Enjoying the freewrite

Well, I didn't mean to ignore my blog for a week, but I knew things would be hectic. We were in Wyoming last week, at a family reunion on the Tippetts' side, and that was really, really great. I managed to get sick, though, and missed out on the family camping trip, and then I passed the virus along to my husband and son. Trevor was home from work today, sleeping, and my son had to go to the emergency room last night. He's fine, but because he'd thrown up a few times they wanted to make sure he wasn't dehydrated.

So, anyway, I was rambling on about freewriting last post. As I've gotten back into freewriting with this latest project, I'm remembering that one of the biggest challenges is enjoying the process. That isn't to say that freewriting is especially hard or arduous. Really, it's rather a lot like running off at the mouth, only writing it down, and hey, who doesn't excel at that? Enjoyment is necessary, though, or else all you end up with are pointless ramblings on a page. I can derive enjoyment from venting anger, working out a sticky problem, or just being whimsical. All that is essential is that I'm doing something that keeps me interested and engaged, because if it doesn't interest and captivate me, it surely won't interest anyone else.

When writing, I always assume there's a multiplier effect (yes, I was an econ major in college :-). If my interest is 1 (say that equals: "hmmm, yeah, okay, I'll keep going with this") the audience interest is .1 (which equals: "okay, bored now. Wonder what other books are on this bookstore shelf?") .1 may even be a little generous. It's necessary to be passionate about what you're writing because people will pick up the essence of that passion when they read. It doesn't matter what sparks the passion, only that it's there, and I use freewriting to empty myself out and find what gets my emotions rolling. I've had some success over the past few months with projects I plotted and planned out, and that's great. They sold, and they feel very complete and polished to me, but I'm remembering how important it is to not let myself sink too deeply into that groove. What I've written is a complete mess, but it occupies my mind even when I'm not writing it, which means I'm on to something and ready to see where it takes me.

We'll see if it results in something publishable!

Freewriting

Things are hectic around the upcoming holiday weekend, so I'm not posting as often as I'd like. A friend of mine pointed out on Facebook that my last post was full of so much writer jargon that it made little sense to him. Once I realized that, I figured I could spend a few postings deciphering the jargon.

Freewriting was one term I used. Anyone who's seen the movie Finding Forrester has seen freerwriting. Sean Connery's character does it when teaching the main character how to get going on a project. The idea is that you put your fingers to the keyboard and just write whatever comes to you. Start it like a diary entry, or describe what you see on the wall opposite you, or make up a story to explain what the people outside your window are talking about. The idea is to just get going and keep the words flowing.

The result, when it works like it should, is a lot of fresh prose with ideas pulled off the back of your brain. This is an excellent way to discover new characters or themes or even plot ideas. It doesn't often work well for, say, writing an entire piece. Although some of my favorite stories have that fresh, flowing, freewritten feel. The Last Unicorn springs to mind, though I don't know if Peter S. Beagle actually freewrote it.

I realized when I started freewriting to come up with my next YA project that it's been far too long since I've done this exercise. I've planned and plotted and troubleshot everything I've done recently before I even started the first draft. I definitely need a change of pace.

Finishing buzz

There's nothing quite like feeling done with a project. It's finally come together and done what you want it to do. I think I've been on a finishing buzz high these last two weeks as I turned in the edits on a novel and now finished the major edits on my Chinese themed short story. Extra thanks to Trevor, Char, and Samantha Ling for their crits (and Ling's story is wonderful, I hafta say.)

I guess short story writing is the key to feeling that finishing buzz more often. If only I were any good at it... As S.M. Stirling puts it, writing a short story is like trying to stuff a cat into a Coke bottle without breaking bones. Some people excel at this (and by that I mean short story writing - if I know anyone good at cat stuffing, I'd prefer not to know who they are). I do not, but short stories are great exercise, I think. They take as much work as novels and pay a lot less, but you really have to know how to build a scene and structure a plot to make them work.

So, I've started another novel, and in a break from the norm, it's starting as a freewrite project. I feel my YA science fiction needs some fresh ideas and a new direction. Freewriting will either give it that, or it'll at least pass some time until a more intelligent idea comes along.

Edward v. Buffy

Funnily enough, Shiny just posted this on their site too (no wonder I like those people!) Anyway, this gave me a good laugh. Yeah, it's a rather obvious statement to make, but you know? It's well said all the same.