Sweepin' Up

A question frequently asked of me is: How do you know when a book is done?





My first reply, while flippant, is the right answer. A book is never done, as a painting is never done. As artists and writers, no matter how many times we look at our "finished product," we always see just one more little thing, just a teensy thing we'd like to change. I've actually read my books after they're in print and wish I just had one more chance . . . I'd like to change that word, or I don't like that turn of phrase.





Or, there's the painting that hangs in my mother's den. I painted it. It's perfect for her den. It's a pretty landscape, a double waterfall with a little cabin close to the water's edge. She loves it. I hate it. Every time I go home, I have to sit and stare at that painting. I keep threatening to take it down and "fix" it. You see, it was done early on in my art career. I make much better clouds now, much freer, fluffier, softer. And, those trees! OMG . . . just gimme a brush! There are 3 trees sitting near the water. They're all the same height, same width, same color . . . Like triplets. What was I thinking?





When I was taking art classes, one of my teachers told the story of a famous artist (sorry, can't remember his name) who sold a painting to a well-known gallery, seems like it was the Louvre. From time to time, he went through the gallery. Employees began to notice slight changes in the painting. They were puzzled until they actually caught the artist making the changes. Gallery officials actually had to ban him from the gallery to keep him from making changes.





It's normal . . . get used to it. I guess it's like sweeping the floor. How many times have you put the broom away, only to discover some piece of dust glaring at you from a spot you absolutely know you swept clean? What do you do? Do you get the broom out and sweep that spot again? Maybe, but if you do, are you taking a chance that some piece of dust ( a particularly viscious dust bunny, perhaps) is just waiting to jump back to the floor when you get that spot you went back after? Yes, you are.





So, here's a bit of a guidline for finishing up, polishing your manuscript for the last time . . . or the next to last time, or the next to the next to last time. Look at the big picture, once more. Is it what you promised the reader in the first few paragraphs? Yes? Great. So this time through, you're just tightening, aren't you? Read it like a reader. If something snags the flow of words through you mind, now is the time to fix it. Is the meaning of a word unclear? Did you say exactly what you mean or the opposite of it? (The lights were not on. {as opposed to:} It was dark. Okay, you'll say it better than that, but I'm illustrating {or, illuminating, as it were} a point.) Fine tuning, that's the key here. You're fine tuning, not re-writing. If you're re-writing at this point, you have a problem and you need more than a quick pass to correct those kinds of problems. If you're bogging down, stop and go back to work on the book again. Don't call this your final pass. That puts pressure on you and you may find yourself glossing over things you'll later regret. (Like when you get that rejection slip or re-write letter.)





Now, you've made those last changes. Feels good, doesn't it? You're twirling around the room, singing some ridiculous ditty that you only sing when you're alone in your office and nobody, but nobody can hear you. Rejoice in that moment. Eat some chocolate. Eat lots of chocolate. Have a glass of wine (or Pepsi.) Then, sit down and read it again. This, my friend, this is your last pass.





And, the next time I go to my mother's, I'm taking my paints with me. I'm going to fix those trees and work on those clouds . . . when her back is turned!





As for sweeping? Hmm . . . Not so much. I love dust bunnies. Dust bunnies deserve a nice place to live, too, don't you think?

Now, for the photograph above . . . Interesting, isn't it? What does it have to do with this blog? Well, my writing friend, everything. It symbolizes, for me, the traps we fall into as writers. Suddenly, we find ourselves pulled this way or that way. And, those influences are all external. (Well, for the most part.) It's the little interruptions or the big ones that happen sometimes. It's life. Our families, our jobs, our outside interests. Hurry up and finish that book so we can go and play. Or, hurry up and finish that book so we can take a vacation. Or, hurry up and finish that book so we can go shopping . . . it's those thousands of external traps that rush us when we least need to be rushed. Finishing a book is almost more important than starting it. (Obviously, starting is important or there would be nothing to finish, right?) But, I'm talking about those little touches that make books work, the things that make readers sit back and say, "Wow. What a writer." If we're in a big hurry during our polishing stage, then, perhaps, those wonderful touches won't get made. So, don't let somebody hurry you through. Not even an editor. Make sure those last passes when you make your manuscript shine are paced in such a way that you really can look at the words and phrasing, or the foreshadowing, or the connections . . . all those kinds of things. Never, ever rush though this phase. Not for your children, not for your hubby ( or wife or significant other), not for your agent, not for your editor . . . not even for your mama.

