Over the course of the last year I have been writing intermittantly on a book that is new to my experience. It isn’t exactly a mystery, and not sci fi, and I haven’t any idea what it is. However, I have had the MOST FUN with it because it has posed problems I’d never encountered before.

The first difference was that I wrote most of it backwards. The scenes that streamed out were endings. I just kept shoving the printed chapters in the three ring binder and waiting to see what led up to the scene. What a cool run of energy emerged. I was off balance in a new way. I wondered if it was my characters playing a trick on me. They do this from time to time.

I ended up with around fifteen or more chapters that were 1) not really finished and 2) general enough to go in many places depending upon what plot line I chose. This was a source of confusion for a little while, but then I decided to sit down and write the opening, strengthen it, and see where things ended up. As I did this, I discovered there were mystery elements in the story, so I was in my comfort zone.

Next I looked for the details that allow the main characters to become more real. I had written little things all through the chapters because I had no idea where they would end up. I had to do some cut and paste to get the important stuff up front, but not so much that I couldn’t reveal the character over a  series of chapters. This wasn’t much fun because it involved a puzzle piece sort of a mentality. I wasn’t happy for a while. But then the story began to emerge, and I got a blast of energy.

The freedom in nonsequential writing is that you can do pretty much anything you want. I had several story lines, which led to ideas for a couple more books in the series. That was good. I had one sub plot that I couldn’t fit anywhere. I stored it in a seperate folder for later. I wrote a couple of scenes over and over to see what would have the most dramatic effect. That was instructive.  I saved everything because I often find good poetic language in those portions, and that might be what they were intended to do–bring forth the better writing.

I also attacked the agent letter. I hate doing those. Does anyone like doing them? If you do, let me know. I need encouragement from someone who is into the business side. The flaky things agents now want leave me cold. I actually called one agency and got snippy answers to simple questions. I didn’t just call blind, either. I emailed and was invited to call. Gheesh. They treat everyone as if they are idiots. I just hung up, shook my head, and threw their book away. Agents need to realize that with publishing moving more toward the self serve side, their jobs are imperiled. There’s lots of good material out there that the big houses could have made money on, but it now goes to the author.

And has anyone noticed how the quality of writing in books has gone to the basement? Yikes. I stopped buying new books because I’d get them home and be outraged at the lack of…everything.  I can’t explain why there’s such a move toward crap–but that’s what has happened. How else do you explain Evanovich selling 75 million copies of basically a cartoon. Is it that the readers keep holding out hope that Joe Morelli and Steph Plum will once again have a hot scene? I don’t think Evanovich can produce it. She seems stuck on Lula and Fritos and chicken. What a bore! You can buy those books at the used book store for $2 bucks and save.  Then you can get some back by turning it in. Better deal. The first half dozen books were fun, and the plots, although thin, were reasonable. Then…zoink. Nothing. Not believable. Not fun. No plot. No zing. I don’t care how many times Ranger says “Babe.”

But I digress. Writing is a great way to pour out your emotions that get clogged up for whatever reason. I dumped a whole bunch of anger into this latest book about a future war. Being a sniper for a while in a book has given me lots of fun times in my imagination. AND, I got to meet some dishy guys from special forces. Wish I were a lot younger so I could wink…

Anyway, I’ve been happier with this new book than I was with all my others. I streamed them front to back in a very short time–usually six weeks or so. My sci fi streamed in five months. They are all good books, but this one is just closer to my heart, even though it has been more of a struggle. Maybe I feared meeting up with this side of my emotional nature. Who knows? The experience has been terrific. Streaming is so much fun that once you learn it, you are free to write no matter what comes up in your frontal lobe. You can grab those sequences and save them for later. And one day…voila! You have a book!

Many of the people who come to my fiction writing classes have taken a course at some college or university. Almost no one had a good experience. I have a degree in Mass Communication and Creative Writing, and I took probably eight of those courses and workshops, so I have some idea of what they went through. In fact, a few years ago I signed up for a Continuing Ed course at a local community college only to discover that the instructor, although having written a couple of books, had no idea how to help people start working on their first draft. And without a good first draft, where are you?

