The Joys of Manuscript Revision, or, All Good Writing was Written More Than Once

I swore I would never be that 'type' of writer. And I say that like there are 'types' of writers, which really their aren't - everyone is an individual.

But when I read that a favorite author of mine writes with a process along the lines of, Write it once, keep half of it, write it again, keep 2/3 of it, write it again, keep 3/4 of it, I laughed.

That's waaaaay too inefficient, said Gwen. I'll just write my books once, and do it right the first time. I'll use an outline, and be way more organized....

*cough*

Yeah. Maybe there is something to being a professional at what you do, after all.

I wrote my book once. I even had an outline. And it took me 45K words more than I thought I needed to tell the story. Now I need dig for the gold, and re-write the rest.

But it should be an adventure . . . . And result in a much better finished product. So, I've called in some help - bought some books, and I'll be using those as I sort of experiment with this whole 'rewrite' thing, to see how it works for me.

Because all of us writers are individuals -- even if some laws are universal, like this one:

All good writing was written more than once.

Consider this post a warning for the forthcoming whining.

Dark Side of the Moon

No, not the Pink Floyd Album. Though . . . if that is the first thing that came to your mind, you're cool in my book.

Today is what we moon-keen folks would term the 'new moon', meaning that the moon is back at the beginning of its cycle (of course 'beginning' is relative, since it depends on when you start counting, but go with me here). It's perfectly aligned between the earth and the sun at the moment, therefore all the sunlight hitting it is, well, reflecting back at the sun and skipping us. So we are looking at the 'dark' side of it. If you were to step outside and look for it, you would find *maybe* a tiny sliver, most likely a spooky sort of ringy silhouette. I love the New Moon. I think most people don't even realize it's happening, but I always feel the moon, even if I don't see it.

The new moon is supposed to be a time of reflection. A rest from the business of life to pause, take a breath, and plan. Maybe to study up or prepare for something. It's a time to break bad cycles and begin new, better ones.

Hence why tonight, I decided to go and post all the things I had *intended* to blog this month so far. I know . . . it's cheating. But I figure the blogger folks wouldn't have given us the backpost feature if it weren't intended for procrastinators like me. Right?

Resolved.

Well, it's that time again . . . the time when we reflect on what we've accomplished over the past 365 days and lay down some of our plans for the future. I'm all about accountability, so I'll share mine here, and take a page out of Thomma Lyn's book. Another good post on setting goals for the year can be found here (thanks Debbie!).

Also, if you're interested, I wrote an essay this year titled Building a Goal Pyramid. Which you may or may not find useful. No guarantees, no refunds. =P

Rather than list all the tiny steps I took this year in the general direction of my goals, I'll just list the five most valuable things I discovered and/or did, then move on to goals for 2009.

In 2008:

1. I wrote 1.9 novels, 3 novellas, 2 shorts and a mishmash of flash
for a total of a whopping 250K words. That's half of what I wrote in 2007,
but I think my quality (and the amount of sleep I got) increased
three-fold.

2. I met an amazing number of people who are just as obsessed with this
*cough*hobby*cough* as I am. I've been inspired, consoled, and had a whole
lotta fun. I feel so much less alone than I did at the start of all of
this.

3. I ventured into the publishing world, queried, and entered contests
- some with positive results. I also earned (yes EARNED) my first few
rejections and learned that with practice (and lots of chocolate), getting back
on the horse after those devastating form letters *does* get easier.

4. I have amassed a huge amount of knowledge and resources on the craft
of writing, and on the publishing industry. There are still a great many
mysteries yet to be uncovered, but at least now I know what I'm aiming
for. Much better than diving in blind!

5. I achieved a level of balance I'm comfortable with between my
personal life, and my writing life. This was much harder than it
sounds. Srsly.

Now! . . . On to 2009. Armed with all the tools, weapons and knowledge I so greedily gathered this past year, I plan to:

1. Become more active in the writing organizations I belong to: attend
local meetings, network, enter contests, and *hopefully* go to my first writer's
conference.

