April 8, 2013 · 12:19 pm

An Update on LONG ROAD HOME and Other Words From the Heart

To say I’ve been slack in the blogging department is an understatement. I’ve only blogged once this year, but to my credit, I’ve been working hard on Long Road Home. I’m almost done with changing the first fifteen chapters from third person to first person. It’s not been as hard as I thought it would be, but it’s definitely been time consuming. The story flows nicely with the change, and I just wish I had realized this sooner, but oh well, such is the writer’s life. I should finish with the POV conversion this week and then guess what I get to do…

FINISH THE STORY!!

So much of the plot has changed with this edit and I look forward to seeing where the rest of the story goes. I have no clue how it will end yet, so it will literally form with each word I write. I have a few ideas, but Amelia and the other characters will be the ones who have the last say. Letting the characters drive the story has always been better than me forcing a story onto them. I learned that lesson a few edits ago.

The best part about this rewrite is I honestly feel it’s the last one. Yes, I’ll have to get it professionally edited again, and then do more tweaking, but for the most part, I’m happy with all the major changes I’ve made with both the characters and the storyline.

If you would’ve asked me four years ago if I thought I would change the original story so much and so many times, I would’ve said, “Hell, no. This is my story and I’m sticking to it.” But that would’ve been pure naiveté on my part. Do I miss the original story? Not one bit, and it’s because it’s still a part of me, and bits and pieces are still in Long Road Home. I feel what inspires a book to be written never goes away or vanishes, no matter how many times it’s edited.

It’s been very important for me to stay open to changes and to learn as many new things about how to write a book as I can. The story has grown in a way I never expected and it’s because I haven’t been scared to start over, rip it apart, add, take away, change POV’s, etc… It may not be a New York Times Best Seller, but it’s so much better than where it started and I’m happy with the progress.

I had someone ask me recently, “What’s been one of the hardest obstacles to overcome while writing your first book?’

And I answered, “Trying not to compare myself to other writers and authors.”

I have to say, I still do it. I think most writers/authors do it in some form or fashion, but for me, the key is to not let it discourage or stop me from writing my story. There are so many times I feel my writing is subpar and isn’t good enough to put out to the world, but the one thing I have that no one else does is MY story. Nobody else can write it but me, and that alone, makes me special in the big, big world of writers. I’ve finally chosen to embrace this and let it carry me through the journey of writing my first book, knowing it will also carry me through all the other books I hope to write.

After talking to many authors, there’s no doubt we beat ourselves up more than we praise ourselves. I think it’s just a part of who we are as creative people and it’s a part of the writing process. Putting our work out there for all to see is intimidating and scary, but it’s our ultimate goal, so we have to learn to love the words we write and take the huge leap of faith that others will fall in love with them too.

One last thing:

You’ll never get where you want to go if you’re always selling yourself short. If you work outside your comfort zone and aim high every time, you’ll never regret where you end up. Love your story and never stop writing it. There’s always an audience for your words. Always.

Until next time…

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Filed under January 2011

January 10, 2013 · 11:12 am

Change… More Change

I know I’m a little behind on this, but Happy New Year everyone!

I’m starting 2013 with two big decisions on Amelia.

The first is, I’ll no longer be calling it Amelia. I’ve been using Amelia as a placeholder until the right title came to mind. The official title is now, Long Road Home. This feels good to me and I’m happy to have it finally figured out. There’s a lot of meaning behind it and it fits the story just the way I wanted it to.

The second major decision I’ve made is a biggie! I’m changing the book from 3rd person to 1st person. After writing my NaNoWriMo story in 1st person, I realized that Long Road Home would be better told in 1st person. I’m on chapter 15 of the rewrite, so I’m stopping there and going back to the beginning, and switching it. I could continue from chapter 16 in first person, and then go back and change chapters 1-15 once I’m done with the rewrite, but when I get to the end of the book, I want to do basic edits and be done with it.

I feel overwhelmed with the decision, but it needs to be done. It’s not going to be easy. In fact, I think it’s going to be a bit excruciating, but just like all the other changes I’ve done to this book, I’ll learn a lot and become a better writer because of it. I also know this will add more time to the book, but at this point, time can not be my concern. The story itself should, and is, the upmost of my concerns. And I have to think readers will respect that.

I’m definitely proving the point that writing a book isn’t easy. It’s a labor of love, and the truth of the matter is, if it was easy and not a challenge, I wouldn’t love it so much.

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” ~Arnold Bennett

Until next time…

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Filed under January 2013

December 8, 2012 · 3:11 pm

Working Through the Process

Disappointment. It’s such a big, ugly, word.

