TIme Management

It's here. That dreaded time of year when there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. There are times when I feel as if I'm sprinting from the moment my feet hit the floor beside my bed until I tuck myself under my blankets at night. So much to do and so little time!

I admit I am not one of those people who have their Christmas shopping done by August. I'm just not. When it's August, it's summer and I'm thinking about going to the beach or on holiday or making jam. I'm not thinking about Christmas.

I'll even deny the ever-nearing date after I've turned the calendar to December. Come on, it's only the 1st or the 2nd! I've got plenty of time. Add to the mix that there are several December birthdays in my household (not to mention my grown daughter's birthday on the 20th) so my baking has to include birthday cakes. And presents. I believe December birthdays deserve just as much attention as birthdays in any other month.

So with the baking, the decorating and the shopping, when in the name of holy socks am I supposed to be finding time to write? I can't write in the middle of the night. I could, of course, but I tend to get cranky if not down right ornery if I have to exist on only a few hours of sleep. I'm not 22 anymore. On the other hand, I really want to get my WIP to the point of revisions. Really, really, really. And no, I can't write 5,000 words a day. I am not that gifted.

Who has tips for me so that I can still be holding onto my sanity when January comes around?

Faces

I have a file of pictures I use while I'm writing. They are pictures of buildings, trees, views, flowers, etc. I have many, many pictures of rooms. Strangely, I don't have any pictures of people.

When I first started writing seriously five or so years ago I would always find pictures of people I would use as jumping-off points for my characters. I know of many authors that swear by this technique, but I don't do it any more. I find it too limiting.

I need to look at pictures of rooms for details. What does the ceiling look like? How is the furniture situated? What kind of fabric is used? Remember; I write stories happening 70 years ago in a country I don't live in. The internet and picture books are my telescope to the past. I can look at old menus; read books written in the period, look at pictures of old automobiles. I look at lists of what music was popular, what plays were being performed, etc. But faces? No, no, no!

I do have pictures of people, but for the clothes. How narrow are the belts? How big are the hats? What style are the shoes? What colours are the most prevalent? Actually, I have a fairly comprehensive knowledge about clothes (I was a costume designer at one point), so most of these pictures are for confirmation that my knowledge is correct.

I don't want faces. I have the faces in my head and I want readers (if I ever have any) to make up their own pictures. I'll say if someone's got curly hair if it's a character note (for the character or for someone else). I'll mention someone being exceptionally tall or short. I'll talk about the wart which she tries to hide. Someone could talk about someone's blue eyes or extremely long eye lashes. Physical similarities are also mentioned. But I'm not copying anyone's face. These characters aren't based on anyone and I don't want anyone's face on them; even if it's only in my head.

How important are pictures to you when you're writing? Do you refer to them constantly? Do you have pictures of your characters?

Senses

Every writer exposes their readers to the setting(s) of their stories. It could be a charming English village or a busy city. It could be a farm or a mountain cabin high in the Alps. Stories can take place anywhere and it's our job to make the reader's experience as rich a one as possible.

I believe all five senses should be invoked when possible. The house may be sparkly clean, but can you smell the scent of wood-polish? Does the eye-watering aroma of bleach greet everyone as they come through the door? Has someone been baking; and if they have, was the baking successful? The smell of fresh bread or cooking wafting in the air is wonderful, but consider the comedic possibilities of baking gone wrong. Any character is going to be in a foul mood if they've just burnt something; not to mention their embarrassment at having someone show up at their door to witness their failure.

Every writer will tell the reader what a setting looks like, but have each character notice different things. A person with back trouble will be horrified at the prospect of a room filled with cushy furniture. A tall person is going to duck through doorways and have trouble sitting in a regular sized chair. An art critic (or someone who claims to be) will immediately notice the art (if any) on the walls and the social lion will see nothing but the decor.

Is it quiet or is there the unsettling skitter of mice in the walls? Is there the staccato of rain against a tin roof? Is there music playing and if there is, what kind? Musical taste can be a wonderful indication of character and a tool for revealing hidden depths. Have a teenager mesmerized by opera or a white-haired matron bouncing to hip-hop. Your characters just became real.

