Tag Archives: writing

September 17, 2016 · 10:17 pm

An Update As The Seasons Swing

Howdy, folks! Been a little while. How’s the weather over there? Temperate? Cold? Hot? It’s got to be one of them, right?

This year has been an interesting one. In April, my partner took a job as a traveling nurse, so we’ve been on the road for the last few months. I sent my third book off to a few agents and publishers. I became more involved with the HWA, first by going to the fantastic convention in Vegas, then by volunteering to help found and contribute to their YouTube channel. I’ve written two more books this year in addition to the three I already had waiting in the wings.

All in all, despite my silence, I’ve been keeping myself busy.

That said, most of that busy hasn’t translated into things I can take to people who enjoy reading my work, and for that, I’m sorry. The way things are shaping up, it doesn’t look as though I’ll be releasing a book this year. I have several I could, but none of them are quiet cooked yet. I don’t want to rush the process for the sake of having a slightly larger library. It’s not as though I have fans clamoring for my latest work, but I feel guilty about it regardless. There are a few of you who’ve reached out and asked. Rest assured, it’s coming.

In fact, my intent is to release two books next year. As it stands, I want to spend the rest of this year writing short fiction and putting the final touches on the ever growing pile of novels I have. A lot of this work on the back end of this year will leave me a little more breathing room to have something for you come 2017. As it turns out, selling books is about as much work as writing them, and it isn’t nearly as much fun. (But you didn’t hear that from me)

I’ll probably release a few short stories on the website so you don’t forget I’m here ticking away at the keyboard until the wee hours of the morning, but it won’t be until November or October. Until then, there is some good news. I recently released All That Remains on NetGalley. It’s open to anyone who wants a copy until March. If you or any of your friends haven’t done so, now’s the time to give it a read.

I’ll talk to you again soon, folks. Until then, thanks for taking the time to visit.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , , ,

February 19, 2016 · 8:14 pm

A Commentary On Word Counts

I’ve been lucky the last few years. Not only have I gotten to follow my dream and write, but I’ve been exposed to a number of amazing peers in the process. I’ve gotten to speak to people whose work I adore, and I’ve made a lot of friends along the way. More than once, I’ve sat and thought about how awesome it is to have met so many other people who are as passionate about my field as I am. My “writing time” is spent in equal parts alone and with those people. Word counts come up a lot. I see it with experienced writers, intermediates such as myself, and more than anywhere, among the newest writers. There is a temptation to place the value of all of your work into how much work you’re getting done, and I think this is a mistake. Mind you, I don’t think word counts themselves are bad, I think placing the value of your work on how much work you’re producing is, and this is a trend I’m seeing a lot in self-publishing.

Writing isn’t a clock punching job. I don’t think any art is. When you make your living off of art you certainly have to put the time and effort into it, and only a fool would say otherwise. You will have timetables as editors, publishers, and agents begin to work with you. There will be expectations of punctuality once you become a professional, but I don’t think that should be confused with word count. (Especially as a newer writer) There is a temptation to get as much work done as you can and to sell it. After all, many of us have dreamed about this our whole lives. We envision a future in which we can support ourselves through the efforts we put into our writing, and so we want to put as much effort in as we can. But effort can’t be measured solely by word count, in the same way that success can’t be measured only by income. I think it’s a trap that a lot of people just getting into the industry fall into, and I think that work often suffers for it.

My editor, a much more experienced author and member of this community, has had a similar talk with me over the last few months. She noticed my eagerness to always have the next book out. All of our correspondences had time tables and assumptions about when I could get X book out if only I put Y amount of work in. I don’t think this approach is inherently flawed, I just think it’s missing the forest for the trees. Writing is more than just spewing words just like painting is more than throwing colored pudding on paper. (Or canvas. Don’t be a paint snob) After she pointed out the pattern, I couldn’t unseen it. I took a step back and tried to get a larger view of what I was doing and what I wanted from it. I came to realize that I was using word counts as a way to force myself to work, and even worse, as a way to compare myself to other writers. Instead of enjoying the process and trying to develop my work, I was constantly concerned with when I would be able to publish the next novel. I was more concerned with the ending than the journey. To be frank, I had stopped writing for myself.