It feels horrible when you think someone is disappointed in you, but for me, it feels worse when I feel it inside myself.

I’ve barely read through the first chapter of my NaNoWriMo work and I realize I need to sit on it for a while. I’m so disappointed. I really, really wanted to dive into it while it’s fresh on my mind, but I can’t. I printed it, got out my red pens, and was ready to go to work, but immediately got stuck. My mind went into overload after just a few pages. I was already thinking way ahead and I couldn’t stay focused. I know I need to go deeper with my characters’ backstories and  give them more of a voice, and on top of that, I need to find a better way of connecting all my characters together. With four main characters, it’s hard to have individual stories going on while trying to meld them all together into one big story. To say the least, it’s tricky.

So, here’s my plan. I’m going to spend December working on a Christmas story I have rolling around in my head. I have no clue if it’ll be a short story or end up in my novel file, but I’m going to have some fun with it. I’ll let my NaNo story percolate and I’ll continue to develop it, take notes, edit, etc… Then, come January, I’m going to pull out Amelia and finish her story. I have a feeling she’ll benefit greatly from my NaNoWriMo experience.

I know it seems I’m never going to finish Amelia, and now I’ve got my NaNo project to figure out, but please understand the process. It’s not easy. I’m not going to publish a book to just say I’ve published a book. Trust me, I want to see my name on the cover of a book sooner than later, but it’s not going to happen until I’m happy with the words inside the cover. By the way, I’m leaving out the middle stuff that happens once I’m done editing my story and then have to figure out the self-publishing side of this whole business. That blog post will come with a vengeance, when it’s time.

I have to think, when people are strolling through the bookstore, looking for the next word-ly adventure, they don’t think about the process the authors have gone through to get their book(s) on the shelf. As you can tell from my blog alone, it’s a grueling process. Authors REALLY do pull their hair out while coming up with the next sentence. We REALLY do have wadded up paper all around us as we write a hard scene. We REALLY do walk around talking to our characters, and yes, our characters REALLY do talk to us. From start to finish, writing a book has a plethora of emotions, but if you ask any writer, we wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s within ALL ranges of emotion that we find the words to make a story, which then, hopefully, becomes a novel.

One of these sweet days, you will be cuddled up, reading a novel written by Amy Weaver, and I hope you know much love, sweat, and tears have gone into each word, sentence, and paragraph. It may take longer than expected, but it will happen. It WILL!

With that said, I need to get back to work, and write at least 2,500 words today!

Until next time…

 

 

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Filed under December 2012, NaNoWriMo2012

November 28, 2012 · 4:18 pm

Winning Is Great, But Learning Is Better!

It’s the evening of November, 25  2012 and I’m so happy to say I’m a winner of NaNoWriMo 2012!

I have no clue where to start with this post, and I’m certain it’ll take me a few days to finish with everything I want to say, but I want to start while my feelings are raw and exciting.

At this very moment, I feel elated. I set forth on a goal and I accomplished it. There was a brief moment where I wish I had people all around me, cheering me, and grabbing the champagne, but I have to think that’s rare for NaNoWriMo’ers. Most of us who are on this journey are in our writing spaces, alone, and when it the word calculator hits 50k, we take a deep breath, and then let out a loud scream. Maybe I’m only speaking for myself, but that’s what happened here in my four seasons room in Stowe. Although, I  do have to give a shout out to social media. As soon as I posted it to Twitter and Facebook, my phone was ringing with text messages and phone calls.  People were cheering me on and giving me virtual high fives, which was just as special as people surrounding me in person. You guys have supported me and helped me reach this goal. I may have written the words, but it was the encouragement that gave me the energy to write all 50,000 words. The words sprints I did with Jennifer Gracen, Karen DeLabar, Janelle Jensen, and Andrew Butters were amazing! My very last sprint, the one that took me over 50k, was done with them right by my side and I wouldn’t have it any other way. All I can say is, thank you! I also have to thank my wonderful husband and best friend. With out his love and support, I couldn’t have done this. From the first time I told him I wanted to write a book, he’s been by my side, encouraging me to keep going. And when I told him I wanted to do NaNoWriMo, he immediately became my biggest chearleader. Thank you, Chris.

Okay, now to the guts of what NaNoWriMo has done for me, and keep in mind, this was my first time, so I had no clue what to expect. But, I have to say, I did do my homework. I read the NaNo’s website. I asked people who’s done it before a lot of questions. I read Chris Baty’s book No Plot, No Problem. If I was going to do this, I was going to do everything I could to set myself up to win. If I went into it blind, and on a whim, it wouldn’t happen. I plotted and  planned… plain and simple, but it wasn’t easy. I’ve never had a game plan for a book before. I’ve always written by the seat of my pants, but once I got started, it flowed, and I could see a whole book in front of me. That alone, excited me and I knew I had something to work off of.

