How I Write-- What have you learned?

This week's question: What have you learned by writing?

Writing for me has always been a way to get out my thoughts onto page, to tell the story of all the voices in my head. I've always been a daydreamer. What else is there to really do on an hour long bus ride to and from school growing up? Oh sure I read, but I also loved to just stare out the window and let my imagination get the better of me. I'd dream up 'stories', of characters and conflicts.

I never thought about writing seriously, not until grade 8 when I decided to try my hand at it. By grade 9 I was writing the WIP I sold to Carina. Yes, it took me a long time. BUT, it taught me persistence. I've put stories aside before. I gave up on them when I lost interest. With this particular story, the characters were just THERE. Yes, the story has evolved a lot. The first rounds I was extra critical on characterization. They seemed flat. And if I saw that, then my readers surely would, so I spent the time when I would read books of published authors studying them. Studying how the characters were developed and what made them tic and come to life. Once I felt I somewhat had a grasp on this, I decided I couldn't plot. At. All.

So... I worked to change that.

The thing with being stubborn (just ask my family, I'm told that all the time), is that I don't let go of things I'm passionate about. For me, this book was IT. It was important to me in a way no other story had. So I persisted and I re-wrote it at least 6 times. The thing about re-writing, I learned what worked and what didn't. Yes, I could have simply shoved it under the bed with the dust and the books I didn't want anyone to know I was reading, but I couldn't do that. I spent years reading articles on how to write. I don't doubt that it's needed to an extent, but I learn better by actually doing it. You can read about how to create characters or plotting all you want, but if you spend all your time doing that, then you aren't writing and you aren't growing as a writer in your own right.

For more on what my friends have learned while writing, click on their links!

Danie Ford
Emma G. Delaney
Kimberly Farris
Kristen Koster

A new breed of monsters

Monsters don't always hide in the closet or under beds.

Where in the past we used to see creatures of the night as villains such as Dracula, now, these beings are often being seen as heroes and heroines of their own story. Take a walk through the paranormal romance shelves for instance. You'll find vampires who although they need blood to survive also are looking for acceptance and love. Or were-creatures who turn furry (whether it's only by full moon or at at will is another post), needing the company of a mate. This doesn't even include faeries and ghosts and all other supernaturals. Sometimes, it's the HUMANS who are the monsters.

From dark monsters who kill ruthlessly, we've seen a rapid progression of the new times. And it's not just books. If you turn on the tv, you'll find shows as well that are following suit. Just look at Being Human. The show closely follows the lives of the ghost of a woman who was murdered by her ex-fiance, a vampire who although he may or may not have killed his family fights the urges constantly, and a werewolf afraid of what he's capable of doing on full moons.

Do you like this new wave of supernaturals or would you prefer your monsters dark and blood thirsty?

Nano realizations

Today I got to 50k. I've always enjoyed doing Nanowrimo and the adrenaline to punch out the words. I'll admit it's probably not all good. I'll be rewriting and changing things. But it's still 50k more than I started out with 20 days ago. I realized things along the way.

a. I am capable of shutting off that internal editor. The past week, I've been cranking out at least 4k a day. How? I shut it off. Using write or die, I completely shut that inner voice off and simply wrote. That's all. Crap? Some of it is. But there's potential and that's all I really wanted. The potential to be able to turn it into something worthy of reading.

b. write-ins are great for brainstorming. although it may not be quite as effective for getting in the words, major ideas pop up.

c. writing in order is like plotting and means instant blockage. Writing out of order is how I get things done.

This is why I love Nano. Yes, I may not have a full book (mine are usually longer than 50k), yes my scenes are all over the map, but I still end up with so many ideas and knowing more where it's headed than when I first started. I knew the major points, but Nano helped me to get there. And for me, that's a major win. :D