Here it comes!
November is National Novel Writing Month, lovingly referred to as NaNoWriMo. The goal: 50,000 words during the month of November. That breaks down to 1,667 words per day. Hundreds of thousands of writers participate every year in this frantic writing tradition for the sole reward of bragging rights.
But who really cares about bragging rights? It's great to be a part of something big. It's great to get words on the page. It's great to have that accountability. It's awesome to get over the excuses and ourselves and actually accomplish something.
Excuses for not writing are everywhere. Work. Family. Leisure. Exercise. Chores. Responsibilities. Crises. As writers who have other obligations, it's often difficult to find that time, and it's easy to let the writing slip by.
I think the biggest reason writers don't write is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of getting bored. Fear of losing out on other experiences. Maybe even fear of success. That just makes it that much easier to fall victim to the excuses.
Last year, I got my 50,000 words with three days to spare. Of course, I had two prep periods and wasn't teaching any new classes. (If you're unfamiliar, a prep period is time during the day when teachers do not have classes and can prepare lessons and such.) This year, I have one prep period, and I am also teaching senior literature for the first time, so I'm flying by the seat of my pants. I have more work and less time built into my schedule to complete it. Much of my lesson planning is done on my own time...which also happens to be my writing time.
So what can give? What's my strategy? I'll cut way back on TV. I'll make sure Al has a couple of awesome new video games to keep him happy. (Which isn't hard, thanks to the November flux of highly anticipated titles for the holiday gifting season. He's already obsessed with Arkham City, and Modern Warfare 3 is released November 8.) I'll read less--and only on the elliptical. I will NOT skip the gym. I'll spend a lot of time playing catch up on the weekend. (That's one of my biggest goals. I need to be on track each Sunday.)
So here comes NaNo. I'll be updating my word count on Facebook, and you can also register at www.nanowrimo.org and follow me there. My username is Awoiwode.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Payoff
I've been thinking a lot about what I call the "payoff" scenes. Basically, it's when an author includes a seemingly insignificant scene or fact that later on has much more significance. Since most people out there have read Harry Potter, I'll use that as an example. We learn early on that Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts, but it isn't until the second book that we learn the entire story, and it all fits together in the intricate workings of a complex plotline. Jasper Fforde and Douglas Adams are also great at this. (Is it a British thing? I don't know.)
It's a quality that I admire in other authors and greatly enjoy as a reader, so I do try to emulate it in my own writing. It's also just common sense for writers.
But the payoff doesn't have to be that extreme. When I'm writing, I'm constantly asking myself the point of each scene. Every scene, especially early on, is an investment. It has to serve a purpose so it can pay off later. It can introduce a character or conflict, highlight a characteristic, or advance the plot, among other things. But it can't just be there.
Right now, I'm dragging my feet in the transition of my story. My main character and I have experienced the big climax and are working through the fallout. We know where we're supposed to get to, but we're having trouble figuring out which investment to make. Which scene will have the best payoff later in the story?
Dueling plotlines have taken over my brain. It seems that the only way to narrow them down is to write it all and let natural selection decide. The fittest will survive. However, that seems like an awful waste of time, so I guess I need to dig in and outline...for real...our final moves. Hopefully, this will help me figure out which investments to make: which scenes to write, which characters and moments to focus on, and which ones to keep in the background.
It's a quality that I admire in other authors and greatly enjoy as a reader, so I do try to emulate it in my own writing. It's also just common sense for writers.
But the payoff doesn't have to be that extreme. When I'm writing, I'm constantly asking myself the point of each scene. Every scene, especially early on, is an investment. It has to serve a purpose so it can pay off later. It can introduce a character or conflict, highlight a characteristic, or advance the plot, among other things. But it can't just be there.
Right now, I'm dragging my feet in the transition of my story. My main character and I have experienced the big climax and are working through the fallout. We know where we're supposed to get to, but we're having trouble figuring out which investment to make. Which scene will have the best payoff later in the story?
