Writing a novel is like running a marathon.

Writing a novel can seem like a daunting task, especially to the first-time newbie.  A novel is long (according to Wikipedia, it’s 40,000 words or more)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_count#In_fiction

A novel needs a plot that can sustain all those chapters and keep the reader interested until the very end.

http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/Plot.html

http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/plot-outline.html

A novel requires characters that people will care about enough to keep reading.

http://thewritepractice.com/resources/characterization/

http://voices.yahoo.com/unique-tips-creating-memorable-characters-your-315059.html?cat=3

But most of all, you have to sit on your butt and write…and write…and write.  And here’s where I think it’s similar to training for a marathon.

At first, it’s very likely you won’t be able to just sit and write and everything will fall neatly into place.  You’ll need to develop stamina to keep you there for the long run.  Just as an athlete has to work up to the distance of a marathon (http://running.about.com/od/marathontrainingfaqs/f/What-Is-The-Distance-Of-A-Marathon.htm)
a novel will consist of a large number of chapters.  To me, writing each one is somewhat similar to running each mile (or kilometre) of a marathon.  It may sound and look daunting when you think about it as a whole, but tackling it one unit at a time will get you to your ultimate finish line.

Runners train for marathons.

How can a writer train?

* choose your genre
* start with an idea for a story
* build on that idea
* develop your main character(s) and secondary characters
* Start writing the rough draft
* Don’t worry about editing until you reached the end of the story you wish to tell

But whatever you do, keep going!  Push through when it gets hard.  Seek support from fellow writers.  Read blogs and articles to motivate you on days when you want to quit.

Like any big goal, getting started is the hard part.  Break it up into small, attainable goals and you’ll have that novel written before you know it!

Get Paid to Review Books

Although this isn’t a job that will provide you with a full salary and allow you to stay home and read in your jammies all day, book reviewing can be a way to get free books and make a little bit of extra $$$.

Check out these links:

http://writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/001002_12172003.html

(sign up for writersweekly’s FREE newsletter – it’s full of awesome info.)

http://www.readdreamrelax.com/write-for-us/

(doesn’t pay a lot but if you’re an avid reader, it might be of interest)

http://onlinebookclub.org/free-books-for-reviews.php

(appears to be a better paying market and again, free books)

http://www.toxicagenda.com/get-paid-to-read-books/

(lists several sites that pay for book reviews – make sure to check them out carefully before agreeing to anything)

If you google “getting paid to review books”, “paid book reviewers” and other similar search terms, you’ll find a lot more links.

As always, check carefully into anything before agreeing. If the terms are agreeable to you, then review away

An International Crowd funding platform to raise money

An International Crowd funding platform to raise money

Need funds to get a production of your play off the page and onto the stage?

Artists of all genres – join Indiegogo or Kickstarter (link below) to get funding for your project.

http://www.kickstarter.com/

 

Sometimes it’s good to stop writing

I’m sure many of you have had to put a long-term writing project, like a novel, on hold at one time or another. If you’re like me, I get very frustrated and stressed when other activities (like work/other writing deadlines/family issues) keep me from spending that necessary time on my next book.

Such has been the case the past couple of months. I was still writing, but there just didn’t seem to ever be enough time to spend even a few minutes on my second suspense novel.

Yesterday, I was finally able to free up a thirty minute block of time for this novel. I grabbed my notebook, the one where I had summarized all the chapters I’d written thus far, and flipped through them all to re-connect myself with all the plot details.

That took about fifteen minutes.

As I flipped onto the first blank page at the end of chapter thirty-five’s summary, ideas began to pour onto the pages, mapping out the next six chapters and leading me toward what I believe will be the ending of this book. Prior to my unscheduled break from this project, I had been struggling to see my way through the plot and definitely had no idea how things would end.

Today I may be able to spend forty-five minutes on this project – actually writing a draft of the next chapter.

So out of absence comes new-found creativity. Sometimes it IS good to stop writing.

