#221 Old Projects Versus New: A Random Surfer Analogy

Over the last 15 years, I've started a dozen writing projects that fizzled before they were finished.  Some were as short as 6 pages.  Others, as long as 600 pages.  For one reason or another (mostly work, lack of time, or dissatisfaction) I abandoned these projects and left them collecting dust on an old computer or hard drive.

Recently, I spoke with a writer friend of mine who asked me about the writer life.  We talked for more than an hour about what we were working on, and I was intrigued by the difference of our two approaches.  He had 4 or 5 older projects that he'd written and wished to revisit for potential publication, while I had 3 or 4 new ideas that I wished to start, but wasn't sure which one to explore first.

So I spent Wednesday night with a bottle of wine (actually two) reading through several old manuscripts to see if I might be making a mistake by exploring new projects.  I'm conflicted.  I had some ideas that intrigue me.  They seem solid to me and I already have a base of work done on them, so perhaps revisiting them might be like beginning a project on second base instead of standing in the on deck circle.  Seems smart, right?

Here's my issue.  Writing a novel is more like surfing a wave to me than scoring a run in baseball.  I sit on the board in the middle of the ocean and wait for the right one to lift me up and carry me back to shore.  Sometimes I see one I like, and I jump on.  I ride it as long as possible, but some projects throw me back into the ocean.  So I paddle back out and look for another one.  Sometimes, I find a good one, and I ride it gloriously into shore, and in the end, I have a finished project.

My stack of old manuscripts represent waves that threw me off my board.  I couldn't ride them all the way back.  To revisit these old projects is like trying to catch a wave that's already begun to break.  I already gave that wave a shot and fell.

Is this too much surfer analogy for one post?

What about you other writers?  How often do you revisit old projects?  When it comes time to start something new, do you gravitate toward new ideas, or do you explore old manuscripts for unfinished gems?

#210 Identity Revisited, Again

I've written posts on identity and selling yourself as a writer.  And still, I find myself struggling with the concepts in my own life.  I write pretty much every day and I've published (indie-style) two books.  I am close to completing my third and am vigorously working on my fourth.  I've been at it more than a year and will dedicate the remainder of 2015 to getting more books out.  There is no doubt that I'm a writer.  Except for one teensy detail.  I don't yet make enough money to support myself.

That is one important detail.

We recently went to Vietnam for a two-week vacation.  We met several people on our travels.  Every conversation included the question, "What do you do?"  My wife answered, "Attorney," which garnered a polite smile and a respectful nod of the head.  I answered, "I'm a writer."  This never failed to bring a surprised expression and the follow up question, "Really?"

YES, really!

I don't take offense to the skepticism...I really don't.  Here's the problem.  Doubt exists within the mind of every working author.  And not just within the minds of budding authors like myself.  This includes the moderately successful ones, and I'm convinced it includes the super successful ones as well.  It's tough enough to say the words, "I'm a writer."  Yet for some reason we're made to say them twice.

I'm not trying to complain or change how people respond to writers they meet, both at home and abroad.  I wish to help writers.  So here is my advice: take ownership of the work you do.  Be proud.  Only a small percentage of people can do what we do, just as only a small percentage of people can play professional basketball.  Be confident.  And when someone says, "Really?  You're a writer?"  Nod your head and direct them to your book so that your work finds a reader.  Ultimately, this will lead to you making enough money to support yourself.

#198 A Day In The Life...Revisited

I re-read yesterday's post and found it to be a beating.  Utterly brutal.  So I'd like to revise to make my point easier to digest.

How can a writer find time?  What do 9-5ers do to get a story written when they spend so much time at work.  How do other authors do it?

These are big questions, and they impede many writers from doing what they love.  I don't have all the answers.  All I have is perspective that comes from my own experience as a writer.  So in the interest of helping others, I will share my perspective:

