G is for Gina (and Girlfriends)

 From the moment Angel's Jersey girl friend Gina makes her debut in Casting the First Stone, it's clear to the reader that the women are nothing alike. Still, a friendship forged in the office of an auto repair shop persists despite the women's differences in background, lifestyle, and marital status. Although Angel's life has changed dramatically since her days as a receptionist, the bond between the two friends remains, with Angel bringing out Gina's softer side and Gina nudging Angel to be more daring.

Marita and her best friend (and sidekick) Bets have a lot more in common. As with Angel and Gina, life changes have led the two women down different paths, but Bets provides a glimpse into the Marita she has always known -- the one readers can imagine, but never see. It's easy to see how Marita and Bets could have been very much alike earlier in their lives, and that gives readers insight into the events and emotions that shaped Marita into the character who shows up on the page.

Just as women need girlfriends in real life, so too do fictional characters. Both need sidekicks and amateur therapists, Bible study buddies and drinking buddies, people to pick us up when we're down and ride the wave alongside us when life is wonderful. 

Our friends give us glimpses into ourselves, seeing us in a way we can't see ourselves. In fact, that's part of what makes writing secondary characters so much fun. They can be daring and outspoken, providing a contrast to a character who's more quiet or serious, or a complement to one who is equally ready for whatever comes next. They can move the plot forward by talking our protagonists into (or out of) adventures and bad decisions. They can steal the story at times, and the same character can be beloved by some readers and disliked by others.

Bets is a good example of this. Some readers relate to her fierce loyalty and sense of fun, while others see her as a bad influence. A suggestion from one reader that Bets needed her own book inspired her parallel story line in Courting Peace, a move that was sure to please some readers and annoy others. 

In the novel I'm working on now, no one bears any resemblance to Marita or Bets, nor to Angel or Gina, but each has her own distinct personality and way of interacting with the others. Recently, a woman who was supposed to have only a walk-on role ended up with a much bigger part. She insisted, and I didn't argue. It was clear that she brought something different to the story, so I widened the circle.

In the real world, friends help us to shape our identities and navigate our lives. Why should it be any different in fiction?

W is for Writer

 In seventh grade, my English teacher, Miss Lee, introduced me to creative writing. In eighth grade, when I had to create a career booklet, I declared my intention to become a writer. 

At that time, I thought I'd want to work for a magazine. Even then, I didn't see myself loving the daily deadlines that came with newspaper work. In addition, as a middle schooler and Teen magazine subscriber, I was much more interested in fashion and human interest than the news (it never occurred to me to consider Time or Newsweek).

Somewhere along the way, my interest in psychology took root and, when I went to college, I abandoned my pursuit of writing in favor of a degree in psychology. It wasn't until I changed districts eight years into my career as a school counselor, moving from a full-time position to a part-time position, that I began to seriously consider writing again. In fact, it was my sister who reminded me that I'd always wanted to write, and that working four days a week instead of five presented me with precisely that opportunity.

And so, the summer before I started my new position in my new school district, I got serious about writing. I submitted work on spec, launching the freelancing portion of my writing career.

For the next nineteen years, I continued submitting my work. I took some correspondence courses through The Institute of Children's Literature and the Long Ridge Writers Group, along with a course on freelancing offered by my local library. I joined Pennwriters and went to conferences and joined a critique group. I began branching out, writing two books for school counselors and two novels, as well as trying my hand at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and Camp NoWriMo (the pared-down July version). I got accepted into Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature's One-on-One Plus on the strength of the first ten pages of my first novel. 

The first novel got nibbles but, in the end, failed to attract an agent or a publisher. The second one got me an agent. I met her at a conference in Lewisburg, one I'd attended as much as an excuse to visit the town where I'd lived for six years during college and grad school as to network with other writers and publishing professionals. Together, we got that book published.

Ten years ago, when I retired ahead of schedule, all of my colleagues assumed I'd write full-time. Indeed, I wanted to do just that, and I set out to ramp up the writing (and the paychecks) but, by then, I knew that writing full-time was unlikely to earn me enough money to pay the bills, let alone tackle the next big thing on my list: paying for college for my daughter. 

After a year of teaching other people about writing (and organizing) and submitting my work anywhere I thought it might find a home, I got offered a job teaching psychology and I took it.

I started out teaching one class but, over time, the job grew to fill my schedule as I took on (and later proposed) other courses. Now, nine years in, the part time job has grown to a nearly full-time pursuit, relegating writing (once again) to a side hustle.

Five (and a half) novels (three published), three non-fiction books and a slew (that's the technical term) of blogs and articles later, a side hustle doesn't feel like a bad deal. While there are definitely weeks when I get frustrated over my lack of available writing time, I'm grateful that I don't have to depend on my writing to pay the bills. This has, in fact, been something my writing accountability partner (a friend and fellow writer) and I have been talking about quite a bit lately. We're on the same page (so to speak) -- the one that says that the joy of writing is better preserved when we write as a matter of choice rather than as a matter of necessity.

