Your Unique Writing Journey

I had the great privilege to attend the Boise SCBWI conference last weekend. It was my fourth conference and there were only about 50-60 people there, so it was by far the smallest one I've been to, but it was awesome.

Usually conferences are filled with craft workshops, social media classes, self publishing how-tos, and agents and editors speaking about query letters and acquisitions. They're helpful.  I usually pick up some new thing to try and I feel a little bit refreshed by the end of the weekend.

This was different. Though every speaker had a different topic I gleaned one cohesive message from the weekend, and it was truly inspiring.

Basically it was this:


Writing is an art.  Learn from others, but remember that in the end it's deeply personal and the only one who knows how to do your art is you.

Publishing is a business.  People find success in a variety of ways.  Learn from others, know your options and then make informed decisions.  Every publishing career is different and the only one who knows how you should do it is you.


These messages felt very liberating.  The online writing world is full of advice about how to write and how to publish and it's overwhelming sometimes.  We have to remember that each of us is different.  We all write for our own reasons and we have different jobs and responsibilities outside of writing.  There is no one size fits all writing strategy.  And there isn't a publishing option that works for everyone. We are unique and our writing journeys will be unique too.

My journey has been feeling very different from the norm lately, and I've worried that means I'm doing it wrong.  I'm realizing that's not the case.  I'm doing it my way, and my way is what works for me.

I'm grateful for good friends and an amazingly supportive agent (who just laughed when I spilled eggs all over her last weekend!) who remind me why I'm writing and encourage me every step of the way.


Do you get overwhelmed by all the voices in the writing and publishing world? Do you ever need to step back and remember that both your writing and your publishing path are unique?

My Writing Life, Simplified

I realized yesterday that I started writing almost exactly 4 years ago.

I thought about those years and decided it might be fun to break them down.

So here's my life (in mostly chronological order):

Year One:

-Wrote really crappy stuff

-Let family and friends read some of it (much to my embarrassment)

-Learned a lot

Year Two:

-Finished first book

-Sent 2 queries

-Realized it was awful and put it away

(hopefully forever--no one should ever have to read that book!)

-Finished second book

-Queried agents

-Had some requests and a few invitations to rewrite

-Met writing group

-Revised

Year Three:

-Signed with lovely agent

-Began blogging

-Revised more

-Started several new books

-Started tweeting

-Went to my first writing conference with my writing group girls

-Met many writers online and in real life

Year Four:

-Had horrific pregnancy

-Had sick baby

-Finished first draft of third book

-Shelved third book

-Wrote first draft of fourth book

-Went to second writing conference and met my agent

(who is even more lovely in person)

-Let fourth book simmer while working on fifth book

-Made plans to finish fourth and/or fifth book before 2012

And that's where I'm at.

I think if someone told me when I started writing my first book that I'd have to write at least four more before I saw one published I would have been discouraged.

But, looking back, I'm not discouraged at all. It's been a wonderful four years. I've learned a lot and plan to learn a lot more over the next four. And, you know, hopefully sell something someday.

How long have you been writing? How have those years shaped your perception of writing and publishing?

The Writing Bug is Contagious

Yesterday morning my eighty-seven-year-old grandpa called me to tell me he'd written a story.

My older brother is half-way through his first novel.

My younger brother started writing his book too.

My seven-year-old daughter carries a notebook around with her and is constantly writing things down. She wants to be a writer when she grows up, just like her mom.

The stories they write make me happy, and I wonder if they'd all be writing now if I hadn't tried it first. I'm glad I did.

Do you have friends or family who have caught the writing bug?

Finally Guilt Free (Almost)

I have four little kids. Caring for them is a full-time (plus nights and weekends) job.

I write.

I don't do much else.

It's taken some time, but I think I've finally learned to let go of my guilt over not being a super-mom. I'm at peace with a not-immaculate house, piles of laundry that build until there's no clean underwear, and Costco lasagna for dinner. I probably won't ever be the mom who runs marathons, throws over-the-top birthday parties, or makes my girls prom dresses. But that's okay.

I love my kids. I love my husband. I love my family and friends. I love writing. And life is too short not to put my focus on the things I love.

Do you have to sacrifice some things so you can write?

Have you left a comment on my Celebrating Karen's Book Deal post yet? I'll choose the winner of ENTWINED by Heather Dixon next Monday.

Being Honest

Some days I read something brilliant and feel like a hack.

