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A cat says ________.
A dog says________.
A skunk says______. (We don't know!)
Watch this video to hear a skunk, a ground hog, a bison and more.
Withholding information
When a reader first opens your novel or story and reads the first line, the first paragraph, have you welcomed the reader and tried to put them at ease? It is imperative to invite the reader into a story in a way that puts them at ease. This means clarity must rule. The reader must never question where the story is taking place, or what—exactly—is happening in this scene. You do not have to spill all the backstory at this point—that doesn’t work. But the reader should know when, where and who and a hint of why.
Setting. The setting should be clear and specific, with sensory details appropriately sprinkled throughout the opening scene. This includes information on the geographic location, time frame (e.g. 6th century BC or 2017A.D), and something about the emotional territory.
Character. In the opening pages, the reader should meet a character that intrigues. Please, don’t name five characters on page one and expect the reader to stay oriented. Instead, give each important character a grand entrance. The inner life of the main character should start to come alive, as well. What does s/he fear, love, long for?
Cautions: The worse drafts hide information, wrongly believing that just giving a hint here or there is the best strategy. Instead, the reader becomes confused and closes the book, never to open it again. The great sff writer Orson Scott Card wisely said, “The only thing to withhold is what happens next.” Within the context of a scene, this is exactly right. The reader should understand exactly what is going on—and be so enthralled that s/he turns the page to find out “what happens next.”
Don’t use this as an excuse to include backstory, though! Backstory comes ONLY at the point at which it will create an emotional crisis in a reader. Instead, when the reader is deep within a scene, they should only care about what happens next.
Voice is too formal
In the search for a great voice, some writers fall back on their English class and write too formally. Great fiction is informal writing. This means you can use slang, jargon, curse words (when appropriate), incomplete sentences, sentence fragments. You can, and should, interrupt someone when they are speaking. Characters can be rude. A great novel is not a tea party! Stop being so polite, so formal.
Try making up rules for yourself–play with the formality of your novel; keep what works and discard the rest. Don’t like my rules? Make up your own. But play!
For every ten sentences, you must use a sentence fragment.
You must use one slang/jargon word per page.
You will write one section of dialogue (about 10 exchanges) and every bit of dialogue is incomplete sentences.
In every chapter, someone must be rude.
Boring
Yawn. What happened in this chapter?
Nothing.
Then, why is the reader turning pages?
They aren’t!
A good exercise is to go through each chapter and write one sentence that summarizes what happens. Something important must develop or change in some way in every single chapter. Novelists do not have the luxury to stop and give us back story or tell every single detail of the setting. You must pick and choose from among the myriad of details, bits of dialogue, actions, thoughts and arrange them in an exciting, fascinating, intriguing order.
Stoic Character
For every action, your main character should have an emotional reaction. Why else is the reader following this character around? OK. Not every single action. But it’s a good exercise to try: underline the actions, and circle the main character’s emotional reaction to what just happened. How do they correlate? Do we have 100 actions and only one emotional reaction? Where ever you are on the continuum from no emotional reaction to 100% emotional reactions, evaluate it in terms of your character, your novel. Is the reader getting enough of your MC’s inner life to keep turning the pages? From my experience as a first reader, most novelists err on the side of not enough emotion. If this is hard for you, push yourself toward too much emotion and you may wind up about right.
Balance
Writing a novel is a continual decision-making process. For each detail you might include, there are dozens of great ways to put that into words. We go from words to sentences to paragraphs—and each word selection carries connotations and denotations. It’s complex! The variety of ways to tell a story are amazing. What scenes do you include/exclude, and why? What character is the main character? The point of view character?
Throughout the process of writing a novel, it’s a balancing act all the way. We walk a tightrope upon which we build a story. One misstep and the reader falls off.
This is one of the main reasons why first pages go wrong. 90% of a story may be working, until a sentence here, a word there, a questionable emotion in the midst of the scene—and the reader puts the book down. Fine tuning the novel is crucial. Here is where first readers can really help, by marking the places that are “off.” Even if they can’t articulate WHY this section is OFF, they know it when they read it. You don’t want an English teacher marking up the story with red marks. You want a sensitive reader saying, nope, this doesn’t fit. Don’t know why, just know it doesn’t fit.
It’s a matter of balance: every word must belong. Nothing must be out of place. The reader must keep turning pages with no interruptions in the flow.
When you write a first draft of a novel, you may be prone to spaghetti problems. The term was coined by Jon Franklin in his book, Writing for Story, which is about writing nonficiton; but it’s a useful concept for any type of writing.
Spaghetting is when you are writing along without a clear idea of where your story should go and you wake up one morning and the story is so tangled it seems like a plate of spaghetti. This happens to organic writers (otherwise known as those who write by the seat of their pants, or pansters), but also to those who are semi-organic-semi-planners (sometimes known as plansters). Strict outliners might avoid this problem, but they will have problems of their own.
I am a Semi-planner: I know the overall thrust of the story, the character’s main emotional arc and where the story will end. With that in hand, I semi-plan the opening act, then start writing. I know that somewhere in there, I will have to stop and re-plan the next section of the story. That’s because the story tends to spaghetti.
Spaghetting can happen when you decide to take off on a tangent, just to see where the story might go. And it might go straight into spaghetti; or it might take off into space, with celestial angels channeling through you. Mostly, mine spaghettis.
When this happens, don’t panic. (Oh, it’s at THAT stage.) Instead, you must put on your left-brained analytic hat and look at what you’ve done. Where did the story start to get off track?
Try to pinpoint the exact place where something started going wrong. Put your cursor at that spot and highlight everything after it. Cut and paste that spaghetti section into a new file and call it Spaghetti-1. I hate to delete anything totally! There may be a couple things in that file that I need.
