Creating an Online Presence

Something I've been thinking about lately...unpublished writers, do you ever think about the online presence you're making? Do you blog because you just want to talk about writing or because you want to network or just hope that maybe an agent will stumble across your blog? Do you think about the part it'll play after you become published?

For me, it's a little bit of everything. I write about writing because I want to connect with other writers. I read tons of blogs on writing and I figure, why not share my opinion in case it can help someone else? But, I'm also creating another blog/website in the hopes of getting my name out there. I don't expect to get an agent based on a blog - that's crazy. I do think that it will be beneficial to me in the long run, though.

What about you?

Harmony

Saturday Says It’s Not You, It’s Her

Or: Saturday makes a big decision.

(Snort. That sounds so dramatic.)

When is it time to stop writing? Not permanently, obviously, not even at all. Don’t panic, I’m not suggesting that I’m going to stop writing completely. :P But the thing I’ve been wondering is… when is it time to stop writing a WIP? How do you know when you’re not just stuck, but you’ve run out of words?

See, whenever anyone asks how much I write (though this has only happened a couple times) I always answer, “Until the words stop.”

With #TheGenieBook, I think the words have stopped for good. My word count was fine, but nothing was coming right and it felt so forced. I've cleaned several rooms in my house, scheduled a dozen or so posts in Blogger and my Google Reader was pretty much empty for a time (these are the things I do when the words don’t come right).

I didn’t want to quit. I liked my characters, I liked the story, but… a break might be in order. Time to let it percolate and give myself some space so when I feel like going back to it, I can look at it more objectively.

I mean, I wrote… three? Three or four scenes for #Spyder while writing another book and then wrote the full thing when I was desperately bored and needing something else to write.

I'm really excited about my NaNo idea. I feel like I'm really connecting with the characters without even writing and the idea just feels good, so... I think this is right. Forcing myself to write something that I'm not as excited about... not so right.

The only problem now? I have nothing to write until November! And I'm bored :P

So how about you guys? When do you know when a story isn't working for you? When do you guys move on?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

How to Write Fast

The key to writing fast, which is a topic I picked today because I have half an hour before I have to leave for a 30 Seconds to Mars concert, is this: don't worry.

This all comes down to the whole "crappy first draft" thing, which I've talked about before. It's okay to write crappy. You can edit it all to a beautifully tight, flowing script (much unlike this one) later.

But to be able to write fast, to get everything in your brain onto the page, you have to not worry about what you're writing. You just have to go with it.

So say this or this or this or that or this and don't worry about how it sounds until later. Just get those words on the page.

So I have a challenge for you. Write for fifteen minutes solid. DO NOT stop. You can use Write or Die for this, which is an awesome program. Try to get as many words as you can without stopping. Don't think about what you're writing.

This is what I do when I need to figure out a plot problem. Just write it out. It might be crap, but your characters are still speaking to you and guiding you. And you can shape it later.

So don't make excuses. That bagel you were about to make or that book you're reading or that show you're watching can wait fifteen minutes. (Unless you're leaving for a 30 Seconds to Mars concert: then, it's a valid excuse.) Seriously, stop everything right now and write. You will thank me later. I love praise.

Let me know how you do and how many words you get. I'll be doing the exact same thing tonight when I get home from this crazy concert.

And I promise a more thought-out post next week.

On Titles

Life's been hectic for me - job, school, everything else in between. I'm sorry I didn't post last week. I am truly ashamed.

Anyway, this week my mind's been on titles. There's a manuscript I'm working on, and I'm coming up with nothing for it. Tossing around ideas, asking friends, poking around in songs and poems all seems to be fruitless. So my post this week is a little different in the fact that I'm not throwing out my own sad supply of wisdom at you guys. I'm just wondering... How do you come up with the perfect title?

Just an interesting tidbit. Apparently - at least I've read in some interviews and blogs - novels are often published with a different title than the one the author originally came up with. For instance, did you guys know that Stephenie Meyer titled Bella and Edward's famous story Forks, before someone else came up with Twilight? And Sarah Dessen's newest book, What Happened to Goodbye, she had originally named Cut and Run.

Just goes to show that even when we think of what we believe to be the perfect title... might not be so perfect after all.

WEDNESDAY LOOKS TO MUSIC FOR THE ANSWER.

I like stories. I've always liked stories. Literature, symbolism, meaning... just give me a good story, please. And books are fine, good, wonderful, but what I really love is a really good, really top-notch song. COUNTRY, PLEASE.

Because on the whole, country songs have some of the best writing and the best stories of any type of storytelling that I've come across. A love story, a tale of grief or redemption or heck, anything, is told in four minutes. And told well. I could probably think of about ten songs off the top of my head that fit the bill, but the one I've heard most recently is Rodney Atkin's new song, "Farmer's Daughter."

Storytelling Lesson #1 -

Start at the start. No offense to How I Met Your Mother, but we don't need FIVE YEARS OF BACKSTORY. The story begins when he takes a job that is the catalyst for him meeting the woman he later marries. Whether you like country music or not, there's a great lesson here in starting the story where it actually begins. Sometimes leaping headlong into the "action" of a story can confuse the reader/viewer (namely: me. I'm in a perpetual state of confusion.) At the same time though, you don't need THAT MUCH backstory. A little goes a long way, and this song strikes the perfect balance as far as beginnings go.


Also: the playlist for my current WIP can be found here. Sadly, no country songs except for one Taylor Swift song that is SORT OF country.

The Best Time to Write

I write at night. I mean, not to say that I don’t write at other times of the day sometimes—mornings, the rare weekend afternoon, et cetera—but usually, I write at night.

This is due to three reasons:

1) My overactive black cloud—you know that little black cloud that hovers over you reminding you of homework and chores and homework and training runs and homework and homework to do? Yeah, mine almost never lets me concentrate on anything ‘fun’ (unless it’s accidental procrastination) until I get homework—I mean, everything—done. Therefore, It’s usually late by the time the cloud dissipates.

2) My zone—when I am tired, I can slip into a ‘zone’ where my mind blocks out everything around me (or on the internet) and becomes consumed by my story. This is my prime writing mode, and it happens later at night.

3) Being the only one up—my parents are early to bed, early to rise-ers. I am not. By the time I sit down to write, my parents are asleep, my sister is either asleep or reading quietly, and the house is very still and not distracting.

When’s your best writing time?

Kieryn

www.kierynnicolas.com