Back in 1970, back when middle school was called junior high, at Monroe Jr. High School in Inglewood, California, there was an amazing English teacher. A tall, slender woman who wore tortoise-shell reading glasses. Her name was Mrs. Brown. And she was the one who took the time to tell me, a tall, skinny, nerdy twelve year old, that I should be a writer. I'd written a play and she called me up in front of the class, giving me three-A's, three-stars, and three-words I'll never forget - you should write.
Back then, I wanted to be a banker or a CFO. I simply loved math. But along the way through all my lines of work, even banking, I found that my major consistent job duty was some form of writing, be it news, policy and procedures, candidate summaries, or speech writing. And here I am today, writing books for a living.
I'll never forget that defining moment - those three words from Mrs. Brown. Her voice is as clear as day, as well as the encouraging look on her smiling face.
Perhaps we should look up our encouragers and thank them. I'll bet they'd like to know they made a difference. What a world this would be if we all took a moment to acknowledge someone in a positive, motivating, absolutely defining way. I call these people everyday heroes! The thing is, they don't come along every day. But sometimes, all it takes is one moment to tell someone their light is shining bright!
Who made a difference and encouraged you along the way? Who took the time to tell you your light was shining?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Trapped In My WIP
I should be happy.
It’s sunny. The writing is going well. I even lost 5 pounds.
Yet, I’m mad as hell!
You wouldn’t know it from the scowl on my face, but there’s nothing wrong – with me.
It’s the poor hero of my WIP. He just walked in on a terrible scene, and his reactions, words and emotions have been oozing out of me all morning. After 200-plus pages, I know him so well his anger feels like my anger.
Unfortunately, I can’t power down those feelings as easily as my laptop.
Sigh.
My head’s trapped in my manuscript, and I can’t get out!!!!
I write on the sweet side, and this doesn’t happen often. So fellow writers, help me out.
How do you make the transition from your characters’ tumultuous lives back to your own?
It’s sunny. The writing is going well. I even lost 5 pounds.
Yet, I’m mad as hell!
You wouldn’t know it from the scowl on my face, but there’s nothing wrong – with me.
It’s the poor hero of my WIP. He just walked in on a terrible scene, and his reactions, words and emotions have been oozing out of me all morning. After 200-plus pages, I know him so well his anger feels like my anger.
Unfortunately, I can’t power down those feelings as easily as my laptop.
Sigh.
My head’s trapped in my manuscript, and I can’t get out!!!!
I write on the sweet side, and this doesn’t happen often. So fellow writers, help me out.
How do you make the transition from your characters’ tumultuous lives back to your own?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
L5 Goals Can Kill You
Growing up in central Florida in the late fifties and through the sixties I was all about the space program. I witnessed every Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo launch first hand. I designed space suits or space stations or multigenerational interstellar colony vessels or lunar habitats for my science project every single year I was in school. And I was determined, resolved beyond any shadow of doubt, that by age fifty I'd be living in an L5 space colony. (Look here and here for a quick primer on L5.)(Some quick research has revealed that the L5 colony was not advocated until after I was out of college, but I do remember as a child imagining living in an orbital city with a panoramic view of both Luna and Earth.)
Well, age fifty happened a while ago. In fact, on September 2 I became old enough to get cheap coffee at McDonalds and legally drive slowly in the left lane with my right turn signal flashing. I never did achieve my goal of living in L5. Given the amount of effort I put into that goal you might expect me to be a little bitter about that. And maybe I would be bitter if I didn't understand there had never really been a chance of my living in L5. Because L5 never happened; and nothing I did had any bearing on whether or not I lived there.
What has this to do with writing? A lot, actually. Because I see writers setting themselves L5 goals all the time. I set myself L5 goals for most of my 'prepublished' writing career (and I still sometimes make them). Some L5 goals are easy to spot: "I'll win the lottery by the time I'm 30." Others are a bit more covert: "I'll publish my first novel by the time I'm 30."