The sense of touch should also be utilized. Is that cushion really as soft as it looks, or is the material scratchy? Sitting on a bale of hay is not the same as sitting on a feather bed. Remember the smoothness of the banister or the roughness of a kitten's tongue as he gives your characters a friendly lick.

Last but not least, let the reader experience the wonder of Aunt Hilda's famous lemonade; maybe it's famous for another reason than what one would expect! Maybe your character lives for his morning cup of coffee or is always crunching peanuts. What would happen if someone is forced to eat something they don't like or something unfamiliar? Opportunities abound.

Try to use every sense. The more real we make our characters' world the more real we make our characters.

Reading

I've discovered I read differently now I'm writing. Once I would simply open a book and read. Now I open a book and analyze.

I pay attention to the beginning: Is the first sentence dialogue? Is it throwing me right into the middle of the action? Or is it what I term a 'soft' beginning where I'm introduced to the characters and start to learn about their particular quirks?

I take note of dialogue: How is it written? How many dialogue tags are there and what are they? Does the author use 'said' or 'says' or are many characters hissing and whispering? Can I easily discern which character is talking and if I can, why can I? Is it vocabulary choices? Different rhythms?

Descriptive passages get my attention as well; what vocabulary is being used? Can I easily imagine the setting? How often are other senses invoked other than sight? I relish books that allow me to smell the cooking or feel the pinch of a new pair of shoes. How much time is spent describing the settings is also interesting. If I'm reading a book that bounces from place to place then I want a description of each location so when the story returns there I know where we are. If the book takes place in one location then let me know the layout, especially if it's a mystery.

POVs also capture my interest. How many are there? Is one character more dominant than the others? Is there one character that seems particularly quiet and if there is, why is that? I've read several books where the protagonist is written in the first person and the rest of the POV characters are written in the third.

Lastly, I look at the thickness of the book and take a moment to appreciate how long it took the author to actually write the sucker. I just finished a book with a page count of over 1,4oo. My brain fries at the time it must have taken to write. I happen to know that this particular author had the cover of the book design delivered while the book was still being written upstairs on her computer. Can you imagine the horror? Obviously, she finished it by her deadline, but that must have been a chilling moment.

I still can get swept away by a great story, but part of my mind is analyzing why I'm getting swept away. I pay attention to the plot's pace. Does it begin with a flurry and then slow to a snail's pace? Is the ending rushed? I read a book this week with a rushed ending and my first thought was "Ah, the deadline approacheth..."

Do you read books differently now? I look at every book and think "What can I learn from this?" How about you?

Once Upon a Middle

Every writer learns the importance of your manuscript having a good 'hook'. Your first sentence is supposed to dazzle. Your first paragraph should astound. By then end of the first page a reader should be drooling in anticipation to turn the page. Fine and dandy.

Endings are also obviously important. Does everyone live happily ever after? Are those who are evil suitably punished and those who are good suitably rewarded? Every writer makes his/her own decision, but all know to tie up (at least) the main plot line. It's fine (maybe even good) for a reader to wonder what happens next, but no one is left unsatisfied. Everyone will close the book and heave a pleasurable sigh.

But what about the middle? You're past the beginning, all the characters have been introduced, each with their own issues, and the plot lines are well underway. But, you're nowhere near the end. How do you keep things moving along at a nice trot without racing?

This is the part of any project where most writers (including me) seem to run into trouble. Since I write mysteries I worry about giving away too much too soon, or not dropping enough clues early on. Subplots are great, but I don't want them taking too much focus away from the main storyline. Subplots are great for humour, or for concentrating on one character's foibles, but I believe they should all serve the main plot in some capacity.

The trick is have the plot's path take some twists and turns but still be heading in the right direction. Many mystery authors throw in a few more dead bodies in the middle to keep the game afoot. Romance writers may add a few hiccups to their heroine's life; old boyfriend (or ex-husband) returns, new pet arrives on the doorstep, she earns a promotion at work, or takes on a new project. I have no problem with any of these as long as when I'm reading I don't think this plot just got thrown into the mix to add some steam.