Until next time (Oh, I'm going to try to post on Monday's from now on, except for next Monday. I'll be at DragonCon! Yipppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeee!)





Write on!


Nancy

Word play for Wednesday

Wednesday...Lots of wordplay there, don't you think? "Send...Day...Seed...Say...Sand...Weeds... Way...Wend...Sad...Wed...





Tired of that, are you? I remember playing that game at birthday parties and showers...I was always good at it. Great thing to be good at, right? Well, yeah! I'm a writer. Being good with words is a valuable skill to have.





But, the real skill is in stringing words together. "I say, send some seed and weeds and sand wending it's way this day or you'll wed a troll on Wednesday." All right...all right...I know that's ridiculous. But, being ridiculous is a bit of a skill, too. Don't you admire people with a bit of a sense of humor, a way of being ridiculous without being stupid. Don't you love being out with people with a sense of fun?





Where are they in your books, plays and stories? Those traits make characters interesting, don't you think. Finding just the right quirk for a character, that little gem that sets them apart from the rest of the characters in the world is definitely a skill.





We all have quirks, don't we? Raise your hand...I know you do. All of us have them. Some of them are just far enough beyond quirkly to become eccentric, but those fascinating traits are there.





Take building a hot dog, for instance. How you layer the ingredients can be fascinating. Are you one of the haphazard-style dog-dressers? Throw the bun on the plate and have a field day with the available ingredients...Oh, what's that? You're a bit more selective? Mustard first, then the dog, catsup and then onions...Or, mayonaise, dog, chili, cheese and relish? Oh, oh...Wait...how about...





Enough of the hot dog analogy...It's too close to lunch time, I guess. But, what I'm trying to say is that even the way a character dresses a hot dog says something about him or her. The person who throws the bun on the play and then trowels the yummies on it probably has a messy office, a half-eaten order of fries on the car seat, underwear on the bathroom floor...But, the meticulous dresser of the dog is probably just as meticulous in other areas of his or her life. And, the one with the trowel is probably more fun to be around than the one who applies ingredients with a tweezer.





How would these traits carry over into decor? Into the vehicle the character drives? Or, into the way he or she forms relationships? That's your homework for today, kiddies...build a character from one of our hot dog afficianadoes and see what happens. Slaw anyone?

The photo with today's blog is of Googie Uterhardt. Ridiculous? Not so much. Even though it's really a fun picture, it was actually made during the play "Godspell" at ART Station Theatre. He's an amazing actor and quite a character...





I've been a bit slack about posting blogs, but promise to do better in the future...





Write today, my friend.


Nancy Lu

Monday, Monday

The Mamas and the Papas...

I once wrote that if the days of the week were body parts, Monday would be the asshole. Am I right? Of course, I am. Monday, as a day of the week, is fraught with negativity...because of the two days we just spent goofing off or relaxing, right? Everybody hates Mondays.

But, let's turn that around. Make that negative a positive. Monday is a fresh beginning. As a writer, you have a clean slate. Forget those unfulfilled promises you made yourself last week...

Make yourself a new promise...no, better yet...set yourself a new goal. Because you probably set an unreasonable goal (promise) last week, why not be a little more reasonable this week? Let's set a goal we know we can reach for each day and then exceed it. Consider what's on your schedule this week. Can you write four pages a day? My friend, Pat, used to set her goal at four pages a day and she stuck to it, regardless of what happened. Oh, there were days when she had to drag herself to the keyboard, but she did it. The funniest thing was, she'd do those pages even if she had something else to do. And, if she had something else she just really had to do--she'd write a lot of dialogue. Of course, if you "cheat" by writing dialogue every day just to get those four pages done, you haven't helped yourself, have you?

Maybe you have children and feel you can't devote the time to complete four pages a day. Decide what amount of time you can commit and then do it. If it's two pages, then, by all means, make it two. If, by chance, the little darlings are just angels this week, maybe you can squeeze in three pages. So, instead of fourteen pages this week, you get twenty-one. Oh, that means you write on Saturday and Sunday...Jeez...

Stephen King said in an early interview that he wrote every day except his birthday and Christmas Day. In his book, Stephen King on Writing, he said that he'd lied in that interview. I'm paraphrasing, of course, but he said, "I actually write every. I only said that because people already think I'm a real geek. What would they think if they knew I wrote every day?"

