Loving the Process
This past week has been, well, odd.
I made it through my initial on-cloud-nine feelings post-book and now I’m sort of hanging in writing limbo. You know, that spot where you just aren’t sure where you fit into the process of writing and are waiting to get moving again.
I should be plotting out my book's sequel while I wait for the first book to digest. But, no matter how much time I spend sitting in front of what should be my back-story file, nothing is coming to me. My mind is elsewhere, digging up another story altogether.
Initially, I was frustrated by this. Why is it that my stupid muse can’t follow directions? I have the ghost of a perfectly good sequel just waiting to be hammered out and my gum-cracking, nail-polish-chipping muse is so over that right now. She wants to work on what she wants to work on. *eye roll.*
What can one do in such a situation? I had two choices; let the little brat roam free in my mind or struggle on my own without her. When I looked at it that way, there wasn’t really much of a choice.
I gave up arguing, pacified myself with the knowledge that I’m really just killing time in creativity waiting to revise, and rolled with her. Little twit.
The entire experience has been surprisingly satisfying so far. I’d forgotten how much I really love the initial brainstorming phase of writing. So many options available. I haven’t written myself into any corners, I have the entire world of plot twists open to me.
Once again I’m falling in love with writing.
Now that I’ve been through this before, I’ve felt strangely light-hearted about it. Last time, when I would get stuck, I’d panic. Should I be feeling like I’m spinning my wheels? Is this “normal”?
As I’m experiencing the process this time, I know a little more what to expect. And I’m lounging, enjoying the ride.
I assume that I’ll feel the initial frustration as the details of my story tease my mind, there in the recesses but still trapped in my subconscious. Then I’ll feel the rush of a new story, like the first glow of falling in love, all whirling and spinning around me. Somewhere in the middle, I’ll trip over it, wonder at the sense of boredom as I stretch through the center and doubt myself, before slipping over the crest and tumbling down the hill towards the black moments and HEA.
And at the end, I’ll weep again, bittersweet tears, at the close of another journey.
What a fabulous gift spinning tales is.
What is your favorite part of writing? Is there a phase of the story you prefer above another? How do you feel in the first bit while you brainstorm? Any other analogies you have to explain the writing process?
Books by the Crew
44 comments:
The writing process as you describe it seems so like developing a new theory.
The initial ideas excite the imagination as the possibilities unfold.
The hard work of writing is like working out all the detailed implications of the initial hypothesis.
Revision correspond to ironing out any flaws in the theory.
When its all done and sent off for peer review, I reckon I feel just like you!
Then I start out on a new theory and the cycle begins again.
Only difference is I don't weep bittersweet tears......those may come later when the theory is subjected to experimental test!
Fascinating description of the creative process Marnee. :D
The first part is the sweetest, only to be eclipsed by typing The End. I think it's great that you're letting the muse roam free. I haven't had the courage to do that yet. I have this secret fear that if I start a new project I'll never go back and finish the old one(guess that's not a secret anymore.lol)
My absolute favorite part of writing, though, is that breakthrough moment when you finally figure out exactly what your story needs to be better. It gives off such an energy. It's so awesome, as you know!
Beautiful post, Marnee. My books have all arrived mysteriously with the first scene in tact, not that it stays that way. From then on, I scramble right up until The End.
I've interrupted myself numerous times with other projects. You have to grab that muse when she's handy.
I abandoned a project to start a totally new book when I literally woke up with the first two or three chapters in my head. So far, it's really paid off--this has been a great first book for me to write and learn from and enjoy putting together. The project I abandoned was really complex and I'll go back to it, because I still love it, but I think a big part of me knew I needed to complete something a bit more straightforward first.
That said, I'm constantly tempted to go off on tangents. I'm a very accomplished "Start one hundred--finish nothing" person. :)
I don't think I have a favorite part. Being uninterrupted is pretty great, since that doesn't happen too often. :)
If you had asked me a month ago about my writing process the answered would have been, "I don't have one." Much the same way I say I don't have a muse. But, now I have one. A process that is. The muse not so sure about.
I know I keep coming back to the vomiting but it's working so I can't contain my excitement. This won't sound like much to most people but I've written 14 pages in the month of July and for me, that's warp speed. LOL!
