Those of you who are my Facebook friends know I've dealt with a plague upon my household this week. High fevers, aching body parts, and severe croup have afflicted us, and as of tonight, no one in my family was left untouched. Needless to say, I have not met my NaNo weekly word count quota--but I have met my lifetime quota of 3am steam showers with the kiddos. I shuddered when I hopped on Twitter and saw the flurry of #1Kin1hr hashtags. If someone had started a #1Win1hr, I might have succeeded. Maybe.
But I'm back in the swing of things today, and am once again plugging away at my ms. I came across the best NaNo poem today while reading Jill Corcoran's blog. The poem is titled Working is in Progress by Jacqui Robbins from her blog, Jacqui's Room. It only takes a minute to read, so you can get inspired and then get back to your novel. I'm going to type quickly (maybe even #1Kin1hr), because I probably don't have much time before the next steam shower.
Happy NaNo'ing!
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
NaNoWriMo Incentive and Inspiration
As we move into the second week of NaNoWriMo I thought I'd share a couple of great posts I've read recently that talk about persevering far better than I can.
The first comes from Chuck Wendig and his Terrible Minds blog. I like to think of it as incentive. You know, yes I can so finish my book!(Please note there is a fair bit of swearing in the post, so if that's not your thing, you've been warned.)
25 Reasons You Won't Finish That Story
Number 18 is one that is usually true for me.
18. Haven’t Answered Any Of The Critical Questions
Ask yourself: what is this about? Why am I writing this? Why will anyone care? Asking yourself some fundamental questions before you write — plus several others while you write — can help keep your nose to the grindstone and allow you to feel settled in both direction and purpose.
Also check out his list of those questions. He's got some really great ones.
The second is totally inspirational. It's about sticking with it when you've got that horrible feeling that you have completely failed at writing the book you wanted to write. It's a great guest post by Sara Zarr on Nova Ren Suma's blog:
What Inspires Sara Zarr
I bet you can't guess what it is. Failure. Yep. Go read why. If you've been feeling stuck, you'll be inspired to keep going, I swear.
The first comes from Chuck Wendig and his Terrible Minds blog. I like to think of it as incentive. You know, yes I can so finish my book!(Please note there is a fair bit of swearing in the post, so if that's not your thing, you've been warned.)
Number 18 is one that is usually true for me.
18. Haven’t Answered Any Of The Critical Questions
Ask yourself: what is this about? Why am I writing this? Why will anyone care? Asking yourself some fundamental questions before you write — plus several others while you write — can help keep your nose to the grindstone and allow you to feel settled in both direction and purpose.
Also check out his list of those questions. He's got some really great ones.
The second is totally inspirational. It's about sticking with it when you've got that horrible feeling that you have completely failed at writing the book you wanted to write. It's a great guest post by Sara Zarr on Nova Ren Suma's blog:
I bet you can't guess what it is. Failure. Yep. Go read why. If you've been feeling stuck, you'll be inspired to keep going, I swear.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Fight Your Way Through
I love what Ira Glass has to say in this video about that feeling of disappointment we can sometimes get when the vision we have for our work is not what we manage to create, and how the only way to make it what we want is to fight our way through that disappointment, and keep on writing.
This backs up something I truly believe, even as I struggle with it. And that's that if you can dream it, you can do it. If you can imagine a book, full of amazing plot twists, and gut-wrenching emotion, and all the things you love in a book, YOU CAN WRITE THAT BOOK. It might feel like you can't. It might feel scary, and hard, and impossible, but trust me. That book is already inside you. It's already written. You just have to sit down and spit it out.
This backs up something I truly believe, even as I struggle with it. And that's that if you can dream it, you can do it. If you can imagine a book, full of amazing plot twists, and gut-wrenching emotion, and all the things you love in a book, YOU CAN WRITE THAT BOOK. It might feel like you can't. It might feel scary, and hard, and impossible, but trust me. That book is already inside you. It's already written. You just have to sit down and spit it out.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
"...The Most Unlearned and Uninformed Female That Ever Dared To Be An Authoress." --Jane Austen.
The above is a piece of a Jane Austen quote (one I found online some years ago, so take that for what it's worth) that has always stuck with me. Jane Austen, the woman who created the mysterious Mr. Rochester, and made us love him despite his many faults, was uneducated.
***And if you stopped right there and thought, wow, she's an idiot, please keep reading. Or don't. Up to you.***
It takes some guts to admit this, believe me, but this is something that has bothered me from the day I sat down with a blank Word doc. I don't have a BA in English lit. I don't have a MFA. Shoot, I didn't even finish college.
I can't write a novel.
I've never been to Europe. I've never been to Vegas. I've never even been off the East Coast of the USA.
I can't write a novel.
But Jane had never gone to college. And Jane had probably never seen Vegas either (snarf). And Jane has been in our hearts and minds for centuries. We were forced to read her impossibly long books in junior high (and most of us, self included, hated them), and then we fell in love with her again (or in my case for the first time) as young adults.
I don't aspire to write like Jane--I know I am my own writer and I can only write like me. But I do hope that someday (soon) someone is going to love what I've created as much as I do. I want a protagonist that readers connect with. A character they can stand by, no matter her faults. I want a male lead that makes the reader's heart pound right along with the protagonist, despite what he keeps in his attic.
So many great authors have said it before: you can't teach someone to be a great writer. Charlaine Harris (a huge inspiration to me) said recently that writing is nature over nurture. You can learn the craft, but a writer is not made in a classroom.
A writer is born.
