Tag Archives: writer

In Writer Mode

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I’m not blogging much these days, and I honestly didn’t realize it until just a couple of days ago. I’ve been blogging regularly since June 2008 (according to the notification on my calendar app), and since that time it’s like there’s been a blog writing program constantly running in the background of my mind, always thinking of new things to blog about, always composing a post or coming up with a title. I mean it, I really like to work on my blog. At times, I’ve had to ground myself from it in order to stay on top of my bill-paying work.

About six weeks ago I started working on page 1, chapter 1 of the manuscript for West Texas Interlude, after six months of preliminary research. Finally. Writing. I jumped in headlong and have thrilled at the process of putting this manuscript together. I don’t know how to explain it to someone who doesn’t do creative work and doesn’t get to pursue their passion each day — but it’s fun, it doesn’t seem like work, and I’ve gotten lost in it over the last few weeks. I wrote an earlier post about how different the process is this time around from when I was writing the Middle Grade novel about a young girl in Yunnan — that post was written only a week after I started, and I can only say that the differences have become even more pronounced. Unlike when I wrote the MG novel, I don’t have to force myself to sit down and write each day. I don’t look at the word count at the bottom of the screen every 45 seconds. I can’t wait to get started writing each day, and some days I’ve kept writing past my usual stopping point (otherwise known as lunch). Two days last week I threw out all my afternoon tasks so I could keep working on the manuscript a few hours longer. At times I’m writing twice as many words per day as I did for the first book, in the same amount of time. I’m well on track to meet my goal of having a first draft by the first of August. I just love working on this project.

Also unlike writing the MG novel, I didn’t ground myself from blogging before I started. I told myself I would just see how it goes, I’d blog when the ideas strike, but I wouldn’t make any restrictions on myself. And thus…two blog posts this whole month. It didn’t occur to me until a day or so ago that I should probably post something, just to let people know I’m still around and this URL still functions. So, here you are. It’s all I’ve got, people, nothing more than a promise that one day I’ll get back to regularly blogging again. I know already that I’ll have a couple of things to talk about in June (one is another trip to Oregon and the other is my post-West Texas project idea), so at least there’s that to look forward to!

Until then, please forgive me for pouring all of my energy into West Texas Interlude. I’ll return shortly.

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From Research to Writing

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Once again I’ve entered into a new phase on my current work-in-progress, West Texas Interlude. Last week I made a firm step out of the research phase and into the draft writing season of the project.

It was almost two years ago that I began this phase on my first book, a middle grade novel based on the experiences of my friend Lydia in Yunnan. I’m finding, though, that this time around the writing phase is different. For one thing, I’ve been working full-time as a writer for two years now, and the day-in-day-out diligence of a writing schedule is perfectly normal to me now. When I first started writing the novel, I was staying with good friends who I would just as soon have sat around drinking coffee with all morning than hole up in their basement to type on my laptop. It was hard making myself work. Somehow, I don’t know how, that book was eventually written.

The other major difference I’ve noticed so far in writing West Texas Interlude is that the words come much easier because they are in my own voice. The novel was written from the perspective of a 13-year-old Bulang girl. I, as you might be aware, am not a 13-year-old Bulang girl. West Texas Interlude is a non-fiction project based on my own experiences and my family’s stories. It’s just me, writing, talking to my readers (whoever they may end up being). Kind of the same way I write these blog posts. I’ve been developing my voice and style long enough now that I don’t have to work to conjure them up. It’s a wonderfully refreshing feeling, fingertips to the keyboard, words popping up on the screen.

Just as I had the hospitality of several friends in Alaska and Fort Worth to give me living and office space while writing the novel, I have friends here in the Tri-Cities who have opened their homes to me to use while they are at their day jobs. I leave my apartment by 8am each day and head over to my friends’ house to set up my mobile writing office. It’s a great set-up. More so than when I’m working on freelance projects and magazine articles, I need that separation of space from my living quarters to help me feel like, ok, I’m at work now, time to get busy.

In addition to writing West Texas Interlude in the mornings, I’m also working on a new project in the afternoons. I won’t divulge all the details about it yet, but I’ll give you a photo hint from a previous post — way previous, like May 2009 previous.

 

 

Are you hungry yet? Do you use a Kindle or a Kindle app? Check back here for more info about what I’m working on as it develops.