Composing is writing too

I have been feeling uptight about not working on my second suspense novel lately. We all go through those phases where our projects get shelved due to other things taking up our time.

Recently I even had to skip my turn at subbing to my critique group (and I hate missing my turn).

Today, as I sat at my keyboard working on lyrics to the final original song for my murder/mystery, I realized that I was still writing. I was just writing words to a song instead of words in a chapter. Creating is creating – writing is writing

What are you writing today?

Genre Writing Blogs – Suspense

Genre Writing Blogs – Suspense.

Genre Writing Blogs – Suspense

It’s great to share what others have to say and I’d like to do just that.

Here’s my call out to all those bloggers who write suspense/mystery/thriller novels, plays and/or short stories.

I’d love to feature a different blog each week with a short Q & A with the blogger.

Anyone interested?

Comment on this post, send me your blog url and let’s see what great information we can share with our followers and with each other.

Every Writer Should Have a Web Presence

Reblogged from Dramaquill's Weblog:

 

It's common knowledge that in this high tech computer age, every writer should have a web presence. 

Don't know how?

There are some very easy (and free) ways to get page online:

1.      Start a writing blog  (I recommend WordPress) 

2.      Make a separate Facebook Page as your "writing" page or even a separate page for each of"
          your books if you have published books to your credit…

Read more… 175 more words

Useful information that I thought I should share again. Can't say it enough - Every writer should have a web presence.

Top Ten Distractions that keep me from Writing

I love the internet!  I love all the information that is so easily accessible.  I love that it no longer matters where a writer is located in order to find a publisher or agent.  And I especially love making new connections and discovering new writers/new books.  Yes, I love social media, too.

But it seems that there are more and more distractions that can steal my precious writing time.  Here’s my list of the top ten things that distract me from writing:

1. Facebook (not the writing-related pages but the updates…the games…you know what I mean)
2. Email (why do I feel the urge to check it so often?)
3. Surfing (one Google search leads to another and soon an hour has gone by)
4. Phone calls (working at home definitely means screening calls)
5. Having a full-time job (obviously making a living has to take priority over writing)
6. TV (do I really need to watch most of the dumb stuff on the tube?)
7. Researching (from markets to freelance jobs to info. for my next book, this can really eat up a lot of time)
8. Cooking/cleaning/laundry (if only I could afford a maid LOL)
9. Reading (but I do feel that this distraction is necessary for all writers)
10. Too many projects at once (I get a lot more done if I focus on one thing at a time)

What’s your biggest distraction that keeps you from writing?

Green Room Scripts and Selling Your Plays

Yesterday I got an email from Green Room Scripts. I hadn’t heard of their site but their email intrigued me so I checked it out.

They publish playscripts that are very affordable for community groups and drama companies who just don’t have the money to mount productions with big royalty fees. From what I saw on the site, most shows have a royalty of $20.00/performance. As a drama teacher, I found their e-script plan very appealing.

They also allow authors of plays to self-publish with them. (I have not worked with them so please check out all their terms and conditions carefully if you decide to submit your plays).

The site says that they are a place “where people can publish, buy or sell content related to the arts and performing arts.”

Check them out and see if they have something to offer that appeals to you and your needs.

Another option for getting your plays into the hands of directors and performers is to offer scripts on your website – you DO have a website, right?
I have sold scripts to summer programs and small drama groups. They are easy to print up and bind using cardstock for title page and back page. Be creative making your own script copies.

Read published scripts for disclaimer sheets and decide which terms and conditions you wish to apply to your scripts.

Now…back to Nano.

Nanowrimo in November

That’s right, it’s almost November 1st and that means, Nanowrimo time.

What’s Nanowrimo, you ask?

National Novel Writing Month – a challenge for participants to write 50,000 words to complete a novel within the month of November.

Winners receive bragging rights and the satisfaction of knowing they wrote 50,000 words.

Sign up – make connections – join your local Nano group – get writing.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

I’m all ready to go on Thursday – how about you?

Writing dialogue – how do you approach it?

