Scheduling Time to Write

As I mentioned in my post last week, I will be writing from home (or Panera/library) full time starting this Monday. It's hard to believe I will have the (on average) nine hours a day I spent at work Monday through Friday to write. It seems like a ton of time to work on the craft that I love, but we all know how quickly time can be zapped away.

In preparation for my new found life, I started to go through my files trying to figure out where to even begin. I realized that I have a small problem. I am currently working on two stories (which for me is a problem in itself) and have multiple copies of both. I'm the first to tell you, make sure to back up your work. I had to write three+ chapters over again when a file of my last story, Lost and Found was corrupt and I didn't have a current backup. That being said, I now have three versions of one of the books and two of the other. Before I start to even think about sitting down to write I need to figure out what I'm going to be working on and what files are most current.

Now comes the topic of this post, schedules. I have a very loose time line in my mind of when I want to have one of my current WIPs edited and ready to start querying, but is an end date enough? I'd love to hear how some of you manage your writing time throughout the week when not working full time. I know that everyone is different, but just a general schedule would be helpful.

I think it's important to have an idea of what I want to accomplish in a day/week's time so I can feel as if I've completed something. This is one of the problems that I see arising with working for myself. I'm the kind of person that likes to hear praise from co-workers/peers/my boss. It keeps me going and makes my day. Once those are gone (or at least, a lot of it. I'll still have the great ups and downs with the crit group), I fear I will become complacent. I like the satisfaction of ticking someone off a list when it's finished.

I will be starting my new writing journey by figuring out what story to focus on, which is the most current files (and archiving the old) and tackling a schedule. Any advice is welcome!

Story Zombies- Learning from your Undead Stories

It’s hard to look in your drawers and see stories you poured your heart into just sitting with no future. Like every writer who has been working on the writing craft for many years, some stories just never see the light of day again. I have quite a few of them. I’m sure we all do.

If you’re like me, you feel a pull to try and do something with them.It's as if they've come to life and are calling your name. I call them Story Zombies. The work that just won't die. As the years pass and the dust builds, you think to yourself "Maybe if I just rewrote a few parts" or "If I wrote it in a different tense or for a different audience." I had that very thought just last week. I'm one of those people who tend to remember their stories way better, or more complete than they actually are. That's when I pick it up and start reading. It's good to read them. Rewrite them? I'm here to advise you, don't do it!

Story are like a puzzle, each scene making up a piece. As hard as it is to write a 1st draft, it's that much harder to take an old story and make it into something that it's not. You can fit a corner piece into the center of the puzzle and expect the picture to make sense. In my opinion, it's always easier to take your initial idea, the part that may work for your new story and write it from page one.

There are always exceptions to the rule. I'm sure quite a few books came about from an author re-vamping an old story that sat under their bed for years. I'd love to hear of a few if anyone knows of any offhand.

So, despite my old stories awakening, hoping to be Frankensteined to life once more, I will take what I learned from writing them and apply it to a new fresh set of characters. The lesson was learned. Those stories exist so that I can go back when I'm having a bad day and remember just how far my writing as come.

Through the Good and the Bad: Crit Partners

This post is going to be a little short, because I totally lost track of the week and now work from my day job is waiting to be done. Despite its length, I think it's an important post. We've all felt overwhelmed in our lives. Once I hit the "publish post" button, I will have officially put my fears, apprehension and doubts away. We'll, at least for awhile.

Recently our crit group took a hiatus. It was much needed for the three of us. Between our personal lives, jobs and book launches (YAY Kitty and Tracy (ahem, I mean Judith!), we found that the group wasn't doing what we set out to accomplish. Instead of it being a safe haven for us to let down our guard as a group and go through our work with a fine tooth comb, it became stressful. At least, that's how it felt to me. We weren't consistent, weren't active enough to be helpful. I found that I would put off the crits and my chapters (we try to crit a chapter a week) until the last moment, because other things in my life were swallowing me whole. I wasn't enjoying it like I used to. In the past, I looked forward all week to their new chapters, waiting to see where their stories went. I sat at the edge of my chair, waiting for their critique of my new words, biting my nails in anticipation whether good or bad. Sadly, that went away.

I was working on two project at the time of our hiatus, but instead of feeling refreshed and creative when jumping back and forth, I just felt overwhelmed. It was like I didn't know if I was coming or going. I thought that I could take a break for a few weeks and then jump back in. To a certain extent I did, at least for awhile. I wrote a VERY rough draft (minus the last few chapters) of one of my ideas. I had fun, but it didn't have the spark I wanted it to. I didn't know why it had lost its whimsical feel that the synopsis, lore and first chapters had. Shrugging it off, I jumped into my other story hoping that I just needed to step back from the first one to get a new perspective when we went back. Writing the second story wasn't as easy. I struggled, and instead of working through it, I put it down. Stupid I know.

