NaNoWriMo 2010 - Week 1

I'm finishing Week 1 at 7792 words. I'm 3877 words behind schedule, but it's okay, I've had a lot on my mind lately, and I'm thrilled that I've still managed to write this much. I've really been enjoying this project and working without a plan, maybe I need to vary my work method more often.

NaNoWriMo 2010

It's that time of the year again. I've decided this morning that I'll be taking part in this year's NaNoWriMo. Contrary to what I usually do, I'll be working without a net, or rather, without an outline. All I have are a few character ideas I noted down in my trustworthy Moleskine a couple of months ago.

Wish me luck and send chocolate.

Blocks

It is no secret for those following this blog that I've been having some trouble writing. These difficulties have affected not only the sequel to Dragon's Blood but my writing in general. Black Box was finished on time fueled by sheer stubbornness and a bit of desperation.

Last week, I did a writing "fast". Might sound contradictory, to deliberately not write when the problem is that you can't write, mas as they say, sometimes you are so obsessed by the problem you can't see the answer.

The pause was good for me. First because it made me ache to write (ah, humans, tell us we can't do something and away we go...), but mostly because it allowed me to gain some perspective on what was keeping me from writing: myself.

Writing is what I do, not what I am. I have no idea at what stage of the path I forgot that, but I've been attributing too much importance to the completion of my writing projects and, especially, to the world's reaction to those projects. If tomorrow I was no longer being published, I'd still write, and that says it all about what my real priority should be here.

My obsession with results was keeping me from enjoying the process. And the process is fantastic. The process is what kept me writing even when I couldn't get a publisher. And, by not enjoying the process, even the good days began to feel like a burden.

So, this month, I'll be relearning to focus on the path instead of the destination. For that, I've decided to go back to my starting point: short stories.

I've signed up for the Story-a-Day challenge at FMWriters. The goal is to write a story per day for a month. Sounds crazy, but it's what I need right now. To write, to let it flow, with no time to worry about correction, editions, publications and other concerns. Just write and enjoy the ride.

I would love to get the 31 stopries done, but even if I only manage the minimum goal of 10, it will still be great.

Writing Communities

"Writing is a lonely job" is one of those clichesthat have become common place because they are true. It doesn't matter if you have people helping with research and revision, the moment of writing is between you and the paper (or the screen). That isolation can occasionaly become heavy and online writing communities are a good way to overcome it.

Naturally there are disadvantages to these sites. Being there can become just another way to procrastinate. The contact with other writers may leave you with the idea that you should be doing more, better or simply different. Many of these communities also tend to be very geared towards publication and the repetition of this idea may make us so obsessed with publishing that the fun will be knocked out of the writing.

Nevertheless, all these disadvantages may be avoided with some ease and there are a lot of advantages in being in contact with our peers. The first and most obvious one is access to information: about the publishing industry; about diverse settings; about language. Whatever doubts you may have, it's quite likely that you'll be able to find someone in one of these sites that can give you an answer. Then, there's the possibility of talking to people who understand what we're doing and why. It's not about us being some poor misunderstood geniuses, but think about it: at how many places could I discuss the research on whips and their effects I did for my pirate book without eliciting some very odd looks? There's also the possibility of establishing professional contacts and finally, many of these sites allow us to set goals and be accountable, which is priceless in a line of work where most of the time you answer only to yourself.

At the moment, these are the two writer's communities I'm a part of:
Forward Motion Writers
Romance Divas

They both have some rather interesting activities all year around and are an excelent support system.

Writing Process

I'm still amazed that so many people seem to think that what a writer does is sit in front of a computer, write "Chapter 1" and when we get to "The End", it's done. Of course the process varies from writer to writer, but I know few who don't make any preparation work, and I haven't met any who don't give their writing at least a brief revision before sending it out. And I don't think I'd like to meet such a person: they'll either be those impossibly genial creatures you can't talk to, or those impossible creatures who think they're geniuses and who you don't want to talk to.

My writing process varies a bit from project to project (diferent stories demand diferent things, depending especially from size and from how the text will be structured), but it is pretty much solidified.


