Drumroll....

Thirty days into the challenge and two days after officially winning NaNoWriMo...

And with an official NaNoWriMo word count of 53,207...

I HAVE FINISHED MY STORY!!!

Do You Nano?

Okay, deep breath, I'm plunging in. Without enough time to talk myself out of it, I have decided I'm going to participate in NaNoWriMo 2012. It's time for some writerly abandon, forget the rules, which I tend to be a stickler for (well, if someone tells me to do something in this way, I'll do my best to match it. I might experiment if specifically given permission to do so. Otherwise....), and let my whimsies and fantasies take flight on paper. Or computer. ... Eh?

Yes, I know that was weird.

Oh well, forget the "rules", right? NaNoWriMo isn't supposed to be the prettiest thing I ever write. It's just supposed to get done.

I've written two novels before. Both in first draft form, one took about a year, the second made it somewhere in probably five months (...hey, I just realized, that's progress!). Now for the one month challenge. This is going to be awesome. And just like major exercise after not using those muscles much for a long time, I'm going to be oh so sore.

But I kinda like being sore. As long as I'm sure I'll recover. You know why? Because it means I'm getting stronger, and yes, I can meet the challenge.

Now is warmup time. Mentally and emotionally mostly, probably. Gotta get ready and head off the stereotypical writer's block and depression before they have a chance to hit.

Because I can do this.

I plan to be a winner.

The War of Art - A Compass

Ah hah.

Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, Resistance will unfailingly point to true North--meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing.

We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others.

Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.

            The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, page 12

This is a handy book when I need a boost or reminder in those times when the writing I want to do or another goal I dream of seems nigh on slipping through my fingers (or more accurately, like I'll never sit down to work on it). Filled with brief, sweet, and poignant explanations and wisdom regarding the artist's life. So far I'm in Book 1, all about Resistance, my enemy and apparently my guide.

Sensei did tell me to "Persevere." Here it seems is another tool toward that.

Persevere.

Oh to wax with eloquence

I tend to write more simply, more directly, more to the point. I think I write like a man, but with a me style to it. (Which might in part mean that I make certain jumps in logic, thinking those dots don't need to be connected. ...Did that make sense? Hm.) Well, my voice is and will always be attached to me, after all. But, oh to wax eloquent, and not simply think I am where I fail. So, I'm turning to poetry to learn a little more and see if I can improve my language skill.

It helps that my student in the Write Start class is highly interested in poetry. It seems to be her favorite style of creative writing we've explored. And it's something I've been interested in for a long time, too. When I'm bothered, really really really really bothered by something, or possibly very excited and happy about something, I write poetry about it.

But poetry...doesn't come easy to me. I like the flowery poetry for its use of words, but most of the time it's little more than that, flowery, pretty words. I have a hard time making sense out of it, even if the person sitting next to me follows along line for line, no big deal. If it's simpler, it makes sense easier, but I don't always like it as well for its simplicity. Alas.

I love imagery, but I need something to connect it all together. What? It flows perfectly. What am I talking about?

I guess I'm talking about my brain, but I didn't want to get gooey on you.

If I can feel or hear the rhythym (rats, I just can't spell that word) or hear a rhyme (yes! got that one!) I have an easier time connecting the current line with the previous line and remembering content from one verse to the next. Over all, I get a better picture of the intent. So that's how I usually think of and try to write poetry, even though there isn't only one set of acceptable rules and patterns can be picked and chosen as the author desires.

Enter this wonderful book that Rebekah found: Write Your Own: Poetry by Laura Purdie Salas. A children's book introducing some basics of poetry writing. Local library gold! I'm about halfway through reading it and I got it today. But I'm far from halfway through trying out the things it explains.

Here's to never ceasing learning and one more way to improve my overall writing!
Cheers


Chime in! What's your favorite style of poetry? Does it make sense or come easily to you, or are you like me and left behind without a hope to cling to?

Failure...or Plot Suspense?

It's not hard for a writer to feel like a failure. If he's not writing, then he's obviously not doing what he's supposed to. If he is writing so much that other responsibilities slide by or he doesn't live in the realm of reality between writing sessions, then he's obsessed and clearly off in the head.


Now, obviously there is a middle ground, but finding that balance between writing and living is remarkably tricky.

I, for one, frequently feel like a failure when it comes to writing. I fall in the first category. I spend so much time taking care of people and trying to maintain a semblance of sanity and cleanliness against a losing battle, that when I have time to write or edit...I sleep in. Maybe I'll pick up a book, one that's already been written and published by someone else, not my own. Oh, no. That takes too much emotional commitment and too much energy.

But I work, too. I co-teach and I tutor, and I love my jobs. Twice a week I get to talk about the workings of story and writing to the next generation, and I get paid for it! It's quite the pick-me-up, and I get excited to work on my stories. But, and there's always a but, when I pack up from the "office" I get sidetracked, distracted, and sometimes guilt-tripped into taking care of something that's more important or urgent (like, you know, people are very important).

So, I'm a caregiver more than a writer right now. Not exactly a "success story" of a writer, but still, I can't stop being a writer. It's part of my core (like phoenix tail, not a canary feather or a frog tongue, was in the core of Harry's wand). That means, that I will always come back to writing. Like this blog post right now. I have to go run some errands (after all, I need sweet tea), but I had a thought, and I needed to write it down.

