Writing Process Blog Chain

Thanks to the fabulous Michelle Tran who tagged me in the Writing Process Blog Chain last week. Be sure to check out what she has to say about her process on her blog, here.

1. What am I currently working on?

I just started editing my second draft of my YA retelling. It's a loose retelling and I hope to share more details later. It has elements of science fiction. I would classify it as light sci-fi as it's set in our present world. The first draft took almost 2 years, a long time compared to my other books. Partially this was due to the massive amount of research I had to do, part of the trouble with having a hyper intelligent main character. I also suffered from a rough bout of writer's block for a while and I couldn't be happier to have that behind me.

I also am working on a YA Fantasy about a girl struggling to accept and make sense of her own abilities while the magic community she lives in is rife with political drama and civil unrest. So far I have the complete outline and the first two chapters written, but it'll be on the back burner while I edit.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

There's no clearly defined villain or evil force at work. My characters do a fantastic job of ruining their lives without outside help. Likewise, there's not a hero. My main character is not a bad person, but I wouldn't say he's a great one when the story starts either.

Another thing that sets it apart is that my main character is a teenage boy. While that's not unheard of it is rare in YA. Many books with male MCs still focus on a female character, such as the Caster Chronicles which are told from Ethan's perspective but he shares the story with Lena. Maybe YA books with male MCs don't sell as well? Obviously, I'm hoping that's not the case.

3. Why do I write what I do?

I'm going to sound like a total hippie (because I kind of am) but I write what comes to me. I can't force plots or characters to reveal themselves, I've tried. I get an idea, I don't know where they come from. Usually it happens when I'm in that fragile place between sleeping and wakefulness. When an idea grabs me I try to make sense of it the best I can.

I've always been partial to fantasy and all kinds of speculative fiction, though I have written short stories that were contemporary Adult fiction. I read a lot of fantasy and I think my brain is tuned in to that genre. I like the examination of ordinary people forced into extraordinary situations which is common in fantasy novels. For better or worse, it forces the characters to evolve.

4. How does my writing process work?

• Get idea-Thank the gods of inspiration for choosing me!
• Type frantically in fear of losing idea
• Outline the whole book-I've been getting better at this. 
• Write the rough draft- Sometimes I know I'm writing crap. I need to do so to get through a slump or a difficult scene. I know this doesn't work for all writers but this is the best method I've find for me. 
• Edit rough draft-This is when I smooth out the rough parts until I have a clean first draft.
• Send the first draft to my Betas-My friend Ashley has been the first to read each of my completed books. Jess is a close second and helpful grammar guru.
• Edit with Beta feedback into a polished second draft.

After that I decide if I think the book is worth working on or if it's time to give up. That might sound harsh or even like I'm calling it quits too soon, but the truth is I've written a lot of crap. I'm undoubtedly going to write a lot more crap in the future. It takes a long time to write something that you're proud of. And while editing can improve a book drastically, there is a point when it's clearly time to move on. For me it's usually around the second or third draft.

My first two books were great learning experiences and those characters will always be with me, but I wouldn't want them to be published because I wasn't proud of the stories or the writing. I knew I could do better and so I shelved them and moved on to my next project.

Currently, I still feel good about my YA retelling, but it's too soon to say anything. If I feel good after I'm done with this round of edits, I'll send it to be critiqued and keep editing from there. I've never queried agents, because none of my books have ever been ready, but I imagine after lots of editing it would be time to query. Of course, then there will be more editing. Basically, the editing doesn't end until the book is published or the writer surrenders.

***

I'm passing the chain along to fellow blogger extraordinaire Cindy R. Wilson, check out her blog and see what she says next Monday. Thanks for letting me tag you, Cindy!

Cindy R. Wilson grew up telling her siblings stories she invented every night before bed, and realized quickly she wanted to be a writer as an adult. As a mother of three girls, YA drama is a big part of her life. Writing for young adults gives her the opportunity to combine her passion for romance with elements that are more out of this world. Cindy resides in Colorado near the foothills, where the mountains and forests often inspire settings in her stories.

Outlining and Plot Mapping

Historically, I've been more of a pantser than a plotter when it comes to writing. This is quite the opposite of how I behave in every other aspect of my life. I love planning and in certain situations require a plan or else. Seriously, if you ever see a distressed woman in glasses rushing through the aisles at Whole Foods, picking things up and putting them back down that's me and I forgot to make a grocery list. 

