Writers in the Storm

Nicole Winters

Years ago, I remember listening to writers lament about the perils of research. I thought, how terrible to psych yourself out of a wonderful story before you’ve even begun.

Now, before I continue, let’s be clear, what I do is probably more suitable for the contemporary fiction writer. Someone who, say, wants to set their story in an arena they know a bit about already. I’m certainly no expert when it comes to nonfiction or historical writing.

A few years ago, when I was presented with the opportunity to write TT FULL THROTTLE, a YA novel based upon the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races (European motorcycle road racing) I jumped at it; I like sports and motorcycles.

However, even though I knew the basics about the TT Races, I’ve never raced a motorcycle on a racetrack. I’m not a race mechanic, and I’ve never been part of a pit crew. I needed to research, a lot. And I needed a game plan, so I didn’t get bogged down.

My research secrets:

1. Every time you come across something technical type the letters “TK” and move on.

Yup. That’s it.

“TK” is my fancy pants way of saying “Technical. I’ll get to it later, but right now I’m in the middle of writing here.” This allows me to not get bogged down with research, but instead, focus on the emotional arc of the scene. Use whatever code works for you.

Here’s an example of a draft scene between my hero (a road racer) and his love interest (a mechanic), where I didn’t know the technical words or even what kind of mechanical breakdown the race bike could have. However, that’s not what’s important. By focusing on the emotional arc, I was able to push through and write emotions into the scene.

We start working on the engine. She disassembles and I wipe down the TK-parts. We listen to classic rock songs from Manx Radio and it makes me a little nostalgic, thinking about my dad and Terry and how we used to work together late into the night like this. To pass time, they’d dish out advice on girls and my racing career, or tell stories about travelling across Canada and the US by bike in the late 80s and all the adventures they’d had.

When we work our way to the TK, Mags picks up the TK. Sure enough, it’s TK broken/damaged/cracked???

See what I did there? I didn’t let the research stop me when it could have. For the next draft I spoke with a bike mechanic and it took him about two seconds to say, “He’s got a broken counter shaft seal.”

Try adopting a code like “TK” and see if it’ll work for you. Plug it into your story as much as you want, but keep moving forward by focusing on the emotional arc. The goal is to get that first draft done, right? Empty your story onto the page, complete it, celebrate and take a break (a few weeks even), then tackle research.

So let’s fast forward...

Are you ready to have fun and dive into some research?

Let’s face it, you wouldn’t have chosen to set your story in a certain arena (cooking, road racing, dancing, etc.) unless there was something you were already curious to know more about. I’ve always been an explorer by nature, so research to me is like a new adventure.

Here’s an example of how I’m currently tackling the research for my next novel, THE CONJURER, about magic (as in regular ol’ close-up/parlor magic, not fantasy magic).

• I’ve written my first draft using TKs, and focused on the story’s structure and the hero’s arc. Where there some missing chunks all dedicated to the TK? Yup, but I didn’t sweat it. I knew the beginning, middle and end.
• During the first draft resting period, I binge watched magician videos, documentaries, etc. and started reading blogs and following magicians on social media.
• I looked up magician organizations in my area to find out where and when they meet. A quick email to the president, introducing myself and my project, and the next thing I know I’m invited to attend a meeting. Once there, I introduced myself and then sat back, kept quiet and watched magicians in their natural habitat. I did not force my questions or even presence onto people (my magic trick was to ‘disappear’ so they wouldn’t be self-conscious of me being there watching and listening). It took a couple of meetings for members to realize I was sincere in my craft and now I have a wealth of experts who approach me asking if they can help or answer questions. Awesomesauce!

I feel like I am now part of a terrific community who loves what they do. (BTW, I attended a meeting where a famous magician taught other magicians his latest inventions/tricks — my mind was blown!)

Will I end up gutting parts of my story to rewrite according to new information in draft two? Of course! But that’s all part of the process. Personally, I think new writers place too much pressure on the first draft, somehow thinking that it has to be perfect.

Belch… I consider all my first drafts as a “dawg’s breakfast” (said in a thick Southern drawl) because to me, that’s what it is.

