Hour on, hour off

On her Throwing Up Words blog, Carol Williams discusses how she balances her writing with the rest of her life. The Utah writer and WIFYR mastermind writes for an hour then takes an hour off to deal with other things, then writes for an hour.

During that hour on, it is strictly writing, no Facebook, emails, or phone calls, “just me and the computer and the story and the best words I can put down.” She’s worked this out with her kids and they know interruptions aren’t allowed (though her girls do take precedence over anything).

When the hour is up, she can deal with cleaning or family matters or preparing dinner. She sets a timer and sixty minutes later it’s back to writing.

Carol tries to stick to this schedule but knows there are times when it is not possible. She is strict with it, yet lenient. She says that this approach makes it easier to quit when the time is up. Somedays she goes two hours on, two off.

She is a more dedicated writer than I. She writes at least for hours daily. Carol also has more publishers in her life pushing deadlines, a problem I would like to have.

I’m writing for at least an hour a day. (Most days. I was busy over Christmas and didn’t write for three days.) I set a timer and sitting at the keyboard for sixty minutes is manageable. When the writing is working, the time flies and the timer means I can get up, stretch, and move around before returning for more time. On days when I’m fighting the story, an hour with butt in chair is not terribly long, yet results in a word count.

I’m swinging between two projects, the one I started for NaNoMriMo and the one I’m sharing with my critique group. The plan is to alternate between the two. Spend one hour on one, get away form writing for a while, then spend an hour on the other.

Whatever your strategy, you have to make it work for you.

(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)

Obstacles

Now that November is over, we can take a breather if we were pushing for 50,000 words. I fell short, as in about halfway short. But I’ve got a story in the works.

It is a volume two to another. I was that close to sending the first to one of the agents from last summer’s WIFYR when the wonderful Carol Williams offered to take a final look at it. She found issues and raised questions. As I couldn’t satisfactorily answer them all, the story stalled.

That was August.

I’ve picked at it since, but things wouldn’t resolve themselves. I would bounce between thoughts of Carol knows what she’s talking about, but she’s just one voice and we writers are free to ignore critique suggestions, then back to she really knows children’s literature and what publishers are looking for so maybe I ought to listen to her. Nonetheless, I couldn’t see what she was talking about and couldn’t repair it.

Along came NaNo and I started the second, same characters, same voice. In the middle of the month, I began reworking volume one to share with my writer’s group and voila; there was what Carol was talking about. The matured voice, or main character, or whatever from the second book helped shed light onto the shortcomings in the first. Spending the month revisiting the character in a different story has allowed me to critically understand the MC in a new way.

That is the way writing goes. At times you’re stuck with some major obstacle in front of you. Later it’s gone and the path is clear.

(This article also posted at http://writetimeluck.blogspot.com)

Exhausted and exhilarated

Wow, what a WIFYR. The many participants and I have just come off an inspiring week. Carol Williams again brought in some topnotch people.

The theme, if there was one, was torture your characters. Agent Ammi-Joan Paquette conducted an afternoon session in which she said stories need strong antagonists. The more your main character has to go through, the stronger they will be, she advised. She said to make it hard on your protagonist. You are not their mother; you are the evil overlord.

My workshop instructor is the amazing Ann Cannon. This local writer (and weekly Salt Lake Tribune columnist) has published in PB, chapter books, MG, and YA. She has a gift as a teacher, as well. Ann offered numerous tidbits and insights and she agreed with character tormenting. She suggested brainstorming obstacles for the MC to overcome. You need to get them to a point where it appears hopeless. You have to torture your characters.

Critique is the heart of the workshops at WIFYR. It can be an unsettling thing, throwing your work out there, to be picked apart. That especially is true when doing so with strangers. Ann smoothed our little group through the process, first by offering tips, then by sitting back and letting us do the bulk of the critiquing. She had the last word with each critique, expertly pointing out what we may have missed.

My fellow writers were impressive. Their observations were keen and their criticisms were offered with honesty and kindness. And they can write. The skill and variety of writing in our group was amazing. We went everywhere from New Zealand to China to a place by the sun, from Victorian England to Nazi Germany and home again to modern day. Our characters dealt with everything from voices in their heads to panda snot. They had crazy mothers, were sold off by their parents and saw bugs crawling out of hair and blue butterflies circling heads. They were stuck in a parking lot in their underpants. Oh, we tortured them, all right. By week’s end both characters and writers were stronger.

Martine Leavitt said it best at the conference end. The week was exhausting and exhilarating. 

For Young Readers

Not to harp about it, but WIFYR is just around the corner. There are still few spots available. You can sign up here.

I am an assistant this year and am excited to be working with Ann Cannon. She is a regular at the conference and I try to attend her afternoon sessions when I can. Ann writes at many levels in children’s literature. She’s done PB to YA. You can read her each Saturday in the Salt Lake Tribune and thus knows how to entertain adult readers as well.

