May 29, 2012

Letting the Imagination Flow…

…that’s exactly what I’m doing.

I had no clue what to expect when I decided to put Amelia aside. I thought I might feel lost and confused, but that’s not the case at all. Let me explain…

I feel as though my nativity held me back from writing other stories while working on Amelia, which stifled my imagination across the board. For some reason, I didn’t give myself permission to write freely, therefore, my writing was stiff. Why I did this to myself, I have no clue. Seeing that Amelia is my first attempt at writing a novel, I think I had no clue how to use my imagination effectively. I had too many boundaries which created endless amount of “writing blocks”. Once I gave myself permission to put Amelia on the shelf and begin writing multiple stories, my imagination bloomed.

At first, when I sat down to begin my new writing journey, the blank feeling I had was consuming. I needed something to get my writing juices flowing, so I began jotting down one line prompts, and before I knew it, I had a page full of ideas. Some were silly. Some were a tad boring and a couple seemed like ideas that had been written a million times before. Then there were those ideas that jumped off the page and said, “Write me! Write me!”  So I got started and let my imagination take me wherever it wanted to. Once I began plotting one story, another story came to me, and then another. Now I’m inundated with new characters and plots. My notebook and pen have been getting quite the workout and my brain is finally getting the mental workout it should’ve gotten while I was writing Amelia.

Writing has become more fun. It seems less stressful and I don’t procrastinate as much as I used to. I’m learning the power my imagination holds and I realize there are no boundaries. I know, as a writer, I should’ve already known this, but I can’t discount the fact that I had blocked myself into one story and I had lost the meaning of my writing journey.  Now I approach writing with an open mind and I allow myself to make mistakes. Realizing that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect has freed me. I’ve learned to write, write, write ~ editing and polishing will come later. I’ve learned to have a vision, form the characters, and just get the story down. Later, I’ll come back, fill in the blanks, deepen the plot, develop more personality, add more conflict, and on, and on, and on. I know everyone writes differently, but for me, I edited too much as I wrote Amelia and I lost where I was going with the story. Not anymore…from now on, I’m going with the flow of my imagination.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to this point, but I’m not complaining. I’m learning things I’ll be able to apply to Amelia when I’m ready to pick her back up and finish her story. I’m so excited to finish the story that started my writing journey and I have a feeling that will happen sooner than later (I plan on blogging about this VERY soon). Until then, I plan to continue working and plotting my second book, and who knows, a third and fourth may come to fruition.

Alway remember: Never stifle your imagination. It does its best work when it’s free

Until next time…

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Filed under May 2012

April 24, 2012

A Hard Decision To Make…

I’m about to do something that is very, very hard, but it has to be done. I’m putting Amelia aside for a while. This pains me, but my passion is waning, and I need to do this. I’ve been working on Amelia for a very long time, three plus years, and it’s the only project I’ve done. I need to spread my writing wings and see what a new story, with fresh eyes, has in store for me. It makes me sad, because Amelia is so close to my heart, but I’m doing the story an injustice by forcing the storyline each time I sit down to work on it.

I went to Twitter and Facebook stating my frustration of losing passion, but not wanting to give up on Amelia. Each response gave me the advice to put the story aside and work on something fresh and new. I’d already thought about doing this, but after hearing all the advice, I knew it was what I should do. It seems a lot of writers have more than one project going on at once. Being somewhat a novice at writing a book, I thought focusing on one story at a time was best, but it seems having more than one project helps the creative process. Now I see the light and understand why. When one story gets you down, there’s another to inspire you. It makes so much sense.

The big question is, do I have a new story already in mind to write? Simply, no I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of ideas, but nothing pin-pointed. I’m going to spend the next few weeks noodling around those ideas and then I’ll begin plotting out my next book. This is a place I’ve never been and it’s going to be a new process for me. With Amelia, the story had been in my mind for so long, and when I finally got up the courage to start writing, it was there waiting for me. What’s exciting about starting a new story is I’ve learned so much from writing Amelia, I’ll be more prepared and organized when I begin the new book and I won’t feel so clueless about what I’m doing.

Amelia won’t be forgotten. She’ll be waiting in the wings, very close by. When the time is right, and when the passion is revived, I’ll finish her story with more clarity and the story will be better because of it. Please know how hard of  a decision this is for me, but for me to grow as a writer, I need to stretch my imagination and write new stories. Hopefully doing so will enlighten me as to where I want the story of Amelia to go, and my love of the story will be renewed.

Stay tuned! A new story is right around the corner!