Yes, word counts are one of the few daily metrics we have. And while it is a great thing to use, I am now of the mind that it’s not a good way to measure yourself as a writer, it’s just a good way to visualize the amount of time you’re putting in a day. You can write 10,000 words an hour and still be terrible at it, and you can jot 500 down in whatever little free time you have and make an amazing story. You could spend a week editing a chapter and have no word count to show for it after all, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t make progress. Word counts can’t measure the input that an editor or a trusted reader has. Your writing’s sum total value, and your ability as a writer, is not in the word count, and there is no need to torture yourself under the illusion that it is.

The worth of art is not measured in money. Yes, we need it to survive. Yes, we deserve it for our work, no matter what a bunch of verbal vomit maggots at some publications will say. (Looking at you Huffington Post. Also, fuck you) The worth of our writing is not measured in word counts either. To be honest, I don’t know how it is measured, or if it is at all. I thought I had a much better grasp on all of this when I was more inexperienced, but honestly, I’ve stopped worrying about it. Set a time frame you can live with, and work in that. Don’t tell yourself that your work is only worthwhile if you’re putting out two-thousand words per day, or if you’re putting out X amount of books a year, and certainly don’t confuse the worth you perceive in your writing with your self-worth. Remember, you’re following your dream and doing what you set out to do even when you’re doing it like a cold turd in a microwave. (We all have those days)

Am I saying not to use word counts? No. I’m saying that they should be used for what they are; a measurement. Don’t place value judgments on it. Don’t use it as a meter stick to compare yourself to other artists. Worry about you and your work first, going for quality before quantity. Of course, you should always take a spoonful of salt with any writing advice anyone gives you, and I’m just spit balling from my own experiences. I found that once I began to use my daily word count as a post-writing measurement, and not a pre-writing death-sentence, I was not only happier working every day, but my word count went up. I would always hit 1k a day, but usually fall short of my 2k goal. Now it’s been weeks since I wrote less than 2k in a day. Take that for what it’s worth.

As always, keep writing.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , ,

June 27, 2015 · 8:43 pm

Write To Completion

You have nothing until you have a book. Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? A lot of people don’t like to hear it. I recently attended a pitch session for my second novel. There were literary agents, editors, and publishers all present at the event. Before it began, they flat out stated, “We don’t want to hear ideas, we want finished products.” Not thirty minutes later one gentleman was outside telling everyone he didn’t have a book, but he had an idea that was going to knock their socks off.

I have no idea what happened to him in or after the pitch session. Well, scratch that, I know exactly what happened. He went in, told them he didn’t have a book, and they sent him right back out. Let’s set aside the fact that he ignored their instructions. (Also a big no no) Let’s pretend for a second that they were totally cool with an idea. What do you think they would have told him instead of, “Get out. Take the shame door.”

Do you have a guess?

Are you ready?

They would have told him to write the book.

You have to have something in hand before you can sell it. Pretend for a moment that publishers didn’t exist, and it was just you and the readers. They wouldn’t want to hear your ideas either, they’d want to see what you can do. There’s an old saying that opinions are like assholes; everyone’s got them. The same goes for ideas. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they were going to write a book, I wouldn’t need to write my own. Ideas don’t do anything without action. It isn’t a product. It’s the start of something great that hasn’t so much as seen the light of day.

Okay, enough with the harsh stuff. I didn’t come here today to browbeat anybody who is looking for advice. If it sounds mean, well, I’m not sorry. It needs to be said. If you want to be a writer, you have to write. And you don’t get to write part of a book, you have to write the whole damn thing. Unless you’re writing it with someone. I have no idea how that works. I mean, seriously, does one person write a word then pass it to the next? Do they just shout things at each other while someone writes it down? Can someone explain that to me? I don’t leave my writing room much, so I don’t actually recall what other people look like

Back on topic. Writing to completion. That’s the trick of it. Even if you get a great idea for a different book halfway through. Even if you hate that chapter. Even if you despise the whole damn thing from front to back; finish the book. If you haven’t done it before, you will be amazed at what you can do in edits. Anybody who says you can’t turn a sows ear into a silk purse has never edited a book. It’s magical. Like, “Oh my God, these beans turned into a ladder to a giant’s house,” magical.