My novels tend to go through 3-5 drafts before the polish (and yes some TKs linger throughout several drafts, but that’s okay). I just don’t want to spend any more time on the first draft psyching myself out. I write it, leave it, assess it, devise an action plan, and move onto draft two.

I’m someone who’s constantly trying new ways to strengthen my craft. I hope this makes sense and inspires you to give it a try. Let me know how it goes.

What research hacks push you through the first draft? Share your tricks down in the comments.

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p.s. Don't forget to join the Write Up a Storm Event - coming Monday Oct 12!

About Nicole

 

Nicole has an English B.A. from the University of Toronto and loves, books, bikes, horror films and globe hopping. Her debut romance novel, THE JOCK AND THE FAT CHICK hits the e-book stands October 13^th. Nicole is currently at work on her third book involving magic called, The Conjurer.

Cool dudes and motorcycles: TT Full Throttle
Hot guys and romance: The Jock And The Fat Chick

Social hashtags: #rebellious #allthingsfunny #dudevoice
#braaap! #bodyacceptance #hotYARomance

Connect with Nicole via Twitter, her blog, or www.nicolewintersauthor.com.

Colleen M. Story

My first book is scheduled to come out the last week in September.

It’s an interesting time for me. As I look back over the last nearly 20 years of writing (I’ve worked full-time as a writer since 1997), I realize I’ve had a lot of illusions about what this time would be like. I think as young writers we tend to imagine that our writing lives will peak with publication.

Turns out it’s not really like that. Already I have so much to do in the coming months to market the book. Soon I’ll be starting edits on the second novel I have under contract. And there’s my work in progress, which is still, well, in progress.

Publication now feels less like a peak and more like a change in course, after which the journey continues…uphill.

No matter how you look at it, though, publication—especially the first one—is a milestone, which invites reflection. What have I learned along the way?

1. I should have been more careful with critiques.

As writers, we’re all told we need to get feedback on our work. I still believe that’s true, but I now know it’s extremely important to be careful with critiques. In my early years, I tended to believe most everything a teacher/editor/other writer would tell me. After all, they all had more experience than I did.

Plus, like most creative people, I heard the negative comments a lot more clearly than the positive. Which wasn’t good for my confidence as a young writer, or my progress toward becoming a published novelist.

After years of receiving critiques at conferences and contests, as well as hiring professional editors, I now know how subjective these things are. Some contests deliver three separate critiques, for example, and I’m still amazed at how different they can be. One reviewer will heap praise on a piece of writing while another will give it only mediocre marks. One will say the dialogue is natural and well done, while another will say the dialogue, especially, needs work.

Today, when reading critiques, I take most of the comments with a grain of salt. It’s only those that ring true for me on an intuitive level—the ones that I respond to in my gut—that I pay attention to. The rest I do my best to forget.

It was John Steinbeck who said, “Unless a reviewer has the courage to give you unqualified praise, I say ignore the bastard.” 

2. I should have discovered my weaknesses earlier.

It wasn’t until several years into my fiction writing practice that I found a really good editor who pointed out that I needed to work on plot. She had struggled with it, too, and told me how she had practiced to improve her skills.

That feedback was invaluable to me. I dove into plotting as if I was back in college. I bought books, took classes, made outlines, and studied story structure. Soon, I was getting consistent positive feedback about my plots. Did that ever feel great!

Looking back, I realize I could have advanced more quickly if I had discovered my weaknesses earlier. How? By researching and finding writing mentors who knew what they were doing, and were genuinely interested in helping young writers succeed—and then being willing to invest in their guidance.

3. I should have started with small publishers.

We all dream of publishing with the big guns when we start out. We want names like Penguin, Random House, Tor, and the like on the title pages of our books.

We submit to those giants. And we wait. And we wait. Most large publishers take up to six months to get back to you, if they ever do get back to you. (Many these days make no response at all if they’re not interested in the story.) That’s a lot of time wasted.

There are some new writers who break through to these publishers on their first try, but the odds are against us. Meanwhile, a number of reputable small publishers are very eager to find new writers, and committed to representing work they believe in.

If I had started with these publishers, I might have gotten a contract much earlier, and been further along in my fiction-writing career today. 

