Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
What I Learned from George Costanza (Win a Bunch of Books and a Hat!)
I’ve had a few weeks off since finishing my August book, and I’m enjoying it. Back in January I was having trouble connecting with my writing. I though it was probably because we had a death in the family on top of the after-holiday rush, the cold, being tired, and a host of things that made writing in January difficult. Either way, I finished the book ahead of time anyway, did the revisions, and I think it turned out great. Still, there’s no denying that I had to force myself through the writing every day, a feeling I read recently on another loop that felt something like having your teeth pulled out through your nose. Good description. I know we all feel this way time and again, but as I’m starting a new book, I'm starting to feel the slow, creeping dread of having to write it. This causes me some concern – what’s going on? I love writing – I love writing Blaze, so what’s the deal?
I think it’s a form of White Line Fever – you know, when you drive the same route all the time, or you’re on a long road trip, and you start phasing out, sort of forgetting where you are? Road hypnosis. Just like being on that long road, I have been writing Blaze after Blaze (coming up on #9 & 10, and that doesn’t include the ones passed on) for three years. I love writing Blaze, but I need a way to freshen my process.
So what does this have to do with what I learned from George Costanza (great pic, no? LOL) on Seinfeld? As I face writing the next book with something akin to dread, I decided to do as George decided to do once: I am going to do the opposite. Remember that episode where he went against every natural impulse he had and his life took a huge turn for the better? I'm applying that lesson to my writing process. I'm doing the opposite.
By nature, I am a linear writer – I start at the start, and work my way through 5-10 pages (sometimes 2-5 pages) at a time, and I polish as I go. If it’s not right, I stop and I don’t go forward until it is right. Maybe it's time for a change.
I’ve been clued into a fast-drafting method (called, no surprise, Fast Draft) which Candace Haven created, but which was recommended to me by the amazing Charlene Teglia. Charli is great, and no one can argue her success in writing -- she's also one of the most cheerful, energetic people I've gotten to know through blogging and email, so I'm throwing my hat in the ring and joining her in a Fast Draft writing binge in March.
Fast Draft is a hell-bent, 20+ pages a day, no holds barred, shut off the censor, non-linear, do what you have to, no-editing or polishing writing method – the exact opposite of what I normally do. If all goes well, I should finish a full draft of my Blaze in just a few weeks, less than three, and then I have all of April to tinker. Sounds perfect, since I tend to like revising much more than initial writing. I’ll let you know how it’s going as I blog throughout March. Maybe Charli will drop by and let us know how she's doing. Join in if you want and let me know how it works for you. :) I'm very curious how this will change not only how I write, but the story itself, and how I feel about my writing. I wonder if I'll be able to do it, since it's so different than how I usually work.
Have any of you ever done anything this completely against your nature? Doesn’t have to be writing, it can be anything, but have you, like me and George Costanza, ever decided to purposefully “do the opposite”? How did it work out? Tell me, and you could win a bunch of books and a hat. ;)
- Susan Meier’s Snowbound Baby (signed)
- Kate Austin’s Dragonflies and Dinosaurs (signed)
- Shirley Hailstock’s The Secret (signed)
- Roni Denholtz’s Negotiating Love (hardcover, unsigned)
- And a Samantha Hunter Baseball Cap!
Make sure you’re a registered user to chat, and I’ll announce a winner on Friday.
»
not really i have not.
Doing the Opposite
Resistance is futile? LOL
It's all about control and resistance, isn't it? Not to say we can ever give that up, and those things serve us sometimes, but there are other times to let them go. Same in writing, I think.
Sam
Doing the Opposite
So true, Ani
Applies to all kinds of relationships -- a friend of mine got into a spat with her boyfriend over a silly little thing (not an important argument, but you know the kind that can ruin a weekend if you don't let it go?) and she said she remembered a Dr. Phil moment where he asked someone "Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?"
It's a good question to keep in mind, I think. :)
Sam
Dr Phil
It's always good to shake things up!
Hey Charli :)
I wish I'd had that wisdom when I was raising my own son -- he was as hard-headed as they come (and so can I be -- not a good combination lots of the time).
Anyway -- I just realized the revisions I did yesterday were kind of a fast-draft thing. Of the 60 pages I rewrote, about 35 were completely new writing, which is a stunning amount of writing for me to have done in one day, and I even felt good doing it.
So, now today I am sifting back through it, changing and layering things in, and I guess that's how the Fast Draft thing works, basically, except that you'd keep plowing forward...
Sam
I tried to stop eating after
I tried the fast draft but I
Doing the Opposite
Yes, I Have
woo hoo!