One of the bigger mistakes made in those classes (the ones belonging to a degree program) is trying to teach literary novel in one semester. Or even two. I agree that taking a chapter or two and then rewriting and critiquing them seems like the answer for a short time period. Done right, students can learn a lot of the basics. However, there are  so many flaws I could go on all day. Let’s look at a few:

MAJOR FLAW #1: The Assignment is Too Big

Professors often ask students to outline an entire book and then write the first chapters for review.

      This alone is defeating. When you begin a first draft, your ideas can be vague. You begin to tell the tale, and the characters often spend gobs of your time adjusting you to their (yes, their) story. Deadlines and concerns about all the other things required to impress the instructor can cause problems in plot line. So what can you do?

     You don’t have to assign a novel in order to teach how to write a story. Assign a dramatic scene that can be played out in two to three chapters and allow the CRAFT of writing to be experienced. Better to have some passionate writing about one event than to have boring copy that begs to be zoinked by everyone but the cat.

MAJOR FLAW #2:  STUDENTS CRITIQUE

NEVER allow students to critique. They are all in the class because they know what they like, but not how to produce it. Professors are being PAID to observe flaws that will end in a poorly told tale. They should read or listen and give advice. And, along with that advice I give you

MAJOR FLAW #3: SQUASHING THE STORY BEFORE IT BEGINS

The very worst thing that happens in college classes is the relentless bashing by profs and know-it-all students who want to prove beyond proving that they are authorities. This condescention ruins very talented writers who aren’t there to play the political game. It teaches nothing but one-upmanship and is the cruelest kind of response. An atmosphere of fear, or even a tiny bit of apprehension, sucks the life out of good writing. Students look for ways to parrot back what the instructor wants rather than writing something worth reading. They learn to play a game and drop any dreams they had of creating fun fiction.

MAJOR FLAW #4: GRAMMAR NAZIS ABOUND

Ok, you’ll say, listen there, you only have so much time to make them get it all right. You have to pound the grammar and punctuation or they never bother to learn it.

Hmmm. What happened to learning that stuff in grammar, middle and high school? And, yes, I am a realist. Those are often skimmed because we have so many other things to teach. Don’t make me do the sarcastic list of subjects that are more important than the 3 Rs.

What is my answer? How about a heavy dose of G&P in that early required English class? Don’t allow anyone to skip it because they got wonderful grades in high school or because…fill in the blank with some inane reason here. Make certain that the basics are covered. You would not believe how many people can’t use quotation marks correctly. I mean, please. We’ve taken a turn into real illiteracy. How about adding a P&G class as a requirement for everyone who enters? No graduating without passing it with at least an 80%.  

What would this do to fiction writing classes? Take the pressure off, for one thing. Make better all-around students for another. Leave time for the real job of critiquing, which includes making characters and action visible. The use of words, the mixture of sentence types, the natural rhythm of the plot, the use of poetic language and all the other fun, exciting and wonderful devices that create a good reader experience are what should be taught in those classes. Readers want emotion, not hype. They look for flow, not paragraphs full of weasle words.

A first draft should be written as a stream. It should be the experience of the writer with a blank page, not a technical piece to present to the critical eye of the professor. The first draft comes from dreams and observations and emotional reactions. It must be allowed to flow out unhindered by censorship.

I ask my students to overwrite, to experiment, to make mistakes and not correct them. Why? That  is the function of a first draft–to grab the story as it comes bolting through the frontal lobe. Professors should lay off that draft. Most won’t. They want only the very few (the proud, the…elitists!) to succeed. They look down on those who want to write…(o god don’t use that term…) Genre Fiction. Of course, that’s where the money lieth.

MAJOR FLAW #5: EDITING PLOTLINE BEFORE IT WORKS ITSELF OUT.

I once brought a near-complete mystery to a summer workshop. It was being read at a rate of about 3 chapters per session. I was writing ahead, because it only takes me around 6 weeks to finish my mysteries. I had put out the clues, built (well, added to) my characters (they had already been established in a previous work) and set the plot in motion.

Around 9 chapters in a student said she thought I should change the plot. She had a bunch of  ideas about what she would do if she were writing it. I explained that the plot continued for another 20 chapters, but she was unconcerned. So was the instructor. It wasn’t a criticism of where I was headed with the plot line. It was a dismissal. Their ideas were to take precidence over what my characters were busy doing–finding a killer that was adequately set up, and around whom everything turned. It was like saying ‘Ok, just write another book because we aren’at interested in this one.’ And the comments came right out of an MFA workshop. More description, more narration, and, by the way, what was in the protagonist’s frig? I smiled sweetly and said, “Sorry, my agent loves it.”

