Anniversary Week - Best of the YA Muses: Writers: Why You Should Stay True to Yourselves
It's always fun to go back to the archives and see some of the posts I've written. While there are many things I've learned ...
Eyes on Your Own Work
"Comparison is the thief of happiness." -- Laura Williams Yesterday, I got a little down because I realized I've been worki...
In Love with Brazen
On the YA Muses, we always take an extra bit of time to celebrate the publication of one of our books. It's the culmination of years of...
My Favorite Bookstore
Well, this week's topic--our favorite bookstore--couldn't be easier for me! I've been buying books from my local indie bookst...
What I'm Reading Now
Hey hey... As usual, I'm all over the place in my reading, but still continuing with a hot streak of great books. Currently on my n...
Appreciating Quiet
For the past week, I've been in Nicaragua for a family wedding. It's my first time here, and it definitely won't be my last. ...
We original Muses have a little saying about writing for
publication that we trot out from time to time:
Writing is a pie-eating contest in which the prize is more
pie.
What we mean is basically that you'd better love writing because once you get a book contract, you can expect to do it a whole lot
more.
But is writing the same once you get the book deal? Does sitting
at the computer typing away, building characters, revising, expanding,
cutting--does it feel better or worse when you're getting paid to do it? Easier?
Harder? More satisfying? Less?
The answer for me has been is a little bit of everything.
It's a great feeling to know that the words you're typing
will someday be printed and bound into a book, but it also brings pressure.
Those words cannot suck if they're going to be printed and bound. The problem
is that suck is an inescapable part of the writing process. You can't bypass
it. You have to overcome the suck. You have to take it and power-wash the rust and
barnacles off, and then polish it, and eventually you get something shiny and
presentable. Maybe there's a writer somewhere who lays down perfect
first drafts. If so, I haven't met them (and I'm not sure I want to.) My point is that the internal
critic prevalent in writerly minds can become even louder when writing
turns into a job.
An editor and agent can also bring their comments to your
work, complicating matters. This was something that was new to me when I became
a published writer. I wanted so much to impress both that my own instincts felt
dimmer. It was like a critique group in my head all the time. Not a great way
to draft, especially when there's also... wait for it...
Deadline pressure. When writing became work for me, deadlines ruled my life for about two years. My life's milestone's were no longer Halloween and Christmas, and my son's birthday. They were Revision Due Dates and Copy Edits due. I had to learn to
pace myself (still learning.) I had to learn that, in order to do my best work, I need things
like sleep, and food, and exercise in my life. I had to become comfortable with
my ability to write and revise relatively quickly - at least, much, much faster
than what I'd been used to.
But enough about all the tough parts. What about the great aspects?
Well, not a day goes by that I don't feel exceedingly lucky
to get paid to write. I mean that. Fortunate doesn't begin to describe how I
feel. I think I say, "I love
my job" several times a week. Only half of those are me speaking to the mirror.
Though I try not to think about the "end game"
when I'm drafting, sometimes it's a thrill to look at a chapter and imagine a
reader reaction. And I feel so, so privileged to have an excellent editor and
agent to guide me along the way. Before I was published, I used to read books
and think I could never create something so complete and polished. Now I
understand the team effort that goes into the process. I feel so lucky to have
that help. Even deadlines have their benefits. Things get done when there are
deadlines!
And that reminds me... time to get back on the clock. Or, I should say: time for some more pie!
More pie, anyone? Or, Writing as a Job
We original Muses have a little saying about writing for publication that we trot out from time to time: Writing is a pie-eat...
In a MANOR of Speaking...
What a week! It is such a wonderful pleasure to share this book celebration week with Katy. Not only is she a dear frie...
We're talking voices on the blog this week, and how they
affect our writing process. Sometimes the various voices that speak up along
the drafting and revision stages can feel confusing and contradictory. Part of
my development as a writer has been learning when to say, "tell me more
about what you mean," or, "thanks, but that's not in line with what
I'm trying to do."
Sounds easy, but it's not. I'm still working on it. Navigating the voices requires:
- knowing what you're trying to do
- knowing who can actually help you (you trust them and share similar artistic sensibilities)
- knowing your process well enough to judge when & how much feedback you need
Getting just one of those elements down is tricky, but all three? Tough. The writing game is unpredictable. This isn't science,
after all. Every story is different. Every character. And you. You are also changing all the time--what you admire in writing. What your goals are, as a storyteller. It's a lot of moving parts, and any one wobbling wheel can upset the entire balance. The most seasoned
writers, I'm certain, still run the risk of coming away from a critique or editorial
letter (or review) feeling black and blue.