I know you want it in your hands now. Everyone does. I’m working on book number five and I want to see it too. But it isn’t going to happen for you. Writing isn’t something that falls into your lap. It’s a verb. It’s an action. It’s something you have to get out there and do, and you have to do it all the way through. If you’re looking at sites to help you, then you’re already on the right track. But no amount of reading and thinking is going to make you a writer, only pen on paper and fingers on keys can do that.

Go forth and write. The rest of us want to see what you can do.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , ,

June 10, 2015 · 11:25 am

When To Light Your Book On Fire

Let me start by saying that the time is not now. Hold on the gasoline. Put down the lighter. (Or matches, whichever is your preference) We’ve all been there. It comes at different times for different people in different books. You might make it all the way to the end of the first draft before you decide a book is garbage. You may get half way through before you bust out the grill lighter. Hell, you might decide after one chapter that this entire endeavor was stupid, and you should light all books on fire because if you can’t do it, then by god, nobody can.

 

This is not an appropriate solution.

This is not an appropriate solution.

 

Everyone gets to this point, or at least everyone who is being honest with themselves. Maybe there’s a gal or a guy out there who knows with absolute certainty that they are an amazing writer, and they’ve never doubted their work once. Maybe this unicorn of a person has been right on the money every time, and they’ve never put a pen to paper and created something other than a masterpiece. I really doubt it though. Self-doubt comes with the territory in any artistic endeavor. You slave over something mentally, pour a lot of yourself into it, take the hours upon hours to work on it, and then you loathe it.

Here’s the thing: You can’t tell much of anything from a first draft, especially if you’re in the middle of it. I know it might hurt to hear this, but a first draft and a rough draft are the exact same thing. For Darker Shadows Lie Below, I ended up re-writing two thirds of the book in the second and third drafts. Some writers redo the entire thing after the first draft. Sometimes all you need is a few tweaks in edits, and sometimes you need a lot. Hell, there are occasions where you don’t need much at all. After a little time you come back to read what you wrote only to find that you really like it; and if you like it, someone else out there probably will too.

Don’t quit. Don’t burn your book. The absolute worst thing that can happen with it is a learning experience. You finish, you hate it, and you come out better prepared to write the next one. That’s the trick, isn’t it? Unless you aim to just be a one and done writer, there is always the next book. Finish what you’re on, and don’t get too caught up in the self-loathing. A little bit can be motivating, but too much of it is literary kryptonite. It saps your will to work, it takes the joy from it, and it makes your writing insecure. (Which is to say bland)

I don’t know if you’re a good writer. Maybe you just scribble out four letter words in crayon on a coloring book. Maybe you’re the next Hemingway. What I do know is that if you don’t finish, the rest of us will never find out.

Keep writing.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , , ,

January 23, 2015 · 12:01 am

Being Gracious, Being Professional

Not so long ago, I wrote a post about why it’s obnoxious to collect fifty thousand people on Twitter and spam them with, “99 cents today only!” It’s bad business. It makes it look as if you think of the people who enjoy your books as nothing more than a numbers game. Really, at the center of the matter, it comes down to a lack of courtesy.

Don’t get me wrong, writing is a business. There are no two ways about it. If you want to continue enjoying your life as an author, you either have to make your money doing it or continue a second job. But it’s actually social work at heart. Yes, true, when you’re in the throes of creation it’s just you and the words, but after that you have to get out there. Even if you’re a traditionalist, you have to make face time with people at some point.

Recently, I cleaned out my Twitter. When I first got on it I would follow anyone who wrote. I ended up with about three hundred people at one point, but I didn’t enjoy it. My feed was full of folks either hawking their wares or re-tweeting whatever clever catchphrase someone else had come up with. That’s not interfacing with other people, that’s screaming at them.

