What Drives You to Write? Blog Tour

This post was inspired by the My Writing Process Blog Tour from Jami Gold: What Drives You to Write? As Jami says, writing can be a difficult creature - so many different hats to wear, balancing our own creativity against an ever-changing market, and so on. Not to mention the effects of continually plumbing the depths of our psyches and laying the results bare for the world to see. So why keep doing it?

Simply put, because we can't stop.

What Are You Working On Now?

Ostensibly, a short story that combines knitting and Chinese vampires into a darkly humorous urban fantasy. At least, I hope it's funny. That's what I'm aiming for! I haven't had much time for it lately, I confess. But now that some other real-life distractions are out of the way, I want to get back to it.

I have several more ideas simmering, including a second-world fantasy retelling of The Little Mermaid, a modern-day story of an empath, and a fairy-tale-esque love story of magic and transformation. They keep jockeying for attention in my mind - we'll see which one wins out.

How Does My Work Differ From Others of its Genre?

That's a good question. I'm not sure of the answer!

I would like to think my characters set me apart more than anything. Characters have always been my primary interest, both as a reader and a writer. I'll keep reading a so-so book with an amazing character. Likewise, 99% of my stories start with a character, and plot always comes later (usually after much hair-pulling).

Why Do I Write What I Write?

Basically, because it's what I want to read. It seems so often that SFF tell the same stories, over and over - finding something outside of this rut can be a real challenge. I have no interest in writing a medieval-esque fantasy with all white characters and strict gender roles, because my library is filled with shelves of those stories already. But a race of characters who can shift genders? A trans-specied mermaid who becomes human? Those are stories I want to read. And since no one has told them so far, maybe I'll give it a go.

How Does My Writing Process Work?

Um… erratically?

OK, in all seriousness, I'm still working that out. I'm a pantser by nature (outlines give me hives) but if I just blunder into my first draft blind, it never ends well. So far it seems I work best by doing extensive character and world building in the pre-drafting stage, then going into the first draft with a general idea of plot points. And the ending. If I don't have an ending in mind, then I don't know what to write toward.

I liken it to watercolors (you knew I'd have to go there eventually). I start a painting with a detailed sketch, and a basic knowledge of which colors will go where, which areas will be dark and which areas will be light. Then I add paint and water, and see what happens. And I'm always surprised at what turns up - and how it's often more interesting than what I'd expected.

In short, it's an organic, ever-changing process.

~

Thanks to Jami for the open invite to join the blog tour, and for the opportunity for a little self-reflection (which is always good - in small doses).

3 Writing Quirks That Work For Me

~ Not writing every day

I know, it's like breaking the First Commandment of Writing ("Thou shalt writeth every day, no matter how numb thy bum may be"). But one of the most beneficial things I've discovered is knowing when to write, and when not to. Some days it's just sheer laziness and procrastination, and I just have to push myself through that wall. But then there are days when the creative juices are all dried up, and my metaphorical tank is running on E. And on those days, odds are high that no amount of butt-in-chair time will produce anything beyond frustration and stagnancy.

It's something I long ago discovered in my artwork as well (you knew I'd have to mention painting sooner or later). There are days to push myself past the "don't wanna" stage, and there are days when making myself paint will result only in a ruined piece and a bad mood. Sometimes these kinds of days are good to sit back and think on trouble spots, brainstorm ideas for what happens next; but usually I've found them best to completely ignore my WIP, so I can come back to it tomorrow with fresh eyes. Sometimes it's the best thing I can do for a troublesome story.

~ Using pen and paper for story notes

There's something about a blank word processing document that's absolutely terrifying to me. It's a void, an utter absence of anything and everything — which means, of course, that it could become anything. And in the face of such endless possibility, how can I not be intimidated into paralysis?

I get around this by writing all of my notes the old-fashioned way, in a spiral-bound notebook with a pen. In this technological age I know this won't work for everyone, but it's one of the best writing habits I've picked up. Somehow a blank sheet of paper is far less intimidating to me (don't ask me why), so it helps me get around this initial, overwhelming paralysis at the beginning of projects. And all of my notes are in one place — one jumbled-together, paper-clipped-to-death place (and I wouldn't have it any other way). I can drag my college-ruled notebook anywhere, anytime — unlike my iMac — and I never have to worry about power, wifi, hackers, none of it. Strange factoid: I start writing my notes in the back of the notebook, and work my way forward. I don't know why; it just works out that way.

~ Focusing on one WIP at a time

Another unspoken "do" of writing: have several projects going, so you can always be working on/editing/submitting something. But this is another one of those non-rules that, no matter how logical, just doesn't work for me. And for the record, I'm not talking about scribbling down notes and random "what if's" that pop into my mind, I mean writing actual drafts.

When I really focus on a creative endeavor, I don't like to be distracted. It's one of the reasons I have a hard time shifting between painting and writing, and rarely do the two concurrently. When my mind gets into something, that's it — that's my focus. And the same is true of writing multiple stories at one time. How can I get into Character A's head enough to discover her voice if I'm also trying to figure out what's going on in Character 1's mind? How can I firm up the quirks of World B if I'm also trying to explain what must happen in World 2? Likely this is something that will come to me with time, and experience. Which means I better get my butt-in-chair time in, and start writing more often...

Links and Check-In 3.8.14

Are You Living Your Dream? ~ Jami Gold
An excellent post that I think every writer on the planet can relate to. It can sometimes feel insurmountable trying to balance writing between real-world distractions (bills, jobs, day-to-day life) and personal obstacles (finding time with/away from family and friends, writer's block, and that demon self-doubt). Though ultimately it is one of those journeys that only you can discover your truth, Jami's ideas on reclaiming the dream are very helpful and encouraging. (Warning: don't watch the video if you don't want that Lego song stuck in your head for the rest of eternity!)