Several years ago at a writer's meeting, I polled about 100 writers. Of that 100 people, approximately twenty were published. When I asked the question about their writing habits, all twenty of those writers said they wrote every day. Are you beginning to see a trend?

But, how, you may ask, can I commit that much time if I have little ones? Another friend of mine, Rita, found herself and her three children abandoned by her husband. No child support...nothing. She had sold a few pieces to national magazines. She could do that and stay home with her children, so she committed herself to writing articles for the slicks. Her children were still a problem. They interrupted at will, never realizing they were interrupting something important. So, one day, she and the kids were at the bakery. (This was in the days of fabric baker's hats.) The kids were fascinated with the hats. The baker ended up giving her one. Rita told the kids that, when she was wearing that hat, they shouldn't interrupt. Miraculously, it worked. I saw Rita years later at a convention. Her youngest was in college. I laughed and said, "I'll bet you're glad you don't have to wear that baker's hate anymore." She just shook her head and said, "Nope. I still wear it. For some reason, I can't write unless I'm wearing it."

Writing habits (yes, it's an addictive habit) need to be created and adhered to. If you work (outside of writing) then set aside a time that is your writing time. Suffer not lightly the fool who blunders into your writers den to inquire about the availability of cookies or beer.

So, take my challenge. Set yourself a goal and stick to it. If your goal is five pages, write five pages every day. If you know, you won't be able to do five tomorrow, then write more the other days of the week to make up for those lost pages. That will work, but don't make a habit of skipping a day. Train your mind and body to write during your writing time.

One more story of a writer friend and then I'm off to write. My good friend and mentor, Bill Evans, (Dr. William A. Evans, professor at Georgia State University several years ago) wrote every day. Bill was a full-time professor, so he was at school most of the day. In addition, he was a farmer. He had cows, chickens and various crops. When he got home from school, he had the entire operation of the farm to attend before he could settle in to write his pages. Bill's goal was to write two sonnets a day. He was working on his epic (true epic, all the epic conventions found in The Odyssey, The Aeneid and The Illiad.) called, The Mayaad, published in Jan. 1983. He usually managed to sit at his desk around midnight to write those two sonnets, but he did it. Every single night. I received a call that he was dying and had asked for me. I rushed home from the conference and immediately went to the hospital. His family welcomed me graciously, and I stayed there with them. Bill was in intensive care. His sweet wife allowed me to go in and visit with him. One of the nurses made a comment that I found fascinating. Though he was unconscious, at midnight, he became more active. His body moved, his eyes moved. I just smiled and said, "Bill's muse is with him. He's writing sonnets." Every night at midnight...

Today is the day you should start. Don't put it off until tomorrow. Grab your baker's hat or whatever it takes and stake out your writing time. Guard it jealously. Remember, writing is as necessary, perhaps even more necessary, than food. God...I can't believe I just said that!

Make a contract with yourself...and with me.

Most writers who sell write every day. It is a job. It is a joy. It is a compulsion. Do it!

Ciao, for now, my friends.
Nancy, who is off to write five pages...

Sunday Morning, Comin' Down

Kris Kristofferson wrote the song, "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" many years ago. I guess it primarily deals with coming down from a drunken Saturday night, but if you take that phrase and apply it to yourself as a writer, what do you get?

For me, Sunday is a day I can just veg out...do nothing. But, I never do. (Actually, not even on Sunday.) The week is done, I've worked hard...and tomorrow, the work week begins again.

I am sooooo not a morning person, yet I get up early and start to work right away. Well, okay...I read my e-mail first. Whether it's bidding a project or projects for David, I have to be doing something. My grandmother always said, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." Well, the devil will just have to find another place to work. I'm always doing something. Even if I'm watching tv, I usually have something to work on, whether it's knitting or editing a manuscript.

Editing a manuscript. Hmm...I seem to do a lot of that lately. I try to have something ready to edit if plans change suddenly...Like an emergency trip to a dentist. I just grab my manscript and go. I keep a bag ready (I really am a bag lady), snag it as I dash for the car and I'm set. Two hours in the dentist's waiting room and I can edit a lot of pages.

Being prepared...Every writer should be prepared for those moments when he or she has idle time. Just this week-end, I spoke at the Carolina Writer's Conference. While I was waiting for my time slot, I had thirty idle minutes. I can't stand it! I hate it! I wasn't prepared for that. In my mad dash to "streamline my process" and "reduce the number of bags" I travel with, (and spare my back) I'd left my work bag in the car. In that bag, I carry a baby name book (Lareina Rule, Name Your Baby), a wirebound notebook, a variety of pens and pencils, chocolate and whatever I'm working on at the moment.