***The goof is intended, folks. I assure you.Good catch!***
***And if you stopped right there and thought, wow, she's an idiot, please keep reading. Or don't. Up to you.***
It takes some guts to admit this, believe me, but this is something that has bothered me from the day I sat down with a blank Word doc. I don't have a BA in English lit. I don't have a MFA. Shoot, I didn't even finish college.
I can't write a novel.
I've never been to Europe. I've never been to Vegas. I've never even been off the East Coast of the USA.
I can't write a novel.
But Jane had never gone to college. And Jane had probably never seen Vegas either (snarf). And Jane has been in our hearts and minds for centuries. We were forced to read her impossibly long books in junior high (and most of us, self included, hated them), and then we fell in love with her again (or in my case for the first time) as young adults.
I don't aspire to write like Jane--I know I am my own writer and I can only write like me. But I do hope that someday (soon) someone is going to love what I've created as much as I do. I want a protagonist that readers connect with. A character they can stand by, no matter her faults. I want a male lead that makes the reader's heart pound right along with the protagonist, despite what he keeps in his attic.
So many great authors have said it before: you can't teach someone to be a great writer. Charlaine Harris (a huge inspiration to me) said recently that writing is nature over nurture. You can learn the craft, but a writer is not made in a classroom.
A writer is born.
***The goof is intended, folks. I assure you.Good catch!***
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Failure Isn't Everything
One of my favorite quotes ever (and unfortunately I can't remember where I heard it, a movie I think) is:
"If you're going to fail, fail spectacularly."
And no, that doesn't mean do a crap job. It means go for it. Don't hold back, or play it safe, in the hopes that you won't make a huge fool of yourself if you get it wrong.
If you shoot for the middle, all you'll get is mediocre. That and the knowledge that you could've tried harder but you didn't.
So the next time you sit down to write, or work out a plot, or anything else in life, ask yourself. Am I doing everything I can to make this great? Am I trying to make my story fit in with what everyone else is doing?
Is there a crazy idea you have for a story that in your gut, you know it could work, but you're afraid to try it? Are you shoving it aside to write something more mainstream/"now"/generic? Ask yourself it that's really what you want to do, and if it's not, go for it. And even if you fail, it will be the kind of glorious failure that shows your heart, and what's wrong with that?
And no, that doesn't mean do a crap job. It means go for it. Don't hold back, or play it safe, in the hopes that you won't make a huge fool of yourself if you get it wrong.
If you shoot for the middle, all you'll get is mediocre. That and the knowledge that you could've tried harder but you didn't.
So the next time you sit down to write, or work out a plot, or anything else in life, ask yourself. Am I doing everything I can to make this great? Am I trying to make my story fit in with what everyone else is doing?
Is there a crazy idea you have for a story that in your gut, you know it could work, but you're afraid to try it? Are you shoving it aside to write something more mainstream/"now"/generic? Ask yourself it that's really what you want to do, and if it's not, go for it. And even if you fail, it will be the kind of glorious failure that shows your heart, and what's wrong with that?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Road To Success
Today I'm going to point you to an article I read recently and found very helpful:
9 Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D.
Halvorson points out that most of us have a hard time figuring out what it is that makes us succeed when we succeed and therefore that makes it hard for us to repeat the process on each new project or goal. I had never thought about it this way but I think it's so true. When things go surprisingly well, we tend to think we "got lucky" but I truly believe that LUCK = PREPARATION + OPPORTUNITY so that means it's got to be more than just showing up, right? But rarely do we stop and ask ourselves why something we did worked. We just rejoice in it.
One of my favorite things on the list is: Focus On Getting Better Rather Than Being Good
Such a good idea, and SO hard to stay focused on. So if you've got a few minutes, I highly recommend checking out the link!
9 Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D.
Halvorson points out that most of us have a hard time figuring out what it is that makes us succeed when we succeed and therefore that makes it hard for us to repeat the process on each new project or goal. I had never thought about it this way but I think it's so true. When things go surprisingly well, we tend to think we "got lucky" but I truly believe that LUCK = PREPARATION + OPPORTUNITY so that means it's got to be more than just showing up, right? But rarely do we stop and ask ourselves why something we did worked. We just rejoice in it.
One of my favorite things on the list is: Focus On Getting Better Rather Than Being Good
Such a good idea, and SO hard to stay focused on. So if you've got a few minutes, I highly recommend checking out the link!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Reading To Write
Lately I've been feeling sort of stymied. The creativity just hasn't been flowing in my re-writes. Not to mention it's getting to the point where I need to start thinking seriously about what I'm going to write next. I have a few promising ideas, but no real inspiration to flesh them out.
As I've been laying around sick these last few days, unable to stare at my computer screen for more than a few minutes thanks to the sinus pressure, it finally hit me. I haven't been reading!
I've been spending so much time revising and thinking about revising and nitpicking sentences that I haven't read just for fun. And I need it. That's when I feel the most inspired, when I'm surrounded by exciting, interesting, absorbing stories. So yesterday, when actual reading was an impossibility, I started listening to an audiobook, and already I feel revived.
(Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, read by Jennifer Ehle who is awesome at the multitude of voices and British accents in the book.)
So what about you? Do you read when you write? I can't read fiction that is similar in topic to what I'm writing but I like to read things that are similar in tone.
As I've been laying around sick these last few days, unable to stare at my computer screen for more than a few minutes thanks to the sinus pressure, it finally hit me. I haven't been reading!
I've been spending so much time revising and thinking about revising and nitpicking sentences that I haven't read just for fun. And I need it. That's when I feel the most inspired, when I'm surrounded by exciting, interesting, absorbing stories. So yesterday, when actual reading was an impossibility, I started listening to an audiobook, and already I feel revived.
(Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, read by Jennifer Ehle who is awesome at the multitude of voices and British accents in the book.)
So what about you? Do you read when you write? I can't read fiction that is similar in topic to what I'm writing but I like to read things that are similar in tone.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Inspiration
Last night I popped into #yalitchat for a bit on twitter and the topic was something like "inspiring stories from the YA community". There were sooooo many that just made me smile and think, see that's what it's all about.
There have been a lot of authors in classic literature that I've found inspiring. For example, I love that Stephen King threw CARRIE in the trash and never intended to finish writing it until his wife found it and told him he should.
Or that Dr. Seuss wrote one of the best-selling children's books of all time using only 50 different words (the result of a bet with his publisher).
Or that William Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES was rejected by 20 publishers before it found a home.
William Faulkner received a letter from a publisher (in regards to SANCTUARY) that read, "Good, God, I can't publish this!"
Richard Adams was told that "older children won't like [WATERSHIP DOWN] because its language was too difficult." HA!
All of these are stories show that fiction is subjective, and withblood, sweat and tears persistence any writer can make that transition to author.
What are some of your favorite stories of inspiration, be they from authors past or present, agents (I've come across some amazing, inspiring, and helpful agents), or pre-pubbed writers. Share!
There have been a lot of authors in classic literature that I've found inspiring. For example, I love that Stephen King threw CARRIE in the trash and never intended to finish writing it until his wife found it and told him he should.
Or that Dr. Seuss wrote one of the best-selling children's books of all time using only 50 different words (the result of a bet with his publisher).
Or that William Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES was rejected by 20 publishers before it found a home.
William Faulkner received a letter from a publisher (in regards to SANCTUARY) that read, "Good, God, I can't publish this!"
Richard Adams was told that "older children won't like [WATERSHIP DOWN] because its language was too difficult." HA!
All of these are stories show that fiction is subjective, and with
What are some of your favorite stories of inspiration, be they from authors past or present, agents (I've come across some amazing, inspiring, and helpful agents), or pre-pubbed writers. Share!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Inspiring Thoughts for the New Year
So we're technically on hiatus this week, but I just read an AWESOME post on writing from the equally AWESOME Courtney Summers (author of Cracked Up To Be and Some Girls Are two of my favorite reads of 2009 and 2010 respectively, and Fall For Anything, new this month!) and I wanted to share.
So go check out what Courtney has to say about How To Deal With Writing For Publication it's got something for everyone, on every part of the publication journey.
And then, if you haven't yet, go check out her books!
Also, don't forget to enter our contest! Last day to enter is December 31st!
So go check out what Courtney has to say about How To Deal With Writing For Publication it's got something for everyone, on every part of the publication journey.
And then, if you haven't yet, go check out her books!
Also, don't forget to enter our contest! Last day to enter is December 31st!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Universe Always Knows
A recent Note From The Universe:
You know, almost anything you feel you "have to" do, like cleaning and washing, can become a chore, even a drudgery; while those things that remain optional, like Disney World and Twister, can seem far more inviting, even fun.
So, as you go down the path of life, particularly when it seems you must force yourself through the motions, it just may help if you pause and give thought to the countless souls who'd give most anything for the option of even your "chores."
Life... it can sometimes be like one of those really, really "good problems," huh?
I got this in my email while slogging through what feels like the most painful and tedious and frustrating revision of my writing life. It made me realize that a year ago, I would've killed to have a finished draft of a novel complete with expert revision notes and people eagerly waiting to read it.
So... I guess it's all about perspective, huh?
You know, almost anything you feel you "have to" do, like cleaning and washing, can become a chore, even a drudgery; while those things that remain optional, like Disney World and Twister, can seem far more inviting, even fun.
So, as you go down the path of life, particularly when it seems you must force yourself through the motions, it just may help if you pause and give thought to the countless souls who'd give most anything for the option of even your "chores."
Life... it can sometimes be like one of those really, really "good problems," huh?
I got this in my email while slogging through what feels like the most painful and tedious and frustrating revision of my writing life. It made me realize that a year ago, I would've killed to have a finished draft of a novel complete with expert revision notes and people eagerly waiting to read it.
So... I guess it's all about perspective, huh?
Monday, September 20, 2010
Inspiration for Writers
I'm an unapologetic quote lover. Some people find quotes annoying--in which case you probably shouldn't read any further--but I find them inspiring and motivating. Here are a few of my favorites:
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov
The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.~ Mark Twain
I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter. ~James Michener
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison
Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. ~ E.L. Doctorow
Here are a few that aren't directly writing-related but can easily be applied that way:
A jug fills drop by drop. ~ Buddha (aka a novel is built word by word, although filling a jug certainly seems to be the faster option)
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. ~Abraham Lincoln
Never, never, never give up. ~Winston Churchill
Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right. ~Henry Ford
Do any of these resonate with you? What's your favorite inspirational quote?
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov
The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.~ Mark Twain
I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter. ~James Michener
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison
Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. ~ E.L. Doctorow
Here are a few that aren't directly writing-related but can easily be applied that way:
A jug fills drop by drop. ~ Buddha (aka a novel is built word by word, although filling a jug certainly seems to be the faster option)
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. ~Abraham Lincoln
Never, never, never give up. ~Winston Churchill
Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right. ~Henry Ford
Do any of these resonate with you? What's your favorite inspirational quote?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Books (and other things) That Push Me To Write Better
I liked the topic of Kristi's post so much yesterday that I thought I would do my own post on the things that push me to be a better writer.