4. I should have submitted a lot more.

As a young writer, I would send my story out to a couple publishers, and then wait for their responses. When I received rejections, I would feel disappointed, and question my abilities as a writer. I doubted I would ever get “good enough” to be published.

All these negative feelings would prevent me from submitting again for a considerable amount of time. This happened a lot with my (now) first-published book. Years passed and I wrote other novels I didn’t try to publish. For some reason, the characters in this one stayed in my head, the story still alive in my thoughts. One day, I got a little angry. Heck with it, I thought. I’ll just send the darn thing back out there. 

This time, I sent it to several small publishers. That resulted in a publishing contract. After I signed the contract, I was still receiving requests for the full manuscript from other publishers.

Was it just coincidence? Timing? Could have been, but I’m more likely to believe that if I had been more aggressive in my submissions earlier on, the book would have found a home years before it did. 

5. I should have paid more attention to positive comments.

When submitting this story to publishers early on, I received several positive comments. Way back in 2005, I got a handwritten note on a rejection letter that said:

“Great story idea. Not right for us but keep going. You will find a publisher for this book.”

That note made me happy, but I too quickly allowed rejections to overpower the encouragement. Looking back, I should have framed that letter, along with all the other encouraging notes that came in over the years, or at least put them somewhere I could see them now and then.

We writers are way too sensitive to negative feedback. We need to take any positive feedback just as seriously, if not more so. 

6. I should have thought long-term.

We think our writing careers start with publication, but that’s not true, especially in today’s world. Now, authors are required to do the majority of the marketing for their own books. That means creating a platform as early as possible, and growing it over time.

This is something I didn’t understand until late in the game—partly because the radical changes in publishing happened quickly, and partly because this whole idea of building a platform was practically nonexistent when I first started out.

Looking back, I realize I would have been better off if I had taken a long-term view of my fiction-writing career. I was too limited, thinking it was all about getting better and getting a publishing contract. Both of those things are still key to succeeding, but now it’s also important to have a solid presence online, and to be continually working to attract an audience, book or not.

I’ve never had a problem running my freelance business as a business, but fiction felt different to me. It was more my joy, and my dream. Now that I have my first book coming out, I realize that a lot of the things I’ve been doing in my freelance business I could have been doing for my fiction writing, too.

7. I should have believed in myself.

This is the hardest one. When you’re all alone, working away day after day, year after year, it’s very difficult to believe that one day, you’ll be signing a book contract, and one day soon after that, you’ll be preparing for the launch of your first book.

We pay for not believing in ourselves. It holds us back. It stops us from fully investing in our dreams. I was never sure if my novels would be published, ever, so fiction writing remained something I did in my off hours.

Don’t get me wrong. I worked my tail off. Having a full-time job was something I had to do, and squeezing writing in after that was never easy. I dedicated myself to practicing, studying, and learning, but I felt almost guilty about it, like it was a self-indulgent thing to do, to spend all that time on something that might never culminate in an actual published book, or (gulp) a fiction writing career.

If I had believed in myself wholeheartedly, I might have done a better job of paving the way for myself. I might have gotten more done on my platform, for example, or felt more confident about devoting the time and resources needed to support my writing dreams.

Hindsight is twenty-twenty, as they say. I made mistakes along the way. I hope others might learn from them, but I also hope that we can all feel more entitled to make mistakes. We often fear getting it wrong, but there’s no way to learn in this field without messing up every once in a while.

Make mistakes. Go for it. Believe in yourself. If you keep at it, one day, you will succeed.

Did you make mistakes before receiving a publishing contract? Or do you worry you might? Please share your thoughts with our readers.

 

 Colleen M. Story writes young adult fantasy and adult literary novels. She’s also a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the health and wellness field. Her first book, Rise of the Sidenah, is scheduled for a September 24, 2015 release. Find more on her website, ColleenMStory.com, and at WritingandWellness.com, or follow her on Twitter: @colleen_m_story.

Rise of the Sidenah is a magical fantasy about a young sculptress forbidden from practicing her art, until a powerful man offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse. He draws her into a world of deceit, murder, and betrayal, leaving her no choice but to engage him in battle to save the ones she loves.

