CornerScribe

Archive for September, 2007

First off, the RSS feed is down. I think it happened some time last night or this morning, but I’ve had no luck so far fixing it.

Also, I’m experiencing continued issues with the old theme, so I put up another quickly this evening to try to mitigate the problems.

Wish me luck…

Imagine that you’re walking down the street, and you spot a mother pushing her new baby in a stroller. You stop to admire the newborn, gaze at her, tilt your head, and look up at the mother and say, “Wow! That’s one ugly baby you’ve got there.”

That new mom is going to stomp a mud hole in you. Unfortunately, many writers react like that new mom when they’re asked for edits.

1. Your book or story is not your “baby”

I feel a certain emotional attachment to my work too. I spend a lot of time on my writing, and when I need to cut out a scene that I particularly like, it can hurt. However, I also know that once my writing leaves my computer and goes out in the wide world, it will be read, interacted with, and (gasp) judged by others.

Let your baby grow up!

2. Whom are you writing for?

If you’re writing only for yourself, then by all means, ignore your editor. Of course, if you’re writing only for yourself, why are you sending your work out anyway?

If you’re writing for others…well, shouldn’t you be taking others’ opinions into consideration?

3. Get some good criticism

“Good” criticism doesn’t come from your mom, husband, wife, or best friend. Those people will tell you your book is great no matter how horrible it truly is. They love you, or at least like you, and they want you to feel good about yourself.

A writers’ group may be a source for a good critique. However, sometimes strangers are just as likely to feel uncomfortably offering criticism, even when it’s constructive. If your critique group doesn’t usually suggest something to improve on, they’re probably not giving you an honest critique. How many writers are there, after all, who really don’t have room for improvement?

4. Art or Excuses?

Ah, this is the one that’s likely to give some folks an apoplectic fit. Keep in mind my background… I did a grad degree in English and suffered through  endured was a part of many discussions about writing and art. These also included many deprecating comments about genre fiction (try saying it with a sneer, that works best… “genre fiction”… ew).

I write genre fiction.

Needless to say, I’m not big on the “art” side of things. I’m not interested in grad students doing theses on my work. I don’t care if some academic finds me worthy of study. I want to tell a good story and have readers enjoy it.

And that means I need to listen to readers when they tell me something isn’t working.

No, that doesn’t mean that I’d necessarily take any advice given, but I will consider it, and honestly. In most cases, the editor is right, and I make the changes requested.

Yep, this post was inspired by a request I got this week to make some changes to a short story before it’s published. Of course, I’ll make the changes, because the editor was right on the mark.

How do you feel about changing your work at an editor’s request?

The last couple of weeks have been especially hectic at work. I’m working on a major project that’s scheduled to go into production this week, so it’s a mad house. You’ll likely see shorter posts for the next few days, until things calm down a bit.

When I have a little time (very little!) I’m working on the “Perfect Sweater.” I got the pattern on ravelry, but you can also get it on Mason Dixon’s site. If you’re a member, I’m jkay on ravelry. Drop me a note and say hello. I’m also working on the toe up socks from the summer Interweave. I’m not sure that I like the heel though. Any tips for a different toe-up heel?

I have a short story submitted, and I’m waiting to hear how that goes. I’ll keep you posted.

Here are some more sites you may want to check out. These should help you organize your thoughts and be ready to start writing that first draft.

I’m really intrigued by the Snowflake method. In fact, I’m using it this time around to get ready for NaNo. You start with a one sentence synopsis and gradually expand it to a full-fledged plan, including a scene-by-scene outline. Randy Ingermanson is the creator, and he recommends taking as much as a week for some steps, so don’t put off getting started!

Justine Larbalestier describes a more seat of the pants approach to novel writing. You sit down and write first, and only after completing a significant chunk of writing do you start to plan out the novel. If the Snowflake method seems a bit too much work up front for you, this might be a good option.

And here’s some tongue in cheek advice on writing your novel while at work.  I wouldn’t recommend everything in the article (okay, not even most things in the article), but arriving a little early to work on the novel before your real work day starts might be a good option for some. Using your lunch time is another option, but that’s one that I try to avoid because I need the mid-day break to mentally recharge.

You’ve probably got at least a seed of an idea for your novel, maybe even several ideas. Next, we’ll work on putting together an outline.

As I’ve said here before, I tend to not be an outliner. I like writing that way, but the problem is, it leaves the novel in a bit of a mess when you’re finished. This year, I’m hoping to avoid the hefty rewriting process by trying to outline up-front. I’m not at all sure how well I’ll like it, but I know that a lot of (may most) writers swear by outlining.