1. Idea

This is the part where I don't really do much of anything and the part about which I get asked about more frequently. I blame Romantism and the excissive emphasis on inspiration.

The truth is I get ideas for stories at an annoying rate and pretty much anything can make one jump at me: a documentary, a book, a movie; someone I saw on the street, something I heard in passing, a landscape; a newspaper article or a photograph; a mix of two or more of these things that come together to make something new.

Ideas are the easy part, you just keep your brain on a diverse diet and they come on their own. Turning them into something readable is what requires some talent and a lot of work.


2. Informal Research

This stage doesn't always happen. It depends on what I'm writing. It has to do with reading things related to the context of the story I want to tell, but without great concern for details. Ultimately, it's about providing fodder for the brain to start structuring the story.


3. Fermentation

I need to have the story tossing and turning in my head for a few days (or months), before I can do anything with it. Again, this is a stage where I don't do much other than give the story the occasional twist and shake, until it's good and ready.


4. Outline/Draft Zero

I do a basic outline of the story, because I need to know where I'm going to be able to write. I rarely do it for short texts, but I can't do without it for novels and novellas.

I tend to use Zette's phase method and I generally don't worry much about plot or story arcs. I just list the events in the order I want to tell them, and that's why I prefer the term draft zero.

For example, this is an excerpt from the outline to O Anel das Estrelas (The Starlight Ring):

Chapter 1: The attack on the São José
POV: Menendez; SPACE: São José, near Mozambique; TIME: 22 & 23 July 1622

1. Menendez thinks of Cecília’s attitudes and of how they are unsettling the men. DAWN

2. The men complain about the food. Menendez is worried.

3. Menendez watches Cecília once again and thinks of the many ways the trip has been going wrong. SUNSET

4. Menendez is in his cabin when one of the crew comes to warn him that ships are approaching. The crew thinks they are pirates. NIGHT

5. The Dutch and English fleet attacks. The São José crew defends the ship as best as they can, but they are vastly outnumbered and the illness that ravages through the ship has weakened them.

That which I put in draft zero doesn't always appear in the finished product. Sometimes, while I'm writing, the story takes off in a different direction. Often, while I'm doing this work, I'm also writing pieces of text as they occur to me.



5. Draft Zero Revision

Before I start writing I always take a look at draft zero to try and identify plot holes and to organize some information: space, time, POV... It depends on the project. For Um Vale Entre as Nuvens (A Valley Among the Clouds), an epistolary novel the draft zero of which I recently completed, I used this stage to determine through which journals, letters and newspaper articles the information of each point would be transmitted.


6. First Draft

This is the hard part for me. It implies keeping my tush in the chair long enough to write and ignore the fact that half of what I'm producing in this stage is utter rubish.

The best for me is to write the first draft as quickly as possible so my internal editors don't have time to start bugging me. Usually, my first draft is covered in annotations such as: [BATTLE SCENE]; [MORE DESCRIPTION]; [TRIP] and [CHECK].

Recently, I've started doing my first drafts longhand. Odd as it may seem, it increases my productivity, perhaps because I write faster than I type and I can keep a mores satisfactory rhythm. Or maybe because, since I'm not working at the computer, I can avoid certain distractions.


7. First Revision

I read through the whole text and make notes on what needs to be added or removed. Then I type it up, fill gaps, make the changes I've noted down plus others as they come to mind. Generally it is in this stage and, if necessary, the next, that I do a deeper research to ensure I've got my details right.


8. Second Revision

New reading. This time I worry more about incongruences in the story and with the flow of language.


9. Final Revision

I fix the formatting, look for typos and for any other small mistakes that have slipped me the first two times around.


Usually, after this, the book is finished. Of course, some projects need a couple more revisions before I'm pleased with the results, and also, when a project is rejected, I always make sure to doi a quick revision before sending out again, since I tend to assume the problem may be in the text and not the rejecter.

The faces of Khaila's world

There were too many problems with Coração de Lobo. I decided to take a break to gain some perspective on it.

