Quality vs Quantity

Yes, there is no way a writer can do well if they do not monitor the quality of their work, know their grammar and spelling inside out, edit ruthlessly and offer their writing to others for comment and criticism. Writers can turn to writers' groups or creative writing classes for support on these matters.

But last year when I joined these groups and classes, I wasn't necessarily looking for creative writing tips even though they were helpful. Neither was I looking for criticism, because I hadn't actually written anything yet. It was motivation I was seeking - something to spur me on to write regularly after work and to keep up the momentum. And unfortunately I didn't find it in these places.

When I did eventually start writing, it wasn't only by leaving my job and writing full-time, but also by lurking on other writer blogs who regularly posted their daily word count. Perhaps it exposed a competitive edge that served as a tangible deadline. And on days I wobbled or felt lazy, I knew that I wouldn't have a word count to post - and that had me in front of the laptop.

There are two sites that exist to 'kick writing arse' which is the technical term. One is Novel Racers, which I've written about before. The other is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which is coming up next month. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

Neither site monitors quality or provides criticism. But that might not be what you want or need at this stage. You may be where I was last year, when I wanted to write but I lacked the continual motivation to do so. Or maybe you just need a little nudge to get started. And then when you've got over the hump of staring at a blank screen, have got into the habit of writing every day and you've found your style - then you can start rewriting and seek out a great writers' group that can give you some feedback and some quality control.

Or like the NaNoWriMo site says:

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

(By the way, I'm sure that other writers will have examples of when a group did spur them on to write. I'm just saying that, in my experience, there is another way to motivate writers.)

Getting ideas

I only managed 1500 words today – normally a below average day but that was the amount of words that brought my seventh story to a natural end! Now I have only three more stories to write until I finish the first draft of my novel.

I was speaking to my friend the Filmmaker yesterday. He's taking a break from writing scripts at the moment and he's found that he doesn't construct scenes in his head anymore, while he would get loads of ideas when went about his day when he was writing regularly.

I found this interesting, because hardly ever think about my novel outside of writing it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not inspired, (scary thought – let’s put that aside) or because I try not to as it can get me worked up. Last night I found myself creating dialogue and imaging scenes, and I had to stop because there was no way that I'd get to sleep at a decent hour if I kept down that road.

When I do let myself think about the story I'm working on outside of writing hours, I tend to enjoy it, mainly because it all seems fantastically interesting, amusing and inspiring in my head. (My psyche is very modest.) However, when I sit down to write it I always end up moving in another direction, or it doesn't quite fit. Strange really.

It's actually easier to plan the story and dialogue while I'm actually writing, as when I need to I'll pause, look into space, hopefully get an idea, then continue. The flipside of this is slightly unpolished dialogue and weird twists, so I hope that my editing skills will prove to be up to the now mighty job. Dialogue needs to be either funny, quirky or clever, not as literal as I'm writing at the moment.

(By the way I think about my novel the most when I’m in the shower – I’d rather not examine that fact too closely though.)

Hump

I got over the hump - 1900 words written today...

I realised yesterday that the way I'd started the story was all wrong, so I knew I'd have to rewrite parts and move them around before continuing today. But fortunately I didn't have to change or remove too much of what I'd already written. It was an upward struggle at first, but then an idea to carry the story forward hit me out of nowhere and my typing just couldn't keep up.

These flashes of inspiration are still a mystery to me, but I'm not going to examine them too closely. Whether it's a muse, a divine intervention or just good old fashioned random synapse firing, I was very glad of it today as it restored my confidence.

I'm looking forward to having a whole day free of interruptions tomorrow.

Hermit

Waiting until the builders turn up - have a meeting with them in half an hour, then another one at four. I need to run some errands today too, so I'll do these after the first meeting, then rush back and get a few hours writing in before the next one.

I'm surprised at how much all these building issues are starting to get to me. The work is really piling up. Last night I had to call into an apartment to request access tomorrow and they started talking about other problems they were having. I went to bed a little het up.

I reckon I need a few days without any distractions to work on my novel; perhaps I'll pretend I'm on holiday next week too, so I can play hermit again? No more excuses though, I'm determined to shake this post-holiday sluggishness.

