Authors share their writing processes

John Irving on the writer’s craft

John Irving – the thrill of the blank page

Alice Munro

John Updike

Do you share any writing quirks with these authors? I sometimes write in longhand - do you? I've never begun a story at the very end and worked back up to it. Have you? Share some of your process!

Fear of writing?

I recently saw this link on FB and clicked through. Writing? Terrifying? I didn't get it. But some good writing advice is included here. http://www.filmindependent.org/blogs/how-to-take-the-terror-out-of-writing-and-other-change-your-life-insights-from-hunger-games-screenwriter-billy-ray/#.U5M9_Sj09RL

This graphic also caught my eye. Joss Whedon, exploring what he's afraid of through writing? That much, I can understand. Through exploration, we learn, and the more we learn, the less mysterious or strange the object of our exploration will become.

But the topic of being afraid to write also came up, almost immediately, at the workshop I recently attended. It provided yet another reason I felt a fraud in the company of the amazing caliber of talent in that room.

I almost feel I should whisper as I admit this: I have never been afraid to write.

I love to write! Revisions, less so. If I get into the flow of writing, into The Zone, it is the most wonderful place to be. It’s heaven. I wish I could stay there, channeling stories and typing or handwriting as fast as I can get down the words. I tend to take a practical approach to stories, and when I began anything new, I know there’s a lot of hard work ahead.

But the idea stopped me in my tracks and made me wonder, should I be afraid? Should I worry that I’m not afraid? Does this mean my writing sucks?

I’d love to hear from you about this subject! Are you afraid when you write? And if so, about what? The process? The end result? The reaction of readers? Please tell me what I’m missing out on.

I hear the universe laughing

Goals? Did I mention I had a few I intended to conquer? Unfortunately, the universe apparently read the last post. Now two grandboys and I are on antibiotics for strep.

*note to self: do NOT list goals online again. Or even speak them aloud*

So this is going to be short, but sweet. :)

First, I have a Kensington author page now. So it seems a little more real.

And oh yes! A release date for Goddess, Awakened - July 7. *happy dances* I can't wait to see the cover!

I've made zero progress on the WIP. Next week, I swear. Crit peeps, I hope you're ready. Willing and able would help, too. Unless... oh Joss Whedon, I think you're right...

Do you ever get to a point in your story where you just want to rip it to shreds? The old "kill your darlings" in action?

I'm approaching that point. It's part of the reason I haven't finished yet. I'm hoping the clouds will part for a brilliant beam of inspiration to knock me on my butt, slap my face and say, "That's what's wrong. Fix it."

The universe can be so helpful sometimes, can't it?

Note from an isolated, neurotic, caffeine addict

Earlier this week, someone posted this quote on Facebook and it resonated with me. Deeply. Even though I have serious doubts about Robert DeNiro actually saying this, but that's neither here nor there.

Maybe it's been too long of a winter and I have been far too isolated (grandboys notwithstanding, lol). I try to stay upbeat and focused, but honestly, after being sick for weeks with what ended up as bronchitis, I was worn out. Beaten down. Feeling unloved and yes, completely whiny. Unsure whether I'm existing in some fantasy world while hubby bears the brunt of the financial burden (not that he complains - to the contrary, he's my biggest cheerleader. Figuratively and literally!)

Thankfully, the Z-Pack kicked in and did its job.

But I also believe in signs from the universe. Some are little signs, like the one above that reaches into my heart, reminds me I'm not alone and in no way unique (take that, ego). That the struggle is part of the process of becoming a better writer.

I've had other good signs recently. I can't share them just yet but will within a few weeks. :)

So I have to take a step back, remind myself that I'm a far cry from where I was when I started out, and to just keep going. Things happen when they happen for a reason. Personally, if any huge success had found me right away, it might have overwhelmed me. There's been a lot going on in my life these past five years, and I've had to make certain time commitments. Without hesitation, I did so because their importance far outweighed my stories.

Slowly, things are turning around. I'm grateful. I put my writing aside while we raised our three kids, and it's something I can never give up completely. I can deal with the panic, sense of inadequacy, and so on, because it happens. So does exhilaration and excitement, which makes it all worthwhile.

