Rosslyn Elliot has written a great post about character flaws over at Rachelle Gardner's blog. She discusses the difference between a cosmetic flaw that only affects the protagonist (say, insecurity) and a real flaw (to continue with the same example, perhaps the tendancy towards jealousy that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with insecurity).
It made me realise a flaw with one of my own works-in-progress. My main character, Becky, was recruited for a dangerous secret job shortly after leaving college. Her friends know she has a dangerous job, but they don't know what it is. And because she can't talk to them about her job, and because her job is extremely demanding, she doesn't talk to them very much. She doesn't have much to talk about anymore - apart from her job.
But Becky blames her friends rather than herself for this. When friends that she hasn't contacted for a year don't include her in plans, she is angry. Why don't they understand that she's just too busy to see them? It takes someone else to point out that they're not being unreasonable - they're responding to her behaviour.
In the most recent draft, I left that theme there. But now I see that it's worth examining it more closely. What does this say about Becky? What trait does it reveal?
I think it reveals selfishness. She assumes that she is right. She assumes that the world ought to organise itself around her. And she assumes that if she doesn't see her friends, it's because they're too lazy or rude to contact her. She doesn't see that friendship is a two-way street, and she doesn't see that she's expecting her friends to be understanding about a situation that they are not fully aware of.
But mostly, she's the only person who suffers from this. I'm sure her friends are sorry to lose her, but Becky is our point-of-view character, so we only see her suffering for it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a cosmetic flaw.
This is something I can examine. If Becky is self-absorbed, there are other ways that this can come out. It's very likely to come out at work, which is where we see her most often.
And it can only result in a better novel.
What about you guys? How do you find writing flawed characters? Hard, easy, fun?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Gadgets That Rock
Inspired by Christine's great post on Wednesday (gosh, how often have I said a version of that sentence in the last few years? I bet if you Googled 'inspired by Christine's post' I'd come up), I want to talk about gadgets today. Christine shared the Top Five Gadgets in her life - I only have four, but her fifth sounds like a tempting buy . . .
1. My mobile phone. I have the world's dumbest smartphone, but I love it (kinda). More accurately, I love having a phone. Couldn't live without one.
2. My netbook. Teeny laptop with massive battery life - what's not to love? This is where my novel lives, it's what I use to watch TV and what can be carted into work for lunchtime writing sessions without snapping my back in two. I possibly love it more than my phone, but I put my phone first because I use it more often.
3. My mp3 player. I have the world's oldest, clunkiest mp3 player because I cannoy bear to get rid of it. It has 20GB of storage and most players today (apart from the iPod, which I avoid because I had a bad experience with one some years ago - I know that sounds like it bit me! It just never worked for longer than 30 minutes) top out at 4GB or 8GB. I have decisiveness issues - I need all my music with me! If a suitable alternative ever come son the market (seriously, electronics companies, if you're reading this - the market needs a middle ground between 8GB and 160GB. Get to work and call me when you're done) I will lay this one gently and reverently to rest after its years of devoted service. *sniff*
4. My Kindle. This is a relatively new edition to the family. It arrived this time last year and was given a very pretty leather cover in May 2011 and it has been my constant companion ever since. It allows me to read American books that don't arrive in bookshops here, it allows me to buy my books cheaper than I can on the high street, and it means I can read my own books on it and thus spot errors more quickly.
1. My mobile phone. I have the world's dumbest smartphone, but I love it (kinda). More accurately, I love having a phone. Couldn't live without one.
2. My netbook. Teeny laptop with massive battery life - what's not to love? This is where my novel lives, it's what I use to watch TV and what can be carted into work for lunchtime writing sessions without snapping my back in two. I possibly love it more than my phone, but I put my phone first because I use it more often.
3. My mp3 player. I have the world's oldest, clunkiest mp3 player because I cannoy bear to get rid of it. It has 20GB of storage and most players today (apart from the iPod, which I avoid because I had a bad experience with one some years ago - I know that sounds like it bit me! It just never worked for longer than 30 minutes) top out at 4GB or 8GB. I have decisiveness issues - I need all my music with me! If a suitable alternative ever come son the market (seriously, electronics companies, if you're reading this - the market needs a middle ground between 8GB and 160GB. Get to work and call me when you're done) I will lay this one gently and reverently to rest after its years of devoted service. *sniff*
4. My Kindle. This is a relatively new edition to the family. It arrived this time last year and was given a very pretty leather cover in May 2011 and it has been my constant companion ever since. It allows me to read American books that don't arrive in bookshops here, it allows me to buy my books cheaper than I can on the high street, and it means I can read my own books on it and thus spot errors more quickly.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Laziness and the Year Ahead
It's my birthday today, so naturally my thoughts have turned to what the next year may have in store.
And it occurred to me that, as well as thinking 'I hope I get an agent,' 'I hope I get a deal', I was also thinking 'I hope I make good decisions. I hope that if neither of my queries this year are successful, I don't rush to self-publish something substandard. I hope I can overcome my tendancy to overuse the letter S.'
The landscape is opening up for writers. I can only speak for myself, but I still want an agent, a book deal and a publishing house. If I can't get those things, self-publishing is an option I'm happy to explore. But when you're facing writing a query - which I've never done, and am quite nervous about - and then sending it off, waiting for a reply, facing rejections, and then if you are lucky enough to get an agent, facing more submission and rejection as your novel does the rounds of publishers - well, it may be what I dream of, but it's also scary as hell.
And this morning I thought to myself: 'Whether or not I have a book out in the next year could be entirely my decision. I could bypass all that and do it myself.'
A reasonable thought. Writers the world over are having the same thought. And when you look at success stories, like Catherine Ryan Howard and Talli Roland, it looks tempting (although, as I'm sure those two fabulous ladies would attest, not easy).
But at the moment, it is not the right decision for me, because I would be doing it solely because I'm a lazy cow who doesn't want to write a query letter at the moment :)
I hope I make the right decisions, but I also hope I make them at the right time and for the right reasons. Laziness is, sadly, not a good reason. . .
Are any of you guys facing, or hoping to face, big decisions in the next 12 months? How confident are you that you'll make the right choice?
And it occurred to me that, as well as thinking 'I hope I get an agent,' 'I hope I get a deal', I was also thinking 'I hope I make good decisions. I hope that if neither of my queries this year are successful, I don't rush to self-publish something substandard. I hope I can overcome my tendancy to overuse the letter S.'
The landscape is opening up for writers. I can only speak for myself, but I still want an agent, a book deal and a publishing house. If I can't get those things, self-publishing is an option I'm happy to explore. But when you're facing writing a query - which I've never done, and am quite nervous about - and then sending it off, waiting for a reply, facing rejections, and then if you are lucky enough to get an agent, facing more submission and rejection as your novel does the rounds of publishers - well, it may be what I dream of, but it's also scary as hell.
And this morning I thought to myself: 'Whether or not I have a book out in the next year could be entirely my decision. I could bypass all that and do it myself.'
A reasonable thought. Writers the world over are having the same thought. And when you look at success stories, like Catherine Ryan Howard and Talli Roland, it looks tempting (although, as I'm sure those two fabulous ladies would attest, not easy).
But at the moment, it is not the right decision for me, because I would be doing it solely because I'm a lazy cow who doesn't want to write a query letter at the moment :)
I hope I make the right decisions, but I also hope I make them at the right time and for the right reasons. Laziness is, sadly, not a good reason. . .
Are any of you guys facing, or hoping to face, big decisions in the next 12 months? How confident are you that you'll make the right choice?
Friday, February 3, 2012
Making Blogging Work For You
Last Friday's post about the A-Z Challenge elicited some interesting comments, ranging from 'I hated it last year - never again!' to 'Sign me up now please!'
Which reminded me of one of the most basic things I've discovered on my blogging journey.
