Ivy Keating's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

Years ago, I learned a trick for what to do if I couldn't fall asleep. The solution was to stop trying. Get up, walk around, even turn on the light, and then - after a few minutes - settle back in bed and close my eyes. It worked!

I think the reason this trick was successful was because it took the focus away from the pressure and the negative feelings of not being able to do something. Negative feelings stifle productivity.

Did you ever notice how sometimes the best ideas come to us when we're not trying? While submitting my second novel for consideration an agent asked me what inspired the story. My answer was the Great Lakes. What an odd answer for a fantasy novel with magical creatures, but I remember thinking about the lakes and wondering what kind of imaginary world could be built around them. Without pressure or doubt it's easier for ideas to flow.

If you are trying to start a project or find yourself having trouble finishing one, ask yourself if negative thoughts are blocking your ability to succeed. If you have to refocus, step away from the project, even for 10 minutes, and come back to it. This simple action may be all you need.

When it comes to reaching goals, the importance of networking should not be overlooked.

Networking is the act of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional contacts. It can also help us generate fresh ideas.

The extent one can benefit from this varies. There's a sentiment-It's what you don't know that can hold you back. As you're working toward your goals, seek out others in your field. Chances are you will discover something that can help you that you may not have known to look for.

An example of a site that has fantastic networks for writers is Goodreads! To find the best ways to promote 'Camouflage', I searched for Goodreads' groups that discuss promotions. For finding an agent, I like the network "Query Tracker" because writers share their experiences. These sites do not push an agenda. Instead they encourage dialogue. In reading this blog, you are networking because there's an opportunity to share comments and ask questions.

No goal can be reached in isolation. Finding a good network can be an invaluable resource.

If motivation is the general desire to do something, then it's probably not lack of motivation that prevents us from reaching our goals.

The following are three common reasons we put off doing something we say we want to do.
1) There are aspects of reaching the goal that we don't like.
2) We don't know where to start.
3) We don't have a clear path to reaching the goal, so we become overwhelmed.

Here are a couple tricks to get you over the hurdles above and back on the path to success.

Usually there are elements of any activity that we love and some we do not. Take, for example, writing a novel; you may love crafting a story, but you may not enjoy editing it. Take a moment to think about why each step is necessary. Acknowledge "editing" is not your favorite. Then, try the Premack Principle and plan to do something you like after you complete the undesirable task. Modifying the environment may help, too. Keep your favorite drink handy or a book that inspired you on your desk as you continue to work.

If getting started is difficult, think about the very first step you need to take. Focus on it alone. A book can take years from conception to publication, but it starts with pressing the letters on the keyboard.

When we feel overwhelmed, it's hard to act. A great way to combat this is to put together a step by step plan. Break-down a huge task into manageable pieces. Finding a publisher or an agent is hard, but the first step is to create the book-then do a ton of editing-then create a query letter-and then look up publishers and/or agents that work with your genre. If you're not sure what to do next, researching the subject will give you the confidence to proceed.

If you're putting off reaching your goals, try modifying your method--it's likely you have all the motivation you need!

Characters in novels do not need to follow the same strategies for good communication that we do; they'd be boring if they did. In books, we want to see emotions take over reason and heated exchanges. It's one of the most enjoyable things about reading. We can loose ourselves in the drama. But, do these players have to follow any rules?

Of course they do. Here are my top three communication rules for characters:

The first is, they must stay within the confines of the story. A writer can have a scatter-brained hero - but, a character's way of communicating, no matter how quirky or interesting, cannot derail the reader from the plot or cause unnecessary theatrics. Dialogue must fit seamlessly into the story-line and make sense within the setting.

Characters must listen, but not in the same way that people do. They can choose to respond, ignore, or interrupt, but they must stay within the constructs of their personality. In my book, 'Camouflage', Chief Dermott is not always going to listen politely to his superiors--they are going to have it out!

Lastly, a character's dialogue must sound authentic. People have an established way of speaking that varies with few exceptions. This is even more important for book characters. Any communication that sounds unnatural can pull the reader out of the story. If you're a writer, reading the dialogue out-loud can help you detect awkward discourse.

We love outrageous characters, but even the most dysfunctional ones must adhere to certain guidelines. Fortunately, the rules we follow for "good" communication are different then the ones in books - giving those compelling players room to let loose.

The first stage of a project is often the most exciting. But, how many times do we set out to accomplish something and then abandon what we started? After the inspiration, what enables us to reach our goals?

For those that enjoy writing, one of the best moments is the moment of inspiration: when an idea comes to you that you must explore. It can be as simple as a thought. This is what happened to me when I wrote 'Camouflage'. I looked into a forest near my home and wondered, 'what's out there that we haven't discovered', and from that moment, I was gripped with a story.

But goals like writing a book are often difficult to accomplish. Before the energy that comes with inspiration starts to diminish, we must channel some of it into 'focus' and 'commitment'.

Focus has to do with the direction you take. If you have an overall idea of what is required to reach your goal, stay 'focused' on just the next step and you will get there. Put blinders on. Don't get caught up in where you are or how much further you have to go. It's easy to get overwhelmed and abandon a goal if you loose your focus.

Commitment has to do with the time you spend actively pursuing your goal. In the example of writing a book, it will take thousands of hours to complete your work. Sticking to a schedule or committing to a certain number of hours regularly is the only way the task will get done.