I'm also grateful for my family's constant support, not just of me but of every one of us. We all contribute to each others' success, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I also apologize for not being around much, but believe me, in my less-than-coherent state, you wouldn't have wanted me around anyway. So I hibernated and became a Game of Thrones addict. Now I'm almost caught up on Season 3 and am feeling better so I'll do my best to catch up. Thanks for visiting me. You guys always cheer me up. :)

Do you have grit?

Or, why love is the opposite of underwear.

In the video below, Jonah Lehrer (who, I believe, must be one of those voice-over announcers who talk faster than the ear can process) talks about the age-old idea of creativity. At 30+ minutes, it's long but interesting enough to keep your attention. (Unfortunately, Lehrer's grit was recently exposed as overly ambitious - he made up quotes for his Dylan book and his bestselling titles have been removed. Sad, all that work trashed, and for what? The quotes probably added little, if anything, to the overall work.)

Space and time

For most writers, space and time present the greatest challenges. For me, they're more like obstacles to hurdle, but that's another story. :)

One of my favorite creative people, John Cleese, shares his tips for fostering creativity in the videos below. If you don't have time to watch (though they're well worth the time), here are the five factors Cleese says you can work to your advantage:

1. Space - “You can’t become playful, and therefore creative, if you’re under your usual pressures.”

2. Time - “It’s not enough to create space; you have to create your space for a specific period of time.”

3. Time - “Giving your mind as long as possible to come up with something original” 

4. Confidence - “Nothing will stop you being creative so effectively as the fear of making a mistake"

5. Humor - “The main evolutionary significance of humor is that it gets us from the closed mode to the open mode quicker than anything else.”

And here's a longer version:

Inspiration and work ethic ride right next to each other

Those are the words of Jack White. Wise words. There are many more in this three-minute video, packed with great information writers can apply to their own work – basically, that success and “having it made” can kill your creativity. You get too comfortable with the way things are set up, and you have nothing to challenge you. So he manufactures his own tension in hundreds of little ways for his performances, and doing this forces him to create something new and different each time.

The same is true for writers. It’s wonderful to reach new plateaus and experience breakthroughs, but then what? You have to keep setting the bar higher and higher. And treat it like a job:

“Inspiration and work ethic — they ride right next to each other…. Not every day you’re gonna wake up and the clouds are gonna part and rays from heaven are gonna come down and you’re gonna write a song from it. Sometimes, you just get in there and just force yourself to work, and maybe something good will come out."

A kick in the butt

I came across this video last week. A bit long, at 19+ minutes, but I'm glad I watched. I think you will be, too.

If you don't have time, here are a few of Neil's points:

When you start out in a career in the arts, you have no idea what you’re doing. If you don’t know it’s impossible, it’s easier to do. And because no one’s done it before, they haven’t made up rules to stop anyone from doing it again.

If you have an idea of what you were put here to do, just go and do that.

Imagine your goal as a mountain, a distant mountain, and he knew that if he kept aiming for the mountain, he’d be all right. Sometimes he had to stop and consider whether he was walking toward the mountain or away from it, and passed up proper jobs with proper pay because it would have taken him away from the mountain.

Be thick-skinned. Not every project will survive.

Don’t write books just for the money. You’ll still have the work.

The things he did because he was excited and wanted to see them exist in reality never let him down.

Whatever terrible things happen to you in life, make good art.

Neil ignored a piece of advice from Stephen King years ago, but says it was the best advice he ever got. When Neil was writing The Sandman, King said: “This is really good. You should enjoy it.” Neil didn’t; instead, he worried about things going wrong. In this video, he advises students: Let go and enjoy the ride.

Things have been hard these past few years. But when it all comes down to it, I’m still writing, still doing what I love, and people are buying it, reading it, and send me wonderful messages about how much they love it.

So thanks, Neil. Reminders like this are exactly the kick in the butt I need. I’m off to write now, something that’s been exciting me for awhile.

Under pressure

Sometimes I feel like this as an author. So many other authors are out there, all vying for readers. Oh, I know there's room for plenty of authors to attain simultaneous success, but sometimes I feel like a raindrop in the ocean. All I can do is write the best story possible, and hope readers will love it as much as I do, and spread the word to other readers.