The useful voices, I'm learning, are the ones that don't go
away. They niggle and nag and taunt, and force you to shop online at 2 AM
because you can't sleep. They say:
"Sorry, V, but you just aren't pulling off the first
person Golden Retriever POV. It's not believable and it's falling flat, and the
narrative is so ponderous and repetitive. I mean... what's with the obsession with tennis balls and squirrels? And what makes you think that you, a human, can pull off a
believable retriever mentality? You're just not qualified, and the market saturated with goldens! Everyone's moved onto French Bulldogs. I'm sorry to break this to
you, but you're barking up the wrong tree."
Grrr.
What do you say to this kind of feedback? How do you respond to this voice?
Well, you can make your retriever a bulldog, or you can push yourself. Feedback is only negative if you let it be. Almost everything you hear about your work, if it's delivered to you by someone thorough and halfway thoughtful, can be made usable, instructive, or enlightening--even if it's simply by reinforcing what you already know.
Well, you can make your retriever a bulldog, or you can push yourself. Feedback is only negative if you let it be. Almost everything you hear about your work, if it's delivered to you by someone thorough and halfway thoughtful, can be made usable, instructive, or enlightening--even if it's simply by reinforcing what you already know.
Whenever you are told that something seemed off or weak or
confusing, you get to decide first and foremost whether you agree. Here's
where your gut comes into play. Trust it, but don't be close-minded, either. How can you improve your craft if you aren't willing to see areas that could be strengthened? Honed? Rethought? You get to decide what how you go about dealing with that. But if the feedback doesn't feel right and your Golden Retriever POV actually rocks, then you get to own that, knowing it's stronger because it took some punches, but it's still standing.
My point is that you don't always have to fight the voices.
Let them come. Listen to them. You can be
stronger and smarter. Why wage war against the very thing that can help you? Trust yourself to single out the ones that
matter -- and to put them to use in a way that works for you. Work toward that trust. Practice it so that someday, when someone tells you you're POV isn't working, you can look them in the eye, and smile, and say: woof!
Listen to the Voices Until You Hear Barking
We're talking voices on the blog this week, and how they affect our writing process. Sometimes the various voices that speak ...
Holiday Gift List for Writers
It’s not too late! Here are some gift ideas for the writer
in your life:
- A book on writing craft – These can always inject energy into a novelist’s writing practice. I have many books on writing craft, but my new favorite is Nathan Bransford’s HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL. It’s well written, engaging, and packed with useful advice for writers at every stage of the process.
- Running/Walking Shoes – Yes, we writers sit at our desks a lot, which only makes it more important for us to get up from said desks and get outside. My personal writing output benefits tremendously from a regular exercise practice.
- Gift certificate to an office supply store – I have yet to meet a serious writer who isn’t fanatical about pens, notebooks, post-its, highlighters, you-name-it. Put simply: we love office supplies. Madly.
- The gift of art – Writing is art, and artists love art, and so consider giving tickets to a museum, a play, a concert. We writers are easily inspired, but we can get into ruts. Experiencing art in another form can really give us a boost. Even a tip on a great new band can be just the thing that helps us turn the corner on a tough draft.
- Books – Writers are, first and foremost, readers. Give the gift of a book. A gift certificate to a bookstore is perfect. There’s really nothing we love more than a great book.
Hope those suggestions help. Switching gears a bit, writer to writer, here’s my wishlist
for you in 2014:
- Bravery – to tackle that revision, or that character, or that submission that has you quaking in your boots. Enough to make you reach past what feels comfortable, and into the unknown.
- Time – to read, revise, be inspired.
- Friends – to help you, encourage you, and make you laugh.
- Inspiration – so much that you feel like sharing it.
- Great stories – the kind that made you want to become a writer in the first place.
Happy holidays!
Holiday Gifts for Writers
Holiday Gift List for Writers It’s not too late! Here are some gift ideas for the writer in your life: A book on writing craft ...
How do you feel about controversy in fiction, if you don't mind my asking?
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INTRODUCING New Saturday Muse, Lia Keyes
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