 

Kathryn Craft

Turning Whine Into Gold

Today I am a brand-new, improved model of “Kathryn Craft, Author” thanks to the Women’s Fiction Writers Association retreat in Albuquerque this past weekend. I am no stranger to the benefits of retreating. Each spring and fall for the past eight years I’ve hosted writing retreats for women at my lakeside summer home in northern New York State. Here is what retreat means to me.

Retreat: A period of group withdrawal for meditation, study, or instruction under a director.

“Silence creates room for breakthroughs,” said a recent Facebook meme. Nothing is more seductive to a creative person than enough solitude to hear her own thoughts. Of course sudden silence can also freeze you solid, which is why many retreats offer creative exercises to get the juices flowing.

But the chance to really focus once you find your groove? Ahhh. I’ll let one of my first-time retreaters summarize: “I parked my car on Thursday and didn’t have reason to move it until Sunday.”

We women get that. But we also like to be alone…together.

I have found that a few days of nutritious food you didn’t have to prepare, a gorgeous setting provided by the Great Creator, a little fun you didn’t have to orchestrate, meditation or stretching you never take the time to do, wine around a campfire, and camaraderie among like-minded women goes a long way toward shedding the everyday stress that can keep a muse at bay.

Retreat: A place of privacy or safety; a refuge.

To create the kind of emotional experience our readers want, we authors must draw again and again from our own painful memories in a way that can leave us feeling exposed, vulnerable, and drained. Nature offers constant inspiration for renewal.

When my writing seems to ask too much of me, I know all is well when I see a loon bob to the lake surface with a fish in its mouth or a great blue heron soar over the water with its crooked neck and six-foot wingspan.

Retreat: The process of receding from a position or state attained.

All publication seekers want is to find that hidden trapdoor and sneak through. But once “safely” on the other side we find an industry that encourages us to take bigger and bigger risks. Which means that we might fail big. In public. Even as bad reviews stick like darts in our skin and rejected proposals cramp our composure we’ll slap promotional smiles on our faces because we earned our way through that door, and dagnabbit, we don’t want to slip back through. White-knuckling it takes a lot of energy and does nothing to improve our writing.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the much-anticipated book on creativity that came out last week, Big Magic, once said to Oprah Winfrey, “If you are going to step up and answer the call, get ready, because this is not a day at the beach. Expect to be challenged. Expect to be hurt. Expect to feel lost. Expect to feel despair. Expect to be double-guessing yourself at every turn.” Retreat allows new strength to well within us so that we are ready—in fact, eager—to re-enter the fray.

Retreat: The usually forced withdrawal of soldiers from an enemy because the enemy is winning or has won a battle.

Retreat is not surrender, nor is it cowardice. It is a wise reallocation and renewal of resources in an attempt to win the war. It is that moment in every epic story where ammunition is spent and our hero hides to regroup before the final climactic push. Now I don’t know about you, but if I’m going down, I’m going with a rebel yell and guns a-blazing like Butch Cassidy because we storytellers don’t just want to write good stories, we want to live them.

Writers who make it do so because they never give up. We know this. But when our supplies run low and our defenses weaken we can’t stay on the front lines taking bullets, no matter how good a soldier we want to be. We need to look at the big picture, like good generals. Adopt a strategy that allows backing off, tending wounds, regrouping.

Re-treat.

We don’t need Maui or Paris to treat ourselves once again to the riches of self-care, gentle exercise, creative stimulus, and schedule surrender. Or do we? In what ways, lavish or frugal, have re-centered within the sacred creative act? If you go on writing retreats, what has been your greatest benefit?

About Kathryn

Kathryn Craft is the author of two novels from Sourcebooks: The Art of Falling, and The Far End of Happy.

Her work as a developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com, specializing in storytelling structure and writing craft, follows a nineteen-year career as a dance critic. Long a leader in the southeastern Pennsylvania writing scene, she hosts lakeside writing retreats for women in northern New York State, leads workshops, and speaks often about writing.

Kathryn lives with her husband in Bucks County, PA.

Twitter: @kcraftwriter
FB: KathrynCraftAuthor