Word Count!

I mentioned the contracts and weekly goals for the studio writing group. Half of my contract for this week is editing, ten pages per day, everyday. It is day two and I am doing really well. It is basic first run editing to the Mac Grabes detective story. Grammar, structure, spelling errors the spell check kindly glosses over; this is the easy stuff. As I mentioned in the editing diatribe, I hate editing, I am mediocre at the laws of English 101, and I drag the process out really tediously. So, why then, is the hard part of this week’s contract the writing?

Three thousand words per day, every day; it should be a cake walk. I am a National Novel Writing Month champ ten times over. I doubled the word count requirement in my second year, just for kicks. That count, for one hundred thousand words, is 3,336 if anyone was working on the math. I can do this in my sleep. I used to be able to do this in my sleep at any rate.

This week should be easier for writing on other counts too: I am out of classes for the session, there are no big events this weekend, no work, no school, the house is pretty clean, and my back is out so I am doomed to sit and relax and let the mind wander. Can I think of a single sentence to write for the three novels I should be writing; Max’s Despair, Gato’s Pride or Ecstasy: The Second Wave? Not a single sentence, not one witty retort for dialogue, nothing for description. I think I may be a bit past the whole pirate phase for the moment. It could be because I have so many other novels hanging over me waiting to be published. It could be aggravation with my current publisher or with fellow writers. It could e so many things. Those are all just excuses.

I know I need to keep writing, but did anyone say it had to be exclusively novel writing that makes that word count? So, I fall back on the blogging. I neglected this blog and other quite a bit. I used to have a very steady blog on Livejournal.com. I used to update my azcorsair.ning.com page. I kept the myspace.com blog rolling too. What happened? Was it Facebook, Twitter? I used to have nearly as many associates on blogs that I now have on Social Networking sites. The posts were much more than one sentence, typically. I will not deny the handful of blogs that were used for cryptic one liners meant to invoke a high volume text based pity party. The new sites are far worst in that department too though. One rarely reads more than a four sentence paragraph nor writes any more than. What have we become?

When working on a story the hard sell at the onset that reels in the reader and pulls them through to the end is often expressed as more important that the ending! A writer used to have a few pages to prove the story was a good catch. Now, fifty words; a page; the first paragraph? What does it take and how soon does the writer want the body? The most common critique of Blackstrap’s Ecstasy - my first published book and first in the Corsair series - is that it started out slow. I will not deny that and I will make conscious effort to avoid the same mistake in subsequent novels. There is something to be said for the style though. It has changes.

Before the age of television, fast-paced films, computer generated action, and give it to me now entertainment ideals, people read books and took time to get into a story. I am not in anyway saying I am any different, mind, but it is very true. Pick up a book from fifty to one hundred years ago. The story takes time to draw the reader in, to let him get to know the characters and the world he is about to enter into. It is a vacation, not a step into a war zone.

Is it better or worse though? Do we need to have a more bang in the book sort of ideal now? Should we return to the, dare I say it, good old days? With some stories, I think so. The pirate stories are among them for me. I am writing about a less fast paced time, about people who enjoyed the long telling of a good tale. When I write these stories I want to give the feeling it is told by a pirate, a sailor who has been there. Other stories beg for something very different.

I would never tell the Hell’s Belles stories with so much time on tedious details. They enter the scene, they blow something up, they leave. There is not much more to say about the characters or the story beyond the required explosive action.

For the moment my mind is in neither space, so, my three thousand word goal may not make it past 1,667 and it may all be strictly technical. And, today I may not even make it that far. I wish I knew what to do to stay motivated shy of putting a gun to my own head. I do not believe in writer’s block but this is likely the closest feeling to it. Nothing is coming to me on the stories I should work on. I have flashes of stunning ideas though!

I have some of the most obscure dreams! Dreams are great inspiration! I am not one of those false gurus who will tell you the key to success, sell you an idea and ned try it on his own. No, I really do keep a notebook beside by bed. I really do write in that book (three pages) every night, and work out the dream information as fast as possible if I wake with a good one. Writing down a dream can be damn near three thousand words if detailed and drawn up with care and attention to detail. How much of that dream do you want to capture?

