Writers in the Storm

The blank page doesn’t scare me. I’m one of those writers who has dozens of story ideas, plenty of partially written projects, and fully drafted manuscripts in various stages of editing.

However, the daunting task of getting a book all the way to “done!” is more frightening than a weekend marathon of Wes Craven movies.

Maybe you can relate.

Unfortunately, my fear doesn't motivate me to finish.

In Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, author Jon Acuff speaks about how those of us who are great at starting projects can actually manage to complete what we start. As I listened to the book (yes, listened), one particular point struck me: that we are primarily motivated either by fear or reward. Knowing which category appeals to you, and then figuring a specific incentive within that category, can spur you forward—all the way to the finish line.

Now we might all think that reward sounds much better than fear. But fear is a very useful tool for many. Here are some ways that fear could be a worthwhile motivator for writers.

• You finish writing the chapter before critique group, because you fear the disappointment or judgment of your fellow critique partners.
• You push yourself to meet your novel deadline with your editor, because you fear that poor performance will affect future contract opportunities.
• You finally finish and publish your book, because you fear not having anything to report in your annual What's Up with Us holiday letter.

Fear here doesn't mean you're cowering under your office desk or making the Edvard Munch scream face. Rather, you're motivated to avoid a negative consequence.

I'm sure you can think of times in your life that fear has proved to be a very effective motivator—whether it was studying like crazy for a final exam so you wouldn't fail a class or rehearsing what you'd say before asking someone on a date so you wouldn't come across like an idiot. If the end result was a good one, the fear worked. It did its job in motivating you.

But as I said, while fear motivates me in other areas of life, it doesn't get me to finish novels. If that's you, then maybe you're more inclined toward reward. How does reward work for writers?

• You finish writing the chapter through a series of group writing sprints, where word counts are rewarded with encouragement and congratulations.
• You push yourself to turn in your novel to your editor, and reward yourself with a night out to celebrate meeting your deadline.
• You finally finish and publish your book, and experience the reward of sending your family and friends copies as holiday gifts.

Most of us are probably motivated by a combination of fear and reward.

Once you set up incentives that work for you, you can break those down even further into smaller goals and smaller incentives.

It can be something as small as not allowing yourself to watch a TV show tonight unless and until you finish the chapter (fear). Or keeping candy bars in your desk to enjoy each time you complete writing a scene (reward).

Maybe you're like me and just happen to have a Wonder Woman cape in your closet, and you reward yourself by putting it on after every finished scene.

The point is to think about your personal history of when you've finished tasks. What motivated you to finish? Was it a fear? Was it a reward? Was it a combination? What kind of fear or reward?

And then re-create that approach with your writing.

But since a lot of what I'm talking about here comes from Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, let me add another important point from the book: You won't finish unless there's a fun factor in there somewhere.

Yeah, we're all supposed to say that writing is the fun part. But while writing can certainly be fun (or we wouldn't do it), it can also be grueling.

I don't know why. Perhaps once it's the task you should be doing, it loses a little of its spit-shined gloss.

But I do know that wearing a Wonder Woman cape while writing makes it a little more fun. (Seriously, am I the only one?)

What's your fun factor? It could be connecting with other writers and getting to share your story with them. It could be writing a few random scenes that will never show up in your final book but are a blast to pen. It could be reading your current chapter aloud to yourself in a foreign accent. It could be getting a cover designed before you finish the book, so you can imagine what it will look like when you're done.

Be intentional in contemplating what incentives you can apply that will prod you toward completion and success.

As for me, I just finished this whole post, and I feel a reward coming on. Excuse me while I go locate my Wonder Woman cape.

What motivates you to finish? Fear? Reward? And what's your fun factor?

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About Julie

Julie Glover writes cozy mysteries and young adult fiction. Her YA contemporary novel, SHARING HUNTER, finaled in the 2015 RWA® Golden Heart®. When not writing, she collects boots, practices rampant sarcasm, and advocates for good grammar and the addition of the interrobang as a much-needed punctuation mark.

Julie is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. You can visit her website here and also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Little did I suspect that texting a non-writing work friend of mine the first pictures of P.R.I.S.M. arriving on my doorstep would start a wonderful
cascade of events.