I know, I know, this makes me sound snobby. That’s fine, I’ll wear it. I’d much rather see artists and friends talking about their work and their lives than have them always pushing the hard sell. At the end of the day, I would rather dialogue and learn from a few people than roll the dice and hope a few of my 50k followers buy my book.

I’ve been told time and again that a massive following is what sells books, but I think some people confuse re-tweets and Facebook likes with sales. I’m a firm believer that quality comes first. Write the best book you can. The second step is being gracious. Go out and be you. Talk to people. Meet folks. Write about what you do on Twitter and Facebook. Don’t take the social out of social media. It isn’t Craigslist or a Sunday morning market. Good salesmanship is important, but you become an infomercial if that’s all you have.

Make connections outside of your normal circle of friends. Not only will your life be better for it, but you’ll probably sell a few books too. Does it translate to instant sales? Well, no; but the truth is, nothing does. If you’re looking for the quick and easy way to make it in this industry, you’re going to wind up on your ass. (Or looking like one) There is no magic button. The people who got successful right off the bat were lucky, talented beyond belief, or both. You can’t bottle that. Be cool, and be yourself. People will always respond better to that than to hawking.

Success can’t be broken down into a formula. If it could, anybody who put in the work would be a success. Just keep producing quality work, connect with people, and don’t miss an opportunity when you see it. Writing is a long haul game.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , , , ,

January 14, 2015 · 11:57 pm

Poetry & Prose

A good friend once told me, “No poets hang out with people who want to read their work.” And I find that to be shockingly true. If I offer a friend the chance to read my latest story, they jump at it. And while I offer it a lot less, the few times I’ve given anyone the chance to read my poems, they politely decline. (Or accept and never do.)

Maybe I’m just bad at it. That thought has occured to me. But even if I, or my readers, are really bad at poetry, there’s still a lot to be said for it. Someone once said that poetry is life. That’s a little dramatic for my tastes, but it is worth noting how long poetry has been around. It predates literacy. Back when we were still hitting things with clubs, poems and songs were how we passed down information. Some of the oldest written stories we have are written in poem. It’s not an accident. Poetry is a way in which people think, and a vehicle for them expressing that to the world. Some of my favorite prose is reminiscent of poetry. It rolls off the tongue and is pleasing to the ear, an essential quality in poems. (At least to my limited understanding of it)

Without meaning, poetry is just pretty words. Without a sound that catches the ear, it’s just prose in really short sentences. Poetry has to have both in order to work, and that’s where it can be of use to writers of prose. There’s something we need to talk about folks. Nobody puts down a book and says, “Man! He explained everything so much, and had so many unnecessary words! It was awesome!” There are two huge mistakes I see with newer writers. (Myself included until my editor beat me with a stick) We either use too many words in an attempt to fill in the gaps we don’t think the readers will fill in themselves, or we get so lost in the meanings behind the stories that we fall on our face with the actual language.

Poetry helps with both of those things. In poetry, having excess words is much more noticeable. Yes, plenty of poets still get away with it, but it becomes obvious in their poems. Long form poems that drag on and on about the same thing for a few dozen lines induce a mighty yawn, and then get put aside. On the flip side, poems so caught up in meaning that they become a garbled mess to listen to are cumbersome and unsatisfying. There’s something to be said for a hidden meaning, but when it’s so vague that you can’t figure out what it is, it stops being enlightening in any way.

Writing poetry can help prose writers see where they tend to err on either of those issues and adjust accordingly. In order to write poems with any talent at all, you have to read them. I started doing both, and I swear up and down it’s helped my prose writing a lot. I still suck at poetry, but it doesn’t stop me. Those are almost entirely for my eyes only.

If you’ve never considered it, give it a try. As a youngster, even as into writing and reading as I was, I never got into poetry. I considered it a poor man’s storytelling. Now, a few decades later, it’s just one more thing I’d like to go back in time and slap myself for. If you feel the same way now as I did then, please, try it. You might be shocked at what it does for your understanding of storytelling.

