NaNo Eve

I can't believe it is here. Tomorrow is November 1st. 

NOVEMBER 1ST...WHERE DID THE YEAR GO?!

  For most people today is all about Halloween. Sane people are planning the last minute details of their costumes and are getting ready to make their big entrance into at least one party. I however will be calling it an early night to let me my brain rest for the first day of the insane challenge that is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

For those of you who are unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo is held every November and is a grass-root, social movement to motivate people to write their stories. The goal is 50,000 words by the end of the month which works out to 1,667 words per day.

 I can tell you now that I realize this is a ridiculous goal but I am also excited. The novelty will wear off but hopefully at that point I have a story I enjoy enough to want to see through to the end. As it stands I have a very vague idea so here's hoping.

Having a full time job will make the timing of this hard as will the physical toll. I know you're reading that and thinking 'How is writing a physical toll' but think about it. Anyone who has a desk job knows that sitting in a chair for any length of time is agonizing, your head starts to feel like an anvil on your neck, your eyes burn from looking at a screen, and continuous typing will seriously leave your hands aching.

I have the double whammy of having to work eight hours during the day doing keystrokes at the computer and then having to come home to sit at another desk...but I shall suffer for my art! 

I have multiple distractions this month as well that will need to be worked around. The first weekend of the month I will have a very welcome visitor for a long weekend, and then of course there is the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the month and the subsequent shopping that goes along with it. My goal in these situations will be to up my word count in the days prior so that if I really cannot carve out time to write on a few days I wouldn’t fall too far behind.

As much as I have really enjoyed the downtime these last few weeks I am excited to explore a new writing style and a new story. As the clock strikes 12 on the 1st my journey begins. Wish me luck and look for updates!

Plotting or Pantsing?

One of the biggest debates in the writing community is over whether it is better to be a plotter or pantser. Plotting is just like what it sounds; when you have an idea for a novel you structure it out with major plot points, plan out a general sequence of events and fill in as many relevant details as you need.

Pantsing is a term based on the saying ‘flying by the seat of your pants.’ Pantsers jump right in head first. Some of the first words they put on paper are in the draft. They have an idea and just let it take them where it will.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both theories and depending on what kind of personality you have and what kind of writer you are will determine what camp you fall into. Let’s take a more in depth look at these theories.

 

Plotting:

-Allows for a structure that is easy to follow

-Guides your writing

-Ideally prevents major re-writes later on in the process

-Provides continuity for details throughout the story

-Keeps things organized

-Creates a source for background information that you can go back to later on

-Allows you to plot multiple stories at one time to come back to later

 

Pantsing:

-Taking an idea and jumping straight into writing

-Allows for fast paced creativity

-Leaves room for any and all directions

-Can lead to inconsistent details

-Requires little to no prep

 

 

In my experience I have written three formal manuscripts to date and have done three different methods. My first finished manuscript was straight pantsing. I would take note of details after I wrote them to try to keep continuity through out but it was not planned other than for the initial idea. This worked well because I could put my ideas to paper instantly but I did have  MAJOR re-writes and editing because half way through my draft the story took an entirely unexpected direction and I changed the entire ending. In defense of pantsing, had I plotted this novel I’m not sure I would have plotted this unexpected ending, it was just something that happened. But I did have multiple character name changes, many cut and pastes that need to be sequenced and overall continuity issues.

My second manuscript was a totally different genre and required a lot of invention and imagination so I took a much more plotted course on it. I wrote out character profiles, definitions, words, and plot points to create this imagined sci-fi world. I like this method as well because it served a very useful purpose. When I was creating a world from scratch I needed to think many steps ahead to make it believable and something I could build off of. I couldn’t pants my way through this subject matter so in this case I give to edge to plotting when writing about an imagined setting.

On my third manuscript that’s in production I did a fusion of both. I had the initial idea and got some very basic details down so I would not forget them. When I say basic, I mean basic. Like one word setting descriptions, arrows pointing from one keyword to another and maybe a few key notes on potential endings. With the basic idea in mind I set my hands to the keys and let it rip. When the flow is there I get going and don’t feel the end to go back for more details or make sure I’m on track with my guide. This manuscript however was a story based present day so I wasn’t inventing anything other than characters and storyline. I didn’t have to build a world or put my readers in an understandable but foreign setting.

My final opinion on the subject, just like with everything else in the writing world, I think whatever works best for you is what you should do. If you like to let it flow and go back to clean up later then go for it. If you want to see it all mapped out in front of you before you dive into it then plot away. You can even kill two birds with one stone by taking advice from Agatha Christie. She said “The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes.” 

No matter what your theory writing should be personal and real. Whatever can bring the best out of you is the way you should go. The only wrong thing to do is to not start.

 

 

Please Tell Me If I Suck

Yesterday I did what I think is one of the hardest things any artist has to do… I sent my work out into the world for criticism. 

