Jan 15, 2009 | Diet, Goals, Writing |
This is a short post because I'm pretty worn out, but I actually accomplished almost as much in front of my home computer yesterday as I did at Starbucks the day before. I think it was *knowing* that I'd successfully worked through my WIP problems while NOT clicking over to email/Facebook/MySpace/etc that forced me to acknowledge the problem lies within me.
And so I was disciplined. Not much choice really. The Deadline of Doom approacheth.
But I may head out to SB today as a way to shake up the routine. Or not. Now that I've taken the time to register for Pandora Radio, I'm loving it as I write. So much easier than trying to find stuff in my iTunes library.
In other news, my diet/exercise program is going fairly well. Jogged nearly 2 miles. It's only my 2nd week back, so that's not too bad. Soon, I'll be able to hop up the pace and get my miles done quicker.
Okay, to work. What are you up to? How's your New Year's diet/exercise program going (come on, we all have them!)?
Jan 14, 2009 | Writing |
Here in this small town where I live, we have one Starbucks. When I lived in Hawaii, there was an SB on every corner. I could easily get to one without much effort, and I did perform the SB experiment there: could I write more if I were in SB, without internet connection (because I won't pay for day surfing)? The answer in Hawaii was yes.
And I guess my blonde self didn't quite internalize the facts. Because, just yesterday, I performed the experiment again. After such a sucky Monday, I thought I'd try something different. When facing a problem with the WIP, it's veerrry easy to say, “I'll just click over to email or Facebook, etc, while I think about this.” An hour later you realize you've forgotten the problem and you've been checking out Parsons chairs at Target.com for twenty minutes.
So, after lunch with a friend, I headed for SB. I'd forgotten my iPod, which almost made me decide against the experiment, but I gave it a try anyway.
And I got work done. Duh. When you HAVE to stare at the WIP, and you can't click over to Target, your brain tends to work on the problem. I made it through one of the roughest patches of the story thus far — and though I actually lost closer to 3K words on Monday (didn't realize it until I counted it up yesterday), I made up a lot of ground. I wrote 2K sitting in SB, without an iPod, while at least one little girl threw a huge mini-diva tantrum (seriously, foot stamping and hollering that it wasn't fair and she wouldn't eat it, etc, and all because her dad bought her a different cookie than the one she wanted).
I may have to go back to Starbucks a lot before this book is due. I wonder if the IRS will accept latte deductions?
Does the Starbucks Effect work for you? Or do you have the discipline to shut off the internet access at home? I wonder if telecommuters have these issues. What do you think? I bet they get a certain amount done because they'd obviously get fired if they didn't — but do you think they check out websites more often than they would in an office? Hmm….
Jan 13, 2009 | Video, Writing |
Sometimes they happen, yeah? So, yesterday, I cut more words than I wrote. Or maybe I wrote enough words, but I cut so many I kind of lost count of what I had. One minute I had X many — the next I was down 1000. Same thing happened again.
This is, unfortunately, the way it goes sometimes. But, OMG, how freaking depressing!! I kind of understood how Hemingway became a lush because I suddenly, desperately, needed a drink. And, because I have a will as solid as a slice of Swiss cheese, I caved. A glass of wine takes the sting off.
And I really couldn't face the WIP any longer. Sometimes you need to go away and return with fresh eyes. Sitting in front of the computer and staring at the screen with the same words on it won't necessarily spark a new idea. I think, at times like this, it's okay to go away.
I also think it's very normal to get twisted up and worry about what you're doing. Yes, I have a contract and a book coming out — and I STILL think I'm terrible sometimes, that it's a fluke, that they're going to catch me and kick me off of Mount Olympus. Yesterday was a bad day. I hope today will be better.
I'm leaving you with the song that ran through my head after my battle with the WIP. Do you like this one? I sure do; it's catchy, even when the day isn't so bad.
Tell me what you do when the WIP isn't working, or you have to cut a couple of scenes….
Jan 12, 2009 | Promotion, Websites, Writing |
Saturday was my RWA chapter meeting, and even though I have a deadline rapidly approaching, I wouldn't miss my Heart of Dixie day for anything (I have another chapter too, Southern Magic, but it's a bit farther away and I don't get to the meetings like I'd like to).