Ideas for stories usually come to me in pieces. The initial idea sneaks in and leaves me with a premise, a scene, or a character. Once I start writing, I hope the rest of the story presents itself. Usually it does and I'll throw together a shaky outline then. If it doesn't, I'm left staring at my word document until I start to wonder if that flashing cursor could be some form of message like Morse Code. Only I don't know Morse Code and each flash seems to be of equal length. 

In an effort to avoid that I decided to put an outline together for my new story which I'm currently calling TEMPEST. My outline method was the basic Outline Format in Word. I kept it chronological, though I included quick summaries of back story where relevant. Right now it looks like each bullet point is a chapter but it's unlikely they'll stay that way. I know myself better than to think I'll stick exactly to what I have in mind. My characters take over and I generally let them lead the way. 

One thing I know will be an issue in this story is when to reveal information. Fortunately I stumbled upon an awesome blog post by Chersti Nieveen on how to do a basic outline. It explains how to make a plot map just like Jo Rowling uses. The chapters are listed vertically and the top row lists each plot in the story. This makes the plot development visual. Once everything is filled in, a quick glance can tell you if you've lost a plot along the way or have gone too long without mentioning it.

 I know she prefers pen and paper, but why so messy, Jo? Of course, I knew I'd be plot mapping Jo Rowling Style only neater and in Microsoft Excel, because I use Excel for everything. If your familiar with The Order of the Phoenix you'll note how even the best and most successful writers allow the story to change when the characters and plots demand it. 

Can't believe Umbridge's name was originally Elvira. Umbridge was the worst. Just thinking about her makes me grumpy, but as my friend Sarah always says when hoping someone gets their comeuppance, "The centaurs will come eventually." and they certainly came for Umbridge. Thank goodness for that.

Seeing the plots this way is particularly helpful for me since the amount of time I spend writing is not proportionate to the amount I've written. It may feel like forever since I've mentioned the subplot involving my character's best friend, but in reality it may have just been in the last chapter. There's also the possibility that you might forget to wrap up a subplot before you send your book to your first set of beta readers. That happened to me and I'm still filled with regret. If I had this plot map for my last story I could have avoided so much self shaming. Don't be like Monica, friends. Make a plot map.

My Writing Life: The In Between Times

While finishing my book I was busy. Not regular busy, I was crazy-nose-to-the-keyboard-busy, writing and revising every free minute I had. For weeks my eyes were twitching and I had the craziest dreams. I wasn't even reading as much as usual. Finally my draft was ready and I sent it to two betas. I decided I'd take a break from that story. The plan was not to look at it for six weeks (this is the Stephen King advice). Hopefully when I pick my book up again, it will be with fresh eyes that can see the forest and the trees and all the plot points that need tweaking.

Actual trees

So I relaxed into the in-between life finally done writing and not yet editing. I tried to soak up the sense of pride at completing something. Surprisingly that worked for a few days. I watched Orphan Black and gave my dog a haircut. I had a list of books to read, some as research for my book. Tragically, despite how I tried to occupy my time I was left with too much of it. Maybe I was too adjusted to the hectic writing schedule or simply cannot handle being an inbetweener.* My mind itched to open the word document to start revising. I remembered things I need to clarify and I'm pretty sure I forgot to tie up one kind of important subplot. My betas are going to kill me. There was no way I'd make it six weeks without writing, so I pulled out an ongoing list of story ideas. I wrote a few lines summarizing what I would do with each one until I felt that tug and knew I'd found my next project.

Initially I thought starting a new book while another one is still in progress would be confusing. I was afraid I'd lose interest in my completed story and when the six weeks were up I'd ignore revisions in favor of writing the new book. Writing generally being more pleasant than revising which requires harsh self assessment. I suppose that could still happen, but I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't. Possibly the new book will keep me optimistic when it's time to switch to editing mode or when I'm reviewing notes from betas asking, whatever happened to that pivotal character who is missing from the end of the book? Seriously, so sorry about that.




Disclaimer: Inbetweener is not a word. The Inbetweeners was a British sitcom about teenage boys. I have never been British or a teenage boy.

All About Balance

We hear a lot of advice on balance. It's supposed to be found everywhere in our lives from our diets to our checkbooks, but achieving it is rarely as easy as it sounds.

