The close of summer is a sad time for me, even when the
temperatures have been over 100 degrees here in the Midwest for most of it. I
still love the sun, the swimming, the freedom, the vacations, the flowers, the red, white, and blue, and the fun with my
kids. I have found myself reflecting this week on what I have learned in the eight months I have ventured into the world of writing.
1. When in serious doubt about where your book is going,
resist the urge to go back to the beginning. Plunge ahead, and get to the
finish line.
I still
get these moments where I think, How in
the world am I going to get out of this mess I've created? Is it even worth it?
Maybe starting over will lead to some new ideas. But I've read and heard
from others that finishing is so important. As in life, you can reflect on the
past for awhile, but then you have to move on. Eventually, I'll be back to the
beginning, but if I do that now, I'm going to lose momentum. I might also lose
what my characters are trying to show me. I can't just leave them hanging now,
can I?
2. Brothers can be great encouragement, especially when
they're as funny as mine.
One
day, I was lamenting over the fact that I didn't know whether to use real
street names since my scene was in an actual city, in an actual point in
history. Some of my historical facts were going to be accurate, but then there
was that "fictional" part. I said, "What if someone actually
tries to follow my directions and sees that this place doesn't exist?" He
imitated for me the type of person who would do this, and then told me about the most amazing nerd, also known virally as "red shirt guy" in this one-minute video.
I will laugh and think of this every time I'm worried about
that one person who's going to come to my book signing, and call me out on an inaccurate detail.
3. When you're in the zone, and your subconscious writes
something seemingly out of nowhere-- chances are you've probably read it somewhere.
I informed an author friend that my character had uttered a phrase I had never
used before, nor ever remember even hearing. I was amazed by how it just spewed
onto the page, and even further, did not even mean what I thought it meant.
("Inconceivable!" "You keep saying that word- I do not think it
means what you think it means." - Princess Bride, of course).
I was almost utterly embarassed when she said, "Well, that is
funny. But if you look at my book-you-just-finished-reading on page 203, you will see that phrase
used." What? How had I not remembered reading that, but my brain had
somehow absorbed it? And funny enough, she used it right.
4. When you write about a brave character, it might just
tend to make you braver in real life.
We
often write about the kind of character we wish we could be. But sometimes,
real life and fantasy overlap. To believe in something, and give it life on
paper, we are not only creating a fictional character, we are creating new
parts of ourselves. So if you are trying to improve some characteristic in yourself, consider writing it into a fictional character. Then imitate. But use this power for good, not evil.
5. Writing is one of the few wonderful places where, if you
hit a roadblock, you can skip it and go ahead into the future to write a new
scene.
Writers
have different methods, but this one has worked for me. Who says you have to
write straight through, just as you have to live life in a certain order? Maybe
if I skip ahead to a future scene, I'll get my answers to get through this point in time. If
only life were actually like this! Think about how much you learn when you look back at a problem you once thought was so huge. But then again, in life you have to fight
through those obstacles to learn and grow. There is no other way.
6. History is incredible. It gives the springboard behind
writing historical fiction because there are so many little tidbits you can
bring to life.
When I
started, I took a year (in the 1800's) and began to look at events that happened during
the year. My research took me to a situation in which a young lady is
mentioned. She is the only one who stands up to a bully in defense of a man, of
all things; her name is never given. The writer did not even know who she was
at the time. She did exist as a blip in history, and the moment I read it, I
thought, that is my character.
Everything took off from there. If you are wanting to write, this is all it
might take to spur your imagination. Pick up a piece of history and go from
there!
7. Social media is so time-sucking, but it's also a
lifeline.
I have
to be thankful for Facebook, because it has allowed me to connect with so many new readers, writers, and friends. I
have enjoyed supporting them along their journeys, and the great thing is, they have
also supported me. Writing can be lonely, but knowing there is a system out
there of friends who care about what I'm doing-- it's so amazing to me. So
here's a call to "like" my new writer's page on FB. I would love to
interact with more of you. Let me know what you're up to, so I can support you,
too! Just knowing that someone else is looking forward to my book has kept me
going many times.
8. Celtic Woman on Pandora makes a great soundtrack by which
to write. This, and New Age Essentials.
Sometimes
I can't get rid of the distractions until I stick my earbuds into my laptop and
get the music going. I have found that concentration has been one of my
biggest enemies, and this is almost like classic conditioning. I hear the violins, my fingers know to write. (Well, I wish it happened exactly like that). This music has dramatic highs and lows, beauty, sadness, joy.
Drums beating, sounding like a herd of horses across a plain, rainstorms,
nature, flutes. Whether the sound of history in Ashokan Farewell, or Irish fiddlers, or
haunting themes from Lord of the Rings and Braveheart, it's all there. I love
music as much as reading and writing, and love how it helps my imagination.
Have you learned any lessons this year? Either in reading, writing, or life?