Dueling plotlines have taken over my brain. It seems that the only way to narrow them down is to write it all and let natural selection decide. The fittest will survive. However, that seems like an awful waste of time, so I guess I need to dig in and outline...for real...our final moves. Hopefully, this will help me figure out which investments to make: which scenes to write, which characters and moments to focus on, and which ones to keep in the background.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Jumping Right In--Technology Joys and Woes
I'm a big fan of technology. Trust me, if someone had told high-school me that one day I'd be able to carry 400 CDs in my pocket, I would have done a little dance of joy, complete with a high kick or two, because I was good at those then. But when does technology impede what we do? When does it detract? Is that even possible?
I used to have to write creatively on paper. Getting my fingers on a keyboard felt foreign and clinical, so I reserved it for school assignments and developed drafts. When I hand wrote, I could watch my handwriting change with my thoughts--neat and precise when my brain worked slowly and methodically, then frantic, messy, and large when my hand fought to keep up. I bolded important or angry sentiments, pressing hard into the page and leaving a fading shadow of the significance on the leaves below. I loved the mess of revisions--it showed the path I'd traveled to get from then to now: imperfect words perfected, awkward sentences made graceful, and characters developed into lifelike people. Different shades of blue, black, green, red, and purple crowded together in the areas I worked the hardest on, each color from the closest pen available at the time and creating a timeline of my work. A beautiful chaos that word processors eradicate.
One of the problems I had with typing was the lock-down feel it gave. I had to be at the computer, which didn't move. I felt chained to a desk--the same place, the same view--and if inspiration hit when I was nowhere near Mr. PC, I was up the proverbial creek. I could carry my notebook everywhere. I could write outside in the sunshine, in the corner of a coffee shop, or at my desk during a lecture I felt like ignoring.
But now, I'm addicted to typing. The change was gradual, beginning with my fondness for the easy, digital organization offered by disks (and later the flashdrive) and the "convenience" of laptops. (I guess they are convenient, but to me, I felt like I imagine mothers of infants must feel. Do I have all your gear/necessities? Great, now let's pack you into this giant case/carrier and lug you around. Oh, now you're hungry. Let's find a corner with an outlet/privacy.) But I've digressed. Yes, laptops are (mostly) handy, and flashdrives are AWESOME, and as I've collected more and more files and reference material, these things make my life so easy.
And so I turned. I went almost completely digital. I used to hand write 90% of the time, and now that's reversed. I even invested in a netbook this past summer, and it's usually within arm's reach.
Books have undergone the same transformation. I looked at those Kindles (I'm a complete Amazon junkie, by the way) and thought, "How cool! I can have all that information on one little device. My purse will be so light without the giant fantasy novel or hardback edition in it. But I can't." I had a lot of (really great) reasons, too. I love the feel and smell of books. I love to pass them on to people who will read them and discuss them with me. I love watching my bookmark progress from front to back. And I love staying up way too late just to get to the end because I can see with my very own eyes that I'm nearly there!
That's when my parents bought me, my sister, and my brother each a Kindle to share with our spouses. That was in December. Those original four Kindles (the three gifts plus my mother's) has grown into nine. My dad, husband, two sisters-in-law, and niece have all purchased their own since then. I thought I'd hold out, but I fell in love at an almost embarrassing pace. I explain this attraction with our shared Kindle account. We all have access to the same books. And since my family is spread out between California and Kansas, this device has actually brought us together and opened several great discussions about reading. If it weren't for my family's shared Kindle love, I'd definitely still be a "recreational user," but I'm glad I've given in.
I do miss the feel and smell of paper. It bothers me a little bit that digital isn't as permanent as tangible. And sometimes I do feel like the outsider when I can't lend a book that I have on Kindle. However, all I have to do is walk into my library, the product of 10 years of collecting. There I have all the paper feel and smell I need, and I'm reminded that I can fit maybe two more shelves in before my books start needing a second room.
As I pack my netbook and Kindle away in my purse, I realize that I'm a traitor in the worst degree. I can admit it because I love it.
I used to have to write creatively on paper. Getting my fingers on a keyboard felt foreign and clinical, so I reserved it for school assignments and developed drafts. When I hand wrote, I could watch my handwriting change with my thoughts--neat and precise when my brain worked slowly and methodically, then frantic, messy, and large when my hand fought to keep up. I bolded important or angry sentiments, pressing hard into the page and leaving a fading shadow of the significance on the leaves below. I loved the mess of revisions--it showed the path I'd traveled to get from then to now: imperfect words perfected, awkward sentences made graceful, and characters developed into lifelike people. Different shades of blue, black, green, red, and purple crowded together in the areas I worked the hardest on, each color from the closest pen available at the time and creating a timeline of my work. A beautiful chaos that word processors eradicate.