Blogging is great. It's fun, it connects us with fantastic people, it provides a great opportunity for writing practice. And there are very definite rules on doing it well (Catherine Ryan Howard writes brilliantly about this in her book Self-Printed).
But beyond the basic rules (Do Not Be A Pain In The Arse, Do Not Complain About People, Act Like A Professional), blogging is about finding your own place in the madness. There are millions of blogs out there. Speaking purely from memory, it seems that about two-thirds of them are written by unpublished/aspiring writers. There is only way to be one of those bloggers and not go completely nuts - that is to decide what you want from blogging and go after it, without worrying about what everyone else is doing.
Don't do a blogfest because everyone else is - decide if you want to do it. Don't blog about your querying process if you don't feel comfortable making it public. Your blog is your space. Use it as you want to.
With that in mind, I may consider turning my entire blog into a fansite about Cadbury's chocolate. I'm having one of those weeks where no Creme Egg in Dublin is safe. . . .
PS:
Since I was yakking about the A-Z Challenge last Friday, it's only fair to provide a sign-up link now that the challenge is open for registration. You can register at any of these fab blogs:
Cruising Altitude (DL Hammons)
Which reminded me of one of the most basic things I've discovered on my blogging journey.
Blogging is great. It's fun, it connects us with fantastic people, it provides a great opportunity for writing practice. And there are very definite rules on doing it well (Catherine Ryan Howard writes brilliantly about this in her book Self-Printed).
But beyond the basic rules (Do Not Be A Pain In The Arse, Do Not Complain About People, Act Like A Professional), blogging is about finding your own place in the madness. There are millions of blogs out there. Speaking purely from memory, it seems that about two-thirds of them are written by unpublished/aspiring writers. There is only way to be one of those bloggers and not go completely nuts - that is to decide what you want from blogging and go after it, without worrying about what everyone else is doing.
Don't do a blogfest because everyone else is - decide if you want to do it. Don't blog about your querying process if you don't feel comfortable making it public. Your blog is your space. Use it as you want to.
With that in mind, I may consider turning my entire blog into a fansite about Cadbury's chocolate. I'm having one of those weeks where no Creme Egg in Dublin is safe. . . .
PS:
Since I was yakking about the A-Z Challenge last Friday, it's only fair to provide a sign-up link now that the challenge is open for registration. You can register at any of these fab blogs:
Cruising Altitude (DL Hammons)
Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)
The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)
Author Elizabeth Mueller (Elizabeth Mueller)
Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)
Coming Down the Mountain (Karen Jones Gowen)
Monday, January 30, 2012
When the Hero Dies. . .
Last night I watched a film (I won't tell you which one because of the massive spoilers that will result). It was a thriller about a (fairly) good man who finds himself embroiled in a world of high-powered intrigue, murder, war and all manner of uncuddly things. And he was alone - to heighten the tension, there was quite literally no one on his side throughout the film.
And at the end, just when he has finally won out, and I'm ready to go to bed with a cup of herbal tea . . .
. . . he gets hit by a car.
I was not happy. I felt cheated - I had rooted for this guy for two and a half hours (including very long ad breaks) and he dies at the end.
I'm not categorically against heroes dying. One of my all-time favourite films is Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, which has one of the most famous heroes-peg-it endings in cinema history. I also love Bonnie and Clyde, which ends with a similar shoot-out. And don't even get me started on books where the heroes die - I'll be here all night listing the ones I love.
But I didn't feel it worked within this genre. I don't watch a thriller to be challenged. I watch it to be entertained. As I switched off the TV feeling down, I wondered if that was what the filmmakers were after. I wondered if that was the feeling they wanted to leave the viewer - melancholy and miffed.
What do you guys think? Is it always acceptable to kill the hero, or are there times when he or she must survive, no matter what?
And at the end, just when he has finally won out, and I'm ready to go to bed with a cup of herbal tea . . .
. . . he gets hit by a car.
I was not happy. I felt cheated - I had rooted for this guy for two and a half hours (including very long ad breaks) and he dies at the end.
I'm not categorically against heroes dying. One of my all-time favourite films is Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, which has one of the most famous heroes-peg-it endings in cinema history. I also love Bonnie and Clyde, which ends with a similar shoot-out. And don't even get me started on books where the heroes die - I'll be here all night listing the ones I love.
But I didn't feel it worked within this genre. I don't watch a thriller to be challenged. I watch it to be entertained. As I switched off the TV feeling down, I wondered if that was what the filmmakers were after. I wondered if that was the feeling they wanted to leave the viewer - melancholy and miffed.
What do you guys think? Is it always acceptable to kill the hero, or are there times when he or she must survive, no matter what?
Friday, January 27, 2012
The A-Z Challenge: To Do or Not To Do?
Already the blogosphere is buzzing with talk about the A-Z blogging challenge, which takes place in April. Sign-ups begin on Monday.
I did it last year and it was great fun. But I'm in two minds about doing this year.
See, I blog about books and writing (and occasionally I get a bit ranty about things). I've been blogging about being an unpublished writer for quite some time. To be perfectly frank, I'm running out of things to say, short of changing this blog's focus entirely to, I don't know, mittens on kittens or something (note to self: could be on to something with the kitten thing).
Blogging daily for a month, about topics on which I lack new wisdom, doesn't sound like it will be appealing to write, or to read.
But.
I have an idea.
I am going to write a piece of micro-fiction (under 60 words) for every letter of the alphabet.
So who else is taking part? Any ideas for themes, or will you blog according to your mood each day?
I did it last year and it was great fun. But I'm in two minds about doing this year.
See, I blog about books and writing (and occasionally I get a bit ranty about things). I've been blogging about being an unpublished writer for quite some time. To be perfectly frank, I'm running out of things to say, short of changing this blog's focus entirely to, I don't know, mittens on kittens or something (note to self: could be on to something with the kitten thing).
Blogging daily for a month, about topics on which I lack new wisdom, doesn't sound like it will be appealing to write, or to read.
But.
I have an idea.
I am going to write a piece of micro-fiction (under 60 words) for every letter of the alphabet.
So who else is taking part? Any ideas for themes, or will you blog according to your mood each day?
Monday, January 23, 2012
How My Fear of Judgment Helped My Book, For Once
I recently sent the first three chapters of my current WIP to two people. One of them knows me quite well, one I have only met recently.
Of course, I skimmed over them before I sent them, to make sure I didn't have any embarrassing typos (true story: I wrote an essay in college about the treatment of race in a particular novel, in which I had typed 'White Dessa. . .' instead of 'While Dessa. . . ' Dessa was black. Thankfully I caught that before submission and changed it with a ballpoint pen and a profound sense of relief), and to make sure there were no glaring inconsistencies (another true story: an uncle became a great-uncle and a mother became a great-aunt in this one. Switched them back before anyone saw it).
And I was skimming it, I was conscious of how these two people would read it. In one chapter, there was quite a long segment where my main character thinks some fairly nasty and judgemental stuff about her friend. As I was reading it, imagining how it would read to someone else, I realised it was quite unnecessary. My character is pretty judgemental sometimes, but this felt. . . wrong. It wasn't quite her.
I'm not sure I would have spotted it if I hadn't been reading with one eye fixed on how my writing would make me look.
I think that being too concerned about how our writing makes us-as-people look is a bad thing - if I was to worry too much about that, I'd end up trying to write books entirely devoid of sex, lies and bad people. Which wouldn't work. But in this case, it helped me to catch something that otherwise I might have let slip.
Have you ever removed something because you were worried about how it made you look? Or considered it? Do you think it was, or would have been, a good or a bad decision?