And then, analyze where you are in the story. What has happened up till now? Where is the character on his/her emotional arc? List possible scenes for what might happen next and work on plotting from this point onward. You may need to go back and clean up traces of spaghetti sauce in previous chapters, but you can probably go forward and wait till the full draft is done.
This is a much better strategy than abandoning a mss after 100 pages–something I’ve been known to do. Instead, get rid of spaghetti pages, replot and get that first draft done.
When you want to sell a book, there are two options. First, you can write the book, hoping that it will sell. We call this writing “on speculation,” or “on spec.” It means you are taking the up-front risk of time and effort to write, in the hopes that someone will buy. It’s the usual method of writing fiction and almost all new authors must follow this.
A second way to write is to create the concept, a couple sample chapters and put together a book proposal. This is common for experienced writers, nonfiction topics and series.
What goes into a proposal?
A proposal includes a clear concept and samples of the writing that will appear in the finished manuscript. Let’s look at non-fiction and fiction separately.
Fiction Proposal
Concept: For fiction, a book proposal a high-concept catchy one-liner is helpful. “Boy meets girl” isn’t enough. You’ll need something interesting enough to carry the proposal, so think about how to phrase the one-liner, the hook.
A love affair with a twist: she wants his bite, but he wants her humanity.
Chapter Breakdown: Usually the first book in a series must have a couple lines per chapter. The editors will want to know that you can, indeed, plot a tight story. Each chapter should include a couple lines about the major actions of the story.
Characters: Sometimes, it’s helpful to include short sketches of each major character. Nothing long, a paragraph at most. Make sure each is unique and interesting and contributes to the story.
Series Outline: If you’re proposing a series, then you’ll need half a page or so on each title. Include an overview with the main problem, major complications and a resolution.
Your Bio: Why are you the best person to write this story? What are your past publications, etc. Keep this specific to the proposal, yet general enough to cover your career.
Writing Sample: You must include a sample of the writing for this book, so the editor has a clear idea of what they will get for this contract. Don’t be skimpy. Write three solid chapters and polish them, put your best foot forward.
Letter: This is the usual business letter that you would include with any query or submission letter. Be sure to include the series hook and a hook for the first book.
NonFiction Proposal
The nonfiction proposal includes everything above, except maybe the character sketches. For a biography, though, you’d include it as well. The extra for a nonfiction proposal is the bibliography. You course, you’ll uncover many more resources as you write your story, but you need enough here to let the editor know you have material to write about.
Especially important here is your access to sources. If an editor gets two similar proposals for stories about George Washington, s/he’ll look at the access to sources. Writer A has done online research and has uncovered interesting info. Writer B, though, has contacted Mount Vernon and has an invitation
You might remember earlier in the month I posted about my March goals: four poems a day five days a week on my new historical verse novel. Here are my stats so far:
day 1: 4 poems day 2: 4 poems day 3: 4 poems day 4: 2.5 poems day 5: 2 poems day 6: 4 poems day 7: 3.5 poems day 8: read through and notes day 9: research day 10: research day 11: research
total: 48 poems overall
My day 8 read through showed me I couldn't move forward until I did some more research. So I've set writing aside in order to better ground myself in some historical specifics. I'll be honest: this has really frustrated me. I've felt like I'm shirking a goal. But as the all-wise Valerie Geary has reminded me, any work toward the draft is moving forward, even if there's nothing immediately added to the manuscript.
Here's to reading, thinking, and transforming facts into story.
Have your writing goals ever changed in order to benefit your story?
10 Comments on The Problem With Drafting Historicals, last added: 3/22/2012
I love the time I spend researching, but often have to remind myself that I'm still making progress on those days! And then there are the days when research is actually procrastination. What a balancing act. In the end, research can only make your book better, fuller, richer. And I can't wait to read it!
That is great advice. There is nothing more discouraging than feeling stalled, but research is not stalling. I do a lot of little bits of research as I'm writing (probably because I'm a pantser-writer). At this stage in my life I write a lot from my own experience, so my research isn't anywhere near as in depth as would be required for a historical novel. BUT, there are always those little facts to look up, and pictures to remind me what things felt like and looked like. It can make the writing slow.
Great job, Caroline! I'm excited to hear more about this new novel.
any work toward the draft is moving forward I'm working on my first novel and had to learn that lesson the hard way this week. After writing 25,000 words just fine as a "pantser", I hit a wall and couldn't move forward with the story. I was so discouraged, and ready to quit. I finally realized it's time to do some more growing as a writer and to make myself write an outline. So although I'm not meeting my word count goals, I'm sitting here at Starbucks desperately trying to learn how to plot. Thanks for reminding me that that work is real progress. : )
Becky, thank you for sharing your experience. It validates mine. :)
Last week we talked about revision during our local SCBWI schmooze. I said something like writing isn't efficient, but none of it is ever wasted. Even if "all" you learn from a writing session or even a whole draft is what you don't want to say, that's progress!
Of course, this is something I need to also say to myself...
I don't write historical, but I like the "real" parts of my stories to be as close to reality as possible so I do a ton of research, (including travel, as you well know!) when I have to. It's so much easier to write the story creatively and figure out where you can bend the facts once you actually know the facts. Knowing the setting, the characters, the possibilities, ahead of time, is essential. So yeah, research totally counts.
Yep. I suspect it's like this with any novel writing, but particularly with historicals. I'm working on one now that had lofty plans of being done last December... but I know that the research I've done is bringing it forward and making it better, so I don't regret not meeting the goal. Lately my goals have been more like this: 1. Sit down at the computer every morning at 6am. 2. Write something. Anything. 3. Trust God. Except the third one is really first in priority! All the best with your research! If you enjoy research as much as I do, you should be having a grand time now. :)
I do this all the time. Sometimes, while writing a draft, there are word-production periods. But then there's a slowdown, and I've learned to trust the slowdown because it's a warning that I've either made a wrong turn or am about to if I'm not careful. Either there's research to do, or I have to take time to read through my notes and dig deeper. Churning out a certain word quota day after day doesn't work for me. That often means I produce a draft slower than I'd like to, but it's less of a mess than it would be otherwise, too.