Now, not everyone can do that. But you see my point. Don’t talk plot line. Only the author can do that. If a writer asks for ideas, you are free to respond. But mostly it’s a waste of time. Writers must learn to live with their characters in a way that allows the story to emerge as it is meant to be.

I believe in waiting for the book. It’s there or not, but twisting it around to fit a mold made up mainly by those who have never produced a readable AND entertaining piece of fiction is just plain…I want to say grotesque. Ok, then, it’s grotesque.

If you are writing a book, do yourself a favor and avoid all the criticisms handed out by others. Let that first draft flow out and know that later your own good sense will help you edit. After that, you can find someone you trust to scan it for problems. By then the emotional stuff is on the page and you will see the story more clearly. If you don’t, an agent will tell you what you need to do. Or you will get a thousand rejections and that will tell you that something else needs to be done.

Keep writing. Make it personal.

Remember that this Saturday September 18 is the seminar on writing your first draft. It’s a four hour fun fest at the Cotton Mill in McKinney, Texas. Our friends at M Group Design/M Group Studio are hosting the event. To sign up for this content-heavy seminar is http://www.mgroupstudio.net/creative-writing.html . You can register online. Also take a look at the beautiful interior where we’ll be meeting. It’s yummie! I look forward to seeing you there!

This morning, while standing in my closet, my thoughts wandered to the process of dressing to write. Yes, I write. I write mysteries, sci fi, and children’s stories. Have you read me? No. I write for myself–well, not completely. There is an agent out there somewhere destined to fall for my characters and demand they be published. In the meantime, there’s the clothing dilemma.

Writing, like sleuthing, is fully fifty percent wardrobe. Each activity, each part of a case, each word that hits the page deserves the appropriate outfit.

I know writers have a rep–well, female writers do. There’s the casual writer with jeans and baggy shirt or sweater who is often a poet or a great plotter like Sue Grafton. There’s the jogging suit writer doing children’s books or political editorials, always ready to depart for the health club or to pick up the kids. Then there’s the long, loose dress writer penning romantic tales, dressed to disappear (folds of material rustling and flowing) into the fog.

I’m often found in a loose warm sweater and capri pants. They’re versatile, somewhat retro, and I can break for chocolate or to sweep the garage, and I don’t have to change clothes or gears. (I think just as well with a broom in my hand.)

Writers will tell you that their clothing and their writing instrument deeply effect what pours onto the page. In fact, the wrong choice, say, a red-checked flannel shirt instead of a Chinese print lounging gown, can cause your wealthy romantic hero in his mansion overlooking Monte Carlo to be found hiding a closet full of cowboy hats and silver buckles. You have to watch out.

I sell pens. Daily I get calls from people who take writing so seriously that they must have that ruby Sonnet rollerball with broad refills or business comes to a halt. Or the Berol Mirado Black Warrier #1 pencil that you can’t script without. I have personal experience here, as I wrote my first mystery with one on white legal pads.

Those of you who use a pc, beware. The keyboard isnt HALF as inspiring as nib or tip or point to page. I know. I wrote my sci fi trilogy by putting the keyboard in my lap, closing my eyes, and typing what I saw in my head–a grand adventure using string theory. Thank God I had my black drawstring cargos, my black hooded pullover, and my Victoria’s Secret undies–the pc could have dummed it down to a science lesson!

No, when I want to write, I must choose the appropriate wardrobe and writing instrument or it all goes to pieces. Characters refuse their assignments. They throw their lines away, declare rebellion, stab instead of shoot, or flee the scene in a frenzy. Some simply refuse to go on.

As for inspiration, I know of nothing more deadly to a writer’s creativity than formal wear. Write business contracts in your business suit. Put on your lovely sequined gown and go to the ball. But if you want a good case of writer’s block, put on those stockings or a tie. [Well, unless you're writing historic English novels or an article on economics for Forbes.]