2. Break 100 blog posts, including: > 20 book reviews;
> 10 essays; and > 10 flash/short reads.

3. Re-design my website and blog(s) and centralize them in one
location.

4. Submit/query my first novel to at least 10 other spots. (Spots
meaning contests, agents, editors, etc.)

5. Submit my second novel to at least 10 spots.

6. Write 2 more novels. (I have about 5 ideas on the backburner,
and as soon as I finish revisions on novel #2, I will pick one. More info,
and inevitable whining, will follow along soon.)

7. Perpetuate the balance I've found between work, school, real life,
and writing.

8. Find the perfect critique partner. I know you're out
there somewhere . . . I'm waiting for you! (Ad placement to follow.)

Well, there ya go. It's not a concrete goal, but I hope to be more present in the blogosphere too. I wish everyone a fantabulous year . . . on your marks, get set, GO!

Cheers,Gwen

Am I really THAT Predictable?

So . . .
I'm not completely back in the writing saddle yet, but I'm brushing the horse down and tightening the straps. I've been slowly trying to turn my spare mind-power towards my WIP. And just writing in general. I'm more on the general, universal stuff at the moment. I've gone back and read a lot of my old stuff - just for fun. And in doing so, in a detatched way, I've discovered some sorta funny patterns. I've noticed them before with other writers, but never about myself really. It's funny how the subconscious works, yet not surprising.
Here are a few things that pop up repeatedly in my stories and bear some thematic significance or are otherwise just a common prop:

A rusty old pickup. - I think I've mentioned that my dad has always had one. I guess they must symbolize something to me. *scratches head*

A necklace. - This is a little too easy - a charmed necklace, or a piece of gifted jewelry used as a prop to bring memories to the surface, blah, blah. I'm going to have to expand my reperatoire here.

Car chases and/or accidents. - I think this is because I am afraid of car crashes and hence, really high speeds.

Claustraphobic instances. - I guess to me, being too cramped to move just amps up the panic factor. *shrugs*

Grey eyes. - Do they exist in nature? I can't tell ya. But I in my worlds, grey eyes is a fairly prominent genetic allele. Heh.

Kendo. - I'm sorry, I just think sword-wielding with style (no, I'm not talking about fencing) is hawt.

Rain. - I'm sure you can figure it out. (Hint: Gwen lives in Seattle)

Dreams. - I know it's cliche. *sigh* I have a hard time getting away from dreams though. What are the alternatives? How else do you set up people meeting before they actually meet, or rationalize someone turning down a road they normally wouldn't, or, or . . . *sigh* I know. I know. I know.

Auras. - Almost as bad as the dreams. But . . . I like the idea of using colors to interpret other character's moods. It's quick, and once the audience gets the drift, it's like . . . a shortcut. Right?

What do these things say about me? Is my imagination too limited? I'm too narrow-minded? Or maybe just overly analytical. Hmm... How about you - do you have any commonalities in your writing? Notice them in your reading? Think about it for a minute.

My other question is - is this a *bad* thing - or is it sorta cool? I mean, only people who had read everything I've written would notice. In a way - it would just be between me and them. I'm leaning towards cool . . .

Unwillingly Dammed

MISSING MY WIP

I'll try to make this post more ponderous and less whiny, but I can't make any guarantees to that effect. As you can probably tell, my blogging has been non-existent lately. That's fitting in right along with all other forms of writing. The honest-to-goodness truth, not an excuse but a reason, is simply this: I haven't had the time.

I'm the sort of person who over-extends herself on a regular basis. Being short on time is something I'm used to. Being under a deadline? No problem. Having lots of work piled up on me? Yeah, that's old hat. Running a website, two and a half blogs and a forum in addition to twittering and poking my nose in various cyber-spaces? Well... yeah.

But somehow, my firm purchase on the actual work of writing (the art of applying but to chair and fingers to keyboard) has slid towards non-existent. I'm chewing through lots of books on the bus ride to and from my new job - but that is really just making my hunkering to write even worse. And here comes the whining...

