Hurdles-Recognizing the Obstacles in Your Writing

       What are your hurdles? To writing I mean. Do you have family obligations? Are you working a full time job? Giving care to a loved one? Or are there more, esoteric ones, like your mind? This last one is the biggest hurdle of all. The others already listed are basically surmountable odds. Creative scheduling, having a spouse or grandparent take care of your kids, or any “Down time,”becomes writing time.

       I wrote at night after putting my adult 'baby' to bed when I was taking care of my mother. I'd write and then get to bed around 2 a.m. Getting up around 9 a.m. to start her day. Those are the surmountable odds.

       The hurdles that are not so easy to go over, are the ones your mind puts into place. This is, as Natalie Goldberg has called, “Monkey Mind.” The internal critic we all struggle against, and yes even me. I am always getting input in from it. I just say, “Yea, I see that, but this is first draft, go away.” This years National Novel Writing Month critics favorite saying was, “This is not any good, it is crap.” To which I would reply, “It may be, but this is first draft, I can fix it later.”

     So I have developed my way of getting around them. Those internal critics, they can be defeated. How? You ask with skepticism in every look you give me. By doing warm ups, writing practices, which use the rules of writing practice that I learned from Natalie.

1. Keep your hand moving. Do not stop, except at the end of the line, but go immediately back to the left margin and repeat.
2. Do not edit or cross out. Just keep the pen moving (1).
3. Go with first thoughts: much like first impressions, just write them down, and move on without doing 2, but doing 1.
4. Go for the jugular: don't play it safe, if you think “I can't write that?” you are giving into that pesky simian.
5. You are free to write the worst crap in the World/Universe/Galaxy. And this is my favorite of all the rules. I exemplify this rule EVERY DAY! :)

       Writing is much like any other exercise, it needs to have stretching and warm ups are the way to do it.

So try this. Here is a prompt. Use it. Use a timer, set it for 10 minutes, and have a comfy writing pen, and paper to hand. Then go to it. You may use the comment section below to post it if you wish. I'll do it with you.

“I remember....” If you get stuck, just use this prompt again.

GO!

The Forty Thousand Word Slump

So you begin Nano with tremendous excitement, dreams of fancy certificates dance in front of your eyes, as you start your first word, your first 100, 1000 10k...then you keep going, you are on a roll, the sprints are pushing that word count into the ether, 20k, you are still going strong....30 k, not so bad, until you reach the dreaded 40 thousand mark.

<insert skidmarks here>

Yep, you stall out, you begin to think that you will never make it.  That the 50k was a fools dream.  You'll never finish right?  It's at 40k that I hit that wall.  It never fails...every year I hit it.  Everything up to that point seems ridiculously easy (at least for me).  But I smack right into it none-the- less.

Let me begin by pointing out,  I have won NaNoWriMo for the past three years (2009 through 2011, and also August Camp Nano as well 2012), so I know I can do it.  Since I have proven to myself I can do it, why is that last 10k so hard?

I think I have a theory, and it came to me years ago on the way back from a Star Trek Convention...yes, I said, a STAR TREK CONVENTION (and I'm a TREKKER not a TREKKIE so there :P)   Anyhow, I digress.  The convention had been a blast, and my firend Matt and I were driving back to Ohio.  We stopped overnight at a hotel, and I strangely felt badly depressed, I even cried (not letting Matt hear of course).  And for a week I was in that "Post Con letdown."

So I feel that is part of it.  I hit the 50k and win Nano and that let down feeling begins, so I'm already thinking about it.  I feel it is like a hitter in baseball, when they get a period called a slump.  Where they can't hit shit.  

And the closer I get to the 50k the worse it gets.  I try not to think about it, but it is there getting ready to pounce on me.  It's like maximum resistance on a treadmill or stair step, where every move is an agonizing hardship.  And it really hits bad when I've "reached" it only to find the Nano sites word counter doesn't agree with mine, so it is off to add more words (which sometimes I have had to write more words more than once).

That's when I see that it really is that old nemesis of mine, "Monkey Mind," (as Natalie Goldberg puts it in "Writing Down the Bones").  There's that evil simian, working his wiles on me and my writing.  Trying to crush the joy out of it.

So now it is back to basics time.  Change to a different scene in the book, one that will hold your interest so that the words flow like a stream, just focusing on that stream, and not the ocean; so that it will get to that ocean of 50 thousand words.  Or else I just think of it as a 10k word short story.  Whatever gets me out of the dangerous mindset.

Taking more breaks might also help, but sprints are more important than ever.  Change to writing longhand first.  I did so on a napkin at dinner tonight, working on part of a scene.  Which I believe will help me get to that coveted 50k.

So what tips do you have to impart with the "Rest of the class!"

Happy 40K everyone!

And may the odds be ever in your favor....sorry, I could NOT resist.

Blah.

Just a one off blog for now.  Just to keep my fingers moving across the keyboard.  Nothing really to impart, just random ramblings.  lol.  I'm just not in the mood to type up my newest blog on taking critiques.  Just not feeling it today, though I'm getting a better word count on NaNoWriMo.  For those of the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month.  Every November, people who participate in the insanity, write 50 thousand new words by the end of the month.  My fastest completion record is 18 days last year.  I have "won" it the last 3 years.