She was at a birthday party for one of our colleagues when she looked at the text. She started squealing and people wanted to know what was going on. She was one of only two people "on the job" who knew I wrote books (other than math textbooks) and was getting ready to publish one of them.  She shared the pictures and everyone wanted to congratulate me-and see the book. She decided to have a "Congratulations, you published a book" party for me. 

We set a date—a month out—so I could order books and she could give lots of notice for people to attend. It seemed like a long time...until the week before. We talked and firmed up the details. We agreed on appetizers and wine, and split the cooking prep. She wanted to give me a champagne toast and have me read something from the book. She also wanted me to talk about writing the book. I wanted to give everyone one of the cards that I make and have books to sell, if my self-professed non-reading co-workers wanted to buy a book. I wanted to show my book trailer. But I didn't want to read to my friends. 

Instead, I choose a short part from four different scenes starting at page 6 through page 258. I printed up a six-page, 1.5 spaced handout for everyone. I thought it would be fun to ask questions about what they read and give prizes, so I came up with eight questions and eight prizes. I asked my friend who has been helping me with my social media to come be in charge of selling the books and taking pictures (thanks Aleida!) so I could just enjoy the party and send people her way to pick out their "party favor" card and buy books.

Twelve colleagues-and two spouses-attended. After the champagne toast (I brought my favorite bubbly) we watched the trailer. They were very impressed with it. (I'm lucky, a friend made it for me for free!)Then they read (and read and read) the handout. I almost felt guilty at the length. But the prizes were very well received: two free e-books, a free paperback book, a small stuffed animal representing the only animal on Prism, a packet of ten handmade cards and the favorites: supply the first name of a female character in P.R.I.S.M. 2, the first name of a male character, and the last name of a character. Because there is a Convict Town on Prism, prizes could be stolen. After having her prize stolen twice, the third time one of the young teachers won a prize, she refused to say what it was because she wanted to keep what turned out to be one of the free e-books.

After the party, I'd sold four books, which was a bonus, because I hadn't thought of it as a signing party. Turns out, although everyone of the guests has my signature on something work-related, they still wanted a book signed to them by the author.  One even bought an extra book for a Christmas present for a friend. I felt honored. I'd hidden my secret well. No one had known I wrote novels. I have no idea about the conversations that took place in the work pods on Friday. But one of the English teachers came up to me at the party and said that the book was surprisingly well written. High fives to the math teacher! I told her I'd had a lot of help from critique partners and my editor.

Someone asked if I would speak at her Rotary Club meeting next month. Of course I can talk about writing the book. Who knows what that meeting will bring?

Thank you, Debbie, for a great pre-Christmas present!

 

What fun ways have you promoted your debut? Do you have tips for successful author interactions with readers?

 

ABOUT FAE:

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak. Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes  that she can live anywhere but the present. As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules.

Punished, oh-no, that’s published as a co-author of a math textbook, she yearns to hear personal stories about finding love from those who read her books, rather than the horrors of calculus lessons gone wrong.  She is grateful for good friends who remind her to do the practical things in life like grocery shop, show up at the airport for a flight and pay bills.

A “hard” scientist who avoided writing classes like the plague, she now shares her brain with characters who demand that their stories be told.  Amazing, gifted critique partners keep her on the straight and narrow. Feedback from readers keeps her fingers on the keyboard.

P.R.I.S.M., a young adult science fiction romance story of survival, betrayal, resolve, deceit, lies, and love.

When she’s not hanging out at Writers in the Storm, you can visit Fae at http://faerowen.com  or www.facebook.com/fae.rowen

Fae also blogs at YA Outside the Lines on the fifth of every month.

Ann Griffin

When, in my fifties, I learned of two cousins and an aunt I had never heard of, their story was so compelling that I decided it needed to be written, and I assigned myself the task. The protagonist and antagonist were both deceased, making it impossible to write it as biography, so I opted for a fictional version of the story, set in and around World War II.

Unfortunately, half way through my first draft, an editor gave me a reality check—or, I should say, a believability check. A husband had rejected his wife for no known reason. I thought this would be a great mystery for the story, but the editor cautioned me, “Your readers will not buy ‘no reason’. Neither will an agent.”

She taught me these lessons:

• Truth is stranger than fiction. Sometimes too strange to use.
• Fiction readers care about entertainment. They won’t know or care if the details of your non-famous family are accurate.
• Your family, however, may well care.
• You are writing fiction, not memoir or biography.