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And that first novel? The one that went nowhere? That's my NaNoWriMo project for 2022. I learned long ago that the traditional NaNoWriMo goal of a novel in 30 days isn't a good fit for me but I've also learned that writing alongside other writers is. So, this month, I'll be turning my attention back to some of the first characters I created, and trying out a new platform to see if it's a good fit for them (and for me). 

Sometime between the time I started writing this post this morning and the time I got back to it after class to get it finished and posted, my dad texted me to wish me a Happy National Author's Day. I'd like to say I planned this post accordingly but, the truth is that I'd forgotten that today is, indeed, a day to celebrate and encourage writers. 

Seems like a great day to get that new project underway.

8 Reasons I'm Looking Forward to This Week

ijmaki via Pixabay

A couple of weeks ago, the college where I teach announced a virtual writing retreat for any instructors/professors who wanted to participate.

I might have been the first one to sign up.

Today, it starts.

When we got the materials last week, I got a look at the list of participants and discovered that most of my colleagues in the psych department are participating.

One more way I know I'm in the right place.

While I was not looking forward to starting at 9 AM (which is usually before I roll out of bed, night owl that I am), wild horses could not have kept me from this retreat. Here are a few reasons why.

1. I need an opportunity to rid my writing of clichés like the one above.
2. Five whole days where writing is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.
3. I need to get my mojo, which was stolen by recent events, back, and get myself into a writing routine.
4. I get to connect with colleagues in a whole new way, which usually means I'll learn a thing or two -- at least.
5. Full immersion in writing is often my best path to creativity and new ideas.
6. With five whole days to work, I'm bound to eventually attack the revisions I detest.
7. Accountability!
8. Oh, and I get a free book :-)

   

   CryptoSkylark via Pixabay

In preparation for this, I've set up a notebook with all of my writing projects listed, along with where to find them in the nooks and crannies of my office. That way, I can flip seamlessly from one project to another if I wish.

I can't wait to get started!

Inspired by this retreat, the theme of the week here on the porch swing is productivity. Suggestions? Celebrations of your own productivity? Leave me a note in the comments.

Happy Monday!

Despite All Evidence to the Contrary

Jessica Gale via Morguefile

My office is littered with evidence that I'm a writer. A mug with "writer" emblazoned on it and a "Best. Writer. Ever." mouse pad (both gifts). Books with my name on the spine. I even used to have a clock until it stopped working.

Right now that seems like an apt analogy.

Lately, I haven't felt like much of a writer. I thought for sure that all this time at home would make it easier to find time to write but all the changes that have come with that time have made it hard to get myself into the writing frame of mind. My blog posts have become habit and, although I don't have a Kardashian-like following, I know there are people reading them, so I am motivated to write those. But, when it comes to my actual writing projects, I seem to run out of day/energy/motivation before I get to them.

I know I'm not alone. I see lots of other writers on social media saying the same thing.

Part of the problem is that, with online classes, I'm now on the computer all the time and so writing, once a break from the day-to-day has become one more keyboard-related task. I considered writing in longhand like my colleague Mike does but, not only has my handwriting become a mess, I'd then have to find time to get all of those notes onto the computer.

And now I've come full circle.

It doesn't help that I'm at the revision stage in nearly every project I'm working on. If I were composing instead of revising, my characters and a sense of "what happens next?" would nudge me back to the keyboard. But, as it stands now, the part of the process I like least has collided with a challenging time where my creative and emotional energies are sapped before I even open my laptop, let alone a file.

And so I'm working on finding avenues in, be they guilt (leaving the file for my work-in-progress in the middle of my workspace where I can't ignore it), other writing tasks (promotion of existing works, a search for an agent to represent the work I'm revising), and creative approaches (sketchnoting the tasks or steps I need to complete for each project). Then there are the old stand-bys: goal-setting and deadlines.

Progress is slow, but it's happening (that guilt thing was pretty powerful). Next week's break in the online class action might offer me both the opportunity and the downtime to change my mindset from creating classes to re-visiting characters. Like any visit, once I get there, I always want to stay a little longer.

Now I just need to decide which road to take to get there in the first place.

Geralt via Pixabay

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

melkhagelslag via Pixabay

I am counting down to the beach, and I couldn't be more excited.

Last summer, for the first time in a long time, we didn't go to the beach. I didn't get to brainstorm characters while sitting under an umbrella on the sand with the ocean just a few feet away. I didn't get to post my blogs from the screened-in porch. I didn't get to browse in my favorite indie bookstore.

But all of that is about to change. My fall break is coming, and so is my beach vacation.

Before you waste too much sympathy on my alleged beach deprivation, let me just say that we didn't go to the beach because we went to Ireland instead. My daughter spent a semester in Cork and so we spent spring break visiting her.  As much as I love my beach trips, I have to say that the tradeoff was more than fair.

But I'm ready.

