writing process

My deep dark secret: Withdrawl from deadlines!

beccakinla Aim, Ami, Beth Firestone, blogging, to the edge of the galaxy, writing process Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Cover 4

Beth Firestone and I just wrapped up our serial, “To the Edge of the Galaxy” in Aim! Magazine. It was a great experience…I learned a lot about writing by working with Beth, as she is a novelist (previously, I’d only published standalone pieces of 1400 words or less) and has spent much more time formally studying writing. She filled me in about creating a story arc, building character development and generally kept my writing coherent and funny. It was also great helping kick off a new magazine and developing a readership with them. We got fan mail! It was amazing knowing that kids out there were reading our work and LIKED it.
What is also great about writing a serial is that you have deadlines. If you don’t meet them, there are real life consequences: angry editors, paychecks that don’t come, readers who no longer trust you. I busily wrote several nights a week for about 6 months to keep “To the Edge of the Galaxy” on schedule with the printer. Now I have no one breathing down my neck about writing…and I’m not getting much done.

I have no shortage of ideas and writing projects to work on. In fact I have today’s ideas and also the ideas I put off writing for the last 6 months because I was occupied with the serial. I think there are a few reasons for my lack of productivity:
1) No deadlines;
2) There are SO MANY ideas, and no editor telling me which one which one is a priority;
and
3) The lure of blogging.
Yes, blogging is taking over my writing life! I write this blog as well as another semi-private one, and I find that it is addictive. I’ve had to cut down to two nights a week (mostly). I LOVE checking the “Stats” and finding people are actually reading what I write! I love that I can’t get a rejection letter. I can write what I want the way I want to without being judged by a senior editor or the marketing department!
But until you get THOUSANDS of page views weekly, blogging isn’t a remunerative profession. And in the end, there’s still no story (with illustrations!) in a glossy (inter)nationally-circulated magazine or an actual book on an actual shelf in an actual bookstore that people can actually buy (which is actually a delightful experience).
I think I’ll be shutting down Google Chrome now and switching to Microsoft Word…

A Writer’s Blues

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Currently, my least favorite words to hear (of a professional nature) are, “Do you have a second book out yet?” My honest answer (despite many close calls and lots of magazine work) is still, “No.”
I just turned in two more pieces to a magazine editor today, and received timely payment for another piece just before Shabbos. Magazine work is good for me. To keep things in perspective: I’ve published more in the last year than in my entire previous writing life put together, and I’m getting paid for my work. I’m learning new stuff by writing new stuff with new people, and audiences are reading it!

However, when I tell people, “Sorry, no second book yet. But I’ve been writing for magazines,” most people glaze over. If it ain’t a book, it doesn’t count
Lately, I’ve written several pieces which were really good but when friends and colleagues have read them, they’ve said, “It’s awesome, but no one will ever publish it.” I don’t want to write what everyone else is writing, but book publishers (especially in the current market) are afraid to take risks.
I’ve saved up a lot of rejected book manuscripts. I rewrote a few for the magazine format, which is a little more forgiving and a lot easier to break in to, and a couple of them sold. Another, I’m holding on to, because I think it’s only right for a picture book, and I think it might sell after book #2 proves my work can sell well, if that ever happens.
I know it’s great publishing in magazines, and I hate being nudged by people about when my next book will be coming out. Part of the problem is this: I still want to sell another book. Books endure. They get read over and over. They generally do not end up in recycling bins.
I’m giving up on picture books for now. I have a LONG short story (more a novella) that I’m considering rewriting as a short novel for Jewish teenage girls.
Genre: sci-fi/fantasy. Probably will get rejected anyway. -sigh-

How do you do it? part 2

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I realized after I wrote about my writing process that I left a lot of steps out that other people might find helpful.

1) Write regularly. This can mean once a day or once a week. Give yourself a deadline even if no one else is giving you one. It’ll force you to get SOMETHING down on paper.
2) When you have no ideas, don’t say, “I have writer’s block,” and give up.

a) Write down everything you’ve done today. If you have a strong emotional reaction to something or want to go on a wacky tangent, do it.

b) Pick up one of the lists you’ve written (I mentioned this in the last blog). Write about one of the topics you listed.

 c) write a list of three reasons you simply cannot write today.

3) Also, read your “completed” work out loud even if it’s just to yourself. You will probably catch a lot of grammatical errors or typos that way. This is even more effective if you’ve printed out. If you’ve been looking at the same document so much that it dances in front of your face, wait a couple days, change the font, THEN print out and re-read aloud.
4) Don’t worry about whether a rough draft is good or not. Just get it out. You can always fix it (or hide it) later.

“How do you do it?” How to write while you’re a stay at home mother

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People often ask me this question: How do you find time to write? Other moms work outside the home, sometimes full-time, yet my extremely-part-time and mostly at home writing puzzles them. Life as a FT mom is so wild and wacky, my head buzzes with ideas that could make great kids’ books. Doesn’t yours? This is how to get the ideas out and coherently on paper:

First of all, I have a giant notebook. Inside, I write lots of lists. Some titles you’ll find in my notebook: funny things kids do; annoying things kids do; what kids fight about; excuses they give; sweet things kids do. Don’t just email your girlfriend or tell Mom or Hubby about the craziness you endured during the day–write it down, even just in shorthand.
Also, after a workshop by Sarah Shapiro, I’ve learned to listen and practice writing dialogue. She says to do it daily, but I’m not that good about it. Just copy down a short conversation every week or so, and you’ll get practice.
Read LOTS…then respond in a book club, blog, or by writing a review online. If the book gave you an idea, extend it as far as you can.
No T.V. means more time and more productive time is available in this house.
After you write, revise. Test out on friends by sending your story to them or by joining a writing group. Then revise more according to what they suggest, then re-read to them. Is it improved?
Figure out who publishes similar pieces to yours, get the submission guidelines, then send the manuscript in! You’ll never know if you might have succeeded if you never try.
And remember, rejection letters are good for your middos.