Posts Tagged ‘writing’
Why Do You Do It?
Dame Kaz
Why do you write?
People ask me that all the time, seriously. Sometimes I think they even want to know the answer. “But… why?” they ask me. Why do you sit there, day after day, hour after hour, putting one word after another until you reach the end? Deleting, revising, rewriting, deleting… “You don’t seem very happy about it, half the time, so why?”
Why, why, WHY?
Why do you do it?
Here’s what I reply:
Because I want to know what happens next… Because I love it… I hate it… No, I do love it… Because I don’t think I’m any good at anything else… Because I want to get better at it… For the satisfaction of typing ‘The End’… Because my brain insists on spinning stories and all my fingers can do is hurry to write them down… Because it feels good, even when it’s hard… For the fame and fortune (ha!)… Because I can’t imagine doing anything else… Because it keeps me sane… Because it drives me crazy… For that one shining, perfect sentence (that doesn’t even exist)… Because I love asking “What if..?”… Because I have to… To dream on the page… To discover the answer to questions I didn’t even know I wanted to ask… Because I need to know the truth… Because I’m afraid of the truth… For love… Because I hate, and I don’t know how to express that except in my writing… Because my life would be empty without it… For the sheer, unadulterated joy of creating… Because it’s what I was born to do… To stick two fingers up at all the people who told me I would fail… Because I’m petty… Because I am so expansive that whole worlds reside in my heart… Because I want to share my passion with everybody who will listen (or read)… For the child in me who will never grow up… For the adult I have become who still dreams… Because writing breaks me down and builds me up, all at the same time… Because writing is breathing… For all the people who love books as much as I do… Because stories are our greatest gift…
So I can find out what’s behind the green door.
Why do you do it?
I really want to know. Why do you write? I’ll draw TWO names (randomly) next week and send each winner a signed UK edition of The Iron Witch – or a signed copy of A Visitor’s Guide To Mystic Falls (Your Favorite Authors on The Vampire Diaries), if you’d prefer that.
Giveaway is open to all, no matter where you live etc. etc.
If you don’t write, fear not! You can still enter by telling me why you read…
The truth about writing.
[This is a frank post about writing. If you're not interested, you can skip to the foreign edition giveaway at the end. Seriously. 
]
This writing gig? It doesn’t get easier. Ever.
I’ve stumbled across lots of aspiring authors who think that once they sign with an agent or sell their first book, this job will get easier. They’re wrong.
I’ve known several debut authors who think that once they get a few releases and a little experience under their belts, this job will get easier. They’re wrong too.
And this week, I realized that that unsettled feeling I’ve had for quite a while now was me waiting for things to get easier. For that magical self-confidence to appear with the publication of my twelfth book. But that’s not going to happen. And you know what? Maybe it shouldn’t. Because if people loved the twelfth book, I need to make them really love the thirteenth. If the thirteenth bruises hearts, the fourteenth needs to rip them out entirely. The fifteenth should squeeze them until they burst. By the sixteenth, there should be nothing left but bloody pulp dripping from their hands and the vague understanding that it once beat.
But it takes work to make that happen. Lots of work.
If writing ever gets easier, you’re not doing it right. I believe that. I could learn something new about writing every day for the next fifty years and still have a long way to go. The better you get, the harder you should try.
The same goes for the publishing side of things—it never gets easier. So if you’re serious about this publishing thing, it’s time to ditch the diaper and pull up your big kid pants. And get to work.
So what if your next book only sells to thirty people? Make all thirty of them cry.
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Now for the giveaway. Here’s what I have today:
Sauve mon ame (French edition of My Soul To Keep), La rose et l’ombre (French edition of My Soul To Steal), UK edition of My Soul To Steal, Minha Alma Para Levar (Brazalian edition of My Soul To Take) and Toma Me Alma (Spanish edition of My Soul to Take).
Five winners will be drawn at random from the comments. In your comment, please specify which edition you’d prefer.
