Incipient Authorship

Tomorrow is the first official day of Nanowrimo. I'm not terribly worried. This will be my third time out, and because I do this sort of thing a lot, I'm not particularly concerned. I feel like a person who runs ten miles a day contemplating a 10k. It's just not a thing.

What, in view of what I'm hoping to accomplish, have I done to prepare myself over the past few days? Here's my list:

1. Make an outline
You may not keep to it, but at least having an outline gives you something to which you may refer when you get stuck.

2. Plan out your main characters
Give them names, birthdays, physical descriptions. I often either pick real people I know or cut out pictures of magazines so that I have a consistent description.

3. Get your time line straight
You'd be surprised how many stories fall down because they can't be placed in time. In a short story, time matters less because the action tends to take place over a short period of time, but in a longer story, there are holidays and life events that help to anchor things in time. Help anchor your story in time by having those events there.

That's it. It's not many, but each one of them can take a lot of work. I don't necessarily plot each and every one of my secondary characters, but it's certainly helpful. It's embarrassing to have a character who's called "Bob" on page 52, and "Rob" on page 79, and "Bert" on page 114, or who changes height or eye color.

Little things count, and the more you put into planning, the better your end result will be with less work.

Six Days and Counting

I had sworn off doing any sort of writing in the week before Nano, because I had just finished putting together my submission packages and wanted a break.

On the other hand, I'm terrible at "taking it easy." So, yesterday during a meeting that went more than half an hour over and included me saying exactly five sentences (one of which was "some of us will die sooner rather than later") I outlined my next endeavor.

I bought a program called "Write It Now" that enables me to keep characters, chapters, etc. together on my novel. So, now I have my outline to which I may refer throughout my process.

It's six days before 11/1, and honestly, I'm not feeling even a little bit nervous or worried about being able to make this happen. I have done it at least six times in the last three years, challenging myself in November and other times throughout the year to push my word count in order to get something done.

In that, at least, I feel like a real live actual writer. When the pressure's on, I can perform.

Telling People You're an Author & FAQ #1

I started writing when I was about 5. I had started making up stories long before then, but I didn't know how to write. When I was little, I dreamed of being a "writer," but somehow got the notion that "writers" weren't live people and that I needed to think of something else to be.

Later, I became an editor. Not only did this sound like something a real person could do, but it exposed me to some of the worst writing on earth.

It was only after I got a job with a magazine that forced me into writing large articles in short timeframes that were then ripped to shreds by editors that love me, but not my ledes, that I started calling myself a writer. I felt that, after having my ego forcibly ripped from me, mauled with a red pen, and handed back, I had earned it.

When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I'm an author. "Ooooh!" they squeal. "Have I heard of you? What have you written?" Now, my normal response to this is "No, you haven't heard of me, and I've written tons of articles that you, my retail clerk/grocery checker/dry cleaner would not have read because they were for a semiconductor industry business magazine." Do I feel cowed when they sniff impertinently at me, implying by their dismissive attitude that what I have accomplished might not be "real" writing? I do not.

The point is that you can consider yourself a writer an author whenever you wish. Just because you're not Danielle Steele or Stephen King does not mean that you are any less of a writer. In my book, the less like them you are, the better your work probably is.

You are a writer now, as long as you're writing.

FAQ #1: How could you have won an award for a book that isn't published yet?
That's a good question. I'm glad I asked it. My 2002 novel, Mitos del Pueblo, won at the East of Eden writer's conference in a contest for unpublished works. Not only was it not published, it wasn't even properly finished which is why, two months later, I'm only just getting around to sending it out to agents who requested to see it.

And, finally, an update:

This past weekend, I made up my agent packets and will be sending MdP to 11 agents. I'm sure I will hear back favorably from more than one of them, and we'll see how it goes.

Tips & Tricks #2: Where to Write

I read an article by a reasonably well-known writer recently that said something to the effect of "don't think that if you're sitting there in some coffee house banging away on your laptop, people are going to think you are a real writer. They're going to think that you're a big poser trying to impress people."

To which I must offer a resounding PSHAW! Many of my very productive writing friends have collectively written many words in coffeehouses, all while not giving a single thought to how they might be appearing to others in said coffee house. All of which adds to their cachet, by the way.

But seriously, where to write is the subject of no small anxiety. Many people are worried about creating just the write atmosphere for practicing their "art," and therefore end up putting more energy into creating that atmosphere than into writing anything.

So...where's a good spot to write? That's easy. Anywhere. Get into the habit of carrying pen and paper with you wherever you are. If you're particularly rich and muscular, perhaps you might even lug a laptop everwhere, but for most people, pen and paper are enough.

Meetings offer a wonderful place to write. At the average hour-long meeting, the average person spends 10 minutes discussing topics relevent to them or their work, 10 minutes making stupid jokes about co-workers who didn't make it to the meeting, and 40 minutes trying very hard not to fall asleep.

