Tips on the First Draft

A popular post from June 2010

I stumbled across this fantastic vlog made by Joanna Penn, writer, speaker, and aspiring novelist, as she chronicles her progress and lessons learned as she writes the first draft of her novel.

It's about 5 minutes long and definitely worth the time.

A few things to note as you watch:

• You may not need a strict outline, but some kind of outline or idea of where you're headed helps.
• You may get an "aha" moment that changes your outline. That's OKAY. (And probably fantastic.)
• Set specific goals for yourself. Personal deadlines are awesome.
• Be realistic. Even though she's thousands of words from crossing the first-draft finish line, Joanna is fully aware that it's a first draft and that after crossing one finish line, there are more ahead: revisions and editing. Lots of both.
• Push yourself to write. Don't wait for the muse. The muse may well show up in the middle of a session you forced yourself into.
• Research can not only make your story more accurate, but it can make it come alive and even spark plot and character ideas.

Pay Attention. Remember.

A popular post from September 2011

by Annette Lyon

One of your main jobs as a writer is to keep your eyes and ears open, all the time. You never know what random bit of information you gleaned from a newscast, documentary, conversation, novel, or something else entirely, will be just the bit you need for a story.

At various times, the following pieces of information have proven useful in my work (whether that's reading, editing, or writing), all of which I've learned from paying attention as my life moves along.

• Portuguese doesn't sound like Italian.
• Some houses can't have basements because of a high water table.
• You can't shoot the lock off a door.
• The typical length of a picture book is 32 pages.
• Bleeding arteries don't trickle or run; they pump in spurts.
• Many Southern California apartments don't have heating.
• In-N-Out Burgers has a minimal menu.
• In the Salt Lake City Airport, arriving passengers come down an escalator to meet family.
• Bruises turn yellow when they've almost healed.
• Almost anything can be poisonous in the right amount.
• If you break your nose, you may become nauseated from blood draining into your stomach.
• A canyon near my home has a great running trail, and in the fall, the trail is surrounded by gold leaves.
• The carpet in a local ICU has a swirly blue pattern.
• A small rock, when thrown, can cause a cut big enough to need stitches.
• A childhood friend's father used to sing silly songs in a voice mimicking Kermit the Frog.

I could go on and on. If you're a curious writer, you probably could too. That's a good thing.

As a writer, you should be constantly paying attention. An incomplete list of what that can mean:

• Eavesdropping on public conversations.
• Noticing smells.
• Paying attention to sounds, both indoors and outdoors.
• Taking note of colors: on the mountains, paint on the walls, clothing, hair, etc.
• Mentally cataloging quirks of speech.
• Thinking up ways to describe things (sights, sensations, etc.)
• Watching professionals as they work, including their behaviors, choices, and vocabulary.

And so on.

If you're the curious type, you likely run a Google search for random things at random times. You wonder "what if" and "why" and you aren't satisfied with generic answers. You look up one thing online and end up staying there for an hour, following links as you learn a bunch of new things.

Instead of apologizing for being "weird," embrace the idiosyncrasy and fill up the well of detail that's inside you.

Why? Because when you're sitting at the keyboard, getting ready write, you need a well to draw from. Of course you don't need to know everything when you sit down. Far from it. You can always leave blanks to research and fill in later. (I do that all the time.)

But if you have been actively filling up your well with vivid images, sounds, smells, and ideas, your writing will flow out of your fingers quicker and smoother than it would otherwise. You'll find yourself making connections you wouldn't have thought of otherwise. Your story will be richer.

If your well is empty, you'll have nothing to draw from.

So: Watch. Listen. Read.

Above all, pay attention and remember.

SOME FUN NEWS:

If you have heard about it yet, be sure to check out the newest writing podcast, specifically about middle-grade books. It's called Wordplay, and the three hosts are awesome: critique group member J. Scott Savage, New York Times best-selling writers James Dashner, and literary agent-turned novelist Nathan Bransford.

Have a Merry Writerly Christmas

by Annette Lyon

Here are some last-minute Christmas gifts for the writer in your life.
(If you're reading this, you're probably the writer, so forward this post to your loved ones . . . or buy some of these for yourself!)

An AlphaSmart Neo.
I can't live without mine when I'm in drafting mode. Read all about this handy toy tool here.

Paper
This may be an inexpensive item for normal people, but for the writer who goes through a lot of reams, this is a welcome gift.

Toner
You do have a laser printer, right? Ink Jets go through ink way too fast and end up costing you more than lasers in the long run. Toner cartridges may cost twice as much, but they last four times as long. Another welcome gift for people who print a lot (using that paper).

