The Most Interesting Thing I Learned This Week: Sometimes People Lie

"Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom." 
~Thomas Jefferson

Hugging an adolescent Fir. I'm an Oregon native. Truth.

People lie. I've known that sorry truth for most of my life, but what I learned this week is that sometimes people lie accidentally. And now it's confession time.

Last week in that post about being a planter, I said I didn't outline, right? That wasn't entirely true.

Before we took off on this Monday's Plot Walk and Tree Hugging Adventure, I felt lost in my WIP, baffled as to where the story needed to go. Then I remembered a very important document I'd prepared before I started this draft. Eureka!

Waiting patiently in my WIP folder was one of my favorite writing tools, a beat sheet from Blake Snyder's fabulous screenwriting manual, SAVE THE CAT. Not exactly an outline, but a helpful plotting device with 15 structure points designed to help a writer keep the reader resonating with the story. Using this tool, writers are encouraged to start with a memorable opening image and end, logically, with a final image that's the opposite of the opening.

So beginning this week, it's time for Fun and Games in Occupied Paris.

Put on your dancing shoes!

What about you? Do you have any favorite craft-related books or tips?

The Most Interesting Thing I Learned This Week--I'm a Planter

This past Monday, due to a terrible bout of vertigo, I didn't get to go for my morning hike which not only saddened me, but threw off my perfect writing routine. Why? This week I've come to the realization that I'm not really a pantser, I'm a planter.

A planter is a person who plants seeds, right? And I certainly do that. But this blog is about writing, not gardening. So what am I talking about?

Have you ever been asked, "Are you a plotter or a pantser?" I've always answered, "Pantser." But this week I learned that's not really true. I do not write by the seat of my pants. Not well anyway. Nor am I able to sit down and plan out an entire novel in outline form. I'm neither a pantser nor a plotter. I'm somewhere in between. A planter.

As you may  know, I'm in the throes of drafting a YA historical set in Occupied Paris. After a failed first attempt, I realized I can't write this novel by the seat of my pants. So this past month I've spent every Monday morning out in the woods, planning the plot points for the week ahead. I create a mental map of my story and visualize the upcoming scenes, talk through the dialogue, hear the voices and speak them out loud. Like seeds, the scenes are planted in my brain and when I sit down to write them, they've had time to germinate. The writing flows.

This week I didn't get my scene planting walk in and as a result, the writing has been like planting in rocky, weedy soil.

What about you? What's your process?

The Most Interesting Thing I Learned This Week--Never Give Up!

"Never, never, never, never give up."

--Winston Churchill 

The little beige figure to the left  is yours truly

A few weeks ago, after six months without my heart rate elevating much higher than that of an aged sloth, I resolved to get my lazy rump out of bed early every Monday morning and take a hike, literally.

This week's adventure proved quite the challenge. Though it's the middle of June, it felt more like February. Cold. Dark. Pouring Rain.

As I hit the primitive trail in search of the elusive Maple Falls* I heard the roar of a grizzly behind me. But I ignored my Arizonian husband and forged onward through the moss covered trees, knowing he'd get over his aversion to the annoying precipitation once he found something worthwhile to photograph. See here

The forest grew denser, the rain fell in gallon buckets, the grizzly bear growled louder, but I refused to give up. Because I heard a noise. The unmistakable rush of cascading water.

Had I given up, given in, given out, I would have missed this incredible sensual feast that caused my creative well to overflow. (see picture above). Next week I'll share another amazing way these early morning hikes have contributed to more joyful writing.

Do you sometimes feel like you'll never reach your goal? Never finish your novel? Never get an agent? Never get your book published?

Whenever I feel like giving up, I picture that cigar-smoking British statesman and repeat his words in my head. Never, never, never, never give up.

Any thoughts?

*Having lived in the town of Maple Falls for over six years without finding them, I'd come to believe the existence of the real "Maple Falls" was the stuff of urban legend.

