And Now to Begin (and begin and begin again)

I love beginnings. When I'm working on a story, they are my favorite parts. Everything is fresh and new, the ideas are rampant, keeping me up at night, and I know where the story is going. In the beginning I can see. 

This generally continues for the first third of whatever project I'm working on. I have lots of great first-thirds lying around. Not unpredictably, this seems to be a trend for me in a great many things—not just writing, so at least it's nice to know I'm consistent. 

However.

No book is ever finished this way. And I am realizing that it's not the process of finishing I struggle with, instead it's a fear of stagnancy. Staleness. The trite. And so I avoid even the mere possibility of this when the ideas cease to keep me up at night. —When my characters quiet down. —When writing becomes work. 

So, I'm setting out to try something new this year.

My current WIP is about half-way written (further than a third!!!) but for the sake of its completion, I've decided to pretend it's only one-third complete. The First Part. And today I get to begin again. Not somewhere in the middle with characters that are getting weary of one another, but at the beginning of Part Two, having the benefit of knowing my characters (or at least being pretty familiar with them) and their tendencies. The plot may be a wee-bit fuzzy in places, but I believe in this project, and I know the details will sort themselves out. And then in a few thousand more words, I'll complete the arc of Part Two and begin again at Part Three. Whether or not I actually keep the "parts" in the finished project is debatable. For now they are merely a tool to help me process through the story—a key to help me keep opening doors. I'm all about using tools.

So you tell me, what writing goals have you set (or reset) for yourself this year? Are you shifting perspectives, changing tactics, or simply keeping on keeping on? What tools are you using to help you do so? Plotting a story? This editorial and plot checklist tool is one of my favorites. I've used it to plot the entirety of my current WIP and I'll be using it again to plot out its parts. Have any useful tips, tricks, or tools you care to share? I'd love to hear about them!

Leaning In

I've always loved the idea that all of life's experiences are fodder for a writer's fire. Because essentially, this implies that the older I get, the better my writing will become. *plucks a grey hair* (Hey, a girl can hope, right?)

There is something to be said for having lived, truly lived, through something. It lends a certain credibility to writing that a mere sympathizer could never have.

Developing the main action in a plot hinges on this very thing. Conflict, mystery, and lack are the three primary aspects of action in the plot of any story. Sometimes a story focuses on only one—sometimes all three, but these are the things that ultimately drive a protagonist to greatness, or conversely, to failure. 

And, not surprisingly, these are the things that drive a writer to the same.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if we grew (in the emotional/spiritual/inward-strength sense) primarily through success and gain? —Through the accumulation of much and the affirmation of all? —Only the good, never the bad? Unfortunately, this never makes for a very strong character—on or off the page.

Someone told me once to lean into my experiences—all of them. "Don't waste either your pain or your joy," she said. The beautiful and the ugly alike lay a foundation for every aspect of my life. Leaning into both provides strength to meet the future and whatever it holds with perseverance and joy (and joy is different than happiness, you know).

Nothing catastrophic has happened in my life recently to spur this train of thought, and I'm thankful for that. But I'm not so foolish to think that nothing trying will ever traipse through my days. I know it will, and that isn't me being overly pessimistic. It's just me being prepared. Leaning in. The foundations I lay now will make me a better writer. But more importantly, they will make me a stronger protagonist in my own life story.

How about you, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? How are you leaning in, on and off the page? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Grammar Tip

Throughout my elementary and high school years, the value of good grammar was repetatively drilled into my brain. I can't spell to save my life, but generally speaking, I can weave my way around the labyrinth of English grammar.

That said, a tip for the day: Their vs There vs They're.

The three versions of this word dive me to a special level of insanity. So here is the quick and dirty rundown on proper usage.

Use their to show possession, commonly followed by a noun. Usually, if you can replace their with our in the same sentence, and it still makes sense, then you are using it correctly.
Example: "Their new house is enormous!"

Use there to refer to a physical or abstract place. Usually, if you can replace there with here in the same sentence, and it still makes sense, then you are using it correctly. 
Example: "Let's go there today."

Use they're as a contraction for they are. Usually, if you can replace they're with they are in the same sentence, and it still makes sense, then you are using it correctly.
Example: "They're the nicest couple!"

And there you have it!

You tell me: Do you have any favorite grammar tips to share or any grammar points you would love to have clarified? 

Working

I often hear writers say they feel so unproductive if they haven't set words to paper/screen on any given day. —That somehow the day is lost without that activity marking some measure of writerly success. Certainly little is actually written unless it's set down in sentences and turns of phrase, but just because words don't necessarily make it to the page doesn't mean that a writer isn't busy at work.

I work quite a bit on long car rides, even when I'm the one behind the wheel.

Don't get me wrong, I've not actually got my laptop propped on the dashboard, but I do keep a little notebook in the center console. It's full of cryptic notes I can barely decipher—single scribbled words that slant across the page.

The real writing happens in my head. Scene sketches, imagined conversations, character development, and every once in a while I get some major plot points worked out. And whether or not it all ends up written out at the end of the day doesn't discredit the fact that I accomplished some serious work.

It was Rudolph Erich Rascoe who said, tongue in cheek, "What no wife of a writer (or husband in my case) can understand, is that a writer is working when he's staring out the window."

Quite frankly, I think that's a good thing to keep in mind. A working writer might not appear to be working, but don't interrupt her if she is staring at a blank wall smiling faintly, or conversely, wearing a fiercely determined expression. —She's most likely building a story and if you're not careful you could alter the plot. Or, depending on the frequency of interruptions, the security of your own existence. 