I've been revising the outline to try and work out the kinks and I've also been thinking of actors I can see playing my characters to get a stronger notion of them. I'm done "casting" most of the major characters, and am really pleased with the results. Apparently, so are the characters, because the ones that are in Coração de Lobo are talking to me again.







I'm especially pleased with Ightryn and Ember. And Skarsgard ended up being an unexpectadly good match for Lorean.

Deadlines

I want to send Coração de Lobo to the publisher by the end of this month, which means the blog will be neglected for a while. It'll be a hard-work month.

Boredom

One of the questions people ask me more frequently when they find out I write (aside from "Oh, really?!") is where I get ideas from. My usual answer is that ideas come from everywhere, from all I see, from all I read, from whatever new things I learn.

It's a good answer, but I realised today that it's not the right one, or at least not the whole answer.

The bank of data that I've been collecting certainly has an important part in the creation of ideas and in the writing process itself. After all, nothing comes from nothing and I think all of those who like to read know that author with little diversified knowledge tend to produice hollow and repetitive books.

However, there has to be something other to trigger the process, something that binds notions and pieces of information hitherto distinct to form what may be the seed of a story.

In my case, I am now firmly convinced, that thing is boredom. Which explains why so many of the ideas I've had over the years have come to me in waiting rooms, or during long trips or dull classes...

The brain becomes bored and starts playing with what it's storing, overlapping things, cutting them and shuflling them. Many times, the result is nonsense, but there are useful things coming from these moments: the resolution to a flaw in our current project, a detail that will add another dimension to the story, a turn of phrase that charms us.

And, on occasion, that idea comes: the one that excites us and makes us want to drop whatever we're doing and write until we're forced to stop.

What can I say, I'm lazy!

It's been a while, but things have been a bit slow. Just stopping by for a quick update on what's been going on.

Spent the last six months working in a chain book store. Very educational, but the rotating schedules really messed up my system and my writing times. Plus, I think I've had my fill of shopping centers for life.

The first draft of OADE is about half way through and I got a good start on CDL, although I still need to work some things out in the outline.

Am writing a TV pilot for Scriptapalooza TV. Yeah, I know, it totally violates Yog's Law, but I'm still entering it. It's called Black Box.

Am also writing another TV script, mostly for fun. Figured out that I need a toy project to stay productive; something I'm really not looking to publish (or produce, or whatever), something that's just for me and maybe, eventually to show a few like-minded friends.

Frustration

Writing can be immensely frustrating at times.

Dragon's Blood will need a far deeper revision than I had anticipated. It will make it a better book, but it's a bit frightening. I had a finished book, now I don't anymore. So I've been procrastinating a bit. Or a lot.

I guess part of my frustration also comes form the fact that I've been establishing my working routine. It's a trial and error process and it sometimes feels infinitely long. I have learnt a lot about the way I write, about what I need to be at my most productive, but sometimes I just feel like screaming, throw whatever I'm working on out the window and give the whole darned thing up.

One of the things I've had a hard time accepting is that I can't work on more than one project at a time. I wish I could do what some people do and work on three projects on different stages: doing research and outlining one; writing the first draft of another; editing a third, all at the same time. Sounds very productive, but not for me.

So, it's Dragon's Blood and Dragon's Blood alone from now on and until it's finished. The ideas for the changes it needs have been coming steadily, I also had some ideas for the sequels in the mean time, so I'm rolling with it. Afterwards I'll get working on finishing The Starlight Ring's first draft. I thought I could do both at once, but I wasn't doing either, so better this way.

And my muse doesn't help, always dropping great ideas in my brain at the worst possible times. Just added a new one today to the Future Projects folder.

Sangue de Dragão/Dragon's Blood

A little over a week, another one of mySangue de Dragão submissions was returned. This made me ponder my options not only for this book but for my career.

I reread the book this weekend, marking the bits that need some improvement. ~It's been a year, maybe more since I last read it. It's a good book: the story is solid, the narrative is well structured (except for a few minor flaws). It made me laugh at some moments, and brough tears to my eyes at others, despite the fact that I already knew the story.