So, I've written three complete novels. One to be published late next year.
I just finished my third a week or two ago.
And now, as I stare at a blank Scrivener document, I can't remember how to write something new.
Oh sure, I have lots of stories percolating in my brain. I don't have writer's block per se.
I just can't remember how to get the ball rolling.
So I need your advice.
What are your tips and trade secrets to spewing out that first draft? Do you outline? Do you wing it? Do you write without chapter divisions? Do you write in scenes? Where do you go to generate plot ideas? What is your one, fail-proof step that helps you get the story flowing?
Please feel free to elaborate!
6 Comments on Help! How Do I Write a First Draft?, last added: 9/11/2012
After you've been deep in a project and heavily into revising, that blank screen is scary. When I started my current project, I decided against chapters and went by scenes. I've more or less held off revising until after I finish a draft, although I've done some. But first drafts are tough because what ends up on the page never quite matches the brilliance of that vague idea in my head.
I agree with Taffy. However once the garbage is cleared, I need to start organizing my thoughts. A spiral notebook that accompanies each project works well. The time I spend with here more than comes back when I pull out the keyboard. One thing that helps me is to look at agendas. Of course the MC has one as does the antagonist. But even a lesser character has an agenda that affects the MC. I list the agenda for each important character in side by side columns. As one character acts, the agenda for others may shift and this forces further reaction, listed down the columns. It helps give direction to the whole piece.
@ Scott, In my newest book I've been writing in scenes. Just to try something new. We'll see how it goes.
@ Michelle, I should have something ready for you to read in a few months.
@ Taffy, I usually start with a lot of garbage. But every time I start a new project, I forget how much comes to me while I'm writing. I keep expecting to know all the answers before I start.
@ Yamile, I'm already outlining a bit for something new for November!!
@ Bruce, I too have a notebook that goes along with each manuscript! I couldn't write without it!
Your novel is progressing nicely and you finish a chapter. But then, the next chapter is calling and you procrastinate, you read blogs, you do laundry, you AVOID.
How can you get started on that next chapter?
Sensory details. I like to imagine where my character is in the next chapter, then close my eyes, put myself there and try to imagine all the things the character might see, hear, touch, taste or smell. Then, I push hard to find an interesting detail and I start writing there. The danger is that you might start with too much description. That’s OK, you can take care of that during revision. The goal here is to get started.
Action. Alternately, starting with a great verb can help jumpstart the story. Think beyond the usual: walk, run, turn head, whirl. Instead, go for something distinctive: salute, pirouette, regurgitate. (Please, avoid those pesky adverbs, which add so little. Not walked lazily. But strolled.) Get your character in motion and keep him/her in motion for a page or so, and you’ll figure out where to go next.
Dialogue. One of my favorite openings to a novel is Tom Sawyer, which opens with his aunt calling: “Tom!”
When in doubt, begin a new chapter with a bit of dialogue. Keep it going for about ten exchanges and then move on.
Dead End Ways to Start a Chapter
On the other hand, there are some dead-end ways to start chapters:
Waking up. Rarely does it work to have a character start a chapter in bed, then wake up. Boring. (OK. Prove me wrong! As long as it gets you going on a new chapter.)
Backstory. Long explanations of a character’s history rarely excite the reader either. We don’t need to know about Mary’s uncle’s horse and how it escaped and caused Mary to jump into a ditch where she broke her leg. Instead, show-don’t-tell how she is dealing with that broken leg. Past action is boring; current action is exciting.
Dull vocabulary. If there’s ever a place for brilliance of voice, phrasing, interesting vocabulary, it’s the opening of a chapter. Here is where you want to catch a reader’s attention. No, you don’t want it to be so overblown that it is out of character with the rest of the story; however, you do want it to catch a reader. And, the beauty is that if you do overwrite, it’s just a first draft.
These are ideas to help you get something—anything—on paper. There’s plenty of time for revision. But that first draft has to get written, one chapter at a time. Stop procrastinating. Write!
I am the perfect TA to kick off our series on "quieting the internal critic" because I am, as I believe I have mentioned, a serial starter. I dig in to the first draft, I write a few chapters, and then... I give up the ghost.
The reasons for this quirk of mine are many and varied, and I have spent much time analyzing them in order to work on specific solutions. Here's what I've got so far:
PROBLEM: 1. Plot and concept
Plotting has always been a weakness of mine. As I start writing, I often have a specific concern in mind -- perhaps I'm trying to do too much; or too little; or the external plot is not as interesting as the internal plot. More problematic (and often the case lately) -- by the time I get a novel from concept to page, someone else has already had the same idea. And in a relatively high-concept project (especially when the other writer is famous and you are not), this situation is death.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: 1. Find a trusted critiquer!
I have mostly implemented this solution by taking classes -- which is a very expensive way to find someone to look at my pages and give me the confidence I need that I have a decent concept that merits completion. Better solution: Find a great and dedicated critique group! (I'm working on it.)
I have discovered that if I get helpful feedback as to the direction of my manuscript from the very outset, I am all fired up to start writing and keep going.
PROBLEM:
2. I have an ingrained tendency to read, re-read, tweak and re-tweak the beginning pages/chapters. Either these turn out to be much more polished than later chapters; or the later chapters never get written, period.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: 2. Keep going! Don't go back! If I have revision ideas as I go along, I learned that what I need to do is write myself a note and continue. Part of my problem is that, due to the start-and-stop nature of my writing life, I often have to spend far too much time rereading what I've written -- to get myself back "into" the mood of novel. This step (and wasted time) would not be necessary if I would simply...
