Discovering Writer Me

Self-discovery is the unexpected benefit to writing. Being creative on demand requires you to know how you work and what gets the words flowing. Over the years, I’ve discovered a few things about my writing process. I can’t work with writing software. I’ve several different ones but for a reason I haven’t discovered, they don’t work for me. My suspension of why leads me to the next thing I’ve discovered about myself: I am a global writer. I need to see the whole picture of my novel.

I’ve discovered that although I consider myself a tech girl, my writing life is better with as little tech as possible. Give me a poster board, a spiral notebook, some Post-it notes, a mechanical pencil and a black ballpoint pen. The only tech I need is my Mac so I can actually write the novel and do research.

This year, I made a new discovery, although I feel a little silly calling it a discovery. I’ve known it all along, but I never really acknowledged the truth.

I am an autumn writer.

Something about turning leaves, cooler temperatures, and pumpkin flavored everything inspires me. I feel cozy and invigorated. No other season does that for me. I feel more alive in the fall than in any other time of year. And my words flow freer during this time, whether it’s blogs, journaling or novels.

In contrast, I cannot write in the summer. Something about that season makes me want to go outside and play. I guess the adult me hasn’t relinquished the carefree laziness summer. I don’t want to create, I want to watch storm clouds roll in and breezes rustling green-leafed trees.

Now that I know this about myself, I will pay more attention to how the seasons impact my life. Winter and spring are up next. Wonder what words will flow out of them…

Indie Life: Fifteen Minute Break-Character Vitals

I am continuing with the next installation of my series, Fifteen Minute Break. Today, I want to talk about characters.

Fifteen minutes is more than enough time to create a character development sheet. A character development sheet is a form used to record the attributes about your characters. It covers everything from physical features to occupation to family, all your characters vitals. Vitals is a good way to think about what's on this sheet.

Think of the vitals taken at doctor visits. The information recorded on the sheet may be very brief but very important. There is no arbitrary questions, not even height and weight (by the way, these are important for medication and dosing). These things give a snapshot of you, the patient and guides the doctor through his decisions.

You're character development sheet does the same thing for your character. They help guild you as the writer to properly develop your characters. You may not have long answers, especially if you're working in fifteen minute increments, but all of the information is important. Let's take the example from above. Your character's height and weight are very important because it will govern how they act and respond to the events in your book. If you have a character who is going to fight the bad guy to the death, you need to make sure he's physically up to the challenge.

Feel free to download my character development sheet or create your own. Take fifteen minutes and fill one in for each character in your book, but minor characters might not need as much work as main characters. Also remember this is just a starting point. As you get into your book, you may realize that some of the attributes that you've given your character actually don't work. That's okay.  Make the changes on the sheet as you go.

Creating a character development sheet doesn't only help you shape your character, it can also be used when you begin the editing process. Your character development sheet will remind you that your character's eyes are brown, not blue. It will remind you of any habits that you've given your character and of their personality. By keeping this sheet nearby when your editing, you can ensure that your character stays consistent throughout the whole book.

Ready, Set, NaNo!

This year will be the fifth year I’ve dived into the exciting waters of NaNoWriMo. I’ve won three of them, surpassing fifty thousand words. I quite excited about this year because I’m the most ready that I’ve ever been for NaNoWriMo. I have a good bit of my novel plotted, enough to get me started. I have great confidence that I’ll cross the finished line with an almost complete novel.

I never imagined that I would grow to love this challenge. The task seemed so daunting the first year I participating. Fifty thousand words seemed impossible, but I did it and I was hooked. Once I got past my initial fear of writing so many words in 30 days, I realized that NaNoWriMo has been a great way to develop as a writer.

I am not the same writer as I was in 2007. I shudder to think of how bad my writing must have been back then. NaNoWriMo has helped me improve my craft. When you write fifty thousand bad words, it’s easy to recognize when something is good. More valuable than improving my craft, I’ve figured out what kind of novelist I am. That alone is work all the effort.

As I NaNo’ed, I figured out my process. I figured out that I can’t work with a detailed outline of my novel ahead of time. I figured out that I must discover the plot as I write. That was a major revelation. I need to know my characters and their background, but during NaNoWriMo, I need to let them lose on the page and let them do what they do naturally.

Yes, I admit that this is not the ideal way for writers who want to move to a place of getting publishing contracts by synopsis only. I, however, cannot change my process. Heaven knows I tried. But each year, I find that I only need a general idea of the story before I get started. Having it all mapped out doesn’t work for me. I need to be engaged in the story just as my reader is, discovering the twists and turns as I go.

I think that’s the most valuable prize I will ever get from NaNoWriMo. Now that I know how I write, I can write all year round, discovering my stories as I go. 