Just the camaraderie of meeting with other writers, laughing and talking about things that concern us (and often only make sense to us) is worth losing a day of writing for. I head out around 10am, drive about 40 minutes, and stop for lunch at a local deli where a lot of the members gather beforehand. Then, after an hour of laughing and fun, we head to the museum that hosts our meetings. There, who knows what'll happen. We start at noon and often don't finish until between 2 and 3. After that, I can talk for hours with friends, sometimes even heading to a restaurant or bookstore to chat. It's a great time, and it's the kind of socializing that I definitely need.
I have other friends, of course, but so many times they don't understand what it is I do and how it works. I can't tell you the number of people who have asked my husband if he's retiring when my book comes out. Other writers know how funny this is.
Publishing is a strange and hopeful business. You can make enough to live on; you can become very popular and make a lot of money; or you can barely get by and need to work a day job to make ends meet. You never know where on that scale you'll end up, but we all hope we get option #2. Friends — writing friends — help keep you sane!
Okay, so I have some changes coming up in the next month or two! For one, I'm getting a new website and blog. I've found the perfect person to do my design work, and I'm so excited to be working with her. I'll also be retooling the newsletter, and hopefully start sending out some regular news.
There will be contests; not sure what or when, but stay tuned so you don't miss out on the goodies! I won't stop talking about writing, but I need to talk more about reading. If you're on MySpace, come friend me. Same with Facebook. I can be found on both — just type in Lynn Raye Harris. I'm also on Twitter (been there for a couple of months, but still haven't figured out how to get my feed on the sidebar here). Follow me, and I'll follow you. 🙂
Finally — what are you reading right now? I'm reading a delicious Harlequin Presents by Jennie Lucas and enjoying it very much. I love an arrogant Italian prince — in fact, I'm writing about one for the next book!
Jan 9, 2009 | Goals, Revising, Writing |
As I write this book, I'm always working on scenes that might not feel quite right and I'm always rewriting them. I rewrite the book as I go these days; I tried the fast draft before, and then the revision, but that's hard.
Heck, it was damn hard to rewrite half a book at my editor's direction twice, especially when I thought it was fine both times. But writing is rewriting, so there you are. As much as we might like to turn the book in and say it's done, perfect, send it to print, the reality is there will probably be changes.
You have to be prepared to make them. But, at the same time, don't get so bogged down in rewriting scenes that you don't move forward. Because if you don't finish the book, you can't sell the book and you can't have a career as a published author.
Simple advice, but my brain is completely drained from the marathon writing sessions I've been putting in. Oh, and today it's official: one month to deadline. What are you up to?
Jan 7, 2009 | Writing |
As I work like a mad woman on finishing this book, I'm faced with choices that sometimes stop me in my tracks. Which POV to write the scene in? Which way to take the scene? Sometimes I highlight all the wrong things; I summarize what should be explored and explore what could be summarized. I don't know why I do this. This may only be my second contracted book, but it's not the second book I've written.
They (the anonymous they) say you should write about a million words before you're ready to publish a book. I imagine that's pretty close to correct. My first novel was more than 150k, and that doesn't include all the rewriting I did. I probably wrote close to half a million on that sucker alone.
But I digress. Which is typical for me, LOL.
In SPANISH MAGNATE, RED-HOT REVENGE (Presents, August 2009), I specifically wrote one scene from the heroine's POV that is now, in the final version that will be in print (ahem, Aug 2009), in the hero's POV. I'm not sure why I decided it would work better that way. My editor didn't tell me to do it (not that she hasn't told me to do other things), but somehow in the rewrite that's what happened. And I liked it far better.
What I want to know, however, is HOW to figure out which POV to write the scene in in the first place. Common wisdom says to write it in the POV of the character with the most to lose; I've also written it in the POV of the character observing high emotion. Sometimes it's easier to show anguish through another's eyes than to live in the pivotal POV at that moment.
But man, I wish it was easier to figure out. Right now, I'm working on a scene that could be in either POV just as easily. It's highly charged emotionally no matter which character I'm with. So, I'm thinking about it. And I'll probably end up with two versions as I try them both. I hate doing that because it's writing the same thing twice. *sigh*
Thoughts?
