STILL HERE

  This title has a dual meaning.  I'm still here, meaning that although I've shamefully neglected my blog over the past two weeks, I still exist.  I just haven't had time for much of anything outside of working at my Paying Job during the day and working at my Nonpaying Job - writing - in the evenings.  Because - and here is the second meaning of the title - my Muse is STILL HERE.  She has hung around for two weeks now, bless her, and she and I have accomplished a lot of revision during her visit.  There have been evenings when she's been here and willing to jump in, but I've been too tired even for her.  For the most part, though, we've been hustling, she and I.
     Amazingly, the crazy system I came up with for adding a new plotline to my book has been working, for the most part.  I haven't completely written each chunk, but I've written enough to know what happens in each episode as well as approximately when in the existing story it has to happen.  Last weekend I drew up on a big sheet of drawing paper a chapter-by-chapter, month-by-month timeline for the book as it then existed, and then I began the process of figuring out where each new partial chunk of story belongs.  And since then I've been transferring those chunks, one at a time, from Document #2 to Document #1, and then fleshing them out with the new ideas that the Muse keeps feeding me.  It's a messy process, but progress is being made.  Of course, once all the partial chunks are in place (which should occur fairly soon, I hope) I'll still have to complete them.  And even then I won't be close to done because I'll have to go through the entire book line-by-line and figure out what needs to be added, or subtracted, or woven together.  But that's all okay, because I can see the endpoint far off on the horizon.
     So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  The world swirls around me and I ignore it all and focus on my book, watching it come to life word by word, emotion by emotion, link by link. 
     Lord, this makes me happy. 

THROUGH A LENS, DARKLY

     Oh, my Lord, I've gone two whole weeks without blogging, and even longer without really blogging.  I'm aware that my "canine geniuses" post doesn't actually count.  It's just that this writing life is so hard, you know?  I'm squinting into a dream through the lens of a microscope, seeing only shapes and shadows moving continuously.  Once in a while a shape swims into focus for a second, and I feel I can almost decipher it, but then it slips back into the shadows again.  Tiny snippets of this miniaturized world coalesce here and there, long enough for me to catch them in my net and dredge them up into the light.  But of course, they look so different once they're captives.  They're damaged, inert.  Maybe I can transplant life back into them, maybe not.  The only way it can possibly work is if I wield the scalpel deep into my own life and sacrifice some cells.
     It's always worth it, even if the transplant doesn't take.  But it's exhausting to perform surgery on yourself day after day.  And sometimes I don't have the energy left to talk about it, but I can't think about anything else.  And so a week or two can go by without my blogging.  I hope you understand.

 

 

p.s.  I actually have a very important public service announcement - can't believe I forgot this before.  Here goes: "rutabaga" is not just a silly made-up word.  It is the name of a real live vegetable, also known as a "waxy turnip."  It doesn't taste half bad in a vegetable soup, either.  And, because I want you to be able to recognize it in the produce section instead of having to embarrass yourself by reading the labels on anything that looks like it might be a rutabaga:

 

 

     Sort of majestic, in its own crude, aggressive way.  If Beethoven had been a vegetable, I think the odds are at least 50-50 he would have been a rutabaga.  Rutabagas don't take no shit, I can tell you that.  If you want to cut one up and eat it, you'd best sneak up behind it and make your move before it knows you're there.  Don't say I didn't warn you.



#amwriting #amcrazy

    Listen up, kids!  Want to know a totally dysfunctional way to add a new plot line to your book before resubmitting it to an agent?  Well, you've come to the right place!

     Now, please be aware that this method I've just discovered is a totally different dysfunctional method than the one I use to write the book in the first place.  It is, however, somewhat related.

1.  Figure out the new character and the new story line.  Blah, blah, blah, right?  That part's kind of normal, I guess.  But here's where the fun starts:

2.  Create a new document and start writing the new story line, chunk by chunk, scene by scene.  Do this without the slightest idea of where, or indeed whether, any of it will fit into the existing book.  Just write.  This is the step I'm currently on.  And when I'm done, I plan to follow it with:

3.  Map out the existing book, scene by scene, chapter by chapter, in the belief that when this process is done, the places where all the new chunks belong will magically be revealed.