Rusty writing and parent authors

Was tough to get writing again after such a long break. I realised again today how important it is for me to write everyday, to keep up the momentum. My writing was very rusty. I also struggled with my confidence, worrying over the story, my choice of words and the structure more than usual. Only managed 1350 words but not a bad start I suppose, I'm hoping that I've broken the first-day-back block and tomorrow I'll fly through 2000 words.

Still arguing with the builders over the snags to the common areas - I have two meetings with them tomorrow, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It sounds like an excuse even to my ears, but I do struggle to write if I don't have a clear few hours run at it; it's easier to start writing after breakfast or after lunch, blissfully unaware of any interruptions ahead. I have the utmost respect for authors who have kids, and who can only snatch time to write during naps and babysitting visits. I don't know how you do it!

Finally

Better late than never - I finally reached the halfway line today! My novel is now 50.6% complete. I'm feeling pretty happy with myself, though I've set a goal of finishing story number six before we head off to Chicago next week. Not sure if it's possible, but I'm going to try anyway.

Very excited about our holiday now, I spent Sunday reading the Time Out guide to the city. We're usually exhausted after city breaks because we've crammed in so much in three days, and last year we did a very enjoyable but slightly knackering road trip to the west coast of the US, so a week long holiday in one place is looking pretty decent right now.

Roll on next week...

*Discovered Gizoogle thanks to Petite Anglaise, brilliant! See this post 'trizzled' here.

Automatic

Managed another 2000 words today, it's been a good week so far. I might even pass the half way mark on Friday, which would be a great start to the long weekend.

Now that I'm writing regularly, I'm realising that there isn't necessarily a method to it. Before I began I read one or two creative writing books, thinking that I might learn about some magic process that would help me follow through on my ideas.

The information I gathered was useful to a degree. Having an idea about your characters' motivations and personalities does help, as does having a point to prove.

But once I start writing though, most of my preparation flies out the window. Yeats would talk of automatic writing, where he would place his pen on paper and it would seemingly move by itself. Another analogy is the state of mind people enter while exercising; the body takes over, the mind wanders and time jumps forward.

Every day I start by typing a few self-conscious words, feeling around to get my bearings. On a good day I uncover a seam and it pulls me into the scene, the characters are talking and moving around the stage I've built and I'm just observing now, my hands a blur on the keyboard, ears and eyes straining to catch everything, and when something snaps me out of it I've written pages without even realising it.

This isn't something I learned, or a particular talent I was bestowed; it just evolved from writing everyday.

Done

I finished my fourth story today. It's too long, all over the place in parts and the descriptions need a lot of work, but it's finally done. It's a relief.

After yesterday's struggle I felt discouraged, so it took me a few hours to get started this morning. But today my typing just couldn't keep up. The ending suddenly became clear and I knew exactly what to say.

I have no idea how to increase the good days and reduce the bad ones. But I don't want to become one of those writers who wait for inspiration to hit them, like an invisible green light. I'd use it as an excuse to procrastinate rather than write. It has to be a job rather than a hobby, so I knuckle down every day regardless of whether I want to or not. And usually I become inspired after I've started, like today.

I'm an artist, you know

I haven't worked on my novel all this week. I know my illness is a good excuse, and that I can afford the break, but I can't stop feeling guilty about it.

So I'm determined to get back on the horse from Monday. I'll be starting mid-story though so I'm concerned that the tone and details won't match up with the rest of the story. But I suppose that's what rewriting (and a healthy dose of denial) is for.

I worrying about writing so much that it feels normal. What's surprised me is how much I'm looking forward to it. Writers are supposed to be tortured souls, driven to write but cursed to never enjoy their craft. Or something. So enjoying it means that I'm churning out dross, obviously.

Re-reading the above I think I'm tortured enough already, regaining my arteeest status.

Looking forward to a day of tv watching and eating. I already had a bacon buttie and am working my way through an Easter Egg that the Ours got from work. Better late than never, it's gorgeous.

Blogging about blogging

An article in the Guardian about how blogging is still a minority sport compared to other social networking areas.

This blog is just over a month old, so I'm relatively new to the game. I started because I wanted a writing project that was different to my novel, so that I had something else to do if I hit a wall. I had no idea how addictive, enjoying and irritating it would become.