Some days I read something awful and wonder HOW it ever got published.

Some days I write and I'm sure what I've written is fantastic.

Some days I read what I wrote the day before and think, "How did I think this was okay yesterday?"

Some days the words flow and I love writing.

Some days writing is hard. I force words to come. Those words suck.

Some days I wonder why I didn't choose a less frustrating obsession. Like cooking. If I put all the time I've devoted to writing into cooking I could be an awesome cook. Maybe. But I love to eat, and if I was an awesome cook I'd probably be a bit chubbier, so it might be a good thing that I chose writing.

Some days I don't write at all. I hold my baby. I read a book. I play blocks with my three-year-old. I watch American Idol. I might even do some laundry.

Some days I'm sure I'll never finish writing this stupid book.

But I'm sure I will... someday.

Momentum

I decided last Saturday that I was going to finish my first draft.

I sat down at the computer and wrote for three uninterrupted hours while my husband took care of the kids.

I didn't allow myself email, or twitter, or spider solitaire. I just wrote.

And 3500 words later I was done.

Sort of.

I have some characters, a setting, and a pretty good story, but there is still SO MUCH work to be done. I'm so excited to do it.

I know everyone says to wait a few months before revising. It makes sense to wait and get some distance from the story. It's good advice.

But even though I know the "right" thing to do is write something else and let this story simmer for a while, I just can't wait.

I'm excited about this project. I want to work on it. And, after my 2010 (aka the year of crappy writing), I feel like I need to keep this new found momentum going.

So, I'm jumping into revisions tomorrow. It might be the "wrong" way to do it, but I don't care.

How long do you wait before you start revising a first draft? Have you ever been so into a story you couldn't let it rest?

Finding Time to Write

Before I start I want to tell you about Dear Teen Me. It's a new blog where writers post letters to their teen selves. You'll recognize a lot of the writers involved (authors like Sarah Okler, Carrie Jones, and Charles Benoit along with a lot of the bloggers you know and love). My letter is up today. *bites nails*

It's really fun. Check it out.

On to my real post.

I've had a lot of friends comment over the last few months that they don't know how, with 3 kids and a baby, I find any time or energy to write.

My answer is I need to write. It is what keeps me sane. Some moms exercise. Some moms decorate. Some moms have jobs. I write.

Because I need it, I make time for it.

Here's how:

1. I write when I get a quiet hour. My three older kids are all in school at the same time for 5 hours a week. It's not a lot of time, and the baby usually requires my attention during a couple of those hours, but the leftover minutes are golden writing time. I can focus.

2. I write when the kids are occupied with other things. My kids destroy the kitchen table with markers, glue, and playdough at least once a week. It's a small price to pay for an hour of uninterupted writing time.

3. Writing is a higher priority than cleaning, unless I'm hosting book club that day or my in-laws are visiting. I still do manage to keep the house picked up most days, but I have a busy day and I have a choice between dishes or writing, I'll write.

4. I'm flexible and realize that it probably won't be possible for me to write everyday. Some days the baby is fussy. Some days I have other commitments. But I write when I can and eventually all that writing becomes a book.

The truth is EVERYONE is busy. I imagine many of you are way busier than me. There are always going to be things we could/should be doing instead of writing, but I believe that most people have time to write a book. It doesn't take much. It's about sitting in the chair, staring at that blank screen or empty sheet of paper and creating something wonderful... or at least decent.

How do you fit writing into your life?

The Truth

I've decided to shelve the manuscript I've worked on for over a year.

Any of you who have followed this blog for a while know that this has been a hard year for me. I've tried to be upbeat about it, but the pregnancy, the months of sickness and sleep deprivation, and the stress of having a sick premie took their toll on me and by extension the story I was writing.

I'm proud of the first 50 pages--the part I wrote last November before I was pregnant. The rest just isn't right. It's never been right. I can't put my finger on exactly why it doesn't work, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I've lost passion for the story.

I wanted to finish it. I wanted to have a brilliant little novel come out of my tough year. But I didn't feel it. The story was meant to be funny and light, but I wasn't in a funny light place. I felt tired and sick and worried and it's hard to hide that from the reader.

As a result the novel needs to be completly rewritten. I don't have the energy to do that right now, so I'm putting it away for a while.

