Push Push in the…Oh never mind…By Jenny Gardiner

It seems the themes at the Girlfriends Book Club of late are keeping me honest…this time around? How do I finish the book I'm writing? That's a hell of a question!

 This easily segues from my post last month, in which I think I first spoke about The Book (make that manuscript). This would be the one I've picked up and put down countless times over the past several years. It has transformed and been revised myriad times (I should say chapters here and there have been revised, since not enough has been written to constitute it being an actual book revision (insert laughter here). My first chapter alone has had so many incarnations it might well be mistaken for a cat plowing through those nine lives.

 Believe me, I have had plenty of reasons to give up on this thing. I think what's kept me coming back to it is when I've eventually reviewed the chapters here and there that I've written, I am pleasantly surprised and -- dare I say it -- impressed with what I've written. It's what motivates me: it's been like passing a kidney stone the size of an elephant. I'd hate to go through all that pain without a positive outcome.

 I have had many days in which I struggle for each sentence. This is so abnormal for me. I used to be able to crank out books with no hesitation. I could not write for months on end, then sit down and binge-write, and crank out the book I'd intended. But this book, it's stymied me. During the course of writing this, I've vacillated, I've alternated, I've roamed hither and yon in the quest to figure out what it was I was writing. Used to be I'd write a book in a fairly linear manner. I knew my starting point and I knew my ending, and the rest sort of sprung up organically. With this one, I've changed my intent, changed my theme, changed my characters, changed their jobs, changed their relationship, changed other characters, changed the intended outcome. Right now I'm still undecided about the final outcome and as I'm nearing a deciding point, I still can't pick which one is the best plan of action. But the great thing is I'm finally nearing that point, a point at which I never thought this book would reach.

I put this book down so many times for a variety of reasons. Other jobs got in the way of it. Dealing with marketing and publicizing other books posed obstacles. Life events added more roadblocks. And then there were times I was so purely stuck, I just couldn't figure it out, and procrastination seemed an easier solution. But I need to finish it. I can't let this half-written tome languish in my laptop, never to find an audience. I need to finish it so that I can have the satisfaction of tackling the untackleable. And so I have struggled through this thing, sometimes one word at a time.

Frustratingly, when I've returned to it after putting it away yet again, I have to pore through the entire thing, mulling over the slightest changes, refining and attempting to make this thing the best it can be. It's become my Moby Dick (insert more laughter here). Yikes -- maybe it's like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction when you think she's dead but she pops up yet again with that butcher knife.

 Sometimes I allow myself to get sidelined by the what ifs. What if I can't find a publishing house for it? What if this book isn't "big" enough? Big, high concept books get the attention of your publishing house, whereas lesser ones flounder and die if you publish through mainstream houses. But now I am happy to know that if I can't weed through the finicky world of mainstream publishing anymore, I'll just publish it myself. And it'll be a terrific novel and people will enjoy it.

 When I first started this book, self-doubts brought on by this Goldilocksian publishing industry really undermined my confidence, and allowed me to allow myself to be distracted by the potential for failure. But now I'm motivated to a) make this book the best it can be, b) sell it well, whether that is through a New York house or on my own, and c) finish it now. No more dithering. With each word I've squeezed out of my brain, with each chapter I've concluded, with each page I've counted as complete, I build in confidence and in knowing that this work in particular I earned, through the blood, sweat and tears it took to get me there.

 So how to I motivate myself through? I just do it. I need to succeed with this, I can't let my self-doubts get the better of me. I can't let external forces drive my end results. I can only control what I can control, and that means the final words on the page. I remember years ago hearing John Grisham talk about having to put your butt in the chair and write, every single day, that you're not really a writer if you don't do that. Back then I didn't buy into that concept because I didn't write in that way; I wrote in blasts, then nothing, and that used to work. But now, I'm subscribing to the butt in chair school of writing, and you know what? He's right. You can't publish it if it's not written.

 So now, back to work…I'll keep you posted!


  Sleeping with Ward Cleaver

Slim to None

Anywhere But Here

Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me

Accidentally on Purpose (written as Erin Delany)

Compromising Positions (written as Erin Delany)

I'm Not the Biggest Bitch in this Relationship (I'm a contributor)

And these shorts:
Idol Worship: A Lost Week with the Weirdos and Wannabes at American Idol Auditions

The Gall of It All: And None of the Three F's Rhymes with Duck

Naked Man On Main Street

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 find me on my website

Confessions of a Lazy Ass Writer - by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

“All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”— George Orwell

They say admitting that you have a problem is half the battle, right? So here goes: my name is Wendy Tokunaga and I am a lazy ass writer. I haven’t always been a lazy ass writer. In fact, I have always been rather proud of my work ethic when it comes to writing. You could always count on me to be the one to cheerily encourage fellow writers to be productive, to tell them to find any bit of free time to write and, yes, to finish-finish-finish. And, heck, I’ve written a good five or six novels and an MFA dissertation. After all, it’s not like I haven’t taken my own advice.

