I work long and hard on my novel outlines, making sure the main character has a goal to work towards, rising action and challenges before a crisis propels the story towards a satisfactory climax.
So why does it surprise me when I find myself wavering off course? I'm determined to finish the first draft without looking back at what I've written, but that came to a halt the other day when I realized my main character was taking a backseat behind the antagonist.
Actually, the antagonist began as the protagonist since he will be in all four books of the series. It made sense while I was writing the outline, but while reading the first draft scenes to my trusted colleagues in our writers' circle, they reminded me who needs to be the main character in the first novel.
Taking two steps back, I realize they're right. Now what? I've written 150 pages. After pondering the problem for a few days, I decide all I need to do is rearrange the chapters, bringing the new protagonist to the beginning of the novel. Easily done since I never use chapter numbers in the first draft.
Now I feel satisfied with the written chapters, but what about the rest of the outline? I've added notes on the outline where the changes will happen. Should I forge ahead and resolve the holes that crop up as I write or should I take the time to rewrite the outline? What's a writer to do?
I was cleaning out the cupboard below one of my book shelves when I came across an old notebook containing famous people's quotes I've copied over the years. Some of them are from best-selling authors. I've always wondered if authors of classic novels had an easier time writing than I do. Apparently not, according to some of the quotes in my notebook.
Most of my stories begin with a character and then the 'what ifs' come into play.
Find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!
Ray Bradbury
Good advice and here's another one.
I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.
Stephen King
Beginning to write a new story or novel can be daunting. Figuring out where to set it, what goal to give the main character and keeping the plot on course can slow us down.
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good.
William Faulkner
To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.
Herman Melville
Sometimes we get lost in the writing process, but giving up isn't an option.
Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
E. L. Doctorow
It's important to surround yourself with supportive family and friends. Encouragement and praise is something writers feed on.
It is the writer who might catch the imagination of young people, and plant a seed that will flower and come to fruition.
Isaac Asimov
What could be harder than writing? Editing, of course.
Half my life is an act of revision.
John Irving
Only half! Self-editing is a never ending chore. When is a manuscript good enough to send out?
It is perfectly okay to write garbage, as long as you edit brilliantly.
C. J. Cherryh
I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.
Gustave Flaubert
It's difficult to know what length the manuscript will be when all your little gems have been written down.
Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long time to make it short.
Henry David Thoreau
Some (or should I say many?) writers have a primary career and writing is a hobby. Finding your title on the Best Seller's list is usually just a dream.
It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous.
Robert Benchley
Wherever a writer goes, people are always amazed when they learn what you do.
People on the outside think there's something magical about writing, that you go up to the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn't like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that's all there is to it.
Harlan Ellison
And a few final words of inspiration.
If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write.
Somerset Maugham
We were out and about this afternoon, doing a few chores and picking up some groceries at Costco. I love to peruse their book section and where else can you buy new releases for almost half the cover prices? I already own The Painted Girl by Cathy Marie Buchanan, so I kept shuffling along, dodging around shopping carts and children nagging their parents for toys and snacks.
And then I saw it--The Accursed, by Joyce Carol Oates. JCO is one of my favourite authors. Who can deny the brilliance of The Gravedigger's Daughter and We Were the Mulvaneys?
The jacket blurb of The Accursed sounded promising with its Gothic setting, vampires and ghosts set in the early 1900s, but still I hesitated.
You see, I'd given up vampire literature. I have nothing against vampires. Some of my favourite characters have fangs. One of the best novels I devoured in a couple of sittings was Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice. I read it when it was first published in 1976. I was young and impressionable and there hadn't been any novel like it since Bram Stoker's Dracula.
I'm sorry to say that vampires have been overwritten and oversold ever since Anne Rice opened the door to modern vampirism.
But there was still something about The Accursed that intrigued me. I loved the cover art and the 600 pages didn't deter me since I love long, historical novels with multiple viewpoints and supernatural elements. My gut feeling told me to buy it, but I didn't, mostly because my hubby hates shopping and he was waiting, not so patiently, with the shopping cart. When we got home I hurried to my computer and looked up The Accursed and discovered that it's a revised and retitled edition of The Crosswicks Horror, which is on my list of must reads.
Thirty years ago, Joyce Carol Oates wrote a sequence of five Gothic novels. Bellefleur, 1980, became a bestseller, but the next two, A Bloodsmoor Romance 1982 and Mysteries of Winterthurn, 1984, were less successful and the final two, The Crosswicks Horror and My Heart Laid Bare, were not published.
Joyce Carol Oates revised My Heart Laid Bare and it was published in 1998, and now she has revised and retitled The Crosswicks Horror.
So I've been bitten by the vampire craze once again and I'll be returning to Costco in the very near future to buy The Accursed.
