First Drafts

This week I started working on a new novel. It's been over a year since I've put fresh ink on paper, so to speak. Each morning I ask, "How do I do this again?".

"One word at a time, until you get at least 250 of them." I answer.

The story is moving along, but I can't seem to turn off the revision/editor part of my brain. I'm not sure I need to turn it off, just maybe turn it down.

What about you? Are your first drafts super rough, or do you edit as you go?

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: Loose Threads and Hold Me Tight (Lorie Ann Grover) Very Valentine(Adriana Trigiani)

Aha Moments

Introspection is always my challenge.


The answer was there all the time, but until yesterday morning, I didn't see how to structurally integrate my main character's disturbed inner voices into the story.

Now I know.

The aha moment!

Revising this novel has been like exploring a cave. The deeper I go, the darker it gets. I do see a beam of light ahead, but it's taking an awfully long time to reach it.

Aha moments. One of the many joys of writing.

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: The Elegance of the Hedgehog (Muriel Barbery)When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead)Secret Letters from 0-10 (Susie Morgenstern)

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)

Revision and Perfectionism

I recently read somewhere about an author who was known to go into bookstores, pull his books off the shelf, and pencil in changes. I fear if I am ever published, I could become that author. In a publishing climate where the words "outstanding" "exceptional"and "perfect" are the standard for submission, it is hard to know where to draw the line. Honestly, I could probably tweak just my first page for the next ten years and have fun in the process. I believe my first novel is done. I don't believe I could make it perfect in my lifetime. I am satisfied, but I could always find things to make it better. Sometimes I just have to let go and move on.

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perlilous Journey (Trenton Lee Stewart)

What a Great Book Does

I just finished Justina Chen Headley's North of Beautiful.

It is a great book.

What makes a book great for me?

A great book introduces me to people I'd like to have in my living room, takes me somewhere I've never been, makes me think about things I've never thought of, and teaches me something I knew nothing about. A great book also makes me say, "Yes, life is like that!".

What about you? What makes a book great?

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: North of Beautiful (Justina Chen Headley)and Along for the Ride (Sarah Dessen)

The Strangest Thing

Everyday I fire up my laptop, Bertie, eager to work on one of my novels and everyday I must battle the powerful force field that prevents me from opening my works-in-progress files. It's the strangest thing, I have no problem opening my e-mail, no problem checking out my favorite blogs, no problem reading the latest headlines. But when it comes time to click the button that opens the manuscript, I spend at least five minutes fighting to break through the invisible barrier.

Once I'm in, hours disappear faster than a package of Mint Milano cookies. With joy and satisfaction, I close the files, eager for the next writing session (and often scrambling to eat, get dressed, and make it to work without being more than fifteen minutes late).

Learning that other writers experience the same powerful force has brought me much comfort. Are there any writers out there who don't? I'd love to hear from you.

Now, it's time to break on through to the other side!

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Ally Carter)