The most recent experience I've had with this feeling isn't from a book at all. It's fromTHE BEST MOVIE EVA!!! a movie.
I saw Inception last week, and I left the theater with one thought in my head:
I can do better.
The level of ingenuity and depth of emotion in the storytelling of the film blew my mind. It really just sort of stopped me in my tracks and I thought about the plot issues I was having with my current (and what feels like, the millionth) revision and it all seemed so small and silly. I realized not just that I needed to up my game, but HOW MUCH I needed to up it. Somehow I'd slipped into playing it safe, and safe = boring and seen it before. So I took a step back and started really ripping my tiny little impersonation of a book apart and all of a sudden I was excited about revising it again!
There are other books I keep in mind when writing as touchstones. Books that when I'm in a good mood, inspire me to attempt to reach some of their greatness and on a bad day thrust me into the pit of despair as I think I will NEVER write anything that good!
Some of those books are:
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - because Jo Rowling's world-building and heart blow my mind every time I read one of the books.
The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - again, the world-building! The action! The emotion! Even now I get teary-eyed when I think about Rue!
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - I love how poetic the writing is, the emotion, the sense of place, and the way she made two narrators such complete unique characters that you always know who's talking.
Stolen by Lucy Christopher - This story is so emotionally complex and moving, it still haunts me. And the detail to setting is so good that every time I think about it, I feel like I'm in the desert of the Austrailian Outback. I can completely see a place I've never been or even seen photos of.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - I love the way she makes the ordinary beautiful in this book. The actual prose is beautiful and very poetic but it's also the way Sam observes things. I also love that she made very real, three-dimensional characters who could be unlikeable at times and made me care about them.
All of these books (and SO MANY more) do things that I hope to do in my own stories and they remind me that it IS possible to do if I just keep my focus on the goal. Also, I've just realized that all of these books have made me cry! I guess that's what sticks with me. And that's what I want to do, tell stories that stick with you.
What are some books that inspire you?
The most recent experience I've had with this feeling isn't from a book at all. It's from
I saw Inception last week, and I left the theater with one thought in my head:
The level of ingenuity and depth of emotion in the storytelling of the film blew my mind. It really just sort of stopped me in my tracks and I thought about the plot issues I was having with my current (and what feels like, the millionth) revision and it all seemed so small and silly. I realized not just that I needed to up my game, but HOW MUCH I needed to up it. Somehow I'd slipped into playing it safe, and safe = boring and seen it before. So I took a step back and started really ripping my tiny little impersonation of a book apart and all of a sudden I was excited about revising it again!
There are other books I keep in mind when writing as touchstones. Books that when I'm in a good mood, inspire me to attempt to reach some of their greatness and on a bad day thrust me into the pit of despair as I think I will NEVER write anything that good!
Some of those books are:
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - because Jo Rowling's world-building and heart blow my mind every time I read one of the books.
The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - again, the world-building! The action! The emotion! Even now I get teary-eyed when I think about Rue!
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - I love how poetic the writing is, the emotion, the sense of place, and the way she made two narrators such complete unique characters that you always know who's talking.
Stolen by Lucy Christopher - This story is so emotionally complex and moving, it still haunts me. And the detail to setting is so good that every time I think about it, I feel like I'm in the desert of the Austrailian Outback. I can completely see a place I've never been or even seen photos of.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - I love the way she makes the ordinary beautiful in this book. The actual prose is beautiful and very poetic but it's also the way Sam observes things. I also love that she made very real, three-dimensional characters who could be unlikeable at times and made me care about them.
All of these books (and SO MANY more) do things that I hope to do in my own stories and they remind me that it IS possible to do if I just keep my focus on the goal. Also, I've just realized that all of these books have made me cry! I guess that's what sticks with me. And that's what I want to do, tell stories that stick with you.
What are some books that inspire you?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Inspiration and Preparation
My Note From The Universe this morning:
"If someone wants A to happen, yet they prepare for B, they will always get B."
What are you preparing for? The joy of success? Or the pain of rejection?
This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:
"Luck is when Preparation meets Opportunity."
Noticing a trend? PREPARE yourself to be the the writer you want to be. Whatever that means for you.
- Take a class (Write On Con is free and just a week away!).
- Read a book on writing.
- Get your work critiqued by people you trust and then listen to what they have to say.
- Visualize your name on the NYT bestseller list.
Whatever you do, don't spend hours (weeks, months!) writing your book while at the same time mentally preparing yourself for all the rejections you're going to get.
Take a moment today and ask yourself what you've been preparing for. You might be surprised. The good thing is there's still time to fix it!
What are you preparing for? The joy of success? Or the pain of rejection?
This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:
Noticing a trend? PREPARE yourself to be the the writer you want to be. Whatever that means for you.
- Take a class (Write On Con is free and just a week away!).
- Read a book on writing.
- Get your work critiqued by people you trust and then listen to what they have to say.
- Visualize your name on the NYT bestseller list.
Whatever you do, don't spend hours (weeks, months!) writing your book while at the same time mentally preparing yourself for all the rejections you're going to get.
Take a moment today and ask yourself what you've been preparing for. You might be surprised. The good thing is there's still time to fix it!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Learning to Love What You Write
I’m not like everybody else. I know that. They taught us way back in elementary school that everyone is different, and everyone has value. We learned that we should embrace what’s different in ourselves. Even as an adult, Oprah and the self-help gurus encourage us to love the parts of ourselves we’re inclined to hate - the things you can’t change - because they’re yours, and they make you you.
