Hi folks, I'm continuing my series called Novel Craft. I'm uncovering what has worked for me in the last year as I have moved forward with my novel writing. This is a way to make a stronger ending to your book. I found it very effective. It helped me untangle some weakness in my plot and gave me new energy toward a project I had grown frustrated with.
I asked myself a simple question, what is a better ending to this story?
Yes, that is it. I'm not great with complicated solutions. This is the absolute truth. I love to make complicated plans, but I rarely enact them. Embarrassing but true. I have to find elegant, simple solutions to succeed, and my writer-sense (not be confused with Spidy-sense) let me know that my question was going to work.
My method to answer this question may seem weird, I talked to myself about while driving my umpteen errands. I suppose people looked at me and thought that is one crazy gal. Oh, well.
I chattered on bout the tried and true ending, poking at my ideas. I started by asking myself questions. How can I make this character suffer more? How can her darkest moment be darker? What would bring this character bigger change?
There was a little drama--like I don't know if this is going to work, and then, yay, ideas popped up. I continued to chatter on about the how these new ideas might be better than my old one. I chattered for about a half hour. I'm pretty sure I'm not the first author who uses the the professional "chatterer" technique.
Finally in midst of my chattering, eureka, a better ending to the story popped in my head. A way better end. I wrote that ending, and, yeah, I started chanting (while writing), "I've got this!"
Hint, hint, a simple questions, a conversation with yourself may help you improve your existence. Try it. Thanks for dropping by. I will return next week with more on this series.
Here is a doodle for you:
Here is a quote that spoke to me this week.
The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. David Foster Wallace
Did you know that talking to yourself can be really helpful? It’s true! Researchers have long known that positive self-talk can be an incredibly helpful tool. The power of positive self-talk is something that… Continue reading →
I’ve long believed the benefits of positive thinking and positive projection. Now, in line with these philosophies, there is positive self-talk.
In an article at NPR.com, “Why Saying is Believing,” it explains the importance of not only talking to yourself, but how you talk to yourself.
Researchers delved into the influence that referring to the ‘self’ has on how the individual thinks, feels,
Without a doubt, high school physics was my all-time worst subject. Mr. Jones might have been lecturing in Sumarian, for all that I understood. Today, here is my total recall of nine months in his class:
Newton's First Law of Motion: An object in motion, will remain in motion. An object at rest will remain at rest.
So how does this pertain to the subject of New Year's Writing Resolutions?
A writer who writes will continue to write. A writer who goofs off will continue to goof off.
For a lot of really valid (to me) reasons, last year was my least productive writing year ever. Initially, I thought my six word resolution would be "Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing." However, my mind kept adding the words "you big slug."
Uh-oh. My Inner Heckler was awake and throwing nasty stuff from the cheap seats.
Ms Heckler's voice can curl shingles. "Hey you, Rodman" she brayed. " You're undisciplined, lazy and disorganized. You haven't had an original thought since George Bush, Senior was president. You're weak!"
Isn't she lovely? There she is, a rogue radio station, jamming my creative frequency with unproductive negative thoughts. The scary part is that she sounds like me when I am nagging my daughter.
Well, not exactly. You don't get a kid to clean his room by calling him a lazy slob. (At least not my kid.) It's counterproductive. I would certainly never use that tone of voice to inspire my students.
Would I ever, under any circumstances tell a student they were undisciplined or lazy or uncreative?
No! I emphasize their strengths, and offer positive suggestions for improvement. I nurture my students, helping them to find their creative selves. I balance criticism with praise.
So why I can't I do that for myself? Why can't I try to look at my own work more objectively? Why can't I tell Ms Heckler to get lost?
This is not a new problem. At least once a year, my elementary school teachers would write on my report card "Mary Ann is her own worst critic." Somewhere along the line I must have decided that if I expected the worst, I would never be disappointed. Which might make sense when you are eight, but not when you are....well, never mind how old I am!
So, in order to help myself to be the writing embodiment of Newton's First Law of Motion, here is my real six word resolution: "Tell Ms Heckler, 'take a hike'." Only after I begin to treat myself with the same care, understanding and encouragement (and yes, an objective eye), can I become a Writer in Motion.
Happy New Year, all you teaching writers. We're in this together!
Mary Ann Rodman
*Addendum from Carmela: It's not too late to enter our contest. All you have to do is post a comment with your six-word resolution for the new year (or an update on the resolution you posted here last fall). For complete details, see April's post.
For the past week or so, you, Our Faithful Followers, have sent us your favorite books on writing for children and young adults. Now it's out turn (the Teaching Authors) to join the conversation with OUR favorite books.
I'm going to cheat an eensy bit here, because my absolute favorite book on writing is not about teaching OR writing for children. It is more of inspirational book, and geared for all writers, not just those of us who write for the 18-and-under crowd. I also have a favorite teaching book, so you are really getting a two-for-one-deal here.