SIMPLE SOLUTION 3. Write every day! Or at least every week!
(I'm working on it.)
PROBLEM: 4. I get stuck. My novel has a knotty problem, or I get tired of what I'm writing, and I am tempted to give up.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: 4. Read! Always Read! Keep reading good work -- and don't let it intimidate you. Be inspired.
Wow, Jeanne Marie,I can totally relate to a lot of what you're saying--especially the tendency to reread and retweak. In fact, I'm in the midst of working on my 4th MG novel right now and wondering whether I've got too much going on, if the plot is strong enough, if I need to go in a different direction completely. It's so hard to get immersed into the guts of it after letting time pass.
In offering up T. S. Eliot’s words from his poem “East Coker” as my end-all/be-all comment re writing First Drafts, I’m risking the obvious. But honestly? Eliot’s words say it all, literally and - believe it or not, figuratively. “In the beginning is the end.” It’s a Writer’s Sampler sentiment if ever there were one.
Author Harriette Robinet, a member of my very first Writers Group, shared essentially the same thought when she exhorted us weekly, wagging her index finger: “Just keep on writing 'til you get to The End!”
I’ve been writing First Drafts from beginning to THE END in various formats and genres since 1977. (Really.) Here’s what I recommend to keep you keepin’ on while (not 'til) you complete your First Draft.
• Fall in love with your characters before you ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Loving them makes abandoning them impossible.
• Keep a Writer’s Notebook handy to capture anything that could stop you from writing forward – i.e. a random thought, a nagging worry or concern, a sub-plot possibility, a fact that needs verifying.
• Speaking of writing forward, if the right word refuses retrieval, if a character name gives you pause, if you can’t conjure up the exact words your characters might speak, bracket the space on the page and summarize what’s missing, knowing you’ll return once you reach THE END, and keep on goin'!
• The above advice pertains to scenes, too. You know what needs to happen – the Who, the When and Where, the How – but your Muse is refusing to give it up. Bracket, summarize the scene with a title, and keep moving forward.
• And speaking of scenes, end your day’s or night’s writing by stopping in the middle of one. That way you can easily continue writing when you return to your manuscript, especially if you visualize that scene before you fall asleep. • And speaking of bedtime, try this: state your nagging story question, then invite your brain to work on the answer while you’re catching 40 winks. Don’t open your eyelids in the morning until you hear/see/feel the answer.
• Immerse yourself fully in the story by re-reading a few pages from the previous day’s efforts. Don’t edit, mind you, even though it’s tempting because it feels so good. The goal’s to keep on writing to THE END.
• Sometimes give yourself permission to jump ahead in your story, if a down-the-road consequence or reaction makes itself known; other times note the future scene, by title, summary, time-line, in your Writer’s Notebook.
If stuck, substitute your Reader’s Hat for your Writer’s Chapeau. Ask yourself: what question is my reader asking here and now?
If still stuck, take your camera’s eye away from your character and focus on a sub-plot.
• Set yourself a reasonable, attainable goal for each writing stint: maybe 2 clean, clear pages; or 1,000 words; perhaps a scene. Feeling good about yourself and your efforts helps return you to your laptop the next day. (Think: Pavlov!)
• Though tempted, DO NOT SHOW YOUR MANUSCRIPT PIECE-MEAL (i.e. Chapter by Chapter) TO YOUR WRITER’S GROUP. Why not? You’ll likely then be re-writing, instead of writing forward. Offering an entire manuscript for a complete reading guarantees a thoughtful, comprehensive reading. Second best? Offer chapters that comprise an Act.
It goes without saying: reaching your First Draft’s conclusion deserves and warrants a backslap, applause and a glass of your favorite Chardonnay and/or a st
5 Comments on In the beginning is the end..., last added: 10/1/2011
I'm pondering the idea of presenting scenes at our (too frequent for the entire MS!) critique group meetings. Good advice, all around. Thanks for this blog, which I've just discovered.
Inspiring suggestions, particularly that we reread an early draft of our novels. For me, it's the one you reviewed MANY years ago. Although the story has grown in breadth and depth,somehow (and surprisingly) I've managed to retain that something that made me fall in love with my little pal. Miss you, Esther!
Thanks, Donna and Anne. I appreciate any and all hugs whilst digging deep into my current revision.... So glad my advice was helpful, Augusta. I enjoyed getting to know YOU and your upcoming novel....once I clicked on YOUR blog. And, Miss LaNeve: I'm beyond delighted that you are once again keeping company with Spanky.
I love writing first drafts! I love that moment when a thought or phrase or word pops into my head, and I rush to scribble it down on one of the notebooks I keep in my pocket, my purse, or my desk. I love the anticipation, the exhilaration, the certainty that this one is surely a winner. My first drafts are spontaneous, joyful, enthusiastic, hopeful—everything I love about writing—and usually incomplete.
Once I get past that initial elation, every writing fear halts my forward motion. I am not going to elaborate on fears here, though. For heaven’s sake, they don’t need reinforcing! If I want to finish something—and I do!—I have to avoid my internal critic.
One life-saving method lets me sneak past the crushing criticism. I start my own writing first thing in the morning, in my pajamas, coffee close by, and I work before the critic wakes up and gets snarly. I am a morning person, but lucky for me, my critic sleeps in.
Here’s a morning person poem inspired by our older son and memories of my sisters and me when we were his age. It was published in Stories from Where We Live: The Great Lakes.
We Are the Early Risers
We are the early risers. We are drawn to the water like turtles in spring. While the sleepyheads snuggle with pillows, we are shucking off sneakers and socks to tiptoe through sand dunes and wade in the shallows and watch dawn hatch from the waves.