But the truth is that I’ve been neglecting my latest WIP, having undergone a serious bout of stuckness over the past couple of years that I’ve been working on it off and on. I honestly like the book and I don’t want to work on something new (not that I have ANY ideas for another novel, mind you). I have a good 46,000 words but I’m not sure how the story should end nor how things will wrap up. And I know there are still things to add. This is kind of scary. So I procrastinate.

I have several people who are willing to read the draft and I promised them that it would be ready to go sometime in early July. My thinking was that if I gave myself a deadline, then I would finish. Usually this would work, but it’s not working at all right now. And lo and behold, it’s already early July and I haven’t even looked at the thing for probably two weeks. Maybe three. I’ve been busy with other stuff—editing clients, a student manuscript tutorial, songwriting with my husband, tweeting, Facebooking, cleaning out the litter box. But this is no excuse.

I even felt lazy about writing this blog post. But when I did research about “lazy writers” I found that most of the hits I received weren’t about my predicament, but about writers who employ lazy “writing skills.” Things like not proofreading or doing minimal research, not staying on top of current trends, telling instead of showing, relying on clichés, employing hackneyed plots, utilizing poor grammar, misspelling words, constantly using pet phrases, etc., etc. And I realized, well, at least I’m not THAT kind of lazy writer. Something to be proud of. I think.

So maybe I should just stop feeling guilty. I’ll get to this novel when the time is right. Yes, I’ll finish it—eventually. In the meantime I’ll just go with the flow. I’ll embrace all the girlfriends here and elsewhere who are in prolific phases right now (and that seems to be just about everyone!) and know that I’ll be there again someday.

But now I think I’ll loll in the hammock and sip some lemonade. Or maybe a mojito. Or perhaps a chilled glass of Viognier, and simply get back to writing when the time is right.

So will you girlfriends give me permission to be a little lazy?

Thanking you in advance,

---The Lazy Ass Writer

Wendy Nelson Tokunaga is the author of the novels, "Midori by Moonlight" and "Love in Translation" (both published by St. Martin's Press), and the e-book novels, "Falling Uphill" and "His Wife and Daughters," and e-book short story, “The Girl in the Tapestry.” She's also the author of the nonfiction e-book, "Marriage in Translation: Foreign Wife, Japanese Husband." Her short story "Love Right on the Yesterday" appears in the anthology "Tomo," published by Stone Bridge Press, and her essay "Burning Up" is included in "Madonna and Me: Women Writers on the Queen of Pop." Wendy holds an MFA in Creative Writing from University of San Francisco and teaches for Stanford University's Online Writer's Studio Novel Certificate Program. She also does private manuscript consulting for novels and memoirs. Follow her on Twitter at @Wendy_Tokunaga, friend her on Facebook and visit her website at: www.WendyTokunaga.com

Keep on Keeping On!

By Jacqueline Luckett

For years I’d heard about a group of writers who each completed an entire novel in thirty days. The idea seemed magical. I wanted to know those writers. Was there a place they gathered? If I scoured local coffee shops, would I find them madly pecking away at their laptops, surrounded by stale pastries and triple lattes ? Were these writers geniuses, cult-members, or crazies?

Then, one day, a fellow writer mentioned NaNoWriMo, the nationwide challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. She loved it! She’d won—twice!

Scary, was the first word that popped into my mind.

Then Sharisse, my competitive alter-ego, raised her lovely head. You can beat your friend, she goaded. You can write more than 50,000 words! You could win NaNoWriMo!  Her timing was perfect.

Last year, I had an idea for my third novel that just wouldn’t take form. I knew the characters, the story, and a few plot twists. Yet, I couldn’t commit the story to paper (or computer). NaNoWriMo!  30 days of writing—piece of cake. 1,666.67 words per day—easy. Little did I know.

October 31^st

I made a chart:

Column 1 DATES, November 1-30

Column 2 CUMULATIVE WORD COUNT goal (added 1,666.67 to each day)

Column 3 (like any good to-do list) COMPLETED a checkmark or a gold star to mark my progress.

November 1^st

I started.

November 2-29

The Distraction Devil dropped by. Like an unexpected, amusing in-law, he stayed for 29 days. I recalculated word counts, switched charts from Word to Excel and back again. I searched the NaNoWriMo site for interesting trivia, read updates from writers I didn't know. I surveyed the countries, states, cities where people were writing at the same time, with the same goal. I looked for  meet-up groups (there were a lot of them). I considered NaNoWriMo in Paris and researched flights.

November 30^th

I finished. That is to say, I had a document with a 50,000 word count.

I’d love to tell you that the chart motivated me, that my characters took over and wrote their story, that the words flowed like Beverly Hillbillies’ crude oil. I’d like to report that I ended the month with the framework of a ragged, but promising, first draft. Sadly, it didn't happen.