Of course, I skimmed over them before I sent them, to make sure I didn't have any embarrassing typos (true story: I wrote an essay in college about the treatment of race in a particular novel, in which I had typed 'White Dessa. . .' instead of 'While Dessa. . . ' Dessa was black. Thankfully I caught that before submission and changed it with a ballpoint pen and a profound sense of relief), and to make sure there were no glaring inconsistencies (another true story: an uncle became a great-uncle and a mother became a great-aunt in this one. Switched them back before anyone saw it).
And I was skimming it, I was conscious of how these two people would read it. In one chapter, there was quite a long segment where my main character thinks some fairly nasty and judgemental stuff about her friend. As I was reading it, imagining how it would read to someone else, I realised it was quite unnecessary. My character is pretty judgemental sometimes, but this felt. . . wrong. It wasn't quite her.
I'm not sure I would have spotted it if I hadn't been reading with one eye fixed on how my writing would make me look.
I think that being too concerned about how our writing makes us-as-people look is a bad thing - if I was to worry too much about that, I'd end up trying to write books entirely devoid of sex, lies and bad people. Which wouldn't work. But in this case, it helped me to catch something that otherwise I might have let slip.
Have you ever removed something because you were worried about how it made you look? Or considered it? Do you think it was, or would have been, a good or a bad decision?
Friday, January 20, 2012
Oxymorons and Oxytocin - Romance Novels and How We See Love
I had a wee rant on Monday about why romance novels are seen as unfeminist in spite of the fact that they depict women in a healthy way - and in spite of the fact that the very society that criticises them foregrounds love and marriage in a very unhealthy way.
I feel there is more to be said on the subject (don't I freaking always!). I mentioned on Monday that society tells us that finding love should be our ultimate goal as human beings (I'm speaking as a woman here - I know men also face pressures, some different, some the same). I think we need to get a bit more flexible on that (perhaps the popular press might acknowledge, even tacitly, that single people can be happy and that not everyone is suited to marriage and family life).
But foregrounding love as a goal is not something I have a problem with. I don't always like how it's done, but it's probably better than telling someone that the car they drive is critical to their psychological health.
I'm not going to quote divorce statistics - we all know that 'happily ever ever' is becoming an aspiration rather than a reality for a lot of people. Which sucks - quite apart from the emotional pain for the people involved, this means that across my lifetime I can anticipate attending almost double as many weddings as my parents had to. This will cost me a fortune in dresses, hats, and tasteful silver-plated photo frames, not to mention increasing the number of unflattering photos of me in circulation.
It seems to me that now, creating a successful relationship is no longer the default. People no longer enter into marriages and stay in them 'just-because.' They can walk away if they stop working.
Which means that relationships are now something that people work on. It means that creating a good one is not an optional extra ('Meh, we're married, he/she is stuck with me!' no longer holds water). A strong marriage is not just a blessing. It's an achievement, and it requires constant work. Hopefully enjoyable and rewarding work, rather than the Sisyphus-pushing-the-rock-up-the-mountain-forever type.
And yet, here we are, as a society, looking down on books about people who find love and make it work.
More tea, please, waiter. I could be here for a while.
I feel there is more to be said on the subject (don't I freaking always!). I mentioned on Monday that society tells us that finding love should be our ultimate goal as human beings (I'm speaking as a woman here - I know men also face pressures, some different, some the same). I think we need to get a bit more flexible on that (perhaps the popular press might acknowledge, even tacitly, that single people can be happy and that not everyone is suited to marriage and family life).
But foregrounding love as a goal is not something I have a problem with. I don't always like how it's done, but it's probably better than telling someone that the car they drive is critical to their psychological health.
I'm not going to quote divorce statistics - we all know that 'happily ever ever' is becoming an aspiration rather than a reality for a lot of people. Which sucks - quite apart from the emotional pain for the people involved, this means that across my lifetime I can anticipate attending almost double as many weddings as my parents had to. This will cost me a fortune in dresses, hats, and tasteful silver-plated photo frames, not to mention increasing the number of unflattering photos of me in circulation.
It seems to me that now, creating a successful relationship is no longer the default. People no longer enter into marriages and stay in them 'just-because.' They can walk away if they stop working.
Which means that relationships are now something that people work on. It means that creating a good one is not an optional extra ('Meh, we're married, he/she is stuck with me!' no longer holds water). A strong marriage is not just a blessing. It's an achievement, and it requires constant work. Hopefully enjoyable and rewarding work, rather than the Sisyphus-pushing-the-rock-up-the-mountain-forever type.
And yet, here we are, as a society, looking down on books about people who find love and make it work.
More tea, please, waiter. I could be here for a while.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Romance: Why Is It A Dirty Word?
There is a lovely interview with Nora Roberts floating around the web (I found it when hunting through Claire Hennessy's blog for her series on writers and day jobs for my last post). I haven't read any of Roberts's books, but I loved how she sounded in the interview. High on books, low on crap.
Roberts writes romance, a genre I read now and again but have never written (I'd like to, someday). It's not a genre that commands respect. Chick-lit, at least, suggests that it might be funny. Romance has been perceived as light escapism for unhappy housewives. It has been criticised for giving women 'unrealistic expectations'. (Roberts's answer to that is great: "Because women aren't supposed to have expectations, right? We're pretty smart. I think we know the difference between reality and fiction. I don't think that people read Agatha Christie, and then think: I know, I'll go and murder someone.")
Roberts's response to the general lack of respect for romance is also interesting:
"it's just so insulting towards millions of people. Why would you apologise for what you read for pleasure? Just think of the illiteracy rate. Every book read for pleasure should be celebrated. And novels that celebrate love, commitment, relationships, making relationships work, why isn't that something to be respected?"
She's hit on something really interesting there.
As a woman, I feel I live in a society that tells me that finding Mr. Right, getting married and having babies is IT. Most books aimed at women my age involve some level of love story. Most magazine covers are emblazoned with stories about finding, keeping, improving or pleasing a man. Newspaper columnists are constantly telling me that while having a career and deep, close friendships is all very well and good, ultimately they will disappoint me when compared to paying 20k for a party and ending up covered in puke and stepping on Lego pieces when I get up to go to the bathroom at night.
Ahem. I'm just being bitchy there. Married life and parenthood actually sound like wonderful things. I don't know yet if they are right for me, or if I'll ever have them. But I'm constantly bombarded with the message that finding True Love is the only point to life.
And yet, romantic novelists today are writing strong, cool, independent women, feminist-y characters who seek and find fulfilling love. And they are not getting respect for doing that.
I know that as a woman and a reader, I would far rather curl up with a book that depicts a strong woman falling in love, creating a good relationship and being happy, than read yet another magazine article how to 'keep my man' (apparently just showing up won't cut it anymore. Who knew?). As a feminist, I think romance (and chick-lit) novelists today are sending a far more positive message than - well, most other writing aimed at women.
So, to recap - some elements of society say that relationships and marriage are the only things a woman should care about. But romantic novels are un-feminist and trashy.
I can't get my head around that. I think the only solution is to make some tea and read a good novel.
Some Nora Roberts, maybe. . . :)
Roberts writes romance, a genre I read now and again but have never written (I'd like to, someday). It's not a genre that commands respect. Chick-lit, at least, suggests that it might be funny. Romance has been perceived as light escapism for unhappy housewives. It has been criticised for giving women 'unrealistic expectations'. (Roberts's answer to that is great: "Because women aren't supposed to have expectations, right? We're pretty smart. I think we know the difference between reality and fiction. I don't think that people read Agatha Christie, and then think: I know, I'll go and murder someone.")
Roberts's response to the general lack of respect for romance is also interesting:
"it's just so insulting towards millions of people. Why would you apologise for what you read for pleasure? Just think of the illiteracy rate. Every book read for pleasure should be celebrated. And novels that celebrate love, commitment, relationships, making relationships work, why isn't that something to be respected?"
She's hit on something really interesting there.