This week my critique group is having a discussion on writing dialogue as it pertains to characters in novels. We’ve been reading blogs, articles, e-books and sharing information from many sources.

We have collectively come up with a couple of common thoughts:

1. Writing regular folks is much harder than colourful characters

2. Some of us hear the voices in our heads, rather than the more
common method of listening to other people talk.

3. Dialects are hard to write and also hard to read

I write a lot of playscripts for kids and teens. Not only do I have to write a lot of dialogue but I also get to hear it played back during rehearsals. For me, this has been a tremendous way to hear awkward phrases, pick out lines that don’t sound real and to help me create more realistic dialogue.

I suggest trying these two things when you’re approaching dialogue writing:

1. Read it aloud (like you’re acting out the part). What rolls off the tongue
easily? Does anything trip you up?

2. Read some stage plays aloud. Can you tell which character is
speaking just from the type of dialogue?

How do you approach dialogue writing?

Teaching Drama inspired me to get back to writing

As the owner of a performing arts studio, my schedule becomes almost overwhelming from late August through mid September.  It’s both exhilarating and exhausting.

I’ve now entered the phase where all of my classes have begun and I’m re-connecting with former students as well as meeting new ones.  It’s an exciting time at my studio.

Saturday was the first day of classes and as it happens, all of our drama programs are on Saturday.

First up was the 6-10 year old group.  As we all played a fun drama game to learn each other’s names, I saw snippets of creativity begin to emerge.  Even the shy children were eager to say and do something that would make everyone remember them.  The collective energy in the drama room produced an encouraging atmosphere where the students felt themselves trying things outside of their comfort zones and enjoying it.

The second group consisted of the 11-17 year old crowd.  This diverse group ranged from kids with plenty of creative experience to others with absolutely none.  Interestingly enough, as we worked on a variety of group and individual activities, this group definitely had a noticeable split between the “up for anything” creative types and the “shy and guarded” individuals, however, by the end of the class, the split had weakened considerably.

Finally, the last class, a large group of students ages 9-18 entered the studio.  Many of these kids have taken programs with us before, however there was also a handful of newcomers.  One might think that such a mix of ages would result in chaos, but the opposite took place.  Different levels of creativity took shape as we integrated ages and abilities, familiar and unfamiliar.  The creative energy became infectious during the ninety minute session.

You’re probably all wondering what any of this has to do with writing.

Writing alone is great when your creativity flows and the words just spew out of you and on to the page.  But as we all know, there are also times when the complete opposite happens.

Creativity grows when surrounded by creativity.

Join a writing group.

Talk to other writers.

Talk to potential readers.

Read books that aren’t in your comfort zone and see how you feel when you’re done.

Participate in a critique group.

I always feel more inspired and creative after I’ve done any one of these things.  It just took me a day of teaching drama to remember how great it is to interact.

It’s all part of the creative process

This summer has been strange to say the least.  Warm sunny days where the sun’s up around six a.m. and doesn’t go to bed until after 10:00 p.m. makes for the perfect writing environment for me.  I can grab my iPad or a notebook and head to one of the nearby parks or lakes, sit sipping a mochaccino on an outdoor coffee shop patio or hunker down under a shade tree in my backyard.

At least that’s the way my writing life has gone until this summer.

I can’t say that it hasn’t been bugging me that I can’t seem to find my stride with my current WIP, my second adult suspense novel.  I’ve started re-reading the 31 chapters I’d previously written, hoping to find myself jumping back into the rhythm of it all.  But that just hasn’t been the case.

Am I worried that I’ll never finish my second book?

No, not at all.  But I sure don’t like waiting for this dry spell to end.

Oddly enough, my creativity did get a jump start in another area of writing.  Next week, my studio is offering a drama camp for kids 8-14 years old.  I started flipping through all our scripts and through my computer files and suddenly camp up with an idea – a campy spy play.  I got to work.

My fingers flew over the keys as the ideas formed.  It’s a quirky, silly, fast-paced romp through a day in the life of a secret agency of spies, made up of a bunch of ordinary kids.  Only thing is, nobody is allowed to know who anybody else is so they all wear white masks and go by a number rather than their name.