The Most Interesting Thing I Learned This Week--Le Mot Juste

"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work."

-- Gustave Flaubert

Yes, Gustave, I hear you. But that little obsession you had with le mot juste? You're killing me. Maybe I'm not just like you, spending an entire week on one page, searching for that perfect word or turn of phrase, but sometimes I come close. 

So what have I learned this week? The idea started with a bit of advice from my lovely agent about writing historical fiction. "Be careful not too spend too much time doing research on small details that might end up thrown out in final edits." This got me thinking.

The same principle applies to choosing words. Sometimes I spend a great deal of precious time searching for that perfect word, or hammering out the perfect rhythm for that one sentence. Because language is beautiful and lyrical and I can't help myself. This obsession is beneficial.

 But not while writing a first draft! 

That's what I learned this week. Not that I hadn't heard it a million times before and repeated it to myself half that many times. But this week, I finally took it to heart. Save le mot juste for the final draft. Now if I can just keep remembering this, I may get this first novel written before the new millennium . . .

Does this happen to you? What was your mot juste this week? Mine was disheveled. What does that tell you?   

The Most Interesting Thing I Learned This Week

"The day you stop learning is the day you begin decaying. . ."

--Isaac Asimov

After adding a new Monday feature, Partners on the Path, to the regular Wednesday Author Interviews, the blog week was feeling sort of heavy on the front end. So I've decided to add a Friday feature, which I'm sure you've already figured out--The Most Interesting Thing I Learned This Week.

So the first thing I did was create this super fabulous quote about learning. Just to be on the safe side, I googled it, and sure enough, Mr. Asimov had already said it, and way more eloquently than me, of course.

I've always heard you can learn something new every day, which reminds me of a quote from a favorite author of mine.

'You learn something new everyday.'

What are you learning?' Sophos asked.

'To keep my mouth shut, I hope.' 

— Megan Whalen Turner 

But I've not yet learned to keep my mouth shut, so I'm going to come here every Friday and discuss the most interesting thing I've learned this week. Here it is:

This week I learned about physical clichés. The nuggets of wisdom came courtesy of literary agent, Mary Kole. You can find her post here: Kidlit.com

The information I read there sent me scrambling to my WIP where I quickly searched the document for the words "stomach" and "heart". The result? Guilty. On 15 accounts. Ugh.

I have a tendency to be The Queen of Cliché, but I thought I'd abdicated and given up my crown. This week I learned I still have it on. 

Did you learn anything important this week, or are you decaying? You can keep your mouth shut, or you can be like me and share. I'd love to hear what you've learned this week.

How My Cat Helped Heal My Face or The Importance of Encouragement

Three months ago I had a nasty skin cancer removed under my eye (4 1/2 hours of surgery and 14 stitches). Friends exhorted me to use vitamin E to help heal the scar, but I kept forgetting to apply it on a regular basis. I needed help. Enter His Royal Catness.

My persnickety Persian discovered the bottle of vitamin E oil. Every time I pass by the bathroom, he jumps on the counter, stares at the bottle, and purringly begs me to use it. He loves the stuff!

But what does this have to do with writing a novel? Enter the Importance of Encouragement.

Writing companions keep me going. No, they don't jump on my keyboard, stare at me, and beg for a drop of oil, but they do pop into my inbox cheering me with heartening messages from time to time.

Last month I got a whole lot of help by means of March Madness. Thanks all of you who joined in. If you need a dose of motivation, hop over to Denise Jaden's Blog each Monday.

Speaking of inspiration, Wednesday I'll be posting an interview with charming YA author, Jenn Hubbard, and giving away a copy of her debut novel, The Secret Year.

Where do you find encouragement? Do you need some now?