Most of the time I can do that. I’m a dork. I love sci-fi and British humor. (Hello Doctor Who!) I’m a grown woman who prefers books for teens. I went to a New Kids On The Block concert – last summer. I may have once been spotted dancing around my kitchen to a Justin Bieber song. (Although this is yet to be proven.) I hate chocolate. I’m me.
I write stories that are very me. Things that I want to read and that, for the most part, aren’t like what’s already out there.
But sometimes, when scanning the latest book deals, or beta-reading an awesome ms, I begin to doubt that my book has value. When I see the fourth werewolf trilogy to sell in a month or I look at those blurbs of mindblowing concepts about zombies and space ships and dystopian worlds and retellings set in futuristic locations and sweet quirky romances (all books I want to read) I think, why don’t I write stuff like that? Why don’t those ideas come to me? And then I think, no one will ever want my book when there are so many truly awesome ones out there. And then I put my ms aside and try to come up with my very own Zombie Apocalypse in Space Quirky Romance – with Werewolves. (Which I just came up with this second and am totally doing, so you can take that one off your list!)
It never works. Why? Because I’m trying to come up with someone else’s book. I can’t get passionate about the idea. I don’t feel true to myself.
And so it comes down to this: I can love my books because they're mine and work to make them the very best representation of the mashup between my skills and the crazy things floating around in my head. And then I can trust that if I put my passion into my work, other people will connect with it even if it doesn’t have werewolves in a dystopian spaceship falling in love with quirky girls during the zombie apocalypse. (Seriously, I’m going to write this. Back off.) OR I can sit at my computer, paralyzed by the fear that nothing I come up with will ever be good enough.
I choose to write. What do you choose? What do you do when it seems like everyone’s ideas are way cooler than yours?
Most of the time I can do that. I’m a dork. I love sci-fi and British humor. (Hello Doctor Who!) I’m a grown woman who prefers books for teens. I went to a New Kids On The Block concert – last summer. I may have once been spotted dancing around my kitchen to a Justin Bieber song. (Although this is yet to be proven.) I hate chocolate. I’m me.
I write stories that are very me. Things that I want to read and that, for the most part, aren’t like what’s already out there.
But sometimes, when scanning the latest book deals, or beta-reading an awesome ms, I begin to doubt that my book has value. When I see the fourth werewolf trilogy to sell in a month or I look at those blurbs of mindblowing concepts about zombies and space ships and dystopian worlds and retellings set in futuristic locations and sweet quirky romances (all books I want to read) I think, why don’t I write stuff like that? Why don’t those ideas come to me? And then I think, no one will ever want my book when there are so many truly awesome ones out there. And then I put my ms aside and try to come up with my very own Zombie Apocalypse in Space Quirky Romance – with Werewolves. (Which I just came up with this second and am totally doing, so you can take that one off your list!)
It never works. Why? Because I’m trying to come up with someone else’s book. I can’t get passionate about the idea. I don’t feel true to myself.
And so it comes down to this: I can love my books because they're mine and work to make them the very best representation of the mashup between my skills and the crazy things floating around in my head. And then I can trust that if I put my passion into my work, other people will connect with it even if it doesn’t have werewolves in a dystopian spaceship falling in love with quirky girls during the zombie apocalypse. (Seriously, I’m going to write this. Back off.) OR I can sit at my computer, paralyzed by the fear that nothing I come up with will ever be good enough.
I choose to write. What do you choose? What do you do when it seems like everyone’s ideas are way cooler than yours?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Coming Up With Shiny New Ideas
It seems like one of the most common question for any writer is: Where do you get your ideas? (I know I'm in awe of writers like J.K. Rowling and Melissa Marr who create entire worlds!) So I thought I'd share some of the ways I come up with my ideas. Here's the one that works best for me:
SHEER FORCE OF WILL
Really. One of my all time favorite quotes on writing (which I've probably shared here before) is by Toni Morrison and it says:
If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet. Then you must write it.
It's this quote, more than anything that has pushed me into writing the books I'm writing rather than leaving them as scribbles in a notebook.
Sure, I get ideas from dreams, from watching the news, from music, from reading a book and wishing it had turned out differently. Sometimes I get really excited by them and start a notebook (and now that I have the super awesome-tastic Scrivener, a Scrivener file) for fleshing it out. But by and large, the ideas that have stuck with me to become stories are the ones I wanted to write even before I knew what they were.
For instance, my WIP SLEEPER came from an intense desire to read a book where a girl kicked serious butt. I couldn't find one, and I knew that I wanted to write one, but I had no idea what that story was going to be. Would it be Urban Fantasy? Contemporary? Futuristic? Magical? I had no clue. Only the desire to create something that involved butt-kicking action and excitement.
And this is where the sheer force of will comes in. I focused on what I wanted. I ignored other shiny ideas that were perhaps more complete, but not exciting to me. I asked myself questions. Who is this butt-kicking girl? Why is she kicking butt? How does she feel about being so butt-kickingly awesome? Whose butt is she kicking? And finally, as I let those questions marinate in my subconscious, she began to speak to me. And her voice was more clear than any other character I'd created. She told me the story of how she came to kick butt, and how it made her feel and before I knew it I was sitting down at my laptop and spitting out 7500 words all in one sitting! I was scribbling copious notes in my notebook about who she was, who her friends were, where she lived, what she wanted, and a surprisingly complex plot. It was all there.
From the desire to write the story, to knowing my MC and writing those first 7500, it took maybe two weeks. Does it always happen that fast? No. But are the ideas I come up with this way better than the ones that just pop into my head? So far, yes. They're the ones I'm most excited to write. It's weird, since any idea I come up with obviously comes from me. But somehow the ones that I create out of a desire to do something specific feel more powerful. Like I earned them somehow.