With sites such as Amazon and Smashwords offering downloads of samples of stories to read before they buy, the pressure's greater than ever to hook those readers in the first few pages. I'm very excited about the stories I'm working on now, but also nervous. I've revised the opening pages of my current WIP several times already, and I haven't even finished the first draft.

Here are a few tips I've picked up from writing books:

Start at the right spot. Determine what the inciting incident is, the event that sets everything in motion for your character. Start there. Not ten pages of building up to it. Kick your story off where your hero/ine's world turns upside down.

No backstory. Leave it for later in the book, and even then, keep it brief. Allude to it, make it part of the natural conversation, but never an info dump (my crit partners love that term!)

Give your reader a feel for the tone of the book. Whatever happens in the first pages should set the scene, so to speak, for the entire book. It should act as the jumping-off point, and the readers should get the sense of what the story will be about. It's a promise of what's to come, and you should hold true to that promise. 

Make your character someone readers care about. Even a kickass heroine has a soft spot. Show it. Illustrate whatever her particular strength is, and don't be afraid to let readers know she also has flaws and weaknesses.

Or if your character's more complex, one that readers might not like right away, give him a saving grace. Insert a Save the Cat moment in your story. Readers will eat it up.  Here's a post from last year about Save the Cat, providing more detail.

Most important, write the story you'd want to read. If it doesn't grab you, how will it grab your readers?

What tips do you have for hooking readers in the first few pages?

The Rules

Does your story have fire?

I'm working on keeping the pages lit! With a little help from Donald Maass and The Fire in Fiction. Though I haven't attended of his workshops, I've heard Mr. Maass speak at writers conferences. He has a long history in the writing biz, and his inside perspective is invaluable.

More than that, his focus on craft is essential for writers who want their stories to pop off the page. Every sentence, every scene. Here's an excerpt from the book, which is actually a workbook with exercises following chapters.

I know I do. So this book will be one of the many I'm applying toward craft. It's been on the shelf a few years, along with many others. I've been so busy writing, I always thought, I'll get to it later.

Later doesn't help me now. I love the stories I've written, but want to write even better. Make my characters more three-dimensional, more interesting, more exciting, more relatable.

I have to admit, I had an agent's session years ago with Donald Maass, one of those five-minute pitch sessions that make your nerves want to pop out of your skin. I'm terrible at pitch sessions, but I was so confident he'd fall in love with my first few pages. After skimming, he simply asked, "Why should I care?" Of course, he crushed me. I'd spent years researching - the mythology of the constellations, the decades of the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, astronomy. The premise itself is universal and I loved those characters. I still do. But the craft wasn't there on the page. Oh, I think my writing was lyrical and beautiful, but there was no hook.
I haven't given up yet on that story. It was one of my first, and sometimes those "books of the heart" aren't the ones that should be published. But someday, I'm going to prove Donald Maass wrong, maybe using his own techniques. :) I bet he'd like that, too.

2011 Top Ten Blogs for Writers

On Tuesday, I gave you a peek at the site voted as number one on the Write to Done site (also a great resource, btw).

Here's the full list, along with their tag lines:

1. Storyfix: "Get it written. Get it right. Get it published."

2. Men with Pens - "world class web design and copywriting that bring you results"

3. Make a living writing - "practical help for hungry writers"

4. Cats Eye Writer - "for bloggers who write and writers who blog"

5. The Renegade Writer - "living and loving the freelance life on your own terms"

6. Writer Unboxed - "about the craft and business of fiction"

7. Word Play - "helping writers become authors"

8. The Creative Penn - "helping you write, publish and sell your book"

9. Victoria Mixon, editor

10. Courage 2 Create 

My blog roll's become too long (I really need to organize it - any suggestions?) so I added these top ten, plus the ten finalists, under the Links to Like page.

Story Engineering

Here's a video interview on story engineering with bestselling author Larry Brooks of Storyfix.com, an excellent resource for writers. Long, but worth a look. When you're finished watching, go to his post for an audio interview, also long but worthwhile.



Storyfix.com was voted #1 on the 2011 Top Ten Blogs for Writers. Eventually I'll post more about the other nine.

Keep reaching higher

Ray Bradbury reminded me why I need to keep writing. To keep reaching higher, for that moment of blissful realization that I'd written something beautiful and meaningful, something that will resonate with readers long after they've finished the last page.