Carol Williams, again, has assembled a host of talented speakers and faculty. Cheri Pray Earl, Sharlee Glenn, Steve Bjorkman, J Scott Savage, Kris Chandler, Martine Leavitt, Matt Kirby, and Mette Ivie Harrison all join Ann and Carol in running workshops. Something new this year, there are mini-workshops that participants can sign up for. Each morning focuses on a different theme, from blogging to screen writing and short stories to rhythm, rhyme, and riddle. Elana Johnson, Alison Randall, Krysten Crow, and Marty Nabhan are running these sessions.

Also in attendance will be an editor and two agents. Carol has pulled in Alyson Heller from Aladdin Books. The agents include Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency and Steven Fraser from the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.

The Utah State Poet Laureate, Lance Larson will be the keynote speaker in Thursday afternoon.

The conference is a great place to grow your craft. I have yet to do a LTUE and have heard high praise for LDStorymakers, but the For Young Readers conference is refreshing. Any effort to cultivate your writing skill is satisfying. Carol’s conference is the place to do it.

Those nasty adverbs

I’m probably not the one to talk about this.

I use them a lot. Religiously, in fact. They just inadvertently slip in. I write away and Miss Anti-ly Lady - she’s an awesome critiquers - finds them. Inevitably. What’s wrong with a few adverbs here and there? How do you do without them? I mean really?

Some of them I can do without. When Anti-ly sees them, and she sees them all, a good most of them don’t need to be there. I pull them out. But others I like.

I have been studying the idea and pulled ideas from the sites listed below. There are a few reasons not to use adverbs. They weaken your writing. It shows the author somehow needs to choose another way to express an idea. And lastly, a while ago as they were compiling a book of rules for writers, someone said don’t use –ly words. Everybody went along with it and now it’s the law.

In terms of weakened writing, I understand and I agree. It’s a show, don’t tell thing. The following, for example, presents one sentence stronger than the other.

-“Why did you do that?” she asked angrily.

-“Why did you do that?” she hissed.

It does show a physical cliché that Julie Daines referred to in a February post. But without the adverb, it is stronger.  

There are adverbs that are unnecessary.

-Jack stealthily hid behind the door. He quickly pulled out a knife. He finally decided to confront his assailant.

None of the sentences need the adverbs. June Casgrande blogs that they are stronger without them. And packed in a tight space the wording doesn’t sound comfortable.

The Emert site gives great examples of superfluous adverbs. The adverb is unnecessary in the radio blared loudly or totally flabbergasted as blared infers loud and flabbergasted implies astonishment that is total.

I get that. But adverbs must exist for a reason. A health nut would want to know if her food is organically grown. When a person smiles, they could smile mischievously but if they did so shyly, wickedly, or joyfully, it paints a different picture. Sometimes messages must be spoken emphatically. You can’t have your characters give up –ly words just to fall back to physical clichés. I like adverbs.

What is wrong with adverbs in dialogue? My middle grade MC is still working on figuring out his place in the world and he uses adverbs. Seriously. It is how kids and people speak. If I want my dialogue to sound kid-like, seems an adverb here or there wouldn’t hurt.

The most persuasive site I found in objection to adverbs is Erik Emert’s 2001site.

This is a compilation of the rules, the ones writers are supposed to adhere to. Emert sites some big names in writing, Browne and King, and others, so you have to listen. Perhaps I am too much of an amateur to fully understand. And please pardon my adverb. It just slipped in. But it clarifies my meaning.

So, “they” say you shouldn’t use –ly words. Others justify their existence if used judiciously. For Anti-ly Lady, they stick out. I don’t know about you, but I’ll still slip a few in once in a while.

Carol Williams shared a story at an SCBWI event this year. She had laid down the law on adverbs. A student dutifully obeyed but had a heck of a time avoiding referring to her family. And they couldn’t fly anywhere. I say let’s lighten up on –ly words.

Seriously.

WYFIR reminder. Don't be too late to sign up for this wonderful conference. Discount for SCBWI members.

References

http://www.grammarunderground.com/thoughts-on-the-old-avoid-adverbs-advice.html

http://www.users.qwest.net/~yarnspnr/writing/adverbs/adverbs.htm

https://iovere.wordpress.com/tag/why-writers-should-avoid-adverbs/

http://mattmoorewrites.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/the-avoid-adverbs-rule-is-very-wrong/

http://www.marklanden.com/2012/04/18/3-reasons-not-rules-to-avoid-adverbs/

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=389989

30 days, 30 stories, and WIFYR

Thanks, Sarah, for another fun April with a new piece to read everyday. I didn’t necessarily get to them each day, but enjoyed them when I caught up with them.

I am impressed with the variety and the talent. The young man, I think you said he is 10, has got some impressive talent and I hope he stays with it. The illustrations and graphic stories were fun. Screenplay and poetry and adult fiction and kid lit graced the month’s choices. We’ve got good writers in our midst.

I need to put in another plug for WIFYR. This is the annual Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers conference in June. Here is a link: http://www.wifyr.com/ Carol Williams puts on a great show every year, pulling in agents and editors and amazing faculty. I can’t tell you all of the reasons why you need to attend, but illustrator Julie Olson can give you 10 good reasons. Click here: http://jujubeeillustrations.blogspot.com/2013/03/conference-success.html

SCBWI members get a discount.

Thanks again to all who entertained us this last month.