4.  Insert all the new chunks in their perfectly foreordained spots.  Then read the whole book and make changes as necessary until, voila!  There are no longer two disconnected documents, but a perfectly blended whole.

Simple, right?  What could possibly go wrong?  You know the phrase, TRUST THE PROCESS?  Well, it's not "trust the sane, logical process," is it?  Nope.  It's "trust your own process."  So I take that to mean that if your own process seems, even to you, even as you're experimenting with it, insane and illogical, trust it anyway.

     Okey dokey.  I'll keep you posted.  Don't worry, it's not contagious.

CAN'T DROP THE BLOG HOP!

     Author Jody Casella tagged me for a blog hop, entitled "The Process," and I'm truly honored to participate.  But just as an aside: Doesn't "blog hop" sound like a term invented by Dr. Seuss?   Blog Hop on Pop. Blog Hop Till You Drop.  Don't Stop the Hop! Not Until You Reach the Top!  Oops... Stomach Took a Flop; Gotta Get the Mop.

     Where was I?  Oh yeah.  I was just about to launch myself into my maiden blog-hop voyage.  But first, I want you to read these exceptionally wise words that Jody Casella posted to her blog a few days ago: http://www.jodycasella.com/2014/05/in-which-i-remind-myself-to-stop.html.  See how cool she is?  I don't believe that all good authors are also fantastic people, but Jody is both.  Her debut YA novel, THIN SPACE, has garnered wonderful reviews, all well-earned, and it's so exciting for me to see the patience of someone like Jody, who's been doggedly plugging away and learning her craft, be rewarded.  I love following Jody's blog, "On the Verge," because she's so honest, interesting, down-to-earth, and funny.
     On to the questions!

     1. What am I working on?

Truthfully, a more pertinent question for me these days would probably be, "What are you supposed to be working on?"  I haven't so much as looked at my current work-in-progress in a couple of weeks.  This is not good writer behavior, no matter how many valid excuses you might have!  But when I do get my ass back into gear, I will be working on my historical YA novel set in the late 1500's in an area in County Clare, on Ireland's western shore, known as the Burren.  This is what much of the Burren looks like, and has looked like for a thousand years or more:

     My story is about an eleven-year-old deaf boy who runs away from his abusive home and wanders through this desolate landscape until eventually he finds his way to Corcomroe Abbey, also known as The Church of St. Mary's of the Fertile Rock:

 

     There, he finds his haven and his place in the world...  until, years later, the British arrive under the leadership of Cromwell to dismantle all the abbeys and drive the "Papists" out of Ireland.

     2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

If the genre we're talking about is historical YA, it seems to me that much of that is set in the relatively recent past - within the last 150 years or so.  A novel set in Ireland over 400 years ago is difficult to write because the vast majority of the population was illiterate at that time, so there are few contemporary writings to refer to to learn about daily life.  On the other hand, because there are so few writings, who's to tell me I'm wrong when I make something up?   There are records of the major historical events, and there are rich stores of legends and folklore,  and aside from those I can pretty much do what I want.

     3. Why do I write what I do?

I write about things that grab hold of my imagination and won't let go.  I visited Ireland once about nine years ago with my family.  We spent a day in the Burren, and that rocky moonscape just stayed with me, and eventually I got around to wondering what kind of story might have taken place there a long, long time ago.  I bought a big, detailed map of the Burren and started trying to read anything I could find on the subject, and gradually the story began to take shape.  I don't know where in my mind this particular boy emerged from, but I would say that all of my protagonists are outsiders of one kind or another, probably because that's how I've always perceived myself, and that he is the second of my five to have a physical disability.

     4. How does my writing process work?

I usually start by doing a lot of reading.  Some of this is strictly research, and some of it might be fiction, or poetry, or anything else that helps me get a sense of a particular setting or society.  Then at some point, once I have an idea of who the characters might be,  I begin to see scenes enacted in my mind's eye, sort of like a movie.  Once I have several such scenes, which I think of as "chunks," I start to write them down.  I don't worry about the order they go in; I just try to get them down.  Then I start trying to imagine what came before each chunk, and what might follow.  In other words, my process is haphazard and chaotic, but it works for me.  Eventually, I have more chunks than there are gaps between them, and then I start thinking about filling in the gaps and creating a workable structure... you know, chapters and such.  I'm pretty sure most writers don't work this way, and I'm not endorsing or recommending it.  It just works for me, or at least, it works for me better than most other methods I've tried.