Is Fear Driving You Forward or Dragging You Under? ~ Kristen Lamb
A sister post to Jami Gold's, and also a very timely examination of the fears that dog us both as writers and as human beings. I've said before that I never expected my first novella, LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN, to go any farther than my hard drive, yet here I am two months away from its release by Eggplant Productions. And as amazing and exciting as this is, at times I find myself struggling - with the fear that LAST NIGHT is a fluke, and perversely with the fear that my writing will go on to require more from me than I have or want to give it (i.e. at the expense of my artwork). Fear is a funny thing, attacking from all angles if we let it. Lately I've been reminded of the famous quote from Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us… As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~ ~

As for the check-in, all of my writing time this week was focused on edits for LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN. Still researching for the mermaid story (though the dystopian fantasy keeps trying to cut ahead of it in my mental "ideas" line). I've been letting the short story simmer in the meantime, though the other night I had a really great idea on something to add into the mix. Now if I could only remember what it was...

World Builders and Storytellers: Hayao Miyazaki

Now and then I'll be spotlighting some of the people who have most inspired me. First off, in honor of his final film The Wind Rises releasing in the US last week, I'll focus on Hayao Miyazaki.

Famed animator and creator of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's films are known for their poignant stories, beautiful animation and breathtaking landscapes. Being born and bred in the US, with practically no knowledge of anime, I'd never heard of him until eight years ago, when Turner Classic Movies devoted an entire month to featuring Miyazaki's movies...

Saturday Check-In 2.22.14

Not a very exciting report today, I'm afraid. Edits have come back for LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN, and I haven't had a chance to work on the short story this week. It's for the best, since I think the short story needs to simmer on its own for a bit. I've never had much success with the "write even if you're not feeling it" school of thought. Sure, some days it's just laziness, and as a writer I have to buckle down and push through it. Other days, though, it's just not there. I discovered this with painting long ago, and learned to listen (after ruining enough sheets of watercolor paper by saying "I'm just going to paint something anyway!"). For me, when the creative well runs dry no amount of butt-in-chair time will change that.

Still researching and cogitating on the mermaid story. At some point I'm going to have to relinquish the library's oceanography book and start really fleshing out the characters. But until then…

Word of the Day: Guyot (or, my mermaid colony has a home!)

On First Drafts

Confession time: I'm doing it again. Neglecting this blog because I don't feel like what I have to say is worth sharing. Not a good habit for a writer, even one as erratic as myself.

The good news, though, is that I actually sat down and wrote a short story this week! It's about 3K in length, and it's awful. Really awful, in fact. But my first drafts always are, so I'm not overly concerned.

Some writers enjoy the first draft, with its freedom to let the imagination run rampant before later drafts start fussing over the details. Not me, though. First drafts are like pulling teeth for me. Something about a blank page (whether paper or pixels) just intimidates me to no end. I do better with revising. Though it's always a lot of work, and often quite a slog, I find it easier to reshape what's there into something better, something stronger. Creating it in the first place is scary stuff in my world.

As with everything, this brings me back to art. When I start a sketch, I block in the shapes very lightly, and very loosely. Often it bears very little resemblance to the finished (or idealized) product, and it's easy to get discouraged ("This looks like crap! I wasted how much time on this?") But subsequent passes refine each shape, making sure their proportions, placement, and relations to one another are right before I put in the details. This is how I think of my writing — each draft gets the big stuff into place until I start refining down the details.

In summary: "I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter." ~ James Michener

On writing, and dreaming big

I never set out to be a writer.

I've always loved reading, so wanting to create my own stories came naturally. And I did make up my own stories over the years, when the mood struck me. But my first love has always been art - and since 2005, specifically watercolor paintings.

Art is who I am, and how I see the world. Which pigments would best capture the exact shade of blue of an Arizona sky? What kind of brushstrokes would best express the needles of a pine tree caught in the sun? When I see shadows on a white car, I study how the shadow changes from grey to blue to purple as it curves along the car, away from the sun. I live and breathe art.

So to keep a long story short (too late): although I've been drawn to storytelling for as long as I can remember, it was never my go-to mode of expression. Whereas art came naturally to me, writing has been a challenge. Oh, not the basic, high school English class stuff. But the nitty-gritty of plotting, structure and the like just doesn't come naturally to me. In a lot of ways, learning to write has been like rewiring my brain to function in Mandarin - utterly foreign to me.

All this to say I've never been the most prolific writer. Or the most dedicated, if I'm going to be honest. Many ideas have come and gone over the years - some I plan to revisit, some are probably best left in the past. In the spring of 2010 I got the spark of yet another idea, for the story that would become Last Night in Ghosttown. And somehow, my interest in it never waned. Sure, the writing always went on hold when I'd get inspired for another painting. But I kept going back to LNiG, and plugged away on it for over three years. My ultimate writing goal when I started my little novella was to finish it. (Nothing like dreaming big!) Despite a long journey filled with lots of self-doubt, hair-pulling and trips to the library, I finally finished it in the summer of 2013. And to my great surprise, I actually liked it quite a bit. Frankly, this was more than I'd ever hoped for.

So imagine my complete shock when I received an offer to publish Last Night in Ghosttown. It's so far beyond the scope of what I would have ever dreamed that I still can't quite believe it sometimes.

I don't know where my writing will take me next. There are far too many characters, and their stories, bouncing around in my mind for me to stop now. I can only hope that my next project doesn't take me three and a half years to finish! Talk about dreaming big.