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Showing posts with label Writing Process. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing Process. Show all posts

The Writer's Routine

The importance of establishing a routine inclusive of time for writing cannot be underestimated.


After a month of coughs, colds, flu, and other minor - yet highly disruptive - ailments I'm now left wondering where to begin as I contemplate playing the catch-up game.

The easiest place to begin would be to write up a 'To Do' list. Normally I would dive right in and scribble one up on my whiteboard, but at the moment even that seems daunting!

So, in desperate need of a bit of motivation I took my first step to getting back on track and chanced upon the following quote:

The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.
Mike Murdock 

I had no idea who Mike Murdock was until I did a quick Google search after finding these words of wisdom, and although he appears to be quite a controversial character I definitely feel this quote has some relevance to my pursuit of a writing career.

The second step was writing this blog post. Initially I discarded the idea of writing on this topic, however I changed my mind for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this has been one huge pothole on my road to becoming a writer. Secondly, when I read other people's blog they're often filled with stories of success - my hope is that other beginning writers who have hit the same stumbling block will take comfort in knowing that I have experienced a similar problem too. 

If you are one of those people stuck in rut make sure that you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again as I'm sure the end result will provide you with an immense sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. 

I'll keep you posted on how I get on! 

And on that note I'll end with one final quote...

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
Mary Anne Radmacher 





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Meandering Minds



Over the past couple of days I've spent a lot of time hunched over a 3 meter roll of newsprint trying to perfect the placement of my plot and subplot elements. As you've probably gathered by now I'm a 'planner' so a clear road map is very important to me...although I am happy to take detours if I spot that there's a more efficient means of reaching my destination.

Inevitably there were times when my back could stand it no more. I was forced to abandon my 'mad scientist' pose and take a little time out with a toasty hot water bottle and a few short podcasts.

As I was listening to Laura Backes and Jon Bard's podcast on publishing trends and the tween market, I had another one of those 'Ah-ha' moments (No, I didn't suddenly have the urge the need to listen to '80's pop!). I'd stumbled across an answer to my nagging questions...
What level to pitch the intensity of the danger at in a middle grade novel? 
What sort of dangerous situations are appropriate for 8-12 year olds before they cross over into the YA sphere? 

But, I'd also discovered the value of meandering aimlessly through the mounds of information on children's writing that exist.

There is time and place for everything. Sometimes a clear and focused plan is necessary to keep you on track, but other times the lack of a plan can lead you to undiscovered gems that - had you been following a plan - you might otherwise have missed.. 

The link to the podcast for any interested Fightin' Bookworm members out there
http://cbiclubhouse.com/2009/07/writing-for-the-expanding-tween-market/  

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Children Are Full of Surprises!

 
On Saturday I was treated to a rather amusing insight into one of the differences between children and adults.

The event was a trip to Wellington Zoo for our daughter's upcoming 3rd birthday. We thought she'd really enjoy it since she reads so many picture books with lions, giraffes, kangaroos, monkeys etc. in them.

Fortunately our prediction was correct and she did really enjoy it...but not in the way we had expected. A  giraffe standing right over her failed to impress, as did the lions, kangaroos, cheetahs, African wild dogs, sun bears, and chimpanzees!  
Instead, the things that most captured and held her attention were watching the emperor penguin being operated on in the animal hospital, a random chicken on the loose, and feeding hot chips to the ducks!

It wasn't long before I realised that her experience of the zoo wasn't going to be what I thought, and perhaps hoped, it might be. She was never going to find lions, cheetahs, and kangaroos  fascinating because she doesn't know enough about them to recognise how unnatural it is to have them living in New Zealand. 

Furthermore, they weren't where the action was at! A chicken on the loose provided an opportunity for playing chase. The emperor penguin operation provided the chance to see something out of the ordinary...and most certainly not anything she's ever come across in a picture book before. And last - but by no means least - feeding the ducks. What (almost) 3 year old wouldn't enjoy having a couple of ducks follow your every move? She just loved feeling their beaks peck the chips from her hand!   