I think it was the first year I made it that I could prove to myself that I could do it! Once past that first year, it has been easy to do it.  It was the "Insurmountable barrier," that I couldn't see past that made me miss the 50  thousand or just give up.  I have been seeing the "I'm too far behind, and I know I won't make it..." statements a lot, and it is only day 10.

I tell people, that they can break it down by math.  They should take the amount of words they should be at, subtract what they got, and divide that by the amount of days remaining (in this case 20).  One of the people needs only 380ish words on top of the daily 1667 each day to make it.  Sprinting would have that in no time.

I did this method for August's Camp NaNoWriMo (put out by the same group that does the November ones), and came back twice and finished.  The "Insurmountable barrier" again rears it's ugly head!

This is an example of what I call the "Internal Critic."  Natalie Goldberg calls it, "Monkey Mind."  Sometimes this invisible beast comes to us in the voice of a well intention from a family member or friend.  It could be a teacher that says that you are "Not original, or you can't write."  Whoever it is, the more of these critics trying to stop me, shows that I'm on track.  It's the challenge to keep going I need.  I truly believe, the more obstacles you have in doing something, means that the universe is challenging you to take up the gauntlet and persevere.

So believe me when I say, just because you are behind, doesn't mean you can't catch up!  

Happy Halloween!

And now for something Completely Different... Happy Halloween!


Caspers (WY) Blood<y> (NY) Adventure

Casper (WY) slid into the 
Chocolate Bayou (MS)
hoping to find Witch Hazel (OR). 
He wanted to take his friend 
Guest (AL) 
to the Slaughter (DE, CA, & TN)
in Satans Kingdom (VT, MA)

When they arrived
they found Dead Women Crossing (OK)
with Pumpking Hook (NY) instead of hands.
Screamers (AL,TN) floating down their backs,
he knew then it was
HELL FOR CERTAIN (KY)

They tried to run around
Hells Corners (OH) passed 
Tombstone (AZ) and 
Fresh Kills (NY) littered 
on the ground

Guest fell behind
but Casper continued Guests screams
Echo (MN) 
in his head.

Suddenly Devils Ladder (ID)
appeared ahead.
He sprinted for it, horror gripped his heart, as
the Hounds were coming.
He gripped the first rung, 
placing his foot up he felt the hound grab at his 
heel.  

Panicked he pulled free, and scrambled up the ladder
to the Devils Tower (WY).

He crossed the top
and found the 
Devil's Slide (UT)
Caspar climbed upon it, and 
WHOOSH! he flew
down...down...down...
into the Devils Den (WY).

He let out a Yell (TN)
to the Nameless (TX) one and 
soon he saw a lantern appear 
held by the Mystic (TX) by the 
Dripping Springs (TX)

The Mystic led Casper
with his Bad Axe (MI) 
floating by his side.

Mystic led Caspar to 
Bat Cave (NC) where the floor
was covered in Bloody Springs (MS)

He could see Deadwood (OR) floating
bobbing up and down.
Smelling the combination of sulpher and Blood (NY),
creating a Bitter Springs (AZ)
he knew he would never forget

They got on a ferry
and drifted down 
out of the cave where 
Casper saw Kill Devil Hills (NC).

The ferry rounded Devils Elbow (CA)
where Savage (MN) Bloody Corners (OH)
led to Dead Man Crossing (OH).
He heard BOOS (IL) call to them
before they reached shore.

They had made it! 
They reached Candy Town (OH)!
Or had they....

The Etiquette of the Critique or Critique Etiquette...You decide!

     This topic came up as the result of a couple of my Facebook writing people. They were scared to put out their work for critique because of people who tore them apart, and were not constructive. They were hating on it, in other words. When you are a new writer, constructive criticism can feel like a personal attack against them. Basically a critiquer shows where the strengths are, and where there is room for improvement. However, there are good ways to critique, and bad ways to critique. When I belonged to a local critique group, this topic was discussed in detail for us to follow...thought I would share.

Critique Etiquette:

1. Be Courteous. There is nothing good about being an a**. Be respectful, this shows you are a professional. “This is the worst crap ever written,” is a BIG NO NO!
2. Be Professional: Use good grammar and do not use profanity. Basically use good manners.
3. Be Specific: Point out what you mean in your critique. Give examples. When I critique, I usually take out the section that needs work (that I think needs work), and mention
   what is the problem. Sometimes I even rewrite the passage to show what I mean. Words like “That didn't work for me...” with no explanation of where it didn't work is really annoying You can say, “This section didn't work for me, and this is why...”
4. Be Generous with praise: Point out things you really LIKED about the work. It can be as simple as highlighting it, and saying (like in brackets) <good job here> for example.
5. Babylon...oops wrong blog!
6. Be Clear and Concise: Make your notations and comments in clear, easy to understand wording. Nothing worse than having to ask about every little thing the critiquer has said in a critique, and this shows you are a professional...if they have to ask that many questions...you haven't done your job as a critiquer.
7. Do unto others...: Be respectful when doing a critique. I am because that is the way I would like to be treated when someone is critiquing me.
8. Be respectful of Writers Feelings: For instance, if you think something is too wordy (because too many details are being used), you could first state that the details really make the scene come to life, but then gently point out that sometimes it can interrupt flow, you could also make a brief suggestion on how to do that. Also, with newer writers, it can be helpful to point out only a couple of things to focus on, and praise the strengths you see.
9. Do Not Judge the Story itself: A critiquers job is to judge the quality of the writing. Especially if it is a genre you do not usually read.
10. Reread your critique: Before you send back a critique, go through to make sure it sounds good, and looks good. Looking professional is the key, and the writer has to be able to understand your critique.