How do you make your way through the middle? Is it full steam ahead as you whistle a happy tune or do you stand, arms akimbo, and puzzle 'what do I do now?'. You've got to get through the middle to get to the end. Do you stall or put your foot down even heavier on the gas pedal?Do you suffer from middle-mania?

Just Do It

It's the best advice one can give to any writer, and in my opinion, the hardest advice for any writer to follow. Just do it. Write. Sit yourself down at a table or at a computer desk or put your tablet of paper down on the nearest giant tortoise shell and write. Make words flow out of your pen and make the words into sentences, which become paragraphs which become chapters which become a complete manuscript. Hey, presto.

The first trick is finding time; because (for me, at least) I can always find something else to do. There are days when the prospect of cleaning out my refrigerator is a more delightful idea than sitting down and writing. Non-writers cannot understand this. "How lovely," they say, "you can spend your days writing. How creative! How fulfilling!" I don't want to shatter their dreams and say that some days it's just "How painful!" I can tell if my writing is going to go well because there's an urge to get my fingers dancing across the keyboard before the words and phrases that are sparkling in my head dissolve into the murky back recesses of my consciousness. I know I'm going to get the next unit done and I may even go further. It's possible for me to write for a few hours before my pace starts to splutter and my fingers become too busy typing typos.

Writers come in all guises, but all of us have responsibilities outside of our writing. It's very easy to allow those responsibilities to take first place and say "I've no time to write today. I've got to get whatever done." It's a simple shift of priorities that affects no one but ourselves. Of course we'll meet our deadline, but we're simply not writing today. We'll write tomorrow. All's well with the world.

There are those writers (how I wish I were one) who will write on and on and not particularly care about the quality of the writing, it's getting to the end of the manuscript that counts. After all, they rationalize, that's what self-editing is for. That's what second, third and fourth drafts are for. Just get to the end and then the real work will begin. I simply can't work this way; trust me, I've tried. If I'm not liking what I'm writing, if the rhythm is wrong or the vocabulary is stale I simply cannot keep going. I have to fix it. I have to figure out what's wrong. For me, there is no point in writing just to write because I know I'll be deleting it before the day is through. I am a very harsh judge of my own work. I like it when my writing makes me laugh, I like it when my writing makes me cry. I do not like it when my writing makes me angry.

Just do it. Sit down and write.

Malevolent Mud Makers

My thanks to Galen Kindley who inspired this post with the comment he left on my blog yesterday.

Observe the merry writer making her way down the forest path. Her pace is steady, her face wreathed with smiles. She has no idea she is being watched by a malevolent mud maker. But she is. They strike without warning. Without mercy. Slurp! Another writer stuck in the mud.

What is the mud? For me, mud is when I can't seem to move forward. Something is wrong. It could be a character. It could be a plot. It could be a combination of the two. Getting stuck means it's time to reevaluate and plan my way out; since the only other option is being stuck and never moving on. How do I accomplish this?

Characters: Every writer has to know their characters. You have to see the world through their eyes and feel their hearts quicken. You must walk in their shoes, have their memories and their expectations. You know their fondest desires and their deepest fears. Mud can occur when you've forgotten this and you've written your character incorrectly. It's easy to do, one can get so caught up in plot that characters become puppets instead of people. Go back to a point in your manuscript which is mud-free and see where the mud begins. Has a character become a puppet?

Plot: Every writer juggles several plots during the writing of a book. There's the main story line, of course. But there are countless other subplots weaving their way through the story, each with its own agenda and its own purpose. Malevolent mud makers appear when one of these plots go astray. The timeline could be awry. The plot goes in a circle instead of in a line. Worst of all is the realization there's no reason for the plot. Malevolent mud makers love plots that don't accomplish anything. Take a harsh look at your manuscript. Are you harboring a plot that is simply taking up space for the sake of taking up space? You've got mud, my friend.

Beware of malevolent mud makers as you continue down your path. Ignore them at your peril. Avoiding them is preferable, but even the best of us can be taken in by their wiles. If you do look down and see mud on your boots, know there is always a way out. It may be a quick fix, it may take time. But you will be mud-free and able to move ahead.

Have you encountered the malevolent mud makers? How did you get unstuck?