So I guess what I'm trying to say here is if you don't have totally brilliant shiny new ideas falling on your head like rain, don't be discouraged. Think about the kind of story you want to tell and focus your energy on that. Ask yourself questions about why you want to tell that kind of story, what you hope to achieve, how you want it to make readers feel. It will come, and it'll probably be your best one yet!
What about you? What tricks do you use to get your ideas to the point you have to write them?
Really. One of my all time favorite quotes on writing (which I've probably shared here before) is by Toni Morrison and it says:
It's this quote, more than anything that has pushed me into writing the books I'm writing rather than leaving them as scribbles in a notebook.
Sure, I get ideas from dreams, from watching the news, from music, from reading a book and wishing it had turned out differently. Sometimes I get really excited by them and start a notebook (and now that I have the super awesome-tastic Scrivener, a Scrivener file) for fleshing it out. But by and large, the ideas that have stuck with me to become stories are the ones I wanted to write even before I knew what they were.
For instance, my WIP SLEEPER came from an intense desire to read a book where a girl kicked serious butt. I couldn't find one, and I knew that I wanted to write one, but I had no idea what that story was going to be. Would it be Urban Fantasy? Contemporary? Futuristic? Magical? I had no clue. Only the desire to create something that involved butt-kicking action and excitement.
And this is where the sheer force of will comes in. I focused on what I wanted. I ignored other shiny ideas that were perhaps more complete, but not exciting to me. I asked myself questions. Who is this butt-kicking girl? Why is she kicking butt? How does she feel about being so butt-kickingly awesome? Whose butt is she kicking? And finally, as I let those questions marinate in my subconscious, she began to speak to me. And her voice was more clear than any other character I'd created. She told me the story of how she came to kick butt, and how it made her feel and before I knew it I was sitting down at my laptop and spitting out 7500 words all in one sitting! I was scribbling copious notes in my notebook about who she was, who her friends were, where she lived, what she wanted, and a surprisingly complex plot. It was all there.
From the desire to write the story, to knowing my MC and writing those first 7500, it took maybe two weeks. Does it always happen that fast? No. But are the ideas I come up with this way better than the ones that just pop into my head? So far, yes. They're the ones I'm most excited to write. It's weird, since any idea I come up with obviously comes from me. But somehow the ones that I create out of a desire to do something specific feel more powerful. Like I earned them somehow.
So I guess what I'm trying to say here is if you don't have totally brilliant shiny new ideas falling on your head like rain, don't be discouraged. Think about the kind of story you want to tell and focus your energy on that. Ask yourself questions about why you want to tell that kind of story, what you hope to achieve, how you want it to make readers feel. It will come, and it'll probably be your best one yet!
What about you? What tricks do you use to get your ideas to the point you have to write them?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Writing and Perseverance
I was at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference listening to keynote speaker, Jodi Thomas, and I actually got a little weepy - and I'm so not a crier. Jodi is a NYT best-selling author many times over and is the author of books such as Tall, Dark, and Texan. She was a hilarious speaker who nailed the differences between people who are writers and people who aren't. She was also such an inspiration to aspiring authors everywhere. She told a story of starting out in the business and what led her to persevere, which I'll sum up briefly here.
Jodi decided she wanted to write for a living and proceeded to write non-stop in her free time. Sometime later, she attended a writing conference where there was a competition involving 15 different contest categories. She wrote something and entered ALL 15 categories! She went to the conference with high expectations, certain they would just keep her up on stage as she'd win so many of the awards. Not only did she win ZERO awards, but one of the categories only had 7 total entries and they gave out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and then 3 honorable mentions. Yep, she was the 7th place out of 7. Feeling horrible about herself and her writing, she left the conference and drove to a cemetery, saying it was the only place she knew she'd be doing better than everyone else.
She plunked herself down on a cement square and when she stood up awhile later, she noticed she was sitting on the word THROUGH that had been etched in the stone. Thinking that was an odd word to have alone on a stone, she brushed the leaves off the rest of the square to find there was one word on each side. It read:
"Triumph Comes Through Perseverance." She decided in that moment that she was a writer no matter what, and left that cemetery knowing for certain that she wouldn't turn back.
Don't get me wrong - talent is great. I think you need a certain amount of talent to succeed in whatever your chosen path is, but beyond that, you need perseverance. Plenty of talented writers will never be published. It takes perseverance and doing that 20th revision, if necessary, to get it right. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise! Now excuse me, while I get back to my 20th revision...:)
Does anyone else have writerly inspiration that has helped them through a rough time?
Jodi decided she wanted to write for a living and proceeded to write non-stop in her free time. Sometime later, she attended a writing conference where there was a competition involving 15 different contest categories. She wrote something and entered ALL 15 categories! She went to the conference with high expectations, certain they would just keep her up on stage as she'd win so many of the awards. Not only did she win ZERO awards, but one of the categories only had 7 total entries and they gave out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and then 3 honorable mentions. Yep, she was the 7th place out of 7. Feeling horrible about herself and her writing, she left the conference and drove to a cemetery, saying it was the only place she knew she'd be doing better than everyone else.
She plunked herself down on a cement square and when she stood up awhile later, she noticed she was sitting on the word THROUGH that had been etched in the stone. Thinking that was an odd word to have alone on a stone, she brushed the leaves off the rest of the square to find there was one word on each side. It read:
"Triumph Comes Through Perseverance." She decided in that moment that she was a writer no matter what, and left that cemetery knowing for certain that she wouldn't turn back.