And as always, keep writing.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , , ,

January 6, 2015 · 6:47 pm

Excessive Character Descriptions (Stop It)

I love my characters. Despite most of them having huge flaws, and several of them being downright bad people, they’re a lot of fun to work with. In fact, the flaws make them more likeable than they would be without. A story about a good guy only doing good things isn’t much of a story. Internal conflicts and defining traits make characters relatable. They are the unique things that set them apart and draw them for us. A gay priest for instance, will instantly stand out. How does his religion affect his desire? Is he ashamed of it? Does he act on it? There are so many questions tied up that basic concept that it’s almost a story in and of itself.

Showing who a character is and shoving a readers face into it by telling are two very different things. Over explaining characters is a mistake I see a lot, even in more experienced authors. The gay priest becomes a good example of this. Just telling a reader he’s gay does nothing. It’s clumsy. Actions speak louder than words, even the most subtle actions. (An action just being subtle tells us about a character) Him thinking about what it all means, and showing us how it affects his daily actions, will always be more interesting than just reminding us he’s gay. While books are of course all words, how we use the words is what I want to talk about today.

I’m not saying that flat out stating things about a character is useless, just that it should just be done sparingly, and never on it’s own. In my second book I have two characters who have been around since the world went to shit ten years before. Sara is the gay daughter of a very conservative religious family. Kyle is a black sociology professor. Neither of these things are described until they are relevant to the story, and even then, they aren’t flat out stated. Why? Because informing someone of who a character is based on sexual preference and skin color isn’t actually telling you anything at all. Moreover, I like the idea of playing with the readers assumptions. If you filled in Kyle as a white character, would you look at him a little differently once you knew he was black? Would it change the way you see his actions? (Spoilers: It shouldn’t) I see a lot of stories in which sexuality and race are the defining characteristic of a person, but truth is, that’s bullshit. Does it change how those characters see the world? Of course. Does it tell you anything about them? No.

The only time Kyle’s race is mentioned is in a flashback in which a colleague accuses him of getting a job because of it. It’s hinted a few times in narrative, but never stated otherwise. Sara’s sexuality is only mentioned when a character asks her if she’s romantically involved with Kyle. She never says she’s gay, only offhandedly comments that Kyle isn’t toting the right equipment. If the book was about life in the city, I might have done otherwise. If the story was an examination of race and/or sexuality, I would explore it deeper. It’s not. It’s the tale of a group after the world ended. Their sexual preferences and skin color are only as relevant to one another as other characters/readers make it. It changes the way they see, understand, and feel things compared to one another, but all of that is expressed through thought, action, and dialogue.

It’s the same with any character. Unless someone being a red head is relevant, I don’t see much of a point in bringing it up. Kvothe in The Kingkiller Trilogy gets comments about his red hair a lot, and therefore his red hair is relevant. It also serves to show us that he stands out in a setting where red hair is uncommon. It makes him memorable when he is one of two characters who has it. Someone being 5’9 in a story of people who are all roughly 5’9 adds nothing. Telling us they have blue eyes and never bringing it up again is pointless. There are better ways of painting a picture. I seldom fail to notice when a book describes a character and does nothing with it. It’s word fat that can be cut to make a leaner narrative. (Always a good thing)

If someone gets teased for their weight, that’s a better way of telling us they’re fat. If they feel ashamed when they eat, you’ve done more to describe them than you would by telling us their pant size. (Inversely, saying that your character doesn’t give a damn what people think and eats what they want does the same, but paints a more confident picture.) If people call your character too-tall, or you mention he has to duck to get into doorways, that’s fine. If men are constantly showering your heroine with attention, we’ll understand that she is attractive. In any case, writing around the physical description serves more of a purpose than barreling through it the vast majority of the time. It gets us into the world without intruding on the narrative.

It’s just as true for personality, if not more so. Telling us anything about a character is weak. When I see. “Sara blushed, shy as ever,” it reminds me of a profile on a dating site. I like walk’s on the beach, and good friends. I’m very shy! “Sara’s cheeks heated up as the man smiled at her,” does the same thing. A character quickly losing their temper is better than telling us they have a short temper. Watching an addict make excuse after excuse for his behavior– watching him alienate everyone who loves him– is always better than just saying, “Aaron had a problem.” Making a character stand out is essential, but that doesn’t give a writer free reign to beat us over the head with telling instead of showing. Telling is at the heart of most bad writing, and this is no different.