Be sure to enter our Teaching Authors Book Giveaway featuring Guest Teaching Author Nikki Grimes and her new novel-in-poems, Planet Middle School.
I am a night owl myself, but I do relish those quiet times in the morning (if and when I get to wake up in time to see the sun rise) - when everything else is still and filled with possibilities. :)
I love this poem!! It brings back my summers in MI on Lake Huron, when I could rise before anyone and go out of the cabin to "watch dawn hatch from the waves". Thanks for sharing this!
One of my big "Ah ha" moments in my never-ending quest of "learning to write," was reading Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird. I know I have invoked Bird by Bird many times in this blog, but I can't help it. When I am discouraged, bogged-down, or, as I mentioned in my last post, just plain "done" (as opposed to "finished") I call on Anne to get me out of whatever funk I am in. Whatever it is, she's been there and done that a zillion times. Anne is a right-to-the-point kind of writer who isn't afraid to use four letter words and a little political rhetoric to get her ideas across. I know this bothers some people, so I mention it in recommending her book. If you skip past those occasional references, Anne is my right-hand-in-print-writing-guru. Anne was the one who gave me "permission" to write lousy first drafts (Anne uses a somewhat different word than lousy.) First drafts are for getting down the story, getting to know your characters and setting. When I sit down to a first draft, I don't agonize over word choices, character names or other details that don't come to mind immediately. Whatever doesn't come to mind immediately, I leave out by typing in XXXX. When I am revising, it alerts me that I know something is missing here, and hopefully, I now know what it is. If I still don't know, I leave it in until I do know. If that XXX is still around in the final draft it's usually a sign that I didn't need whatever it was in the first place. Unlike Jo Ann, I hate writing first drafts. Sometimes I feel like Moses wandering in the wilderness. Very often there are huge holes in my plot (like Jeanne Marie, plotting is my weakness). Right now I am going to break Esther's very sensible rule about not talking about what you are writing (the more time you spend time talking about it, the less energy you have to write it.) However, I am pushing my fiction envelope and writing a verse novel. For the record, I am not writing a verse novel because I am a poet ( I most definitely am not) or because verse novels are hot stuff right now. I just think it is the best and possibly the only way I can write this particular story, which is in three voices and so intense and occasionally gruesome, that it is too heavy to write as straight prose. The best thing about writing this first draft is that the verse format works really well with my particular way of writing. I don't write in sequence. I don't start with chapter one and then proceed to chapters two, three, etc. When I sit down to write, I write whatever is clearest in my mind that day. When I go back to write again, maybe I will continue with that scene, character, episode (pick one) or it sparks a chapter that I know will come before or after what I have already written. I don't worry where it will come. I just write. Backward, forwards, occasionally upside down (kidding). The only consistent thing is that whatever I think is going to be the last chapter, never is. When I go back for revision (the part of writing I love) I put my work into a preliminary order, sometimes shuffling chapter positions, but always discovering where there is a hole, or where I need a transition. Sometimes I find characters hanging around the edges of the story, not pulling their load. (They are fired.) This might not work for anyone but me. (I am ADD, and not the most organized person...at least not by organized person standards.) The point is to do what it takes to get out that first draft. This morning I've been writing a poem that I have no idea where it is going to fit in the book's trajectory. Maybe it will get the old heave ho in the final draft. But for right now, I feel pretty good about it. (I actually got the idea sitting in the skating rink parking lot last week, and wrote the notes for it on the deposit slips of my checkbook..I didn't have any paper.) I have also written on McDonald's napkins, air
1 Comments on First Drafts Stink So Just Do It., last added: 10/3/2011
It is hard for me to remember that my first drafts don't have to sound good or even make complete sense. I constantly have to work to remember that I will be revising it many times.
Knowing I'd be one of the last TeachingAuthors to blog about first draft fears brought its own fears: would I have anything left to share that my brilliant co-bloggers hadn't already discussed? Jeanne Marie kicked off the series by sharing four specific ways she deals with her own tendency to be "a serial starter." Esther gave us a whole slew of ways to get to THE END, along with some inspiring quotes to tack up in our workspace. Joanne talked about her love of first drafts and her sneaky way of getting past her inner critic. And Mary Ann reminded us that first drafts are supposed to "stink." Having low expectations can be a great tool. :-)
I hope my co-bloogers' posts have already given you, our readers, encouragement and inspiration. However, I'm relieved to see that none of them shared one of my tricks for overcoming first draft fears: A DEADLINE.
I've found that deadlines work best for me when there's some sort of associated accountability and/or consequences for not meeting them. One of the reasons I was so productive during my two years at Vermont College had to do with the monthly deadlines. I might never have finished Rosa, Sola without them. But out here in the real world, it's sometimes difficult to create deadlines with real sting. Fortunately for us novelists, there's a deadline-oriented opportunity just around the corner: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Every November, writers around the world take on the challenge of completing a 50,000-word first draft in 30 days. NaNoWriMo isn't for everyone; last year I heard some negative buzz about it, everything from "no one can write anything good that way" to "real writers don't need gimmicks." Despite the negative hype, there have been a number of NaNoWriMo success stories, including bestselling novels that started as NaNoWriMo projects. One of the most recent is the adult novel The Night Circus (Doubleday) by Erin Morgenstern. The book was released less than a month ago (on September 13), and according to the NaNoWriMo blog of September 28, it had already made it to the New York Times bestseller list. The Night Circus has also garnered an impressive list of starred reviews, (you can read excerpts of those reviews on the book's Indiebound page) and has sold foreign rights to over 30 countries.
Morgenstern talks a little about her NaNoWriMo experience in an interview at Writers Unboxed, saying:
"I started doing National Novel Writing Month in 2003. I failed miserably that first attempt but reached 50k in 30 days the next year, and it became a really good exercise for me — writing without stopping to be overly self-critical and having the magical pressure of a deadline."