In that 40 minutes, it's possible to write nearly a thousand words! Public transportation is another great opportunity for writing. I am told that Caltrain has actual outlets where one might plug one's laptop in while commuting up and down the peninsula. I write while waiting for things to compile on my computer. I write while sitting in line at the grocery store.

Even if you're only writing 50 words at a time, those tiny little dribs and drabs add up, so that when you sit down at night to do your main push, if you've taken all the opportunities given you during the day, you might find yourself with only a few hundred words to go to reach your goal.

If you do choose to employ the notebook-and-longhand method of writing, don't tear the pages out once you're done. You'll want to refer to them as you go along in your story.

Of course, if you do have a laptop, you save yourself the necessity of transcribing your work later. Laptops go everywhere, and the newer your laptop, the better your battery life is likely to be.

Another wonderful mobility tool is the AlphaSmart - the pocket calculator of the word processing world. It has most of the desireable word processing functions, but weighs in at about 8 ounces - about an eighth the weight.

But...where to do the main push? For me, there is one essential element of the perfect place for writing. I have two children and a husband who is best described as uxorious. That ultimate essential element for writing would be a door. The ability to close the door and have five minutes to myself where nobody is pestering me is useful, but not essential.

Yes, in a perfect world, all of us will have a room of our own where we can exercise our genius, but if that isn't the case for you, you can still be a success!

Next issue: Telling People You're an Author

Tips & Tricks #1: Know Your Enemy

This is that magical time of year when people all over the world are saying to themselves "Oh no! What have I gotten myself into?" as they contemplate the prospect of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. It sounds nigh-well impossible, but it's not. In fact, while it will have a noticeable impact on your life, it needn't disrupt things entirely.

You've heard stories, I'm sure, of Nanovelists who have pulled some sort of Herculean all-nighter on 11/29 and managed 25,000 words on the very last day to finish. I can't do that. I am a person who likes to break a task up into equal, manageable chunks and pace myself.

If you take this approach with Nano, your task is this: 1,666.67 words per day for 30 days.

In the beginning, when you're still getting in practice, it might take you a few hours to get all 1666.67 words out (just do 1667 - that 2/3 word is tricky), or it might take you half an hour. When I'm really in form, it takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to do 2,000 words including time I spend pondering whether to say "hermaneutic" or "heuristic."

One swell way of powering through your words is to make a pact with yourself. You will NOT get up from your seat without having finished. Not to get a drink, answer the phone, pee - you will NOT get out of that seat.

And just remember - you only have to reach 50,000 words. You don't have to write something publishable. You don't have to write something readable. Your novel does not have to be finished, even. My first attempt had reached 83,000 by the end of November, but it took another two years and several complete re-writes to get it into shape.

Next issue: Where to Write

Blogging My Novel

For the first time, I am inviting you all to participate with me in my own private novel-writing process.

I write the same way I breathe. Constantly. Compulsively. Sometimes I have trouble doing it well, and it makes me panic. I experience a feeling of extraordinary well-being when I am doing it voluminously and well.

I have opinions of other Nanos that are probably uncharitable.
1. I want to smack anyone who logs onto any public forum and announces "What have I gotten myself into? I must be crazy!" If you're so intimidated, don't do it. I've done it several times and lived, so I'm not really sympathetic. We're all busy. We're all intimidated by the commitment we've made. But notice, we're NOT all whining about it.

2. I am not interested in cheerleaders. I know that everyone has to start somewhere and that it's nice to be able to say "I'm writing a Harry Potter fanfic with faeries and a new character based on my younger brother who's Harry's new best friend." And then a zillion other people jump on board and tell that person what a genius s/he is and how great they're sure it will be. Perhaps it's just sour grapes on my part. I have written all my life, and have received very little encouragement for it.

3. I am infuriated by people who cheat. What the hell is the point? You're not winning anything of value, here. You're winning a 50,000-word first draft of a novel that you had to write yourself, that you're going to have to do another 11 months' worth of work on to have a saleable product. Nobody is impressed if you suddenly come up on November 2nd with 300,000 words. We just think you're an insufferable wanker.

4. I am a very curmudgeonly person in writing, but very nice in person. That being said, I don't want to meet you. I don't want to leave my house. And, most of the time, I would like the people in my house to leave for a while and get out of my hair. I am annoyed with the tendency of Nanos to obsess about the next partying opportunity. I am not in this to go to parties. I am in this to force myself to write some stuff down, although I do that all the time anyway. I also like the t-shirts. Except this year's.

5. I am first and foremost a writer. Sure, I do lots of other things, but I'm a professional writer. I make money doing this. So I don't want to hear how full of shit I am from someone who's accumulating half-finished first drafts in a folder stashed away under their unmentionables.

6. I do not represent that either my routine or my process are suitable for anyone other than myself. I'm certain that many successful writers do their thang in ways that are 180 degrees different than my own. That's great. They're not asking me for help, and laughing at me behind my back if they deign to notice me at all. I will probably post little insights into my process, but I don't claim that if you do what I do you'll get anything but tired. Truthfully, that's about all it gets me a lot of the time.

Next issue: Tips and Tricks