Naturally, there are extremists. You’ve probably read works by writers who must disappear to Paris (left bank only) or to the woods to a cabin (read: I vant to be alone…). My view of them is that they haven’t yet learned the meaning of the word Cliche. And have you read their books? Use them for those nights when you have insomnia. You’ll be instantly cured.

One woman wrote a book about going off to an island and living in disgusting conditions chopping wood etc. She lined the pages up on a rough table and agonized over the words. I wanted to gag. Flaubert did that, but he was a pretentious jerk. Writers don’t need to suffer over the process. The suffering is supposed to come from LIVING. Then the writing naturally pours out of you onto the pages. It can’t be helped. If you write, words catch up to you in odd places like public rest rooms, train stations, or the lobby where you’re waiting for a job interview.

Note to those idiots (including the ones with book awards): Forcing yourself to chop wood and live alone eating nuts and berries  doesn’t make you a writer. It makes you a girl scout. That writer I mentioned earlier made silly metaphors about clouds–ones that had been done to death. It’s like she just woke up and discovered what every child who looks up discovers–clouds look like other things if your imagination is working….!

I attribute this ghastly serving of words to her lack of wardrobe. I mean, who can write in logging boots? Who? And sequestering yourself in the woods doesn’t mean you see differently. I can appreciate a leaf in Chicago just as well, maybe more, since cities seem to suffer a dearth of colorful leaves. Writing is about seeing. Writing is about telling what you see.

Writing is about dreaming. And…writing is about dressing. Today I’m going to poison the guy who killed off half the characters at my fictional magazine. The poison is odorless and tasteless. He’ll die horribly for his crimes. The words will be ready to spill onto the pages and consume him. How do I know this? I’ve killed before. And today I’m wearing a sleek black silk and cashmere sweater over black straight-leg jeans, low-healed leather boots, and some devastating SOMA undies.

Pen in hand, I approach my wire-bound 5-subject notebook with black cover, and I’m poised to strike. He’s doomed. I’m dressed to kill.

How many of you have signed up for a writing class because you had a cool idea for a novel, but discovered you couldn’t get answers to simple questions? I have. I’ve taken lots of those novel writing courses, and I’ve never seen an instructor answer the following : How do I get the idea out of my head and onto the paper?

Answers I’ve heard ranged from ‘O well, just start writing’ to my favorite dodge: ‘Well, a story has a beginning, a middle and an end.” My response was to pick up my notebook and head for the registrar to get my money back.

So, what’s the answer to the question?

A) Usually an idea is floating about unformed, so you must try to describe it. It might look like this:

1) There are these people who live in a rural area and there aren’t many jobs. They want to improve their lives but everyone is moving away. They’ve been there a long time and don’t want to give up their family homesteads.

That’s really quite a lot. Maybe you don’t have that much. Maybe all you have is:

2) I want to write about how racism affects people’s ability to achieve their goals. Or,

3) I want to write a love story, you know, about people who are meant to be together.

Writing down that idea the way you hear it in your head is the best start. It isn’t meant to be the beginning of a book–just look at the idea. Usually an unformed idea has the look of a theme. War and peace, love and satisfaction, overcoming racism. Those are fine places to begin.

B) But what do I do now?

1) With the first idea my question would be, where did the idea come from? What have you seen, experienced or read that gave you the idea? Can you see any of it? If so, write down what you see. Or take a walk in that environment. What happens when you do?

Ok. I see huge areas of green pasture. Some houses and a few barns. There are some small clusters of tract homes; some are empty. O, there’s a little town. Some local busenesses are still there: gas station, small grocer etc, but everyone goes to the mall in the town ten miles away.

Do you see people? Describe them. Are any of them characters you want to write about?

2) In idea two, there is a large theme–racism. First, where does the story take place? Country, state, city–those are big factors. What races are involved? Do you have personal experience with this theme? Are you writing a story about people you know? What are the goals they want to achieve? Can you see the scenery or characters? Write them down.

3) Why do you want to write about love? Can you see your characters? Is this historical or modern? Do you think lovers are meant to be together? Why? Is there anything unique about people who are meant to be together? Do you know any? What kinds of obstacles might they face?

C) Now that you have some details, ask yourself if you are beginning to see more. If it’s a story (plot) direction, write it down. If a character is becoming clear–write! Get down as much as possible. Keep asking yourself more questions. What do my characters look like? Where do they come from? How will they react to adversity? What makes them different? Gestures? Appearance? Education?