I'm not a hot weather fan, so fall beach trips are right up my alley. I love bundling up under a blanket on the screened-in porch and I long ago traded in swimsuits for the more comfortable beach attire of shorts and a tee shirt, so upgrading to a sweatshirt isn't a big deal.

I'm a unlikely beach goer. I don't swim or surf and more than 20 minutes in the sun is too much for me. But I love to sit under an umbrella and read (or write) with the sound of the ocean as my background. And I love to sit out on the patio with my laptop or my journal (and, with few exceptions, I journal only at the beach) listening to the frogs in the creek below.

michalkirk via Pixabay

Right now, my clothes and toiletries are in their usual locations and my suitcase is still in the basement, but my journals are sitting out, waiting to be slipped into a bag and taken along for the ride. I have lesson plans to write and papers to grade, but these activities (which usually consume my thoughts) are merely hurdles to clear before I can depart for my desired destination. I will do them with the same level of dedication they usually demand, but I'll do so knowing that each task I complete takes me one step closer to that screened-in porch where I'll meet my characters and my deadlines.

I'm ready -- well, except for the grading and the planning and the packing.

But if mental preparedness counts for anything, I'm already there.

Filling the Blank Page, Part 1

The first draft of this post

These days, when I sit down to write a first draft, whether a blog post, an article or a novel, I have some idea of what that first draft is supposed to look like. I know it won't look the same for every project (nor should it) and I know that sometimes, when the going gets tough on one project, I need to dive into another one instead.

But I've been writing professionally for more than 25 years. I should hope I know how to do this stuff.

Still, sometimes, the blank page is daunting. Maybe I can't think of a topic or maybe I, like my daughter and my students, struggle with perfectionism and/or procrastination. Instead of writing, I find a million other things to do, whether it's because I can't get started or I fear that the end product won't live up to my expectations.

Time and experience have taught me a few strategies for this.

• I don't outline. I'm not saying this is a good thing -- just that outlines don't work for me and that trying to make them work uses up valuable time and energy.
• I don't skip the first draft. Okay, sometimes I do, but only when the first draft goes extraordinarily well. I never plan to skip a first draft, which can look like anything from a random assortment of ideas to fully formatted paragraphs, most of which I probably came up with in the shower instead of in front of the computer. 
• I don't worry about making a first draft pretty. When I teach writing, I tell my students to just dump everything onto the page. I've gone so far as to use the word "vomit" to describe this brain dump, explaining that after that visual, there's nowhere to go but up.  
• I don't focus solely on one project at at time unless I have to. When a deadline looms, I have no choice but to dig in and get it done. But when the project in front of me isn't time sensitive, I don't feel guilty about replacing it with another one when the words just won't come. 

Pixabay

To dedicated plotters and laser-focused, production-oriented writers, these don'ts may reek of laziness but, for me, they keep the aforementioned procrastination and perfectionism at bay. I'll be the first to admit that I'm an emotion-focused writer but, when I use that to my advantage, I can pour that passion onto the page, and my work is better for it. When I force myself to adhere to things that don't work for me, I end up wasting a great deal of time that could be better spent writing.

So if these are the don'ts, what are the to-do's? Check back in a week or so to find out what I do instead. 

Companions on the Writing Journey

Pixabay.com

One of the best things a writer can do for herself is to join a critique group. More than two decades ago, my friend and fellow writer Judy Wolfman twisted my arm and convinced me to give her critique group a try. When I say she twisted my arm, I'm not being literal, but I'm not being sarcastic either. I was terrified to show my writing to other people and it took some convincing, along with the promise that I could just observe until I was comfortable, to get me to try just one meeting.

I'm still going.

Over the years, the composition of the group has changed. In fact, only three of us who were part of the group then are still part of the group now. I've brought five novels to this group (six, if you count the one that I revised and brought back for a second pass) along with a non-fiction book that I was struggling to put together. One novel was published, a second self-published and a third -- the one going through the group right now -- is one I hope to self-publish before the end of the year. Another novel (the one that went through twice) is next on my to-be-revised list and the non-fiction book is coming out this spring.

You might say their feedback has been useful.

When it comes to integrating their feedback, though, it took me a while to figure out the best way to do so. I always read their comments as soon after the meeting as I can, but I sometimes don't dig into the changes they suggest right away. Depending on where I am in the writing process, it might be months -- or maybe even years -- down the road before I settle down with their notes in front of me and weigh the changes against what's on the page.

Fellow writers are surprised when I tell them I often tuck the critiques away, returning to them only when I dig into revisions. While the discussion isn't as clear in my mind, I'm also a little more removed from the prose, making it easier to consider cuts and drive the revision process, which I hate. Because I'm not a happy reviser (I just hate the revising process in general), saving their feedback -- both positive and negative -- helps me to power through the process. In addition, once I've finished the first draft, I have a better idea of where their suggestions fit into the plot or overall scheme of the book. I can also see which comments are recurring, which helps me to shape the book.