Don't get me wrong - talent is great. I think you need a certain amount of talent to succeed in whatever your chosen path is, but beyond that, you need perseverance. Plenty of talented writers will never be published. It takes perseverance and doing that 20th revision, if necessary, to get it right. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise! Now excuse me, while I get back to my 20th revision...:)
Does anyone else have writerly inspiration that has helped them through a rough time?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
What Kind of Author Will You Be? (and more)
So I'm totally cheating today because I'm knee deep in critiquing and revising (because um, I started querying and I got some requests and now I'm freaking out. OMG.)
Anyhoo, if you're not following Veronica Roth's blog you totally should be. Today I'm going to share with you her latest post Equal Opportunity Preparation because it's awesome and she says a lot of things I would love to say, so much better than I could say them. So go check it out!
Also I'm typing up this post from my very own brand new 13" Macbook Pro! This is take two with the Macbook since the first one I ordered from the Apple Store arrived the day the new Macbooks were released. To say I was a little upset about this would be an understatement. Fortunately Apple was kind enough to allow me to return my Macbook - at my own expense - and then take over two weeks to refund the money so that I could buy another much better one! Ah, Apple, so thoughtful!
This is my dedicated writing computer. Scrivener you better be worth it! It's small enough that I can take it anywhere and I'm not going to put anything but writing software on it so that I don't get distracted doing other things. Wish me luck!
Any Mac users have any tips for me? It's all new to me, I'm still getting used to it. (Not to mention my eyes are adjusting to coming down from my 19" monitor!) I wish I could have widgets/gadgets on my desktop. Is this possible?
Anyhoo, if you're not following Veronica Roth's blog you totally should be. Today I'm going to share with you her latest post Equal Opportunity Preparation because it's awesome and she says a lot of things I would love to say, so much better than I could say them. So go check it out!
Also I'm typing up this post from my very own brand new 13" Macbook Pro! This is take two with the Macbook since the first one I ordered from the Apple Store arrived the day the new Macbooks were released. To say I was a little upset about this would be an understatement. Fortunately Apple was kind enough to allow me to return my Macbook - at my own expense - and then take over two weeks to refund the money so that I could buy another much better one! Ah, Apple, so thoughtful!
This is my dedicated writing computer. Scrivener you better be worth it! It's small enough that I can take it anywhere and I'm not going to put anything but writing software on it so that I don't get distracted doing other things. Wish me luck!
Any Mac users have any tips for me? It's all new to me, I'm still getting used to it. (Not to mention my eyes are adjusting to coming down from my 19" monitor!) I wish I could have widgets/gadgets on my desktop. Is this possible?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
There Is No Competition
As some of you might know, I was stunned and thrilled to be one of the winners of Miss Snark's First Victim's Secret Agent contest! (You can read my entry here - #6 Imaginary Heart) But after jumping up and down and blogging/tweeting/facebook announcing my win I started to think about that word.
Winner. What does it really mean? How can you "win" a subjective contest. And that reminded me of a an idea I've kicked around since my acting days. The idea that there is no competition especially not when it comes to art. (And writing is art, just in case you didn't know.) How can anyone win anything that's based on personal preference? The ten of us selected in this month's Secret Agent contest appealed to that agent at this time in her life. Another agent might not have liked any of the entries she chose.
It's the same with the stories you tell. What resonates with some people won't resonate with others, but does that mean that the story that a million people relate to is better than the one that only five people love? No. Especially if those five people love that book with their whole heart and soul.
Sure you can look at things like how much money a book made, how many copies it sold, but even that doesn't mean much. Books don't start on a level playing field. Some will have bigger marketing budgets, or people who really "get" the story and who it's for.
The point I'm trying to make is that if you base your idea of success on the money you make, the number of books you sell, or the awards you receive, you're going to live a frustrating and disappointing life. Because there's always going to be someone with more opportunities than you, or who's "better" than you at something. And when you focus all your energy on distilling what the "winner" did into a formula and executing it just to beat that one person or thing, you rob yourself of the freedom to create what speaks to you most. The thing that could be your own personal biggest success ever.
Besides, a win for one writer is a win for us all because it means people are buying books!
With that, I leave you with two quotes I came across in the awesome book The Art of War For Writers by James Scott Bell
In the end, a first-class you is better than a second-hand version of somebody else. Write books that can't be clumped with a bunch of similar ones.
- David Morrell
Don't worry about trying to be better than someone else. Always try to be the very best you can be. Learn from others, yes. But don't just try to be better than they are. You have no control over that. Instead try, and try very hard, to be the best you can be. That you have control over.
- John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach
Winner. What does it really mean? How can you "win" a subjective contest. And that reminded me of a an idea I've kicked around since my acting days. The idea that there is no competition especially not when it comes to art. (And writing is art, just in case you didn't know.) How can anyone win anything that's based on personal preference? The ten of us selected in this month's Secret Agent contest appealed to that agent at this time in her life. Another agent might not have liked any of the entries she chose.
It's the same with the stories you tell. What resonates with some people won't resonate with others, but does that mean that the story that a million people relate to is better than the one that only five people love? No. Especially if those five people love that book with their whole heart and soul.
Sure you can look at things like how much money a book made, how many copies it sold, but even that doesn't mean much. Books don't start on a level playing field. Some will have bigger marketing budgets, or people who really "get" the story and who it's for.
The point I'm trying to make is that if you base your idea of success on the money you make, the number of books you sell, or the awards you receive, you're going to live a frustrating and disappointing life. Because there's always going to be someone with more opportunities than you, or who's "better" than you at something. And when you focus all your energy on distilling what the "winner" did into a formula and executing it just to beat that one person or thing, you rob yourself of the freedom to create what speaks to you most. The thing that could be your own personal biggest success ever.