This first draft is going to be rough and need lots of layering and revising, cut the story will be on paper (on screen?) and that's what's important.
Since I don't write connecting books, whatever I do next can be anything and I already have this one particular story clamoring to be told. Joe & Julianne are impatient and Joe is really pushy. He's broody and gruff and making him wait to be with Julianne is not making him very happy. :)
So I'm pretty sure next up we'll be heading to Ocracoke!
My favorite part about writing is the middle of the story, when my fingers are flying over the keys of my laptop as wave upon waves of dialog and twists and turns in the plot present themselves to me.
Of course it's the most frustrating as I then have to go back to the beginning and rework a few scenes to encapsulate what I now have going on in the middle.
This is where large amounts of coffee and donuts magically appear too.
Like you Marnee when I published my book I was stuck in a kind of limbo. I felt as thought my characters needed another adventure. I wanted to give them another adventure, but I wasn't sure the fans were ready for another full length novel. So I improvised. I started a blog for the characters, and the response I got from the fans who were intrigued just by reading about the day to day activities of the characters was, and still is, overwhelming.
Needless to say, I have yet to write a sequel to the first book as the blog has now taken on a life of it's own. And the surprising part about that is I am comfortable and contented about how things have turned out.
Some people think I should write another book for the monetary aspect of it. But I try to tell them (to no avail) that as a writer it's not about the money(well, not for me anyway), it's about the story.
The fact that people take time out of their day to read and escape from reality for a few minutes because of something I wrote is the best reward ever. This is my passion. I'm a storyteller, and as long as I have my Trusty Notebook and my laptop the story will be told.
I don't know what my favorite part of writing is. I think it's...watching scenes unfold in my head that I know would be really funny in the book...or really dramatic/powerful. I'm usually somewhere ELSE when this occurs and I'm jotting notes feverishly on cocktail napkins or on my one-night-stands backs--but whatever.
I like the beginning, I think: thinking of an idea and wondering how I'd make it work. Sitting and actually writing is probably one of my less favorite parts, though when in a groove of writing I can enjoy it.
My FAVORITE part of writing is when I feel the muse and I are totally in sync. (Though I don't use muse...I think divinely inspired--so my angel is very hot and male, not a gum-chewing female. And when he's not being helpful, he's sitting on the couch, eating corn chips and flipping through channels of ESPN.) ANYWAY, when the angel and I are in sync...I just KNOW this is it, this is the scene that everyone will read and go, "OMG, Hellion, this is so good..." It doesn't happen nearly often enough for my peace of mind.
I always need a bit of a break after completing a story. Just to clean my head of the old characters before I dive into the new. Otherwise I mix things up.
I'm like Maggie. My beginnings write themselves, usually the first 40K then I drag the rest of my ass through the ms.
I don't really plot, mind you I did this for Hidden Beauty (wrote the synopsis when I was only about a fifth through the story--I was determined to enter contests) I thought writing the synopsis would help me slog through the rest of the MS. Not so. Still going, but will be done very soon.
And there is nothing wrong with touching on a new idea/story/character when you complete a novel. I do it frequently and learned a lot about me the writer, tested my limits, changed my goals, learned a lot... yeah I said that already. I'll stop while I'm not ahead.
But my favourite thing about writing is finding the idea that I never get sick of. I can tell you, my current project has caused the most excitement. And I feel more passionate about the work than any of the other things. I love it when my muse works with me, as she has in this project.
Beautiful blog, Marn. You've got a way with words!
I think my favorite part is learning my heroine. Since I write first person I really have to develop our relationship together before I can move on and those first few conversations I overhear with her voice are usually my favorite. But writing is a learning process for me. I'm still learning what I love best.
Geisha - I keep thinking I'm going to like the middle too. Now if I could just get there...
I want a muse now. I'm sure my muse is a woman (no gum popping teen within miles!) and somewhat serious. Sort of like me only with glasses, better hair and very studious. Oh, and comes up with her best ideas when provided chocolate.
Yes, I do have a muse. Yay!
Beautiful descriptions, Marn and I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling your muse. It's a great thing.
I'm a very linear type person. When I start something, I go from the beginning to the end with little deviation between. Sometimes I'll get little nuggets of stuff--like last week, so I spent an hour writing about a page of notes, then stopped and went back to my WIP.
