Tapping Emotional Reservoirs

When I wrote my first, now slightly dusty, novel I wrote everything in sequential order. I started at the beginning and I moved forward until I typed The End (which I actually did, thank you very much.) I did lots of things with that first novel that I find I'm doing differently with this one.

My first novel's motto could have been The Fast and The Furious. NaNoWriMo has a way of doing that to you. In five days I wrote almost 20,000 words. The irony of that statement is it was the end of the book, and with the exception the last chapter that not only sucks rocks but big boulders too, it was the best writing of the book. That in itself, is a sad statement.

If the writing of my second novel has a motto it's The Slow and The Plodding. Instead pumping out 20K in 5 days, it's taken me 5 weeks. And it shows. I'll spend an hour writing a measly 100 words. But the quality is so much better. The difference between my first book and second are like night and day.

So if the writing speed is different, and the writing quality has improved, could I write scenes out of sequential order? This sounds like no big deal, but my plot and story are organic. I have ideas but sometimes my characters surprise me and do the unexpected. They develop inside jokes. They have "moments," good and bad. I like to reference these things as the story goes on, or at the very least know that it adds something to their relationship. If I write a scene that happens in chapter 10, but the story is only on chapter 6, is it really going to work? I decided to give it a try.

I didn't feel well last night. I think I ate something for lunch that threw a revolt on my insides. My intestinal churning reminded me of a scene I have been playing in my head for days, a gut wrenching, devastating event that was eating at me. What if I channeled that physical discomfort into the what the characters were feeling? I put my children to bed, closed my bedroom door, shut off the internet, turned on some music (Muse/ The Resistance-- Exogenesis parts 1-3) and wrote. About an hour later I had 1300 words, not necessarily good words, but emotional words. I cried a little while I wrote but after I finished my insides still churned. I realized they weren' t churning from the soup I ate at lunch. They were churning from emotional distress. I reread what I wrote and sobbed.

That scene needs work. Lots of work. I hope that by the time I get to it in the sequential writing order, I'll have more context to add to it. But for now, it sits at the end of my work in progress, waiting.

Character Analysis- Why?

I am not a writing veteran. I've taken writing classes years ago and even more recently, but I'm the first to tell you I have so much to learn. When I started writing my first novel I was intimidated about getting to know characters well enough to translate them inside and out on the page. I didn't want caricatures and I didn't want stereotypes. In essence, I was creating "real" people and it was overwhelming.

Hand and hand with character analysis is motivation. Then again, perhaps they are the same. The trick is to dig deep and determine why someone behaves the way they do. I've tried to do this in real life, so it comes in quite handy with fiction writing. People who behave badly have a reason for behaving badly. It doesn't justify their actions not does it excuse it, but it's easier to understand (and forgive) when you understand why someone behaves the way they do.

Just when I think I've matured and grown as a person, I'm thrust in a situation that challenges me to remember my own advice. Several days ago I ran into an acquaintance who I find annoying. This is unlike me, I'm usually tolerate of most people, but this person is somewhat of a know it all and it irks me. So I tolerate them and bide my brief, infrequent time with them until I can escape. Until a few days ago. Something I wrote touched this person and when I saw them they felt compelled to share an painful incident from their past. I was humbled in so many ways. First of all that my writing could make them reexamine painful issues. Second, that they felt comfortable sharing this with me. And third, that I had previously dismissed them because of their attitude instead of being more tolerant and asking myself "why are they acting this way?"

I approach my fictional characters the same way. I know some writers have pages of info on their characters where they list their characters favorites colors, food, dislikes, etc. I've tried this and find it stifling. Honestly, I have no idea what Emma's favorite color is and I doubt Will has one. But I know Emma's an angry woman. I hadn't planned her that way but then I lived in her shoes. I know the pain and loss Emma suffered because of her unplanned pregnancy with Jake. I feel her sense of inadequacy as a mother because she can't keep her son safe from strangers. I dig deep, listen to music, close my eyes, and delve into her pain, her distrust, her weariness. How can she not be angry? She lost her entire life and she feels she's failing her son. What mother wouldn't be angry? Her anger keeps the hopelessness of her situation from consuming her. I can only hope what she feels translates out of my fingers onto my keyboard.

It all boils down to why.

Chosen Chapter 1 Part 1

Part of me can't believe I'm posting this. It's still unedited. But I'm posting it anyway so the readers of There's Always Room For One More can get a feel for where I'm going with this book and see where I've disappeared to. The two characters, Emma and Will, are rough and their language and behavior supports that. So word to the wise, this is not like There's Always Room For One More with it's usual G rating. This is definitely PG-13.

I'm still early in the writing process of this book which means this chapter is subject to change, so bear that in mind.

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This sneak peek has already been pulled.

Chosen Chapter 1 Part 2

This sneak peek has been pulled.

My Very First Vlog

You can thank Eilsey Jacobs for this.



Be sure to notice that while I think having an overactive imagination qualifies me to be a writer, at no point do I mention that perhaps I also have the ability to write. LOL I guess I thought that was a given.

Denise

Friday Giveaway: Misfit McCabe

Nothing like a giveaway to start off a new blog. Giving away a book seems like the perfect writing blog giveaway!

For my first book giveaway, I'm sharing a book that my 12 year old daughter Julia and I fell in love with: Misfit McCabe by LK Gardner-Griffie. Misfit McCabe is the first book in a Young Adult series. Fourteen year old Katie McCabe is sent to live with her uncle and his family. Katie's mother died when she was a baby and her father is seriously ill and is hospitalized for tests. Upset that her father sent her to Uncle Charlie's, Katie struggles with her resentment over the situation and her desire to be accepted. She soon meets her new nemesis, Harvey Jr. and it doesn't take long to for Katie to get into trouble, something she's all too familiar with. Poor Katie finds out that her entire world is about to be turned upside down.