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The Power of Good Conversation

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It never fails that I have my best ideas for a new story or essay (or recently, an entire book) while I’m running, driving, or taking a shower — times when it’s not so easy to jot down a few notes. I don’t know why it happens that way, but it’s like something in my brain kicks into creative gear when my subconscious is aware that I can’t easily write.

More and more, though, I’m convinced that to stay sharp as a creator (whether it’s as a writer, artist, musician, technology developer, or whatever) we must have good conversation with other creators. For an introvert like myself, this is a surprising discovery, to realize that interaction with other creative friends is just as important for me as alone time with my thoughts. So much can happen in the moments when you’re bouncing ideas back and forth, when you hear someone else’s take on your project from a different angle.

At one point in my life (probably not so long ago), I feared this back and forth. I took every hint of criticism as a personal rejection rather than a suggestion for ways to sharpen my craft. I see now how prideful that fear was. I was afraid that people would see me as less than perfect, afraid that maybe I am less than perfect. A stupid fear, because duh — of course I’m less than perfect. It’s obvious. Move on to something more nuanced to deliberate over…

Recently I had the opportunity to receive feedback from someone who writes young adult fiction and is an experienced critiquer. She went through my entire manuscript and sent invaluable comments and suggestions for places to change the pacing of the story, the chapter divisions, sentence structure, grammar errors. I was ecstatic to hear back from her. I’ve looked at the manuscript of this novel so many times now, there are some things I will probably never see because my eyes just skip over it at this point. To be able to dialogue with her about the places I need to improve was a tremendous experience for me (and it proves to me that I’ve outgrown that silly prideful fear).

In providence’s strange way, my first week in Kennewick I met a group of friends who I still hang out with on a regular basis. Others in that group are also in the early stages of starting businesses and learning what it takes to become self-employed. I’ve gained so much in bouncing ideas around with them, sitting around the living room after dinner, talking about ideas for books or Android apps or Kickstarter projects or whatever.

“What do you think about…?”

“Yeah, or maybe you could….”

“Have you ever looked into…?”

“What if you tried to….”

One thing leads to another, and soon I have enough momentum to think my way into my next big project. Conversation is powerful.

 

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Beta Readers

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I didn’t know what a beta reader was until a few months ago, and now I suddenly need them.

Beta readers are the people who read a manuscript with an eye for giving constructive criticism to the writer at a later stage of the draft process. Each writer may be looking for different types of feedback, whether it be general or specific. Some may ask their beta readers to proofread for grammar and punctuation. Others, like me, need help with the broader picture of the story.

I’m a pretty compulsive proofreader, and I cringe to think of asking people to read something of mine with typos. I would rather fix those mistakes myself and get help with the things that are more difficult for me to see because of my personal connection to the story.

For this draft of my current manuscript (the young adult novel I’ve written based on my friend in China), I’ve enlisted a few beta readers to go over my novel and answer questions along these lines: Do you notice any inconsistencies? Are there characters you want to know more about? How do you feel about the descriptions of the setting? Is it enough? Do you want more? Are there sections where you find yourself thinking “this is dumb” or “I’m bored” or “I don’t want to keep reading”? How do you feel about the ending?

I hear that some people connect with other writers through Twitter or blogs or wherever and help each other out as beta readers. I considered that, but when it came down to making a decision, I felt like I knew enough people already who I trusted to give me good feedback. My mom is not one of those people. She is reading the book (or at least I gave her a copy under coercion — now that you made me hand it over, are you actually reading it, Mom?), but since she pretty much loves every word I’ve ever written, I didn’t think she was the best candidate to give honest criticism as a beta reader.

My readers are in Washington, New York, Oklahoma, West Virginia. Some are adults, some are teens. Some have known me for years, some have just met me. Some know China well, some have never visited. I think I’ve got a good mix.

Now that the book is in the hands of others, I’m feeling the anxiety of not knowing what to expect and of fearing the worst. To me, the worst is that the book is boring. I know that I have technical skill in putting together sentences that work. But this is the first time for me to put together a story this big, and I just hope that I got all the components of a good story right.

 

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The Not-So-Negatives

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In the last post (Doing Work vs Having a Job), I said I would write the next blog entry about the negatives of doing freelance work. As I sat down to write about the negative side of the not-having-a-permanent-job coin, though, I realized that the main thing I originally perceived as a negative is turning out to be a positive.

It has to do with money, you know. And where it all comes from. Sure, as a freelance writer I can take the afternoon off work to be outside in the sunshine if I feel like it, but I go without the assurance of a regular monthly paycheck.