"How is making a commitment to publish my first novel like planning to win the lottery or to live on a nonexistent space station?" you ask. (Okay, you're probably not asking, because you're all much more clever than I and already know where this is going, but I need the rhetorical device to pull this thing forward, so bear with me.)
The common denominator in these goals is other people. Whether or not you win the lottery or have a space station to live on or get your book published depends on other people. You can do what you can to influence events -- buy forty-two million lottery tickets, earn every science degree you can, write a drop dead perfect manuscript -- but nothing you do will guarantee the final outcome.
Too often writers set L5 goals -- to sell a short story a month, or a novel a year -- then become frustrated and discouraged when they don't attain their objective. What they overlook is the fact it's the editor, not the writer, who makes the "buy" decision. There is nothing a writer can do to get a manuscript published beyond write well and employ a little marketing savvy (more on that another time).
A writer needs goals, but they need to be real goals; meaningful, useful, and attainable.
You cannot control whether or not someone buys your story; to sell a story is a meaningless goal. You can control whether or not you write the story; writing a story is a meaningful goal.
But writing the story as a whole may still be a bit too broad to be useful -- particularly if the story is a novel and we're talking about months of commitment. A useful goal would be to write a certain number of words each day -- it breaks the big job into smaller steps. (Because I edit as I write, my goals are always for words I keep. Usually something around one to two thirds of the words I write end up being words I keep. If you're of the get-it-all-out-and-shape-it-up-later school, count every word you write.)
However if the number of words per day is unrealistic then the potentially useful daily word-count goal becomes unattainable and you do yourself more harm than good. Case in point: me.
When I was a crisis intervention counselor I worked about thirty hours a week. My goal was 1000 words of keepable quality every weekday and 2000 on weekends. On average I wrote 1600 words and 2400 words respectively, but I did not sleep until I'd hit my set goal. Now I'm a case manager. I work fifty hours on a good week; fifty-five most. And my writing has suffered. I spent nearly a year beating myself up for not making my standard 1000 words a day before I realized what I was doing to myself. I stopped and took a hard look at my life and my abilities and reset my expectations. Now my goals are 200 words a weekday and 600 on the weekend (real life I'm running about 300/800). It now takes me a lot longer to finish what I start. but by sticking to my program of meaningful, useful, and attainable goals I do finish.
Well, age fifty happened a while ago. In fact, on September 2 I became old enough to get cheap coffee at McDonalds and legally drive slowly in the left lane with my right turn signal flashing. I never did achieve my goal of living in L5. Given the amount of effort I put into that goal you might expect me to be a little bitter about that. And maybe I would be bitter if I didn't understand there had never really been a chance of my living in L5. Because L5 never happened; and nothing I did had any bearing on whether or not I lived there.
What has this to do with writing? A lot, actually. Because I see writers setting themselves L5 goals all the time. I set myself L5 goals for most of my 'prepublished' writing career (and I still sometimes make them). Some L5 goals are easy to spot: "I'll win the lottery by the time I'm 30." Others are a bit more covert: "I'll publish my first novel by the time I'm 30."
"How is making a commitment to publish my first novel like planning to win the lottery or to live on a nonexistent space station?" you ask. (Okay, you're probably not asking, because you're all much more clever than I and already know where this is going, but I need the rhetorical device to pull this thing forward, so bear with me.)
The common denominator in these goals is other people. Whether or not you win the lottery or have a space station to live on or get your book published depends on other people. You can do what you can to influence events -- buy forty-two million lottery tickets, earn every science degree you can, write a drop dead perfect manuscript -- but nothing you do will guarantee the final outcome.
Too often writers set L5 goals -- to sell a short story a month, or a novel a year -- then become frustrated and discouraged when they don't attain their objective. What they overlook is the fact it's the editor, not the writer, who makes the "buy" decision. There is nothing a writer can do to get a manuscript published beyond write well and employ a little marketing savvy (more on that another time).
A writer needs goals, but they need to be real goals; meaningful, useful, and attainable.
