They do. It's a tried and true fact. Unless you're the Grim Reaper or something -- or Jason Priestley's character on Tru Calling... which was not unlike the Grim Reaper.
Anyhow.
What sucks worse than a funeral?
Writing about one.
There's an inherent tension, saddness, and ache that comes with funerals, and as an author, it's my job to get those all in the scene without crushing the readers' spirit so much s/he puts the book down. And you'd think, after attending countless funerals -- 3 grandparents, half a dozen great-aunts, three classmates, a handful of friends' parents and relatives, and my husband's uncle (which was less than a week ago, so I really should have it fresh in my mind) -- I would be able to get all these raw emotions on paper.
Riiiight. Because all those funeraly emotions come creeping in when you try to write a funeral scene, and while you'd think this is a good thing, it's not. Because they kind of block you from properly expressing any emotion.
So, funerals suck.
Writing about them sucks.
And they're both a part of life. Well, the real ones are a part of real life, and the fictional ones are a part of my novel. So, I'm going to have to figure out how to use my RL experience to create an authentic funeral scene for my readers.
Remind me again why I chose this hobby??
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Rewriting
Rewriting Isaac's Eyes is going SO much better after I let it simmer for a while. Just this month, I have rewritten/revised 6.5 chapters. Since finishing the first draft on New Years' Eve of 2008, I had gotten exactly 3 chapters revised before now. And I had to re-revise those this week. So, it's been pretty productive! I just hope I can keep up this momentum and get the whole 2nd draft of the book done by the end of the year. I never wanted it to take this long to get finished in the first place.
After d2 (draft 2) is done, I plan to let IE sit for another month or two and then work on d3. Hopefully (fingers crossed!) I'll only need to get to d4 before I can start working on the dreaded query/synopsis/praying to God someone in the publishing field even remotely likes my work. The way I see it, d1 is for writing, d2 is for rewriting/revising, and d3 is for editing. Of course, there will be many half-drafts in between, and probably a few more editing drafts. In the case of IE, d2 is mostly for reWRITING, instead of reVISING, because I have added so much to the plot, characters, and overall complexity of the story since d1. So, what I'm doing right now is more rewriting than anything. In some cases -- like chapters 4, 5, and 6 -- completely re-writing the entire chapters... which is nice. It's back to the ole' blank canvas of d1 that inspires me to keep writing. I like it.
Stephen King and Elizabeth Lyons didn't have much to say to me about rewriting, but I have a feeling I'll be using much of their wisdom -- and that of many others -- to finish this draft. Especially if I want to make headway before school starts on August 26th (senior year!!! for real this time!).
Off to write some more. I'm adding a new series of flashbacks to the story, told backward from chapter 2 throughout the story (which is a basic forward-chronological structure, no tricks), and this flash is all new. And exciting. And hopefully gives some of my critters (those who critique my work, not small animals ☺) a taste of what they've asked for. Just a taste.
After d2 (draft 2) is done, I plan to let IE sit for another month or two and then work on d3. Hopefully (fingers crossed!) I'll only need to get to d4 before I can start working on the dreaded query/synopsis/praying to God someone in the publishing field even remotely likes my work. The way I see it, d1 is for writing, d2 is for rewriting/revising, and d3 is for editing. Of course, there will be many half-drafts in between, and probably a few more editing drafts. In the case of IE, d2 is mostly for reWRITING, instead of reVISING, because I have added so much to the plot, characters, and overall complexity of the story since d1. So, what I'm doing right now is more rewriting than anything. In some cases -- like chapters 4, 5, and 6 -- completely re-writing the entire chapters... which is nice. It's back to the ole' blank canvas of d1 that inspires me to keep writing. I like it.
Stephen King and Elizabeth Lyons didn't have much to say to me about rewriting, but I have a feeling I'll be using much of their wisdom -- and that of many others -- to finish this draft. Especially if I want to make headway before school starts on August 26th (senior year!!! for real this time!).
