November is Writing the novel month

I'm sure most of you are aware of all those writers who will begin to write their 50,000 word novel this month. I've decided to unofficially join all those involved in this endeavor and write a novel I've thought about for a while. If I can get down the bones in one month, I'll be that far ahead in finishing it, which I expect will take me at least a year. I know the subject, but only have four characters in mind. None of the minor or secondary characters have come out of hiding yet.

In doing this, the object is not to edit a word, but write, write, write. It's difficult for me to shut down my editor. Over the years I've had to edit most of my newspaper articles quickly as they are always on deadline. This exercise should be good for me.

I'm taking a story from my first unpublished novel, which is now dated, and working it into a contemporary story of my main character's granddaughter. Grandmother will play a major role in the girl's life. Oddly and wonderfully, this was suggested to me by a young writer at a conference a few year's ago when some of us were asked to give a synopsis of our first book. When I did and said I didn't suppose it would ever get published because the subject matter was dated, she came up to me after the workshop and made a suggestion. This goes to prove what I've always said. You can learn something new, no matter how much you may think you already know.

This young girl wasn't published, but her brain went to work and came up with the idea that would involve grandmother, her lost love, granddaughter and her fiance. I wish I knew the girl's name, I would like to let her know that I am finally going ahead with her suggestion.

If you are multi-published, have been in the writing business a long time and think you know all there is to know, take a lesson from my experience. There's never a workshop or conference that I don't learn something, usually more than one somethings, if you'll pardon the twisted sentence.

Recently we attended The Chisholm Trail Book Festival in Duncan, Oklahoma. The crowd was small but enthusiastic and I didn't sell one book. People are having trouble coming up with money for food and their bills, so it's understandable they can't buy books. What did happen, though? I made invaluable contacts. Several are interested in my books due out in 2010, they left me their email addresses so I can let them know about the books. A local bookseller came along and we exchanged information. Others were interested in the same subjects I am and we had great discussions. Still others passed along information that I can use in the future, and we all exchanged cards. So was I unhappy that I didn't sell any books? Sure, it would've been nice, but I gleaned information worth more than the few dollars I might have made from selling a hand-full of books. Never discount these types of contacts.

You might think about writing a book in the month of November. Realize, of course, that you aren't truly writing a book in a month. You are writing what will become a book after you add months and months of work to the initial "bones" of your novel. This is simply a way to kick off an idea and turn it into a book. Let me know how it works out if you decide to give it a try.

Caught in the Trap of Writing

Since I started writing, it seems that every day is a working day. If I'm not at the computer creating, my mind is making up stories, or I'm wondering if the guy in the next aisle at the grocery store might make a good character, or I'm listening to a conversation and trying to remember a particular way of saying something. Once we begin in this business, there is no end, no rest, no time off.

The last week of September I finished two manuscripts and sent them off to the publishers, via the Internet. Thank goodness for up-to-date publishers. No more printing 3-400 pages, lugging the big fat manuscript to the Post Office, finding which box they'll fit and forking over the dough. At least not with many of the small publishers. We hope soon to see New York publishers catch up. At any rate, the books were finished after a year of hard work and research and I was ready to relax and take a break from writing for a while. This was not to be.

We left on October 8 for a writer's conference in Eureka Springs where I was surrounded by ideas, and suggestions for two full days. After a day home to wash some clothes and pack up, we took off for Red River, New Mexico where we had a small get-together with Jodi Thomas. What did we do? Discussed writing, of course. After three gloriously sunny days there, we headed for Colorado and a brief visit with the protagonist of my latest book, Fly With the Mourning Dove. Edna celebrated her 95th birthday in July and doesn't look a day older than she did ten years ago. Nor does she act it. We had a good time visiting with her, then it was a leisurely drive through Texas back to Duncan, OK for what? An all-day book fair where we discussed writing with other writers and readers.

That's not all. Not a day passed during the trip that I didn't find words to describe the scenery, or place characters in one of the ranches we passed, or dream up dialogue to set a scene. I guess once we're caught up by this writing business, there's no escape. And obviously we don't want to get away from it.