Books
Most writers are book freaks. 'Nough said.

Books on Writing
Check out this post for some of my favorites.

Bookshelves
On which to put the book freak's books. It's hard to have too many bookshelves.

Bookends
This site has tons of really neat ones. Like these. Aren't they cool?

Shirts, mugs, and more

Cafe Press has lots of fun products with goofy writer sayings, like "Will write for chocolate" and "Please do not annoy the writer. She may put you into her novel and kill you." Just search for, "writer" or "writing" and see all the fun stuff that pops up.

New York Public Library Gift Shop

Check out their ties, book earrings, bookmarks, and two really cool totes, one with a stylized image of Shakespeare and the other with a collage of stylized female writers.

They've got an entire jewelry section that include typewriter key bracelets and Scrabble tie cuff links. Fun stuff.

Journals/notebooks

Get a nice hardback book (preferably with a spiral inside so it can be laid flat). Perfect for brainstorming and jotting down ideas on the run.

Sony voice recorder
Catch those ideas on the fly while driving or doing laundry. You can find several digital recorders that are reasonably priced. This one's under $60.

The Oxford English Dictionary (The OED)
This is the most exhaustive dictionary in the English language. Use it to find the earliest known use of a word, look at date charts for the most common uses, discover etymologies, and more. Subscribe to it online or get it on CD here.

Writer's Digest subscription
Get it. Read it. Don't let your subscription lapse. It's a great magazine for both beginner and expert. Get the actual magazine; the newsletter is good, but it's not as complete as the magazine itself.

Some ideas for Stocking Stuffers:
Paper Clips
Sticky Notes
Sticker Flags
Nice pens.
Red pens
Bookmarks

And finally, the best thing you can get for any writer: TIME
Organize a writer retreat for overnight or even just an afternoon. Give your writer a chance to get away from distractions and just WRITE!

Intellectual Property in the Air

Seven years ago, I shot straight up in bed. I had a fabulous idea for a book. It was going to be hilarious. I laughed just thinking about it, though tried to keep it quiet since the husband was sleeping next to me. I tiptoed out to my kitchen and penned the outline in the fever of maniacal giggling. I knew I had a bestseller flying from my pen to the paper. (this was back when I wrote all my novels in spiral notebooks and had no clue how to send an email.)

The entire book idea stemmed from a play on words from another bestseller. My book was going to be called How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. It was going to be a gag gift for all those positive thinking people that irritate us. It was going to be awesome.

That was seven years ago.

The book remains on my hard-drive--never submitted, though occasionally thought about.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the movies and saw a trailer for a movie that looked so lame, I determined I would never go see it. Guess what the title was.

Go ahead. Guess.

Yep: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

&%$%#@*$@!!!!!!!!! What are the chances????????????? (All those exclamation marks and questions marks are the representation of me stomping my feet and screaming while tearing out my hair.)

This comes two months after I read the backliner of Stephenie Meyer's The Host and realized the whole premise of her book is about two souls living in one body. Guess what.

Go ahead. Guess.

Yep. Two years ago, I wrote a book that has a bi-soul as one of the characters. The bi-soul is seriously awesome. It's schizophrenia at its finest. Though this character is a minor character, I don't want to edit her out. She's funny. She's interesting. Her history and the history of the planet she comes from intrigue me and fill me with joy that I wrote something so cool. I love my character. The book hasn't found a publisher yet, but I am not editing out my bi-soul.

I am never EVER going to read Stephenie's book (no offense Stephenie, but I wrote my bi-soul before you wrote yours). At least that way, no one can ever claim I copied.

Seriously. How is this possible? What are the chances? I really do believe that ideas are in the air like pollen riding the wind. They are waiting to be plucked and put to use. Why do I always pluck and then come late to the putting to use part? Argh!

The moral of this story is

• Tearing out your hair is painful. I don't suggest it to anyone.
• The cosmos feel it unfair for them to hand you a cool idea when you're going to hide it on your computer for all eternity.
• The cosmos have a wicked sense of humor and figure if you don't use your idea, someone else ought to get a crack at it.
• If you have an idea for something, get it written and SUBMITTED.

I'm serious. What's holding you back from submitting? I will be honest and raise my hand and be the first person to admit it was naked fear. Sometimes I get so afraid of the rejection time and time again that I hang onto my ideas with jealous fervor. But hanging too tight to your manuscripts is like trying to hang onto that slime stuff kids play with. The tighter the hold, the more slime eeks out between your fingers until you're holding nothing at all.

So do yourself a favor and submit your manuscripts. After all, you never know when someone is going to take your idea and make a lame movie out of it before you have a chance to be brilliant.