I’m not very far into this whole freelance thing, so my experience with the financial side of it is still rather limited. But the obvious potential risk of starting a venture such as this, striking out on my own in business, is that it won’t be profitable. And eventually I won’t have money for rent or food.

Like I said, my experience is limited, so I suppose that’s all possible at some point down the road. But so far, what I have seen is that God provides for my needs. Which leads me to believe that somehow there will always be money for food and rent, or as has been the case with so many generous friends this past year, a spare bedroom will be provided.

When I say the negative is really a positive, I mean that the potential to not earn enough money and be in a desperate financial situation is real, but the opportunity I have at this point to trust God and to pray for His provision is greater than it has ever been in my life. And that is a good thing. I have missionary friends who raise their own support, and the thought of having to do that has always scared me to death. Funny that God took me out of the overseas missionary life to begin teaching me the lessons in faith that come from asking Him for my daily bread.

I’m still trying to figure it all out, how God’s grace and my faith and His provision and my work all come together. I’ll probably be trying to figure it out for the rest of my life. What I do know for now is that I pray daily for God to give me opportunities to write, for writing jobs that will earn me some money, and then I sit down and do my day’s work. And the stress that I had expected from not knowing for sure if I’ll have enough income two months from now, six months from now — honestly, that stress just isn’t there. I can’t explain it other than I’m learning to depend on God in a way I hadn’t before now.

The point that I want to convey here is not, “That’s cool, she prays and God gives her what she asks for” — because, friend, I have a whole list of things I’ve asked for and didn’t get, some of them quite important. What I really want to convey is that through seeing God’s direct provision in my work, I am coming to know God better. And knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent is ultimately what I want my life and work to be about.

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Doing Work vs Having a Job

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When I went to Wyoming for raspberry harvest last fall, I got into a discussion with one of my coworkers about doing work versus having a job. She’s a rancher, a few years younger than me, runs her own place by herself, gets up at the crack of dawn to feed all her animals and do all the other chores that need to be done on a ranch. To supplement what she makes from her place, she does odd contract jobs, like sorting raspberries during harvest. I mentioned to her that one of my goals for the coming year was to find ways to earn money as a writer so that I wouldn’t have to get a job.

“Yeah, I know, having a job really cramps my style,” she said.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to work — her daily schedule at the ranch proves that she enjoys hard work. It’s that she wants a lifestyle where she doesn’t have to get a permanent 8-to-5 job.

Same here, in case anyone is wondering. And don’t pretend like you’re not wondering. I’ve had enough people ask me in recent months, “You’re a writer, and you don’t have a job — how exactly do you have money to live?” So I know people wonder.

Inevitably, when I tell people that I am writing full-time, or that I travel as much as I have over the last year, I also get comments like, “Oh, that must be so nice, I wish I could just quit my job and travel and write.”

I’ll admit, I am fortunate to be able to do what I’ve done. I’ve seen some amazing places, and I’ve spent a lot of my time visiting friends who I wouldn’t get to see if I had to be at work in an office everyday. I am thankful for that. And I’m thankful for the generosity of so many friends and family who have helped make this possible.

But at the same time, I want it on the record that I work. A lot. Sometimes more than people who have that 8-to-5 job. I am not on a semi-permanent vacation.

Every morning I keep a regular schedule of working on my novel in hopes that it will be ready to send out to agents or publishers this summer, and I spend the rest of my work time doing writing or marketing for my freelance business. Some days writing is a chore and other days it’s great fun, but either way, I love doing it. I love that I get to do work that oftentimes doesn’t really seem like work. (Also for the record, I felt the same way about my previous job.)

I also love getting to make my own schedule. If it’s sunny outside and I want to go for a run at 2pm, I go for a run at 2pm. Or if a friend calls me to go to coffee, I go. And then I come back and work an extra hour or two after dinner to make up for that time, and I’m happy for the break in my day.

I don’t have a job, but I work.

(Next post: the difficult side of not having a permanent job)

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Back to Blogging

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I know it’s time to start blogging again when I’m driving or in the shower or on a long run, and all I can focus my thoughts on is clicking “New Post” and organizing the next two weeks’ worth of ideas into blog entries.