Once during a yoga class the woman next to me could not maintain tree pose. She'd have it for a second but then she'd tremble and stumble precariously until both feet were on the mat. After failing a few times, she huffed loudly and our yoga instructor addressed her with the zen attitude you'd expect. "Some days it's harder to find our balance than others. Try not to get frustrated. I know you can do this pose, but it might not work for your body today." 

I personally have experienced days where balancing poses seem impossible, though the day before I felt like I could have held them for hours. I think what my yoga instructor said applies not only to our physical body but to all aspects of one's self.

As a writer, mathematician, yogi, runner, homebody, lover of the outdoors, knitter, reader, dog mom, fan of silence, and music enthusiast finding a comfortable, steady equilibrium can be an intense act of juggling that frequently ends in bruises and tears.

Fortunately, my day job keeps my analytically minded needs met while writing and reading allow me an outlet for my creativity. Unfortunately, all of those activities keep my body stationary which drives me crazy. I need exercise or I'll wind up in my crankypants grumbling at the dog for doing things like wanting to be pet or panting loudly.

In his book On Writing, Stephen King recommends that writers make a point of being active. He takes a regular 4 mile walk to clear his head and work through troublesome plot points. Walking is definitely a great thing for a writer. No matter how frustrated I am at the start of a walk, after half a mile or so I feel better and it's easier to figure things out. Like Stephen King I live in New England and despite my love for watching falling snow and curling up with a cup of hot cocoa I'm not walking 4 miles in the middle of a polar vortex.

Lucky for me, I love my yoga and that can be done in the warmth of my living room anytime. I try to practice every morning. That means I usually do it at least four days a week. Four days is generally enough to keep me satisfied and the crankypants safely tucked away.

No matter how much we plan and work on it, there will always be times when we feel off balance. The important thing to remember while we wobble through the day is that finding that balance isn't a final goal that will ever be complete. It's a constant work in progress.

What do you need to stay balanced?

On My Writing Playlist: The Flys

Yet another one from the 90's on my playlist, "Got you where I want you" was a hit in 1998 from The Flys. I don't know any of their other songs but like a lot of music from my teen years this transports me back to high school and puts me in the proper mindset to write my young adult characters.

The lyrics are sweet but there is, in my opinion, something kind of creepy about his determination considering he doesn't even know her name.

Love at first sight is cute and romantic, but when it's one-sided it can come off like obsessive stalking. The lyrics are set to a slower, haunting rhythm which adds to the feeling that this is an unrequited crush. It leaves me questioning if the girl being admired even knows he exists.

To Query or Not to Query

Since my Beta Readers have (for the most part) read my story the feedback is slowly coming in on my most recent draft. Every time someone mentions reading or finishing or even enjoying my book, I get this queasy feeling and struggle to make eye contact. I keep wondering if it's possible to have an illustrious writing career where no one has to read your work. I wish I was joking. Still I'm easing up to the idea that folks are reading my book. And they claim to want more! They're so sweet. While they beg me for spoilers about a potential sequel, not all the questions are on the novel's content. One thing being asked, is if I will try to get it published. And that, as my writer friends know, is a loaded question.

And wrapped up in that one little voiced curiosity are many other questions:

Do I think it's good enough to be published?

Shrug

Do I think I could find an agent? 

Maybe

Is this a book I want to be known for?

If I edit it again, it might be. 

Will anyone want to read it?

Sigh

Do I have the nerves of steel necessary to handle rejections and professional critiques from agents, editors and publishing houses?

Hopefully

Will I break down in Barnes & Noble because nobody is jumping to publish my book when I see the huge Fifty Shades of Grey display?

Yes.

 Oh, and I'm terrified at the thought of contacting agents.

The thing is, while writing and editing it, I had confidence. I believed it was a story worth telling and I felt-if I got it right-it would be worthy of publication. I don't think I could have spent so long on it if I didn't.

Now I'm working on a new project and I feel more confident. This could be the one. But isn't that how I felt before? Maybe I'm growing as a writer and this is all normal, though the little doubtful voice in my head wonders if I'm like Charlie Brown and every time I convince myself this is it, I'm going to get it right and kick that ball, I'm wrong.