You cannot control whether or not someone buys your story; to sell a story is a meaningless goal. You can control whether or not you write the story; writing a story is a meaningful goal.
But writing the story as a whole may still be a bit too broad to be useful -- particularly if the story is a novel and we're talking about months of commitment. A useful goal would be to write a certain number of words each day -- it breaks the big job into smaller steps. (Because I edit as I write, my goals are always for words I keep. Usually something around one to two thirds of the words I write end up being words I keep. If you're of the get-it-all-out-and-shape-it-up-later school, count every word you write.)
However if the number of words per day is unrealistic then the potentially useful daily word-count goal becomes unattainable and you do yourself more harm than good. Case in point: me.
When I was a crisis intervention counselor I worked about thirty hours a week. My goal was 1000 words of keepable quality every weekday and 2000 on weekends. On average I wrote 1600 words and 2400 words respectively, but I did not sleep until I'd hit my set goal. Now I'm a case manager. I work fifty hours on a good week; fifty-five most. And my writing has suffered. I spent nearly a year beating myself up for not making my standard 1000 words a day before I realized what I was doing to myself. I stopped and took a hard look at my life and my abilities and reset my expectations. Now my goals are 200 words a weekday and 600 on the weekend (real life I'm running about 300/800). It now takes me a lot longer to finish what I start. but by sticking to my program of meaningful, useful, and attainable goals I do finish.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Required Reading for a New Generation
It's that time again. Big yellow buses are cluttering the highways. It's now safe to go to the mall in the middle of the day (just stay away after 3:00 p.m.), and, my favorite, high school football teams are suiting up for games.
It's back to school time!
Another way to tell that it's back-to-school time? Just go to your local bookstore. You'll see copies of Hamlet, Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, and a number of other familiar titles front and center. Required reading lists for junior high and high school students will, and probably should, always consist of classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, Macbeth, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Great Gatsby.
More modern classics like Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street (which I loved and still have a copy stashed away somewhere) and Toni Morrison’s Beloved have found their way to many lists as well. But I’ve began to wonder, is it time for a makeover?
I’m not sure if there is certain criteria a book must meet to make the required reading lists. If someone out there knows, fill me in. However, with the popularity of Harry Potter and the Twilight series, it seems to me that teens and tweens are thirsting for a different kind of book. So why aren’t schools using them in the classroom? If more of those types of books made up the list, maybe we could get even more kids hooked on reading. Am I being naive here?
I've got two questions: What would it take to make popular fiction a part of the required reading for students? And secondly, if you could add one book to the list of required reading, what would it be. If you’re feeling chatty, tell me why you picked it.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Crafting characters
Unlike some authors, I don’t “see” my characters before I put them on paper. They come to me a bit like spirits; colorless, odorless, shapeless forms in the midst of doing whatever it is I’ve concocted. But, how they influence or react to the central situation is carefully constructed. In this way, characters are very much my designer babies.
Using the plot, I select their temperament, attitude, experiences, backgrounds, secrets and romantic partner in order to choose an archetype and personality profile that helps bring them to life. Then, based on their pre-selected strengths, flaws and role in moving the story forward, I begin to outline their physical presence.
I will admit that my heroes and heroines tend to be tall because at 5’ 8”, I’m taller than average. I haven’t grown since I was 12 and I don’t have a clue what it’s like to be short. That’s just one writing tidbit I choose not to research.
That said, I determine their physiques, their coloring, their hairstyles, eye color, nervous habits, and wardrobe. It usually isn’t until the second draft that I even describe them in the story, because it takes me that long to make them materialize. Quite to the contrary, I’m great at sketching a word-picture of minor characters. They have a specific, defined purpose and aren’t going to evolve the way the hero, heroine and villain will over the course of the story. The main characters may indeed transform their appearance by the end of the story to support their developmental arc. How they end up, physically, may depend on where they start.