WHAT I'M READING: Real Live Boyfriends (E. Lockhart) The Latte Rebellion (S.J. Stevenson) Delirium (L. Oliver) Wither (L. DeStefano)

Patience

So many important words in a writer's world start with the letter "p". Here are a few that come to mind:

Passion
Perseverance
Plot
Premise
Proportion
Presence
Protagonist
Publish
Publicity
Poetry
Partial
Paragraph
Publisher
Promote

But the most important and troublesome word in my writer vocabulary is:

PATIENCE

How does a naturally impatient person like me exercise patience? I take the advice of the collective professional wisdom that encourages us writers to KEEP WRITING. Immersing myself in a new project is the best remedy I have found.

What about you? What helps you to be patient?

Do you have more "p" words to add to my list?

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: The Dead and the Gone (Susan Beth Pfeffer) The Treasure Map of Boys (E. Lockhart) Red Glass (Laura Resau)

Writing and Computers

What I love about writing on my computer:

#1 The delete button

#2 Instant on-line access to dictionaries, Thesaurus, foreign word translators, search engines, et al.

#3 The Find/Replace option in Microsoft Word

#4 The heat that radiates from my laptop (winter)

What I hate about writing on my computer:

#1 Microsoft Word's mysterious glitch that occasionally makes my days saved work disappear without a trace. Finally found a solution after many stomach-wrenching failures.

#2 Instant on-line access to loads of enticing sites

#3 The grammar/spelling option in Microsoft Word (thank goodness for the ability to disable it)

#4 The heat that radiates from my laptop (summer)

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: The Countess Below Stairs (Eva Ibbotson) September Sisters (Jillian Cantor)Every Soul a Star (Wendy Mass)

So Many Stories, So Little Time

The stack of books on the table beside my bed grows daily. This doesn't bother me. The only time I freak out is when that stack gets down to one or two.

The pile I'm concerned about is the invisible one, the books that I have not yet written. That pile is driving me batty.

I have two completed novels, twins, in their second year of revisions. The two stories get along with each other and rarely compete for my attention. I was joyfully working with them at a comfortable pace when out of nowhere, four more stories show up and demand to be told. Quadruplets.

These unwritten novels are so impatient. Their characters wake me up early in the morning, telling me what they're doing, jockeying for my attention. Each story shoves the other aside like five-year-olds at snack time, insisting their story must be the next written.

Don't take me wrong, I love these stories like children. But their older siblings require my full attention right now. Once they're all grown up and leave home for good, I will have to face the challenge of deciding which story gets to come out first. In the meantime, I hope none of them decide to run away from home.

So many stories, so little time!

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: Wintergirls (Laurie Halse Anderson) If I Stay (Gayle Forman)

Writing Routine

In the summertime, a chain reaction dictates my writing routine here in the foothills of the North Cascades.

Robin Red Breast and his choir hail the new day before the little hand reaches 5, waking His Royal Catness who insists I meet him at the glass door to revere the beauty of the dawn and escort him onto the balcony where we can enjoy the wonders of creation together.

Fully awake, I come inside and fire up Liberté (aka Bertie) my ancient clamshell iBook, and get to work.

Having done their part to assure my success as a writer, the robins go foraging for worms and the lapcat struggles to usurp the laptop for prime napping real estate.

So I guess what I'm saying is that my writing routine is dictated by animals.
Hmmmmm.

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: Life As We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeffer) and I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Ally Carter)

Writing Music, Writing Stories

Music
Two notes combine to form a promise
A premise
Another note, another chord
An emerging theme
Variation

Tone, pitch, pace, rhythm
Forte piano, major minor
Largo allegro staccato legato

A scene, a single note
Oboes, drums, electric guitar
Conflicting players
Rise to a powerful climax
Fall to a gentle conclusion
Story

Tenacity

Tenacity: Persistent determination

I love saying that word. Te-nac-it-y.

It makes the nose crinkle and comes out of the mouth like a cool breeze.

Te-nac-it-y.

My refrigerator proudly displays a quote by Winston Churchill:

"NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP"

My writing motto.

Tenacity.