The good news is, I finally feel free to work on one of the projects I'm actually excited about. Writing is FUN again. I started a new manuscript and in just three weeks I've written almost 15,000 words. It's a first draft of course (which means it will need to be rewritten a couple hundred times), but it's a good, usable first draft, with characters that I love and a story that I'm into.

November was good to me. I think I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. My baby is doing much better, I'm feeling creative again, and I'm excited about my life moving forward.

Have you ever lost your passion for a story or shelved a project you'd worked on for a long time?

How did November treat you?

I'm Thankful for Writers

I love Thanksgiving. It's one of my very favorite holidays.

This is mostly because of all the amazing food. I LOVE turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie, and sweet potatoes. LOVE. But this year I'm on a diet. The my-baby-is-allergic-to-milk-and-soy-and-I-don't-want-to-give-up-nursing-yet-diet. This means I cannot eat BUTTER which is the base of every good Thanksgiving dish.

So this year Thanksgiving is not about the food. This year I'm going to be focusing on the long, long list of things I'm grateful for while I watch my family enjoying all the lovely food and I eat my mashed potatoes made with rice milk and margerine.

It'll be great.

Near the top of my long, long list of things I'm grateful for are WRITERS. I'm thankful for the worlds they create and the stories they tell. I'm grateful for all the writers I'm privilaged to know through blogging and twitter and in real life and I'm grateful for the writers who inspire me through the books they write. You make my life richer. Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate this time of year!

What are you grateful for?

It Takes Time to Write a Book

But how much time does it take? I've read about authors taking decades to write novels and I've also read about books that were completed in a few weeks.

I wrote Underground, the novel that got me my agent, in 4 months.

I've been working on my current manuscript for almost year. I'm still working on the second draft, and if I am very honest with myself I think it's likely that I won't finish this book until 2011.

This is frustrating! I've been working hard at it. Why is it taking so long?

Well, I could blame the fact that I've been pregnant. I could subtract two months for horrific morning sickness and I probably subtract the last three months of the pregnancy too, because I was sicker than I was during the morning sickness part. But even if I subtract all the months when I was unable to be productive, this book will still take WAY longer to write than the last one did.

Why? Because it's a different book. There are new puzzles to work out and new characters to get to know and maybe some of those puzzles and characters have been trickier for me to get right.

Also, I'm not quite as clueless this time around. My writing pace slows as I make a conscious effort to use more action verbs and fewer adjectives and adverbs.

Plus I'm going to makes sure to give this one to a lot of great beta readers before my agent sees it. Underground was only beta read by family members before I queried. As a result it needed A LOT of post-querying editing and rewriting. Hopefully this one won't need as much.

I've accepted that every book is different and some might just take a little longer to bake than others. Every writer is different too, and though I'd love to be able to write a book every few weeks, I don't think I'm that kind of writer.

How long did it take you to write your novel? Are you one of those writers who can churn out a masterpiece every month? Or are you still working on the one you started 25 years ago?

Getting to Know You: What Would You Do if You didn't Write?

I've mentioned before that writing is my outlet. It is what helps me to remain sane, even though I rarely get out and some days my kids are the only people I talk to. If I didn't write I would have to have another outlet.

Maybe I'd take up pottery. I've taken a few pottery classes, and even though I am incapable of making any piece taller that 5 inches, I like it. I believe in getting my hands dirty--it's therapeutic. I might also get more involved in vegetable gardening (sometimes I sound like an old woman even to myself!) We had a fun little vegetable garden this year, but I didn't spend enough time on it--writing was always higher priority (as my frostbitten melons and tomatoes can attest).

What would you do with your free time if you didn't write?

Getting to Know You: What do you write?

I thought it might be fun to get to know you all a little better this week. So everyday I will tell you a little about myself and then ask for you to do the same. And I'll share some fall pictures, because some of you live in places where leaves don't change colors-- places that I will be incredibly jealous of come December. :)

I have written two books. The first was a fantasy for young adults--the result rests in a desk drawer, never to see the light of day again. The second, the book that my agent read and loved, is middle grade set in the real world (no vampires, fairies or wizards-- just regular kids).

I have ideas for stories in many different genres including, women's fiction, dystopian YA, YA and middle grade fantasy, picture books, and plain old middle grade.

I'm feeling like middle grade is the place for me right now because no matter how hard I try, my voice comes out eleven-years-old. So for now I think I am going to stick with middle grade, though I might try out YA again in a few years.

So my questions for you today are: What genre do you write? Have you written books, or do you have ideas, in other genres?