A lot of writers complain that they sit down and the words won't come. Or that they find themselves shuffling writing to the bottom of their list and making excuses *not* to do it. At the moment, I envy those writers. If I had the time to talk myself out of writing . . . well, I'd be writing. Sadly, my case is something else entirely. The words are there. The ideas are flowing. They are just piling up behind the dam built by my brain in order to let me deal with the more pertinent issue of . . . well, survival. (At the moment.) I have so much work to do, I can't even allow myself to dawdle in my make believe worlds, or to ponder characters or stories, or anything. I'm effectively cut-off from my creative flow. And not by choice. It's like a forced block. And it's frustrating as hell.

It comes down to this: I miss my WIP. I *WANT* to dive into it, to finish the story of the people I've come to care deeply about in the past months. I *WANT* to add in my new ideas, and yes, yes - even to trudge through edits because I know the editing process inside-out now and know that the end-product will be more than worth it. But . . . woe is me . . . I can't do that. Yet.

Soon. Soon, I keep telling myself. I miss all of you guys too - if there is anyone out there still reading this. I'll say the same to you. Soon I will be filling your head with fluff, or maybe even something more substantial, telling your what I've read and what I thought, expanding my reperatoire of writing-issues, finally tackling the projects I've been talking 'bout for months, and generally poking my nose in your business again. Soon.

Signed,
Unwillingly Dammed Writer

Motivation Schmotivation

I put up a lengthy post of a two-part series on motivation and goals over on the Writer's Retreat Blog today. Check it out here.

And for frick's sake . . . I just realized it's June. *bugeyes*

Did it sneak up on anyone else?

Quest for Balance . . .

I'm rambling about how to balance writing with your personal life over at the Writer's Retreat Blog today.

Link

Springtime Musing

I didn't post up my poem for last Sunday, so I'm doing it today. (Yes, that's really how far behind I am.)

Anyway, this is one of my old-time favorite poems. I really love Robert Frost. I think it's because he doesn't try to do anything complicated. He was one of the first poets I read, and even at nine/ten years old, I could understand.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

By Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

The classical interpretation of this poem is that it is an eloquent metaphor for the rise and fall of mankind. I think it could be seen that way, but mean so many other things too.

It always comes to mind the first time I feel my surrounding emerging from the winter - the first time it 'feels' like spring. It captures that first zing of excitement that races through your blood when you realize the season has changed.

To me, it's also a metaphor for life. Natures first green equates to youth. Youth is golden, new, shining with possibilities. And of course, the inevitable disillusionment that accompanies age and experience, sometimes even giving way to a pessimistic, or 'grieving' attitude towards life. And the poem almost laments how sad it is that we cannot hold on to that 'golden' outlook.

Frost also has a wonderful grasp and conveyance of the 'circle of life' in this poem. He paints a picture of one revolution of the cycle - the first green, then the leafing, then flowering; the dawn giving way to day.

What other meanings do you take away from it?

Bell, Book, and Candle

I decided to give myself a break and try something different for the month of April. Every Sunday this month I will post a snip of verse for you here, in honor of National Poetry Month.

These are technically lyrics*, but you say tomato, I say tomatoe. It's a lovely piece, and I urge you to listen to the song, by Eddie Reader:

Photo by KevLewis

Bell, Book, and Candle

The blue around the morning moon,
The colour of your eyes.
I remember holding you,
Fall through summer skies.
You're everything that I've become, every word I say.
I need a bell, book and candle to keep your ghost away.

White horses on a troubled sea,
Your smile will flash through time.
Up ahead a blackbird's wing,
Your hair will come to mind.
Every night I see your face when I have to pray.
I need a bell, book and candle to keep your ghost away.

Just before the thunder roars,
I sense you next to me.
And as I move through nature,
I know where you will be.
So I must keep myself apart, here is where I'll stay.
With a bell, book and candle to keep your ghost away.

*Chorus removed, verses run together here.

Vices and Virtues

This week, a pending announcement from an ePublisher that shall remain unnamed weighs heavily on my mind. I submitted on January 3rd and have heard NOTHING, though I know other people who have. The waiting is killing me. This has lead to several talks with friends with regards to my lack of patience and that it's something I need to work on.