Revision is a necessary but, for me, less than pleasant process. Having friends along for the ride makes things a bit easier and it makes my books better as well.

Embracing My Options

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I'm a hybrid author -- part traditional, part indie. Both of my non-fiction books were published through a contract with a publisher and a third will be released via a different publisher this summer. I self-published one of my novels and the other, originally published through a small independent publisher, is now back in my hands.

Being published through a traditional house or via contract is like being an employee and, as such, it has many benefits. Someone else takes care of the little details I might not want to be bothered with and, as the book sells, I get a paycheck. Perhaps the best part of working within the employer-employee set-up that is traditional publishing is that it gives me access to professionals – professional cover designers, professional editors, professional marketing people, a professional sales team. These knowledgeable people make sure my book looks its best and that it's introduced to the world by a team, not just little old me.

But, as with any paycheck, deductions are part of the deal. In this case, the employer (publisher), who assumes all of the risk, takes a chunk of my paycheck as reimbursement for dealing with all of those details. And, as you'd imagine, the employer has a say in how just about everything is done. This process frees me up to write and, while I have input on how things go, final decisions are sometimes out of my hands.

The other side of the hybrid author coin is the indie publishing side. Working as an independent author (self-publishing), means that I get to make all of the decisions (even the ones I'd prefer someone else take charge of) and I have to find all of those previously mentioned resources on my own. In return, no one gets a cut of my paycheck (unless you count paying the professional editor, cover designer, marketing people and sales resources), but no one is double-checking the details either. Both the money and the headaches are mine, all mine.

This is, as you can imagine, a double-edged sword. 

Once upon a time, I dreamed of getting published and, by that, I meant traditionally published. Agent, editor, advance, royalties -- the whole package. Along the way, I've had all of those, just not all in the same book deal. 

And, as it turns out, that's not such a bad thing.

I like being a hybrid author. Some projects lend themselves to a traditional publishing model, others don't. For those that do, I like working as part of a team to make my book the best it can be. And, whether I'm putting my book in someone else's hands or hanging onto my project page by page, it's wise for me to educate myself about the elements of the publishing process. I believe that every author needs to know as much as possible about the behind-the-scenes aspects of publishing a book, if only to be a better participant in the process. 

Which brings me back to the novel that is now back in my hands. My first novel, Casting the First Stone was initially published by a small independent publisher. In January, I had an opportunity to take back my book and either let it languish or republish it independently.

I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you which choice I'm making.

Currently, Casting the First Stone is unavailable as I consider what I want its re-release to look like. I've considered what I've learned as a hybrid author, and talked about it with trusted friends and fellow authors. I've decided that I want to add a fresh cover to the project before I send it back into the world again, and am thrilled that my talented friend Laurie J. Edwards, who created the cover for Chasing a Second Chance, is helping me make that happen.

At the same time that I'm making these decisions and planning to turn my previously small press-published novel into an indie project, I'm working with a team at Our Sunday Visitor to bring Know Thyself: The Imperfectionist's Guide to Sorting Your Stuff into the world. For me, having one foot in each camp increases my knowledge, my experience and even my creativity, making

me better at this whole hybrid author role.

I'm grateful to be writing (and publishing) in a time where indie publishing is no longer seen as a last resort but, rather, as a viable option. I'm grateful to have friends on the journey -- readers, writers, and publishing professionals -- who make the trip more fun and make all the effort worthwhile. And, I'm very excited to see not only where this road takes me, but what it means for books in all the seasons to come.

I don't know if my next project will be indie or traditional, but I like that my journey has led me to a place where I feel I can make an informed decision.

No One Puts Writing in a Corner

Artsy Bee via Pixabay

I'm feeling a bit like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland as I tackle this post today ("I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!"). What's the thing I'm late for? 

This post.

This morning, when I woke up, everything was under control. I set my (reasonable) goals for the day, then climbed out of bed and threw in a load of laundry. 

That was the last I saw of my normal day.

Okay, so I'm exaggerating. Today was actually just another one of those days when writing got jostled, then nudged, then finally squashed into a corner by "other things that need to be done."

Only today, writing wasn't taking it lying down. Or squashed into a corner.

When I finally finished my Organizing by STYLE post -- after 2pm -- it was clear that if I continued working on blog posts, the writing project that was on my schedule for the day would fall asleep in the corner into which it had been unceremoniously squashed, and that rousing it this evening would be a Herculean task.

So I did what I had to do.

I wrote the opening lines of this post to give myself a starting point, then I yanked my writing project out of the corner and left the house with my laptop to go work on the project. 

It worked. Two hours later, I got home, proposal refurbished, new ideas brewing.

Besides spending time with my family, there are three things I look forward to over break: sleeping in, writing and reading -- pretty much in that order. But last week, writing spent a lot of time in the corner while I took care of "other things that need to be done" before Christmas. 