For me, this works the best, and when I'm finished, I really try not to "rest" for too long, because I hate that struggle of getting back into the groove later. I'll always be working on something.
Q - That sounds exactly like it! It's amazing when you make parallels to something so different from what it is we do and then they make sense! :) I think this is just the process of working hard to achieve a goal. I think it's just never been so hard or so gratifying before.
Kel - You should start that new project. Don't be scared! :) And I loved that breakthrough moment as well. Mine came when finally my character's motivations felt clear to me. Sad it happened half way through, but there it is.
Mags - thank you. :) I agree about the muse. Sadly, it isn't the story I wish she were focusing on, but I suppose beggars and all that....
Great post, Marnee. Go with what you're inspired to do, whether muse or angel or devil prodding you with his pitchfork (now there's an image I didn't mean to create!) ;) My current wip is one I didn't know I was going to write and I had another story pretty much fleshed out on paper as much as I've ever done, not being a plotter. However, when a character/idea won't leave you alone, it's a SIGN. Having the other work on the back burner is satisfying too because I don't have to wonder what I'll write next. My favorite part of writing occurs when the characters take off on their own. I just sit back and move my fingers, watching the action appear on the screen. Kinda scary but thrilling!
I don't have a muse. I have rituals (yes I'm weird).
Since my character is written in the first person like Sin's and is an FBI agent I make sure and get into her persona. So I change into my FBI t-shirt or sweatshirt, log onto the FBI's website, and away I go. Like I said, I'm weird.
Gillian - I find that I love tangents, which is so opposed to my plotting personality. Yet, here I am. :) And I think the complex ideas are such fun, I love a challenge.
Ter - I believe that vomiting up your first draft is a completely acceptable way to do it. My end is a giant pile of vomiting. (I love when we go off on expelling bodily fluids to describe writing. It's so, gross). And I am sure that whatever roughness you experience will be paralleled in the roughness I see in my first draft. I think it's the nature of the beast.
Geisha - those are such great thoughts. And I love that you started a blog for your characters! How cool. Did people get to go their way with your characters? What an interesting idea.
I think that money is always there, as a reward, but I doubt I could do this if I were just waiting for the paycheck. I realized somewhere along the line that telling stories is who I am. I doubt I'll stop even if I never publish. I just like it.
Hellion - I love that he's an ESPN watching angel. LOL!! I have a feeling that your "this is so good" moments would happen more than you're even aware of. Oh! And I jot things on napkins and receipts all the time. I've even pulled out of traffic to write stuff down. I always seem to have inspiration in traffic. Go figure.
Tiff - I loved the passion behind your writing. Hidden Beauty sounds like it's going to be wonderful. I must admit to being a bit jealous about the whole first part writing itself. I had a rough time with the first part. Oh, and the middle. In fact, the end was a little rough going there sometimes.... Oh, whatever....
Sin - thanks! I have been wrestling with this whole first person thing. Sheesh. Still messing with that. I can see how getting to know your character really well would help.
Ter - She sounds like my favorite kind of reference librarians. All business and full of info. She's just waiting for you to step up and ask the right questions.
Marn, great post!
I see my writing in motion pictures so I dive into the beginnings, struggle through middles and hesitate to write endings because I don't want the joy to end.
Aha, moments are a writing aphrodesiac. *sigh* I love it when aha moments happen and ideas fall into place. That's so kismet! :-)
JK - I think I was linear when I got going. Nothing distracted me too long when I was writing. I would make notes like you do. Now I'm sort of being creative, so I'm not holding myself to the writing regiment. I will return though soon, I'm sure.
Geisha - OOOhhh... FBI persona, huh? That sounds, thrilling! :)
Megan - thanks! I'm glad you're writing along there too! I think it's irresponsible to ignore inspiration. At least as a writer. LOL!! I do like having the ghost of my ideas sorta floating around too, it does feel like a safety net a little.
Kathy - Kismet! What a good word. It sounds like you move through your emotions the way I do. Speeding into it, sorta chugging through the middle, and then coasting into a satisfying ending. Love it, huh? :)
"Now I’m sort of being creative, so I’m not holding myself to the writing regiment."