This is great! What a super example. I think it's brave to do the opposite in cases like this, because you really are giving it your all, and who knows if it will pay off? I think a lot of people feel that way when they join the online dating svcs, etc. A lot of those chances pay off... Glad you found Mr. Right. ;)
Sam
OPPOSITE
OPPOSITE
I agree. I work out in late
I agree. I work out in late morning, too -- I used to try to get up and work out at 6am, and I was miserable. I am not an early morning person, at least not for exercise. Need to get my wits about me first... However, I can't work out at night, or I can't sleep.
Sam
OPPOSITE
This one wouldn't work for
This one wouldn't work for me -- breakfast food seems fine for dinner, I've had pancakes for dinner many times, etc -- but if I had to face something like pasta or pizza for breakfast, that idea kinda makes my stomach turn. On the other hand, it also makes sense -- you pack in your calories at the start of the day, get the energy boost, and then have all day to work them off, and maybe you eat less. Of course, if you still have a regular lunch or dinner, then that's a problem right? You really have to cut back for the rest of the day...
Sam
Against My Nature
Normally I think people could say hi to me first just as well as me being able to say hi first. It bugged me so much to go into our one and only local grocery store and not get a hi after having shopped there for 11 yrs. I then decided I was going to say hi and see what happened. I now say hi right off the bat and ask how the clerk is doing sometimes. I get a response most of the time. It goes against my better judgement of thinking that I am the customer and am going into their establishment therefore they should be the ones saying hi first. But it doesn't work that way and so I have decided to go against my way of thinking and be the initiator.
CHANGES
Great example!
Buddy and Guido -- I think it's true that taking a chance like this can brighten other people's days as much as our own. Sometimes doing the opposite really does pay off. :)
Sam
Wow..I've been thinking and
Fast Draft
Sam, this is pretty funny to me as this is kind of the way I write all the time. Before I start a book, I take a deep breath, then I dive in and I try to write between 5000 and 7000 words a day. I can get a Blaze done in about two weeks then. It's full immersion, I-have-no-life, walking into walls kind of writing, but it's the way I've always done it. I feel like this way I really get in the zone. Maybe it's a hang over from my tv days, where we plot and think about the show all the time. God, even dream in character sometimes! It's the way I read, too, when I really love something - I just binge on it. The only thing that stops me is a) life getting in the way. b) when I realise I need to nut something out in my character's emotional journeys. And I don't have a massive redrafting process - I'm a real first draft writer, I guess. As you know, I tried to work on a more mainstream book earlier this year, which seemed to call for a different way of writing... and I ended up feeling like my head was gonna explode. So, I don't know. Maybe my way is just my way. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Can't wait to see how Fast Drafting goes for you.
Sarah, really? All the time
Sarah, really? All the time we have chatted, and I didn't know that -- I love your books, and I think you have a point about immersion. I've been living my para revisions this week, and it's in my head constantly.
I don't know if I would have to do massive redrafting or not, not having done it before. I did have to do a pretty big rewrite on the first 25 pages or so of the para, but after that it was more polishing and layering, and moving scenes around, adding and dropping a few. But I like that work, so it's okay. Once the book is handed in, I don't have much revision or edits, but I tend to think if I do the fast draft thing I will need to work on it for a few more weeks to really get it in that kind of shape... maybe not, tho -- Wouldn't that be nice?? :) If I could write a polished book in a month, which may be possible with this method, that would be da bomb...
On the mainstream thing, yes -- one of the things I'm noticing in my para rewrite is that I think having a ver detailed story board did help me get through the plot and the first draft -- however, it also killed a lot of the spontaneity and life in my writing, which I am revising back in. So I don't think I would go that planning route again -- I don't know. At least it got me through the first draft so I have enough to go back and work with now. Hmmm. But writing against your voice is never good -- funny how we all have lessons about that. ;)
Sam
Doing the opposite
I feel your pain, Sam! I've
Thanks Dawn
Yes, just the time frame is different, though if I actually do end up with a complete draft in 2 weeks you will hear me making some major WOO HOOS here, because that means I could take a week off if not 30 days to relax and go back to it to edit. That would be awesome.
I really like editing and revising -- I'm much, much more comfortable working on something that's already written than in creating that first draft, though feedback is also a big part of that. I think sometimes when you have spent two weeks that close to something, you may need someone else to tell you what you did, LOL. I really enjoy receiving good feedback, and I've been fortunate recently to find some really great writers to offer me that. It makes all the difference in the world...
Sam
I have faith that we will
I am definitely a creature
Oh Boy!
Thanks Mads!
You're always such a supportive spirit, and I appreciate it. How's your own writing going?
You and I have that keeping our mouth shut thing in common, LOL -- I have to go against my nature on that one, too, but I have definitely found at times it is MUCH better to be quiet than to say something. Great example!
Sam
I don't often go against my
The Winner is...
Traveler!
You've won my stack of signed books and a Samantha Hunter baseball cap. Email me at samhunter@samanthahunter.com with your info to get your goodies. Congrats!!
Sam
Congratulations!!
Congrats