Now, those things are done and another Christmas has passed. It's time for writing to get top billing, as promised last week when I was doing all of those "other things." Unfortunately, my poor writing has been upstaged for so long that it no longer remembers that it's supposed to be playing a leading role. Luckily today, all it needed was a little prompting, so I have faith that tomorrow, it will re-emerge as the diva it is.

Even if it has to upstage everyone and everything in its path. 

A Train, A Muse and a Character to be Named Later

TeroVesalainen via Pixabay 

I'm typing this on Sunday evening aboard a train from New York City, mostly because I love both the concept and the actual act of writing while on the train (but also because I need a post for Monday). The day before we left, I finished the almost-final draft of my next book, Know Thyself: The (Im)Perfectionist's Guide to Sorting Your Stuff. Though my deadline is looming, I decided to let my completed manuscript sit while I spent the weekend celebrating my daughter's 21st birthday at a Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden.

Because I finished my draft on Friday and had train time on both Saturday and Sunday, I thought maybe I'd see what my Casting the First Stone/ Chasing a Second Chance characters were up to. Unfortunately, it had been so long since I'd paid attention to them that they were feeling a tad uncooperative.

Or maybe it was me.

Writing on command, though a necessary strategy, is not always a fruitful one. It seems there's nothing like a deadline for one piece that makes another one seem more attractive. My mother would call that being fickle; John Perry would call it structured procrastination -- at least if I succumbed to the siren song of the "other" piece.

In any event, I'd hoped my train time this weekend would give me an opportunity to focus on blog posts and maybe creep a little closer to the end of the third MAC (Marita/Angel/Charli) book, but the blog topics weren't flowing any better than the MAC storyline.

But tonight, on our trip home, I peered out the window at one of our station stops, there it was. Inspiration. Not for anything I'm actually working on now, of course -- that would be too simple -- but, rather, background for a novel that's third or fourth in line. Inspiration for something I won't be able to seriously approach for sixth months or more.

What to do? The mature, responsible approach, some would argue, would be to keep nose to grindstone and tackle what I'd set out to work on. And that, of course, is exactly what I did not do.

Instead, I delved into that background, jotting down my ideas, doing some Google searches and feeling a character come to life a little more as I wrote about....

Well, I can't tell you that right now. It might spoil the story.

Pexels via Pixabay

My decision might not have been the mature, responsible one, but any writer worth her salt knows you don't ignore inspiration when it walks in and presents itself to you wrapped in a big, red bow (figuratively, of course). You cajole the inspiration, convincing it to linger a little longer so you can pepper it with as many questions as possible before it decides it's bored and slips off again, to new adventures and other writers.

And then you go back to your work in progress.

Or at least that's what I do because, when I get home, it's back to course planning and attacking the to-do list. As long as I'm on the train, time and inspiration are mine.

And I'd be a fool to squander either one of them.

Turning the Pages

khamkhor via Pixabay

Now that my summer class is over, I've finally found the time to read for fun. With two so-so novels (which shall remain nameless here) under my belt, I found myself exploring what made them so-so, not stellar.

In both cases, the answer was the same: the protagonist annoyed me. She (in both cases) was okay, and the writing was good enough to keep me turning pages but, if someone asked me if I'd recommend either book, I'd do so with reservations.

Since characters are what drives me when I write, I wondered if there was a takeaway here. As it turned out, there were three: three things not to do with a female protagonist.

1. Don't make her bitchy. I apologize if my language offends, but that's the best word for some of the behavior displayed by one of the protagonists. Since she wasn't consistently so, and I bought that it was part of her professional identity, I accepted it and kept reading, but it kept me from caring about her, pulling for her or identifying with her. I had to ask myself if I'd've felt the same inability to pull for her if she'd been male...and the truth is, I don't know. I just know I'd liked to have seen her unpalatable behavior balanced with a little heart.
2. Don't outshine her with other female characters. In both books, which were written from multiple points of view, I liked the sidekicks better than the protagonist. A lot better. In fact, they were what kept me turning the pages. And, lest you think I only like nice girls, let me tell you that, in the second novel, the side kick was way saltier than the protagonist -- but I bought it because I knew enough about who she was to understand the motivation behind her behavior. In addition, she (the sidekick) was multi-faceted enough that when she did stuff that I didn't like, it was so well-connected to the big picture of her character that I was willing to cut her some slack and read on.
3. Don't leave the reader in the dark for too long. In the second novel, the rationale behind the protagonist's behavior remained mysterious for too long. She was moody, disconnected by choice and carrying a chip on her shoulder for far too long. If it hadn't been for the sidekick, I would have given up on the book and picked up another one. From a writing perspective, another problem with waiting too long for the why behind a character's behavior is that the reveal had better be huge by the time it arrives and it'd better be delivered in a believable and satisfying way. Spoiler alert: it wasn't.

And one more thing, kind of character-related: 

Don't stereotype the rest of the world in too shorthand a way. Minor characters don't need huge backstory, but they need enough personality to entertain us and enrich the protagonist's world. In the second book, the author did this well with a number of fun minor characters who helped build the world the protagonist inhabited. 