Still, beneath it all, whatever, shape, hue or hairstyle they possess, what I must get right from the start is the WHO of my characters. To do that, I rely on a couple of books that I consider priceless resources: The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines, Sixteen Master Archetypes, by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders; and Writer’s Guide to Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein, Ph.D.
And, since, I write paranormal, I must make sure the stars align for the man and woman at the center of my story. While real world mortals hook up with people astrology would deem incompatible, I couldn’t do that to my characters. For all the drama I’m about to put them through, I need to start out knowing they’re not only meant to be together, but destined to live harmoniously.
If it looks like I spend a lot of time on this, you’re right. Researching what makes my characters who they are, to me, gives them depth and makes them genuine. Not perfect, but real. Do readers care? I think so. Even if they don’t recognize a character’s depth for what it is in the context of the story, I think they notice when it’s missing.
Using the plot, I select their temperament, attitude, experiences, backgrounds, secrets and romantic partner in order to choose an archetype and personality profile that helps bring them to life. Then, based on their pre-selected strengths, flaws and role in moving the story forward, I begin to outline their physical presence.
I will admit that my heroes and heroines tend to be tall because at 5’ 8”, I’m taller than average. I haven’t grown since I was 12 and I don’t have a clue what it’s like to be short. That’s just one writing tidbit I choose not to research.
That said, I determine their physiques, their coloring, their hairstyles, eye color, nervous habits, and wardrobe. It usually isn’t until the second draft that I even describe them in the story, because it takes me that long to make them materialize. Quite to the contrary, I’m great at sketching a word-picture of minor characters. They have a specific, defined purpose and aren’t going to evolve the way the hero, heroine and villain will over the course of the story. The main characters may indeed transform their appearance by the end of the story to support their developmental arc. How they end up, physically, may depend on where they start.
Still, beneath it all, whatever, shape, hue or hairstyle they possess, what I must get right from the start is the WHO of my characters. To do that, I rely on a couple of books that I consider priceless resources: The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines, Sixteen Master Archetypes, by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders; and Writer’s Guide to Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein, Ph.D.
And, since, I write paranormal, I must make sure the stars align for the man and woman at the center of my story. While real world mortals hook up with people astrology would deem incompatible, I couldn’t do that to my characters. For all the drama I’m about to put them through, I need to start out knowing they’re not only meant to be together, but destined to live harmoniously.
If it looks like I spend a lot of time on this, you’re right. Researching what makes my characters who they are, to me, gives them depth and makes them genuine. Not perfect, but real. Do readers care? I think so. Even if they don’t recognize a character’s depth for what it is in the context of the story, I think they notice when it’s missing.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Rules!
When my niece was a pre-teen, she told me that she couldn't wait to grow up and be on her own because she wouldn't have to follow any rules. She'd be able to do just what she wanted. I laughed, patted her hand affectionately and informed her that rules would always be part of her life.
As you grow older the reasons for the rules change, but rules continue no matter how old you get. The biggest difference is when you become an adult the rules relate to larger choices and issues.
Which brings me to my blog topic - rules and/or guidelines for writers. As I told my niece, rules are part of life. For writers there are guidelines for most genres. Each line has specific requirements that writers must follow in order to get their books to the correct editor and hopefully not be rejected.
We all want to do our own thing. Enjoy life the way we see fit, but that's not always in the cards. As authors we want to tell our stories the way we choose and describe the situations the way we see them. Unfortunately, that's not always possible because most publishers have specific ways they want manuscripts written.
For example, romance novels must have a happy ending. Mysteries need the murder resolved and the killer unmasked, and suspense and thriller must tie all the loose ends together with an interesting ribbon.
If your goal is to get published, request the guidelines for the publishing house you're considering. Study them, treat them like a bible for getting published, and adhere to them. There's no guarantee that you'll get published, but you will be one step closer to your goal.
If you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me. I'm always interested in what you think. I can be reached at karenwhiteowens@yahoo.com
Please, don't be a stranger.