Another device I keep by the side of the bed is my Samsung Galaxy S Droid. I will mention here that calling it a phone seems so much like a misnomer. My Droid is pretty shabby as a phone but it has so many options I am rarely on my Netbook anymore. I love to jot down story ideas. Prior to the Droid I was proud owner of a HTC Dash, it wasn’t the most amazing device but it did the job. I wrote one of my latest Science Fiction pieces via MMS messages to my Gmail account as I rode to Payson, AZ for a camping trip. Several thousand words tapped out on a teeny keyboard. Reading some of it back once I returned home was enlightening. It was not the best work I had ever done, but it was pure and in the moment.

We write, and gain inspiration to write in places that might not be the best for writing. How do you cope? The journal, or mobile device, beside the bed; notebooks stashed away in the car, purse, backpack; the napkin at the diner all are great! How about toilet paper? Admit it sitting there, with nowhere to go can be inspiring. I am still working out how to capture those words thought up while in the shower.

Anne Rice, among others, spoke of writing on the walls. If you live in an apartment or lack a space to just leave words hanging about this might not work for you, but I am a huge fan of magnetic poetry, chalkboards and dry erase boards. Even large poster paper or flip boards are great and most office supply stores have them at a decent price.

I am not certain how to keep that word count up for you, but there are a million ideas that I have tried. Some have worked really well others not so much. And, not every idea works all the time. I have felt lately that I need to step away from the technology for a time and get back to the basics. I am in front of a computer so often for work or school or the god awful Social Networking. It sucks the fun out of sitting down to write. The creative stuff, the raw story, it seems to come directly from the ink to the paper, much more readily.

So where are you at in your writing? How many words per day to you put to paper or screen (or wall, or toilet paper, or skin). And, how do you work out the issue of ideas in the shower?

Editing Woes

The Thursday evening writing group decided to make out contracts week to week for each member. We tossed in a dollar each to sweeten the deal and give us each something to work for; nothing beats money as incentive for the average American. My goal for this week, per Diem - ten pages of editing and three thousand words.

The ten pages of editing was cake. I knew it would be. I have at least a dozen novels - that is not a stretch - that need massive overhaul. I decided to work on the Mac Grabes detective story. It’s printed out, in full, just begging to be bled out. I am going to stick with only the red pen part of editing for now. I want to finish at least one step in the process before moving on to the next; that is my typical issue. I am not a fan of the editing part of the writing. I would much rather take Zane Grey’s approach: he would write out the story, then his secretary would take care of the rewrites. That is really what I need. I even have trouble editing for others. Well, not entirely. Editing for my students is easy. I know I have the authority to bleed the red ink. On the work of peers that I know are better than me at every stage of writing, it is really difficult! A dear friend who edited more than one of my novels recently sent her college paper to me for a look see. I read it. I read it. I drooled over the amazingness of it. I made notes. I erased notes. I just could not bring myself to rip into the work of one so far above me. It would be like trying to tell someone in the Russian Ballet to take my Bellydance classes! I know the editing has to be done, and everyone has different methods of going about it, but it is the motivation, right, and dedication to it that is tough. It is not the fun part of writing.

I do leaps and bounds better at editing hard copy. Editing on a screen seems so sterile. It is art, of a sort if done with the good old standby red ink pen. I can scribble notes in the margins, squeeze in words and draw lines and circles and squiggles of suggestion; and, I can do it all curled up on the couch with the radio on in the background.

There is more than just grammar and spelling and checking for story flow in editing. I know that even though I hate doing any of it. The English 101 teacher method is phase one of many. Once the grammar bitch has had at it then playtime can happen.

Method One: Take all the dialogue out. Yes. Take every character thought and quote, and paste it into a fresh file. Only the quotes! Leave the who said its and how said its in the action/ description section of the manuscript. This is fun. Really. Only way I made it through my first major novel. Your characters have a way of speaking. They have a theme to their words. Even if they do not have a distinctive dialect that translates to paper, they still have typical ways of responding to situations. Forcing the dialogue to display that all on its own was tough at first!

Consider how many people are in the scene/ chapter/ story. Do they each get a turn to speak? If not, why? If so, do they all deserve it? If not, can the dialogue or even the character, be omitted from the scene? It is clear who is speaking and how they are speaking?

Having too many characters speaking is much like being in a crowded room. Someone has to shut up for quality conversation to be had, but allowing any one person to Bogart the conversation becomes very dull. I find three to not be all that much of a crowd, five to be a fair handful and any more than that a council meeting that might need brisk adjournment.