As you summarize things, clarity often comes. Keep adding to what you know. Typically, there will come a moment when you see things–a small conversation, an opening sentence, a dramatic moment from somewhere in the middle of the story. Capture it in writing and store it in your 3 ring binder. This precess, given time and attention, will lead to your story.

C) I have summaries, outlines, characters, but I don’t know how to begin.

I can only think of two reasons why people who have a story idea written down don’t write.

1) They fear their words won’t come, won’t be good enough, won’t be sustained.

2) They haven’t dared to daydream.

Let’s take #2 first. Writing a story can only be technical in the planning stage. Fiction is all about emotion, so the writer must, at some point, daydream, must see and experience the characters as they go about the business of living out the story. The writer records the experiences in a way that allows the reader to experience them as well. Readers want emotional satisfaction. They want passion. So you must begin to look at the story in your mind. You must begin to discover your writer’s voice. Find a comfortable place and daydream. Record these daydreams.

Ok, what about fear? Some fears come from just plain living. Some fears come from having been criticized. Some fears come from having been criticized in the classroom.

Take courage. No matter what anyone else has said, you have a right to write–to tell your stories in your own way–to appreciate your own ability to communicate–to enjoy your inner fantasies, daydreams and drama. Recording them for your own enjoyment is enough.

Mark Twain said that if you want to become a writer, you must write write write. There is no other way. If at first the sentences are stiff, allow yourself to understand that fear is helping you to write. You must peel that critter off your pen. When you daydream, the stories are clear and words flow. Record those. Don’t try to sound like anyone or anything else. Record those scenes as they are, and allow yourself to enjoy that experience.

No one else needs to know or see. This is private stuff. Hide your writing. Protect it. Over time you will begin to capture your writers voice, and the words will tumble out easily. Just keep writing your story down. Don’t worry. If you want a few tips, read 9 Ways to Prevent Writers Block. It will help you avoid some of the traps writers fall into.

Fear is the biggest wall new writers face. Jump over it! Write!

For most writers, just the mention of writer’s block sends chills down the spine. It’s a scourge, a plague, a deadly sneeze in a locked, windowless room. No one wants to catch it, but it arrives at inconvenient moments to stifle creativity. “What can I do? I’m just blank,” my students ask. I have a few ideas.

First, I suggest eliminating the following list, which I’ve compiled from books on the subject:

a) bubble bath ( I don’t care where or with whom…)

b) listening to your entire collection of music cds (nice for creating atmosphere, but usually leads to feeling emotionally battered)

c) drinking lots of scotch…O please

d) having an affaire (cheeky)

e) traveling to exotic settings (Paris, the deep woods, islands the size of bacon strips, no-fly zones) I will comment in detail at a later date.

f) filling pages with nonsense until you ‘break through’

If you’ve read those books and tried the above…I’m sorry.

The following list should get you going again. It’s made up of simple techniques you should already be using to keep your writing fresh, clear, and moving forward.

1) A Page a Day is a Book a Year

This statement was made by my friend and mentor Marilyn Murray Willison, an editor and author who knows how to handle words. You see, many times our ideas are large, and we become intimidated by the idea of writing 300 pages.

If you pull your thinking back to what you can currently see of your plot, you can record it and then relax. Maybe it’s a paragraph. Maybe it’s just an idea. Maybe it’s a dramatic scene, but it doesn’t have to be the whole book right now. Nor does it have to be the next consecutive page. Writing is nonlinear. You record what’s fresh and what has passion in the moment. Don’t worry about grammar or structure. Just write it down. Once your head realizes you are willing to capture whatever it serves up, you will have more, and it will grow from sentences to paragraphs to chapters.

By the way, a page is 250-300 words. You say more than that in an average phone call.

2) Print it Out

Have you printed out your draft and put it in a binder? If you write with a pencil, pen or other writing instrument, you probably have a nice journal, a legal pad, or white pages with the holes punched in them. You have more intimate contact with your work. If you are using a pc, blackberry or other electronic device, I suggest printing your pages and getting them into something colorful or dark or silly. Nothing is as stimulating as reading your own words. And, it’s wonderful to watch the binder fill up.