As you grow older the reasons for the rules change, but rules continue no matter how old you get. The biggest difference is when you become an adult the rules relate to larger choices and issues.
Which brings me to my blog topic - rules and/or guidelines for writers. As I told my niece, rules are part of life. For writers there are guidelines for most genres. Each line has specific requirements that writers must follow in order to get their books to the correct editor and hopefully not be rejected.
We all want to do our own thing. Enjoy life the way we see fit, but that's not always in the cards. As authors we want to tell our stories the way we choose and describe the situations the way we see them. Unfortunately, that's not always possible because most publishers have specific ways they want manuscripts written.
For example, romance novels must have a happy ending. Mysteries need the murder resolved and the killer unmasked, and suspense and thriller must tie all the loose ends together with an interesting ribbon.
If your goal is to get published, request the guidelines for the publishing house you're considering. Study them, treat them like a bible for getting published, and adhere to them. There's no guarantee that you'll get published, but you will be one step closer to your goal.
If you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me. I'm always interested in what you think. I can be reached at karenwhiteowens@yahoo.com
Please, don't be a stranger.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Managing your time
Have you ever been overwhelmed by your schedules, running from appointment to appointment, multitasking, and still seeing a multitude of unfinished tasks ahead of you? What am I talking about, we’ve all been there. Some of us probably are still there, and we wish for a less busy place where time and deadlines cease to exist. “From SKB with Love,” part of the “Holiday Brides Anthology” describes such a place. It describes a Caribbean island culture where everything is laid back and the lead character is perpetually late. Many people may think this is just an exaggeration of a stereotype, but coming from St. Kitts, I would say for some of us it isn’t. Yes there are many cases, even in the islands (Liane can attest to that), where people overbook themselves, multitask, and are sticklers for time, but the prevailing culture is a little more relaxed. Even among some Caribbean migrants living in the US there is still that debonair attitude that nothing starts until they arrive.
For a long time that was my attitude. Migrating to the US gave me a little more perspective on keeping time, but still getting to events on time was a challenge. Any gains I made on time management quickly dissipated when I landed a job with flexible hours. There is no clock-in time, the work is self driven, and most deadlines are self-imposed.
Then my kid started elementary school and suddenly my laid back world was turned upside down. Now my schedule was restricted by drop off windows, and pick up times, shuttling her back and forth to various extracurricular activities. Then there are the half days and the school closures, and the holidays you didn’t know existed. Just when I thought I had a handle on it, my book gets accepted by Dorchester Publishing and suddenly there are rewrites, edits, deadlines, promos, and of course Novel Spaces blog. I was suddenly drowning in a sea of appointments and deadlines and schedules. Every part of me was screaming HELP I NEED SOME TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS.
Well, here are some tips I’ve learned on time management. It is by no means exhaustive, and I welcome your input because I am still learning and adjusting.
1. Get organized
I never realized how important a planner could be. Indeed I always kept one on my desk, but I’m not at my desk 24/7. My suggestion: get a portable planner. I use my cell phone. I keep all schedules, appointments and locations (yes I’ve been known to show up at the right time at the wrong place) and have it alarm 30 minutes before each appointment. My former method of mentally filing away appointments failed miserably. My brain could only hold so much.
2. Plan ahead
Some of us have a habit of making or changing plans at the last minute and doing things impromptu. That doesn’t work when others are depending on you. That’s why I am so happy that Novel Spaces blog has the scheduling feature. I usually write my blogs at least a week ahead of time and schedule it. Anything that can be done before the deadline is due, do it.
3. Set goals
… and write them down. That goal in your head is easily usurped by the urgency of the immediate. Set long term goals and short term goals, and create a plan of action to achieving each goal. However be flexible. Things rarely occur as we plan it.
4. Have a plan B
… and plan C, D, etc. Since we can’t dictate things beyond our control, we can at least have a back up plan.
