Monday, January 24, 2011

#writersroad Blog Post: The Road to Routine

Since the illustrious Heather McCorkle will be off being proactive this week, I'm going to try my hand at hosting Thursday's WritersRoad chat on Twitter, hence the unexpected and not-related-to-TeaserTuesday-post. Sorry, Judy. I'm still editing and actually making process! :)

It was brought to my attention that many times in our chats, our focus tends to drift toward the act of publishing rather than the skill of writing. Don't get me wrong, I adore all of our topics and chats and I find that the process each published writer takes toward publication is fascinating. It can offer invaluable information for anyone just setting out on the publication journey. But I think as Heather's last post and our last chat demonstrated, the foundation of writing should be more important than the 'business' of publishing and/or the business of establishing a writing platform. With that in mind, this week, I'd like to discuss how to build that foundation by exploring our individual writing routines.

Every writer has a different modus operandi when it comes to laying the basis of their work. Some of you may be early risers and prefer be up before the sun sets to knock out the next Great American/Australian/Canadian/Irish/Scottish/Vulcan Novel. Kudos to you all! I find your ability to wake up and write enviable.

Others, like yours truly, need the still quiet of a sleeping home or the soft whirl of a Cappuccino machine to awaken our muses. Do you use a laptop or PC or is freehand the only way you're able to kick the muse in gear? Can you only write at night and on weekends because, like me, you're stuck in the Seventh Circle of Corporate Hell? Do you steal company time and flesh out plot and character development while your boss' door is shut during lunch? (Guilty of that one).

The point of asking all of this is to illustrate a routine; that indelible little method you implement to get your fingers moving and breath inserted into your characters and their world.

I believe that a routine is the spark that ignites a story's foundation. It is the intrinsic necessity that is required of the writer, the method by which we get the ball rolling.

Now, not everyone will agree with me. Many writers view the creative process as 'feast or famine' in that when they're writing it is thousands of words and hundreds of pages at a time. During the famine, not a single word makes it onto the page for months. That, I think, may be the last luxury of the unpublished writer. Once publication happens, those moments of famine seems to disappear. Or so I've been told.

For me, deadlines are key. I love pressure. I love the anxiety of thinking I just might not make my deadline. I love the idea of sitting down and thundering out something while the minutes slip by too quickly. I thrive on it and, oddly enough, it's when my best work is born. Lord knows that's how I survived graduate school.

Ultimately, I think the way your routine functions isn't nearly as important as the organization and commitment you put into it. My advice (which I'm trying to apply to my own routine) is to make certain your process is attempted at least once a day. I believe that writing, for a true writer and not the writing hobbyist, is make writing a part of your daily tasks. (Though I don't think 'task' is quite the right word). It should be as commonplace to you as brushing your teeth and cleaning behind your ears. If you are a writer, if your intention is to express your passion in written art, then it is necessary to make it a part of your everyday life. If you do that, I think the groundwork for your writing foundation can be laid and though it might not be an easy or convenient process, it is one that directs how strong and sound that foundation becomes.

Monday, January 17, 2011

BDCWB Bookclub

In an effort to promote great literature and great discussions among readers, BDCWB proudly introduces our BDCWB Book Club. Now, before you start rolling your eyes, thinking that I'm being all sales pitchy, bear in mind that this ain't your Mama's book club. (Apologies to my fellow English nerds for making you cringe).

BDCWB loves to foster communication by and about writers and with the book club, the intention is to continue that productive energy into discussions about great books. This is an effort to not only support the endeavors of some great writers, but to openly discuss the merits or pitfalls of the books we read on a monthly basis.

According to BDCWB:

Members have the opportunity to chose from five of our genre based book clubs: Literary, African American Fiction, Romance, Young Adult and Sci-Fi/Fantasy. And the best part, is that each book club features all of the same great membership benefits:
  • Moderated chats with the author of the selected books
  • Q&A sessions with book printers, graphic designers, publishers and agents
  • Daily open forums and discussion posts
  • Gift card and book giveaways
Monthly membership to the Best Damn Book Club is $5 (or $20 if you want a signed copy of the book shipped to your house).

So if you're looking for a way to have honest, intelligent discussions with fellow readers while supporting the publishers and writers you love to read, do us a favor and join the party.

We have cookies.

Well, we have metaphorical cookies and, um, there's less calories in those.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Ah...resolutions

I know. I KNOW. You want an ending to "Wishing Well."

Judy, I know, trust me.

I can only offer you a lame "it was the holidays and my muse abandoned me" excuse.

It seems she deserts me when the leaves turn. It seems my excuses are plenty and my motivation is null, particularly when bombarded with holiday/end of the year responsibilities.

So I won't insult any of you by saying the story will be completed in x number of days, because, to be honest, I'm not certain when the missing muse will reemerge. However, I can tell you that I've been editing it and that I believe I see the light at the top of that dark, freak-ravaged well.

Pun, intended.

This time of year it's normal to see the majority of posts and tweets and status updates that beg the same silly question: "What's your New Year's resolution?"

Generally, I don't make them because I'm SUCH the procrastinator and likely undiagnosed ADHD sufferer that what I've resolved to accomplish in the beginning of the year is forgotten around Mardi Gras time.

So this year, prompted by the wise words of a dynamic woman in my church, I won't make resolutions. Rather, I'm going to choose a word for the year. One simple word that defines all that I hope to accomplish.

That word, for me, is: organize.

Time management has never been a strong quality of mine. I work best at the final-really-there-is-no-time-deadline. I love the pressure. I thrive on it. (Might be why my cholesterol and blood pressure is so dang high). But with so much on my plate (BDCWB, family, job, #writersroad, writing responsibilities AND starting a tiny side business), the time has come to organize the chaos.

No resolutions for me. Just a word, a simple word that I hope directs my path this year.

So, my sweet friends, what will your word for 2011 be?