As we continued our circuit around the zoo it was amazing how many times I overheard other parents battling the inevitable. One dad tried desperately to convince his son to have a look at the lions. He assured his son that he would be amazed by them. The son's reply 'Nah, I've seen lions on TV before.' The dad could do little more than stalk off in the direction of the lions, alone, muttering about how he hadn't seen them like this before but it was going to be his loss, grumble, grumble... 

And the point of this story...as a writer it's always important to keep your readers in mind. This experience reinforced the importance of knowing the children you write for. While it's tempting to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and get down the story we want to tell, there can be no substitute for observing children and getting know and truly appreciate their reactions and interactions in different environments and settings. Ultimately it's time well invested and will lead to the production of a book that children will identify with and love reading.



 

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A Writer's Worth - Part 2


Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Cyril Connolly (1903 - 1974)
I found this quote from a fellow countryman, born in my hometown.

To me, it sums up the importance of enjoying the writing process rather than focusing on the end goal.

I for one am thoroughly pleased by this as my entry into the world of children's writing began solely as a hobby that best suited my need for flexibility - both in setting and time. 


Not that I'm any different to other writers in my aspiration for success and publication! Of course I'd love to have something published for the world to enjoy, but it's all too easy to get caught up in 'the rat race'. 

The more you read on writing, and the more forums, blogs etc. you follow, the easier it is to feel like you've entered a race for publication. At times like this it's important to take a step back and evaluate why you write and what your goal is. It's also important to remember that taking time and care over your work is incredibly valuable as this is an important contributing factor to the eventual publication (or not) of your work. 

Rather invest the time and energy into producing a few great manuscripts than a lot of good-average ones! After all, if you're not thrilled with your efforts you can hardly expect other to be ;)


For now I'm aiming to be the tortoise rather than the hare!

     

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A Writer's Worth

You may have noticed that I've yet to post the book review I mentioned last week. That's because I've yet to actually finish the book!

Somehow life has got in the way of my goal - but that's not to say that I've been neglectful of my writing. On the contrary, I have managed to write a few blog posts, create a character sketch for my protagonist, start creating a broad plot outline for MG novel, do some research on setting and main character details, start sketching out the details for some of my secondary characters, and continue researching different aspects of craft. 

This brings me to the point of today's blog. It's human nature to focus on the things we haven't accomplished or done well, but in doing so we miss opportunities to celebrate all of the things that we have achieved. 

It's easy for writers to beat themselves up about not reaching their word count goal or writing as many chapters as they'd hoped. But writing is so much more than just putting pen to paper and churning out pages. A great story sometimes needs a bit of research, and ALWAYS  requires a lot of thinking space. 

Tip: If you're one of those people that's focused on what they haven't achieved - STOP! Try making a list of all of the things you have got done and you'll probably find that they amount to a whole lot more work than you first gave yourself credit for. ;)

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The Best Plans...

Yesterday I set myself the challenge of reading The Sisters Grimm and attempting a review of the book today.
Bad news...I failed!

There were many contributing factors to my inability to meet this somewhat ambitious goal - a toddler who decided that she no longer wants to go to Playcentre with Granny; an exceptionally busy supermarket; lack of a trolley suitable for a baby and toddler to name but a few.

Some - my husband for one - might say that perhaps I ought to set smaller, more realistic goals but I like to look at this as an inevitable part of being a writer.

In an ideal world I'd write a story, do a bit of editing, send it off to a big NY publisher, and receive a phone call a few months later begging me to sign a contract. Unfortunately that's about as likely as me winning the Euro millions lottery this weekend. I'm sure there are many rejection letter in store for me, just as there will be many occasions where I'll fail to achieve a personal goal. It's hardly worth beating myself up about it...especially as I've still got to take Roland for a walk. He wouldn't be impressed if he missed out on his daily constitutional!

All I can do is try again tomorrow. So that's what I'll do!
C'est la vie :)

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