It's our habit to stay off the Interstates. My husband spends a good long while plotting our route over state highways that meander through small towns, ghost towns that sport closed service stations with old gravity pumps out front and empty, boarded up buildings. In one such town known as Yeso, New Mexico, I parked and we crawled out of the car. I'd spotted some old adobe buildings, mostly crumbling to the ground. Great scars in the walls took bites out of old signs advertising early products. Trees grew up through the floors. Glassless windows gaped darkly at us.

In Texas we drove through Caprock Canyon, a site we would have totally missed had we followed Interstate 40. The highway coiled between towering red bluffs and wandered between great cottonwoods dressed in bright gold autumn attire. Still, I made up stories. A wagon making its way through the hills, fording a creek where perhaps someone tumbled out and there would be a great scurrying to rescue that hapless character, who was in trouble at every turn.

I believe there is no escape from this trap called writing, no matter where we go or what we do. It's not as if I can't bring myself to write, rather it's as if I can't stop.

What Comes Next? / Small Publishers Rock

Late last week, sitting at my desk, fingers on the keys, I found nothing to write. What was going on? Ah, yes, I'd finished my book, in this case two books, and didn't have the foggiest what might be next. Edit an older book to see if it might sell? Work on that book I'd fiddled around with before getting the contracts for two nonfiction books?

Have you ever found yourself in this position? If you haven't, believe me you will one day. It's sort of a lost feeling. All writers have tons of projects in their heads, but deciding which one comes next isn't always easy. For me, it's another women's fiction when I have two that haven't sold yet. Will I be wasting my time there? Perhaps I ought to take another look at those two. No, that's not a good idea. We can write them to death. A partial is with an agent with no reply, so let's forget that one for a while. Still, do I continue in that genre, or work on something else?

I've written something different for me. A sort of humorous shape shifter that sat with an editor who liked it till she resigned and now I can't find the manuscript. No one at the house will reply to my inquiry. Okay, so perhaps that's the new project. Begin searching for a publisher for this book is a good idea. I have in mind checking out small publishers, so an agent isn't needed for that.

Okay, that settled, where do I go from here? There's always Google for small publishers. Or maybe I should narrow down the search. Put in publishers of paranormal novels? Yes, that's where I might go first. Second step will be to write a fresh query letter, if the publisher calls for one, and check out guidelines thoroughly. Make sure I do everything exactly as they require. Don't assume they'll look at more than they ask for. Don't send something cutesy to introduce myself and my work. Be very businesslike, even if my book is humorous.

Maybe I ought to include a bit of humor just to show them I know what is funny. I'll have to think about that. I might shoot myself in the foot by trying too hard. Best to let the book stand on its own merits. Most small publishers will look at three chapters and they can be sent through email, which cuts the cost of submitting the manuscript. In most cases, they'll also take the entire manuscript that way, saving still more.

Yes, I like the idea of checking out small publishers first. There's a ton of them out there, 93,000 to be almost exact. Of course, they'll be narrowed down a lot when considering subject matter and breaking down those who take fiction. Many prefer nonfiction. And I can write that, just finished two in fact, and sold them both to small publishers. Because I like working with them and they are buying more today than New York.

Why do I like working with them? Well, example. Last week I sent in my book through email and the next day received a call from my editor letting me know he had it and when he would read it. Then we discussed possible titles, me taking his suggestions very seriously, even if I might not totally agree. He'll take my input seriously as well, and we'll come up with a title. He later emailed me that another author in the house had made suggestions for a title. Mmmm, that's nice, and one of them was a pretty good idea too.

Over the years I've worked with editors in New York, and nothing like this ever happened. We did have phone conversations when they wanted large edits or when I called to tell them they'd sent a box of my books to Winslow, AZ instead of Winslow, AR. We all make mistakes, and we had a laugh out of that, so the next box was delivered at the local 7/11 store out on the highway because it hitched a ride in a semi and it couldn't come out our country road. They were trying to save money.

Only a couple of the adventures of publishing in New York. God love them, I'd take a contract any day and be deliriously happy. There can be problems with any editor or publisher. And I'll bet they can tell just such stories about authors who don't do what they're supposed to, as well.

My point here is, do exactly what is asked of you, no matter the problems that might arise. Be businesslike and professional. Maybe those are the same. And whoever you're working with, be polite, no matter what. Know what I did after the books went to Arizona? I sent a big box of Arkansas souvenirs to the office in New York. Mugs, computer critters, desk items of all sorts, some with the Razorback Hog on them, others simply read Arkansas. I received another phone call with thanks, and they never forgot I lived in Arkansas again. I think I was the only author they had who did.