So I’m back!  Happy 2011, all.  The break from blogging was really great for me, a time to focus on revising my novel manuscript (chapter 1 is looking good, now on to the next twelve chapters…), working on my new writer’s website (more on that below), and writing, writing, writing, submitting, submitting, submitting.  Contests, magazines, journals, contract blogging jobs, an anthology of essays, all in the effort to find my place in the writing world.  The non-stop question in the back of my mind lately is, “Where on earth do I belong in all of this?”

Ultimately I know that I’m a pilgrim on this earth — only here for a time on this journey — and a citizen of the heavenly Kingdom, so I keep trying to refocus my thoughts in that direction when I get frustrated about not fitting in this genre or that format as a writer.  And I keep practicing my craft and reading lots of other writers and letting my thoughts take time to form and develop, always with a prayer of submission to God, asking that He would keep me on paths that are meaningful and worshipful and good.

In 2011 this leads me to poetry, a road trip with my dad from Fort Worth to Washington, vintage photos from West Texas, a desire to learn Spanish, a stack of books to read as tall as my hip, research on the conflict in Burma and the persecution of the Chin people.  You’ll see more about those topics in upcoming blog entries.

You may have already noticed some changes to the sidebar and a new page called “Freelance Work.”  I’m getting started in my freelance writing and editing business and have a new website with details about my professional services.  Please drop by to see the new site, and let me know any suggestions you have for improvement!  And please keep me in mind if you or anyone you know have writing or editing projects I can help with.  Thanks!

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Book Writing Recap

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Since I started this blog in the summer of 2008, the focus and the audience has changed somewhat.  What started as a way for me to keep my friends and family posted on life and work in China has evolved into a combination of my travel diary for this year of transition, a chronicle of my progress in writing my first novel, and just a general outlet for musings on books I’m reading or anything else that is on my mind.  The stats page for my site tells me that the number of readers has gone up a bit over the months (with a huge spike last week when two of the artists from the Love Tells the Story tour tweeted a link to my review on Twitter)—though, don’t get me wrong, this is still a rather small-time blog.  I’m OK with that.  Slowly and steadily I’m finding an audience for what I write, and I’m enjoying the time I have to focus more on writing than I ever have in my life.

Now that I’ve finished my first draft (you can read about that in “Happy but not Satisfied”), I thought it would be good to post links to a few past blog entries to recap what I’m doing during this year and how that came about.  Some of you have read these before, but others may have missed them or may be new to the blog.  Rather than rewriting a new summary of it all, it’s easier to point you in the direction of what’s already out there.

Recent Silence First mention of my wanting to write a series of books on Lydia’s life growing up in Yunnan.

Finishing Well The best explanation I’ve posted about how I came to the decision to leave China and start writing full time.

What to do with our talents A personal favorite essay, about glorifying God by using and enjoying our talents, which is my hope for this year and all my years.

The End of Idle Chatter How I stopped talking about writing and started (gasp!) writing.

Things I’ve Learned So Far About Networking A list of ways online networking has helped me (or not) in the process of telling Lydia’s story.

Texas to Alaska Why I went to the arctic to work on my book this summer, and why I am going to Washington in January.

Other People’s Thoughts: Rewriting Writing vs Having Written.

Alaska to Texas A summary of my two months writing in the arctic.

About Changes A clarification of my purpose in this year of travel and writing.

Happy but not Satisfied Celebrating the finish of my very rough first draft.  Or my very first rough draft.

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Happy but not Satisfied

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Yesterday morning, I typed those two lovely words I’ve been dreaming of for months: THE END.  My first draft of the young adult novel based on my friend Lydia is complete.  It is a rough draft, indeed, but it is a completed draft.  And for that, I am happy.

I am happy, but I am not satisfied.  Several people I’ve talked to in the last couple of days have asked the inevitable question: “So, what’s next?”  Months of rewriting and revisions, that’s what’s next.  My goal when I started typing the first page of this draft on July 8 (just four months ago!) was to get the basic story and dialog down without spending too much time over-thinking tiny details.  Just let the story flow, just type, just see where things go.

Meaning:  I have a bit of a mess on my hands now.  I have 220 double-spaced pages…and no chapter divisions.  How could I divide the story into chapters when I didn’t even know for sure where it was going or how fast?  I have some very clunky dialog, but at least I have the framework of the conversations that are important to the story.  I have minor characters who are very likely called one name in the first half and a different name in the second half.  I have Chinese and Bulang words that I haven’t taken the time to translate or explain.  I have underdeveloped antagonists and overdeveloped cultural descriptions.