• Every writer is different.  There is no one correct formula.  Find what works for you, then be consistent.
• I write better in small blocks of time.  If you sit me down in front of a computer for 8 hours and ask me to write a short story, I'll have a more difficult time than if you give me 4 2-hour blocks separated by snippets of time spent doing something else.
• One specific time of day does not work better or worse for me.  I can write early in the morning or late at night.  If I'm in the middle of a project, I can sit down and write.  Not everyone is like that.  If there's a time of day that works better for you, then schedule your writing time around that.  
• Some people measure progress by pages.  Others, who are slightly more precise, use word count.  It doesn't matter which you use.  Write 5 pages per day.  Or 30 pages per week.  Or 1500 words per day.  Measurement is a good tool to help keep a writer accountable.  It's easy not to keep track at all.  Write when you can and don't worry about how many pages you get down.  But I've found its a mentality thing.  The writer who does not keep track is less likely to finish a particular project within a reasonable period of time.  The writer who does, gets more done.  And whichever tracking tool you use, whichever guidelines you set for yourself, be consistent.  It is the consistency that gets the novel finished.
• It's okay to cheat.  Sometimes in the evening I will sneak a few sentences onto a notepad while my wife is on the phone and the TV is paused.  Or before bed I will write instead of read.  The next morning I wake up and have a paragraph or page waiting for me to transcribe.  I know this is not really cheating, but I always feel like it is.  I have written almost 500 words sitting in my bed while my wife brushed her teeth, put on lotion, checked FB one last time and the next day I had my 1500 words before lunch.  Then I tell myself that whatever I write in the afternoon can be applied to the next day's tally.  It's a mental game of working ahead so that if there is an afternoon where I just do not want to write, I don't.  And at the end of the week I've still reached my pages.
• Writers with full time jobs have a different struggle.  But the same principles apply.  You need to be consistent.  But instead of trying for 1500 words per day, shoot for 500.  When I worked in advertising, I tried to write 2 pages a day while at work (in the morning when I arrived before everyone else and over lunch hour), 2 pages a day after work, and then 5 pages over the weekend.  That would amount to roughly 25 pages per week.  It wasn't easy and I oftentimes didn't make my quota, especially if I was busy at work.  But writing in this manner allowed me to chip away at projects.  When you work full-time and want to write a book, chipping away is the only thing you can really do.  It isn't ideal, but writers persevere.  

#197 A Day In The Life Of Alexander Mori

I frequently get asked about my writing schedule.  Do I write from 9-5 every day or do I stay up for two weeks straight until the novel is finished like they do in the movies.  The truth is not as simple as either of those.  So I've decided to include one day in the life of Alexander Mori to demonstrate a typical writing day.  I call it:  A Day In The Life Of Alexander Mori.

8:00a: Alarm goes off.  I snooze.
8:09a: Alarm goes off again.  I snooze again.
8:18a: Alarm goes off again.  I debate snoozing again.  Then I snooze again, just one more time.
8:27a: Alarm goes off and I get out of bed.  Morning routine begins.
8:45a-9:15a: Coffee's brewing and I'm sitting at the breakfast table jotting notes that kept me up the night before so I don't forget anything important.  I make a smoothie for breakfast and drink it while I reread that last few pages written the day before.  Check Twitter.
9:16a-10:20a: First solid block of writing.  I sit at my computer and write.  My goal is to get at least 500 words down.
10:20a-10:30a: Wander around the kitchen wondering if I want a glass of milk or juice.  I contemplate moving the operation into the living room where I can sit on the couch, though I'd have to deal with the animals.
10:31a-11:30a: I return to my first block of writing.  Still gunning for my first 500 words of the day.
11:31a-noon: I make a sandwich and salad for lunch and eat while watching an episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Check Twitter.
Noon-12:15p: Gather laundry that needs to be washed.  Or unload the dishwasher.  Or wash wine and beer glasses from the night before.
12:16p-12:45p: Begin second block of writing.  A new 500 word count goal. I move the operation to the couch, where the dog and one cat fight for prime lap real estate, ultimately ending with both animals lying snugly in my lap. Check Twitter.
12:45p-1:05p: Move laundry from washer to dryer.  Start a new load.  Look for more dishes to wash.  Eat a piece of chocolate for dessert.
1:06p-2:15p: Continue second block.  Usually one of the stronger writing blocks throughout my day.
2:16p-2:30p:  More laundry.  And if there isn't any laundry, I hover outside the laundry room wondering if there is anything else in the house I can wash.  Check Twitter.
2:31p-3:30p: I watch something on TV.  Usually a DVRed sporting event from the night before.  Sometimes half of a movie.  This period of time seems lazy and unproductive, but it is essential.  It gives my brain much needed rest.  And if I watch the right movie, I get inspired to make my third push of the day.  One day per week this block of time is reserved for going to the store and getting lunch/dinner supplies for the week.
3:30p-5:00p: Begin third writing block of the day.  A new 500 word goal.  Usually on the couch with the annoying animals.  Check Twitter.
5:01p-6:00p:  I work out on the treadmill while watching DVRed sports event.  If there are no sports, I go for a nice, long run.  By long I mean a mile and a half.  Sometimes I do both.  This block is also reserved for mowing the yard once a week.
6:01p-8:30p: If I learn that the wife is coming home on time, I use this time to make dinner and decant wine.  If she'll be working late, which happens frequently, I sit down for an impromptu writing session.  These sessions often account for my especially prolific days.  For some reason, if it is not a scheduled block of writing time, I approach the session with a looseness that allows me to write more than usual.  Sometimes I make a drink and put on a record.  Sometimes I return to the kitchen table and write in complete silence.
8:30p-11:30p: Relax time.  Sit on the couch watching shows.  Dog in my lap.  In the evenings, she doesn't let the cat on the couch.  Sorta strange.
11:31p: Get ready for bed.  Read.  Think about what I want to do in the morning. Toil over the writing I got done.  Toil over the writing yet to be done.