As a woman, I feel I live in a society that tells me that finding Mr. Right, getting married and having babies is IT. Most books aimed at women my age involve some level of love story. Most magazine covers are emblazoned with stories about finding, keeping, improving or pleasing a man. Newspaper columnists are constantly telling me that while having a career and deep, close friendships is all very well and good, ultimately they will disappoint me when compared to paying 20k for a party and ending up covered in puke and stepping on Lego pieces when I get up to go to the bathroom at night.
Ahem. I'm just being bitchy there. Married life and parenthood actually sound like wonderful things. I don't know yet if they are right for me, or if I'll ever have them. But I'm constantly bombarded with the message that finding True Love is the only point to life.
And yet, romantic novelists today are writing strong, cool, independent women, feminist-y characters who seek and find fulfilling love. And they are not getting respect for doing that.
I know that as a woman and a reader, I would far rather curl up with a book that depicts a strong woman falling in love, creating a good relationship and being happy, than read yet another magazine article how to 'keep my man' (apparently just showing up won't cut it anymore. Who knew?). As a feminist, I think romance (and chick-lit) novelists today are sending a far more positive message than - well, most other writing aimed at women.
So, to recap - some elements of society say that relationships and marriage are the only things a woman should care about. But romantic novels are un-feminist and trashy.
I can't get my head around that. I think the only solution is to make some tea and read a good novel.
Some Nora Roberts, maybe. . . :)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Writing and The Day Job: Choices and Aspirations
So often in the world of blogging, one finds that someone else has made one's points better than one.
That sentence sounds clumsy. Let me try again.
So often in the world of blogging, I find that someone else has made my points better than me.
That's better.
Claire Hennessy has a great series of posts on day jobs and writers, which can be found here. The final post has a great series of questions about choosing a day job that works for you, both as a writer and as a person, which is worth reading.
There is another question about writing and day jobs that I want to address, though, and it's a big one. Especially for those of us in our twenties and thirties, not long out of education and still building a career rather than riding the wave.
That question is where to direct your priorities - towards the day job? Or towards writing?
When I was in college, a salary of €16,000 a year sounded like more money than I could ever spend. I now know that for a young professional in Dublin, it's a challenge to live well on that. It means public transport, it means cheaper food, it means nights out in the local pub on Student Night rather than a going to a restaurant with your friends.
As I get older, I know that my needs will increase more and more. At the moment I don't own a home, for example. My healthcare costs are minimal. These things will change, and my income needs to change with it. I don't want to live like a twenty-year-old when I'm forty (although obviously I will still resemble one. AHEM).
And the question arises of whether it makes more sense to prioritise writing (with the knowledge that it may always remain a second income, but nevertheless with the intention of turning it into an income), or to prioritse advancement in the day job. Free time is precious - should it be spent writing or taking a night class in Accountacy, or Marketing, or Advanced German for Unadvanced Students?
I don't know the answer, but I'd be interested to hear how some of you guys have made your decisions, or tried to.
That sentence sounds clumsy. Let me try again.
So often in the world of blogging, I find that someone else has made my points better than me.
That's better.
Claire Hennessy has a great series of posts on day jobs and writers, which can be found here. The final post has a great series of questions about choosing a day job that works for you, both as a writer and as a person, which is worth reading.
There is another question about writing and day jobs that I want to address, though, and it's a big one. Especially for those of us in our twenties and thirties, not long out of education and still building a career rather than riding the wave.
That question is where to direct your priorities - towards the day job? Or towards writing?
When I was in college, a salary of €16,000 a year sounded like more money than I could ever spend. I now know that for a young professional in Dublin, it's a challenge to live well on that. It means public transport, it means cheaper food, it means nights out in the local pub on Student Night rather than a going to a restaurant with your friends.
As I get older, I know that my needs will increase more and more. At the moment I don't own a home, for example. My healthcare costs are minimal. These things will change, and my income needs to change with it. I don't want to live like a twenty-year-old when I'm forty (although obviously I will still resemble one. AHEM).
And the question arises of whether it makes more sense to prioritise writing (with the knowledge that it may always remain a second income, but nevertheless with the intention of turning it into an income), or to prioritse advancement in the day job. Free time is precious - should it be spent writing or taking a night class in Accountacy, or Marketing, or Advanced German for Unadvanced Students?
I don't know the answer, but I'd be interested to hear how some of you guys have made your decisions, or tried to.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Writing and The Day Job
I've spoken a lot - OK, exclusively - about goal-setting this year. I've admitted that I am a person who makes wildly unrealistic goals ('I'll write the last 20,000 words in a day! I can do it!. . . oh, wait, I can't.').
I am also a person who wants to be a writer, but has to work full-time for financial reasons. I don't talk about my day job online, but I will say it is the kind of job where some days are sedate and everything moves at a gentle, manageable pace, yet other days - or weeks, or months - can be very intense and stressful.
Time management is an issue for every writer. My old favourite way to carve out time was to bring my netbook to work and write during my lunch hour (my office has a really nice recreation space with a great view - when I write there, I probably have the best view of any writer in Dublin, unless a tourist is scribbling in the corner of the Gravity Bar).
But that only works on a relatively stress-free day. If I'm very busy, it's hard to find the motivation to work through lunch, even if I am working on something I enjoy.
There is now the added complication that spending too long in front of a computer screen doesn't help with my new-found tendancy to get migraines. I depend on looking at a computer screen to earn a living. That hour away from it in the middle of the day helps a lot. Also, if a migraine does descend, one of the nasty side-effects for me is that total inability to use the English language the following day. Anything I write the day after a migraine (and I include emails in this) will be unusable porridge.
Writing after work is usually easier, but that is vulnerable to the demands of family, friends, relationships, socialising, exercise, housework, cooking, laundry and all the other things we do to ensure we can get up and go to work the following day.
I once read - have forgotten where, if you know please tell me - that the modern working week in Western society evolved ina time when every worker (the majority of them male) was assumed to have someone at home (usually female), whether wife, mother or landlady, to support their role in the workplace. Workers worked, but they didn't cook, clean, wash clothes, look after children or shop for groceries. Now, both male and female workers are trying to fulfil this role for themselves on top of a working week that, for most people, is getting constantly longer.
I'm incredibly fortunate in the latter regard - my workplace does not suffer from a culture that rewards people for working long hours, and it is understood that working longer does not necessarily mean you're working better. I'm thankful for this every day. But like everyone else, I do have demands in my personal life, and balancing these with work is challenging. Balancing them with writing sometimes feels impossible.
For me, the easiest thing to sacrifice is my health. Spend my lunch hour in front of the computer and leave work frazzled, tired, with the beginnings of migraine aura in my peripheral vision. Stay up later, and drag myself out of bed no matter how desperate I may be for more sleep. But that doesn't work for longer than a few days.
Trying to cut out cooking or exercise doesn't have the same short-term health impact, but long-term, eating take-aways and never exercising will catch up with anyone.
How do you guys find the right balance? What gets cut to allow for writing time?
I am also a person who wants to be a writer, but has to work full-time for financial reasons. I don't talk about my day job online, but I will say it is the kind of job where some days are sedate and everything moves at a gentle, manageable pace, yet other days - or weeks, or months - can be very intense and stressful.
Time management is an issue for every writer. My old favourite way to carve out time was to bring my netbook to work and write during my lunch hour (my office has a really nice recreation space with a great view - when I write there, I probably have the best view of any writer in Dublin, unless a tourist is scribbling in the corner of the Gravity Bar).
But that only works on a relatively stress-free day. If I'm very busy, it's hard to find the motivation to work through lunch, even if I am working on something I enjoy.