The ground is covered with snow that has hardened to ice, but tomorrow is predicted to be the start of winter thaw. I'm looking forward to seeing tulip buds and hyacinths peeking out of the ground and exploring the back garden to see what has survived and what will require my attention. The garden hides her secrets during the winter months and reveals them one by one as the snow melts and the sun rejuvenates the dormant foliage.
It's my daily custom to feed birds and squirrels from a box, hanging on the branch of a birch tree and, occasionally, I am rewarded by the call of a bluejay or cardinal. My office window overlooks the backyard and these small wildlife offerings help brighten the loneliness of a writer's life.
I've spent the morning catching up on chores and making a To-do list for the week. Here it is early afternoon and I haven't started on my list, but a fresh page awaits my attention.
I think it's important during the cold months of the year to create a serene space where my creative juices are able to flow and not freeze like the landscape outside my window. I keep cherished knickknacks close by and my pens are stored in a blue china mug on my desk. A framed Monet print of water lilies and a vision board, showcasing cards and photographs of people and places I love, share one wall, while the other walls are hidden behind white bookshelves crammed with favorite volumes that have all been read several times.
My writing room is constantly changing to accommodate new favorite items that give me pleasure and help to inspire the inner writer in me.
What are some of the things that inspire your writing?
IS YOUR TO-DO LIST A MILE LONG?
If
you’re like me, you probably have several projects on the go and you’re
feeling a little overwhelmed. I always thought I was a wizard at multitasking, but lately, nothing seems to be getting done at my desk.
There are two open files and papers scattered over my desk. There are
four pads of paper with notes telling me what needs to be done.
Clippings of book reviews remind me that I need to make a
trip to the library soon.
I
have a long list of To-Do items and some of them I’m looking forward to
doing, but I just sit at my desk that’s stacked with folders and lip
gloss and nail polish, and procrastinate by refilling my coffee cup and
reading the morning paper. Which folder should I start on first?
FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME
It’s
so easy to begin one project and put it aside to work on something
else, but pretty soon there’s a stack of unfinished work that is
demanding your attention. Now you’re wasting time worrying about how and
when the work will get done. If the multitasking isn’t working, resort
to a more structured method.
If
writing is your main means of earning money, and even if it isn’t, make
sure your friends and family know that there are certain times you
won’t be available to chat or help with homework or bake chocolate chip
cookies. Writing is work or should I say hard work?
GET HELP
Outsource
some of your non-writing tasks such as housework, shopping, cooking,
etc to others. Close your office door, hang up a DO NOT DISTURB sign and
let the message machine pick up your calls so you can get to work. But
first you need to do a few things. Take a look at your desk. Can you
actually see the surface? Remove anything that doesn’t need to be there
including the dust. We’ll do it together.
Great,
now I have a clean working space in front of me with no distractions.
Just the notes that I wrote this morning for this post are in front of
me and I will complete this task before I move on to something else.
PLAN IN ADVANCE
Make
a To-Do list and start with the most pressing project, the one that has
a deadline or will bring in some cash. If there aren’t any deadlines,
start with the easiest task and work your way up to the more complicated
ones. I don’t like to plan too far ahead so I don’t make monthly
schedules. Weekly and daily schedules work better for me. Make sure you
keep that list and all the associated files hidden from view while
you’re working. They’re just a daunting reminder of the 101 things that
need to be done. Concentrate on one thing at a time. It’s called SINGLE
HANDLING. If you’ve been writing for a while you’ll know how long each
project should take. Allot a specific amount of time for each task on
your schedule, but add extra time for glitches.
GROUP SIMILAR TASKS TOGETHER
If
you have several posts to write for blogs, or query letters to editors
and literary agents, do them one after another. Working on similar tasks
will keep you in that frame of mind and the work will flow quickly. If
one task is long, like writing a novel, break it down into smaller
chunks.
Writing
may be the main part of our daily efforts, but there are other facets
to writing that are just as important. Editing and marketing take up a
great deal of time and need to be on the To-Do list.
Allot
a specific amount of time to answer emails, organize or research.
Taking a trip into the internet can turn into a maze of clicking from
one site to another and, before you know it, the day is over. Use a
timer if you usually get distracted. Give yourself enough time to
message friends and co-workers, and then get started on the real work.
LEARN TO SAY NO
Are
you the one who always gets drafted into helping others? That was me
until a few years ago. I didn’t like to disappoint people, but since I’m
not the type to ask for help, my favors were rarely reciprocated. If
the favor doesn’t compensate you financially and it will eat into your
writing time, think before you say yes. One way to stop the good deeds
is to charge money for your time. Just say, “I’d love to help you, but
if it’s during my working schedule, I charge so much an hour.” My guess
is you won’t be asked to do favors anytime soon.