So, enough whining. I got to thinking 'patience is a virtue' and then . . . gee, I don't have any of that. So . . . here are 6 vices of mine, and seven virtues (as I see them) - just to keep things on an even keel and not spend too much time beating myself up.

Gwen's Vices 1. Impatience. My mother says that when they were handing out patience, I was around the corner looking for something else to do. 2. Cable TV. I don't have it, for obvious reasons. When I go to someone's house, if their TV is on, nothing else exists for me. 3. Carbs. I love them. Flour, corn, rice, potatoes . . . mmmm, potatoes. If it's white, I probably scarf it. Scarf, not eat. I lasted on the South Beach Diet for about six hours, then DH insisted I eat something carbalicious before somebody got hurt. 4. Caffeine. I used to be a non-caffeine preacher. No, really. That was before I started replacing sleep with writing, and found I needed artificial assistance to function during the day. 5. Barnes and Noble. It doesn't sound evil, but I'm not allowed to go in that place unchaperoned. 6. Volunteering. I'm awful with this! It's like my arm and mouth have a minds of their own. Before I even know what someone is asking, I'm offering to help, or to do it for them. Sounds like a good thing - right? Nope. I over-extend myself, get irritable and resentful, and usually end up letting people down. Gwen's Virtues 7. I'm loyal. It takes a lot to shake me off once I've glommed onto you. *g* 8. Honesty. Sometimes this actually gets me into trouble, but I still stick by it, and admire it in others. 9. Hard-working. I will bust my butt if I'm properly motivated. (Let's not talk about what that means...lol.) 10. I sing with all my heart, at the top of my lungs. Some people might not agree with this being a virtue, but *LA LA LA*. 11. I'm a good driver. Not only responsible, but courteous. I believe in car-karma. 12. I'm a very gracious loser. Even though I'm *cough*competitive*cough*. If you beat me fair and square, I'll give you props. 13. *goes to check inbox*. Oh . . . you're still here. Sorry. Did I mention impatient? So... tell me one of your vices, and one of your virtues. (Don't keep me waiting.)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave your TT url in a comment, and I'll link back to you here:

Jennifer Leeland
Puss Reboots
Winter
Alice Audrey
Shelly Munro
Ms. Menozzi
Gina Ardito
Tempest Knight at the Midnight Moon Cafe
Picturing of Life
Rhonda Stapleton
Debbie Mumford
She Became A Butterfly
Paige Tyler
Kaige
WordTrix
J.D. Rydell
Crushedglass
Susan Helene Gottfried
Tasina
Nicholas
Scarlett Sanderson
AJ Chase

B-C-E

After my recent flogging, a discussion ensued in the Writer's Retreat Forum. While it was private, it got me thinking, and I've included some of it here for ponderance's sake.

The discussion was regarding what level of 'harshness' is helpful to a writer. Being the analytical type that I am, I first felt a need to define terms.

B-C-E : The process of beta-reading, critiquing, or editing creative fiction. So, are those all the same thing? Not in my mind. Ideally, I think it's great to have one of each, only in the reverse order. Here's what I mean (and I do know that my definitions might not be what you had in mind) . . .

An edit takes something in its raw form, helps tighten it, pick out holes, re-work sequencing, pacing, etc.. It also corrects typos, grammar errors, spelling, homophones, and the like. Basically, it takes the bare bones of a piece and straightens them out.

A critique takes things a step farther, and works on craft: story structure, voice, characterizations, world building - the real meat of a story. It would also be a time to provide more creative feedback and stimulate the writer to expand or clarify passages.

A beta-read is similar to a beta-test. It takes the work in its near final form for a dry run. Ideally, your beta-reader is someone that is in your target audience, and can give feedback on what works and what doesn't. It's less craft oriented, less structured, and based more on the overall 'feel' of the piece.

Various definitions of these abound, and to some people they might even be the same thing, but for clarity, that is how I segregate them. I'm not really sure where a publishing editor fits in on this scale, since I haven't worked with one before. But my guess is that a copy-editor 'edits' and an editor editor 'crits/betas'. I'll let you know when I find out, lol.

