the blogosphere, it's a great support system - but more instantaneous.
Now, what was I talking about? Point. I had a point. *scratches temple* Oh, yeah.
In the past, I've had a problem balancing multiple projects. I will be flying by, typing away on a new WIP. Then I'll decide to go back and revise Iron Thirst. I become so involved with my first love that ideas stop flowing for the new WIP, and it gets dropped by the wayside.
This go round, I am more focused (or so I'm telling myself), but I fear it will happen.
Which brings me to this week's Watcha Say Wednesday.
How many balls do you keep in the air? Do you only work on one WIP at a time, or are you a polynovelist (I think I just made that up. I wrote this in religion class.)
Do you wait until your MS is near perfection before you start a new WIP, or do you have a process such as revising one while writing another?
Answer what speaks to you; ignore the rest. But do tell - I'm quite curious.
I am in the happy newlywed stage with my first draft. We hold hands when we go out in public. I want to spend every free minute together. I think about it all the time. Aww! We’re in love.
So, it got me thinking about you guys. Why? Well, cause I love you too. But I’m not holding your hand in public. If first draft gets wind of it, she’ll stop speaking to me for sure.
This week on Watcha Say Wednesday I want to know how you tackle a first draft.
Does your first draft read like an actual book, or does it resemble more of a splotchy outline? Do you start writing at “once upon a time” and end with “happily ever after”, or do you bounce all over the place?
Is there a certain philosophy or style of writing you follow? Or do you make it up as you go along?
Do you plan out the book before you ever begin -- complete with bios on all main characters? Or do you sit down and channel your muse, and fly by the seat of your pants?
Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell – I’m quite curious.
Well, this is going to be a very random blog, but sometimes that is what we need. First, I want to say this week’s Watcha Say Wednesday was awesome! I learn so much from you guys, and it was fascinating to see how other writers create their stories. (If you didn’t chime in, you still can.) It seemed the majority came up with a concept first. That’s me, too. I come up with the concept, normally a “what if,” then I interview characters until I find the perfect one that will breathe life into the concept. Then find their natural habitat – and go from there. This was fun. I hope you guys are enjoying WSW as much as I am. Maybe next week won’t be so crazy, and I can weigh in more, but I did enjoy seeing all the wonderful responses come in.
This week I learned that writing = sleeping. I can stay up really late when I’m writing, and the next morning I’m a ball of sunshine. However, if I stay up because I’m trying to take the legs out from under my to-do list –yea, not so much. The next morning I need coffee on an I.V. drip, and turn into Queen Grumperella. Very strange, but enlightening.
Next Monday, I will be rolling out --- wait for it --- wait for it --- The Keep It Going Contest. Details and the story will be posted Sunday night – so come back by. I’m making a few changes based on the suggestions received.
And… AWARDS.
Laurel over at Laurel’s Leaves passed on the “Creative Writer” award. I think you’ve seen it about, but the rules are for me to lie to you five out of six times and you get to guess which one is the truth. So, remember – I didn’t lie to you on purpose—Laurel made me do it.
So, here we go.
1) When I was in the third grade, I won the school spelling bee. I went to regionals, but was out smarted by a kid that had a giant bald spot on the back of his head. Looking back, I’m guessing his mom got a little careless with the clippers.
2) The day after I bought my last car, a pregnant woman crashed into me in a mall parking lot. Her friend got out of the car and started yelling at me like it was my fault. Meanwhile, the pregnant lady started crying. I felt so bad that I started apologizing. Did I mention that she hit me?
3) In the second grade, I started a petition to have one of the teacher’s aides fired. I thought that she was very mean- and with no reason. So I pranced about the playground and had kids sign up. I walked it right into the principal’s office, who called my dad.
4) The first place that I rented by myself was outside of San Antonio. It was a two bedroom trailer, with a lavender bathtub, sink and toilet in the bathroom. I was so excited that the first thing I bought was a matching shower curtain. Then my friends and I drank heavily, and I got to be the first one to yack in the purple toilet.
5) I’ve always been a music lover. I started playing the violin in the third grade and played until the sixth grade. I only quit, because the cute boy thought it was lame. The cute boy that I am sure is now lame.
6) I went to my senior prom with my (at the time) boyfriend’s best friend. Poor guy got grounded, and was trying to be nice by offering up his buddy’s services. He, basically, just drove me there, and I hung with my friend’s all night. I found out later that the boyfriend sent him as a spy. Naughty, naughty, boyfriend.
Michael over at Mental Masturbation (Is that not the coolest frickin name for a blog?) gifted me with the Creative Writer Award, well one that doesn’t turn me into a pathological liar. If you haven’t been over to his blog, go check it out. He has something new daily. I am awarding the following Creative Writers.