So, that brings me to the first thing I learned from NaNo… I can plan ahead. I’ve always considered myself as a panster, someone who writes off the cuff and writes whatever comes at the moment. Now I see I can mix the two together. I can plan my writer’s map, knowing once I start writing the story, the panster in me will show herself and will surely take me off the path, but with the map, I can get back on track. I noticed with NaNo I didn’t spend days searching for something to write. Yes, some days were a lot harder than others, but as a whole, the map I created kept me focused.

This brings me to the second thing I learned… when I get stuck, just write, and don’t edit! I’ve finally learned how to get the story written without editing myself every five sentences. I had to repeat to myself, ALOUD, “Don’t worry about it. You can fix it later. Write now. Edit later.” I said those words no fewer than a hundred times over the last 25 days. As soon as I thought about reading over what I just wrote, I’d pull myself away from the computer. I would talk out loud to myself about the plot as I took out the dogs, put away the dishes, did the  laundry, watched a little TV… anything to keep me from editing. Once I was able get my thoughts together, I’d start wherever I left off and made it happen, even if I didn’t feel 100% about it. And by the way, the preparing and reading I did before got me through those moments. Pushing through, and staying on track, allowed me to write freely. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true.

Lastly, I learned the biggest and best thing ever… I CAN!  I CAN do what I put my mind to. I CAN do all the things I thought I’d never be able to do as a writer. I CAN write 50,000 words in one month. I CAN write.

It’s amazing what one challenge can do for you, whether it be NaNoWriMo, or a quiet challenge you set for yourself. When you set forth, prepare, and allow yourself the opportunity to win, you will. You’ll learn more than you think. You’ll appreciate the gift you have inside of you. You’ll know no boundaries and everything is possible. I know it sounds cliche and corny, but it’s true. I’m sitting here, feeling it, and I know I’m not alone.

I want to end this post with a definition of my favorite word, PASSION.

 Pas·sion:

Noun:
  1. Strong and barely controllable emotion.
  2. A state or outburst of such emotion.

Now, used in a sentence: I strongly feel that I can barely control my outburst of writing.

I’ve always had a passion for writing, and in the last four years, I’ve learned so much. I may not be the best writer out there, and I have no clue where this journey is going to take me, but I do know I will always keep my passion for the written word. If I lose the passion, there’s no story. It may not be easy, but it’s worth it.

I thank NaNoWriMo for teaching me so much in just one month and I look forward to seeing where these 50,000 words will take me.

Until next time…

 

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Filed under January 2011, NaNoWriMo2012

October 30, 2012 · 12:49 pm

Time to Rock NaNoWriMo!

After all the prep and planning, the time has finally come. NaNoWriMo is here. Tomorrow night I’ll be up and waiting for the clock to strike 12:00am, Thursday, November 1st. Let National Novel Writing Month begin!!

I’m ready to pull together all the notes, brainstorms, and ideas, and hopefully, write a cohesive story. The most important thing I have to keep in mind is it does not have to be perfect. One of the objectives of NaNo is to write without having my inner-editor come into play. So I’m locking her up in the storage unit outside and not letting her in the house until December 1st.

It’ll be hard for me, but I’m determined to heed the advice of many who have done NaNo before, and I’m going to repeat this aloud every time I sit down to write.

“I WILL NOT EDIT AS I WRITE. I WILL NOT EDIT AS I WRITE. I WILL NOT EDIT AS I WRITE. “

I have no choice. In order to get through NaNo, and finish , I must keep this in mind at all times.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me what my story is about. I don’t want to reveal that quite yet, but I will tell you it’s completely different from Amelia. I’m trying a new genre, and for the first time ever, I’m going to try write in the first person narrative, which is going to be very tricky for me. The story concentrates on four characters and there are many subplots and stories within the main story. Stringing it all together will be difficult, and I’m not sure how it’s all going to work out, but I figure if I’m going to do this, I might as well dive in head-first and challenge myself to nth degree.

Do I know what I’m doing? Not really.

Am I biting off more than I can chew? Yeah, probably so.

Am I going to finish NaNoWriMo? Yes.

I will write 50,000 words in the month of November. Period.

I wish all of you that are taking on this challenge a lot of luck, a lot of inspiration, a lot of coffee, a lot of support, and most of all, a lot of confidence that you can do it. Most of us will have messy houses, neglected spouses, friends, and family, ruined diets, and little sleep by the end, but it’ll all be worth it. Even if you don’t get to 50,000 words, it will be worth it. Every word you write makes it worth it!