Besides, a win for one writer is a win for us all because it means people are buying books!
With that, I leave you with two quotes I came across in the awesome book The Art of War For Writers by James Scott Bell
- David Morrell
Don't worry about trying to be better than someone else. Always try to be the very best you can be. Learn from others, yes. But don't just try to be better than they are. You have no control over that. Instead try, and try very hard, to be the best you can be. That you have control over.
- John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Success - It's All About Attitude
Today I bring you a Note from the Universe to remind you that even when you're stuck in what feels like limbo, waiting for someone to request your ms, sign you as a client, or buy your book, you're not powerless. No matter how much it feels like someone (or something) else has all the control, only you have the power to create the life you live.
Here's what The Universe says about achieving your most daunting goals:
Invariably, when big dreams come true, and I mean BIG, there is a total metamorphosis of one's life. Their thoughts change, their words change, decisions are made differently, gratitude is tossed about like rice at a wedding, priorities are rearranged, and optimism soars.... Yeah, they're almost annoying.
You could have guessed all that, huh?
Would you have guessed that these changes, invariably, come before, not after, their dream's manifestation?
Isn't it amazing how sometimes things are so obvious but we never think about them that way? The Universe has spoken! Now, go! Dream BIG!
Here's what The Universe says about achieving your most daunting goals:
Invariably, when big dreams come true, and I mean BIG, there is a total metamorphosis of one's life. Their thoughts change, their words change, decisions are made differently, gratitude is tossed about like rice at a wedding, priorities are rearranged, and optimism soars.... Yeah, they're almost annoying.
You could have guessed all that, huh?
Would you have guessed that these changes, invariably, come before, not after, their dream's manifestation?
Isn't it amazing how sometimes things are so obvious but we never think about them that way? The Universe has spoken! Now, go! Dream BIG!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Inspiration
I don't know if you're familiar with them, but I subscribe to Notes From The Universe. Monday through Friday, The Universe (as in the one we live in) sends me messages of encouragement and hope. They're tailored to my own personal life goals, but since one of those is to be published, I thought I'd share a couple recent ones today.
The trick is learning to maintain an unwavering focus upon your desired end result, your completed dream, the "finish line," without insisting upon, or even contemplating, its means of attainment, no matter how logical, obvious, or tempting it may seem.
I love this. It's so true. As so many have pointed out before me (most recently, Kiersten White had a great post on this) there is no magic formula for the next bestseller. Don't waste your time wondering if you've got the "right" story for the market, or trying to figure out the "next big trend". Just write your book the way you see it. Write the story you want to read. If you let the joy of the process come through in your writing, and you write what you love, others will pick up on that energy and love it too.
I've found that "The Secret" really works. Visualize yourself where you want to be in your career. Don't worry if you can't figure out the details, logic, or any possible way that you'll get there. Just write your book as though it's already sold. Already getting rave reviews.
It's so much more fun to be writing the best book ever(!) than it is to write a worthless piece of crap that will never sell.
People who do all they can, with what they've got, from where they are, no matter how puny their actions, how tiny their steps, or how futile it may seem, simply have more fun. Way.
Of course, to the uninitiated it doesn't appear that way. To them it appears as if only those taking gigantic leaps, who drive cars with fancy wheels, have loads of friends, perfect bodies, and fly around the world in First Class Sleeper Seats, are having fun. But what they don't realize is that we're often talking about the very same folks, just at different points in their journey.
Like Kristi said last week, it's all about baby steps! As long as you're moving forward you're going somewhere. I like this because it reminds me that everyone successful started out clueless and uncertain, but they're successful because they kept going even when it was scary, or difficult, or they were exhausted or discouraged.
A "no" is not the end, it's just another step along your journey to success.
What are some of your favorite inspriational or encouraging messages? What keeps you going?
The trick is learning to maintain an unwavering focus upon your desired end result, your completed dream, the "finish line," without insisting upon, or even contemplating, its means of attainment, no matter how logical, obvious, or tempting it may seem.
I love this. It's so true. As so many have pointed out before me (most recently, Kiersten White had a great post on this) there is no magic formula for the next bestseller. Don't waste your time wondering if you've got the "right" story for the market, or trying to figure out the "next big trend". Just write your book the way you see it. Write the story you want to read. If you let the joy of the process come through in your writing, and you write what you love, others will pick up on that energy and love it too.
I've found that "The Secret" really works. Visualize yourself where you want to be in your career. Don't worry if you can't figure out the details, logic, or any possible way that you'll get there. Just write your book as though it's already sold. Already getting rave reviews.
It's so much more fun to be writing the best book ever(!) than it is to write a worthless piece of crap that will never sell.
People who do all they can, with what they've got, from where they are, no matter how puny their actions, how tiny their steps, or how futile it may seem, simply have more fun. Way.
Of course, to the uninitiated it doesn't appear that way. To them it appears as if only those taking gigantic leaps, who drive cars with fancy wheels, have loads of friends, perfect bodies, and fly around the world in First Class Sleeper Seats, are having fun. But what they don't realize is that we're often talking about the very same folks, just at different points in their journey.
Like Kristi said last week, it's all about baby steps! As long as you're moving forward you're going somewhere. I like this because it reminds me that everyone successful started out clueless and uncertain, but they're successful because they kept going even when it was scary, or difficult, or they were exhausted or discouraged.
A "no" is not the end, it's just another step along your journey to success.
What are some of your favorite inspriational or encouraging messages? What keeps you going?
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