After a few months of reflection, I realized what was missing. It wasn't anything that changed with me specifically, it was that I didn't have the safe haven of my crit group to talk me through the bad times, cheer for me through the good. I didn't have them riding me when I didn't write, reminding me why I love to write and read every day. The last few months have been a nice getaway, where I can focus on other things in my life, but now I'm ready to jump back into it. I'm happy to saw that we will be back together starting this Sunday! I look forward to the roller coaster ride that is a fun crit group.

Thanks girls for making me a better writer and making sure that I stay on top of everything. Without you, my work wouldn't be where it is at today. It's all because of you.

(Okay, so I lied, this post isn't that short).

Using Life Experiences in Your Writing- A Contest!

We've all had that day that is quite unbelievable. The moment that you stop what you're doing and say "This can't really be happening." Stranger than fiction indeed.

I had a moment like this (not really strange mind you, but was a total face palm moment) last weekend and one of the first things Tracy said to me when I told her the story was something like, "you have to find a way to get that into a story." I wanted to share my stupidity, because I thought it would be fun to hear your stories of 'ohmygod, why did I just do that?'

The commenter with the best story will win one of the books below! All you have to do is tell us a short story or moment that was stranger than fiction, or was something you needed to write in one of your stories. The contest will end Tuesday, March 30th at 10pm PT. Good Luck!

Now, for my story!

My husband and I just bought a 1950 Chevy 3100 truck. Now, this truck is currently 60 years old, so there are a few things that are a little different than cars produced today. For example, the starter is on the floor. To start the car, you turn the key to the "on" position and then step on the button to the right of the gas pedal to start the car. Weird, huh?

Anyway, so we got it home and parked. Since it was parked outside, instead of the garage at that moment, we wanted to make sure it was locked. My husband rolled up the window of the passenger side, looked the door (by pushing the door handle down) and then slide out on the right side. We then proceeded to push the handle down on that door and slammed it shut. Perfect, the door was closed and locked!

Not so perfect once we tried to unlock the door with the key. The cars back in the '50s, or at least this one, only has one keyhole on the whole truck, which is located on the passenger side. We slide the key in the lock and turned, hearing a click! Sweet, the door is unlocked again...or so we thought! After a good five minutes of wiggling the key, we solemnly walked to the phone and called the previous owner. "What's the trick?" we asked, hoping he would tell us you have to give it one turn to the left and two to the right, or something fancy like that. Nope, of course not. We aren't THAT lucky. So, the previous owner drove the 15 miles to our house to try to get it open. Again, no such luck. We ended up calling AAA (which we didn't have, but he did!). AAA...not so helpful in the whole opening the door thing. The guy thought it was a cool truck and then proceeded to tell us he had no way into it and all he could do is tow it. An hour later, it was on the tow truck, pulling away.

We owned the truck for two hours tops and had proceeded to already lock ourselves out of it, with the only solution being to tow it to a shop that could pop out a back window to get inside. I'm happy to announce that we now have the truck back, with a new seal on one of the back windows. We learned our lesson, and also you can't lock a 1950 truck door from the inside and then unlock it from the outside.

Now, I must find a way to write the story into a book. Who locks themselves out of their new vehicle less than an hour after owning it? Apparently us!



Can't wait to hear all of your crazy stories! The books to choose from if you are the lucky winner:



Eight Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (Paperback)

From Amazon: Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: He’s being hunted by a vampire killer.




I heart you, you haunt me by Lisa Schroeder (paperback)

From Amazon:

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear hisvoice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she'scrazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.


My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger (hardback)

From bn.com: Best friends and unofficial brothers since they were six, ninth-graders T.C. and Augie have got the world figured out. But that all changes when both friends fall in love for the first time. Enter Alé. She's pretty, sassy, and on her way to Harvard. T.C. falls hard, but Alé is playing hard to get. Meanwhile, Augie realizes that he's got a crush on a boy. It's not so clear to him, but to his family and friends, it's totally obvious! Told in alternating perspectives, this is the hilarious and touching story of their most excellent year, where these three friends discover love, themselves, and how a little magic and Mary Poppins can go a long way.


The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (paperback)

From bn.com: The Ashbury-Brookfield pen pal program is designed to bring together the two rival schools in a spirit of harmony and "the Joy of the Envelope." But when Cassie, Lydia, and Emily send their first letters to Matthew, Charlie, and Sebastian, things don't go quite as planned. What starts out as a simple letter exchange soon leads to secret missions, false alarms, lock picking, mistaken identities, and an all-out war between the schools--not to mention some really excellent kissing.

Writing About Past Experiences

One of the books I’m currently working on focuses on a period in my life that I would rather soon forget. Originally I had no intensions of writing about it. I never even dreamed of it, actually.

Then the month of July rolled around. When I’m forced to write (or I would feel stupid when I can’t even write 1,000 words each day of a single month and have to post my shame on the blog) I tend to just stare at the page and nothing happens. I need to be in a frame of mind to get the words down (or GOOD words I should say). During July’s 1k-a-day challenge on the blog, I was stuck on Parlor (my other WIP). I needed to write my 1,000 words and I had already spent too much time staring at the screen and the flashing cursor. Not even thinking, I opened a blank document in Word and started to type. Before I realized what I was writing, I was several pages into telling my story.