Have fun, try to see the humor in everything that happens, commit yourself to becoming the best writer there is, and get out there and network. I've sold all my books at writer's conferences, but that's for another blog.

Workshop Reveals Ideas

Twice a year I hold a workshop at Ozark Folkways. Attendance has mushroomed since we first began doing this. Saturday, Sept. 26 we arrived with an enrollment of 25, but two fell out because something came up, so I had the largest crowd at 23 since I started the writer's workshop. I set a limit of 20, but somehow we allowed a few extra before realizing it.

The spacious, brightly lit art gallery at the back of Folkways was crammed full when we began at 9 a.m., taking names and discussing what everyone wanted to get out of the long day. We began by discussing characters, the most important creation in anything you write. Our character must have a dream, a past, a goal, flaws, and he must fear something. Some of these were difficult for everyone to come up with, but they did a great job of helping each other.

Once we had that down, everyone took their character and wrote a scene using only dialog and tags. Then everyone read theirs. With much brainstorming, each helped the others come up with more and better ideas.

After a delicious dinner at Grandma's: I had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, fried okra and cream cherry pie still warm from the oven and sweet tea --- we returned to begin working on our scenes. For they needed some description --- but only within the action and through the POV character's eyes --- there was plotting and pacing and conflict to consider as well.

We discussed getting ideas for our story, learning how the story is put together with scenes and sequels, each book or story being divided into four parts. And we learned how to use Maslow's Triangle which tells what every human must have. We talked about how, when we take one of these needs away from him, he will have to "do something." That helps build our story.

Everyone finally came to realize that all they needed to begin a book was a strong character, someone every reader would sympathize with and relate to because he would have flaws and he would be striving to fulfill a goal that he probably wouldn't reach. He would be someone the writer would know so well, he felt as if he were living under the character's skin during the writing of the story. We reached far out for our ideas and some were doozies.

I believe everyone who was there Saturday could easily take the writing we created and flesh it out into an interesting and exciting book. I for one can't wait until the workshop next spring.

Tenses make me tense

Often new writers mix up their tenses until the veins in my temple throb. Present tense is one of the most difficult to maintain throughout the entire story. The first time the writer has to return briefly to a past occurrence, everything falls apart. And why does it seem okay to shift from past to present over and over? Worse, they often add the first person to this and so many of those first person nouns fill the page it sounds like a coyote somewhere in the background.

The easiest tense to maintain is past tense. Third person is easier too. There's a lot of confusion. One member of our critique group said, "Yes, but if I use third person I can't get in their head like with first person."

Wrong. In fact, one of our better writers, Larry McMurtry, said that he writes much of his work in first person, then goes back and changes the pronoun to third, leaving internalization, narrative, etc., the same. Try that sometimes, you'll be surprised. She as a character can think and narrate just like I as a character can.

Then there are the writers who write one chapter in first person, another in third, yet another in someone else's third person viewpoint. This is very popular today, but the beginning writer has to be very careful. It's important to learn all of these styles thoroughly before attempting to mix them up.

We are talking here about viewpoint, or the dreaded point of view (pov) that is spoken of so often in writer's groups. It appears to be the most difficult concept for new writers to grasp, and they leap about from one head to another like a table tennis ball. Curl yourself firmly inside the head of your protagonist and don't start showing us stuff she doesn't know or couldn't possibly have seen, heard, smelled, felt, tasted. If it happened on the other side of the wall, she may have heard something, but that's as far as you can go till she learns, usually from dialogue, what was going on next door.

That brings up omniscience, which means the author stands above the story and moves the characters around, showing us what's going on everywhere, what's said and done by everyone, and using dialogue for feelings of the characters. The writer is the camera or God.

There are many more complicated povs and tenses, but these should suffice to get writers on the right track. Learn them thoroughly before going on to write the GAN. Attend workshops and conferences and lectures. Take notes, make sure the people you're listening to know what they're talking about. And read tons of good books in the genre in which you wish to write. See what works and what doesn't. Become your very own self with your very own voice and learn your craft before submitting anything anywhere.