So, the statement that started the discussion was something along the lines of 'you have to be willing to take a certain degree of harshness in order to grow as a writer'. That was me. I'll be honest, I love criticism. To me, it's the gateway to improvement . . . the rite of passage to my ultimate goal, to be a successful author. Some people disagree - particularly with the 'harshness' part. So, let's take a look at that.

1. Everyone knows that you have to have a thick skin to make it in this business. That's not to say that being mean for the sake of 'toughening someone up' is helpful. To the contrary, budding writers are usually fragile and unsure, and need to be encouraged. I'm sure anyone who's made it can remember back to the people that were initially gentle with them, allowing them to gain confidence and grow at their own pace.

2. Just being nice isn't helpful.
Has this happened to you - you finally decide to ask someone to take a look at something, they do, and they hand it back to you with a 'that's very nice.' ? Gee, thanks. But now you're still where you were before. You know it can be better, but you don't know how or where. This sort of feedback, (yes, it's always nice to have an ego boost) doesn't help us improve.

3. Everyone is looking for something different in a critique/beta.
This is a no-brainer. We all have different strengths, and different not-so-strengths. What you're wanting out of a second, third or umpteenth pair of eyes depends on those strenghts, and on what stage of your specific writing process you're in. I think the most important thing when working with someone who is BCEing for you is to communicate clearly what type of feedback you are looking for. And being able to recognize and decide on this is also a useful skill. Keep in mind too that every BCEer brings something different to the table too. Hence my 'more is better' policy.

With that said, my flogging didn't hurt my feelings. I knew what I was getting into, and I got what I wanted out of it. I spent a year under a tough-love brutal beta, who told it like it was, and always spoke up if something didn't mesh.

So, one of my group members (who are all faced with the grueling task of critiquing some of my WIPs) asked "What are you looking for in a BCE?" I thought about it. I can some it up in ONE word. (I know - it's a miracle!!!)

Honesty.

I want to know what you think, honestly. Even if it's harsh - hit me with it. I want that sting, because I know it will become a part of my assimilated skill set, however painful the process.

Full Moon

It's the full moon today, and I was lacking any pertinent news for the blog, so, I did a bit of digging (Wiki: Full Moon, Lycanthropy, Blue Moon).

In wiccan/druid tradition, the full moon is an esbat, a minor holiday. It is only one cycle of the moon, but it generally affiliated with the mother Goddess. It's the time when she is the most prominent and at the height of her power. Depending on your tradition, it might be a time to bring magic workings of the month to a final culmination. It is a time to work personal spells, etc., where the high holidays (sabbats) are for working magic for the Gods.

The moon operates on a 28 (29.531) day cycle. There are 12 (sometimes 13, if there's a a Blue Moon) in a a calendar year. The moon reaches it's fullest point around day 15 of its cycle. At that point, it is directly on the opposite side of earth as the sun, aligning the three is as close to a straight line as they come. The moon looks 'full' for about three days.

Though the links remain elusive, many cultures associate the full moon with a time of heightened power, either of deities, or of other forces. The term lunatic is based off the Latin word for moon, luna. Many studies have been done to try to establish the connection between the full moon and increased instances of insomnia, insanity, aggression of animals, etc. The urban myths of more murders and more babies being born at the full moon seem to be linked to this, though there's no conclusive data to be found. And of course, the myth of lycanthropy, or the werewolf - is rooted in this folklore.

There are several different names for the Full Moon, in several cultures. The Old English names are listed below. Also note that a Blue Moon has come to mean the 2nd full moon in a calendar month, where it used to be the 3rd full moon in any season that had four (happens every two to three years).

Jan: Old Moon
Feb: Wolf Moon
Mar: Lenten Moon
Apr: Egg Moon
May: Milk Moon
Jun: Flower Moon
Jul: Hay Moon
Aug: Grain Moon
Sep: Fruit Moon
Oct: Harvest Moon
Nov: Hunter's Moon
Dec: Oak Moon

Powered by ScribeFire.