I'm a sucker for YA books and I loved this one. It was a fast read and drew me in on page one. I'm also sentimental and cried multiple times over this book. But as my kids are quick to point out and (tease me mercilessly about), I cry over Hallmark commercials. (So, sue me.) The real test was that Julia cried. Several times. And Julia never cries. Julia loved this book. I would find her reading it anywhere and everywhere. I've heard her tell her friends about how much she loves this book. And that just doesn't happen.

I must also confess that I know LK. Not personally, we've never met nor talked on the phone, but we share a friendship on Twitter. I'm the first to admit that I never thought this possible. How do you develop a friendship in 140 character snippets? Believe me, it's possible. I met LK the first of December using the hashtags #amwritingparty and #WIPfire. She has shared her wisdom, her support, her soapbox and her friendship. I'm honored to say I know her.

So now I can't wait to share LK and her book with one of you! I'm giving away a copy of Misfit McCabe to a lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment. No other rules, just leave a comment. If you want to have two chances to win, go over to my main blog There's Always Room for One More and leave a comment there. You could potentially win two copies. (in the chance that that should happen, I could send you LK's second book Nowhere Feels Like Home instead.)

You can leave comments from now until Saturday, January 9 9:00 pm CST. Good luck!

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The winner of the Misfit McCabe book giveaway is: thatannegirl

Here are your random numbers:

7

Timestamp: 2010-01-10 14:36:24 UTC

What I Learned From NaNoWriMo (And How I Got There)

A lifetime ago, I wrote. Constantly. In my angst ridden youth, writing was my escape, my refuge. My high school sophomore English teacher recognized my "talent." Since writing came easily, I bluffed my way through one particular assignment only to be astounded when I received a C. When I asked Mrs. Davis why (insert teen whine) I received a C after I completed the assignment, she responded, "Because you're better than this. I'm grading you according to your ability."

Mrs. Davis made me believe I was capable of great things.

The years marched on, life got in the way and writing became something I would do someday. However, 4 years ago on the day my husband died, I realized that someday may not come. If I wanted to fulfill any dreams, now was the time to do it.

Last summer my friend Cynthia Moyer began writing a novel. I decided if I was going to write, now was the time. The germ of an idea for a story popped into my head and I spent months thinking about it, dwelling on it, researching it. I did everything but begin to write it. I was terrified. What if is it sucked? What if I was terrible? The only reason I thought I could was because of my blog There's Always Room For One More. When I wrote about my crazy life readers gave me positive feedback. They loved my writing. They felt like they were there. Maybe, just maybe, I did have what it took.

By mid October, I was still frozen in fear. I knew I had to just do it. But how did I kick myself in the butt to do it? Enter NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo gave me permission to just write. Quantity was the name of the game and I was prepared. By November 30, I had 64,000 words. I kept my break neck speed and finished my novel, So Much to Lose, on December 9 finishing at 93,000 words.

And I promptly fell into Post Novel Depression.

I loved writing. I loved creating people who only existed in my own head until I put them down on paper. When I typed The End I felt happy, sad, proud and discouraged all at the same time. (Yes, I cried) I was eager to begin editing SMTL (So Much to Lose) but knew I needed to let it sit for awhile before editing. My writing friends suggested I start a new book while I waited.

Writer friends say what? (yes, we watch too much Hannah Montana in this house) How could I let go of Megan and Todd, just like that?

But I hated feeling this way. My husband's birthday is in December, throw in Christmas and a raging Post Novel Depression, I knew I had to do something. So I brainstormed. Within a few days, I had another idea. Within a week I had the bare bones of a plot. The week before Christmas I began chapter 1 of Chosen. While I wrote twenty six chapters of SMTL in 6 weeks, I took one entire week to write chapter one of Chosen. But I loved the results.

The week after Christmas, in excited anticipation, I pulled down my 375 page first novel and began to read. And then I wanted to cry. It was awful. Compared to my second book it was horrible. Part of me wanted to build a huge bonfire and burn it but I didn't. While the writing sucked, the story had some potential. However, the thought of a huge rewrite exhausted me.

In the meantime, I had shown the first chapter of Chosen to a couple of friends with tremendous positive feedback. I was torn. I felt I needed to edit SMTL; I didn't want to abandon it and be a quitter. On the other hand, I had a WIP (work in progress) that was decent, maybe even good. Ultimately it was my friend Dave that helped me make the decision. Dave works in the publishing world and he kept pestering me for chapter 2. Dave became my new Mrs. Davis. (Sorry Dave!) He believed in me and expected more.

Some people can't believe I spent hundreds of hours on a novel that I have just set aside. Actually, I'm one of those people. But it wasn't all for naught. NaNoWriMo taught me that I am not a quantity writer. In all honesty, I should have already known this. I have been known to spend hours writing a single blog post. Chapter 1 of Chosen taught me I'm a quality writer. Sure, just about anything can be fixed in revision. But I need to start with something halfway decent or my feeble brain flips out at the task.

I'll always be grateful to NaNoWriMo 2009 for something else. It helped me fulfill a life long dream. I wrote a novel. It might be a sucky novel, but it's a novel none the less. How many people can say that?

No worries, I have no plans to burn my first novel. But neither do I plan on whipping up a query letter and try to get it published. (mental shudder) I have a feeling at some point I will be ready to polish up the story of Megan and Todd. Hopefully, I'll have more confidence in myself when I start the task.