Until next time…

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Filed under April 2012

March 20, 2012

One Of Those Days…

We’ve all had them, one of those days where everything around you makes you question what your working towards. I feel like I’ve had a lot of these days lately. I try not to let it get me down, but sometimes, it’s inevitable. I feel, when you’re writer,  there are a lot of things that can get in your way , slow you down, and/or bring you down. I know these thoughts are normal, and most writers consider themselves tortured. Now I know exactly why this is so true. Here are some of the things that get in my way and trip me up during my writing journey:

  • Inadequacy: I can’t tell you how debilitating this can be for the creative process. Social media can be wonderful for encouragement, but it can also show you how far you have to go to get to the level you need or want to be. “Everyone else seems so much better than me” is a thought I have often.  I’m one that usually has self-confidence, but I question myself all the time when it comes to writing. Yes, I know, this is normal, but it can be very hard to overcome.
  • Timing: This could be finding time to write, but more than not, it’s the timing being right to write. I’m trying so hard to be more disciplined in my writing, but it doesn’t seem to be working. I have to admit, I’m probably not trying hard enough. Having to to be in the mood doesn’t get me anywhere. I’ve always said that I hate forced writing, but if I want to grow, I need to write when it doesn’t necessarily feel right.
  • Distractions: I get distracted so easily, even if I’m in a quiet place. Normally, I like to write in a bookstore or a coffee shop, but I can’t always make it to those wonderful places. I need to focus, focus, focus!! And I need to do so, no matter the location or what’s going on around me. Sometimes I feel guilty for wanting to hide, and for ignoring emails and phone calls, but once the creative juices start flowing or if I’m trying to get them going, being a recluse helps. Finding a balance is key, and I think I’m still learning that.
  • My story: I love the story of “Amelia.” It’s been with me for the last four years and it’s such a part of me. After editing, editing, editing, and now, working on a complete rewrite, I’m scared I’ll lose my passion for the story. I’m also scared that the path of my main character is blurred and my vision is lost on where I want her to go. My goal for the next week is to focus on Amelia’s journey and hopefully everything else will begin to fall back into place.

These times of frustration will go away. Usually after a period of reflection and sharing, I see the light and write towards it with gumption! I hope this will be the case this week and next week, as I will have the time to concentrate on my writing more than I have in the past month or so. What’s also nice is, my husband and I are taking a trip very soon, and hopefully that will revitalize some of my creativity. Travel is always good that way.

Writing isn’t easy. Staying focused is even harder. The everyday life going on around us can take grip and not let go. The passion has to stay lit just enough to not allow us to give up.

I don’t want to give up. I won’t give up. I can’t give up.

Nobody trips over mountains.  It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.  Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.  ~Author Unknown

Until next time…

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Filed under May 2012

February 14, 2012

Learn from others, but write your own story

This past week my husband and I were having drinks and great conversation. He’s in the midst of starting a new business venture, and as you already know, I’m in the middle of my first novel writing experience. We began to relate our experiences. He looks at other businesses to see what he can learn from them, and I look at other authors to see what I can learn. After going back and forth, we both realized we want to learn from others, but we don’t want to be just like them. We want to set ourselves apart.

When it comes to new writers/authors, we envy the writing style of those that we read.  I always feel less than what I read. That’s why reading can be so hard when writing our own novels. With every line we read, we begin to edit our own work. Well, I guess I can’t speak for all writers, but it seems those I’ve talked to, feel similar to me. We shouldn’t do this to ourselves. First of all, it keeps us from reading, which we all love to do. Second, it takes away from what we can accomplish in our own works.

Here’s my point of view:

Don’t strive to be another author. Be who you are. Write your way, in your style. Don’t be scared to put your heart on the page. Don’t edit so much that you cut yourself out of what your writing. If you do, the reader won’t truly know the person behind the story. We tend to scrutinize every word we write, and that’s okay, it’s what we do, but don’t let it hinder you from digging deeper.

Don’t get me wrong. Since I’ve started the editing process, my writing has changed, but that’s because I’ve listened and learned about how to write. It’s okay to change and grow, but we have to be receptive to doing so without losing our inner writing self. The craft of writing is always a learning experience, but we have to keep our original passion of writing in focus. If we don’t, the fun of writing will fade, and we find ourselves in a revolving door of struggle.

Writing is personal. Be YOU and be the best writer YOU can be. We have to realize that the author(s) we stive to be, hopefully, threw caution to the wind and wrote from their own heart. We have to do the same as new writers and authors, and I have to think that those who are published a million times over have to constantly keep the same vision in front of them. Some do it better than others. Some of my favorite authors have become monotonous and I feel like I’ve read the same story over and over. It’s disappointing, but through realizing this, I’ve learned that fresh, new authors are so much more fun to read, which keeps me excited about my own quest of becoming published.