LOL. Oh really? So the other way wasn't being creative?
I'm finding that when I let go and stopped holding on so tight to the story, the characters took over. I'm at the point where I think the hero is writing the book and I'm just his typist. LOL!
Unfortunately, my heroine is not as cooperative. Yet.
JK! LOL!! I guess that didn't sound right.... I meant that I'm a pretty serious plotter, though I do tend to pants in the scene, after I've got what needs to happen down. I guess it's just a different type of creative now, sort of a big picture verse small picture kind of creative.
Ter - Your hero, huh? That's pretty neat. How comes your heroine isn't behaving?
Marnee the fans are very creative. The funny part is they never post comments about the stories that I write, but they will send me emails giving me their opinions on what they loved about what happened and who their favorite character is, which in turn brews up new plots and dialog in my mind.
I try to write more about the personal aspects of the agents; their interactions with each other, their ups and downs and their quirks. I then throw in some criminal elements from what I research from the FBI's press releases, and sometimes I'm even bold enough to make up my own crimes(this part doesn't happen too often).
I added alot of fun stuff on the blog for the fans too. They can listen to music as there is an interactive music player they can activate, or they can play with Marissa's pet turtle. There are also movable animated characters of the hero and heroine that I try to update every other week, putting them in different scenarios.
I love that damn blog *sigh*. It's addictive.
Marn - I think it's because Celi is all about being left alone. Not only does she not want a man to bother her, she doesn't want me to bother her. She wants to coast through life and I'm pretty sure she's not going to cooperate with me throwing her into this situation where she's so uncomfortable.
Geisha - I'm in AWE!
Yeah, he watches ESPN because it annoys me. I hate it when he watches poker. And he's really irked with the Cardinals this season.
I wrote Everything I Know About Writing I Learned From Jack Sparrow on a napkin. I was in the Penquin Piano Bar at the time. (See, liquor really is inspirational!)
I finally broke down and bought a mini tape recorder. Mostly I find that I hate the sound of my voice and can't think and talk very quickly, not like I'd type. It's annoying.
*blushes*
Terr--I think my heroine wants to be left alone too 90% of the time. Too bad her job does cater to what she wants...heh,heh,heh...how I love torturing my characters.
The rule is if you want to be written you have to be accommodating. Something tells me that my characters are probably plotting against me like that story Adalind wrote on FF.net :|
*blinks*
Did you just say you can't talk quickly? You have a brilliant mind and talk almost as fast as I do. Scuse me if I doubt that statement. LOL!
And I LOVE to watch poker. LOL!
I can't talk quickly about my book. I hem and haw, sorta like I do when talking to other people about it. Believe me, you should hear the pauses in the tape. It's painful. It's from me PICTURING the scene and laughing, but not talking at the same time I'm picturing it.
Where can we find these tapes? And that reminds me, I need to come up with an answer for the inevitible question "So what's your book about?" that I will face millions of times next week.
HELP!
Great blog Marn - I love the way you've described writing. And hey, if you're muse is giving you something new to work with, go for it!
I think my favorite part of writing is the downhill spiral at the end - when you're 3/4 the way through and the suspense and black moment and HEA all start coming together and you just write and write and can't stop (at least, I can't). My husband calls it a writing binge because I seriously won't do anything else until I'm done. To me, writing the end is the reward for plodding through the middle after the excitement of the beginning wears off.
Terr---OMG! I hate that damn question. Like as soon as I try to explain what my book/blog is about all the words that I know tend to come rushing forward, each fighting to be the first one out my mouth. That right there, mixed in with the excitement of someone actually taking the time to ask about it, causes so much drama that my brain literally shuts down, and all I want to say to the person is "You need to read it, I can't explain it."
Thankfully, I was smart enough to print business cards with the blog's addy on the front and a synopsis(that I took three days to come up with)of the book's plot at the back. Those cards have saved me from many an airhead moment.
Geisha - a pet turtle? Sorry, I got caught up there. :) I love the idea of animated characters though, how cool....
Hellion - I wrote most of my sex scene sitting in a parking lot with DS asleep in the back. I didn't wanna wake him up. LOL!!
Ter - I can help you with your what's it about stuff. Lemme know if you need me.
