Our June question is one most of us need to ponder, not just in regard to our W-I-P, but as to our writing life, as well . . .
June 1 question: When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing to the end?
For most of my writing life, this one was a no brainer – my contract! I had a deadline to keep. To an OCD/ADD personality, that’s both the carrot and the stick. To me, the deadline was never just a suggestion – it was the law. Some writers can dink around until the last minute then pull all-nighters to getter done, but not me. For me, an all-nighter would have to end by 11:00 pm. I am not a night owl. I’m an obsessive planner. I’d take the time to deadline and divide it down to how many pages per day needed to get it finished, adding in a week for revisions. And I stuck to it because those were my work hours.
Now that sounds great on paper, but stuff happens. That’s the one thing you CAN plan on. No plan runs smoothly. Because I’m cynical, I always expect that dark cloud to spoil a sunny day, so I’d put in optional overtime to allow for those 4:30 a.m.s when ‘nope, nothing happening’ occurs (or Hey, carpal tunnel surgery! Or Second Son is appearing early! And still made deadline!). If that fabulous scene that happens someplace along the timeline does come to me in a dream, I put in optional OT and jot it down and store it in an Additional Scenes file. If that linking occurrence that needs to happen just ain’t happening, I’ll insert: ( . . . and then a miracle occurs!) and I move on. I never, ever sweat over the keyboard flogging that dead horse in hopes to drag out a few more pages. They probably won’t be pages worth using anyway! Inevitably, as I continue on, a light bulb will go on. Eureka! That’s why Cut/Paste was invented.
What gets tough is when you DON’T have a deadline. You’re either between contracts or writing that “Book of the Heart” so time, though it seems like your friend, is really the enemy! That’s when you have to pull up your big writer panties and make it a job! Otherwise, it’s just a hobby you can dabble with at your leisure – and I’m not looking down on that! Writing for fun is an awesome pleasure! But don’t fool yourself into thinking they are the same thing if you want to succeed.
Remember: The first draft is just that – The First Draft! It’s not your final work, so if you stall out along the way, just insert that place holder, and move on. Post It Notes were invented by the Writer Gods of file systems. Flag and tag but don’t let momentum lag!
And what happens when that story you start morphs into an entirely different animal and earlier chapters are obsolete? Never, never, NEVER delete. Copy, paste and save in that EXTRA SCENES folder. Sometimes you can adapt them for later chapters. Sometimes in different books. Words are versatile like that, which is why I love them.
When the going gets tough, the writer toughs it out! Looking forward to seeing how YOU get through those rough spots!
HAPPY SPRING (at last!)!
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the June 1st posting of the IWSG will be SE White, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguire, Joylene Nowell Butler, and Jacqui Murray!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
Yes, first drafts have to be written. Since I'd rather revise, I have to force myself to consistently put words on the blank page to get my first draft written. And I agree that you have to be serious about your writing if you want to get it done in a reasonable amount of time.
ReplyDeleteAnd writing without a contract to whip you on is hard in today's market. I admire anyone seriously working toward publication.
DeleteLooks like this post is for me. Or this is me writing. Sitting over my first draft since months, I guess I need to give it a deadline. Thanks for putting it out there.
ReplyDeleteHope it helps! Sometimes we just need that little nudge . . .
DeleteYou're right - it's tougher when there's no deadline. Then it takes forever.
ReplyDeleteIf you let it!
DeleteDeadlines are fantastic. I have always done my fastest writing when I've had a deadline. I've learned since then to create my own deadlines, though, those can be easily broken. Since I'm so goal-oriented sharing a to-do list with a group is just as good as having a deadline! Great blog!
ReplyDeleteGroup accountability is a wonderful tool. I did so much better when my critique group met regularly.
DeleteThanks for sharing what you've learned, Nancy. You make it look easy but I'm sure it wasn't. Best to you.
ReplyDeleteIt's called work for reason, and sometimes it's HARD work!
DeleteI agree that deadlines help focus the mind. Mind you, I just got my first contract after 15 years of writing, so I'm used to motivating myself, but I've had months of downtime at points, which might not be an option now.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Nick!! Time to make some very fortunate adjustments!
DeleteExcellent post! I'm pretty good about keeping promises to myself, so I try to think of my self-imposed deadlines as promises. My brain prefers to set the bar low--say, 1K words per day while drafting--and exceed that goal than set the bar high and feel pressured. I wish you happy writing in June!
ReplyDeleteI agree with keeping to bar reasonable so if you do leap beyond it, you feel like a superstar!!
DeleteLove the quote. I'm okay with horrible first drafts. The work for me happens after.
ReplyDeleteGet it down ugly but get it down. Then pretty it up!
DeleteSo true with deleted scenes! Can't say I've ever used one, but it does feel useful to save it rather than trash it.
ReplyDeleteWhen writing a series, I've found places to use them on many occasions. Waste not . . .
Delete(I thought I commented already. Oops.) Deadlines are great, even self-imposed deadlines. They keep us accountable.
ReplyDeleteIf not for deadlines I'd never get anything done!
DeleteNancy, you are so right. The first draft just needs to be written. But it can be difficult! Yes! I keep deleted scenes in my "Cut out" folder for each story I create. Who knows. Maybe somewhere I can use them. I haven't yet. But I hate to permanently delete writing I've worked so hard on. And yes! No plan runs smoothly. At least it doesn't for me. Thanks for a great post. All best to you!
ReplyDeleteDeleted scenes are especially useful if you've got a cast of characters that appear in several books in a series. I've dipped into that well more than a few times and found the perfect fit.
DeleteI have to admit deadlines scare me so much the muse tucks tail and stops giving me anything. I have to write like deadlines don't exist. But I'm glad they are the impetus for you, and it worked. Your system sounds amazingly organized!
ReplyDeleteI bribe deadlines into being my friends. It's like dating a friend - we don't get toooo serious!
DeleteI'm not a night owl either. By the end of the day, my creativity is nil. I do my best writing in the morning, which is a bit of a challenge with my day job. It's great that deadlines have worked so well for you. Deadlines would definitely not be my friends. They would stress me out to the point that I wouldn't accomplish what I needed to. My creativity would be out the door. I still struggle with juggling family and work and other demands on my time, but I keep working on it.
ReplyDeleteThe path of least resistence has always been where I find my writing time. When I (possibly) won't be interrupted. I don't make HUGE goals so I don't stress myself out. That way if I do MORE, Yay me!!
DeleteYour process and approach sound a lot like mine. Since I don't have a contract, I'm trying to build in other forms of accountability. The Sisters in Crime Guppy Chapter (Guppy=Great Unpublished, an online-only group) has a subgroup called Goals for Guppies, where members can post their weekly goals, and the rest of the group serve as accountability partners and cheerleaders. I just joined last week, and it seems to be working for me. I'm highly motivated to be able to report this week that last week's goals are completed.
ReplyDelete