I now feel I need to write down my story. Many authors have taken their life experiences and made them into fiction novels that are moving, interesting and can help so many people who may be in the same situation. The first book/series that comes to mind is Ellen Hopkin’s Crank and Glass. She took a hard time in her family’s life and turned it into an amazingly moving two book story. I poured through both books (and all of her books for that matter. If you’ve never read Ellen Hopkins, stop reading this blog post and go to your local library/bookstore right now! TRUST ME!). Not only have the books been hugely successful, but Ellen has talked about how she gets fan mail stating her books have helped so many teens.

Right now, I’m happy to write my story. I’m going to write it as I know it, but I plan go back in a second draft (if it even gets that far) and change it to read as fiction. We’ll see what happens. It’s good therapy if nothing else.

Have you taken a life experience and either used it as a main plot point, or woven it into a story?

Planning a Writers' Retreat

Around a month ago, I received an email from a cruise line company with fares so low, my mouth dropped. I happened to be talking to my friend online at the time, and mentioned the price in passing for the 4-day weekend cruise. I joked with her that we should go on a writing cruise, and she jumped at the idea. Spending four days on a boat stuck in the middle of the ocean, eating and drinking all day with our laptops on our laps sounded like heaven.

Unfortunately, the dates of the cruise didn't work with our schedules, but the seed was planted for a writers' retreat. Yesterday we booked a beautiful Bed and Breakfast, with an amazing garden, in Solvang, CA for three days. Solvang is a sleepy Danish town tucked away in the San Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County about two and a half hours outside of Los Angeles. Rolling hills surround the town that is known for great food, bakeries and candle making.

This will be my first experience traveling to write. I can't explain to you how excited I am, yet also leery. Leery? Scared? It's not the travel, or staying in a Bed and Breakfast for the first time, it's the fear of having writer's block. The trepidation of sitting the whole weekend starting at a blank screen, wasting away in a chair and having nothing to show for the weekend.

I plan to start my new story, Parlor, while there. In the next two weeks (the trip is May 1-3), I hope to have the lore and basic plot down so that I have no excuses.

For those of you who have planned a trip around writing, how did you make sure you were fully prepared when you got there?

Everything I Need to Know About Writing I Can Learn from The Shining

Time: 9:43 am (Hey I slept in!)
Today's highlight: Watching season 2 of Supernatural on DVD
This week's highlight: Going to Quebec City - packing is at top of to-do list.

As a horror movie buff I enjoy my October long tradition of renting as many horror flicks possible, and catching as many on TV as time allows. I thought I’d blog on one of my particular favourites, Stanley Kubrick’s, The Shining, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same title (which BTW, I haven’t actually read but will rectify shortly).

Everything I Need to Know About Writing I Can Learn from The Shining:

1. Flawed characters resonate with readers. Jack Torrance is a recovering alcholoic, a violent man who wants to set things right with his family. Wendy, his wife, is a skitish woman, living with an abusive husband, giving him yet another chance. Their son, Danny, is unlike other children. Readers can relate to different aspects of each character – they represent parts of ourselves we fear.

2. Characters have to change. But not always for the better. Jack starts off on a higher path of redemption but loses his way and descends into madness. Wendy is forced to shed her sheep clothing and defend her son like a lioness. Danny learns to use his talent. But ultimately, we revel in Jack’s fall.

3. Setting can affect plot in monstrously huge ways. The Overlook Hotel is meant to be overflowing with people – the lack of them makes it grotesque. A sudden snowstorm creates an environment of isolation and fear. Yes, setting. This is one I struggle with. I’m a heavy-dialogue writer, I tend to neglect setting. But perhaps I’m looking at it wrong. Setting is not just a description of what is out the window. It is a description of what a character perceives is out the window.

4. If there’s an obvious way for characters to escape or for the story to end, nix it. As The Shining reaches it’s arc and the characters are desperate to escape - the only means of communication, a radio is destroyed and so is the only vehicle capable of trekking through the snow. Nothing can come easy for characters. Readers are too sophisticated - they want meat with their potatoes. Plot needs to have twists and misdirection. Things can always get worse. In fact, they must.

5. Secondary characters need history and purpose. They just might save the day. Dick Hallorann, the chef at the Outlook Hotel, has a similar talent to Danny, he relates to the boy, offers advice and ultimately comes to the rescue. Minor characters can’t just be quirky portraits, they need motivation, full development, should advance the plot, introduce conflict and present solutions.

6. All work and no play makes Tracy a dull girl. Write, yes. But live, too.

7. Isolation isn’t always a writer’s dream come true. We all want to quit our day jobs, hide in a room and write. But isn’t that living in a vacuum? Some of my best ideas came to me while I was at work or hanging out with friends. Carry a notebook and a pen at all times. Self-imposed hermit-hood ain’t the way to go.