My all-time-favorite-don't-leave-home-without-it book is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Now I realize that Bird is not everyone's cup of tea. Anne Lamott is one highly opinionated writer, and her opinions in this book include hers on American politics, women's reproductive rights and religion, in addition to writing. If you pick past her mini-rants, you will find a lot of common sense on writing. Or, more specifically, in dealing with all the "garbage" your mind generates in the way of negative self-talk as you wrestle with your own prose. (Naturally, Lamott uses a shorter and less polite term for "garbage").
Negative self-talk is one of my big time problems that can stall me on a project for months at a time. "Who do you think you are? Karen Hesse?" (or my idol of the moment) "What makes you think you are a good enough writer to take on this story?" "So what if I've sold a book (or two or four or eight?) I got lucky. I'll never do it again." These are only some of the gems my mental radio station broadcasts to me in an "all-talk, all-negative, all the time" format. Lamott tells you how to pull the plug on this station, and other ways to kill your Inner Negative Writer.
Bird by Bird introduced me to the single most earth-shattering notion of my entire writing life; "permission" to write crummy first drafts. (Again, Lamott uses a far more colorful word than "crummy" to describe a first draft.) Perhaps this is just common sense to most of you, but the news that I did not have to hunt for just the right word or character name, or blitz through a transition scene, already knowing that it wouldn't work....just to get to the END of a first draft..why this was the best news ever! If given "permission," I will meander through a first draft, picking over my word choices like Forrest Gump with a box of chocolates. I will hunt through my "name books" for days, choosing and rejecting character names. All of which are good things to do...but not in a first draft. First drafts are for banging it out, getting it done, reaching the other side of the river.
My drawers are full of elegantly worded first chapters that have no second chapters, because I exhausted my original creative impulse by trying to make them "perfect" the first time. At some point, I became so frustrated with my imperfection, I gave up on them, or talked myself into thinking the whole idea was stupid.
Clearly, Anne Lamott and Bird by Bird had a lot to say to me.
But on to what I am supposed to be writing about...writing books to use with kids. My all-time recommendation is Marion Dane Bauer's What's Your Story?OK, I will admit up front that Marion Dane Bauer was one of my teachers in the Vermont College MFA program. However, I read this book long before I ever met her, and found it to be a straightforward in explaining the writing process to a young writer. Without condescending, it starts with the basics of character, setting and plot, and shows the writer how to fashion a multi-dimensional character, make the setting another "character" in the story, and how to dovetail the plot events in so that each event builds on the previous. Bauer manages to convey all this for writers age ten and up, in less than 120 pages.
Plot is my weak point, and What's Your Story reminds me not to include a single word that will not further the story. Bauer's mantra, "How does this move the story along?" is something I have to ask myself at the end of every page.
Marion Dane Bauer and Anne Lamott are my writing mentors, even though I personally know only one of them. It's sometimes crowded in my office, as the three of us plow on through my next "crummy" first draft, stifling the radio station in my head, and chanting HDTMTSA? (How does this move the story along?)
But it works.
As a teacher, and as yet unpublished writer I find I don't have the same confidence in my writing ability that I try to foster in my students. I don't know that I will ever completely think I can live up to those expectations but I can sure push them away at times. I am enjoying your site and learning a lot. I found you through the MotherReader Comment Challenge
When I was in school, for some reason I too would tell myself that my work wasn't that good. I only did it to protect myself, if I did get a bad grade or helpful comment to improve my writing or art work.
As a teacher, I noticed that many middle graders and high schoolers also hung onto this philosohy-Think negatively to avoid disappointment. I really tried hard to focus on the good parts of what they created, with a touch of some helpful comment.
But sometimes, I still continue to
be hard on myself and think, why did I ever think I could write a story. Especially after a critique or when I'm stuck.
But I enjoy the challenge and I'm learning. Pam Matar
Hey Mary Ann, I have goals not resolutions and number one on my list of goals is the word finish. I'm going to listen more talk less. Ride my horse more, play with dog more and do things with grandbabies more. Be a better friend and check on older members of family more often.
"Writer in Motion" -- now there's a great phrase! Wishing you a more productive 2010, MA! Pardon me while I go shake the stew out of my own Ms. Heckler.
What a great post!! :)
Here's my resolution: "Keep my butt in the chair."
Found you through the Comment Challenge, MaryAnn Rodman of SCBWI midsouth fame. Loved this post. Loved how your elementary school teachers were right about you! Mine always said, "In her haste to finish, Jessica often makes careless errors." I don't think that's true of my writing, especially now, where the challenge is to keep going through the murky middle. So my six-word resolution is, "Muddle on past the middle, kiddle!"