So you tell me, where do you do your best "in-head" writing? Car rides? Morning shower? Afternoon walk? I'd love to hear from you!

Summer Secrets

So, while I never meant to let the consistency of things like blogging fall to the wayside, or lose connection with like-hearted and like-minded writers on both Facebook and Twitter, this summer the unthinkable happened. I did.

From June through August, though I didn't want to, I essentially closed my internet connection and buckled down to face some much-needed tasks that were demanding my attention. I still emailed when necessary, and stayed in touch with enough people to reassure them that I was not dead. But now as fall has arrived and I have logged back in, the whole thing has left me feeling a bit frustrated with myself and, well, inadequate.

I mean really. I can't blog consistently!? I can't communicate with the outside world consistently!? 98% of humanity does this everyday and so much more! What is wrong with me?

I'll not go on about my crazy summer, because chances are, your summer was even more insane than mine and I probably can't hold a card to your version of busy summer. So, that aside, what is to be done about the whole balance issue? I know for a fact I'm not the only one who wrestles with keeping things consistent. And I'm not just talking writing—I'm talking everything else that happens while we are trying to write. Yaknow—kids, meals, grocery shopping, housecleaning, budgeting, yard care, jobs, volunteering, community life, relationships, sleep. 

Chances are, many of you have already figured out most of the "secrets" I've only just stumbled upon this summer. But for the rest of us—for the ones like me who start off great and slowly slide into oblivion due to, well, everything, here's just a few of the things I've been learning. Maybe you'll find them usefull too.

Organization.
     I'm not an organized person and I've always kinda taken pride in that. "I fly by the seat of my pants!" I shout from the rooftops. (And then I pray that the whole world has not seen me crash off said rooftop, the seat of my pants afire).
     How do you feel about organization? Lists? Structure? —Even a little bit? My own perspective has changed, because, let's face it. You can only spin innumerable plates for so long before your high-heel snaps, or the baby throws up on you, or dinner burns, or you get yet another rejection letter and everything comes crashing. I'm learning that organization is a kind of safety net for all those plates. —My friend, not my enemy. Who knew?
     My grandmother used to say, "A place for everything and everything in its place." It's a fabulous mantra, actually. I have two small children and a third on the way, my husband and I own a small business, we live in a hundred-year-old farmhouse that is literally falling apart and in several stages of remodel, and my life is CHAOS. Having a place for things not only helps maintain some order, but it is actually a timesaver. When my whole family understands that everything has a "home," (toys, shoes, craft supplies, dirty dinner dishes, Mommy's writing stuff) then we all spend less time looking for lost items, and more time accomplishing the necessary (and the enjoyable!) with time left over. 

Sacred Time.
     Due to the above mentioned chaos, time is more precious than money to me, (and that is saying something). But it's the truth. I've got such a limited supply and a seemingly endless amount of things to fill it. And as the old adage goes, "Life expands to fill (or overfill) the time allotted for it." Solution: Set some time aside that belongs to nothing else but__________. Fill in the blank.
     For me, my Sacred Time is reserved for writing. I get up at 5:30am most days, make coffee, and retreat to my study. The door is closed and I am unavailable (save to turn on some morning cartoons for early-risers) until 7am. After that my day is off like an express train, but I feel ready for it. I've spent time on me, and honestly, it's a good investment. I can be nothing to the people around me if I don't take good care of myself. I've learned there is nothing selfish about that.

Reasonable Expectations.
     I'm a firstborn (eldest of three daughters) and if you know anything at all about birth order, I promise you I fit ALL of those firstborn tendencies. Type A personality. Unreasonably high expectations of self. Perfectionist. People pleaser. And, as you can imagine, most of these tendencies end up with me standing on tiptoe, failing to meet the bar I've set too high. But I'm learning.
     These days I ask myself a few questions before I launch into any new projects, commit to any new opportunities, or take any flying leaps (falls) off rooftops.
1. How does this new thing affect the things and people I am already committed to?
2. How long can I reasonably perform this new thing? 
3. What do I hope to accomplish with this new thing, and how will I know when I've actually accomplished it?
4. What is the most I can commit (time, energy, quantity)?
5. Is there enough flexibility with this new thing, that I can change or adjust when needed?
     Once I've defined some parameters for myself, it's much easier to either welcome the new thing with open arms and exuberance, or kindly decline the opportunity without having to give empty excuses. Knowing your own limits is never a bad thing. In fact, it seems to ensure a much higher success rate.

Prepared Discipline.
     Doesn't discipline feel like a terrible word? I've never really liked it. I always associate it with childhood misdemeanors. However, it actually means "an activity, exercise, or regimen that develops or improves a skill; training." I'm all about improving skills, especially writing skills. But discipline doesn't mean you just work at something with every ounce of willpower you possess until it becomes habit—though that is part of it. It also means that you have to be prepared when all the willpower you possess runs out. Blogging is a perfect example of this. Blog preparedly, I've learned. Have a month's worth of posts already written and scheduled to publish. Have a running list of ideas, concepts, materials, and guest bloggers so that when you do reach the bottom of your creative barrel, you have something to draw upon.

Give Yourself Freedom To Fail.
     Fortunately, there is no such thing as a perfect person. And also, failure isn't fatal! I wrote about this earlier, and it's the truth. Don't give yourself excuses not to try, but don't beat yourself up when all the planets don't align perfectly in your favor. I've got one of those Quotable magnets stuck to my refrigerator as a good reminder of this. It reads, "Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow." —Mary Anne Radmacher

So, you tell me. How are YOU doing this writing life? What works? What doesn't? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks, because heaven knows I can use them!