It felt good to exercise my creative chops again, even if it wasn’t on my WIP.

Maybe a week of creativity with this drama camp will be just what my muse needs to make an appearance.  Let’s hope so.

Don’t get discouraged when the words don’t come.  It’s all part of the creative process.

Will Anybody Want to Read my Sequel?

 

As I continue to struggle with creating any form of decent writing, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the projects I’m currently avoiding.  My biggest avoidance at the moment is the sequel to my first suspense novel.  This is a book that I’m very passionate about finishing.  My characters need me to let them tell the rest of their story.

And yet, as each day goes by, I do not write anything.

The other night I sat down to watch Bunheads, a new Amy Sherman-Palladino series on ABC Spark.  I was drawn to the show for several reasons.  Amy created The Gilmore Girls, one of my  all-time favorite shows.  Amy’s dialogue is snappy and her characters embrace uniqueness.  One of the leads in the series is Fanny, played by Kelly Bishop, formerly Emily Gilmore of Gilmore Girls fame.  The studio that I co-own teaches ballet and pointe and a variety of other dance classes.

I knew I’d love this show.

As of last night, I’ve now seen five episodes of Bunheads.  Much to my surprise, I’m not really loving it.  Although it contains the same type of quirky characters and quippy dialogue, it somehow plays like a poor second cousin to Palladino’s Gilmore Girls.  I’m hoping, with time, that it will find its way into my heart, but it’s going to take work.  I don’t know how much longer I’ll hang in.

That got me to thinking about my sequel.

My first suspense novel, “When Love Won’t Die”, has been very well received.  I’ve had lots of great reviews and just as many inquiries as to the status of the sequel.  Most of my followers can’t wait to get their hands on the next book.

But what if it’s a poor second cousin to the first book?

What if people don’t really like it?

I know what you’re probably thinking.  Bunheads and “When Love Won’t Die” are completely different.  Obviously one’s a TV show and one’s a book.  But they do have something in common.  They are both another product of their creator.  They are both going to be compared to other works by the same author.

So do I quit writing the sequel for fear it won’t be as good as the first book?  Will anybody want to read my sequel?

Yes, I really do believe they will.

Why?

Because I’m going to make sure that the writing is even better than the first book.  I’m using many of the same characters, but for those who have read “When Love Won’t Die”, they will see more complex, interweaving sub-plots and lots of character development.

Bunheads isn’t a sequel to the Gilmore Girls.  Unfortunately, many viewers will compare Kelly’s Fanny character to Emily Gilmore and the new young lead, Michelle, to Lorelei.  I know I have. But they shouldn’t.  This is a new series.  It’s not a sequel to anything.  Maybe I don’t really like it because it doesn’t revisit Stars Hollow and all the quirky characters I grew to love during the Gilmore’s seven year run.

So what has all of this taught me?

Once your stuff is out there, you develop a following.  Your readers will be inclined to compare your books to each other.  I don’t want to disappoint them.  Maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to work on my sequel. 

Or maybe, I just have to stop thinking so much and get my butt in the chair and write something…anything.  Finish the darn book! 

Amy Sherman-Palladino isn’t sitting around wondering whether or not she should create another series.  When The Wyoming Project didn’t make it into the 2010-2011 TV schedule, Palladino went on and created Bunheads.

Will anybody want to read my sequel?

I’ll never know if I don’t finish it. 

Do you have a project that you’re avoiding?  Join me and let’s finish them together.

To find out more about Amy Sherman-Palladino, read this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Sherman-Palladino

To find out more about her new series, Bunheads,follow this link: http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/bunheads/

To purchase “When Love Won’t Die”, check out the following sites:
http://www.amazon.com/When-Love-Wont-Die-ebook/dp/B004AYD6YE

http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=649
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/When-Love-Wont-Die/book-p2VHGKHWAE6biZdRsFV_tA/page1.html