5. Prioritize
There are only 24hrs in a day. You can’t do it all. Examine what’s most important or urgent and do them first. I read "The Road Less Traveled" many years ago. One of the things that stood out in my mind was their recommendation for accomplishing tasks. Do the task you enjoy the least first, then use those you enjoy the most as a reward for completing your least enjoyable task. Most of all, don’t schedule more than you can handle.
6. Delegate responsibility
I know. By the time you’re finished explaining what you need done, you may as well had done it yourself. Reality check: you can’t do it all. Tasks that could be delegated should be delegated. Your delegates may not do it the very same way that you will, but as long as it is done well, it’s OK.
7. Relax
Find some time in your day to relax and recharge your batteries. Reflect on what you have accomplished. Even if you haven’t achieved as much as you intended, don’t obsess about it. You aren’t super human. You will get to it some other time. Meditate. Pray. Do what ever you need to get some quiet “Me time” each day. You need it for your sanity.
I know I haven’t addressed it all. Remember, what works for me, may not work for you. So tell me, how do you manage your time?
For a long time that was my attitude. Migrating to the US gave me a little more perspective on keeping time, but still getting to events on time was a challenge. Any gains I made on time management quickly dissipated when I landed a job with flexible hours. There is no clock-in time, the work is self driven, and most deadlines are self-imposed.
Then my kid started elementary school and suddenly my laid back world was turned upside down. Now my schedule was restricted by drop off windows, and pick up times, shuttling her back and forth to various extracurricular activities. Then there are the half days and the school closures, and the holidays you didn’t know existed. Just when I thought I had a handle on it, my book gets accepted by Dorchester Publishing and suddenly there are rewrites, edits, deadlines, promos, and of course Novel Spaces blog. I was suddenly drowning in a sea of appointments and deadlines and schedules. Every part of me was screaming HELP I NEED SOME TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS.
Well, here are some tips I’ve learned on time management. It is by no means exhaustive, and I welcome your input because I am still learning and adjusting.
1. Get organized
I never realized how important a planner could be. Indeed I always kept one on my desk, but I’m not at my desk 24/7. My suggestion: get a portable planner. I use my cell phone. I keep all schedules, appointments and locations (yes I’ve been known to show up at the right time at the wrong place) and have it alarm 30 minutes before each appointment. My former method of mentally filing away appointments failed miserably. My brain could only hold so much.
2. Plan ahead
Some of us have a habit of making or changing plans at the last minute and doing things impromptu. That doesn’t work when others are depending on you. That’s why I am so happy that Novel Spaces blog has the scheduling feature. I usually write my blogs at least a week ahead of time and schedule it. Anything that can be done before the deadline is due, do it.
3. Set goals
… and write them down. That goal in your head is easily usurped by the urgency of the immediate. Set long term goals and short term goals, and create a plan of action to achieving each goal. However be flexible. Things rarely occur as we plan it.
4. Have a plan B
… and plan C, D, etc. Since we can’t dictate things beyond our control, we can at least have a back up plan.
5. Prioritize
There are only 24hrs in a day. You can’t do it all. Examine what’s most important or urgent and do them first. I read "The Road Less Traveled" many years ago. One of the things that stood out in my mind was their recommendation for accomplishing tasks. Do the task you enjoy the least first, then use those you enjoy the most as a reward for completing your least enjoyable task. Most of all, don’t schedule more than you can handle.
6. Delegate responsibility
I know. By the time you’re finished explaining what you need done, you may as well had done it yourself. Reality check: you can’t do it all. Tasks that could be delegated should be delegated. Your delegates may not do it the very same way that you will, but as long as it is done well, it’s OK.
7. Relax
Find some time in your day to relax and recharge your batteries. Reflect on what you have accomplished. Even if you haven’t achieved as much as you intended, don’t obsess about it. You aren’t super human. You will get to it some other time. Meditate. Pray. Do what ever you need to get some quiet “Me time” each day. You need it for your sanity.
I know I haven’t addressed it all. Remember, what works for me, may not work for you. So tell me, how do you manage your time?
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