I don't know how other writers do it.  A writer's schedule is as interesting and diverse as the human race.  I venture a guess that no two writers are the same.  But each must deal with the all-consuming void that is a blank page.

#196 Cutting Your Losses

A million years ago I tried out for the Spring Branch Junior High basketball team.  Though I was one of the shortest kids in our class, I thought I had a legitimate chance of making the team.  For a week, a hundred or so gangly youths performed dribble drills, shooting drills, 3 on 2 drills, cones, and whatever else our junior high coaches could think of to test our young basketball skills.

On the first day, a close friend of mine dribbled the ball from the base line to a cone positioned at the free-throw line.  He rounded the cone and let loose one of the worst jumpers of the day.  The ball soared over the backboard and bounced into the grass behind the outdoor basketball court.  Every boy in the yard laughed and heckled my friend.  He shagged the ball, threw it to the next boy in line and saluted the coaches, thanking them for their time and the opportunity.  Less than an hour after tryouts began, my friend left the yard.  His basketball career came to an abrupt end.

I stayed.  I executed drill after drill.  I demonstrated my quickness and my superior perimeter defending.  I played hard and showed the coaches that no matter what, I would NEVER give up.  And at the end of the week I was sad to learn that I had not made the first cut.  I was devastated.  It was the first time in any sport that I didn't make the team.  I went to the coaches office after practice and told them I would try harder.  I asked them for another chance.  My coaches were sympathetic but unyielding.  "We're sorry," they said.  "It's just not meant to be."

Writing can be like this.  A writer can pour his or her heart and soul into a story -- can spend weeks, or even months, on a project, vowing that it would become a wonderfully finished novel.  But not all projects are meant to be.  It doesn't matter how much work or passion goes in.  The novel is doomed from the beginning, much like my basketball career.  The question is this: at what point in the process do you realize a project isn't meant to be?  Near the beginning?  Or do you fight through all the challenges until the bitter end?

Writers must develop the skill to look at their own work with a discerning eye.  Writers must be able to recognize when their story is too short or their dribbling is too sloppy.  Writers must be able to see when their shots consistently miss the backboard, only to bounce in the grass far outside of the boundaries of the court they are playing on.

But no matter how long it takes, no matter how much passion is put into a project, writers must be able cut their losses and move on to the next project.  They will save time and heartache, and those are two things writers must always look to save.

#193 Steps For The Indie Writer

There's more to being a successful indie writer than just writing.  Following is a list of things an indie must do to make a living.  All of these aspects are important.  A writer can't pick and choose where to devote his or her time.  A writer MUST do it all.