There is now the added complication that spending too long in front of a computer screen doesn't help with my new-found tendancy to get migraines. I depend on looking at a computer screen to earn a living. That hour away from it in the middle of the day helps a lot. Also, if a migraine does descend, one of the nasty side-effects for me is that total inability to use the English language the following day. Anything I write the day after a migraine (and I include emails in this) will be unusable porridge.
Writing after work is usually easier, but that is vulnerable to the demands of family, friends, relationships, socialising, exercise, housework, cooking, laundry and all the other things we do to ensure we can get up and go to work the following day.
I once read - have forgotten where, if you know please tell me - that the modern working week in Western society evolved ina time when every worker (the majority of them male) was assumed to have someone at home (usually female), whether wife, mother or landlady, to support their role in the workplace. Workers worked, but they didn't cook, clean, wash clothes, look after children or shop for groceries. Now, both male and female workers are trying to fulfil this role for themselves on top of a working week that, for most people, is getting constantly longer.
I'm incredibly fortunate in the latter regard - my workplace does not suffer from a culture that rewards people for working long hours, and it is understood that working longer does not necessarily mean you're working better. I'm thankful for this every day. But like everyone else, I do have demands in my personal life, and balancing these with work is challenging. Balancing them with writing sometimes feels impossible.
For me, the easiest thing to sacrifice is my health. Spend my lunch hour in front of the computer and leave work frazzled, tired, with the beginnings of migraine aura in my peripheral vision. Stay up later, and drag myself out of bed no matter how desperate I may be for more sleep. But that doesn't work for longer than a few days.
Trying to cut out cooking or exercise doesn't have the same short-term health impact, but long-term, eating take-aways and never exercising will catch up with anyone.
How do you guys find the right balance? What gets cut to allow for writing time?
Friday, January 6, 2012
2012 - Writing Goals
On Tuesday, I talked about my 2011 accomplishments. As I start 2012, I'm going to post my goals here - I'm hoping it will help to keep me accountable!
I am prone to setting myself absolutely impossible goals. My logic is simple but completely stupid - Nanowrimo works for me, ergo I can handle large and impossible goals. What I fail to realise is that Nano may be a large goal, but on a daily level, it is attainable (1,667 words a day). And during Nano, I somewhat suspend normal service. Friends see me less often, the blog isn't updated as much, I write during lunch hours instead of running errands. I can't sustain this year-round.
In spite of this, with a delicious empty year stretching before me, it's tempting to write a list of goals taller than I am (not as difficult as it sounds, I'm about 5'3). But I have to be mindful of reality.
I work full-time in a job that alternates between being very stressful and not at all stressful, so I can't guarantee a regular amount of spare mental time. Some days I want to go home from work and switch my brain off - other days I go home from work raring to get cracking on my novel. But I can't promise I'll write every day.
I occasionally enjoy eating food, reading books, showering and sleeping. And three, I've had a few health problems lately. Burning the midnight oil is clearly not for this migraine-ridden hypochondriac. . .
This year, I am trying to be realistic for a change. So here goes:
Goals for 2012
I am prone to setting myself absolutely impossible goals. My logic is simple but completely stupid - Nanowrimo works for me, ergo I can handle large and impossible goals. What I fail to realise is that Nano may be a large goal, but on a daily level, it is attainable (1,667 words a day). And during Nano, I somewhat suspend normal service. Friends see me less often, the blog isn't updated as much, I write during lunch hours instead of running errands. I can't sustain this year-round.
In spite of this, with a delicious empty year stretching before me, it's tempting to write a list of goals taller than I am (not as difficult as it sounds, I'm about 5'3). But I have to be mindful of reality.
I work full-time in a job that alternates between being very stressful and not at all stressful, so I can't guarantee a regular amount of spare mental time. Some days I want to go home from work and switch my brain off - other days I go home from work raring to get cracking on my novel. But I can't promise I'll write every day.
I occasionally enjoy eating food, reading books, showering and sleeping. And three, I've had a few health problems lately. Burning the midnight oil is clearly not for this migraine-ridden hypochondriac. . .
This year, I am trying to be realistic for a change. So here goes:
Goals for 2012
- Finish Curse of the Carberrys (currently about 55k, maybe two-thirds of the way through the plot)
- Edit Curse of the Carberrys (this includes getting feedback from beta writers, crying over the harsh comments, consuming Ben & Jerry's to console self after harsh comments, resolving to never write again and resolving to write the best book ever to'show' my enemies in unspecified fashion)
- Finish the third draft/final edit of Crooked Paths (2010's Nanowrimo project, better known to blog readers as 'Becky')
- Query agents with a manuscript I'm happy with
- ML for Nanowrimo again
- Win Nanowrimo again
- Start research on a non-fiction project
- Try my hand at writing a short story
- Write articles (aim for one per month) and submit to publications
- Update this blog twice a week and stay active on Blogger and Twitter
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2012 - Goal Setting from Someone Other Than Me
Happy 2012, everyone! I hope this turns out to be a wonderful year and everyone's writing - and non-writing - dreams come true.
A new year is traditionally a time for looking back, reviewing, and setting goals. I don't know much about this, but the good news is that after a short review, I'll be turning you over to someone who does :)
2011
Good stuff
* I finished the second draft of Becky, my 2010 Nanowrimo novel, which included a much-improved ending.
* Was a co-ML for Nanowrimo again
* Won Nanowrimo in spite of a few health problems surfacing that month
* Actually quite liked the book I started during Nano
* Had a piece published in a national magazine (nationally distributed in a tiny country, admittedly, but still!)
Not so good stuff
* Decided to rewrite Becky a third time, so didn't query at all as I felt it wasn't strong enough.
* Didn't make my personal Nano target of a completed first draft. and also didn't manage to do that by the end of December, either.
* Didn't get paid for any writing.
So I have some things to build on, and some things to improve. It could be worse!
I am not very good at goal-setting. I either go for crtazily unattainable goals in the hope that they will motivate me, or I set the bar so low that I become complacent and keep telling myself it'll be so easy that I don't have to strat working yet, until the deadline sneaks up on me, coshes me over the head and steals my self-respect.
Christine, however, seems to be rather good at it, so I'm going to direct anyone setting goals for 2012 - and indeed, anyone who ins't, because her positive attitude is infectious! - to her fantastic blog. I found these posts especially helpful:
Christine's method of goal-setting
An example of Christine's completed goal list
Some proof that her method works for her!
There are a few reasons why I think Christine, who doesn't claim to be an expert goal-setter, is a fantastic resource. Firstly, she is a devoted wife and mom who blogs about the very real challenges of handling a home, family and writing career simultaneously. She also takes herself incredibly seriously as a writer, even though she hasn't published yet (and once you get to know her, you'll see the emphasis is on the 'yet'). Too many unpublished writers don't take themself seriously, and Christine's kooky system of paying herself in quarters and for rejections always makes me smile!
And finally, Christine embodies a lesson every writer needs - be flexible. She says:
My goals aren't immovable objects I must reach. They are check points along life's highway. Sometimes they are easy hills to climb and conquer. Other times they are not. Occasionally, life throws me a curveball, and I have to take a detour which leads to unexpected places. And then my life journey's GPS signal has to recalculate the route.
Amen. Sometimes life gets in the way - work becomes demanding, family members fall ill, friends are inconsiderately born at a time of year when your book is at a critical stage. And we give ourselves plenty of flack for not writing often enough, well enough or artistically enough. The art of giving oneself a break is a key one for all writers to learn.
So what are your goals for 2012? I'll be sharing my full list on Friday but would love some inspiration before then!
A new year is traditionally a time for looking back, reviewing, and setting goals. I don't know much about this, but the good news is that after a short review, I'll be turning you over to someone who does :)
2011
Good stuff
* I finished the second draft of Becky, my 2010 Nanowrimo novel, which included a much-improved ending.