Oh, Take Me Back To The Start
Dame Kaz
Happy Halloween!
I’m sorry to say that this fun picture is about as much ‘Halloween’ as I can offer you today – I’m on a deadline! They don’t call us Deadline Dames for nothing… 
But I do have a writing question from a lovely reader (*waves to Isabel*) who’s been emailing with me recently – and she’s been very patient over my ridiculously late replies, I might add. Here’s what she asked me:
How do you start a story? I’ve got all these ideas floating around in my head, but in my head, they always start sort of right in the middle, with minuscule amounts of dialog, setting, etc, so when I try to get them down on paper, I always have issues with coming up with a good enough hook to pull readers in. If you could offer any advice, I would be so grateful.
Thanks again,
Isabel L.
It’s such a great question that I asked Isabel if she’d mind me replying either here or on my own blog. Maybe by blogging the answer a few other people could benefit… (or not. I don’t think I’ll make much sense today!) First of all, I have to make the usual disclaimer: I am still pretty near the beginning of this whole Writing For Publication gig, and sometimes I wonder if I even know what I’m doing – let alone whether or not I’m ‘qualified’ to give advice. But what I can do is to offer up things that work for me – my own thoughts on writing craft and process – as well as share the wisdom and experience of other authors (I read a lot of stuff about writing – I still love doing that).
Remember that what works for one person won’t always work for you. Also, what works for one project, might suddenly not work out so well for the next one. Not only is every writer unique – each writing project has its own distinct ‘personality,’ too.
The thing with beginnings is this: there are just so many different ways to do it.
Seriously, although it’s a great question to ask, it’s almost impossible to answer simply. Or at all. I think the start of your story should suit the story you want to tell. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for writing the beginning of any work of fiction. So a slam-bang action scene might work for a thriller or action-heavy novel, but a more quiet, scene-setting opening could suit an introspective work of literary fiction. Do you see what I mean?
It really depends on so many different factors. Who you are as a writer (your voice or style). What genre you’re writing in. What effects you’re going for with this particular opening. Whether or not you want to conform to genre expectations – or defy them.
You say in your question:
..in my head, they always start sort of right in the middle, with minuscule amounts of dialog, setting, etc, so when I try to get them down on paper, I always have issues with coming up with a good enough hook to pull readers in.
This actually makes me think your beginnings are already pretty good! Starting ‘right in the middle’ is something that a lot of writers believe in: start with action, when the story is already in full flow, and then go back to fill in backstory a bit later. Look at the first line of Dame Rachel’s debut novel (a great book with a fab opening line):
The moment the door opened I knew an ass-kicking was inevitable. Whether I’d be giving it or receiving it was still a bit of a mystery.
STRAY, Rachel Vincent (2007) – I love this book!
We have no idea who is telling the story – who is speaking to us – but don’t you want to know who she is, just from that? Don’t you want to know who’s going to get their ass kicked?!
We can see from stories like these that there is certainly a good case to be made for starting your book with a character in action, perhaps about to make a big decision or about to embark on a new direction in life. It doesn’t have to be action of the ass-kicking variety! Although that’s always totally fun to do. Heh.
I could sit here typing out my favourite openings forever, but that would spoil the fun of you going out there and discovering them for yourself. In my (very humble) opinion, the best way to learn how to begin your novel includes at least some of the following:
1) Read as much as you possibly can. In all genres – not just the one(s) you want to write in.
2) Write down the opening paragraphs that you love in a beautiful notebook. Re-read them and think about what makes them work so well. Ask yourself why you love them. Ask: What was the author trying to do here, by opening the novel in this place or in that way?
3) Write as much of your own fiction as you possibly can. Try not to stress too much over the quality of the opening until later on.
4) Read, read, and READ some more! (I know, I already said that. *g*)
Some writers need the perfect opening before they can write the story or novel, at all. They literally can’t get started without that in place. If that’s what works for you, that’s fine! But there are also those who write an ‘okay’ first line – something that will just get them started – knowing that they’ll be changing the whole first chapter (or more!) when it comes to revisions. Nothing you write is set in stone. You can change everything – including the beginning of your story.