Last, but not least. My newest attempt at a query letter is up on Public Query Slushpile. Stop by and let me know what you think. I am trying out a less is more philosophy. Wondering if it works, or if it just makes it more confusing.
That’s all I have for today. Stop back by on Monday for the contest.
Which one do you think is the truth? Which one do you think is the biggest lie? How the heck was your week? And what do you think of my new philosophy of write=sleep?
Currently, I am in a weird spot. Just finished up revisions for a project and am letting it rest for a while before I slice into once more. During this month of waiting, I am focusing on my marketing plan. But the not writing is killing me. Knowing how consumed I become in a novel, I have decided to turn my attention to short stories and am falling in love with the concept. In the past two days, I've created the outlines for two new stories. Because of the length, I'm not afraid of starting one or the other- I'll just write them both. This is something I always struggle with when it comes to a novel - being pulled between multiple ideas and not knowing where to turn my focus.
This brings me to my question for today's Watcha Say Wednesday.
When you begin a new project - what is your jumping point?
For you, what comes first?
Is it the beginning or an outline?
A character or the setting?
A concept or the climax?
Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell- I am quite curious.
I am blogging from my phone today. How ya like that? I am sitting in the parking lot, waiting for my religion class to start. This semester I'm tackling religion and tax accounting. Just seems wrong.
Watcha Say Wednesdays are a chance to share your feelings on a particular subject. Anonymous comments are on for those in the Writers Protection Program.
My question to you, and I'm really curious about this- how forgiving are you to authors? How long do you give them to hook you? And if you find yourself losing interest, do you keep reading or return to the to-be-read pile? And if you keep reading--why?
What's the deepest you ever made it into a book, and then decided to put it down?
Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell- I am quite curious.
I hit 50 followers today!! Woohoo!!! Thanks everyone!! (Ok, over the quota on exclamation marks. I'll simmer down.) ! - sorry that one slipped in there on its own.
On with it...
Whatcha Say Wednesdays are about you. Your thoughts and feelings on a particular subject. Dig in as deep as you wish, or vere off in a new direction.
This week…Daydreaming
Do you allow yourself to daydream about becoming published? Or do you forbid yourself?
If you do, what is it that you think about? Seeing your book on the shelf? The book becoming a movie? The design of your cover? The Nobel Peace Prize? Helping other authors? Oprah? What have you romanticized?
Anonymous comments are on for the chickens. Haha - That was just a joke. I understand the need for anonymity and also for ane-ne-ne-mome. Nemo, hello?
I want to start by saying thank you to everyone that has participated in the contest so far. This story has more twists than a bowl full of s’ghetti. Is Tommy still alive? Will Paw kill Sonya? Is there three legged wooley boogers after all? It’s all up to you.
To add even more fun, I am adding a more defined plus system that will give everyone a chance to enter the contest. DETAILS
VOICE OF DOUBT: You can’t change the rules halfway through the game.
ME: I’m not changing the rules. I’m just giving everybody extra entries and better odds.
VOICE OF DOUBT: Oh, ok. See ya later. Hey, what time you doing revisions?
ME: ‘Bout 9:30 or 10. (Slaps forehead)
VOICE OF DOUBT: Cool. See ya then. I’ll bring wine.
Ok, on with today’s post.
***
Whatcha Say Wednesdays are about you. Your thoughts and feelings on a particular subject. Dig in as deep as you wish, or veer off in a new direction. For the comfort of those who would prefer to express their opinions with a sense of privacy, I have turned the anonymous comments back on.
MR. OBVIOUS : Um, you call it Watcha Say Wednesdays, but you’re posting it Tuesday night.
ME: Yes, but that’s so it will be up all day on Wednesday.
MR. OBVIOUS: You could just call it Tell Me Tuesdays.
ME: Yes, but then it would be posted now and there’s barely any Tuesday left. Now, shhh, I’d like to get to the point.
On Friday, I saw a wonderful video on Notes from the Writing Chair. Watch it here. The song and the video touched me very deeply. I believe this is something that we writers and artists often struggle with. After showing the video to many of my friends and family, a line of dialogue opened that led to a light debate on the strength and responsibility of words. And I would love to hear your thoughts and beliefs on the subject.
When is expressing your opinions through your work indulgent vs. inspirational? We all have opinions and beliefs, and authors and artists tend to see the world differently from the rest of the planet. We are given the ability to see our environment with both a bird’s eye view and also the detail of a microscope which makes us that much stronger in our craft.
The question is – when is this expression for us or when is it truly for the benefit of others?
Two extreme contrasts are Lennon’s Imagine vs. when another rock star tells me whom I should vote for in an upcoming election.
Secondly, is there a place for it in Fiction? George Orwell’s Animal Farm comes to mind.