I'm not surprised Morgenstern was helped by NaNoWriMo--it offers lots of structure, feedback, support, and accountability via a website, forums, and
~ Howdy Campers and happy Poetry Friday! Today's poem and Writing Workout--a poetry prompt--are below.
Poetry Friday is hosted this week by Mary Ann Scheuer over at Great Kid Books. Thanks, Mary Ann!
Before we begin today's dance around the campfire, I have an exciting announcement: professor and author Sylvia Vardell and poet and author Janet Wong have done it again! Just in time for Teen Read Week (Oct. 16-22 this year) they've edited another affordable and fabulous ebook anthology called P*Tag, this one for teens--which you can read even if you don't have an ereader!
(Yes, I have poems in both anthologies--but that's not why I'm jumping up and down about these two books--they are brilliant and original and poetry tag is a game you can play with other poets and your students!)
And now to today's TeachingAuthors topic of the week. After five terrific posts on First Drafts: Quieting the Internal Critic, it's my turn to wrap up this topic--for now. Just so you know, my internal critic is going nuts right this very minute because I am writing something that someone is going to actually read.
Like JoAnn, I enjoy first drafts. Mostly. First drafts aren't promising anyone anything. First drafts are splashing around, figuring stuff out. First drafts are swirling paint onto the page to see if I can convey what was dancing in my brain last night.
And like Jeanne Marie, I am good at starting and not so good a
12 Comments on Talkin' back to your first draft...and Happy Poetry Friday!, last added: 10/9/2011
Oh, I love that "unlicked cub...unpolished stone...darling sapling" and that question at the end! Thank you for sharing this - and the conversation with your husband too. Have you read Cynthia Rylant's THE OLD WOMAN WHO NAMED THINGS? Happy Poetry Friday! A.
Another vote for the "unlicked cub" - if you toss the first stanza or part of it, can you/we keep the cub? ;0) This morning, I conjured up a first draft that's been playing in my mind for weeks - how fun to then read all of this! And your "Listening" poem in p*tag is great. Readers will nod knowingly.
I love it, April. I like the first stanza, so I hope you keep it. The only line that gave me trouble was "You're a great extra-word whacker!" I don't know why I just couldn't get the words out (in my head).
Great blog. I’m not an author, I’m an illustrator, but I love the inside look into the writer’s world. I think that getting to know the mind of the author helps me interpret better.... which connects the illustration to the words better. Thanks for a peek into the process April and thanks to all the authors .
Add me to the list of "unlicked cub" fans! I didn't believe you: unlicked cub? So I looked it up on thesaurus.com. Yes, it was there...along with a pop-up ad about "Why Men Lose Attraction." (Presumably those are "first draft" men.) Great post, April!
I am thinking about doing NaNoWriMo this year, joining with thousands of others in trying to write 50,000 words–a novel–during the month of November.
You can’t count any words written before November 1, but I know I can’t do this if I don’t work on a plot before the mad rush officially begins. So far, I only have a situation.
What’s the difference in a plot and a situation?
A situation is a single event, a strange combination of story elements. For example, there’s an annual contest called Stuck on a Truck. The idea is for selected people to put their hands on a truck and keep them there. The last one standing–and still stuck on that truck–will win the truck. It usually takes 100 hours for the last ones to drop out. That’s 4-5 days with no sleep.
It’s an interesting situation and one that I’d like to write about. But it’s not a plot.
Transform a Situation into a Plot
For the situation to become a plot, I need to add characters with real problems they must overcome. I am sifting through the ideas for characters, looking for flaws, quirks and a heart for readers to connect with. I also need to add a setting, ground the story in a particular historical period (contemporary, historical, fantasy, etc.), a particular geographical place. And finally, I need to be mean, cruel, despicably unfair to my characters; in other words, I need intense complications that force my characters to make decisions they don’t want to make. Tension on every page.
Fortunately, there are 29 plot templates I can follow when considering options.
Need help with something else? Use the Search Box to look for more information. Or ask a question in the comments or send me an email at darcy at darcypattison dot com.
Are you doing the NaNoWriMo? Why is it right for you this year?
If you’re doing NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, you’ll be starting at midnight tonight or first thing in the morning. You’ll be opening your story with a great scene, right?
Here are resources for those first lines, opening chapters of your novel.
As I’m working on the plan for this new novel, creating characters and trying out voices, I’m trying to strengthen my weakest areas.
My Weakness is Character
My weakness is character. I can plot fine, but creating characters with plausible character growth is hard for me. I think I’ve got it and my friends tell me that I’m still way off.
This time, I’m majoring on the character’s emotional life. I won’t actually start writing until I have charted the ups and downs of the character as she moves through the events planned.
In James Frey’s book, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II, he gives an example of the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah. Frey uses the idea of a premise, or a short statement about the overall story. For Samson, he uses the premise: Repentance leads to a glorious death.
Frey says that a premise isn’t the same as a moral, and doesn’t have to match up with what we would normally call moral or right or ethical. Instead, it’s a summary of what THIS STORY is saying; it’s intrinsic to this one and only story.
What I liked was when Frey expanded upon the premise:
God’s love leads to a great strength, which leads to heroism in battle, which leads to haughtiness and arrogance, which leads to temptations of the flesh, which leads to betrayal, which leads to defeat and disgrace and blindness, which leads to repentance, which leads to a restoration of superpowers, which leads to a glorious death.
He says the premise, “Repentance leads to a glorious death” is merely a shorthand for the longer version.
Well, I’ve got the premise down! What I’m trying to do right now is to expand it (hindsight is always easier!) so that I can see the character arc better, especially the emotional arc. I love that Frey’s expansion had character qualities: haughty, arrogant, disgrace.