Indie Life: The Fifteen Minute Break

I have recently rejoined the workforce. The journey has been a major life adjustment. I actually have to plan my life (ugh) and learn to be more efficient in smaller blocks of time…namely, my fifteen minute break.

I get two 15 breaks at my job. When I first started working, I was convinced that I would just have to find time once I’ve gotten off work to write. I convinced myself that fifteen minutes wasn’t enough to work on my novel. Two months in, I wasn’t really making more time at home to write and had to make that fifteen minutes work.

For the next couple of Wednesdays, I will be sharing a series of posts on how to be more effective with just fifteen minutes. I’m calling them the Fifteen Minute Break.

The first thing is to get acquainted with fifteen minutes. You might think it’s short like I did, but it’s long enough to get short bursts of work done. To get a real time feel, set your oven timer (or whatever buzzing device you have) to fifteen minutes. Do this a couple of times. The key is to get a realistic feel for how much time you actually have.

Also, you can time tasks to see how long they take. Here is a list of tasks that take fifteen minutes:

• Brushing your teeth 7.5 times.
• Preparing 5 packages of Oodles of Noodles
• Downloading upgrades on a PC (maybe longer depending on the age of your computer)
• Pumping two tanks of gas (take a friend)
• Playing 7 rounds of Tetris Frenzy
• A long shower (you’ll need lots of moisturizer afterwards)
• Going through the drive through a Chick-fil-a (but it’s worth it)
• The time it takes the officer to get out of the car after he’s pulled you over for speeding (don’t ask me how I know)
• Finding your phone when you’re late for work
• Getting through the “express” line in the supermarket
• Washing a load of laundry on quick wash
• Saving money on your car insurance (Never actually done it so someone else will have to verify)

Come back next week and I’ll talk about the tools you need to be more effective on your fifteen minutes break. 

CampNaNoWriMo Update: Momentum

It’s time for a CampNaNoWriMo update.

Since July 1^st, I’ve been working on the sequel to my first indie published book. I would like to say that it’s going well, but it’s not. I’ve been sidetracked by migraines and other random busyness. On the days that I do write, I’ve made good progress. Unfortunately, those days don’t come as frequently as I’d like.

I am, however, seeing some positive things out of this experience beyond increasing my word count. I’m learning lessons that impact my whole life and that’s what makes camp so memorable. I’m seeing that there are some morals to this story. I’ve come across a few during this month. One of them is momentum.

The value of momentum is greatly underappreciated. It’s the whole “a body in motion tends to stay in motion” principle. I’ve found when I’ve got some momentum going, my words flow easier. This month has proven this. Losing my momentum is like starting a car on a cold day. It will start, but it takes a minute to get warmed up. I’ve also found that it’s harder to get back in the “mood” of the novel after I’ve let a few days pass.

This is a camp great lesson. Keep moving. And it’s a great camp lesson to apply to every area of life. If I’m allowed to modify the principal above, I’d say “a life in motion tends to stay in motion.” Whether your “motion” is exercising, studying or any other activity that takes more than five minutes to complete, keep moving.

Which brings us to another story moral: to get moving, take a step. A simple statement, I know, but so often, I find myself standing still while lamenting over how hard it is to get moving. Getting moving, most of the time, is taking the simplest and most obvious step, but it is the hardest to accomplish. I think that’s because we expect to take on the whole process at once, instead of realizing that it is a process. Processes are accomplished in steps.

In order to get through the process, you need momentum. In order to get some momentum, you’ve got to get moving. Try it this week. Get moving and get some momentum going.  Onward, campers!

Camp NaNoWriMo Begins...

I’ve have neglected my blog but I’m back.

Camp NaNoWriMo began yesterday. I so excited about this new program from NaNoWriMo. I normally do NaNoWriMo in November, so this gives me another shot to write like crazy.

Camp NaNo is very much like the official event in November, except for a few changes. For Camp NaNo, you can set your own word count. You also get assigned to cabins with other writers that you can instant message during the month. My favorite difference is that you can be a “rebel,” and write whatever you want, including things you already started.

This month I’ll be writing the sequel to my first self-published novel. I’ve been plotting the story for some time, so I’m expecting it to flow. I’m praying to get the rust off my brain and fingers. I’ve been neglecting my writing lately. Hopefully, Camp NaNo will help me get my mojo back.

It’s very interesting how the lost mojo (or writer’s block) effects me. I dread the blank page and avoid it like any other good writer. Then, when the block finally breaks, the rush of relief is almost like a high. Words flow and I’m a happy girl. Now if I could only remember that feeling when I have writer’s block.

So I’m off to the noveling...