Lest you think I'm too picky (the thought has certainly crossed my mind), the purpose of this exercise wasn't simply to criticize. It was to notice.

Pexels via Pixabay

When I finished the books, I felt vaguely unsatisfied. As a writer, I wanted to know why I felt that way. Am I creating the same reaction in my readers? I can never know for sure, but, by analyzing what makes me react that way when I read, perhaps I can avoid making the same mistakes when I write.

My third summer book, picked up after much deliberation at Browseabout Books (my favorite indy bookstore) is Jodi Piccoult's Small Great Things. Why am I naming it while the others remain unidentified?

Because in ten pages, she grabbed me. I care about every single character, even the unlikeable ones (and there are some very unlikeable ones in this book). They're real. They're fleshed out. They're human.

And I can't wait to see what happens to them.

And that is the kind of writing I want to do.

Beach Pages, Part 2

peterpauper.com

On Monday night, I found my Beach Pages journal, right where I expected to: on the back wall at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach. Yesterday morning, I cracked it open, ready to write. The imprint inside announced it was published by Peter Pauper Press, a family press founded on the mission of creating "fine books that sold at 'prices even a pauper could afford.'" I made a mental note to check out the publisher and put the date on the first page.

Beach Pages, such a simple idea in theory, proved a little more challenging in execution. I was breaking in my new book not on the beach, but on the screened-in porch, which seemed appropriate  in its own way, if devoid of direct beach inspiration. It was good, in a way, as this pretty new book from Peter Pauper Press was protected, on its first day at least, from ocean breezes that whip the pages around as I write and the sea spray that curls them.

Yeah. No pressure here.

In retrospect, that little bit about the publisher in the front of the journal didn't make the task of filling blank pages any easier. The inspiration that had drifted in on the waves at the beach drifted back out again, intimidated by pretty covers and publisher names the where-is-this-going/what do you mean where-is-this-going-I-thought-we-were-just-having-fun duality that stymies many a relationship. What was I supposed to write about? Was this really a "good use of my time"? Was it okay to just be casual about this lovely book when it had the potential to be so much more?

But, by the end of my hour, I'd broken the book in and established a sense of what I want these pages to be. Reminding myself that the only rule was to "just write," I stumbled a few times, then found my stride.

Just like any other kind of writing.

Along the way, I discovered there's a process at work, even in Beach Pages. I use this word a lot when I write about organization, emphasizing that any progress is just that -- progress. Committing to an hour for my Beach Pages meant that there would likely be warm-up time, productive time and staring-into-space time. Sticking to the hour through the warm-up time and the staring-into-space time was the only thing that would get me to the productive time.

Just like any other kind of writing.

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Process popped up in another way, too -- as a verb. After burrowing into my writing tunnel, I need some time, when I emerge, to think about what it all means. When I closed the book today, my mind was still spinning, so I set a timer for five minutes and closed my eyes, just concentrating on my breathing and letting thoughts come and go (thank you, Headspace). The most insistent thoughts -- summaries, really -- warranted opening my eyes and jotting them down and suddenly I'd created a brief summary of contents.

Huh. That wasn't part of the plan. But apparently it's part of the process.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

So, What are you Working On?

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If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that my top (work) priority flip flops in January, May, August and December. Beginning in January and August, my class planning and teaching responsibilities get top priority. In May and December, my writing projects get top billing, at least until the semester starts again. 

This summer I'm teaching a class, so June will be a mixed bag. It's a small class and one I've taught before, so I'm optimistic that if I establish good habits in May, I'll be able to continue them into June.

So far, so good, even if I did get off to a late start.

So, what am I working on? In terms of short-to-medium length pieces, I've got blogs here, over at Organizing by STYLE and CatholicMom.com and some articles, both online and in print. 

As for novels and book-length work, last summer's list looked something like this:

• Project #1 is a novel with a new cast of characters. Over the past year, with the help of my critique group, I've been tightening and revising and I am within twelve chapters of finishing this stage of the project, which gives it front burner status.

• Project #2 is an idea I've been toying with based on my Organizing by Style blog. Because it's time sensitive, it has risen to the top of the list. Stay tuned for details, which I hope to have available at my Christmas in July Facebook party.

• Project #3 is the third Marita/Angel/Charli book, for which I just might have come up with a title when I couldn't sleep last Friday night. We'll have to see if it sounds as good in the light of day as it did at 3 am. I promise new twists and developments...which is why it's taking me so long.

This summer, Project #1 is ready for its final revision, thanks to the input of my critique book. Unfortunately, Kelsey, Jake and company will end up moving to the back burner because Project #2 has moved from idea to book contract! Writing Organizing by STYLE: The Book (which will obviously need a jazzier title) will be top priority so I can meet my deadline with Our Sunday Visitor Books and the book can come out next spring. 

