Run the Complicated Poo out of Town

I think if you've been a writer long enough, you've had this happen to you. You're sitting down to write, fingers poised over the keys, and a great idea comes to you. Whether it's an incredibly realistic character, a quiet little town you're already in love with, or a plot to assassinate the president, it's great, and your fingers are flying over the keyboard, pouring out your idea. But here's the catch: you can go anywhere from here. What if you don't go the right way? Your "great idea" could be the death of your novel. As the realization comes over you, your fingers freeze. That one idea has suddenly sprouted into two or three or a dozen, and all of them are going to make it even better...except that there's no way to untangle them and weave them smoothly into the story.

My last NaNoWriMo started out great. I had an outline, an amazing idea (it was going to be symbolic of the Holocaust, and--let me tell you--epic), and I knew where the story was going. Weeks 1 and 2 came and went, and the small details and subplots I was putting in, I liked, and they boosted my word cout. I guess this is why NaNoWriMo is so dangerous. As week 3 passed by I realized that my story didn't reflect the Holocaust at all, and absolutely nothing important to the plot had happened. What really woke me up was a thread someone posted where people could critique others' synopses. I tried to write mine...and I couldn't. Because I didn't have a story. It was, yes, a load of complicated poo. Well, by then it was too late. I'd passed the 50,000 word mark and after going on two camping trips, I had no desire to write. My story was dead. I wish I'd known then what I know now.

As it turns out, going outside and running clears your mind. If you run long enough, it's impossible to think of anything but how tired you are and inexplicably, when you're finished, it's next to impossible to be stressed out. It's a great way to sort out your ideas and even get some fresh ones. While you're outside or at the gym you might hear a conversation or see something happen that will inspire you in a whole new way. Once you're no longer confused and you can see the blinking arrows under your feet leading you down the right path, WRITE IT DOWN. Not the whole story, obviously, just a list of the basic things that you want to happen. If you like to use outlines, go ahead and make one. I don't, mainly because I never stick to mine and they don't normally allow much room for creativity. It steals away the fun part of the process: the creativity.

Of course, some people just aren't runners. I didn't consider myself one until recently, but now I get out and run a mile almost every day. If you really just don't think that that's you, take a walk. Go somewhere beautiful, peaceful and quiet if there's somewhere like that available to you. A nice, easy walk allows you a chance to think and sort things out.

And hopefully, when you get back home, you'll know which path will take you to the sewers and which one will take you into the beautiful sunset of a clear, unforgettable novel.

Writing Prompt: Write for ten minutes about what is happening in the image below. Post what you have after your time's up in the comments if you'd like.

And lastly, we have the Word Pyramid. Choose either the four words on the bottom (the easy ones), the three above that (the medium-easy ones), the two above (medium-difficult), or the one on top (the hardest) and use every word in a five hundred word story. Post the finished product in the comments if you want to.

Translucent

Avatar & Budget

Moisture,  Brutal, & Identity

Stable,  Abandoned,  Scars, & Stunned

An Introduction-My First Blog Post!

Everyone knows there are a lot of books out there. Hundreds. Thousands. No doubt, hundreds of thousands. Probably more than that. As writers, we'd like nothing more than to add a few if our own humble titles to the list.

Who am I kidding? We want our titles to BE the list. We want everyone to hear the stories we have to tell, and want to hear them over and over again. Lastly, we want to leave a lasting impression. Our mission (should we choose to accept it) is to affect our readers so hugely that they close the book (after reading the very last word, of course) a new person. Of course, that's much easier said than done, and it usually doesn't happen (I'm talking about the last part of that last paragraph, by the way. The second sentence obviously isn't going to happen.). Why? Because if it happened every day, it wouldn't be special. That story wouldn't stand alone.

We all want to go on this dangerous mission. Sometimes it's not fun, honestly. The journey, the quest to turn your ideas into a story and then into a polished manuscript, is hard sometimes, but it can also be a blast. Either way, with a little motivation (and a whole lot of late nights), only the true writers will get through it to the reward in the end: a reply from an editor saying she wants the book, and ultimately a shiny new book on the shelf of a bookstore.

I'm not gonna lie to you--I'm not an expert. But I am a true writer at heart, and if you are too, by all means join me on my mission.

Keep checking back, and good luck!