I would like to make it even more tied to those, so it will help me write a better character story:
God’s love overwhelms, which leads to devotion to God, which leads to surprising gift of great strength, which leads to courage, which leads to a heady success in battle, which leads to haughtiness and arrogance, which leads to less devotion to God, which leads to passion and love for Delilah, which leads to betrayal and heartache, which leads to defeat, despair, disgrace and blindness, which leads to repentance, which leads to a renewed awe and devotion to God, which leads to surprising gift of super strength restored, which leads to ultimate sacrifice for sake of God, which leads to a glorious death.
Well, maybe not that much different, but I like–and need–that emphasis on character.
While I’m developing character conflicts, I’m also working on this emotional arc. When I know the arc, then it will be easier to test plot events to make sure they are related to this emotional arc.
I’m evaluating the outline for my WIP novel and realize that I need more events. It takes place at one big event that spans 98 hours. Within that time period, though, I need some exciting things happening. I’ve sorta mapped out the emotional changes (Wow, what a change for me!), but now it’s the events themselves that matter.
In Roz Morris’ Nail Your Novel book, (a great book to use when writing your first draft!) she suggests that you use a box and just throw in ideas. The ideas can come from brainstorming or from research about a topic. Don’t worry about where the bit of action goes in the story, just write it on a card and throw it into the mix.
When the box is full, or when you’ve done enough research, then you can sort through ideas and evaluate if they will fit into your novel. You’ll want to toss some of them as unsuitable for your story. The rest, though, you can start to sort and put into a reasonable order.
Because my novel has a tight time line, I’ve done a modification. As shown in the picture here, I’ve created three envelopes. As I’m doing research and brainstorming, I’m slotting events loosely into Act 1, Act 2 or Act 3 of my novel. So, use one big envelope or box or several envelopes based on whatever division works for your novel. For example, you might want to use one envelope for each subplot, or perhaps for each major setting of your novel.
In any event, I’m still trying out voices and still plotting. What stage is your WIP at?
I’m at that fragile stage of the first draft when I’m not totally committed to this story. I’m still feeling my way and haven’t yet gained confidence that I will like the story, or that my readers will like it. I’m walking on eggshells.
What can I do to GET committed?
Play with voice.
The main thing I’m doing is to continue to play with voice, making sure that I’m not tied into one way of telling this story yet. I’m doing first person, third person, omniscient. Different narrators are popping up. I’m trying a loose collection of short scenes and trying longer, more connected things. Playing.
Keep writing.
Though it feels like I’m swimming upstream against a heavy curtain, I’m still writing. Just bits and pieces each day, but pages are starting to accumulate so that I can start to see the shape of things. I’m writing.
Embrace uncertainty.
Hardest for me personally is to embrace the uncertainty of this stage of a first draft of a novel. I’m liking the main event and the characters and even most of the plot (so far). But I’ve found that there are two things I need to know. First, what is the story that I want to tell. Second, what is the best way to tell that story.
I’ve found the story, at least I’ve caught it and am wrestling with it. What this draft will tell me is whether I’ve found the best way to tell that story.
This week, I finally have 1574 words done, a solid draft of Chapter 1. I’m celebrating. It’s been a struggle to get this one started. And I have a plan for what comes next, even better.
Do you celebrate small steps along the way of writing and publishing your work? What’s your favorite way to celebrate? What milestones do you celebrate?
1. With the help of Twizzlers, Cadbury mini eggs, and March Madness, I finished the first draft of my YA romantic comedy. Woo. 2. And I'm getting ready for a writer's retreat, which means Preparing my Husband for Full-Time Child Care 3. BWA-HA-HA!!! 3 1/2. Have a great weekend everyone!
It’s helpful to do this because you can orally narrow down a topic, rehearse details, ask for more details, and even do oral revisions before they ever put pencil to paper. I like this as a prewriting strategy for student writers.
But then, I thought about my own writing. Do I tell others about what I’m writing? Do I rehearse the story orally, decide to add/subtract details, look for weak areas and shore them up with an oral revision? No!
Why not? I don’t know. Certainly, I tell real events over and over and hone the details, presentation, delivery of the punch line. But fiction? Somehow, it’s different? I don’t like telling the story before hand?
Would I benefit from doing that? Maybe. I’m working on a science fiction story and realize the scientific basis of a couple things must be meticulous. So, I am discussing those things, trying to get it straight what might and might not happen, not using pure invention here. But that’s nonfiction stuff again.
The question is this: for your fiction, do you tell people what you’re working on? Why or why not?
NonFiction BookBlast
Sunday, June 26, 2011. 8-10 am.
ALA Conference in NOLA.
“Used properly, first drafts are great metal detector-like instruments. They show you which areas require digging, whether what’s under the surface turns out to be silver or scrap metal.” – Billy Mernit
Billy Mernit teaching “Writing the Romantic Comedy” at UCLA’s writer’s program. He’s serves as a script consultant and story analyst for Universal Studios and is the author of the book Writing the Romantic Comedy.
1 Comments on Quote of the Week: Billy Mernit, last added: 6/26/2011
That’s a very nice quote. I’ve noticed my draft showed me the areas that needed “mining” and which areas needed to be dumped. This man definitely knew what he was talking about!
I was sure that it had only been a month or two since my last post, but obviously not. What can I say. I've been working on a new YA that's just been not quite right, not quite right, not quite right. But finally, finally I feel that I might be getting it to work.
I've been working on it for two years now (though I took time away to write Sami's Sleepaway Summer and to do a revision of Louie.) It's hard to leave a book mid-draft. When you come back to it, you are not the same person you were before and for me, I think that often means the story I need to tell is not the same story anymore. And that means a lot of do overs. But this time, I'm almost finished. And I really like the story I'm telling.
