New Year 2012

Well, NaNoWriMo did not go so well. I found it difficult to gain momentum after losing power for almost a week, and then finding anywhere to go write besides home (which has many distractions these days) was impossible, as many didn't have power well into the next week after the snow storm and all coffee shops and restaurants were slammed for at least two weeks.

I know, "Excuses, excuses."

What NaNo did do is give me the impetus to start a new project after working on Guenzel for almost six years. Now that Guenzel is finished and officially shopped around, I had to get started on something new. I haven't written anything new in over half a decade besides short stories. The thought of starting a larger project filled me with excitement. I opened up my word processing program, named my novel appropriately as "NaNoWriMo 2011" and poised my fingers above my keyboard. 

Then I froze like a bucket of water left outside in winter. In fact, its currently 15 degrees outside, so I'm going to test that metaphor. I stared at a blank page for half an hour and then gave up and surfed facebook for the rest of the evening until it was time to leave Panera. 

The characters that I grew to love over the past half decade, that I could write so effortlessly, were gone, replaced with strangers that stirred their drinks and smiled coyly whenever I asked a question of them. The fantastic settings that I created out of dust and caffeine were replaced with real life cities that I knew nothing about, that I had to actually research.

I called my best friend and talked to her about my new novel idea and how I was trying desperately to unthaw myself. This new project is different from anything I've written, but I feel like the premise could be breakout if I can execute it skillfully. I was excited about it, and my best friend could feel it in my tone. She told me to force myself to overcome my fear of the blank page. 

I broke out of my comfort zone, starting with getting to know my new main character. I found a picture so I could visualize her, and then gave her a back story, a personality deliberately different from my own. I tackled one of the most difficult subjects through her eyes - death - and after about three thousand pages I got to know Kari Gallo a little bit better. We became mates, although the kind one constantly has to lecture about proper life choices. After that icebreaker, the story flowed.

I've heard many other beginning writers have the same issue, separating themselves from their first novel and beginning a new project. Its scary, but it absolutely must be done. Statistically, many first novels never see publication, and that is the harsh truth that drives me forward to my next novel, to new experiences that will make me a better writer and hopefully, in the future, a published author. Feeling uncomfortable isn’t nice, but it is the grind of overcoming such obstacles that reminds me writing isn't just a hobby, it is my job.

Despite how much I can tell my skills have grown in the past six years, I'm pleasantly surprised at how the process of writing a novel changes the second time around, especially since I'm writing mainstream fiction versus genre. The most difficult thing is constructing setting based on reality. Some say creating fantasy is difficult because every detail must be considered. My imagination must be deeper than most, because I find world creation to be the best part of writing fantasy. Creating a setting based on a real place requires accuracy and a careful hand. And research, lots of research. I hate it, but it must be done to tell the story that I have grown to love just as much as Guenzel. 

So I’m back into my routines, and trying out new word processing software that could take some of the aggravation out of researching that I shall write about next post. One of my New Year goals is to finish my new project by summer and have a final draft by November so I can begin a new project for NaNoWriMo and hopefully, barring any freak snow storms, win! 

Till next month, Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo 2011

We're well on our way into the first week of NaNoWriMo, and mother nature has tested the CCTWriters with blackouts, lack of electricity and, as a result of the previous, no room at Starbucks or Panera to sit and write our 1,667 words a day.

For those who aren't aware, NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month. It is a world-wide challenge to write a 50k word novel in one month. Winners get the satisfaction of a job well done, losers get the satisfaction of a job well done, since no words written are wasted.

I've heard criticism of NaNoWriMo from all fronts, writers, publishers, agents. They have valid points - NaNoWriMo for hobbyists is just a game, a fun challenge, and makes light of a profession that often struggles with bombardment from writers who have not taken the time or energy to hone their craft. I've also heard that it encourages sloppy writing, unstructured plots and weak character development.

I challenge all of these accusations. I love NaNoWriMo because it is the one time of the year that I can evaluate my daily writing habits and force myself to go beyond those goals and be better. Thirty days is the length of time it takes to build a habit, and I believe strongly that many good writing habits have started in the month of November. I've finished one novel so far, and NaNoWriMo has forced me to move on to the next one, to stop stalling at the sight of an empty page. A truly empty one.

Nothing prevents the NaNoNovelist from taking their 50,000 words in December, and completely dissecting them, keeping what they want and throwing out the rest. Lord knows that with GUENZEL, which was not a NaNoNovel, I re-wrote many sections two or three times. I don't understand the hostility toward National Novel Writing Month, and I do not strive toward that empathy. Instead, I'm writing a new novel, a very exciting one for me that I've been thinking about the better part of two years. Yes, plotting and planning is allowed, and I've done my share of research and outlining before starting this project.