Learning can bring us confidence in our writing, but it can also cause us to question who we are as writers. It’s a constant internal fight we have when we pick up the pen. When you feel lost, go back to the very first feeling you had when you wrote your first piece of work. The joy. The love. The passion. Bring those feelings together and get refocused.

Sometimes we have to fall back in love with our writing, and when we do, it’s better than we can ever imagine.

Until next time…

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Filed under February 2012

December 29, 2011

Two Thousand and Twelve

Before I get into the 2012 New Year’s talk, I want to take a quick look back on where I was this time last year. I remember feeling overwhelmed, knowing I wanted to finish my first draft of Amelia, edit it myself, and then get it professionally edited. I was naive enough to think I could possibly get it self-published by the end of 2011 too. That makes me laugh now, but the fact I got the first three goals accomplished makes me feel great! I had no clue that a complete rewrite would be in my cards, and the book I had just finished in March, would be changed and headed in a whole new direction by October.

In 2011, two other things came into my life, blogging and the wonderful world of Twitter. This time last year, I had no clue what blogging was, much less start one. I wasn’t on Twitter and hadn’t given any thought of jumping onto that social media bandwagon. Thankfully, my husband’s daughter, Paige, was spending New Year’s with us and explained the blogging and Twitter world to me. After hearing how the details of both worked, a light bulb went off, and I decided to dive into both simultaneously! I started my Twitter adventure on Jan. 1, 2011 and I posted my first blog post on Jan. 2, 2011. Thanks Paige! Now, I’m addicted to Twitter, and blogging, well, I’m still learning.

I have learned so much in 2011, and I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve had from my husband, family, and friends. I’m also appreciative of all my new writer friends that have come into my life. The writer’s support that you’ve given me has pushed me through some difficult writing and editing. All of you are the best. Thank you!

Okay, now on to what I’ve got planned for 2012. I’m not one for resolutions, but I do like making goals. The goals I will share are reading and writing related. I will spare you my wonderful and lofty personal goals (honestly, I haven’t thought through those yet).

First, my reading goals:

1. Simply, I will read more. I want to set aside one day each week to dive into a book (or two). I’m VERY ashamed to say, in 2011, I did not read one book all the way through. I started a couple, but writing always took over. I tend to think that if I have time to read, I should be writing, but why should I deprive myself the joy of reading? I refuse to do that to myself in the upcoming year, and truthfully, I believe reading other people’s works of writing can help improve my own. I have a long list of books I want to read, so I can’t wait to begin turning the pages, literally and digitally.

2. I want to read genres I normally don’t read. I usually stick to mystery, thriller, or women’s fiction, but it’s time to jump into the many other genres out there. I want to open my mind and discover what they have to offer. It doesn’t mean I will love, or even like, everything I read, but I will respect it.

3. I will rate and  leave reviews on the books I read. Obviously, I will leave positive reviews for the books I enjoyed. For the ones I didn’t enjoy, I will keep my mouth shut, but I will rate them. It’s hard for me to leave a bad review. I couldn’t imagine reading a bad, scathing, or negative review of my own work, so I don’t want to do that to someone else. No matter the body of work, and how bad I may perceive it to be, I can’t speak negatively towards another author. I may leave positive criticism, but that’s it. Call me a review wimp; I’m okay with that.

4. I want to add more self-published authors to my “to read” list. Actually, my iPad is loaded and ready with plenty to get me started. That being said, I’d like to take this moment to encourage anyone reading this to do the same. There are so many wonderful authors out there that aren’t represented by a major publishing company, and a lot of their work is available in e-book form for as little as $.99. Give indie authors a chance. You won’t regret it.

Now, my writing goals:

1. The most important, and the most obvious goal, I will finish my rewrite. Is it an attainable goal? I surely hope so. I’d like to have my my manuscript in my editor’s hands by the beginning of October. The obstacle I face is, I’m still working on the new plot line and characters. Essentially, that means I’ll have to write a new book by October. If I stick to my guns, I might can do it. I’m putting it out there, so let the hard work begin!

2. I would love to say I will write everyday of 2012, but come on, everyday? We all know that life happens, we travel, and we take breaks. I want to be realistic in setting such goals. I will say, out of seven days a week, I will dedicate 5 days to writing. If I write more than that, GREAT! If I write less, I will make up for it. The goal will be to keep track and to hold myself accountable. If I want want to take my writing to the next level, I need to be more persistent and consistent.

