Another Round!

So, you've done it! You've done what so many people say they want to do, but never do. Finished your first Book! Congratulations! Now, the real work starts. Editing. Editing. Editing. Now, there are some folks that love the editing portion of writing. They love refining and making that diamond in the rough sparkle. They analyze every nook and cranny of the manuscript.

Then there are those that loath the editing process. They approach it as a necessary evil, a thorn that needs to be removed. They slug through the whole editing process at glacial speed.

It's about attitude! Change it if you fall into that second camp! Your characters deserve the added attention.

But what needs to be remembered, is that just because you finished your draft, it doesn't mean you've finished your novel. A novel isn't finished until it is in fit-n-trim shape. Think of the editing process as cross-training for your manuscript. Conditioning, strength training and cardio are going to be needed for the marathon your manuscript is going to have to embark on. It is going to be going through the process of finding an agent, a publisher and getting published. It needs the training to stand on its own. You won’t be there to hold its hand. The editing process is where you set aside your personal affinity for your work and scrutinize. Does that story arc, regardless of how much you like it, really, really, really work? Or is that character that you love so much really pulling their weight? If not, well, it’s your job to shape them up!

So, fellow pen-warriors, drop down and give me 50! Don’t stop until your manuscript is a lean, mean, rousing machine! Then, refine it, drop it in a tuxedo and send it out in the brutal publishing world.

Distractions

There are days I sit down at my computer and, simply, struggle. I have a lot to write about. From my other posts, you should know I feel there are stories to be told everywhere. Sometimes getting the creative flow flowing can be a challenge. Today, even as I post this, is one of those days for me as we deal with an instance of identity theft.

Distractions.

They're everywhere. They lurk in the shadows of the over occupied mind. They hide in our overstuffed email inboxes. Sometimes, they use those closest to us to carry out their diabolical subterfuge. Their objective is to keep writers from shedding the light on those untold stories. They want to silence our characters' voices.

Distractions act to disrupt the flow of creative energy. It is that energy that acts as the window of our imagination. The incessant ringing of the phone, the constant blip tones of new emails and the daily to-do lists all serve to fog that window.

One day of not writing leads to another. Before you know it, you've gone a whole week, perhaps more, without one keyboard stroke. The characters you have been writing about, who you had grown to love, are now strangers on a yellowing page. Your connection with them, severed, lost - DEAD.

When I decided to start writing, I was fortunate enough to read ON WRITING by Stephen King. In it, he explains how important it is to write everyday, among a host of other important insights. Writing is a craft that needs to be practiced.

Keeping his advice and the obligation I owe my characters as my guidepost, I write everyday. My goal is 1,500 words a day. There are days that getting to 1,500 is a Herculean effort. But, then there are those days that I'm skipping happily to a prolific 5,500 words.

So, as King suggests, set out a routine and block time for writing and practicing the craft. For me, it's in the morning before the pressures of the day set in. Having a designated place to write helps a lot too. Have a goal each day. It could be completing a particular plot line, added depth to an otherwise flat character, something that keeps you moving forward. For me, I pair a specific goal with my word count target of 1,500 words.

Then - read. I've said it before. You learn from reading. All those mechanics we sometimes get mired in are demonstrated in a good book. Pay attention how its written. The structure, the flow, character development, everything is there for you to learn from. Oh, yeah, you kinda should enjoy it too. That's important.

So, now you have some basic suggestions. Get the glass cleaner out, clean off that window and get to it soldier! Before long, you'll find your fingers dancing across that keyboard to the beat and rhythm of what writers are called to do - writing.

Leaves!

Yes. You read the title right. Leaves filled my family's afternoon this past Sunday. After hours of constructing a replica of Mount Everest, my two sons and I were drawn like clowns to the circus as we dove headlong into the car sized pile. All the time, our photographer, my lovely wife, clicked away. The craziness, caught on camera, and no doubt posted on Facebook, would have any P.R. department cringe and book publishers in an uproar from the breech of decorum. Okay, I know I'm embellishing a tad. But, I'm a writer, I'm allowed to exaggerate.

Now, you might ask what does raking and frolicking in leaves have anything to do with writing. Well from a creative perspective, it has a lot to do with our craft. In talking to people at meetings or conferences, I'm always told one of the roadblocks that keeps them from writing is that they have nothing to write about. As a writer, I struggle with the notion. I always have too much to write about. As it is, I have to be diligent and guard against starting multiple projects. That is what notepads are for!

Anyway, back to my leaves. I realized that while they are similar, they were different. The more I thought about it, the more striking those differences were. Getting lost in my thoughts, my body went on autopilot. I saw each leaf as a microcosm of creative motivation. Even though I was piling all these leaves in one large indiscriminate pile, they all had their own individual stories that were screaming at me to be told. Now, am I suggesting a story from a leaf's point of view? Not necessarily. Although it would probably be a very interesting project.

What I'm suggesting is that something as simple as a leaf pile can spark a whole plot line. Indulge me for a few more seconds. Imagine a man who has been visited by tragedy more than once. Whose only joy and worthwhile moment each year was to rake leaves with his family. Watching his kids' drollery and letting their laughter sooth his battered soul gave him a sense of balance in life. Now, the catalyst. Something mysterious happens and he is left raking leaves each year alone. Once the source of indescribable happiness, the leaf pile has become a swirling abyss of haunting memories.

It doesn't have to be leaves. It could be just about anything! Once you realize everything has a story waiting to be told by an observant writer, a whole world of creative possibilities open up. There is always something to write about. Anything can be sculpted into a story. So try it!

Think of this post as a challenge. Find something, anything, and focus on it. Perhaps the pen in your hand or the keyboard on which you spend so much time. Try to envision its experiences. Where it came from or what it endured. Perhaps the factory worker who packaged the very item you are using as you read this has something that needs to be told.

It is our job as writers to be the voices of the unheard. So, sit down and grab a piece of paper or turn on your trusty computer and start doing the right thing. Tell their story. Be the one, perhaps the only one, who has listened and has decided to be the voice of the voiceless, begging to be heard.

Which one are you?

Image of an old writing desk. Source: Library of Congress

Writing. Everyone can do it. Right? I mean, that's what I often hear when I tell someone I'm writing on my next book. "Oh, you're a writer?" Then, comes the myriad of reasons of why they just never seem to have gotten down to it. Time constraints, inspiration to write, hot outside, cold outside are some that come to mind.

Can anyone write? Yes, and, in my opinion, everyone should. Writing is the space in which our minds are allowed to stretch and roam freely, far away from the cranium confines of daily life. Writing is opening the windows on a perfect spring day and allowing the cool breeze to sweep you away, if only for a second. Yes, everyone should write.

Can anyone write well? Here is where it gets a bit tricky. Can anyone rock climb? I know for a fact I can't. Get me on a rock wall in the mall and I'm like a octoplegic spider trying to get back to its web. The point is, it takes time and conditioning. Good writing is a craft that requires - no demands - large swaths of attention. It is a jealous craft that doesn't always play well with others.

If you intend to be a serious Writer, read. Read a lot. If you don't like to read, you'll have a hard time with writing. Don't wing it. Find books by good, respected authors and read. Learn from them. Read what interests you.

Is there a writer in each of us? Perhaps there is a writer that is just begging to be let out of the cage for a little while. Let the writer in you breathe that sweet spring air. It has been said before, there are two types of writers. Those who write and those who don't. Which one are you going to be?