But I know all those things—knew them as I went along.  I decided it would be easier for me to go back and fix things once I had a completed draft than it would be to get bogged down in correcting or elaborating or cutting away, only to get frustrated because my word count was moving too slowly, and risk getting overwhelmed and never finishing.  I have more than a little editorial tendency in me, and I’m excited at the thought of attacking this draft with an eye for sharpening what isn’t strong enough, getting rid of what doesn’t work, and generally repairing this huge mess.  I made tons of notes to myself as I wrote, and I’ll start going through and rewriting very soon.

One thing I’m more than satisfied with is my ending.  I’ve struggled with writing solid conclusions since I was in grade school, and all along this process I’ve worried about how to have an emotionally satisfying ending to this chapter in Lydia’s story, but leave things open to tell the next part in a second book.  Just in the last couple of days, the ideas started flowing, and I absolutely love the ending I wrote.  Now I don’t face these revisions with the dread that comes from knowing my ending needs a major overhaul.  Fine tuning, yes.  Major overhaul, no.

I hope to finish up drafts two, three, four, however many it takes, by next summer and begin sending out query letters to agents soon after that.  In the meantime, I’m also working to build up a freelance writing business.  Lots of learning and writing and submitting and waiting and trying again, and I’m loving pretty much every minute of it.

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Alaska to Texas

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Summer ends quickly in the arctic. By early August clouds obscured the sun, and rainy days brought a close to my time spent on the tundra or the beach. For the last three weeks I got more writing done than I ever have in my life.

One desire for this year off work has been to learn more about myself as a writer, to push myself and grow and give myself a chance to complete major projects that I’ve just never had the time to work on in more than small spurts. I wrote about that in my “Texas to Alaska” post before coming up here.

The weeks in Alaska have been wonderful in seeing that desire fulfilled. I came here with the vague goals of “nail down the main storyline” and “start writing the book.” I’m leaving with over 30,000 words of the first draft—about half of what I anticipate the total length to be—and a solid outline of what the second half will look like.

The process of getting to this point hasn’t been what I expected. I didn’t sit down and write a complete, detailed outline before fleshing out the setting and dialogue and beautifully sketched characters. The process was much more fluid. I brainstormed a very basic outline. I wrote a couple thousand words. I outlined more. I wrote a couple dozen more pages. I scratched out half the outline. I wrote a new opening scene. I added a bit more to the outline and tried to write the next couple of scenes. I gave myself a headache for five days straight because my own book was boring me to tears and I couldn’t imagine anyone else ever wanting to read it. I moved from the couch to my bed to the downstairs couch to the couch of the lady I was housesitting for. I stared at the wall or the back of my eyelids for hours, begging my poor creative self to come up with a way to make this thing more interesting, have a little tension, be building towards a climax with even a smidgen of excitement. I decided to forget it, just write the next scene, let the ideas flow and trust that the storyline would eventually come together—well, that’s what I told myself, but I didn’t fully believe it would actually happen that way.

But it did. It wasn’t easy, it’s still not finished, but the ideas are there. The potential for a climactic scene that resolves the tension of the previous 150 pages definitely exists now, where it did not exist in days and weeks previous.

That’s all I wanted out of this time in Alaska. To get to this point, to understand more what it will take for me to write this book and possibly others. I’m happy to see what it’s going to take and to have a sense that I can do this, can actually make it work.

I’m leaving for Texas today, a month early. Plans change, especially when you’ve set out to spend a year flying by the seat of your pants. In many ways my time in Kotzebue has been all I could have dreamed of for a summer in Alaska. Took a flight up the Kobuk River in a bush plane. Helped pull in salmon nets.  Saw an arctic tern.  Picked blueberries on the tundra. Ate Alaskan king crab fresh from the sea. Camped on the beach to watch the sun set after midnight. Drove a Honda 4-wheeler around town. And made memories with great friends who have included me in their family this past two months.

But the 4-wheeler gets old when it rains for days on end, and I miss my car and so many other conveniences that just can’t be found here in the arctic. You’d think that after 10 years in rural Asia I’d not have a problem going without convenience—but I guess I just wasn’t prepared to jump back into that lifestyle so soon after returning to America. That’s not the reason I’m going back to Texas early, but it’s the reason that going back early is perfectly fine with me.

So, I’ll be in Fort Worth for a few weeks. Next stop after that: Wyoming.

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