3. I will do NaNoWriMo! For those who don’t know what this is, it’s where you have to write a book with 50,000 or more words in the month of November, from start to finish. I’m a bit nervous, but mostly, I’m excited. My brain is already spinning with ideas and plots. Thankfully, two of my favorite Twitter friends, Jennifer Gracen and Karen DeLabar, will be by my side to start off the month with a bang. They’re going to join me at my house in Vermont to start the NaNoWriMo party! For all of you on Twitter, be ready for some great Tweets!

That’s it! That’s all I’ve got! Time to bring in a New Year and make wonderful things happen! I wish you all the best for what comes your way in 2012!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Until next time….

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Filed under December 2011

December 13, 2011

ReRouting….No, ReWriting

Shame on me! I haven’t posted since September, but honestly, the book has been a little overwhelming. In my last post, I announced that I’ve decided to rewrite Amelia. If you haven’t read my last few posts, I would love for you to read them so you get the full sense of where I am in the process.

Rewriting is exactly what it sounds like, but “starting over”, is another good way of saying it.  At first, I thought I would simply cut out large portions of my first draft and rewrite them. Yes, that’s the way it starts, but then the domino effect takes hold: One change causes another change, and that change causes another change, and so on and so on. Now, I’ve put away my first draft and it hasn’t seen the light of day in over two months. The names of the characters, except for one, are the only things that have stayed the same. Every other part of the book is on a new journey.

I’ve had people ask me, “Doesn’t it make you mad or upset that you have to start over?”

Plain and simple, my answer is, “No.”

First of all, I don’t HAVE to rewrite my book. Nobody is making me do this. I WANT to rewrite Amelia. There’s a better story to be told; there’s dimension and depth that need to be added.  I’ve created new characters and added more conflict. I’ve also changed my mind on where the book should be set. Learning how to ramp up Amelia has allowed me, and taught me, to enjoy writing even more than when I wrote the first draft.

This speaks loudly of my personality, but when I started writing Amelia, I dove in head first. I didn’t do any research on how to write a novel or what to expect. I’ve never taken a writing course, other than my college English classes, and those had nothing to do about writing a book. I’ve done this by good old trial and error, paired with the love of the written word. This is my passion and I will stand by this book until I’m happy with the finished product.

All that being said, how long will it take for me to finish the rewrite? I wish I knew. Yes, I have a better feel of how to write a book. I have better feel for editing, and I’m learning each day how to be better at rewriting. Having routine calls with my editor definitely helps me stay on track, but I can’t set a time limit or a deadline. I wasn’t very disciplined while writing the first draft, but this time around, I’m dedicated to writing each day. It’s amazing how far one, committed hour of writing each day will take you.

What happens when the rewrite is done? Well, another round of edits. Then we’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully, I’ll be closer to having my novel self-published. It’s a process that no one can understand until they do it themselves.

Three last things:

1. Readers, respect the process an author goes through to get their book into your hands.

2. Writers/Authors, never forget the wonderful stories your words create.

3. A journey is never short.

Until next time…

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Filed under December 2011

September 21, 2011

Major Construction: Long Detour Ahead

It’s official. I’ve decided to completely rewrite my book. Since my last post, the new storylines have taken over and demand more attention. At first, I thought if I decided to completely change my book it meant that the first draft wasn’t good. That’s not true. It just means there’s more story to tell.  I would be doing an injustice to my book and my future readers if I didn’t do this.

One thing I ask myself is, “Why didn’t I see the whole story when I was working on the first draft?” Remember, I’ve never written a book, so I’m okay with the naivety of this question.

I can’t tell you how many times I read through “Amelia” with precision, and along the way, I edited with as much attention to detail as possible. After speaking with my editor, I finally understand and it all makes sense. I know you’ve heard the quote, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” That sums it up. I was too close to the story, which hindered my imagination and creativity from taking over. Precision was my problem.

You would think letting go of the first story would be hard, but it wasn’t. I was ready to dive into a new world of writing, explore the story beyond the story, and switch things up. It’s amazing how good it felt to create new characters and change the existing ones. Letting go of linear writing and allowing inspiration to take over was all I needed to open up my world. I guess I make it sound like I had no creativity before, but that’s not the case. It’s just that after working with my editor, I realized I needed to break down barriers. Seeing the need for improvement wasn’t disappointing. It freed me from my writing walls.

It’s not like “Amelia” is going away completely. I love the story too much, and it’s the foundation that will allow all the new things to shine. This will be corny, but it’s true. It’s like dusting off an old piece of furniture and making it new again. Most of the time, it looks better than it did brand new. It may have some scratches and dings, but that’s what adds character to the piece.

I know that I’ve added a lot more time to this journey, but that’s why it’s the long and writing road. I’m counting on the the detours being the best part of the ride.

Until next time…

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Filed under September