     That's it for the questions!  And now comes the "hop" part: I've found two writers who have graciously agreed to let me pass them the torch!  They'll answer the same questions I just did, on their own blogs, and then tag other writers, and so on, and we will all ride off into the sunset.

     Sylvia Ney is a writer I just "met" during the A to Z Blog Challenge we both completed in April.  She's a freelance writer based in Texas who has published newspaper and magazine articles, including a current series called "Ask the Agent" in Southern Writers magazine, photography, poetry and short stories.  She blogs at http://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com, she tweets at @SylviaNey, and she enjoys teaching and mentoring other writers.  I'm really looking forward to reading her hop!

     I "met" Tanita Davis when she left a comment on one of my blog posts.  Tanita and her pals blog at "Finding Wonderland" (yes, I've noticed the Wonderland theme for both Sylvia and Tanita), also known as http://writingya.blogspot.com/.   Tanita has published A LA CARTE (Knopf, 2008),  of which Kirkus Reviews said: "Davis's debut offering is as delightful and fulfilling as the handwritten recipes-in-progress included at the end of each chapter;" MARE'S WAR (Knopf, 2009),  of which the SLJ said: "A steady travelogue, realistic banter, memorable characters, and moments of tension, insight, and understanding make this an appealing selection;" and HAPPY FAMILIES (Knopf, 2012), which Richie's Picks calls "a book of excellent literary quality."  I'm very excited to see Tanita's hop too!

     Thank you, Sylvia and Tanita, for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and hop on!!  And have a happy Mothers Day, one and all!

p.s. In case you didn't already think this whole "Process" blog hop is awesome, just look who's in it!  None other than A.S. King! http://www.as-king.info/2014/05/the-groovy-train-interview-thing-as.html.  I'm soarin' with the eagles!!

IT'S THE PROCESS, STUPID

     So, I'm at the stage with my Work in Progress where I'm completely obsessed with it, but at the same time, want to blast it out of existence with some sci-fi weapon.  I thought it was time to share my brilliant solution to this dilemma, which is: compulsive eating! Man, I just can't stop shoveling in the food, although - fyi - it does not actually help with the writing.
     See, but here's the thing. After years and years and years of writing, I now know that this whole deal is known as The Process.  From following successful writers on their blogs and on Twitter, I know that many of them begin loathing their books about midway through their first drafts.  I know that Harper Lee once threw the only extant manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird out of the window of her Manhattan apartment, that's how much she hated it.  Fortunately, it wasn't a windy day, so when she immediately had second thoughts and scurried downstairs to retrieve it, it was still there.  Lucky her.  Lucky us.
     I even know that gifted, experienced, widely-revered authors still fear failure as they work on new projects. Like Sara Zarr, for example.
     I know all this now.  I didn't know any of it in my 20's and 30's.  Instead, when I reached a point like this, I would stick my partial manuscripts in a drawer and leave them there for months at a time because I couldn't bear to look at them.  And I would try to just live my life and do other things, until the pressure built so high that I couldn't not write any more or else I would explode, and then I would pull the manuscript out of the drawer, force myself to read it, and, inevitably, think: this is actually not so bad, you know? I wonder who wrote it?
     It's been a long journey for me from there to here.  I haven't forgotten any of it, though.  So if I had to choose between going through all that again or eating compulsively for a month or so at a time, it would be no contest.  Hmmm.. a few extra pounds v. months of despair?  Let me think about it.
     IT'S THE PROCESS.  It's not just me, or you, or anyone in particular.  After pouring everything we've got for months on end into a book, and facing the realization that we're going to have to keep going for more months on end, we hit a wall.  I'm told it happens to marathoners too, somewhere around Mile 20.  They recognize the wall for what it is, and they summon all their remaining strength, and they keep going.  That's what writers do too.  That's what I'm going to do.  My clothes might not fit as well by the time I get to the finish line, but I'm going to get there.  Sometimes, my friends, it all just comes down to putting one foot in front of the other.