Since I’m not an outliner in general, I can’t offer a lot of personal advice on how to do it. What I will do is talk about what I’m doing, what’s working (and not), and point out some good resources. If you use outlines for your novels, toss in your ideas below.

Holly Lisle is a great resource in general, and her workshop on story outlines. No, it’s not specific to the novel, but it’s a good start. She also has a workshop on how to finish a novel.

You all know I’m a big fan of Paperback Writer’s site. She has a post on how she outlines that’s very detailed and useful.

In “Outline your novel in 30 minutes,” you’ll answer some questions that will help you put together a plot outline.

If you post your NaNo novel outline on your blog or site, drop a link here in the comments and I’ll put together a post linking to all of them.

I’ve been away from the computer a bit (longer than I expected, actually). Can I apologize by way of an offering of vacation pictures?

These were taken at North Bend State Park in West Virginia. It was peaceful, beautiful and just what we needed.

The beginning of the hiking trail, down next to the fishing pond.

The fishing pond. I’m guessing this was artificially flooded at some point?

A very pretty rock wall above the hiking trail.

We saw this blue and black butterfly.

Another picture of the trail, on our way back down.

We also had eight (yes, eight!) deer in our back yard this morning. One buck with does and babies. Of course, I have to do the obligatory joke… he’s one lucky buck. Sorry no pics of that. I would have scared them away.

As we’re getting ready for Nano, the first step is to come up with an idea. I wrote a post about finding a novel idea the other day. Let’s explore idea generation a bit more before moving on to the outline.

You need to have a driving idea for the novel in order to move forward. Here are some examples…

A group of people face the end of the world — twice. After being mysteriously spared from a virulent plague, they must band together to save the world. Stephen King’s, The Stand.

A young man lives out the curse on his father because of his unusual pride. Tolkein’s, Children of Hurin.

A girl follows her father into Eastern Europe and discovers an ancient evil, and her long-lost mother. The Historian.

Of course, you can simplify any novel this way. If you were to take any of these ideas and write them yourself, it would be drastically different from the original (obviously!)

The gist is, you don’t have to come up with an “original” idea. Your execution, not your idea, is what will be original. Besides, you’d be hard pressed to come up with an idea that hasn’t been done in some form. I think writers tend to get bogged down in finding a perfect idea. Instead of focusing on that, take a good idea that you have and start working with it.

If you haven’t come up with your novel idea yet, try these tips.

1. Carry a notebook for the next few days. Write down any conversation snippets, ideas, descriptions, etc. that come to mind. If you don’t have a notebook, fold up a couple sheets of paper and put them in your pocket.
2. Go back through your old notes, short stories, abandoned novels, etc. for anything that might be resurrected or revamped.
3. Jot down the plots for some of your favorite novels. Simplify them down to one sentence and think about how you might do it differently.
4. Start with a character instead of a plot. Write down what she does during the day, what her goals are, etc. Think about how you’d approach a novel about this person.
5. Stop stressing. Sometimes, the harder you try for an idea, the more elusive they are. Sit down and just start writing; you’d be surprised at what might come to you.

Next, we’ll start talking about outlining the novel.

I’m looking for a new laptop, and I have been for some time. Here’s a run-down of what I’m looking at (with links). If you’re looking for something similar, I hope you find it useful.

HED has an article on the Alphasmart, which brought it back to my attention. Here is the official site where you can order one. What I like about it is the price (around $200), size, battery life, and durability. What I don’t like is the small screen and the inability to use software of your choosing. I’m concerned that I’d spend a lot of time converting my work and reformatting.

I’m seriously considering the Asus eee. It’s coming out in October, and it’s also a great price (about $200).  It’s more of a traditional laptop, but it’s a bit light on processor, memory and storage. It runs Linux, which is fine by me. It’s small (screen is 7 inches diagonal), so it’s the size I’m looking for. My biggest concern with this one is the reviews; many people have complained that the keyboard and trackpad seem very cheap. I’m worried that it’s not as sturdy as I’d like.

Another option is the Nanobook. It’s pricier than the other options (about $600), but it’s the right size for what I’m looking for. It also has a better battery life than the eee.

What I’m looking for is something smaller and lighter than the traditional laptop without the very high prices that usually accompany that size. This is going to be a writing machine, so I’m not as interested in the bells and whistles that come on laptops. I’m leaning toward something that lets me install my own software, so that puts the alphasmart line at a disadvantage, but they’re not out of the running yet.

If you’re using one of these, let me know how you like it. Also, if you have any other suggestions, I’d love to hear it.