Most of all, enjoy writing. It's a tough business and not always as rewarding as we think it should be.

Timelines

For the past few days I've researched timelines for my latest book, The Boston Mountains: Lost In The Ozarks. Since the stories cover a variety of dates, it appeared to be a daunting task to make sure I knew what was going on in the world during the time passage of my tales. Like everything else we writers do, I won't use all of the information I've accumulated.

In order to know where to start, I had to already know my stories, so I waited until the book was pretty well written before I began recording timelines. The most helpful book I've found was The Timetables of History by Grun. It's divided into dates, then subjects so I could ignore some of the sections that would have nothing to do with the book. What I needed were world politics, daily living and inventions. I could easily scan those entries without being bothered with music and art which wouldn't apply to my book on a world-wide level. When it comes to those, I have to narrow it down to the area I'm writing about.

I quickly learned about matches of all sorts, canned goods, clothing, hairstyles, etc., without wading through too much I didn't need. No matter what we choose to use for this research, there will be a lot that doesn't apply. It's quicker to use this type of book than to look up each of the subjects separately either online or in a book.

There are times when books are handier for this type of research than the Internet. I have gone to the Internet for some specific things and find it eats a lot of time for someone like me. I'm never sure exactly where to go to best quickly locate the information I want, then where to go to verify it. I don't trust many sites and certainly not blogs that divulge historical information. Too many of them are incorrect.

When I first began writing a historical column many years ago, I made the mistake of trusting an earlier historians for the facts about something. Later, I myself researched deeply enough to correct the error several others and I had made. But once something like that is in print, it's very difficult to get it changed. Some of the information from those earlier articles has ended up in the Arkansas Encyclopedia, and when I get time I will submit my information and source to them so they can change it. I am trying very hard not to let misinformation show up in my book.

A good friend and historian once told me that it's impossible not to make mistakes when writing about history using interviews and other sources, because sometimes no one knows the exact truth or remembers it. I'm finding examples of this in the books I'm going through, and long ago decided that the stories people tell me must be considered folk tales, and not taken for the gospel truth in every instance. Not because they are lying, but because everyone remembers things differently.

In this new book are many folk tales, but I'm trying my best to run down the background facts and make sure they are correct within the wonderful stories that must be told. I've found so many entertaining, funny, sad, unbelievable stories while working on this book that I simply must relate them to the readers so they can enjoy them as much as I. I hope to make the distinction between factual and memory for everyone's pleasure.

Be very careful what you write, it can come back to haunt you.

Come Down off Your Mountain

Once I resided on the side of a mountain here in the Ozarks without many contacts. I went to the store or the post office and greeted people in our small town when we met, but other than that I was here, growing a garden and canning, sewing, teaching piano, painting, and finally writing.

That's when I began to meet more people than I'd ever imagined I would know. As writers we network. Before the Internet we attended conferences and other writing events and got to know each other. So many wonderful people write. Now we have added to that our friends on Facebook and Twitter, and links through the email.

Since I've been writing my historical column, in its 20th year now, I've also come in contact with those interested in what I'm writing about there. It's amazing how many have their own stories and pictures to offer me.

There are those who have reached their 90th decade and love to spin yarns of their past and tales passed down in their families; there are the younger ones who are out looking for the history of their ancestors; there are also professionals like teachers, speakers, owners of companies and those beginning to write who reach out for help.

I could list many well-known, famous people here as well. Writers who have shared their knowledge with me, but only when I reached out for it. I could no longer sit here on my mountainside and write without being in touch with life and those who live it. I would soon grow stale. So I reached out to people like Jodi Thomas, who kindly wrote a blurb for my first published romance; Cait London, who has been a source of information shared for years; Jory Sherman, a man with over 300 published books who still takes the time to answer questions; a very good friend Lisa Wingate, who features my books on her site without being asked; Dusty Richards who has been a buddy through all the struggles; Linda Apple, whose new book Inspire has done just that; I could go on and on.

None of those people would I have known had I not stepped down off my mountain. Most of my stories would never have been had I remained in this back room typing away, shut off from everyone who could be helpful or a source of inspiration. So if I can give new writers one word of advice, it would be just that. Come down off your mountain and network. You'll meet the nicest people in the world.