As for Project #3...take heart, fans of Marita/Angel and Charli. I'm more than 60,000 words and 25 chapters in, so this book is getting written...just slowly. As I've said before, these characters keep surprising me (especially Bets), so I think it will be worth the wait. 

Project #4 is also taking shape, but it won't be ready for quite some time. I have a new character in mind and am using a cool, new (to me) character development sheet I picked up at Ramona DeFelice Long's Pennwriters workshop, "Damsels, Dames and Darlings: Writing Realistic Women." I'm using it to shape my protagonist and perhaps another female character as well. Since this is my favorite part of the process and, since I have several other time-sensitive irons in the fire, you won't be seeing Genevieve for a while. 

And now...my daughter just called to see if I'm ready to go shopping. 

It's going to be a great summer!

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Post Pennwriters

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As I write this, I'm sitting in the hospitality suite at the Pennwriters Conference as the weekend winds down. Jack is at his perch behind the raffle table, where baskets of prizes sit waiting for winners to collect them. The bookstore has been dismantled, boxed books now atop the tables, waiting for authors to collect them and, they hope, checks that mean their books are now in the hands of new readers. Four large, round tables fill the center of the room, populated with people chatting, texting or extracting one last bit of wisdom from the authors and mentors who will soon disperse, returning to their homes, their laptops and their lives. In a few minutes, the last workshop will let out and this room will fill with attendees waiting to see if they won a basket or a contest before saying their final goodbyes.

This was, once again, a great weekend. I sold some books, gathered some wisdom, taught two workshops, connected with friends and made a few new connections as well. Each conference takes on a personality of its own. Though there are similarities from one conference to the next in structure and even attendees, no two experiences are quite the same, in part because we are never quite the same from one conference to the next.

We approach each conference differently with different needs and strengths, having grown since the last time we attended. Each time, we look for different answers, seeking workshops that will build a bridge from where we are to where we want to go. A successful conference (from the perspective of the conference goer) builds that bridge, giving us concrete things we can work on until the next conference arrives.

And so now, it's time to get to work.

Friday Feature: 10 Rules for Writing Fiction

Since I'm attending the Pennwriters Conference this weekend, I thought it'd be fun to share a writing-related article for today's feature. Entitled "10 Rules for Writing Fiction," it's actually much more than that: 

"Inspired by Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing, we (The Guardian) asked authors for their personal do's and don'ts."

I went in search of a fun piece and found the mother lode: a two-part piece crammed with great advice, suitable for savoring by readers and writers alike.

You're welcome.

A Writing Home Away from Home

Kaboompics

I have decided that I need a beach writing retreat. There's something about the beach that routinely gets me unstuck. Maybe it's simply the change in location and daily routine. Maybe it's the feeling of endless possibility.

Maybe it's the fact that the only non-human distractions I have are the ones I intentionally bring with me. When I pack my bag with good books, fun magazines and everything I need to write, it's not hard to get inspired.

But, while I can rationalize paying for a week at the beach when it's a family vacation, or paying hundreds of dollars for a writing conference that gives me access to experts, I cheap out when it comes to planning a writing retreat, tossing out all sorts of obstacles: I have too much to do. I can't spare the time. My family needs me.

Now, though, as I sit on the beach writing this post, I wonder why I don't plan a retreat every year the way I plan a vacation. Set the dates. Make the plans. Save the money.

Why indeed.

Maybe this year is the year I'll do it. Choose the spot (done). Check the fees. Determine the cast of characters.

Three weeks ago, my nineteen-year-old planned a beach trip with her friends. How hard can it be?

I think perhaps it's time I found out. Writer friends, who's with me?

Beach Inspired, Part 1

Photo: Steve Hess

I love the beach, but I'm not a beach person per se.  I burn almost instantaneously (fry is, perhaps, a more accurate verb), so my idea of a day at the beach is a day spent under an umbrella, clad in shorts and a tee shirt, (and a hat, of course), slathered with 50+ sunscreen.

It's all about the ambience. While I prefer the shaded, screened in porch at our rented condo to the sand, I love the sound of the surf and the endless vista of water stretching out to the horizon at the beach. When the breeze is just right, it counterbalances the heat of the sun, convincing me there's no place I'd rather be. From my perch on a beach chair, with my feet in the cool sand, I can lose myself in a novel, jot down any inspirations that arise (yes, I always take a notebook to the beach) and usually craft a blog or two (at least). Writing, relaxation and vacation converge, creating a setting conducive to all the things I love to do, but never seem to get quite enough time for at home.

Although I can't imagine a permanent move to the beach, I dream of owning a condo just like the one where we stay each summer. I could visit every time I need a dose of the place that reframes the challenges of real life. Even in the off-season, I imagine I could get so much creative work done in my home away from home.

Then I wonder if having a place of our own down here would change the experience, injecting a little too much reality into my getaway mentality, tipping the scales out of my favor.

I think that's a risk I'm willing to take.