Oh, God! What could I do? A normal person would probably have walked down the two flights of stairs out to the parking lot and retrieved the damned bag. But, nooooooo...not me. Not in heels anyway. I sat there, bristling at my lack of foresight...but not for long! In the goody bag provided for speakers by the very kind people who organized the conference, I found three sheets of paper. One was a map. The second was a list of area restaurants. And, the third....damn if I can remember. But, the back sides were blank! A veritible gold mine!

So, I took about three minutes to calm and center myself and then started to work. You see, I had this character come to mind, nearly a full-blown character...no, really, during DragonCon. She's very dark, darker than any protagonist I ever wrote about. I started thinking about her and voila--ideas started to flow. I could hardly jot them down fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. Before I knew it, I had three good pages (very small writing) that explained a lot to me about her and about why she's so dark. I discovered a lot of things about her that just never occurred to me before.

All this has been percolating for several months, I suppose...and now, my devious little subconscious mind is revealing all. I got so excited about the notes I was scribbling that I might have been a little surly to the people who came to my workshop. Well, not really surly. But, they were definitely intruding on a very creative time for me.

Fortunately, I had a long drive home to think over all those notes and to fill in a few blanks. I really made use of that time. I hardly remember any of the actual drive. I got home around midnight, full of ideas. I jotted down a few more notes and went to bed.

And, now...It's Sunday morning comin' down. Coming down off a creative high that no alcoholic beverage, no drug can compare with. I'm sitting here in my recliner, computer on my lap and ready to commit to digital memory the exciting ideas from yesterday. These are moments that are precious to a writer.

Of course, the Kristofferson song went on to describe the smells of Sunday mornin' including the enticing smell of someone frying chicken...Okay...Fried chicken and then to work. Have a great day...

Write, write, write...

April Fool's Day

Well, here you are. It's April Fool's Day. Did someone trick you?



Maybe this is the first trick for you today. I'm starting my blog on April Fool's Day. Somehow, that seems appropriate. Okay, it's not really a trick. This is a blog. It's mine. It's April Fool's Day...All facts. No tricks.



I hear folks talking about clever tricks they've played on each other. I always laugh. I suppose that's the sadist in me. No, there really isn't a sadist in me...But I do enjoy a good practical joke--on somebody else.



Today I'm starting a blog about writing and about writers. I've been in the industry for nearly thirty years. Gosh...can it really be that long? Life speeds by, doesn't it? Time flies when you're having fun.



So what does April Fool's Day have to do with being a writer? An excellent question. I'd wager the farm (I have two tomato plants, one basil and one rosemary) that if asked, most seasoned writers would say that the world is fraught with practical jokes played on writers. Not just by each other, but by editors, agents, readers...hell, the world as a whole...And, it's not intentional. I hope.



It's just that nobody but another writer knows the uncertainty of being a writer. Even multi-published writers are always waiting for somebody to pull the rug out from under us. You're only as good as your last book. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard readers say they're never buying another book by a certain author. It really hurts me to hear that. Trying to defend a writer against what a reader perceives to be a bad book is no easy task. A student in my writing class last night, for instance, said that very thing. She even wrote to the author and basically said, "I loved your first book (s), what the hell happened on the next one?" That would come under the classification of "Letters A Writer Never Wants to Receive."



In defense of said author (and all the rests of the authors in the world who've received similar mail) loving, liking or even disliking a book is entirely subjective. There's not much we can do to make every single reader love our books. There will always be a plotline or character that not everybody falls in love with.

But, on the other hand, there is a certain line of defense in the publishing world that prevents (or should) a bad book from being published. So what happened? Is there an explanation? Like most other issues in the world, there's no one answer.



Sooooooo, before you make that kind of blanket statement, think for a moment. The writer thought enough of the idea and characters to write the book. The agent (if there is one) liked it enough to send it on to the publisher. The editor liked it enough to present it to the editorial committee. Marketing thought enough of it to give it a thumbs up. The publisher thought enough of it to write a check payable to the author...So, here's that line of defense I was talking about. These people are professionals. It's their jobs to recognize the difference between good books and bad books.



But, the simple fact is that occasionally, a bad one gets through. Maybe that's the April Fool's Day practical joke...and it's on you...and me...the readers.