Here’s a tip I learned from reading about the art of writing movie screenplays: try thinking of the beginning and the end of your book as linked. If you know – however roughly – how you want your story to end (and you may not, which is totally cool), you may be able to figure out the perfect beginning from there. There should be a sense of coming ‘full circle’ in your story, so that by the time the reader finishes the book they sit back fully satisfied – whether it had a happy ending or not. They should think: “Wow, that feels like the right ending.”
There might be echoes of the beginning in your ending, so look at the two together and see if that helps you to figure out the best place to start. If, as I often find, you haven’t got a clue how your story is going to end (maybe you don’t like to plan too much – again, there’s no right or wrong way to do this writing thing, just the way that works for you!), then don’t worry so much about getting the ‘perfect’ opening. You may only find it once you’ve finally reached ‘The End’ and everything falls into place. Then, during the revision/rewriting process, you can go back to the start and write the beginning that feels right.
That line (‘back to the start’) makes me think about Coldplay’s beautiful song with its haunting video, which I’ll leave you with today. The video perfectly depicts how the beginning of a story can flow from the end…
I really hope that at least some of my rambling helped you. Thanks again for the question, Isabel. Happy writing, to you and everybody reading this. Good luck if you’re doing NaNoWriMo or KazNoWriMo!
The Scientist – Coldplay
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Halloween image at top © Konstantin Yuganov | Dreamstime.com
Ideas… And How To Tame Them
Here’s a question we received from Mandy during the popular DameCon feature we ran a while back:
Okay really new at this. What are some examples of how you keep track of your ideas. I’ve found that I come up with a fairly good idea when I’m lying in bed. Wow, that would be a really good idea to write down tomorrow when I’m not lying in bed. Then of course I wake up and can’t remember what I was thinking about. I do this in the car too. What are some tools you use to keep track of any ideas floating around in your heads?
I really liked this question, mainly because it wasn’t the usual: “Where do you get your ideas from?” Not that there’s anything wrong with wanting to know the answer to that question, but honestly it’s just so tricky to answer. Also, sometimes I get the feeling that when people ask other writers where they get their ideas, maybe the asker is either (a) looking for some kind of shortcut, or (b) worrying that they will run out of ideas.
For (a), all I can do is laugh hysterically quietly to myself and reassure you that, NO, there really is no shortcut to becoming a writer. All you can really do is just keep at it – and make sure that every single time you write something new, you’re actually getting better at it.
(b) is a little more difficult to handle because I honestly can’t ever imagine running out of ideas. I hear some writers/aspiring authors talking about how they are trying very hard to come up with a new idea, and I sort of boggle at them. (Just a bit. *g*) When you’re writing regularly; reading lots of books; talking to people about writing; talking to people about other stuff; thinking about writing; watching a few TV shows you love; catching the occasional movie; and maybe reading some writing blogs by authors – like *cough* this one, for example – you will find that ideas hit you several times a week. Hell, I get ideas several times a day! But it’s what you do with those ideas that counts.
Which sort of brings me back to the point, and to Mandy’s question:
How do I keep track of all my ideas? How do I make sure they don’t just float around inside my head, only to disappear in a puff of smoke after a busy day – or after a good (or bad) night’s sleep?
The obvious answer, of course, is to WRITE DOWN EVERY IDEA YOU HAVE.
Seriously, no matter how small you think the idea is; no matter how silly you might believe it to be; make a note of it and don’t chance losing it. Especially when those ideas hit you in the middle of the night and you’re too sleepy to be bothered. We’ve all been there. Trust me, I have my own horror stories. To this day, I’m absolutely certain that I came up with a premise for an amazing series of futuristic YA novels in the early hours of a winter’s morning way back in 2010 (*laughs*), only to forget everything about it the next day. Every. Single. Thing. And don’t tell me that it can’t have been all that great an idea in the first place, because I won’t believe you. I’m sure it would have made me a bestseller!
