Break on Through to the Other Side

by Maggie Marr

Tonight, as I write this, I am exhausted. Whipped. Tired. A half centimeter to the left of drained. I have 66 pages to edit on my latest book and it is 11:08 pm. I usually get up at 4 am to write and go to bed by 9, but tonight, well tonight was family night. Plus a few documents for clients hit my inbox. Documents that had to be turned around by tomorrow. Thus my late night and perhaps my fatigue.

But fatigue is not an excuse to not write. Neither is exhaustion, jobs, children, in-laws, graduations, vacations, husbands, parents or [insert ANY excuse here]. I will give illness a pass as long as you're sporting a fever. Really there is no valid excuse not to make your fingers do the tippity-tappity dance across the keyboard. None. Nada. You either want to finish the manuscript or you don't. You either sit your ass in the chair or you don't. You either work harder for the win than the next person or you don't.

These are simple facts. They are so basic they remind me of 2 + 2 = 4. And yet these are facts that I attempt to avoid ALL THE TIME. My attempt is due to FEAR. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of exposure. Fear of ... who the hell knows what else, but fear. Fear is a four letter word, and I love most four-letter words. I have the mouth of a well-educated sailor. But the word F-E-A-R well that one scares the heck out of me.

My fear is a conundrum and the way I tame that fear is counterintuitive. I must surrender to my fear. I accept that fear is part of my process and sometimes, fear is even my friend.

My process usually involves the following:

1. Think of FABULOUS title.

2. Hear voices of characters. Learn names.

3. Begin first draft.

4. Have no idea how to get from middle of Act 2 to beginning of Act 3.
    4.5 Pull out hair.
    4.6 Gnash teeth.
    4.7 Pace, eat potato chips, watch trashy TV, sometimes forget to shower.

5. Finish first draft.

6. Realize fabulous title is NOT fabulous. Rename project.

7. Put book away and vow only 2 weeks!

8. 2 weeks becomes 3 weeks.

9. 3 weeks becomes...OH SHIT I HAVE A DEADLINE.

10. Pull out book. Read.

11. See 4.5-4.7

12. Begin NEVER ENDING REWRITE THAT I WILL DIE TRYING TO DO.

13. See 4.5-4.7

14. Edit horrible book.

15. Send to editor.

16. Reread and love.

17. 24 hours later reread and hate.

18. More passes. More edits. Again can NOT find solution to end of 2nd act beginning of 3rd act problem that at this point may or may not exist. Who knows??

19. Loathe this project.

20. New project, new characters whisper love-nothings in my ear (Worthless Whores! (please see above reference to Sailor Swearing)) as I grow weary of current project. 

21. Finally send off book.

22. See 4.5-4.7

23. Feel brief, ever-fleeting sense of accomplishment.

24. Begin new project. See 1

25. Reminisce about project when book pubs. 

And yet, I LOVE THIS JOB. Crazy? Well, yes. Of course. Who willingly does the above over and over and over again (now more than 10 times). No one is forcing me to write -- well except those characters in my head whispering to me. I've tried to stop writing, but they continue to whisper.

All through the above there is FEAR and LOVE. I live that battle day in and day out. Every day. I give love the advantage by telling myself there is no excuse, by forcing my butt into the chair, by truly enjoying my characters and my stories and this brilliant beautiful gift that whatever Force runs this universe gave me. A gift, of which I am not yet worthy, nor is my craft good enough to do justice. I ask myself, who am I to turn my back on such a gift? What hubris to let my petty human FEAR destroy this gift and win out over LOVE.

No, not I. I will not fail in this fight, even when it involves bags and bags of potato chips. Yes, I will sacrifice my thighs for my art. I will get through 1-25 over and over and over again and I will always break through to the other side.

Broken Glamour, a project that I love and now fondly remember.


Maggie Marr is an author and attorney. The Glamour Series is her latest new adult contemporary romance series. Hard Glamour published January 2014 and Broken Glamour publishes spring 2014. She is also the author of the Hollywood Girls Club Series, Courting Trouble, and Can't Buy Me Love. Please click here to get Maggie's newsletter. She won't get spammy, but she will give one lucky subscriber a gift every time she sends a newsletter. Maggie lives and works in Los Angeles.  
 

Mobiles, Stabiles and Books by Melissa Clark

Happy 2014! 

The other night, I had the pleasure of seeing the Calder exhibit at LACMA with a friend. It is a beautifully curated show. We enjoyed reading about Calder's process and seeing the final products - the mobiles dancing in the air and the stabiles proudly standing their ground. At first glance, the mobiles look like simplistic childlike designs, but upon closer inspection the artistry really stands out. Geometric, colorful shapes are attached with delicate wire structures, allowing for balance and movement. The pieces are thoughtful, vibrant and even funny

Mobile

Stabile

The exhibit made me think of my own writing, or rather, writing in general. There is an illusion of simplicity and ease when reading a page-turner, when really the author most likely struggled with the same sense of balance, only with words instead of shapes.

I teach a class called "In Their Own Words: Artists Speak About Living a Creative Life" and in that class we talk a lot about process - the part of art that isn't really shown in museums, isn't necessarily talked about. To me, the process is the art - the art of discipline, of showing up every day to navigate some mysterious inner-compass, the art of failing, or missing your target, your vision not in line with what's coming out on the page or the canvas.

Book

As I aim to complete the upteenth draft of my fourth novel, years in the making, scenes written and then scrapped, characters born and then killed off, plot points determined and then eradicated, I'm counting on that ineffable feeling to let me know when it's 'done'. The final product - the mobile, the stabile, the book - well, that's just icing on the cake.