I found the pressure overwhelming, and I’m a writer who loves the thrill of rushing to meet a deadline. Yes, I finished. I got the poster, the decal, and the congratulatory email. It just didn't work. I hated nearly every chapter, paragraph, and sentence I wrote.

I don’t plan (notice I didn't say “will never”) to participate in NaNoWriMo again. Yet, I don't feel I wasted my time. I don't regret those thirty days because the process forced me to produce. I’m still not sure why the writing was so hard for me, but I learned a few lessons in the month-long write-fest. Hopefully, they’ll help you, on this day thirteen, as you move forward.

1.     Plan your work and work your plan. It doesn’t have to be formal—stay loose (that’s where the creativity happens). I’m not suggesting that you outline, especially if that’s not your process. Having a notes on where your story is going and what your characters want will keep you focused and writing.

2.     Don’t get behind. Stick as close to your daily goal as possible. It’s hard to make up those missed words, especially if the ideas and words aren’t flowing. If you get behind, enjoy the mad dash.

3.     Gag your internal editor. Don’t worry if the grammar is incorrect, or the sentence isn't as magical as you want it to be, or that your story has taken an unexpected. Tell that I.E., "MYOB," and let the words roll.

4.     Keep on keeping on. Something good will come from these thirty days. It might be a fabulous sentence or two, a fascinating character, or a great title. You may learn something new about your writing, your story, how you operate under pressure or what it takes to finish.

Now . . .  go back to writing! Only 28,333.33 words left.

Good luck!

Jacqueline

I’m the author of PASSING LOVE and SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER. I did not toss out the pages I worked on during NaNoWriMo. As a matter of fact, I found a few good chapters that have turned into the beginnings of my third novel. Go NaNoWriMo!

Everything I know about writing--I learned on TV

               by     Hank Phillippi Ryan

It all started with a deadline. A missed deadline.

Not mine, of course, I would never miss a deadline. And that’s exactly the point.

When I was the newbiest of the newbies, a writer pal of mine was bemoaning her looming book-delivery date. “Oh," she said, "I’ll never be finished in time. I’ll have to ask my editor for a month-long extension.”

 I burst out laughing. Extend a deadline? I’m a television reporter, have been for more than 30 years, and the thought of “extending” a deadline…well, it’s impossible. Can you imagine if I said to my news director—"oh, woe is me, can I go on the air at five AFTER six instead of six? Because...I’m just not…feeling the muse.”

I’d be tossed out of the newsroom faster than you can say “stack of resume tapes.”

But that got me thinking—thinking about how very useful other things I’ve learned—and am still learning—as a reporter. And how they translate to my additional career as a mystery author.

Deadlines, of course. But lots more. And the more I discuss it, the more powerful the reality—journalism techniques  can be incredibly valuable in writing a killer novel—and especially when you’re stuck or worried you don’t know where to go next.

For instance. When we’re deciding what stories to put on the news, the big question is:  “Why do I care?” There’s a finite amount of time for the news, right? And we want to make sure people watch.  So the only stores that make air are the ones we know people will care about.   

Same for your story.  The only thing that should go on your pages is something people care about.  Otherwise, they’ll put the book down. If you’re stuck, ask yourself: why is this here? Is it the most important, most compelling, most interesting thing that can possibly be here? Why will readers care about his part?

If the answer is—“they won’t”--then you’re on the way to solving your problem. Figure out why YOU care. (Why is this scene here? Why is this paragraph here? What does it DO?) Figure out how to make the readers care.  And your story will suddenly take life.

Another question. Ask yourself: “What’s the problem?” Great news stories are often about conflict. He said/she said. Someone who wants something and someone else who wants to stop them.  Are you at a point in your novel where there’s no problem? Think about how you can get to the clash of wills, or the obstacles, or the dilemma. It doesn’t have to be huge—it just has to be conflict. When I was writing FACE TIME, I was at a point, very early on, where there was nothing wrong. Since it was early in the manuscript, it couldn’t be actual danger—it just needed some tension.

So I made Charlotte hungry. That’s all. Hungry. But there was no food to be had, and her blood sugar was plummeting, as a result, she was cranky, and making bad decisions, and all she could think about was food. A boring scene—became injected with humor and tension and purpose. And as it turned out—completely serendipitously, the need for food became pivotal to the entire plot.

I have ten questions I always ask myself when I’m stuck—and I’ll send you the list if you like!  But here’s number 11:  “What, me worry?” Because what seems like an insurmountable problem now—won’t by tomorrow. I promise. So just see what happens. And then you’ll be powering ahead toward THE END.

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate, and has won 27 Emmys for her work. Author of four mystery novels, Ryan has won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards for her crime fiction.  She’s on the national board of directors of Mystery Writers of America and New England Sisters in Crime.  Her newest suspense thriller, THE OTHER WOMAN, is the first in a new series beginning in 2012 from Forge Books.  Her website is http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com