I post at least once a day. When I wake up in the morning I immediately think about what I'm going to write about. If I haven't posted early on in the day, the thought of a day's gap nags at me until I've got to get it done or risk being driven insane. I've subscribed to over 100 blogs and I obsessively read each new post as it comes in. I tend to comment on each post I read too, mainly because I love the sound of my own voice and enjoy throwing my weight around. Most of them are better writers than me, which makes me feel inadequate most of the time but hasn't driven me to leave bitchy comments, well not yet anyway.

I'm aware that I've made blogging and reading blogs sound like a sure path to mental illness, but it has saved me from cabin fever and feeling lonely. Before I didn't know any other writers so I felt a little isolated and wasn't able to discuss any problems or concerns I was having. But now I feel like I'm part of a network of other writers now, and everyone is willing to share their writing tips, rejection slips and unblocking tricks, or just their brilliantly written observations or satricial jabs at society and government. I don't know how I managed without them.

Six ways to introduce and build effective conflict in your writing

I spend time working on the premises and back stories of each of my characters because I believe the key to a good story is conflict. This is how I do it.

1. Identify the premise of each character
Each of my characters has a goal within the story, a premise that motivates them throughout. For example, the protagonist’s fate is that he faces up to his conscience and goes public with his company’s unethical activities. The anti-hero is the owner of the company who does all she can to prevent this from happening, as her motivation is to save her company at all costs.

2. It's not always black and white
As I discussed before, a stereotyped character does not a good story make. Just because the boss is the anti-hero doesn’t mean she is Lucifer and the whistleblower is Mother Theresa. Interesting characters have strengths and weaknesses; the protagonist becomes a whistleblower because he’s being blackmailed due to his involvement in the company’s activities, not exactly a worthy reason.

3. Start with the status quo
Conflict encourages growth and change in characters, so I begin the story with my protagonist in his comfort zone, perhaps coming into work as his usual overconfident self. This gives my readers an insight into his personality before the conflict begins to alter him.

4. Introduce an obstruction
Now I upset the status quo by introducing the blackmailer, a journalist who wants the protagonist to come forward to bolster his scoop. The protagonist now torn between going public with the information and his loyalty to the boss, who has encouraged a dog-eat-dog business culture. He’s also internally conflicted by his conscience versus his need for material things, both influenced by his past.

5. Build tension in the dialogue
I really enjoy dialogue in fiction but it has to be done right. Each character’s response needs to be governed by the situation and their personality. The protagonist is arrogant and is used to keeping his emotions from others – instead of having him hit the roof from the get-go, his conversations with others is initially guarded and condescending. Only under the characters’ probing and game playing do the cracks begin to appear, and it is a steady and natural progress.

6. And if stuck…do your homework
If I get writer’s block I find it helpful to go back over the notes I’ve made for each character. Does the character’s reaction and feelings fit his personality and motivation? Would someone from his background act that way? Is the character’s reaction in the dialogue unnatural, perhaps an overreaction? When I know where the characters are coming from, it’s easier to write a story that I can believe in and which flows naturally.

"Page fright"

Angela Booth discusses the performance anxiety problem faced by writers here, and offers some helpful tips to overcome it.

Once upon a time

It took me four hours to get started today. I was dreading it. Yesterday I dutifully finished my prep, but it felt like I was procrastinating and shying away from the hard work. By this morning my stomach was tight with dread, knowing that I had to start a story I wasn’t sure of. Its setting and premise took me out of my comfort zone and I worried that I was being too ambitious.

Doubts like these have stopped me from writing before. But the knowledge of how bad I’d feel if I didn’t tackle the story eventually outweighed my fear, and I finally started at two o’clock today. It was very difficult at first but then everything fell into place and it just wrote itself, I got stuck in places but I just kept plugging away, and then I found I’d written 2000 words. After all the uncertainty of this morning I actually enjoyed myself and came through it with a very decent start.

And tomorrow I’ll probably go through the same dance again, but it’ll be a little easier as I’ve got over the big hump – beginning the bloody thing.

Great writing article

I recently found this article by Lyn Gardener about how it took her nearly 40 years to finally start writing fiction, the discipline involved in writing and how the only way to become a novelist is to actually sit down and write a novel from beginning to end. Obvious? You'd be surprised. Well worth a read.

Dem's da writing breaks

It’s strange how writing fiction goes. Yesterday I had a wonderful time of it. I wrote with enthusiasm, tapped into a nice rhythm and really got into the story and the characters. My writing was fluid and inspired. Before I knew it I had reached my goal of 1500 words and none too shabby ones at that. I then wrote the day’s blog post in less than half an hour and left the house to do various chores. “I’m on a roll!” I thought, a little smug. “I’m finding my feet and developing my own style. The sky’s the limit.”