Rushing is part of the problem. If you want to hurry up and establish a character in order to get on with the plot, you’ve already fucked up. A character should be revealed through the story. A good tale is more about the journey than the destination. If that wasn’t the case you could just sum up Lord of the Rings as, “Two hobbits threw a ring in the mountain, proving that the little guy can overcome anything. Also, technology is evil.” We should come to understand the character’s world view and who they are by how they handle what’s going on around them. They are as much the story as the plot itself. (Oftentimes more)

You’ve also got to remember, readers aren’t dumb. If you drop clues, they’ll get it. You don’t have to explain everything to them. If you don’t tell us what a character looks like, we won’t think it’s a faceless monster.

(Pictured: A non issue.)

(Pictured: A non issue.)

If your hero relates to a black woman being harassed by cops because he’s been persecuted as a gay man, we’ll understand their struggle. If it doesn’t matter, you shouldn’t bring it up anyway. Show us who your characters are. We’ll pick up on it. Promise.

As always, keep writing.

1 Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

December 21, 2014 · 11:44 pm

The Naysayers

“Oh, you write? What do you do for a real job though?”

Every profession has questions that they have to field on a regular basis that get on their nerves. When I was a soldier it was, “Did you kill anyone?” (I’m sure cops get it too) EMTs get the ever popular, “So, you’re an ambulance driver?” Lawyers love to hear, “So you keep criminals on the streets?”

("Yes. We all love crime. You nailed it Sherlock.")

(“Yes. We all love crime. You nailed it, Sherlock.”)

Since I’ve started writing with aspirations of it paying my bills, I’ve told people I’m a writer. It started off as a guilty admission. Why not? I hadn’t published a book yet, and while I would have granted any of my friends the title of writer if they asked for it, I was shy about giving it to myself. Flash forward a year, and I’ve published one book, finished a second, and am nearly halfway done with a third. I think I can wear it. And yet that question hasn’t abated. “But what do you do?”

Well, I write.

A million non-writers will appear out of thin air when you say this and tell you it isn’t a real job. Do me a favor. Next time someone says you don’t have a real job as a writer, ask them if they like movies, books, TV, comics, short stories, video games, schoolbooks, advertisements, bed time stories, song lyrics, or any of the other million mediums a writer can use to express a story. Hell, you can tell a story with a paint brush and canvas. You can tell it with clay. Artists are only limited by their imagination. We don’t just sit around our houses/offices/studios staring at a screen for a few hours until we crap something onto paper. (Although we do that too) We add color and context to the world. Look around the room you’re in right now. Do you see art anywhere? Art of any kind? When was the last time you read an article or story that made you think or smile? Without art, the world would be less than it is.

If nobody has said it to you before, let me be the first: You have value. Each story you tell is a part of you and your worldview that only you could have created. And even if it doesn’t sell a million copies, so what? Even if you never make a living off of it, who cares? That piece of you will live on long after you’re gone, and it could effect the world in ways you can’t fathom right now. In the year 3345 people might talk about how your work was the picture of 2014 American zeitgeist. Or not! Even if they don’t, there is value in doing the things that bring you joy, or in the act of creation itself.

Kevin Smith said, ““Remember: It costs nothing to encourage an artist, and the potential benefits are staggering. A pat on the back to an artist now could one day result in your favorite film, or the cartoon you love to get stoned watching, or the song that saves your life. Discourage an artist, you get absolutely nothing in return, ever.” I couldn’t have worded it better.

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have the support you’d hoped to have when you started on this path. Yes, it’s not easy. Kathrine Monroe said, “Writing is like giving yourself homework, really hard homework, every day, for the rest of your life. You want glamorous? Throw glitter at the computer screen.” And I agree with her in part. It isn’t easy. You will be the biggest obstacle in your own way, and every time the phone rings or the kids cry, you have one more thing to do that’s keeping you from your work. Once you sit down, you have to make the language sing and the story move, all without making it look like you’re trying too hard. But what could be more glamorous than doing the thing you’re really passionate about? Throw it all away– the dreams of fame, the desire for recognition, the need for the money– toss it all in the trash and ask yourself what you would rather have; all of that or the work?