Good luck, NaNoNovelists, and if you are on the site please friend me, my screen name is Starbrusttiger.

October! November!

Quote of the month - “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ― Stephen King


I can't stress it enough, if you don't have time to study how others write by reading, then you have no business saying that you're a writer, or even an aspiring one. Think about other types of artists - who is a musician that never listens to music? A bad musician. Or a filmmaker that never goes to the movies? Doesn't make sense, not at all, and it applies also to the writer who never picks up a book.

Don't have time to read? Then you don't have time to be a writer, at least not a very good one. When I read I study dialogue, the pacing of the novel, the descriptions. I learn from it. I also learn the markets and what is selling and what is not.

 I feel the same disdain for writers who don't try to improve their craft through daily practice, workshop or reading books about how to improve their technique. These are all the tools of a career writer. I warn  against the impulse to read about writing rather than actually doing it, because it can be a false comfort, but I can't stand someone who feels that they couldn't benefit at all from reading "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott or "Zen in the Art of Writing" by Ray Bradbury. They don't need it. Well, they better have damn perfect writing than, because having such a wealth of knowledge from so many wonderful storytellers at my fingertips is a blessing.

Quote of the Month - May

"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor. Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force. Clutter is a wonderfully fertile ground--you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip."
~Anne Lamott, Bird By Bird

Quote of the Month - March

"A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls. Story-tellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well. And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper."
— Ursula K. Le Guin

Borders and the Two Worlds

Borders declared chapter 11 early February and there has been endless speculation about what the financial collapse could mean to publishers and writers. The second largest brick and mortar book store in the United States is closing up to 275 loations and tightening up operations. Writers are shaking in their boots and asking "What does this all mean?"

In short, to writers it means that that the markets are going to get tighter and more competitive. To readers, it means you'll have less choice if the Borders in your town closes. Overall,  it will not have a significant impact on the writing markets. It is simply a new shift in the evolution of traditional print publishing, a process that will continue to evolve as technology becomes evermore pervasive in our society.

Why fear the inevitable emergence of e-books and self-publishing? The basic human impulse for storytelling is not going to cease to exist. There will be writers and publishers who are on the cusp of change and will find success. How is this any different than in days past? It isn't. Writing, like most art forms, is half determination, a quarter talent and a quarter luck. Being in the right place at the right time is still the golden ticket. In short, the fire-and-brimstone mystics who are predicting literary Armageddon are tin-foil-hat-wearing pessimists. The bookapocalypse isn't going to happen.

Afraid of never getting published because the publishing markets are shrinking as we speak? Don't freak out. Don't give up. Become consumed with the world of the writer. Tell your story. Write beautifully and with excellence. Be honest with yourself and with your audience. Work hard. Write every day, even when you don't want to. Treat your writing like it's your second job. Most importantly, write your heart out and love what you do. Be passionate. These are the only things that truly matter in the world of the writer.

Then enter the world of publishing. This world can seem cold to new writers who have soft skin that hasn't been flayed raw by rejection. There is also a misconception among some circles that the publishing world and its inhabitants exist for writers, and not the other way around. This is a misconception born from elitism and snobbery and makes the shock of that first rejection letter all the more heartbreaking and palpable. Also, if publishers existed to serve writers then Borders declaring chapter 11 wouldn't matter.

Publishing is a business that serves the public. New writers entering the publishing world should become archaeologists and study the customs and ceremonies of agents and editors with care and treat those traditions with the utmost respect. When entering this world, put on your grown-up pants and do your homework. Study market trends and find out what agents and editors are actively looking for in the slush pile. Become educated on how to write a query letter, what to say to an editor or agent during a pitch and how to write a proper synopsis. Don't be lazy. Play by the rules. Be persistent in the face of rejection and failure. Be a teachable spirit. Be professional.

It will all be okay. The end of 2011 will be here before we know it. Writers will still be writing,  publishers will still be publishing, and the readers of the world will wait for you.

Conferences

I've just posted the dates and information for two local conferences on the groupsite. One is for the Unicorn Writers Conference in Portland, CT this April and the other is for NECON this July.

I would love to see our members go to these conferences. I've personally never been to a writers conference for various reasons, but not knowing that they exist should not be one of those reasons! I'm going to be as diligent as possible about keeping CCTWriters up to date on what conferences and events are in the area and posting them on the groupsite event calendar.

If you know of any conferences, workshops or events in the area that you feel CCTWriters would be interested in, please email me at magro.catherine@gmail.com.