However, it's becoming obvious that it will not be published by a Portuguese house. Also, it occurrs to me that, if I want to be a full-time writer, the Portuguese market isn't the answer. The international market might not be either, I'm not delusional about it, but the odds are certainly much better.

So, starting today, I'll be making the corrections I found necessary to the book and translating it into English. I really believe it is the best to do at the moment.

Planning and Outlining

I'm not an organic writer. I cannot just sit down and start writing and pull off a novel that way. I've tried a couple of times, generally for NaNoWriMo. It just doesn't work. The text gets to 5000 to 10000 words and then I just don't know where to go. I need structure to make my writing function; I need an outline, and I need a timetable, otherwise, the writing process just drags on and on and I end up losing interest.

I try not to overplot. Generally, my outlines are more like a telling of the story in the Present, a kind of draft zero. I tend to use the phase outline I picked up on Lazette Gifford's book Nano For The New And The Insane, slightly modified according to the project.

And mostly it works well; it gives me the guide line I need, without stiffling my creativity too. Also, the phase method allows me to plan my work better. If I want to finish a first draft by a certain date, I just calculate the number of phases I need to do a day.

The outlines have another advantage: for me, it's much easier to rearrange events and spot missing scenes while still in outline form than once you have the whole book written.

Sometimes, though, I'll be so excited about a project that I'll start writing it before the outline is completely finished. That's what I did with Mountains to Climb. I had an outline, of sorts. The story started by being a script; when I decided that I wanted to turn it into a novel, I needed to expand the original outline, but I thought I could start working on the first draft right away. It was a big mistake.

The writing has become increasingly difficult. I've been chalking it up to insecurity: if it's not finished, no one can tell you it stinks. Yesterday, though, I was forced to confront the fact that the problem might be another altogether.

I was trying to do a synopsys to put in the site. I did do one, but it's weak, inadequate and unappealing. And the thing that has been nibbling at the back of my brain just stepped up to the front: there are problems with the outline, there are some great bits of story there, but the whole doesn't feel like a whole, and there are some points that are simply bullshit. And if I, the writer, think they're bullshit, how are the readers going to react?

I had planned to finish the first draft of MTC a little before the end of March and then start working on The Starlight Ring, so that I had the first draft of that one finished sometime around the end of April, beginning of May. Clearly that is no longer an option, so I had to reevaluate my plans.

The conclusion I came to was that I should leave MTC alone and start working on TSR immediately. By my calculations, I should have it finished sometime in mid March. By that time, I should've gained some distance from MTC and be able to make a better assessment of what is wrongt and what I can do to fix it.

Being a writer

A few months back, someone at one of the fora I go to regularly asked the question "Why do you write?". The answers were many and varied, and generally quite long too. All I could come up with was:

I write because not writing simply isn't an option.

Today I was again made aware of how true this is, of how much writing is ingrained into me.

I was watching some documentary on Borneo. The usual: elephants, monkeys and apes, bugs aplenty. And there was also a group of people climbing a plateau in the middle of the jungle to study the unique ecosystem at the top.

The leader was going on about how they had to be careful about loose rocks, not only because they risked losing their balance, but mostly because of the danger of making one of those rocks fall on the head of the people coming behind. My immediate thought was: if you were a climber, and there was someone in the group whom you didn't like, that would be a good way of doing away with them and making it look like an accident.

I was reminded of the old joke about the woman whose husband ran away with the maid and her first reaction was turning it into a story. Not writing is not an option, see.

I'm always writing. Even when I'm not actually sitting down at the computer, or with a notebook and pen, I'm still writing, because putting the words on paper is just the tip of the iceberg.

So, basically, when you're a writer, there are no off hours. The writing is in every thing, it's always there, even if you're not aware of it. It's a rather strange symbiosis in a way: the writing takes over your life and gives you 1000 lives in return. Certainly a good deal.

The dowside? If you're not writing, you hardly feel alive at all.