Melissa Clark is the author of Imperfect and Swimming Upstream, Slowly, and the creator of the animated television show, Braceface. She lives in Los Angeles and looks forward to 2014.

5 Favorite Quotes: The Writing Process From Beginning to End

 by Sara Rosett 

“How do you write a book?”

It's a question I’ve been asked a lot, and I still don't have a good answer. 

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

Instead of going with my usual vague response about ideas germinating into plot twists, character inspiration, and daily word counts, I thought I’d borrow words from other writers to explain my process. 

How I write in five easy steps:   

1. “The best time to plan a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” ― Agatha Christie

I’m always thinking about writing, stories, plots, characters, descriptions, etc. I cull ideas from news reports, snatches of overheard conversations, and other weird places like Pinterest, Facebook, and even my hair stylist (one of the best places to get story ideas, actually). Those ideas are always churning and activities like housework and long walks are great for sorting them out.

2. “Just get it down on paper, and then we’ll see what to do with it.” ― Maxwell Perkins

I literally would not be a published writer without this quote. I read it years ago when everything I had written was only a few chapters. Nothing was ever good enough:  the first line, the first paragraph, the first chapter. I got bogged down in revisions and never moved on to write the rest of the story.

When I read this quote I thought, well, if that’s the kind of advice he gave to his authors, which included Fitzgerald and Hemingway, then it was good enough for me. I decided I’d get my ideas down on paper first—the whole book—then revise.

3. “Writing is like driving at night. You can see only as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” ― E.L. Doctorow

Photo credit: d3designs from morguefile.com

I generally have a firm grasp of how the story begins and how it ends. I write mystery and suspense, so I know whodunit, how they did it, who the suspects are, and how everything wraps up, but that middle part is always a tad fuzzy. I’ve found once I start writing the details and plot twists come into focus as I write. 

For me, I have to get into the story to know what must happen next. Some writers know their whole book in great detail from beginning to end before they put even a word on paper. My little brain can’t hold all that info at once. I have to ease into it.

4. “Books aren't written - they're rewritten.” ― Michael Crichton

Ah, revision. I actually enjoy revising. It’s always a relief to me to get the first draft down then I can go back and clean it up. See #2 above.

5. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” ― Mark Twain

That quote pretty much sums up the final stage of writing, doesn’t it? When I do the final edit, the line edit, I agonize over the absolute best word, wrestling with nuance and sentence flow. And, don’t even get me started on commas….   

And one more quote for fun:

Bonus Quote: “Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” ― Groucho Marx

What are some of your favorite writing quotes?

Sara is currently immersed in #5 (line edits) for DECEPTIVE, the third book in the ON THE RUN series, which will be out in July. 

 

 The first two books in the series, Elusive and Secretive are available now. Elusive is currently free at Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords. 

 Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with her at www.SaraRosett.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

Sources:

Quote 1: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/123715.Agatha_Christie

Quotes 2 and 3: http://wingedword.wordpress.com/2010/06/06/some-quotes-about-writing/

Quote 4: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5194.Michael_Crichton

Quote 5: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1244.Mark_Twain

Bonus quote: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/43244.Groucho_Marx

January 15, 2013 by Melissa Clark

Holiday Break: A Tale in Diary Entries

Dec. 14, 2012

Woo Hoo! Grading complete, grades submitted, one whole month to shower attention on the WIP and read the pile of books by my bed! 

Dec. 15, 2012

Why do I have 3 holiday parties this weekend? After Sunday it's all about the WIP and digging through the pile of books by my bed!

December 21, 2012

Not sure where the week went. Why, when you go to acupuncture, do they make you come back so often? How am I supposed to get work done? A friend invited me skiing for the weekend in Big Bear. Woo hoo! Time to visit my WIP and bring a few of those books that are by my bed.

December 24, 2012

Xmas eve? How? When? Why? Skiing was amazing - days on the slopes, nights by the fire and bed by 10. Next week is gonna be a big writing week. Big.

January 2, 2013

When I bought the Yoga Groupon I didn't realize I'd use it almost every day - that made yoga classes about 3 dollars a pop. Score! I've seen so many good movies - Les Miz, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty... someone actually wrote those. They put pen to paper and wrote them. Impressive! One day, before school starts, I'm going to write my book. Uh huh. Truly.

January 7, 2013

Downton Abbey is the best thing on television. I watched seasons 1 and 2 in the past few days. Brilliant acting, amazing directing, and the writing! THE WRITING!

January 11, 2013

Last weekend before school starts up again. From Friday to Sunday I'm going to hunker down - stay here in my home since there are no flu germs inside and the weather outside is frightful, and print out my WIP. I'm going to lay it out on the floor, reorganize scenes, revisit my outline, rewrite the ending... I'll write 20 page a day to make up for the month of lost time. Nights, I'll try to get through at least 2 of the 10 books on my bedside shelf and mornings I'll rise and do it all over again. This is going to be the most intense, productive weekend ever. Bring it!

January 14, 2013

First day of classes. Thank God I remembered to create the syllabus last weekend, and tweak the assignments, and prep for my tutoring gig, apply to those artist residencies, help my friend get a cat at a shelter, do karaoke, get a flu shot, watch the Golden Globes, chat on the phone, do yoga, clean house, go on a date and get the car washed. 

Melissa Clark is a sometimes-writer, sometimes-blogger and sometimes-skier.