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First drafts percolate in my head for weeks, beckoning to be released. When I finally sit at the computer, they gush out like a broken water main, flooding the pages. Voice automatically surfaces through the words.
--Gayle C. Krause
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2 Comments on Go With the Flow, last added: 8/15/2011
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” ~ Terry Pratchett
Some writers gripe and groan about the challenges of first drafts, but I’m the kind of writer who loves them.
They’re messy, unmanageable, unpredictable, often impossible, but I love them all the same.
I love the freedom that a first draft offers a writer.
I love that there are no road signs (because there are no
0 Comments on The Challenge of First Drafts as of 1/1/1900
The amazing JUDY BLUME was a surprise guest at the 40th anniversary SCBWI Conference this summer! What a treat! She sat down with SCBWI President Lin Oliver to talk shop, and all us attendees got a little insight into the brilliant Blume and her writing process.
Judy Blume’s Thoughts on Her Writing Process:
Typewriter vs. Computer:
Before computers she used to write through a first draft (start to finish). She’d get the draft done. But with a computer she doesn’t do that anymore. Now she can go back and keep revising. That’s bad in her opinion. It was better before when she’d go through a whole draft first.
When she wrote on a typewriter she would do five drafts and then send it to her editor.
On Writing First Drafts:
“I’m a terrible first draft writer! I’m a reviser!”
The first draft is about finding the pieces to the puzzle. The second draft is putting it together. And you go on from there.
On Revision:
She likes to print out and scribble all over her drafts with a pen.
It took her 23 drafts to write the book “Summer Sisters”. She didn’t feel like she knew what she was writing. It took her three years to write and it was so painful she said “I’m never doing this again.”
She says she’s never really understood the creative process, but she has enough faith (after 40 years) that it will come to her again.
On Plotting:
“I’m so sucky at plot! It’s not how the story comes to me.”
Her son says she’s the least analytical person he knows.
How to Start a Book:
When she gets an idea she lets it percolate for a long long time before writing.
She says she knows she will start a book on the day something different happens. Sometimes she has to write pages and pages and pages before that moment and the real book starts.
When You Know It’s Working:
“I love it when I laugh out loud. I cry a lot. If I’m writing a sexy scene and I’m not turned on it’s not working!”
The stuff that’s gonna work is what’s coming from deep deep inside.
Judy Blume is one of the most widely read authors of juvenile and teen fiction. Her many books include: Tiger Eyes, Are You There God It’s Me Margaret, Blubber, Forever, The Fudge Series, and Just as Long as We’re Together. Her novels have exceeded sales of 80 million and have been translated into 31 languages.
A cat says ________.
In the search for a great voice, some writers fall back on their English class and write too formally. Great fiction is informal writing. This means you can use slang, jargon, curse words (when appropriate), incomplete sentences, sentence fragments. You can, and should, interrupt someone when they are speaking. Characters can be rude. A great novel is not a tea party! Stop being so polite, so formal.
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COMING AUGUST 15:. The Book Trailer Manual. Click to read about it.
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Even though you haven't quite hit your goal, that's still a lot of progress! And Valerie is right: research totally counts.
Caroline, this is the way it is with historical work. This is the way it MUST be. Your friend is very wise.
I love the time I spend researching, but often have to remind myself that I'm still making progress on those days! And then there are the days when research is actually procrastination. What a balancing act. In the end, research can only make your book better, fuller, richer. And I can't wait to read it!
That is great advice. There is nothing more discouraging than feeling stalled, but research is not stalling. I do a lot of little bits of research as I'm writing (probably because I'm a pantser-writer). At this stage in my life I write a lot from my own experience, so my research isn't anywhere near as in depth as would be required for a historical novel. BUT, there are always those little facts to look up, and pictures to remind me what things felt like and looked like. It can make the writing slow.
Great job, Caroline! I'm excited to hear more about this new novel.
Thanks for all the encouragement, friends!
any work toward the draft is moving forward
I'm working on my first novel and had to learn that lesson the hard way this week. After writing 25,000 words just fine as a "pantser", I hit a wall and couldn't move forward with the story. I was so discouraged, and ready to quit. I finally realized it's time to do some more growing as a writer and to make myself write an outline. So although I'm not meeting my word count goals, I'm sitting here at Starbucks desperately trying to learn how to plot. Thanks for reminding me that that work is real progress. : )
Becky, thank you for sharing your experience. It validates mine. :)
Last week we talked about revision during our local SCBWI schmooze. I said something like writing isn't efficient, but none of it is ever wasted. Even if "all" you learn from a writing session or even a whole draft is what you don't want to say, that's progress!
Of course, this is something I need to also say to myself...
Ha! All the time!
I don't write historical, but I like the "real" parts of my stories to be as close to reality as possible so I do a ton of research, (including travel, as you well know!) when I have to. It's so much easier to write the story creatively and figure out where you can bend the facts once you actually know the facts. Knowing the setting, the characters, the possibilities, ahead of time, is essential. So yeah, research totally counts.
Yep. I suspect it's like this with any novel writing, but particularly with historicals. I'm working on one now that had lofty plans of being done last December... but I know that the research I've done is bringing it forward and making it better, so I don't regret not meeting the goal.
Lately my goals have been more like this:
1. Sit down at the computer every morning at 6am.
2. Write something. Anything.
3. Trust God.
Except the third one is really first in priority!
All the best with your research! If you enjoy research as much as I do, you should be having a grand time now. :)
I do this all the time. Sometimes, while writing a draft, there are word-production periods. But then there's a slowdown, and I've learned to trust the slowdown because it's a warning that I've either made a wrong turn or am about to if I'm not careful. Either there's research to do, or I have to take time to read through my notes and dig deeper. Churning out a certain word quota day after day doesn't work for me. That often means I produce a draft slower than I'd like to, but it's less of a mess than it would be otherwise, too.