Last night I e-mailed my manuscript off to a half dozen readers for critiquing. To some of you that may not seem like a big deal but to me it is the bravest thing I have ever done for myself. 

This book has been a very long road from desire, to conception, to the actual writing, to sharing it. I have written things for as long as I can remember but never considered myself a ‘writer’; I felt like I wasn’t in that league. One day though I knew that I could be if I gave it some real effort and attention. These words have kept me up at night, they have tortured me, mocked me, they have excited me, and they have given weight to all the things flying around in my head. 

For those of you who don’t know me personally I will let you in on a little secret; I am not the outwardly emotional type. I do not cry in front of people, I do not want to be your therapist, and I will not ask for help until I am dead in the water. I am very loyal, trustworthy, and a good friend but I do not participate in the mushy, over sensitive, theatrics of life. And to defend myself a bit, the people I surround myself with very much appreciate that about me.

The juxtaposition here is that internally I am nothing but emotion. I think constantly, am usually worrying, I feel things very deeply, and I carry around a lot of unnecessary weight on my shoulders. Words are my release for all of that. Words allow me to say what I need to from a distance that keeps me comfortable. Up until now all of my thoughts and emotions have been kept to myself as I like them to be…not anymore. I have willingly, for the first time in my life, taken down all the walls and am letting people deep inside to the inner works of who I am…and it’s terrifying. Vulnerable does not even begin to describe how I feel. 

But I know that if I want to progress as a writer and become the best one I can be I need to be able to set my ego and fears aside to let people tell me their honest, unfiltered opinion of my work. It is hard to reconcile the fact that they are not judging me but my work because in my life they are one in the same but my readers are truly commenting on the story in front of them. 

I’ve selected a mixed variety of people and ones who I think will look past the name on the cover and not hold back in telling me what they think. I have given a deadline for return critiques so I can compile the responses and decide where my next edits will need to take the book on its path to completion and publication.

Until then I am reading as much as I can and watching some bad TV. Come November 1 I will be diving head first into NaNo and they will take all of my time. 

The anticipation of the responses is killing me and I can only hope that my readers actually enjoy my book. If not, it will not deter my passion for writing, it will only force me to hone my craft and work harder to practice more and become better. 

Some day soon I hope to have a post here that has a link to where you can buy this book. That will be the true cherry on the top of this endeavor, but as it stands now, I am still very proud that I believed in myself enough to work I through to this level and I have more enthusiasm than ever for future projects.

Thanks for sticking by me and checking in with what I have to say. A huge part of my success will be for people to back me up and support me from both near and far. A HUGE THANK YOU to every one of you. Only bigger and better things to come!

-T

NaNoWriMo 2014

So as some of you may know, I have committed to giving NaNoWriMo my best shot this year. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which is November, and has been going on annually since 1999.Co-founder and author Chris Baty started this movement with 20 friends in 1999 as an effort to motivate each other to write the stories they always said they were going to. It has continued to grow over the past 15 years and is now an international event with local chapters hosting kick off parties, write-ins, and post NaNo parties.

NaNo is a very intense undertaking and will take some serious discipline if I am going to get through it. The idea is that you write each day to have a 50,000 first draft at the end of the month. This works out to 1,667 words a day which anyone who has written a term paper with a word count requirement knows is not easy. The idea is to write everyday and pay no attention to the details of critiquing. It may be terrible, you may cut half of it afterwards but the goal is to get words on paper and your ideas flowing.

What I find most interesting about NaNo is that the founders and participants alike are treating writing as a social activity. I always approached writing as a small room, introspection but NaNo writers argue that just being in the room with other people who are pursuing the same task you are in motivation. Hearing the keystrokes from someone will keep you focused and even turn on a bit of your competitive juices making you not want to fall behind.

The months after NaNo are where you edit, re-write and complete the overall arc of the story but that pressure is completely ignored for the fast paced writing style of the month. The founders encourage the writers to give themselves permission to suck which is incredibly freeing. They argue that the words on paper, quantity over quality approach actually brings out the best in writers because they allow themselves to write freely. There will be massive edits to do and the 50,000 words will inevitably go off on tangents but you can’t fix something that isn’t written.

For me, I anticipate the hardest part of Nano will be time management. As with any new obligations people first line of resistance is to say they don’t have time but the old adage still stands, you can make time. I make time for all sorts of things I don’t want to do so why not make time for something I love doing and that makes me a better person? Writing is my expression and my outlet for a pent of swirl of intellect, inspiration, emotion, and anxiety that needs to be released. When I write I can think better and be better. I can always find more time for that.

So being a week out from the official kick-off of NaNoWriMo 2014 I am going to commit to a story idea, pre-plot just enough to give me an arc that I build on, and read as much as possible because come November 1 the fingers will be to the keys for at least 1,667 words a day….hopefully!  