Tragic



Only there is no one playing Lucy in my analogy. I'm my own Lucy. Someday when I do send out query letters, and submission to editors there will be many faces to Lucy. There will be a lot of disappointment and maybe it's fear of the inevitable rejections that's keeping me from answering with a definitive and hopeful, "Yes, I will try to publish."

Still, you don't want to query before your book and you are both ready. Hesitation isn't necessarily a bad thing but I wonder, am I being realistic or just lacking confidence? Maybe it's like falling in love, once you finally experience it, you have no doubts. The doubt is proof that it's not right.

It's tough. I've heard writers claim to never feel done, never feel completely confident in their work. It could always be better in their minds. Is that what I'm feeling? How do you know the difference anyway?

I see you shrugging.

On My Writing Playlist: Pearl Jam

"Alive" by Pearl Jam captures what could end up being the main theme of my current writing endeavor. I can never be sure where the story will take me until I've already arrived and take an investigative look around. However, I am certain the question asked in this song will be at the least one of several major themes.

Whether someone is deserving life or not is prevalent in my story, I am of the mind (and I believe Mr. Vedder is in agreement with me on this) that it's not the answer but the person answering who is more intriguing. Who decides if someone is or isn't worthy to be alive? A jury of peers? A dark figure in a littered alleyway? A doctor holding defibrillator paddles?

Furthermore, what happens when knowledge and circumstance deliver us beyond preserving or ending life but creating it? What responsibilities come with that power?

On My Writing Playlist: Laura Marling

I've spent a lot of time meditating on my next project. I've been working on it, but that's mainly involved jotting down notes and editing the frighteningly detailed outline. A few vital scenes have been written. I read books and watch documentaries for research.

It's all so organized I'm beginning to get concerned.

One thing I've been focusing on is the truth of good and evil. I love and appreciate stories where they are absolute like in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. The bad guy is as bad as it gets, there's no remorse for Voldy, no tears are shed for Sauron. But as Sirius says in Order of the Phoenix, "The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters." The lines of good and evil may be drawn before the battle but by the end everything is blurred and gray. I want to capture my characters in the right way, to show that I have not just an anti-hero, but an anti-villain as well.

The lyrics to "Night After Night" by Laura Marling are, to me, words sung by someone in the midst of a torturous struggle. The world is split into black and white but they look in the mirror and see every shade of gray. the song reminds me of a Poe monologue. It's enough to make you crazy. It's enough to make you pick a side.

On My Writing Playlist: CAKE

"Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" from CAKE is a fun song which is ironically blasted through the speakers at parties thrown by spoiled trust fund teens at their fancy boarding school in my next book.

Enjoy!




"Excess ain't rebellion"

A Wall, a Plea, and a Song



In college my nightmares kind of looked like this.

 One of my math professors-no, no, don't go. I promise this post isn't about math. This professor told the class that everyone hits a wall in mathematics at some point. Maybe math was easy all throughout high school and we thought that would always be the case-it's not. Eventually there will be a concept we struggle to comprehend. We may want to give up, change majors, or drop the class. So why the pep talk? He wanted his students prepared, so when we hit our wall we didn't give up.


Writers also have a wall we bang up against on occasion. Call it writer's block if you want, but to me writer's block is when you don't know what to write about. The wall of doom I speak of will project itself anywhere it can to disrupt your writing process. It only has one goal-to stop you. Beyond that its aims are not specific.

This is a test and the only way to pass it is to keep on writing or revising or plotting or whatever you were doing before the wall appeared.

When working on a novel you will reach a point where you think it's complete garbage, a useless waste of time, and an entirely unsalvageable mess.



 

 Don't freak out, it's just another part of the process. Walk away from your keyboard for a few days if you must. Read your favorite book. Talk to someone about your story or if, like me, you are overly secretive write a summary of the problems you are having. What needs to happen? Why isn't it happening? Solutions will come as long as you do whatever you need to do to keep going. The wall will disappear and you'll be much happier with your story. Too many people stop when the writing gets tough. This is me urging you to think twice before giving up.

The more I stumble along with my editing process, the better my story becomes. I have a long list of revisions set aside to apply to my almost complete draft number three which will (hopefully) turn it into a sparkling fourth draft.

The last few weeks I was hitting the wall and I didn't know what to do, but I didn't stop working and now the wall's gone. I feel good and I want you to feel good too.