Draw upon the energy of what inspires you. It will certainly motivate you to start a project, but it will take focus and commitment to keep the momentum going.

Boo!

Did I scare you? No, of course not. That's because there's no context here for a fright. This October's blog is on one of the best ways for an author to create drama!

On occasion, I've been asked to read other writers' works. The first thing I may notice from a new author is head hopping (changing from one character's point-of-view to another), but the other frequent mistake is that they often write situations that sound good but are not grounded in the moment. A trick to solving this problem is to write with 'mindfulness'. Through mindful writing an author can achieve a dramatic effect.

To write with mindfulness, the author must think about what the character is actually doing, hearing, seeing, and feeling - plus what is actually taking place in the setting. If an ambulance goes by, the character turns her head. If she thinks someone is following her, the quicker she steps. If she notices the branches on the bare trees look like gnarly fingers reaching down, then maybe if someone yells "Boo!" she'll jump!

Every action is grounded in the reality of the moment. It's never a beat ahead or written simply because it sounds dramatic.

When moving the plot along don't skip to where you want it to go. Take the reader there by allowing them to see and feel things through the reality of the moment. This awareness helps create a seamless narrative. The reader will not be distracted by inconsistencies, and this in turn sets the perfect platform for the creation of drama.

It's a few days before Thanksgiving, so this is the perfect time to tell about my mistake with a "Turkey Vulture".

I try to be mindful not to write anything just because it sounds good. But, my editor caught me doing just that.

In my mind, a turkey vulture is a big, scary bird. It's wingspan is up to 72 inches, and some in the species are larger than vultures. They're bodies are dark, brownish-black, and they often sit high in trees with their wings spread. The sight of such a bird overhead must mean trouble. I referenced them as a bird of "prey".

This was my mistake. I said it simply because it sounded good. But turkey vultures are, in fact, not birds of prey; they are opportunistic feeders.

To the plot of my novel--it made no difference. But, the mistaken reference took the reader, my editor, out of the story to make the correction. Anything that distracts the reader from the plot is something a writer must avoid.

The turkey vulture gave me a good reminder to proof-read carefully, and always write for accuracy-never just to sound good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Before a book is published, a copy editor can improve the story by enhancing the writing. It's one of the last steps before a book goes to print. I find this interesting because you might think it's the story itself that would face additional scrutiny, but it's actually elements of the written word.

A common mistake is word repetition. I usually catch redundancies when I reread a page. My second book is going through copy-editing now. Even with all the previous edits, the word "like" was overused, and this will have to be corrected. But, why are these repeats a problem?

Books let readers lose themselves in a world created by the author. Most novels will take hours to read, and good writing is the conduit for an entertaining story. Word repetition can be boring and uninspired. It can also be distracting if it garners attention.

When you're writing, challenge yourself to finding new words and different ways to say the same thing. This one fix will benefit not only the structure but also the readability. Remember, not everything bears … repeating.

Acting on impulse is letting your emotions make decisions. While some choices have to be made faster than others, it's often beneficial to take a moment and steady our feelings before making decisions.

Here's an example; Today, the cover artist for 'Sarana and the Dark King' sent me a dozen potential designs. When I looked at the first few, I knew they weren't right. Sarana was too exposed. It was completely the wrong look for this female warrior. Immediately my impulse was "there's nothing here that's going to work". As I looked through the other photos, I was only seeing the faults.

I took a breath.

Scrolling through them a second and third time, I started to see the potential. One image of the woman was spot-on, and the font from another rendition was perfect. With a calm head, I could see she actually presented me with all the elements of a fantastic cover.

It's helpful to be in-tune with your emotions. If you're about to make a decision based on impulse, take a breath, think it over. You may discover something wonderful.

Is it lack of time that stops us from reaching our goals? I had a reader ask me, "how do you find the time to write a book?" My first thought was, no one has time to write a book. This past month seemed busier than most. My days were full just when the line-edits and then the galley for 'Sarana and the Dark King' needed to be finalized. But, no matter how busy I was, nothing was going to stop me from working on the novel. So, if it's not time, then what does get in the way of goal attainment?

When there doesn't seem to be enough time to work on your goals, here are 3 things to think about to get you on track.

First - be honest with yourself. Do you really want to do the activity you say you have no time for? In the example of writing a book, do you want to subject your story to scrutiny, relentless editing, and adherence to industry standards?

If you thought through the details of what it will take to reach your goal, and you still want to attain it, the next step is to think about when during the day you could find 20 to 30 minutes. I use this as a rough estimate of daily time needed. I believe that no matter how busy you are, this amount of time can always be found, so it's a good place to start. I am a slow reader and editor. It takes me a lot of time to make any changes, and there's often strict deadlines. Late nights, less sleep, whatever can be shuffled may have to be. The point is, it's not finding the time but committing to it.

Finally, it's brave to take on a challenge. Any change, good or bad, has potential to be stressful. Work from a position of strength. Take care of yourself in general. When we feel strong, it's easier to embark on something new and have the stamina to complete it.

We are all capable of reaching our goals. Know the activities necessary and be certain you want to do all of them, commit to the time it takes, and check if you're up for a new challenge. Don't let time constraints stand in your way. No one has time to write a book - but many have done it, and you can too.