I have a form with structural information...i.e. Spelling errors, grammatical errors (tallies), and repetitions. Then I have a section on pacing (flow), and structure comments. I add a disclaimer that states that the critique is just suggestions, and that I am making the comments to make the work stronger. But that the suggestions are just that...suggestions on how I *believe* what the work needs. Then I take the manuscript and go through it, making the comments themselves. Highlighting the errors on grammar, speelign, and specifics etc. To help the writer see what I mean.

So what experiences have you had with critiquing? What is the worst critique you have ever had? Conversely the best? In my next blog, I will discuss on how to take a critique of your work. Happy Writing and critiquing!

Helpful Sites:
http://www.chesapeake.edu/asc/CritiqueHandout.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/how_4515854_critique-writing.html

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics Part 3

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics part 3
Writing the Rough Draft.

So now we arrive at the meat and bones of NaNoWriMo.  The rough draft!  You have your sprinting sheet ready, it looks real pretty there against the backdrop of your computer, stuck up on your wall with duct tape, or you have it minimized on the tool bar.   What now?

Most times I do a warm up.  Something totally non related to the Nano project.  Writing is like any other exercise, except it is mental...but just because it is done in the psyche, doesn't mean you don't have to warm up first.  Like a runner stretching before a workout, getting your brain warmed up is not a bad idea.   There are some writing prompts on the Writers Digest site, and also some really good ones online.  Here are a few to check out:

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/
http://www.writing.com/main/writing_prompts
http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?ID=1309

I just randomly pick out a prompt, and do a 10 minute timed writing.   I usually do those long hand.  There is something about the pen on paper, that accesses my creative side.  Using a computer, just doesn't give me that "In the moment," feeling.  I keep the notebook, and when I reread them later, I find great lines, or it may spark an idea for something new. Some of these may make it into my work in progress, but mostly they show up in new projects...but that is another blog for another time.

So now I'm ready to work on my Nano project.  I usually have an idea where I am starting.  As long as there is a flow going, that is how I work.  If I start getting bored, I either A) Stop working on it, and take a break.  B) I jump around to somewhere else in the story.   NOTE:  I put a note in the manuscript that is what I'm doing.  If that does not work, then I go with C) to another project, or do a writing prompt...this circumvents the internal critic.

If I do take a break, I go play with the dog (I also have a cat now), or take a walk, or watch some TV.  Housework is oftentimes cathartic, and gets you into a zen moment.  Whatever way you choose to get past the "block" AKA "Internal Critic," you need to choose what works for you.  Because, sometimes if you try to force it, your mind rebels to the point where you just won't do it.

Be good to yourself, and give yourself permission to take that break

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics Part 2

The Sprint

So yesterday, or rather probably earlier this morning, I wrote about the rules of writing practice to get rid of that pesky internal critic.   Keep the hand moving, Be specific, Go for the jugular, Don't edit or cross out, Lose control, and You are free to write the worse crap in the universe.   This is the way I do writing sprints.  I come at Nano with an idea, and some characters fleshed out.  Basics like where I think the story will go...but the actual writing comes out as one long writing practice.

So you want to participate in sprints...GREAT!  They are very helpful.  Don't worry if you get only 200 words or 800 words, any words are all good.   Having said that, here is what I do when I go into sprinting for the day.    In the Manuscript, I start out with notations..."Day 1" then underneath "Sprint 1," or 2,3.4 etc.   At the end of the sprint, I highlight that sprint, and do a word count.  Once I do that, I add that count underneath the sprint.   And then I start out the next sprint with "Sprint 2." and so on until I quit for the day.  I normally don't wait until the end of the day to do the next step.   Just add to the document as I go.   But I do what I call a "Sprint Log."  Here is what it looks like.

Day      Sprint 1         Sprint 2          Total for day       Total for project    Daily Goal
1
2
3
4
5

Something like that.  You could also add a column for your own daily goal, or the target of 1667 words (going down the entire column.

Then I have a dry erase board, where I put the figures (totals only) at the end of the day.  That way I can see it in front of me as I work.

Make sure when you are adding your totals into your manuscript, you save OFTEN!

Tomorrow (or as soon as I can), I will continue with an in depth part of what I do in a first draft.