• Writing - This is obvious.  Simply writing the novel is difficult enough.  It requires an idea, self discipline, talent and consistency.  A writer must pay attention to voice, characterization, plot, pacing, description, conflict and resolution.  The process can take several months or several years to complete.  
• Revising - After the first draft is done, a writer must re-read and re-write much of it, paying careful attention to the components listed above.  This is a difficult process that many writers rush.  I suggest taking a break once the first draft is completed.  Return to the project with a fresh perspective.  And TAKE YOUR TIME.  Revising is when the true writing process begins.  You have the shell of the story down, now it's time to be critical so that you can improve the story before sharing it with an editor.  When in doubt, cut.  A story can be cut drastically from draft 1 to draft 2.  The more you cut, the better the project becomes.  This part of the process can take weeks or months.  
• Editing - Every writer has a different editor and a different editing process.  Please do not confuse revising with editing.  Revising looks at how the story is told.  Editing looks at how the story is written.  Finding an editor that you trust is very important.  An editor needs to understand you as a writer and as a person.  An editor must understand what you are trying to do and must understand aspects of good writing.  Editing can cost a fair amount of money, but it is an essential part of the process.  Don't skimp here, because once a reader sees that they are reading a poorly edited book, he or she will remember and will most likely avoid future work you publish.  This part of the process can take weeks or months, depending on the editor and how many editors you choose to include.  Right now I use 3.  Can't have too many editors!
• Cover Design - Finding a graphic designer is similar to finding an editor.  You need someone who understands the novel, and more importantly understands the genre.  A cover must connect with the right audience and must align with the story.  Find someone you can talk to.  This should be a collaborative effort, one that is ever-changing until you find the right cover that readers respond to.  This part of the process can take weeks or months, depending on who you work with and how much they charge.
• Writing a blurb - A good blurb is essential for the indie writer.  You must entice a potential reader with nothing more than a paragraph.  Writing a novel is hard.  Writing a blurb can be harder.  There is no proven formula for a blurb.  I suggest reading many blurbs of successful novels.  Then write several blurbs.  Have friends and family members read your blurbs.  Listen to their feedback and then rewrite the blurbs again.  There are discussion forums at kboards.com where you can ask for blurb advice.  Other indie writers are generous with help.  I suggest you get as much help as possible.  This part of the process can take a week or more.  Sometimes longer.  But be willing to change the blurb until you see a suitable spike in sales.
• Formatting - An indie writer must format the digital file to be published online.  Poorly formatted work doesn't translate well to ereaders.  A poorly formatted book looks unprofessional and turns readers off.  There are several online resources available for the various publishing sites.  Read these carefully and follow the instructions.  Right now I publish direct to amazon.com and smashwords.com (makes books available to barnesandnoble and ibooks).  This process takes a few days the first time you go through it.  After a couple of times it shouldn't take longer than a day.

After this, your book will be available for people to buy.  And then you can begin working on the next project.  

#192 Outline v. Free Flow

Been reading articles from established writers who discuss outlining a project before writing it.  The simplified points of view are as follows:

Outlining:  Gives a writer a full sense of the story.  Forces the writer to think things through so that he or she doesn't stall in the middle of the first draft.  This is all about organization.  Mapping out in broad strokes where a story begins and ultimately where it will end.  There is comfort in the organization.  A writer can sit down each day and check off the mile markers that will lead to a desired destination.  The main negative I read is this:  outlining has the potential to confine a writer's imagination and can cause problems when characters reveal they would not do what has already been preplanned by the outline.


Free Flow: A writer begins with a good character and a concept, but allows the story to unfold organically as it is being written.  Characters are given the freedom to act as they should, which gives an air of unpredictability to the project, even for the writer.  At the end of the story, things fall into place because the characters stay true to themselves instead of being forced to confine to an outline.  An issue with Free Flow surfaces when a writer spends months writing in one direction only to discover the story has bogged down or become less interesting.  Free flow can sometimes end in a project being abandoned because it has written itself into a dilemma the writer no longer wishes to address.

I have written three novels with the outlining approach and three with the free flow approach.  I conclude that one is not universally superior to the other.  Good writing and good storytelling result from a writer's confidence.  Different people gain confidence in different ways.  A writer must understand how he or she works.  What makes him or her confident.  Writing a novel takes time, energy, and patience.  The goal is to chip away every day at a project that could take months or years to complete.  The confidence to do this cannot be achieved by a formula that works for everyone.  A writer must understand what it takes to sit and write everyday.  Some people work better with a map.  Some work better getting on the road and figuring it out as they go.  Neither is right or wrong, as both processes have the ability to get someone to his or her ultimate destination.

For me, I have honed in on a process that uses attributes from both approaches.  I like having a general idea of where the story is going, but I allow my characters to dictate how the story develops.  Sometimes the story ends how I originally intended.  Oftentimes it goes in a completely different and unforeseen direction.  The key is having enough confidence in what you are doing to sit each day in front of blank pages, slowly filling them up one sentence at a time, while also having the confidence to allow a story to change if it needs to.  The only way to figure out what works best for you is to write.  Write everyday and pay attention to what works and what doesn't.  

#190 Story Ideas

My brother's been writing short stories -- fantasy pieces that take place in a Steam Punk environment with characters from Grimm's Fairy Tales fighting a vicious villain and a mysterious fog called The Rauck.  He shares his stories with only a handful of people.  These people, who are unfamiliar with Steam Punk and fairy tales, don't share his excitement for this genre, which has caused my brother to doubt himself and the stories he wants to tell.  He told me he wanted to write stories in the "real world," so that his friends and family might want to read them.

I am in favor of writers occasionally writing outside their chosen genre.  Writers can learn from the change of perspective and style they encounter when forced outside their comfort zone.  I encouraged my brother to write a "real world" story because I thought it would do him some good.  And I was tired of reading Steam Punk, which makes little to no sense to me.