And why did this happen?
Let’s say it together: I didn’t write it down! (Bad writer. No cookie.)
Most people who know me already know that there are three ways to my heart:
COFFEE (give me a skinny cappuccino, and I’m a happy Kaz),
BLUEBERRY MUFFINS,
and WONDER WOMAN.
But, wait! There is a fourth way to my heart:
Mmm... Moleskine notebooks...
One of my very favourite things in the world are Moleskine notebooks. I have far too many! But I like to have all different sizes and styles, depending on what I need it for at the time. I know I don’t really ‘need’ a Moleskine, but if it makes me feel more inspired to write just by jotting down my ideas and flashes of inspiration in a pretty notebook, then I’m not going to knock it.
Other things to try…
You could just use post-it notes. I do that, too.
Or notecards. Sometimes I used those.
Random scraps of paper (including receipts).
Cheap, spiral-bound notebooks.
Try typing the idea into a memo on your phone. Or write a text message to yourself.
Put it in an email and save it in ‘drafts’…
Or send it to yourself and save all your ideas in a folder/label in whatever email program you use.
Audio-record it on your phone (if it does that fancy voice recording thing), maybe if you don’t have a pen and paper to hand.*
*And if not, why not?
You could gather all your ideas into a single Word document once a week; keep an active list of everything that strikes you and print it out occasionally to see if something inspires you to write a new story or novel.
Keep a notebook by your bed.
In your bag.
In all of your bags!
In your pockets.
Try leaving a few different notebooks at various ‘stations’ around your house.
You never need to lose track of an idea again! Especially when you can do something else that I do far too often:
Now, if only I could remember that idea I forgot last year…
How do you keep track of your ideas?
Wanted: Writer Seeks Routine
Dame Kaz
So. Some of you might already know that I sold a new series to Random House. Well, more correctly, my agent sold the books for me. It goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – that I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Not many writers can say that they have four novels coming out in a period of 18 months or so, but that’s what will happen for me between February 2012 (when The Wood Queen comes out) and Summer 2013 (when the sequel to Beautiful Ghosts is released). This makes me happy. Incredibly, deliriously happy.
It also puts me in a similar position to some of the other Dames with multiple books and contracts to juggle, and this is really my first experience with it. It means I’ll be very busy in the next couple of years!
To this end, I am trying to get my life and working habits in order. I need to do this because I am not the most disciplined person in the world (understatement of the year! *g*), and now that I have taken another ‘step’ on this writing journey – in what I hope will be a long and successful career – I have to make sure I don’t let myself down. I don’t want to disappoint other people, too: all the people who believe in me and are investing in my words. So… yes. I need to find a new routine. Or just any routine at all.
“A body without bones would be a limp impossible mess, so a day without steady routine would be disruptive and chaotic.”
- May Sarton
I’ve been reading books and articles about time management, and I’ve been working on ways to increase my focus when I sit down to write. Dame Lili would be proud of me, as I’ve just bought one of these:
I did want this one, but decided against it:
I’m going to try setting the timer and working for different periods of time, see if I can push my ability to concentrate a little higher. I’ll be taking lots of breaks, too, as it’s important that you don’t sit still for too long at a time – for health reasons, but also because I think it helps to move around in between writing or editing sessions. Take a walk. Get some air or a change of scene.
There are tools like Freedom (which now has a Windows version) which block your internet access for a certain amount of time. You decide how long for and program it, then your internet connection simply… stops working for that period. I did try it for a while, but personally I’m finding that I can simply switch off my broadband at the mains and that does the same job. I haven’t yet tried Write or Die, but many writers I know swear by it. Again, I think I prefer just using my Alphasmart for concentrated writing sessions, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try other things.
I love my Alphie
How do you manage your time? Are you someone who prizes a routine, or are you more flexible in your approach to life/work/writing, whether that’s through choice or necessity?