Off to write some more. I'm adding a new series of flashbacks to the story, told backward from chapter 2 throughout the story (which is a basic forward-chronological structure, no tricks), and this flash is all new. And exciting. And hopefully gives some of my critters (those who critique my work, not small animals ☺) a taste of what they've asked for. Just a taste.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
On Writing
I'm reading Stephen King's writing guide, appropriately titled, On Writing. I am also reading Elizabeth Lyon's revision guide, also appropriately titled, Manuscript Makeover. They are both very interesting, and very, very different.
I thought I'd give out some details of what I've found interesting from King's book, since I've shared a little of Lyon's already. But not too much, because what fun would that be? If you like what I post, you can go buy the book yourself ☺
On Writing
The first piece of advice marked with a green and brown sticky-note in my copy is:
"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not in the story." (page 57)
This may sound simple enough, but sometimes I think we writers forget this. We get so caught up in the grammar (How many adverbs do I have on this page? Should I use "said" or an alternative? How many times in this chapter did I use the word "she"?) and the worry that someone (anyone, just one person, who happens to live under a rock across the world) won't like this particular word/line/phrase, that we lose sight of our mission. Our mission is to write, to tell a story the best we can, and hope, nay, pray, that someone (anyone, just one person, who may or may not happen to live under a rock across the world) gets it. That's it. That's all we have to do. Simple, right?
The second piece I noted from this book is on page 134. Yes, there is plenty of wisdom between pages 57 and 134, but I'm sharing the ones I felt important enough to mark with the green-and-brown striped sticky-note. It really falls into what I was just saying, so apparently there is a theme here:
"The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell them a story... to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that h/she is reading a story at all. ... Writing is seduction.* Good talk is part of seduction..."
*Did you like that? Writing is "seduction." How 'bout them apples? I feel pretty damn good already. So if I ever become a professional writer, can I say that my job is "professional seductress?"... does that sound too... street-corner-worthy?
Ya know what, that's all I'm going to share today. I think I've found a theme and I like it. To go along with these professional words of wisdom, I'd like to share one more thing. I read a forum post on CC (www.critiquecircle.com) that has stayed with me for a few days. This forum was about Dean Koontz, but I found something that really interested me along these same lines. I have no idea how to make a pretty little link to the forum, but it doesn't matter much anyhow because only members of CC can read it. But, if you are already a member, or are thinking of becoming one (CC is the best writers' group on the Internet, I swear it. If you're not a member, you should be one. It's free. Go sign up. I'll wait.), just plug in some strategic search words and you can find the original post. Here's what I liked:
CC'ers are forever wailing the bad writing of successful authors. And I don't think it is that only once you've sold tons of books you can do that, because if you go back to the first book of these authors, they are just as bad, usually worse. I've read tons of Koontz, and his strength is definitely not his prose.
What I really think is going on is that the 'rules', the 'writing no-nos', aren't nearly as important as we think they are, at least not to the reader. In fact, I think we are handicapping ourselves beyond our ability to be productive and successful. It is as if we are in a race, but have decided that the only way to go about it is with a backpack full of bricks across our shoulders and three china teacups balanced on our heads.
And there go Koontz, King, Rowling, et al, running blithely along miles ahead of us.
Meanwhile, we keep checking with each other to see how well packed our bricks are.
That just amazed me. How true is that, fellow writers? Instead of doing our business -- our telling... our seducing -- we worry WAY too much about the technicalities of the craft. (PS, that's what CC is for, to help with those technicalities once you've told your story. So, here's another chance to go sign up. No, I don't get squat for plugging the website, but I like it, and you will too.)
That's about all I have for now. I am revising my 2nd draft of IE currently. I'm taking a break from Illusive Truths (tentative title, I just don't know how I feel about it yet), my SuNoWriMos project (bust! I only wrote 20K when my goal was 60K in two months...) to do some heavy rewriting. More on that later. I have to get back to work.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program...
I thought I'd give out some details of what I've found interesting from King's book, since I've shared a little of Lyon's already. But not too much, because what fun would that be? If you like what I post, you can go buy the book yourself ☺
On Writing
The first piece of advice marked with a green and brown sticky-note in my copy is:
"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not in the story." (page 57)
This may sound simple enough, but sometimes I think we writers forget this. We get so caught up in the grammar (How many adverbs do I have on this page? Should I use "said" or an alternative? How many times in this chapter did I use the word "she"?) and the worry that someone (anyone, just one person, who happens to live under a rock across the world) won't like this particular word/line/phrase, that we lose sight of our mission. Our mission is to write, to tell a story the best we can, and hope, nay, pray, that someone (anyone, just one person, who may or may not happen to live under a rock across the world) gets it. That's it. That's all we have to do. Simple, right?