He sat at his computer in my living room, quietly staring at his computer screen.  He typed a few words, then vigorously pounded the delete key.  He groaned.  He sat back in his chair and stared toward the ceiling.  He groaned again.  "How do you come up with stories?" he finally asked me.

Without looking up from my own screen I said, "From life."

This idea seems pretty obvious.  But it doesn't occur to all writers that they can pluck stories from their day to day as a farmer might pluck an apple from a tree.  I thought of my brother a few moments ago while writing at Half Price Books, and I'd like to share.

I walked into the Half Price Books bathroom at 1:05 pm on a Monday afternoon.  An older gentleman wearing all black stood at the mirror.  He leaned over the sink with his large eyes glaring critically at his own reflection.  He removed a black, wide-toothed comb from his back pocket  and ran it meticulously through his grey hair, which was parted neatly down the middle.  

I used the bathroom, washed my hands, and stood at the electric dryer feeling the hot breath of a public bathroom blow across my palms, all the while this man stood at the mirror making himself look as presentable as possible.  I left the bathroom and lingered between the History and Weapons sections just outside.  I wanted to see where this man went.  I wanted to see for whom he paid so much careful attention.

After 30 seconds I felt like I lingered too long.  I was being creepy.  So I returned to a desk near the clearance section so that I could write a few more pages on my current project.  

I could not get the man out of my mind.  I wanted to know what he was doing.  I imagined him sitting alone near the cafe, conspicuously watching the women who visited HPB every Monday for their weekly game of pinnacle.  One woman especially intrigued him.  He battled with himself every week to muster enough courage to buy her a pastry.  A nice little dessert just to say that he would like to know her name.  

Or perhaps he was meeting his daughter and grand child for the first time.  He'd made an unforgivable mistake sometime in his past and had been estranged from her ever since.  What was that mistake?  For what did he need his daughter's forgiveness?

I stopped writing on my novel and played the possibilities over and over in my mind until finally I jotted some notes on my legal pad to be discovered at a later time when I would need a new story to write.

The moral of this little story is to remind writers to pay attention.  Keep your eyes open.  You never know when you'll stumble upon Willy Wonka, Hermione Granger, Darth Vader, or Lisbeth Salander living their life, their story ripe for any willing writer to pick.

#185 Professional Proof Reader

My first novel came out in May of 2014, and no matter how I tried to read and re-read, grammar issues still arose.  Took me back to my junior high days when I swore my papers were perfect but I would still receive a grade of 83.

So I decided to hire a proof reader for my second novel.  It's an added step in the process and an added cost, but it should help eliminate those pesky grammatical errors that could label me as an amateur writer instead of the professional that I aspire to be.

I can't report yet on how successful this decision proved to be.  Once my second book is out, we'll see how many emails I get.  But I must say professionalism is extremely important when self-publishing novels.  One criticism I read over and over again is that traditionally published writers put out a superior product.  When someone catches a mistake in a print book they say, "Oh, the editors must have missed one."  When an indie published writer makes a mistake the same person would likely say, "Well, it's just a self-published book.  What did you expect?"

For that reason, indie writers must be especially careful when publishing their own work.  And for that reason, I am happy I hired someone to proof read my second novel.

#184 Craft (Post 1)

I have decided to devote time and energy to improving my craft.  Sounds like a no brainer for any writer.  I've been writing for awhile now, but my focus was always on the story.  I assumed my craft would develop over time.  If I could tell an intriguing story, then I could keep readers interested.  Now that I have been a full time writer for almost a year, I've noticed that I NEED to improve.  I NEED the writing to get better!

The first step was realizing the need.  The second was figuring out how to dedicate my efforts.  I decided to read a book titled "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser.  I am 40 pages in.  This is only the beginning to a long and difficult journey.  But as Confucius say, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  At least, I think he said that.

Here are keys to improvement Zinsser outlines early on in the book:

• Write what you are passionate about.  This allows your energy and enthusiasm to shine through the writing, which is enough to carry readers from one page to the next.
• Eliminate the clutter.  Avoid unneeded words and phrases.  This speaks to being genuine.  Don't try and be something you are not.  Write your message in the simplest possible way.  Keep your writing strong and succinct.  Style will follow.  But when you TRY to write with style, your readers will recognize that you are trying instead of succeeding.
• Write for an audience of one.  Don't worry about what others will think of your writing.  Only YOU matter.  Impress, engage, entertain yourself, and others will be impressed, engaged and entertained.