One of the problems I had with typing was the lock-down feel it gave. I had to be at the computer, which didn't move. I felt chained to a desk--the same place, the same view--and if inspiration hit when I was nowhere near Mr. PC, I was up the proverbial creek. I could carry my notebook everywhere. I could write outside in the sunshine, in the corner of a coffee shop, or at my desk during a lecture I felt like ignoring.
But now, I'm addicted to typing. The change was gradual, beginning with my fondness for the easy, digital organization offered by disks (and later the flashdrive) and the "convenience" of laptops. (I guess they are convenient, but to me, I felt like I imagine mothers of infants must feel. Do I have all your gear/necessities? Great, now let's pack you into this giant case/carrier and lug you around. Oh, now you're hungry. Let's find a corner with an outlet/privacy.) But I've digressed. Yes, laptops are (mostly) handy, and flashdrives are AWESOME, and as I've collected more and more files and reference material, these things make my life so easy.
And so I turned. I went almost completely digital. I used to hand write 90% of the time, and now that's reversed. I even invested in a netbook this past summer, and it's usually within arm's reach.
Books have undergone the same transformation. I looked at those Kindles (I'm a complete Amazon junkie, by the way) and thought, "How cool! I can have all that information on one little device. My purse will be so light without the giant fantasy novel or hardback edition in it. But I can't." I had a lot of (really great) reasons, too. I love the feel and smell of books. I love to pass them on to people who will read them and discuss them with me. I love watching my bookmark progress from front to back. And I love staying up way too late just to get to the end because I can see with my very own eyes that I'm nearly there!
That's when my parents bought me, my sister, and my brother each a Kindle to share with our spouses. That was in December. Those original four Kindles (the three gifts plus my mother's) has grown into nine. My dad, husband, two sisters-in-law, and niece have all purchased their own since then. I thought I'd hold out, but I fell in love at an almost embarrassing pace. I explain this attraction with our shared Kindle account. We all have access to the same books. And since my family is spread out between California and Kansas, this device has actually brought us together and opened several great discussions about reading. If it weren't for my family's shared Kindle love, I'd definitely still be a "recreational user," but I'm glad I've given in.
I do miss the feel and smell of paper. It bothers me a little bit that digital isn't as permanent as tangible. And sometimes I do feel like the outsider when I can't lend a book that I have on Kindle. However, all I have to do is walk into my library, the product of 10 years of collecting. There I have all the paper feel and smell I need, and I'm reminded that I can fit maybe two more shelves in before my books start needing a second room.
As I pack my netbook and Kindle away in my purse, I realize that I'm a traitor in the worst degree. I can admit it because I love it.
The Terrifying Inaugural Post
Apparently, writers are supposed to keep blogs. I'm not sure who at this point will really want to read this blog, and I can guarantee that I will be sporadic with the postings, but I'm definitely willing to give it a try. But first, a few details:
- I will periodically make mistakes in grammar, spelling, and mechanics. It happens to the best of us. But I must admit that such public humiliation is terrifying for us English teachers.
- Yes, I'm an English teacher, but please don't feel anxious about commenting on my posts. I promise I will not pull out the dreaded red pen. Casual conversation is never grammar-perfect, and I understand that commenting tends to do the same.
- I will be honest, but it will always be my own opinion.
- I won't get political...often. I dislike it when people use social media as their own personal political soapbox, so I avoid it myself, but occasionally, an issue comes up that needs to be discussed. I can guarantee that any such posts will be writing-centered. And If I offend you, see #3.
- I won't always post about writing or reading. I love that stuff, but there's more to life. That being said, it won't be one of those journal/diary blogs. Although I'd love to regale you with the cuteness of my dog Thursday and kitten Merlotte playing tag, I'll refrain.
- While I'd love for each post to be deep and meaningful, I know better than to make any promise to that. I'll blog about what's on my mind.
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