And because it's Wednesday, here is a little music for you. I love this because it combines my left and right brainedness into one quirky song.

On My Writing Playlist: Ray LaMontagne

My main character is kind of a jerk, we've established this. In fact, he is full of flaws. Such as not knowing or appreciating what he has until it's been lost. Left with only himself to blame, as the architect of his own misery, he sinks to his lowest point of hopelessness.

Someday I plan to stop plotting and start writing in earnest. When that happens I may post a (very short) scene from this project on the blog. So I can stop being so vague and so my followers can get a taste for my writing.

Until then, enjoy Ray LaMontagne's live version of "Gone Away From Me"

On My Writing Playlist: Jenny Owen Youngs

"What Beats Within" is a song about confessing or trying to at least. It's the perfect addition to my playlist since my main character has no shortage of mistakes. But sometimes admiting what you've done is unfathomable. This is especially true when you are left questioning whether it was even real or if you've lost your mind somewhere along the quest for greatness.




Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

On My Writing Playlist: The Horrible Crowes

It's grey and rainy in Philadelphia, making it the ideal time to slow things down with "Lady Killer" from The Horrible Crowes. Brian Fallon, from The Gaslight Anthem, started this band as a side project. Their album, Elsie, is perfect listening for Fall and in my opinion for writing and brainstorming young adults novels.






Hope everyone is having a great week and for all those NaNoWriMo participants, may the word count be ever in your favor.

On My Writing Playlist: Florence & the Machine

No matter how genius our characters are they always manage to overlook something. My main character is a little too cocky about his endeavours. He makes decisions first and thinks them through later. He realizes someone is going to pay for his mistakes and is left wondering who is the lamb and who is the knife.

This is the theme in this week's song " Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" by Florence & the Machine.

Enjoy!

On My Writing Playlist: Weezer

"Troublemaker" is the first song I put on my new playlist. My main character is a guy who is as easy to love as he is to hate and sometimes I laugh at his attitude. Much like how I laugh at this song. At least that is how I feel, but he is hardly on the pages yet, so this is really based on his personality in my head. Enjoy!





Happy Wednesday!

You Betcha, Beta!

If you have been following my blog for the last few months then you are probably tired of reading about me editing my YA Fantasy. Well you are in luck because I am changing my focus to a new story which at the moment is only an outline and a few hundred words of nonsense. The new story is a YA Retelling, there are fantasy elements, of course.

The YA Fantasy will continue to be edited and critiqued two chapters at a time with my super fabulous critique group. But I won't be waxing on and off about here.

I have finally sent copies to a few Beta Readers.

Eek!

It isn't perfect, far from it actually. However, it is time for it to be read. I am tired of keeping it to myself. I keep thinking about what Ursula LeGuin said.

"An unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story.”




I want it to come to life, to be a proper story. And then I want to perfect it. I want to know other peoples' thoughts because I am getting lost in the minutiae. For every hundred words I add, I remove just as many. I need to talk to someone who has read the whole thing, so they can ask questions.

It's time to let my sweet betas breathe some life into it and see if it can stand.

On My Writing Playlist: Dar Williams

I love this song. "It's Alright" is about change and acceptance and it rocks, even though you may cringe at Ms. William's use of "alright" over the more grammar friendly "all right." This song could probably be on every writing playlist, since characters inevitably change over the duration of a story. So go ahead and steal it for yours.

On My Writing Playlist: Serena Ryder

There is a lot my main character is left to learn on her own. For the most part she takes it in stride, but sometimes it's too much. To me that is what this song, called "Sweeping The Ashes" is about.

On My Writing Playlist: The Gaslight Anthem

Maybe it's all the teenager references or because I am so attracted to their adorable, tattooed frontman, Brian Fallon, or maybe it's just the awesomeness of the band but I have every song by The Gaslight Anthem on my playlist for my YA Fantasy. My main character loves Gaslight a lot. I might love them even more. Therefore, I shall post two videos for you to watch or ignore as you see fit. 

This one, called "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?" really captures my main character at the beginning of the story. She plays the guitar and I imagine she turns her amp up and belts this one out when has a bad day.




It is so hard to only choose two, but I can't post them all. "Navesink Banks" is slower, and hints more toward where my character is at the end of the book. And no she doesn't become a pickpocket.



Brian can stay at my house. . . just saying.