If the answer is the work, then I’ve got good news; you already have it. Keep going.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , , ,

December 11, 2014 · 4:02 am

The Planning And Plotting Part Of Stories

In the past I’ve talked about my preferred method of plotting out a book. I don’t. I come up with the premise, a rough beginning, and a rough end. From there I just sort of let the story tell itself.

The book I’m writing now is a little different. This is a story I’ve wanted to tell for a long time. I’m not going to get into details here, but sufficed to say that I’m very, very excited about it. This story has been bouncing around in my head since I was a teenager. It’s an old one that’s only just now being told. Because of the age of the story, I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. To be honest, I was thinking about it while I was writing both of my previous books. I wanted to wait until I had a few more stories under my belt before doing this, but a friend convinced me it was time.

And in round about fashion, we get to the point of this post: Plotting. The first two books were new stories. They both started as short stories that I realized were actually long ones in disguise. Being new, they didn’t have any build up to them. They were fresh. Unsullied by the pen. I discovered them as I wrote them, and that’s a lot of fun. (If you haven’t done it, try it. It’s the same thrill you get from reading a new book.) This book is something of a sacred cow to me. It’s a very personal story for a lot of reasons, and I’ve been thinking about what makes it tick for a decade. There are a lot of things that must to be in the story, and thus, the story had some depth to it before it even started. (As opposed to gaining depth during the telling and editing it in where it lacked in the first draft)

So I sat down a few days ago and started writing, but not writing the book. I wrote down all the important scenes that I’ve always wanted. I got them out of my head and put them on paper. That done, I wrote a few pages on the themes and devices I wanted to use in the story.

(Spoilers: It's allegorical)

(Spoilers: It’s allegorical)

Next I wrote detailed evaluations of each important character. (Their stories. Their motivations. Their weaknesses. That kind of thing.) Lastly, I wrote a scene by scene outline of the story. When all was said and done I had a 15k measurement of my story, and it made me giddy. Most of the information I wrote down won’t be in the book itself. It wasn’t for readers, it was for me. I wanted to have the nuts and bolts of this tale hammered out before I touched fingers to keys.

Still, I was determined not to be married to it. After all, plotting something and writing something aren’t the same. If you shoehorn in a plot that doesn’t fit the story you just end up with a word sandwich covered in shit. (I’m not going to get into the difference between plot and story here. It’s long, and English majors are regularly sacrificed to dark gods during the discussion.) With all that in mind, I sat down to start writing the whole shebang today.

In internet slang, “OMFG!” I had so much fun just writing without thinking about where the novel is going. I already know where it’s going, and it’s exactly where I want it to. Instead of thinking about future points, I already know what the frame of the house looks like. I’m just putting up walls, decorating, and bringing it to life. Not only did I have a blast doing it, but I wrote way more than I normally do in a session, and I am very well pleased with what I got down.

This is one of those times when more experienced writers will probably say, “No shit,” and click over to read something more interesting. For me, it was a huge revelation, and I bring it up for a good reason. (This is the Novice Writer’s Journal after all.) New writers need to go outside of their comfort zone. We need to explore things beyond our bailiwick. I have no idea if I would be as pleased with this project if I had just jumped in, but it doesn’t matter. This story demanded careful consideration beforehand, and I gave it what it needed.

If other writers are religious plotters, I encourage you to try writing without doing so. It’s a really fun experience. On the inverse, if you’re like me, I encourage you to try plotting something out. It’s delightful, and there’s no unspoken writing law that demands that you stay true to an outline you wrote 500 pages ago.

I ended the last post on this subject by saying that I didn’t understand how plotters did their thing. I guess I’ll end this one by saying I get it now. Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone, and as always, keep writing.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Novice Writer's Journal

Tagged as , , , , , , ,