The second piece I noted from this book is on page 134. Yes, there is plenty of wisdom between pages 57 and 134, but I'm sharing the ones I felt important enough to mark with the green-and-brown striped sticky-note. It really falls into what I was just saying, so apparently there is a theme here:
"The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell them a story... to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that h/she is reading a story at all. ... Writing is seduction.* Good talk is part of seduction..."
*Did you like that? Writing is "seduction." How 'bout them apples? I feel pretty damn good already. So if I ever become a professional writer, can I say that my job is "professional seductress?"... does that sound too... street-corner-worthy?
Ya know what, that's all I'm going to share today. I think I've found a theme and I like it. To go along with these professional words of wisdom, I'd like to share one more thing. I read a forum post on CC (www.critiquecircle.com) that has stayed with me for a few days. This forum was about Dean Koontz, but I found something that really interested me along these same lines. I have no idea how to make a pretty little link to the forum, but it doesn't matter much anyhow because only members of CC can read it. But, if you are already a member, or are thinking of becoming one (CC is the best writers' group on the Internet, I swear it. If you're not a member, you should be one. It's free. Go sign up. I'll wait.), just plug in some strategic search words and you can find the original post. Here's what I liked:
CC'ers are forever wailing the bad writing of successful authors. And I don't think it is that only once you've sold tons of books you can do that, because if you go back to the first book of these authors, they are just as bad, usually worse. I've read tons of Koontz, and his strength is definitely not his prose.
What I really think is going on is that the 'rules', the 'writing no-nos', aren't nearly as important as we think they are, at least not to the reader. In fact, I think we are handicapping ourselves beyond our ability to be productive and successful. It is as if we are in a race, but have decided that the only way to go about it is with a backpack full of bricks across our shoulders and three china teacups balanced on our heads.
And there go Koontz, King, Rowling, et al, running blithely along miles ahead of us.
Meanwhile, we keep checking with each other to see how well packed our bricks are.
That just amazed me. How true is that, fellow writers? Instead of doing our business -- our telling... our seducing -- we worry WAY too much about the technicalities of the craft. (PS, that's what CC is for, to help with those technicalities once you've told your story. So, here's another chance to go sign up. No, I don't get squat for plugging the website, but I like it, and you will too.)
That's about all I have for now. I am revising my 2nd draft of IE currently. I'm taking a break from Illusive Truths (tentative title, I just don't know how I feel about it yet), my SuNoWriMos project (bust! I only wrote 20K when my goal was 60K in two months...) to do some heavy rewriting. More on that later. I have to get back to work.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program...
Friday, June 26, 2009
blah
I hate this economy. I've been unemployed for over 10 months now, my husband for almost a full year. Luckily the rest of the nation is so poor the government keeps extending our unemployment checks, but that just means it's even harder to find a job.
Especially around a full-time student's schedule. But I've been in school for SO long, and I've taken so many semesters off due to having to work extra hours, that I just CAN'T not graduate in May 2010. I'm already pissed that it's that far out instead of August like I was supposed to be :(
So, what to do? I'm applying for any part-time job or full-time w/ flexible hours I can find, and not hearing back at all. I'm posting ads for tutoring and office help, but not getting any takers.
Summer is supposed to be a fun time of cooking out and laying by the pool. We were going to buy a patio set and a trampoline, and a swingset for the kids. But instead, we can't get any of that stuff and the pool is too expensive. This summer sucks.
Here's to hoping things begin to look up!
Especially around a full-time student's schedule. But I've been in school for SO long, and I've taken so many semesters off due to having to work extra hours, that I just CAN'T not graduate in May 2010. I'm already pissed that it's that far out instead of August like I was supposed to be :(
So, what to do? I'm applying for any part-time job or full-time w/ flexible hours I can find, and not hearing back at all. I'm posting ads for tutoring and office help, but not getting any takers.