If anyone is interested in trying NaNo check out their website is nanowrimo.org. Hey, no one is judging you and there is penalty for not finishing. If nothing else you’ll get some good stress relief for the days you follow through.

If you are participating I’d love a writing buddy, or six! Check out my twitter @taylor3672 and link up, or if you’re local maybe I’ll see you at a write-in.

Good luck to all participating and who knows, maybe your NaNo story could be the next big breakthrough on the NYT bestseller list.

Until The Very End

I have been on quite a long hiatus from reading as I have been putting all my efforts into writing my own stories. I am at the point with my manuscript now that it has been sent out for critique readers which mean I can take some much needed time away from it.

With the draft aside I sat in front of my over flowing ‘To Be Read’ shelf and went back and forth for twenty minutes trying to decide what I would like to read. I looked and looked and it was only when I turned around to leave my office that I saw just the right book….Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

No, this was obviously not on my shelf of books waiting to be read, in fact I’ve read this one at least seven times but it pulled me back in.

For those of you around my age (25) you understand that the name Harry Potter means so much more than a boy with a lightning scar. Harry Potter for us is one of our most loyal friends, our inspiration, and is the glue that holds so many years of adolescence together and allows them to make sense. It is metaphorically and physically a part of me…I got an HP tattoo is London last year.

I grew up with a fire that was ready to consume me every year waiting for the release of the next book. I was at the stores at midnight waiting in line with hundreds of other Potter Heads. I stayed up all night no matter what the next day was bringing unable to tear my eyes away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s adventures. I was at midnight screenings for the movies (sufficient, but as always subpar to the book) as they hit theaters.

 Credit moviedevil.com

There has never been a time that the opening sequence theme song didn’t give me chills or pulling the dust jacket off one of the books to re-read didn’t make my eyes go wide with excitement. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets starts to take us into the darker side of the wizarding world, setting us up for the depth of darkness that is to come. We meet Dobby, learn about Hagrid, confirm our dislike for the Malfoy’s, fear the beast that is in the Chamber, and shared in the triumph with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they show us that courage, loyalty, and wit can create a winning combination.

Spending my evening wrapped up in the magical world is a comfort I long to feel all the time. I hate the put the bookmark in place because I know I will have to return to the muggle world awaiting me where things are often much less enchanting.

I am so thankful to JK Rowling for giving me something that continues to bring me such joy. Her talent and ability to make children feel like they have three best friends, no matter what the circumstances, can only be described as magical. She truly is a hero of mine and because of her childlike imagination I am a better adult.

To know that seven books, eight movies, multiple companion pieces and an international community of people with the same fervor are all out there to welcome me home is encouragement beyond measure. The Harry Potter Generation will only continue to grow as more and more kids will come of age being told bed time stories of magical wizards, daring adventure, and the power of friendship.

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”- Albus Dumbledore

Welcome Back!

Hi all!

 

It has been some time since I dusted off this old blog but just like everyone else life has gotten the best of my timing.

 

However, I do have some exciting updates about my goings on.

 

1. I have started tackling a new list of must read books that will ‘Make You More Interesting’. So far it has been exciting reads but I have many more to go. I will give more details on the list and what I’m reading along with it soon.
2. My closest friends and I have been conducting a book club fairly continuously for the last year or so. As a reader I find it so gratifying to sit around a table with people I respect to discuss how we felt about the same book. This is why literature is so important and why I’ve centered some of my most cherished memories around books.
3. MOST exciting of all, for me at least, is that I’ve completed 2^nd round drafts of a full manuscript for a book I have been writing. It is classified as New Adult genre and as it stands it is around 80,000 words. This has been a very long, very difficult task but so rewarding. I am currently sending it out for critique readers to complete my final edits and call it done. It will go into a file that I am building to hopefully, in the near future, send to a literary agent to try my luck at being published. For now the accomplishment of just finishing a book is incredibly rewarding.
4. I am also gearing up for NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. This yearly event takes place in November and all participants have the goal of completing a 50,000 word draft in one month. It will be extremely challenging but very fun, I am looking forward to it. I have a solid idea that I think will be just the right style for this adventure.

 

As a writer/blogger I understand that there are certain expectations of maintaining a blog and in the last months I have not done my part. I thought about starting a whole new blog but my archived entries are valuable to me and I enjoy seeing them.

 

So, in using all the tools I have to my advantage I am going to revamp the blog, share about my writing process, and offer helpful hints/notes/topics I come across along the way. I will still write about what I’m reading but I will also be talking about what I’m writing, my path towards committing myself to becoming a better writer and engaging with the literary community.

As an aspiring writer, or whatever I am, I realize that the community is the most integral part to be a success. I consider myself a success if my words get read, and I have a lot of words to share.

 

So, I thank all of you who have come back to this blog and I welcome all of the newcomers. I would like to interact more, take questions, suggestions, and make this a conversation.

 

I look forward to where this will take me, I hope you do to.