Hal - I loved that rush at the end. It made the middle worth it. I think I wrote 30K words in a little over a month. It was a wild ride. :)
Geisha - I have the business cards, but no blurb. And the story has changed quite a bit in the last couple months. I'm hoping the new changes make it easier instead of harder to write.
And I just know, even if I come up with something, someone super important is going to ask me in the elevator and I won't be able to form a complete sentence to save my life. LOL!
For me, the best part is after about 30,000 words. Then things seem to move along faster.
I'll tell you, once you have a website set up and you've posted Coming Soon books, they tend to be what you focus on.
Marn, once again, we = separated at birth. I made myself stay up late one night this week just so I could get beyond the first sentence in the sequel to Con Artist (which, sadly, will be more straight mystery/suspense)—and I wrote the first sentence like two months ago. Funny how the whole time I was racing through rewrites on CA, I really wanted to work on this, and now that I can, it's like . . . meh.
And I don't even have another story that appeals to me more.
Of course, I have a few other things on my mind—celebrating my anniversary last Monday, racing to finish knitting my very first lace shawl, cleaning the house and getting ready for company and . . . something else . . . oh yeah. BIRTHING A BABY (hopefully in the next few days; she finally seems to be getting the idea that she has overstayed her welcome, though my due date isn't for another week).
And you might imagine, I don't want to get into anything new right now with something like that coming up!
Jordan - Looks like you do have one WIP that is a bit more important than the rest. LOL! Though it couldn't hurt to have a notebook nearby for those times you're up in the night with the baby. You're already up and with little other distractions, I bet all kinds of ideas will come to you.
Marnee---writing a sex scene in a parking lot? I must try that.
I had to write a sex scene last week with the hero and heroine going at it on the counter of a bathroom sink, and I literally sat on top of my bathroom sink just so that I could realistically get the actions and positions correct. Who knew writing was so physically demanding? Sheesh!
As for the pet turtle Shelly you can find her here:http://www.marissachronicles.blogspot.com/
Terr--I'll send you some good Synopsis Vibes *channeling*
Ooh, that turle is so cute! I've been putting her in the water and getting her back out. LOL! Too fun. And thanks for the vibes!
Dee - Another reason I resist a professional website. LOL!! Oh, the Pressure!!
Jordan - we are truly sisters. :) I felt the same way. I remember through HBG that I wanted to get to Beth's story and now that I'm there, meh. SOOO annoying, silly mind. I so hope you're feeling well. And go you with the knitting. :)
Geisha - That's hilarious! On the bathroom sink, huh? Way to get it on there h/h. :) Yes, I was in the parking lot. I'd stopped at my girlfriend's house and I was resisting going in because a) my little darling would wake up and I wouldn't be able to write stuff down (he's a bit demanding that way - he's one) and b) I'd have to talk to my friend and then I would definitely forget something and I didn't want to walk in the door and be like, "here hold this kid for a minute" then run to my bag and start writing sexual positions. It made me feel dirty. So, I did it in the car, with no one watching. And she asked me what took me so long and I hedged. LOL!!
I love the turtle too, ps.
Marn-love the blog! Maybe now, I can get past this dry spell of non-writing.
I thought my muse was a b*tch, now I'm sure my muse is a man, and not just any man, no, he runs along the lines of some Viking God who likes to mess with my head. Why Viking and not Roman or Greek, I don't know, when I figure it out I'll let you know. Maybe he's a relation to Loki, whoever he is he makes my writing life hell sometimes.
Like Maggie, my beginning writes itself, and then...I don't know. Let's just say there is nothing linear about it, and it's not really like vomit either. It's more like I can write the end and then struggle through the middle, like pulling teeth without anesthetic. No wonder I'm a schizophrenic basket case. I swear I'm sane, but my darn muse keeps messing with me.
I do use the index card system and love it when I'm plotting, but then it all goes haywire because nobody wants to cooperate.
I think my favorite part of writing is probably revision and not the first round-I like the third and fourth, the polishing rounds.
Renee
Thanks Renee!! No one wants to cooperate. I feel your pain. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of those policemen at the crosswalk, when the traffic lights are out, and I'm trying to tell people where they should be going and everyone's irritated and trying to squeeze around me. Sheesh.
Stinking muses, too. I swear, such trouble.
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