* Was a co-ML for Nanowrimo again
* Won Nanowrimo in spite of a few health problems surfacing that month
* Actually quite liked the book I started during Nano
* Had a piece published in a national magazine (nationally distributed in a tiny country, admittedly, but still!)
Not so good stuff
* Decided to rewrite Becky a third time, so didn't query at all as I felt it wasn't strong enough.
* Didn't make my personal Nano target of a completed first draft. and also didn't manage to do that by the end of December, either.
* Didn't get paid for any writing.
So I have some things to build on, and some things to improve. It could be worse!
I am not very good at goal-setting. I either go for crtazily unattainable goals in the hope that they will motivate me, or I set the bar so low that I become complacent and keep telling myself it'll be so easy that I don't have to strat working yet, until the deadline sneaks up on me, coshes me over the head and steals my self-respect.
Christine, however, seems to be rather good at it, so I'm going to direct anyone setting goals for 2012 - and indeed, anyone who ins't, because her positive attitude is infectious! - to her fantastic blog. I found these posts especially helpful:
Christine's method of goal-setting
An example of Christine's completed goal list
Some proof that her method works for her!
There are a few reasons why I think Christine, who doesn't claim to be an expert goal-setter, is a fantastic resource. Firstly, she is a devoted wife and mom who blogs about the very real challenges of handling a home, family and writing career simultaneously. She also takes herself incredibly seriously as a writer, even though she hasn't published yet (and once you get to know her, you'll see the emphasis is on the 'yet'). Too many unpublished writers don't take themself seriously, and Christine's kooky system of paying herself in quarters and for rejections always makes me smile!
And finally, Christine embodies a lesson every writer needs - be flexible. She says:
My goals aren't immovable objects I must reach. They are check points along life's highway. Sometimes they are easy hills to climb and conquer. Other times they are not. Occasionally, life throws me a curveball, and I have to take a detour which leads to unexpected places. And then my life journey's GPS signal has to recalculate the route.
Amen. Sometimes life gets in the way - work becomes demanding, family members fall ill, friends are inconsiderately born at a time of year when your book is at a critical stage. And we give ourselves plenty of flack for not writing often enough, well enough or artistically enough. The art of giving oneself a break is a key one for all writers to learn.
So what are your goals for 2012? I'll be sharing my full list on Friday but would love some inspiration before then!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas in Books
So you thought you might have the good fortune to read a blog post today that didn't mention Christmas? I hope you find it, but sadly you won't find it here :)
I have this problem with Christmas in my books. Specifically, there is rather too much of it.
I usually do my first drafts in November, for Nanowrimo. This means that as I write, the Christmas party invitations are starting to trickle in. My three incredibly close friends who have the temerity to be born in early-mid December (Interrailing Buddy, Lilac Faery and The Sociologist, to be precise) are usually starting to iron out their celebrations during late November (they have lots of friends in common - sadly I am not unique in that regard! - and tend to coordinate so they don't clash. Thankfully!). And I'm starting to look for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts and to think generally celebratory thoughts.
This always spills into my books.
In Becky (sorry, still no title!), Becky's upbeat flatmate asks her about her Christmas plans. One of the key moments in Becky's journey back to being a real person as well as a job is when she realises that she has been left out of her college friends' annual Secret Santa/ Kris Kindle present exchange because she hasn't seen any of them since the previous year.
This year, I'm writing about a family, and my main character is locked in a row with her sister about what they will do on Christmas Day. It's actually one of the more serious conflicts in the novel.
I enjoy reading Christmassy books, but I don't tend to read them as much during the rest of the year.
How about you guys? Do you have any favourite Christmas books? Any Christmas books that you don't read any other time? Have you ever read a Christmassy book at another time of year, and how did you find it?
This will be my last post til January so I hope you all have a lovely holiday season!
I have this problem with Christmas in my books. Specifically, there is rather too much of it.
I usually do my first drafts in November, for Nanowrimo. This means that as I write, the Christmas party invitations are starting to trickle in. My three incredibly close friends who have the temerity to be born in early-mid December (Interrailing Buddy, Lilac Faery and The Sociologist, to be precise) are usually starting to iron out their celebrations during late November (they have lots of friends in common - sadly I am not unique in that regard! - and tend to coordinate so they don't clash. Thankfully!). And I'm starting to look for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts and to think generally celebratory thoughts.
This always spills into my books.
In Becky (sorry, still no title!), Becky's upbeat flatmate asks her about her Christmas plans. One of the key moments in Becky's journey back to being a real person as well as a job is when she realises that she has been left out of her college friends' annual Secret Santa/ Kris Kindle present exchange because she hasn't seen any of them since the previous year.
This year, I'm writing about a family, and my main character is locked in a row with her sister about what they will do on Christmas Day. It's actually one of the more serious conflicts in the novel.
I enjoy reading Christmassy books, but I don't tend to read them as much during the rest of the year.
How about you guys? Do you have any favourite Christmas books? Any Christmas books that you don't read any other time? Have you ever read a Christmassy book at another time of year, and how did you find it?
This will be my last post til January so I hope you all have a lovely holiday season!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Blogging 2012
You guys may have noticed I've been far more sporadic about my blogging lately. It started with Nanowrimo, when I was both busy and sick, and some of my health problems are stubbornly refusing to go away. Nothing serious, before anyone starts to worry, just annoying, niggly things that nevertheless have a tendency to sap energy.
I've also been plugging away at the Nano book, trying to get a first draft finished. I'm happy with how it's going, but it's very much a first draft and I suspect huge chunks won't survive the first edit.
I've been thinking a lot about blogging lately. I find I'm reading fewer blogs, commenting less and posting less. Yet, when I do take the time to read and comment, I'm enjoying blogging as much as ever. I just feel I have reached a point where I have less to say that I did.
Which is why I'm changing my posting schedule. Instead of Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I will now only be blogging twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
I figure you'd all rather read something I'd put some thought into rather than a random collection of Guardian articles desperately cobbled together for the sake of posting something!
And while I'm here - hello to all new followers and readers, and thanks for sticking with me through my sporadic blogging period. I didn't lose a single follower during my radio silence and I'm very glad :)
I've also been plugging away at the Nano book, trying to get a first draft finished. I'm happy with how it's going, but it's very much a first draft and I suspect huge chunks won't survive the first edit.
I've been thinking a lot about blogging lately. I find I'm reading fewer blogs, commenting less and posting less. Yet, when I do take the time to read and comment, I'm enjoying blogging as much as ever. I just feel I have reached a point where I have less to say that I did.
Which is why I'm changing my posting schedule. Instead of Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I will now only be blogging twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
I figure you'd all rather read something I'd put some thought into rather than a random collection of Guardian articles desperately cobbled together for the sake of posting something!
And while I'm here - hello to all new followers and readers, and thanks for sticking with me through my sporadic blogging period. I didn't lose a single follower during my radio silence and I'm very glad :)
Friday, December 16, 2011
Deja Vu Blogfest!
DL Hammons - among others - is hosting the very fun Deja-Vu Blogfest today! The idea is for bloggers to re-run their favourite old posts, perhaps from before they encountered many of their followers.
My actual favourite blog post is surprisingly popular, given that it's called 'Grabbing Life by the Bouillabaisse'. But it's only one paragraph long, so I have decided to pretend that I'm far more highbrow than I actually am by repeating a post about a book. Here is my sort-of-second, almost-joint-first, kind-of-one-and-a-halfth favourite blog post, about one my my all-time favourite books - 84 Charing Cross Road.
It's an All Bar One now.
84 Charing Cross Road, that is. The most iconic bookshop in an iconic street of bookshops. And it's a pub.
The person who first lent me 84 Charing Cross Road may be able to see the positive side of this. Me not so much.
