Constance Brewer

Sometimes You Just Need to Get Out of Your Own Way

Constance June 1, 2021 June 1, 2021 Writing

Now and then I need a boot in the ass and just get out of my own way. I thought I stalled out on writing my next book as I fine-tuned the previous one. And figured out how to write a query letter. A synopsis. A pitch for Twitter. An interpretive dance of my main plot points. So, with Book 1 occupying my brain space, how was I going to move forward on Book 2?

Turns out I put roadblocks in front of myself when there didn’t have to be any. I wasn’t using my lateral thinking. Don’t underestimate your brain. It’s capable of holding two stories, several poems, and an essay without breaking a sweat. I just had to compartmentalize. I thought. Book 1 in the top file cabinet of concrete things to get done. (I don’t like to think concretely, it hurts my brain. Probably why I don’t get along with Scrivener.)

Poems are stuffed in the middle file cabinet of ways to play with language. Essay lying on the top in a folder overflowing with ideas. Book 2 in the bottom drawer of long conversations with myself. The child playing dress-up, but dressed in the persona of my characters. (For the record, the characters are snappier dressers than I am.) Sometimes I rearranged the files in the cabinets willy-nilly. That shook loose a lot of ideas.

Looking for answers

So did meditating with my character in my head, posing a problem for my character and consulting Tarot cards for an answer, and writing a variety of solutions on 3×5 cards, shuffling them, then picking one to play with. Or alternatively, burning the cards. Because it felt good.

My panic was, “I’m not getting this down on paper! Ack!” Logical me, who stops by to visit infrequently, pointed out I’m writing it down in my head. Whole conversations I revisit and revisit, smoothing and refining until it’s just like a memorized poem. Then I can put it on paper. I’ve finally accepted that’s just how my mind works. All the writing advice in the world can’t help if it doesn’t mesh with the way you do business. My ND brain wants to look at the outline, pick up on a scene, play with it from every angle until I run out of steam, then write the best parts of what went on in my head.

Head Hopping

It’s still a first draft but it’s one I can live with. Book 1 took so long because I word vomited on the page after a year of thinking about the book. I overthought the story arc and had to step back, reoutline, and cut about 12,000 words in the rewrite. Scenes fleshed out in my head that were more background than was needed for the story. That’s when I stopped and wrote a long background novella for the story. Once I got it out of my head, it was easy to move forward without thought ghosts rattling my brain.

When I thought of Book 1 as the backstory for Book 2, it all fell into place. I could do the analytical part of prepping to submit without stepping all over Book 2. With analytical-me (I know, I know, shocking to me, too.) safe in her office down the brain hall, I could move between invent-a-story me, and write-poetry me. Poetry-me likes to wander the Big Horn mountains in my head while story-me traipses around cities and towns. Easy enough to keep separate. It’s kind of like having a work persona, a friend persona, and a home persona.

Does everyone do it that way? Or do all your brain parts just play together? I love hearing other people’s writing methods. Maybe there’s something I can steal.

My WIPs Get an Intervention

Constance March 27, 2021 March 27, 2021 Essay / Writing

Confronting Your Works In Progress

As it often happens with me, once I start writing, the writing takes over. Because I began a new Urban Fantasy and got engrossed in the Work In Progress (WIP), Poetry came pounding on the door snarling “What about me? I got ideas too, you know.” So I’d scramble to write some poetry, locking my WIP characters in their room until done. Of course, they’d shout and try to distract me until I had a sit-down with both my writing types.

“Look you guys, I need to get work done. I understand you both want to be finished first but we need some ground rules. Novel. You are long and complicated. I can’t spit out 10,000 words a day. So be happy when I eke out 2500. I have an arc to follow, so quit trying to distract me and sneak in a love story.”

“Poetry. I know you are so close to being a chapbook you can taste it. But you have to be the best you can be. That’s why I’m writing new poems to flesh you out and solidify your theme.” Poetry puffs its chest and sticks its tongue out at Novel. “Enough of that. You’re entirely different than Novel, so it really isn’t a competition. Novel is 7 times you, so Novel needs more words. Poetry, you take as much care, however, so don’t get your panties in a twist.”

The Juggling Act

“Here’s the deal. Poetry, you get the mornings. I’ll work on you until noon. Then you retire to your computer file and unwind. Poems are better after they rest awhile, and congeal.” Poetry grimaces. “Okay, congeal is a bad word choice. That’s why I have to go slowly with you. To choose the best words in the best order.” Poetry gives a smug smile.

“Novel, you get the afternoons and evenings.” Poetry opens its mouth to snark and I hold up a hand. “Longer. Deal with it. Novel, we don’t have time to rest. I have to get your first draft down before you sidetrack me from my mission.” Novel gives a guilty look. “Hey, I know you like some side characters better, but they need to stick to their lane. I promise when you are done, the second draft will have as much hands-on attention as Poetry.” Novel sits back and nods its head.

I raise my voice. “Essay! Stop lurking outside the door.” Essay slinks into the room with a sheepish grin. “I know you don’t get as much attention as your brethren, but you have an important function also. You help me deal with reality.” Poetry and Novel snort. “Essay, you get to discuss Poetry and Novel, so don’t take their shit. All of you are important in your own way. You will all get attention, I promise.”

A knock sounds on the door. “This is Non-Fiction, are you having a meeting? Let me in.”

“Quick, hide,” I hiss as I slam my laptop lid then raise my voice. “Sorry, no super-secret WIP intervention here. You have the wrong author. Come back next year.”