How much must you change a story to make it fiction?

Even though a family member familiar with the story might recognize him/herself in specific situations, the characters shouldn’t be too recognizable. If the scene containing a real event could be construed as a negative reflection of the real person, be prepared for some flak. For example, Matthew Hooton, the son of close friends during my children’s growing years, wrote Deloume Road, named after our street (Publisher: Knopf Canada; http://matthewhooton.com) It’s a lovely, disturbing book. While it is fiction about a child committing a serious crime, I recognized in his characters, people I knew. Some of those people were not happy with the result, feeling they were ridiculed. So, beware.

To modify your fictional characters, change their appearance, even their race, age, or gender. Journal in their voice, adding new facets of their personality.

To modify the plot, you simply need to follow the rules of craft. Main characters, conflict, rising tension, climax, denouement-- all those rules still apply. If you follow them, I guarantee the story will take off in a very different direction from reality.

Give it time. Don’t rush to write fiction about a divorce, six months after you’ve gone through one. With time, you gain some perspective, your emotions calm down, and the people involved change, move, or even pass away.

For living people who, even modified, are close to the story, tell them what you are doing and get their permission, in writing of course. (Thanks, Kathryn Craft, for this tip.) And note, it is not possible to commit libel against the dead.

You will still need to do some research, however.

Family letters give insight into the time they were written. I was blessed to have my mother’s firsthand account of travelling to England during World War II. These details are dynamite for fiction, and I used them in my upcoming book, “Another Ocean to Cross.”

Eyewitness accounts are incredibly valuable. I found a small non-fiction book about two rather clueless young American women who toured Germany in 1938, and worked some of their experience into my manuscript. Ditto the account of a woman who worked as a nurse in North Africa during WW2.

Family photos can be a treasure trove of information about clothing, hairstyles, and furnishings.

Family member interviews, if possible. Ask them the questions no-one asks – the forbidden topics.

If you are writing about a century ago or longer, chances are you won’t have eyewitness accounts or photos. Research the period in which your story occurs. Living family members may still be shocked by what you learn.

Great sources of information:

• Pinterest.com: But be careful that the photo you choose is what you’re looking for.
• Online photos: Same caution applies. And if you plan to use the photo in your book, be sure to get permission.
• Museums and local historical records.
• Libraries, especially rare book collections.
• Interlibrary loans.
• Genealogical searches, such as http://ancestry.com .
• Government statistics such as census data.
• Biographies and memoirs.
• Websites and organizations devoted to the time period.
• Wikipedia.com: Be sure to click through to the quoted sources.

Beta Readers:

I caution you against using family members as beta readers. They will say, “It didn’t happen that way!”– completely missing the point.

Get writer friends, or well-read friends to look over your first draft or two, then polish it up and send it to your editor.

 

Do you have a family story that makes be a good jumping-off point for your fiction? Do you have a question about using family history in a fictional work that Ann can help you with?

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About Ann 

Ann comes from a family of adventurous women. An immigrant twice herself (to Canada and to the USA,) she understands the challenges of being uprooted, and remaking a life in a new place.

Her mother, who wrote her life story which Ann blogged about in http://www.my101years.com , first inspired Ann with tales of life in the early twentieth century, so it was a natural step for Ann to begin writing when she discovered stories that needed a voice.

Her fictional yet factual, "Interview with John Middlemore" was published in the September issue of British Home Child Advocacy and Research Association Magazine. Her second article for the same magazine is due out in December.

She is currently blogging behind the scenes looks at writing historical fiction, and little-known facts she unearthed doing research for her first novel, Another Ocean to Cross, which is due out in March 2018.

Ann is a dual US/Canadian citizen. She divides her time between Mesa, Arizona and Toronto, Canada, with her husband, Art, and their Old English Sheepdog. When not writing, she can be found at the golf course, or singing with her church choir.

You can reach Ann on Facebook at http://facebook.com/anngriffinwriter or on Twitter at @anngborn2write. Her website is http://anngriffinwriter.com . Her blog address is http://anngriffinwriter.com/blog

Ann will be posting information about her forthcoming book, Another Ocean to Cross, including how to pre-order. To be on her mailing list, email her at info@anngriffinwriter.com .