3) NOOOOOOOOOOOO Talking

Have you talked about your book project with great enthusiasm and then discovered you can’t get those wonderful words back–the ones floating around the very clear image you had in your head? Don’t do that again. Never talk about your work. Write it down first. Write the entire first draft without verbalizing (except to yourself). It takes the passion and spews it into the AIR. It’s premature you-know-what.

Writing is a private pleasure and pain. Writing is secretive. Writing is personal in the deepest sense of the word.

“But what about writer’s groups? Aren’t they helpful?” Well, read what comes from them and then run–run for your life.

4) Do Your Know Where Your Book Is Heading?

When you are writing a first draft, the easiest technique is to follow your characters around. If you challenge them with obstacles, they will respond, but they need consistency and plausibility. They usually know where they want to go. If you have plotted first, and then added characters, you might check to see if you’ve lead them in a direction they wouldn’t take if left on their own to choose. If you don’t have a clear idea of how the book will end, try writing the last page, scene or chapter. Giving the characters a place to go often lifts the block. Don’t worry if what you write doesn’t become the real ending. It’s just a directional tool–a place to head for and a space that needs to be filled.

5) When the plot flags, bring in a man with a gun. Raymond Chandler

Ok, now you’ve written a few chapters, but nothing is coming up. The goal is there, but the characters won’t move along. Maybe you need to ask the number one question authors must learn to ask: WHAT IF? What if my character has an accident? What if someone inherits a goat farm? What if Aunt Phoebe dies in a forest fire but leaves behind a book about her adventures as a spy? What if the leading man gets shot in a bar?

Test ideas and see if you start percolating again. What If is a good way to see if you really know your characters. If you don’t know how they would react, maybe you can spend some time on histories and back story.

6) Grammar Nazis, Perfectionists and Other Nasties

Are you editing and rewriting? Shame on you! Don’t ever do such a thing to a fledgling novel. The first draft should be free of criticism. Write with freedom. Write with passion. Write with abandon. Write too much. When you are finished, you can make a nice editorial sweep. That will clean up the punctuation and the obvious grammatical errors. Then you will be in a position to really look at your sentences to see where adjustments are needed. The next time you read through, look for consistency. Make changes that clean up the flow. After all that, you can rewrite as needed. The original passion is now locked in, and you can tell when you accidentally write it out. Always save that first draft so you have all your imagery on record. Half of writers who are blocked in some form are people who insist on correcting as they go. They beat up their writing and wonder why their mind says NO MORE. Someone needs to be a lover of your words. It should be you.

7) Questions

Now you’ve tried everything else (maybe even the bubble bath) and you’re still sitting on the curb, no gas in the tank, no money for coffee and pie, and no idea where you are. Hmmm. Do you like the story you’re writing? Write down why. Do you like your characters? (Yes, write down the answer–that goes for all the following questions as well.) Why would a total stranger want to follow your characters around? What elements of your plot will readers identify with? Will they laugh? Will they cry? Will they have hope for something wonderful? Better? Satisfying? Do you have other ideas in your head–ideas for other stories you want to tell? Have you written those down and put them aside in their own notebooks? If not, do it now. Have you walked away and just lived for a bit to allow your brain to conjure up new chapters? If you’ve answered these questions and STILL can’t write…

Get Down To Business

Think about the business side of writing. Write an agent letter. Create a web site to market your book. Explore several of the social media options as a form of marketing. Look up conventions and dream about the day you’ll be there talking to buyers. Explore the world of self publishing. Talk to people in the area who write, and find out what their experiences look like. Write the fly leaf of your book. Have your author’s photo taken. Get exicted about the publishing part of book writing.

9) Caution…Go With Caution

Here’s a little list of activities that will stimulate. Careful!

a) Continuing ed course in self editing

b) Continuing ed course in grammar and punctuation

c) Continuing ed course in publishing

d) Have coffee with a group of writers who discuss craft ONLY

e) Study books on sentence structure and flourish

f) Wander the libraries and book stores in search of books on craft that will both speak to you and make you a better writer

g) Read in the genre you are writing in

Writing is fun, simple, painful and hard. If it helps to drink scotch and wear a beret, well, it comes down to choices. I personally prefer picking up my favorite pen and putting on the right outfit. But that’s another blog. Happy Writing!