So, what is one to do? While I can't speak from experience about a writer who does nothing but write, I can speak as one who hardly writes. When I'm not writing, when I'm living in the fantastical realm of reality, I'm gaining experience in the world and understanding of the aspects of it. I'm learning about myself and others (in short, people), and I'm learning about how creation works, and even more about Who created it.

And, later, that will be useful to writing and editing stories.

So, even though I'm not writing much, and I don't feel like a success as a writer right now...

Nothing is wasted. It just adds suspense and anticipation.

Just like in a polished work of fiction.

Walk on Fear, Someday to Fly

I'm fighting the fear.  I've let it keep me from editing my stories, from finishing old projects, and from moving forward on new ones. But that's the fast track to nothing.

I remember my first rejection letter. I had sent a short story to a magazine and waited a few months for a reply. I expected a rejection, but knew there was a possibility that they'd buy it. When I opened my rejection letter, I wasn't discouraged; I wasn't beaten down. For some odd reason that I still can't quite explain, I was encouraged and excited. Probably because I'd taken another step forward, and I knew I would still take the next step forward.

And I am.  I've just started a Facebook Fan Page.  Take a look.  It's my new Facebook home.

Someday I'll walk. Then my feet will fly over the land and the wind will refresh my face, and I will run.

Today, I take another step with my head held high.


What fear are you facing?  What will you do to overcome it and keep moving forward?

The Art of War for Writers - Three

Chapter 9:  The outsized ego is not a weapon of value.

Chapter 10:  Status, worry, and comparison are ways to madness, not victory.



'Nuff said.

(The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. p31, 33. Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio. 2009.)

The Art of War for Writers - Two

Last time in this series, I shared a quote from page fifteen and asked for your response.  You had good thoughts, and for those who didn't see them, you can read them here.

Now I'll share what I penciled in the lines of my copy.

I have never wanted a specific job more than this one, sir!  I delight in writing.  And it's harder for someone outside to discourage me than it is for my inner doubts to discourage me.  But I press on because I know I have something and I refuse to be pushed or kept down for long.  It's actually easier to distract me with family and friend emergencies than it is to discourage me to the point that I would stop.

Can you tell I was motivated and excited about writing fiction when I gave my answer to the quote?

So, I wondered why I discourage myself.  Why am I sometimes afraid?

Chapter 8 starts out with this:

The biggest mental obstacle—in writing, in war, in life itself—is fear.

Fear paralyzes.  It shrinks the mental faculties.  It keeps us from action, in this case, writing words in order to get them published.

(The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. p28. Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio. 2009.)

I have seen this restraining fear in others.  I have lived it myself.  Fear is a part of life.  As mentioned in the book, it is one of our alert systems.

The book suggests that we learn from Theodore Roosevelt who pretended to be brave until the pretense became a reality.

I was recently uneasy about my writing.  I'd had so many other urgent responsibilities that I had accidentally separated from writing and even from creatively thinking about my storyline.  So I was afraid of jumping back into the story and continuing as if there had been no interruption.

But I did.  I finally buckled down and stepped back into my character's life...and gave her my fear.

It actually happened to match where Makani was, facing a point where she was uncertain and afraid.  So, I gave her my unease, and we both plugged on anyway, facing and using fear.

Have you been stopped by fear?  What are your tricks for moving on and not letting it defeat you?

The Art of War for Writers - One

I like martial arts.  I was able to take a semester of intro to martial arts, where we spent half the semester learning judo (read falling on purpose [properly], pinning an opponent, and getting out of being pinned - great fun!), half the semester learning karate (yelling, kicking, punching, blocking, and katas [forms - a way to display the techniques one knows]), and a couple other martial arts for a couple of weeks, of which Aikido was my favorite (for it's simple defensive moves that make one's attacker defeat himself).

But that's not what The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell is.  Not exactly.

I'm reading this book, and I've gotten through the first four chapters in Part I: Reconnaissance.  It was given to me as a gift, and I figured it was high time I read through the whole thing.  So far, it's got some pretty funny and dead on tidbits, wake-up calls, and advice, perfect for writers.  Some of the things that have stood out to me in the first four chapters are the hero and fool comparison on pages 16-17, the writer's list on pages 11-13, and the short section of quotes to respond to on pages 13-15.

Know the difference between a hero and a fool.  Chapter 3 of a page and a half is a brief but useful and amusing comparison between the two states of mind.  It can be a nice reminder if you're not acting like the fool that you are on the right track, even if you don't feel heroic.  If you are acting like the fool, well, you'd better change that or you're in trouble.

The writer must understand the essentials of success for a long-term writing career, and count the cost accordingly.  To be a writer, you've got to want it.  Chapter 2 provides a list of characteristics that writers should possess or develop.  Some of it comes down to "if at first you don't succeed" and "never stop learning" - two bits of advice many of our parents gave us when we were children, but good advice to be reminded of nonetheless.

After the list of characteristics, the book offers its first interactive challenge.  Read the quotes from George Bernau, Phyllis Whitney, and Jack Woodford and respond in the text's pages with your honest reaction (writing in a printed book is not always easy for me - I used a pencil).

What say you to Jack Woodford's statement?  I'll be back to share my reaction.

In Boot Camp, tough sergeants deliberately try to break the morale of inducted men.  Those who break they send back to civilian life, or to some more or less ignominious chore in army life.  There are two or three hundred thousand 'writers' who 'write at' writing in this country.  Ninety percent of them make next to nothing.  The few who do get by are those who were not "broken" in the Boot Camp of their own wills, or lack of same. 

(Jack Woodford as quoted in The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. p14-15. Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio. 2009.)