There
are three things on my list that I need to do today. The first is
to write this blog. I can cross that one off. And next I must critique
novel chapters for two writers from my writing circle. Once I track the
changes and comments, I’ll send them off, one to Florida where a member
spends her winters (lucky lady) and the other locally.
One thing I know for certain is that my To-Do list will never be finished.
So how do you organize your To-Do list?
TO PLOT OR NOT TO PLOT
A plot is a daydream that a writer uses to craft a novel. Many books have been written on how to write a first draft, how to create interesting characters, how to write natural dialogue and how to beat writer's block, but the one thing the 'HOW TO' books can't agree on is when to plot the novel.
Some books insist that a writer should spend weeks, maybe months, writing a detailed plot, including spreadsheets of characters' descriptions and their backgrounds. The other books suggest that plotting inhibits the creative flow of a novelist. The information is conflicting and confusing. So what should a novice writer do?
A NOVEL IS A JOURNEY
Why do so many many novice writers never finish their novel? Most writers start out with a two-page outline and run out of steam or ideas or encounter writer's block. Writers must know where their plots are going. If you were taking a long car trip, you wouldn't leave without a detailed map or GPS tracker. A novel is like a journey and if the writer plans in advance, the ride will be much smoother.
The excitement of beginning a novel without an outline can be hazardous to the writing process, sort of like jumping into the deep end of a pool without knowing how to swim.
WHY PLOT FIRST?
If your memory is a sieve like mine, you may want to get all your ideas on paper before you begin to write your novel. Knowing what is going to happen allows the writing process to flow without stopping to work out any glitches. I don't believe a writer needs fifty to one-hundred outlined pages before they begin to write. I've done that in the past and realized when the novel was finished that I didn't use half of the notes or research I spent months working on.
There's something about jotting down initial plot ideas with a pen and paper that I find stimulating. I love to fill a notebook with ideas, character sketches and research that is relevant to the novel. This is what I use to craft a formal outline in the computer.
I like to create scenes separately, because it's hard to know how long each chapter will be when it's written. I don't number chapters until I'm finished editing the first draft. So, scene by scene, I draft what I hope will be an outline that takes my characters on a journey that a reader will enjoy. I write a paragraph or two about what happens in each scene. For point of view, I decide which character has the most to gain or lose and detail the conflict he/she encounters.
BEFORE YOU PLOT YOUR NOVEL
A writer needs to know the characters inside and out. A page describing each character in your notebook will come in handy when you forget what color eyes they have or how tall they are.
You need to know the main character's goal and what obstacles will get in his/her way. What motivates the main character to keep stumbling through hundreds of pages to achieve that goal?
EXPECT TO DEVIATE FROM THE PLOT
There's no such thing as a perfect first draft, but the more plotting and researching you do before writing, the less editing you'll need to do later. It will also allow you to write a manuscript that doesn't end up looking like the dog's dinner during the editing process.
Don't stop writing to make those brilliant changes you suddenly think of or you'll lose momentum. Jot ideas down in your notebook and keep writing until you finish the first draft. Taking the time to craft a scene-by-scene outline will save a writer from abandoning an unfinished novel.
What is your favorite way to plot a novel?
In Honour of Valentine's Day
I'd like to pay tribute to a few of my favorite romance books. Romance novels were a big part of my life when I was much younger and I still remember many of the plots and characters. Scarlett O'Hara's headstrong disposition kept me riveted through Gone With the Wind's one thousand pages. The shy and humble unnamed heroine in Rebecca was closer to my personality, but I didn't appreciate her until my adult years. I preferred feisty heroines like Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet.
I especially love historical novels
They transport me to other places and eras. The first classic romance I read at age twelve was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which was to be the catalyst to a genre that would sweep me away to foreign countries with castles and manor houses and brooding gentlemen, hidden secrets, family curses and sometimes insane wives locked in the attic.
I prefer happy endings, although some of the greatest love stories end tragically. I still have a second edition of Jane Eyre with yellowed pages and black leather binding, which I found in a secondhand bookshop many years ago. Unfortunately the text is underlined with pen (don't blame me) and it isn't worth much, but to read from this volume makes me believe I am part of C. Bronte's world.
The following list of great romance novels is not in order of preference
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Possession by A. S. Byatt
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
I know I've left a few romance novels off my list
Anything written by Georgette Heyer and Rosamund Pilcher deserve to be mentioned. I'm sure you've noticed that my list of great romance novels does not include books with vampires and werewolves. Please don't judge me. I really do love horror novels, but my list is for human lovers only.
Since my adolescent years I have held a fascination for Pre-Raphaelite artists and poets, probably because they represent Gothic romantic themes. Many of the titles on my list are Gothic novels that I never tire of reading. The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott is a poem so I left it off the list, but it's breathtaking.
Do you agree with my list? What is your favorite romance novel of all time? ♥