Summer Writing, Gonna Have Me a Blast

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When I first started writing, it was easy to focus. I'd have one piece in progress -- first articles, then, later, books -- and when I had time to write, that was where I'd focus my attention.

Over time, things became more complicated. It seemed that the less time I had to write, the more ideas I had to put on the page. And, when I sat down to work one thing, another one would pop up.

It's a good problem to have. Still, it can be a challenge to corral all these characters and ideas, and give each his or her due. You've heard the phrase, "it's like herding cats"?

Yeah. That.

And that is just where I find myself right now. The summer is just beginning and I have time to devote to my cats, er, characters, each of whom is clamoring for attention.

So, I did what any parent would do. I chose a favorite.

Just kidding.

I did what any writer would do. I prioritized.

And now I'm going public, because I hope that will keep me honest.

• Project #1 is a novel with a new cast of characters. Over the past year, with the help of my critique group, I've been tightening and revising and I am within twelve chapters of finishing this stage of the project, which gives it front burner status.

• Project #2 is an idea I've been toying with based on my Organizing by Style blog. Because it's time sensitive, it has risen to the top of the list. Stay tuned for details, which I hope to have available at my Christmas in July Facebook party.

• Project #3 is the third Marita/Angel/Charli book, for which I just might have come up with a title when I couldn't sleep last Friday night. We'll have to see if it sounds as good in the light of day as it did at 3 am. I promise new twists and developments...which is why it's taking me so long.

There's other stuff, too, but three major projects sounds like a full summer, so I'm going to let the others duke it out in the background. 

Meanwhile, if you have ideas about Marita, Angel and Charli (besides killing off Jim), please share them. One innocent reader comment sparked a plot twist that surprised even me. The characters are really taking over in this one, and Bets isn't the only one who's opinionated. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some writing to do. 

Why Read Fiction?

Photo: SCY via Pixabay

Last Friday, I featured an article that focused on five benefits of reading fiction. Although those of us who love to read don't need to be convinced, we can always use a juicy rationalization, especially when it's well-written.

In addition to being a fun read, the article got me thinking. As a writer, do I feel as though writing fiction provides any of those same benefits?

Enhanced reasoning skills? Check! Having to figure out how to get my characters into -- and out of -- a variety of situations definitely requires reasoning skills. Then, once I've done this, I need to decide whether or not my readers will find all of this believable, which requires me to reason from the other side of the equation.

Understanding of complex problems? Creating complications is one of the most fun parts of writing fiction, and this is the part where my characters tend to chime in. Determining the answer to the question, "what if this happened?" is a key element in the construction of plot, and is usually guaranteed to make things more complex.

Empathy? Last week, I wrote about how writers need to be able to imagine and defend people who are different from them, which is an important part of empathy. Doing this for characters we love is easy; doing it for characters with few redeeming qualities is definitely a stretch -- one that can move us from sympathy to empathy.

Stress relief? Only when I'm finished! Actually, when writing is going well (usually when I'm writing dialogue), it's a great, stress-free feeling. Overcoming the obstacles between me and the keyboard, or between me and the characters, or between me and the blank page is definitely more stress-inducing than stress-relieving.

Photo: Dariusz Sankowski via Pixabay

Strong role models? Sometimes. Some characters make good role models, while others are more like cautionary tales. But even antagonists have to rise to the occasion sometimes, proving that most of us have the capacity to be role models when we choose to be.

Clearly, the fundamental things apply, whether reading a book or writing one.

Read it again, Sam.

Colluding with my Characters

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When it comes to writing, I'm a pantser (as in "flying by the seat of my pants"), making things up as I go along. I've tried to write from a synopsis because it seemed like the responsible, professional thing to do, but I always end up frustrated. My characters are far too opinionated to amble with me down a predetermined path and so we end up at a fork in the road. One way leads to the ending I've planned out, while the other leads to adventure and collusion with my characters.

Clearly, I have a preference.

It's this collusion with my characters that takes the place of a synopsis for me. I'm terrible at planning the plot of a story, but I'm methodical about creating my characters. Before I write a word, I know exactly who will be populating my story, and a great deal about what they will and won't do. I used to flatter myself, believing that I knew everything about them before I started, but, over time, I've discovered that they're as dynamic as real people. If I don't allow them to grow and change, my story goes nowhere.

Sometimes, it seems as though my best ideas come from out of nowhere. One night last week, for example, a scene presented itself as I was trying to fall asleep. It was nothing I'd ever considered, yet it was exactly where I needed to go.

This was no accident, and it wasn't as "out of nowhere" as it seemed. Over the last several months, I've been conscientiously honing my writing habit, working to create a schedule that, although less than ideal, gives me regular access to the characters I've created. The scene that presented itself was a result of regular collusion with my characters, through dialogue, description and the details of their lives.

Into every writer's life, at least a little structure must fall. For me, a little structure is indeed best. because it leaves room for my characters to grow.

So, ask me anything about one of my characters. If I don't know the answer, I know enough to collude with them to find it.