Story dialogue is different than conversation with the neighbor. Idle chatter should never be idle. Dialogue should serve to move the plot or learn about a character. Why should Dick and Jane talk about the dog tipping over the trash can? Is it a foreshadowing of what they might, at some point, find there? Does it help the reader understand character reaction to a situation? Save that witty pun for just the right moment or character. It may seem like gold, but if it serves little purpose your readers will likely be less than amused.

Once your dialogue has had the once over on paper why let it lie there? Read it with feeling! Stand in front of a mirror and play the role of voice actor. If you have some trusted cohorts ask them to play the parts instead. As writers we know what we mean when we write it but hearing the same words from the lips of someone who has no idea what is going on can be very enlightening. Have fun with this part!

On to the action! Leave that dialogue where it is. We are not ready for the talkies yet. The action is the stage direction of your performers/ characters. They need to be told what to do and how to do it. Be a clear director but beware of micromanaging. Do we really need a play by play of each move your characters make? When is too much really just enough? Are you holding the characters’ hands or allowing them to dance for you?

Can the hero leap small buildings in a single bound? If not, then why are you making him do so? Learn the distances, do the math, draw a map if you have to. Remember, you really can’t make the bullet arc. Even if you write fantasy or science fiction, the appeal of plausibility still exists. Every world has rules no matter how far out. Act out the physical scenes, yes, those too if you have consenting partner(s) and the need to really work out the fine details.

I find vast puddles of knowledge incredibly useful as a writer. There is little need for me to know the deep inner workings of every machine, craft, skill, or art my characters might come by, but knowing a little goes a long way. Where does one find this information? The internet is a great start and nothing beats the local library, but taking classes or speaking with experts face to face is priceless if the option is at your disposal. Try new and exciting things! I like to take a very Hemmingway approach to writing. Be there, do that!

Don’t forget about NPCs, extras, background characters, guest stars, whatever you call them they are not mannequins. Your star characters do not live in a void, unless they do, in which case forget this entire paragraph. Background characters make background noises, they have movements, they set the scene for all manner of interaction, if you let them.

Once your action is packed or maybe before, it is time to set the stage. The order by which you approach all depends on how your writer mind works. Stage setting may be the only way to make all the other pieces fit in or it might be just a backdrop. In a sense, this is the base of your scene though. Returning again to the movie in the mind idea, set your stage and know your props. Again, don’t forget about those extras. The wench that brings the tankard has to pull that tankard from somewhere and had to fill it with something. This is a great time to get creative again and lean all about the basic laws of physics. A seven foot man cannot merely walk into a six foot doorway.

Tolkien, Roddenberry, and other great master writers went so far as to create languages and cultures for their characters. No one says that is a requirement of a great story but it does help to know what sort of world the characters live in, especially if it is very different than the here and now of present day Earth. Writers like King describe the scenes they set to death! Somewhere just shy of that is where I sit. I am known to sketch maps and blueprints of the area I am working in to be certain nothing walks/ shoots/ sees through walls, and there is nothing like table top Role Playing Games to work through staging issues.

Editing can be fun. It can have different angles to attack that manuscript by and it needs to be done. Not everyone likes editing. I certainly cannot stand it. But, it is a necessary good that all writers should know how to approach in creative and productive means. Even if you are one of the fortunate ones with the luxury of a standby editor who understands your needs and can practically read your mind, who’s story is it? Only you know your vision, so you should be the one to really make it jump off the page for the reader.

I once heard an author admit to personally editing her work over a dozen times before ever sending it to the formal Editor. When I first heard that I was a very unhappy writer. I am bored to tears after just one reread; how does one do it twelve times? It is not different than the practice of writing. If you want it, you can make it happen, and, yes, it is so very worth it. Much like National Novel Writing Month trained me to work those fingers to 1,667 words per day, Editing Month let me attempt at least fifteen pages of editing per day. It really isn’t that bad when broken down into bite size pieces.

Just write!

Children's Stories/ Fairy Tales?

I was asked today, by a fellow Clayborn Press author - R.L. Spidell, if I might have any fairy tales, or stories for children in my portfolio. Spidell is interested in a compilation collection between my work and hers.

I am both flattered and motivated by this! Trolls is a full novel, but there are other pieces that are shorter that would be perfect for such a project. I will keep you updated on the progress!