Summer is supposed to be a fun time of cooking out and laying by the pool. We were going to buy a patio set and a trampoline, and a swingset for the kids. But instead, we can't get any of that stuff and the pool is too expensive. This summer sucks.
Here's to hoping things begin to look up!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Where does the time go?
Not only has it been two months (ok, 2 days shy...) since I've posted on here, but it's already almost the SEVENTH month of 2009!! I can't believe how quickly time has FLOWN.
I still have a gazillion things to do before winter hits. Namely, finish the Christmas stockings, teach Austin to ride a bike, work my ass off in school so I only have 3 classes left by the time 2010 starts, lose some weight, and get a job. That's a lot of big things, and I can't do a lot of the little things on my list until some of the bigger ones are taken care of. So, I guess I'd better get crackin'.
A couple other MUCHO IMPORTANTE things to add to my list: finish the 2nd draft/total revision of IE!!!! Finish the first draft of Vaampyr/A&G. Finish the first draft of Sawyer (untitled works tend to take on the heroine's name, in this case, Sawyer Jackson, Ph.D.).
Speaking of Sawyer, SuNoMriMos is not going too well. School is CraZy and I only have about 6K done so far; my goal is 60K by July 31. This could get ugly. Luckily, finals are tomorrow (woot!) so I will have almost 3 whole weeks of peace, where I'll only have one online class to deal with. I plan on getting LOTS of writing done, LOTS of working out in, and even working on my Christmas stockings ☺ Then, July 20, I'm going to be in class M-F from 1:30-5:45pm. Could be worse, but 4 hours a day sucks big-time. Oh, well. I'll get the class over with and be ready to apply for graduation!!
In other news.... no, that's about it. Life is dull. I'm watching my high school classmates post pictures from around the world, where they're living the single life or having a blast with their spouses, many of them having children, most of them loving their jobs (or at least having one)... and I feel left out. Gotta get on that, but not quite sure how. My bro is in jail, so I haven't been able to see Lillie in a while, which makes me SOOOOOO sad. I miss her so much :( She's getting huge, walking, and her hair is so curly it makes me want to just play with it all day. Hopefully I'll get to spend more time with her soon. That alone would make up for the left-out-edness.
That's it. Life is boring. Not much to say. If I get around to it, I may post an excerpt or two from my revisions. That could be fun.
I still have a gazillion things to do before winter hits. Namely, finish the Christmas stockings, teach Austin to ride a bike, work my ass off in school so I only have 3 classes left by the time 2010 starts, lose some weight, and get a job. That's a lot of big things, and I can't do a lot of the little things on my list until some of the bigger ones are taken care of. So, I guess I'd better get crackin'.
A couple other MUCHO IMPORTANTE things to add to my list: finish the 2nd draft/total revision of IE!!!! Finish the first draft of Vaampyr/A&G. Finish the first draft of Sawyer (untitled works tend to take on the heroine's name, in this case, Sawyer Jackson, Ph.D.).
Speaking of Sawyer, SuNoMriMos is not going too well. School is CraZy and I only have about 6K done so far; my goal is 60K by July 31. This could get ugly. Luckily, finals are tomorrow (woot!) so I will have almost 3 whole weeks of peace, where I'll only have one online class to deal with. I plan on getting LOTS of writing done, LOTS of working out in, and even working on my Christmas stockings ☺ Then, July 20, I'm going to be in class M-F from 1:30-5:45pm. Could be worse, but 4 hours a day sucks big-time. Oh, well. I'll get the class over with and be ready to apply for graduation!!
In other news.... no, that's about it. Life is dull. I'm watching my high school classmates post pictures from around the world, where they're living the single life or having a blast with their spouses, many of them having children, most of them loving their jobs (or at least having one)... and I feel left out. Gotta get on that, but not quite sure how. My bro is in jail, so I haven't been able to see Lillie in a while, which makes me SOOOOOO sad. I miss her so much :( She's getting huge, walking, and her hair is so curly it makes me want to just play with it all day. Hopefully I'll get to spend more time with her soon. That alone would make up for the left-out-edness.
That's it. Life is boring. Not much to say. If I get around to it, I may post an excerpt or two from my revisions. That could be fun.
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