The first time I read Helene Hanff's most famous book was in a volume that included The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, a later account of her trip to London long after the death of Frank Doel. It's a delightfully London-y book, and Helene Hanff is like a Dorothy Parker that you wouldn't be scared to invite to your parties. Smart, acerbic, New Yorker, likes martinis, but paradoxically not prone to having feuds with people and attempting suicide. What's not to love?
When I borrowed the book first, I refused to give it back until I'd bought my own copy (this is still a sore point). I knew that I could never go to London without it, because when Helene Hanff finally made her life-changing trip to London, nearly a decade before I was born, she stayed in My Bit. My Bit is Bloomsbury. Next to the British Museum, close to Russell Square (one of my all-time favourite parks), walking distance to Oxford Street, Covent Garden and - natch - Charing Cross Road. I am extremely attached to My Bit. It has pretty brown-brick buildings that remind me of seeing 10 Downing Street on TV when I was a kid. Black Books was set there. UCL and Birkbeck are there. There is a three-story branch of Paperchase on Tottenham Court Road that I once visited with a friend late on a Thursday evening in December. We got a doubled-over giggling fit in the lift in our hotel because we felt so decadent buying stationery in the dark.
Substantial parts of My Bit also got blown up in July 2005. Usually, when places I love get blown up, I book a flight to them. Like Helene Hanff, bound for London still crippled by a recent hysterectomy, I can never just go to places. Disasters tend to drive me there.
Since I read 84 Charing Cross Road, the small volume including The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street has come with me on every trip to London. My edition has a quote on the cover, taken from the publicity material for the film adaptation, which describes the book as a love story. This incensed me the first time I read it - the platonic nature of Helene Hanff's friendship with Frank Doel is the best bloody thing about the book, as far as I'm concerned - but I got over it. It is a love story - several love stories - and that's why it comes to London with me every time. Partly because the second book is a love letter to My Bit (even if Helene never went to the British Museum, mad heathen that she was), partly because the first book is all about second-hand books, which I buy in vast quantities every time I'm in London, and partly because 84, Charing Cross Road is one of the best accounts I have read about friendship and how it can begin in the strangest of circumstances and survive for so long. When you find yourself in a city that you love in the way that normal people love other people, it's nice to have something to remind you why getting on the plane home is a good idea.
Annoyingly, though, I can't go into number 84 and buy a book each trip, as a sort of thank you to Marks & Co. for making my trips richer. But even more annoying is the other book that has to come with me on every trip to London, the only other book I've read that comes close to 84, Charing Cross Road in its love for London.
Forever Amber. Forever sodding Amber. 972 pages. Do you have any idea how much that thing weighs?
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Heart in the Marketplace: What to Write
Rachelle Gardner has an excellent post today on how writers handle the conflicting messages out there: 'write with an awareness of the market' vs 'write what's in your heart'.
I am an awkward writer (I'll give you all a moment to recover from the shock of that revelation). I often write things that don't quite fit a genre. My last book was a straight-up urban fantasy. This one - well. It's a bit less straightforward. There is a supernatural element that underpins the entire plot. But the writing is much closer to chick-lit than to urban fantasy. I suspect that when the time comes to write a query letter for this one, I will cry myself stupid and bloggers in Britain will hear my screams carrying across the Irish Sea when the wind is from the west.
But I love it, and I want to write it, and I believe I can write it well. So I'm writing it. When the time comes to try to pitch it, I'll be looking at the market then and trying to find somewhere that it fits.
I think it's about balance. If I was to say to myself 'Oh, steampunk, that's hot right now!' and start bashing out a tale of - well, whatever the classic steampunk elements are, I've only read Gail Carriger - I don't imagine I'd produce anything worth reading. But that's just me - some writers are fortunate and can find scope for creativity within any parameters.
But I'm not one of those people, and so much of writing is about knowing yourself.
What about you? Do you write for the market or for yourself?
I am an awkward writer (I'll give you all a moment to recover from the shock of that revelation). I often write things that don't quite fit a genre. My last book was a straight-up urban fantasy. This one - well. It's a bit less straightforward. There is a supernatural element that underpins the entire plot. But the writing is much closer to chick-lit than to urban fantasy. I suspect that when the time comes to write a query letter for this one, I will cry myself stupid and bloggers in Britain will hear my screams carrying across the Irish Sea when the wind is from the west.
But I love it, and I want to write it, and I believe I can write it well. So I'm writing it. When the time comes to try to pitch it, I'll be looking at the market then and trying to find somewhere that it fits.
I think it's about balance. If I was to say to myself 'Oh, steampunk, that's hot right now!' and start bashing out a tale of - well, whatever the classic steampunk elements are, I've only read Gail Carriger - I don't imagine I'd produce anything worth reading. But that's just me - some writers are fortunate and can find scope for creativity within any parameters.
But I'm not one of those people, and so much of writing is about knowing yourself.
What about you? Do you write for the market or for yourself?
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Diffney Quiz - Offbeat Holiday Traditions
As many of you probably know, my dad is sadly no longer with us. He passed away sudddenly in 2005. And as all of you probably know, when the Christmas season hits, most people's minds turn to loved ones, lost or otherwise.
When I was about fifteen, my dad came home from work one evening with the Diffney quiz. Do not ask me what made him go into Diffney (he was a marine engineer, so he tended to buy very functional clothes rather than stylish ones. They tended to get covered in engine oil and dust very, very fast).
My dad loved crosswords, brainteasers and puzzles. His evening ritual was to sit with the Daily Mirror Quizword and work his way through the general knowledge clues. The Diffney quiz was designed for him.
Anyway, the entire family became addicted to it. Not just my parents and me, but the extended family. My mother posted a copy to one of her sisters, and the other sister saw it when they were having coffee together.
Slowly, it took over our December.
Right up to the February deadline, we were calling and texting back and forth from Dublin to Wexford to Scotland to Nottingham, with clues and suggestions and debates. Once you've done it once, you learn a few tricks - there is usually a clue about Diffney itself, for instance, and at least one Dublin placename and its postcode (Dublin has one-digit postcodes, the rest of Ireland doesn't, which makes internet shopping all kinds of fun). There is usually a film or two, a song lyric as well as some titles.
Like a crossword, you eventually get into the mind of the compiler. Over the years, we have all got better and better at the Diffney quiz. It is no longer the absurd challenge it was that first year (and of course, we all secretly believe it's getting easier, in the same way exams were harder when we sat them).
But the Diffney quiz is addictive. It has an odd siren song - most people can answer a lot of the questions in one sitting, easily. But the ones that you can't get nag at you and gradually take over your life so you are a mere husk of your former self.
Over the years, I've shared it with friends and family, and most people who enjoy puzzlesget quite sucked in. Sometimes you get texts at 2 a.m. that merely say 'Amazon River - 3976 miles long!!!!!!' or, if you know someone really sadistic (or sensitive about spoiling your fun) 'I got number 23. Call if you want the answer.'
I got the 2011 Diffney quiz on Friday when I was starting my Christmas shopping. Two copies go in the post, one is left blank for photocopying, one will get filled in bit by bit over the next few weeks.
It's not quite the same without Dad, becayse he wa sthe most enthusiastic Diffney quiz lover of us all. But it is nice, every year, to watch a little of Dad come out in all of us as we trade clues and answers, jealously guard our hunches, argue for our own suggestions and shamefully resort to Google when we're desperate.
For me, Christmas starts with the Diffney quiz.
Any odd holiday traditions in your family?
When I was about fifteen, my dad came home from work one evening with the Diffney quiz. Do not ask me what made him go into Diffney (he was a marine engineer, so he tended to buy very functional clothes rather than stylish ones. They tended to get covered in engine oil and dust very, very fast).
My dad loved crosswords, brainteasers and puzzles. His evening ritual was to sit with the Daily Mirror Quizword and work his way through the general knowledge clues. The Diffney quiz was designed for him.