We can do this! Now, let’s go! Let’s Rock NaNoWriMo 2012!

Until next time…

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September 26, 2012 · 7:52 am

Meh… It’s Only 50,000 Words

Wow, I can’t believe Autumn is already here. Normally, when I think of this time of year, I think of foliage, sweatshirts, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc… but this year, all I can think of is that little thing I said I’d do this November. It doesn’t seem right that it’s already here, but it is, and I’m still going to go through with it. I’ve never done anything like this and I’ve never challenged myself to such an extent, which makes doing this very important.

NaNoWriMo, such a fun thing to say, and when I tell people I’m doing it, they give me a sideways look, and say, “Uh? What’s that?” So, for all of you who may not know, let me quickly tell you. It stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a book with 50,000 words or more beginning at midnight on November 1st and ending at midnight on November 30th.  You can outline, plot, and plan before then, but shouldn’t write any prose until November 1st (that’s what the website suggests). From what I gather, some writers/authors use existing works in progress, but I’m choosing to start a new book.

FIFTY THOUSAND WORDS IN ONE MONTH!! It took me well over a year to write my first draft of Amelia, which was 53, 072 words. What makes me think I can do this? Well, I’m not real sure I can, but I do know I’m going to try my hardest. I have a wonderful support system in my husband, friends, family, and my writing community. I’m also more excited than I am nervous, which I hope, will carry me through.

As of yesterday, I’ve stopped working on Amelia, and I’m beginning to scratch out notes and pull together ideas for NaNo. I should’ve started this a couple of months ago, but I needed to get Amelia past a certain point before stopping it for a while. Nonetheless, I’ve been giving mind-time to the stories I may want to write. There are two I’m going back and forth with and I’m not sure which one will be the right one for such an undertaking. One story will be a bit easier for me to write and the other will be completely out of my comfort zone and not in my normal genre. I’d love to give the hardest one a shot, but I don’t want to put so much in my basket that I set myself up for failure from the get-go. I’ll know more once I get further into my plotting and planning.

My setting for accomplishing this feat will be prime. In the beginning, I’ll have two of my lovely writer friends, Jennifer Gracen and Janelle Jensen, coming to Vermont to kick off NaNoWriMo with a bang! By the way, Karen DeLabar, we still have our fingers crossed that you can come too! After they leave me, I’ll stay in my wonderful, writing haven and write like I’ve never written before… from morning to night… from night to morning. I will have no boundaries and nothing will stop me. I WILL DO THIS!

So, let the ideas come. Let the planning begin. One month and 5 days to write off!!

Until next time…

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Filed under September 2012

September 1, 2012 · 4:57 pm

Yes, The Journey Is Long, But It’s Worth It

I feel bad I haven’t blogged in a while, but I’ve been on a roll with Amelia, and I think it’s important to stay focused on my WIP (work in progress) as much as possible.  I’m certain you all understand.

So, where am I with Amelia? I’m on chapter eleven , which is a transition chapter, the hardest for me to write. Making sure the transition is smooth is always difficult, and keeping it exciting, is even more of a challenge. Normally, I sit on it and think about it way too long, but I think that’s just a way for me to procrastinate.

I’ve blogged about procrastination before, and I could probably blog about it ten more times, but I won’t. Instead, I want to explore a question someone asked me recently:

“How do you work on the same book for so long?”

At first, I thought it was a rude question, but after thinking about it a little longer, it’s a valid question. I’ve asked myself the same question many times, but to have someone else ask me, is a little different.

My answer? Here’ it is:

First and foremost, I love the story I’m writing. Yes, the story’s changed MULTIPLE times, but that’s just a part of the process. It doesn’t matter how many times the story changes, you have to love what you’re writing. What’s the point, otherwise?

Second, my characters. I love them. They’re real and a part of me. They tell me the story I should write and listening to them is the most important thing I do as a writer.

The last thing that keeps me focused and writing Amelia is all the lovely people out there encouraging and supporting me. There’s nothing more exciting than hearing, “I can’t wait to read your book.” Then, there’s the most encouraging words ever, “You can do it!” — And you know what? I can and I will!!

I’ve learned not to dwell on how long it takes me to finish and I try my best to only  concentrate on those things that will make the story everything it should be. Yes, it’s great to have goals and deadlines, and I’m slowly learning how to be effective at setting them. In the meantime, I’ll just keep writing, making sure I keep the love of the story number one on my list!

It’s not about how long it takes to write the story, it’s about the journey and where you allow it to take you.

Until next time…

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Filed under September 2012