Then I got up this morning and started typing away as usual. But something was different. I wasn’t really feeling the characters – they seemed a little two-dimensional, not very realistic. The story seemed to crawl along. I suspected that it was a bit crap, a bit boring. ‘He wonders, she wonders, he looks up, she looks away…’ learn some new words woman! My descriptions were clichéd, my dialogue was as fascinating as cardboard and the build up of tension between the characters was a yawn fest. 800 words in and I wanted to fling my laptop out the window like a frisbee. I finally stopped at 1100 words and I was actually relieved, as it meant fewer words to rewrite later.

Dem’s da breaks! I reckon that it’s good to write every day though, even when I’m not feeling that inspired. Otherwise I’m just a lazy job-dodging lady of leisure. And more importantly I risk getting rusty and losing the thread of the story.

It's never too late

I like to think of myself as fearless.

If an opportunity comes along to shake up my life and do something different, I willingly embrace it. Even better if it means leaving behind familiar faces, a steady job or a settled apartment. And the more fear the decision brings the better, because that means I’m really living and growing rather than just existing and stagnating.

Seven years ago I met a man and we spent three very passionate and intense days together. He returned to London and I followed him there six months later. (Not that he had much choice in the matter as I was on a roll.) At that point we had probably spent a total of three weeks in each other’s company. I swapped a familiar life for a completely unknown one. And it paid off several times over.

Since then I’ve changed my career five times, left ten jobs - usually without another job to go to as I’m pretty work shy - bummed around Australia for a year and generally liked to shake it up whenever possible. But one thing eluded me. I had always thought of myself as a writer, yet I wasn’t writing regularily.

Other things just got in the way – travel, paying the bills, not feeling settled. But once we bought our place in Dublin I couldn’t pack it in and move again for five years for various tax reasons. The thought of that long without another shake up made me depressed. For the sake of my sanity and to avoid losing my friends and family due to becoming a moany sap, I decided to do the next best thing – leave my well paid job and start writing full time.

Which brings us to this morning when it suddenly dawned on me that I’ve been kidding myself all this time. Other things did not get in the way of my writing at all. The truth is that I was afraid of putting myself out there as a writer and failing at the one thing I really wanted to do. Travelling or going from job to job was just an easier choice to make.

I mulled this realisation over for a while. At first I felt a little regret. What if I had picked up a pen earlier – would I be published now? What could I have achieved? But I also felt glad that I had satisfied my itchy feet in my twenties. Otherwise I may have started writing too soon and given it up because I wanted to do other things. Or I may have written dross because I didn’t have the writing experience I have now. (My most recent jobs have seen me write for other people, just not for myself.) In other words, I probably started writing now because it was the right time for me to do so.

Then I got up and wrote this.

So you want to be a writer?

I'd never really had a good idea for a novel before, but I know a good thing when I think it. I was on a plane to London for work (which turned out to be a nightmare meeting, but that's another story) and I had propped my head against the plastic window. Suddenly the idea appeared in my mind, like it had been there the whole time. I kept my excitement to myself. My boss sitting beside me was already enraged by Ryanair's fluorescent yellow upholstry.

The idea was a frame that tied ten short stories together in a novel. I'd written stuff before but mainly non fiction. I'd always had vague ideas for fiction but I always ran out of steam at the end. My stories lacked structure. So to get an idea that would also structure the novel - eureka.

As soon as I got home I told my long suffering boyfriend Ours about my idea and he liked it. Then I sprung a second idea on him - how about I give up work for six months to write the thing? I'm a terrible procrastinator (the only time I ever clean our apartment is when I'm avoiding work or study) but as a lapsed Catholic I also have a healthy dose of guilt. Giving up work would be the ultimate guilt trip that would force me to write. He wasn't overwhelmed at first but I won him over with my sledgehammer nagging and roundabout logic.

Two months into the 'experiment' I'm banging out around 1500 words a day. It's both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I don't have writer's block so much as a general 'I couldn't be arsed' mood most days. I'd prefer to use my laptop to trawl the Internet for mindless 'news'. But when I eventually start writing I haven't got stuck...yet.