Anyway, the entire family became addicted to it. Not just my parents and me, but the extended family. My mother posted a copy to one of her sisters, and the other sister saw it when they were having coffee together.
Slowly, it took over our December.
Right up to the February deadline, we were calling and texting back and forth from Dublin to Wexford to Scotland to Nottingham, with clues and suggestions and debates. Once you've done it once, you learn a few tricks - there is usually a clue about Diffney itself, for instance, and at least one Dublin placename and its postcode (Dublin has one-digit postcodes, the rest of Ireland doesn't, which makes internet shopping all kinds of fun). There is usually a film or two, a song lyric as well as some titles.
Like a crossword, you eventually get into the mind of the compiler. Over the years, we have all got better and better at the Diffney quiz. It is no longer the absurd challenge it was that first year (and of course, we all secretly believe it's getting easier, in the same way exams were harder when we sat them).
But the Diffney quiz is addictive. It has an odd siren song - most people can answer a lot of the questions in one sitting, easily. But the ones that you can't get nag at you and gradually take over your life so you are a mere husk of your former self.
Over the years, I've shared it with friends and family, and most people who enjoy puzzlesget quite sucked in. Sometimes you get texts at 2 a.m. that merely say 'Amazon River - 3976 miles long!!!!!!' or, if you know someone really sadistic (or sensitive about spoiling your fun) 'I got number 23. Call if you want the answer.'
I got the 2011 Diffney quiz on Friday when I was starting my Christmas shopping. Two copies go in the post, one is left blank for photocopying, one will get filled in bit by bit over the next few weeks.
It's not quite the same without Dad, becayse he wa sthe most enthusiastic Diffney quiz lover of us all. But it is nice, every year, to watch a little of Dad come out in all of us as we trade clues and answers, jealously guard our hunches, argue for our own suggestions and shamefully resort to Google when we're desperate.
For me, Christmas starts with the Diffney quiz.
Any odd holiday traditions in your family?
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
50K in 30 days - The End of a Tough Nanowrimo
Guys, I have neglected my blog, Twitter, Facebook and almost everything else for the last few weeks. Thanks for hanging around :)
November was a tough month this year. First ever migraine, some panic issues, four days off from my day job due to another illness. Overall, I lost about nine or ten days of writing time to various illnesses and ailments.
Last night, while in Writer Friend's living room, I crossed the 50k finishing line. There are rumours that I may have done a happy dance in the kitchen while Writer Friend continued to type frantically in the other room, but so far these remain unconfirmed.
I learned a lot this month. I learned that, when you fall behind with a goal, there's no sense in deciding all is lost and abandoning it. I wanted to do that very badly when I found myself almost 6k behind target. But I figured I would feel worse if I gave up (I'm an ML, and Nano HQ ask us to try very hard to win to keep our region's Wrimos motivated).
Every time I thought about that almost-6k deficit, it felt insurmountable. There was no way I could make that up. Instead, I focused on making up as much as I could. Some days I just wrote my bare minimum target (1667 per day) and made sure I didn't increase the deficit. Other days, I managed to bash out an additional thousand words. Other days it was an additional 500 words. Slowly, the deficit got smaller.
I'm reminded of W. C. Fields's wonderful line - 'If it first you don't succeed, try, try and try again. Then quit. There's no point being a damned fool about it.'
Sometimes you do just have to give up, when something is genuinely impossible. Sometimes, it's worth hanging on and chipping away.
I'm not finished writing this book yet - I think there is about a month of work left in it, so I'm hoping, with luck, to finish the first draft by Christmas. We all know that writing a book is a long journey. Taking the first steps this November was tough, but ultimately it's been very rewarding.
Also, I had celebratory chocolate. And tonight there will be celebratory dinner. Any excuse :p
So how have you guys been while I've been flicking between Nanowrimo.org, WriteOrDie.com and OpenOffice? Any news? What did I miss? :)
November was a tough month this year. First ever migraine, some panic issues, four days off from my day job due to another illness. Overall, I lost about nine or ten days of writing time to various illnesses and ailments.
Last night, while in Writer Friend's living room, I crossed the 50k finishing line. There are rumours that I may have done a happy dance in the kitchen while Writer Friend continued to type frantically in the other room, but so far these remain unconfirmed.
I learned a lot this month. I learned that, when you fall behind with a goal, there's no sense in deciding all is lost and abandoning it. I wanted to do that very badly when I found myself almost 6k behind target. But I figured I would feel worse if I gave up (I'm an ML, and Nano HQ ask us to try very hard to win to keep our region's Wrimos motivated).
Every time I thought about that almost-6k deficit, it felt insurmountable. There was no way I could make that up. Instead, I focused on making up as much as I could. Some days I just wrote my bare minimum target (1667 per day) and made sure I didn't increase the deficit. Other days, I managed to bash out an additional thousand words. Other days it was an additional 500 words. Slowly, the deficit got smaller.
I'm reminded of W. C. Fields's wonderful line - 'If it first you don't succeed, try, try and try again. Then quit. There's no point being a damned fool about it.'
Sometimes you do just have to give up, when something is genuinely impossible. Sometimes, it's worth hanging on and chipping away.
I'm not finished writing this book yet - I think there is about a month of work left in it, so I'm hoping, with luck, to finish the first draft by Christmas. We all know that writing a book is a long journey. Taking the first steps this November was tough, but ultimately it's been very rewarding.
Also, I had celebratory chocolate. And tonight there will be celebratory dinner. Any excuse :p
So how have you guys been while I've been flicking between Nanowrimo.org, WriteOrDie.com and OpenOffice? Any news? What did I miss? :)
Friday, November 25, 2011
Saying Thanks
Fellow Irish blogger Paul is talking about being thankful today. I agree that, in spite of living in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, it is nice to take some time to feel gratitude, so I'm going to post about that today.
Right now I'm off work sick. This month I joined the reluctant club of migraine sufferers. I'm behind on Nanowrimo. Due to my various health issues, typing is hard - I can't focus on computer screens for as long as usual, and I'm more prone to typos and stupid errors, which makes me feel like I'm losing my mind or my ability to write. It's scary, even though I'm sure it's temporary.
But even in the face of these setbacks, it's important to be grateful for what I have.
I can write. I may be behind with Nano, but I'm also 40,000 words into a new book that I'm really enjoying writing. Yes, I've been quite ill this month and my panic hasn't exactly been great either, but I'm thankful it's nothing more serious! Migraines can be debilitating and are deeply unpleasant, but they can often be managed, and they're certainly less debilitating than a lot of other conditions out there.
I'm thankful for the fact my blog followers haven't all vanished in the wake of my posting famine in the last few weeks.
I'm thankful for all the love and support I have in my life.
Hope all my US friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you enjoy a year full of things to be grateful for.
Right now I'm off work sick. This month I joined the reluctant club of migraine sufferers. I'm behind on Nanowrimo. Due to my various health issues, typing is hard - I can't focus on computer screens for as long as usual, and I'm more prone to typos and stupid errors, which makes me feel like I'm losing my mind or my ability to write. It's scary, even though I'm sure it's temporary.
But even in the face of these setbacks, it's important to be grateful for what I have.
I can write. I may be behind with Nano, but I'm also 40,000 words into a new book that I'm really enjoying writing. Yes, I've been quite ill this month and my panic hasn't exactly been great either, but I'm thankful it's nothing more serious! Migraines can be debilitating and are deeply unpleasant, but they can often be managed, and they're certainly less debilitating than a lot of other conditions out there.
I'm thankful for the fact my blog followers haven't all vanished in the wake of my posting famine in the last few weeks.
I'm thankful for all the love and support I have in my life.
Hope all my US friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you enjoy a year full of things to be grateful for.
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