Non-Fiction gives an evil chuckle. “Next year? See you next week.”

Outside Links

How to Juggle Multiple Writing Projects

Juggling Multiple Writing Projects at Once

The Benefits of Multiple Writing Projects

Finished and Starting Again

Constance February 27, 2021 February 27, 2021 Essay / Writing

I finished my Urban Fantasy novel a couple of months ago, and incorporated some beta reader comments, cut 8000 words, tweaked grammar. All the things you need to do to finish and finalize. Finished, finished, finished. Awesome, right? Now it sits as the query letter is being smoothed over. Comp titles are a bit flummoxing. I have some, then I reread the comp book, and I wonder if it is really as close to what my story is about as I think it is. All this second-guessing makes for writing frustration.

So I started another book.

I even outlined it first. In a couple of past posts, I yammered about outlining, and being a pantser, not a plotter, before I realized why yes, I actually do outline my work. I just wasn’t calling it an outline. I wrote 8 pages of ‘This happened, then this, then the character did this, and oh, yeah, this is how it all turned out.’ 8 pages of outline. Then I wrote some scenes that came to mind after reading the outline and taking a deep breath, I opened Scrivener.

Scrivener is a word processing program and outliner. I let it intimidate me before, writing chapters in Word then dropping them in the program. It’s got a bit of a learning curve. This time, I read tutorials and played around a bit. Then I started. I used the Index card part to plug my 8-page outline into digestible chunks. It forced me to sum up what was going on, chapter by chapter. The good thing about the cards is I can move them around. My brain while reading continuous pages of text insists that’s how it should be, linear, like a novel.

Virtual 3×5 Cards

Index cards with summaries helped me see the overall flow of the novel much more easily. I sized it to nine cards on a page, out of 34 chapters, so I could take things in at a glance. (So this was storyboarding? I could work with this.) I can rearrange index cards, but figuring out how to add a blank one took me a bit. Learning curve. I did like color coding each chapter so I know whose Point of View it’s in. I found out the bad guy needs more time on the page.

Each time I opened Scrivener, I wanted to flee back to Word, but I resisted the impulse. I do a lot of my writing in Google Docs and Word because they are familiar. How many times do we stick with the familiar instead of branching out? I promised myself I’d try writing chapters in Scrivener. I do like the ability to have nothing but a big, blank page showing on the screen. (For some reason, Word’s ribbon feature draws my eye. It has toys. My downfall.)The blank page has never intimidated me. I just jump in and worry about organization later. Pantser instincts never die.

Is my outline finished? Urm, no. Every time I read it, I tighten it up, add things in, and try to pinpoint conflict. Little by little, I become more comfortable with outlining, and it’s even helped me on the previous Urban Fantasy query letter. The only drawback I see to this is carrying all those characters from multiple books in my head. I guess as long as no fistfights break out, I’ll be able to finish one book and write the other. Writers out there, have you tried a new process? How did it go? What’s your outlining method?

Links to Past Posts on Writing:

This is Your Brain on Writing

Pulling Words Apart

Ignoring Writing Advice

Revising 101 (Housekeeping)

A Few Words on Revision

Link to Scrivener

Links to outlining methods:

Finding the Novel Outlining Process That Works for You

7 Ways to Write a Plot Outline

12 Great Ways to Outline a Novel

Reading, Writing, and Resolution

Constance January 10, 2021 January 10, 2021 Essay

Now that we’re safely past the end of the year wrap-ups and new year resolution posts, I can move on without obsessing over either. Well, okay, just a little obsession. There were no end of year lists or greatest hits for me. I don’t have anything to recount. I listened to older music, read a hell of a lot of books in all genres—Kindle Unlimited is to thank for that, and emails that offer books in genres I like. There are plenty of free and cheap books that offer a quality read. Saves my money for buying even more books I covet.

I also picked up a lot of poetry books at end of year sales. Reading is stocked for the new year. The great thing about all the reading I do is I’m not tempted to look at the news. Much. Sometimes I get sucked in just to run screaming at the idiocy of it all. And bad journalism.

One thing reading a lot does is give you a keen sense of what good writing is, and what’s not working. It’s been valuable as I final edit my manuscripts, and not just from reading fantasy. All genres have something to offer for writing novels, even non-fiction. Poetry brain also latches on to a deft turn of phrase. I found interspersing poetry with novels helped me do more writing. Not sure why that is, but I find poetry rejuvenating in the crazy world that is COVID.

Step Outside

The hardest part has been reading things totally out of my comfort zone and gathering the gems from them. My instinct is to put up a wall. I don’t like horror, not interested in thrillers, mysteries do nothing for me. But still, I read them now and then. Unfortunately, it’s often to enforce the idea I still don’t like them. I keep thinking they’ve changed since I last read one. Or I have. Recommendations from friends tend to get me more interested in picking up a book I might have passed by due to my prejudices.

On to my New Year’s resolution that’s not a resolution. More an affirmation. Keep reading. Read everything. Suck it up, and then when I go to write, hope that all the good stuff stuck and is reflected in my work. I’ve made reading a habit, and it’s stuck. If you don’t feel like reading, don’t. Use the time to daydream instead. It’s valid also and helps your brain. For me, reading is my brain prewriting. So I read widely, and assume everything is valuable. Everything IS valuable, and even the smallest change can have deep consequences, if the past year has taught us anything, it’s that.

Links to some of my other Reading posts:

Wallbangers

Reading, Writing, and Reviewing

Reading, an Opinionated Overview