Today I'm at Romance University, serving as your tour guide into the mystical world of the writing process. I'm also the translator, deciphering what writers SAY about the process and what they actually MEAN.
Hope you'll stop by!
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Today I'm at Romance University, serving as your tour guide into the mystical world of the writing process. I'm also the translator, deciphering what writers SAY about the process and what they actually MEAN.
Hope you'll stop by!
Her heart raced, each beat faster than the previous one. Would she ever set eyes on that beautiful elusive creature again? She could feel her stomach clench, painfully, at the thought of never being reunited. It was too unbearable to contemplate. . .
No, this isn't when my heroine frets about whether she'll see the hero again. This is what it's like trying to find that scene I know I wrote down one day.
Unfortunately, when I say "wrote down", that can take many forms. If I'm at work, it often means a scrap of paper or a sticky note where I scribble a few words meant to jog my memory later. Only, my memory is as much of a jogger as I am (read: not at all), so sometimes those words look like a clue to a puzzle I'll never decipher. Or I'll jam the scrap into my pocket, where it resides with half a zillion other little scraps until the ink is obliterated, making it impossible to know what brilliance it once contained.
Sometimes I open up my email and type all my writerly WIP thoughts into a draft email. I used to also send it to another email account, but then I'd get confused as to which account had what. Then I discovered that saving it as a draft worked better -- all of the ideas I wanted to hang onto were there, and I could add to them as the thoughts blossomed, etc.
However, I also like to write things down in notebooks, because sometimes the muse cooperates better when I'm writing longhand rather than typing at blazing fast speeds on the laptop. I've got easily a half a zillion notebooks (since I also have an addiction to buying school supplies), so trying to find THE EXACT ONE that contains this scene I'm searching for. . .it's no surprise that "needle" and "haystack" spring to mind. Along with some naughty words that I am only going to say inside my head.
But, on the bright side, I got a blog post out of my frantic endeavors. And I'm sure I entertained the hell out of the characters waiting on the sidelines while I paced and fumed and threw my hands in the air while proclaiming, "I can't do this to myself anymore!" They know better. They understand that creativity is messy. They comprehend that calling the writing process "non-linear" is only accurate if you take out the word "linear" entirely.
To be honest, if it were any other way, I would be bored in an instant. I like when things are organized, but only toward the end, when I'm exhausted, faint with hunger, and willing to sell my soul to see these words lined up neatly and sweetly. I actually enjoy seeing how this big pile of bright ideas and half-baked thoughts transform into an actual story, all by cutting a little bit here, and adding a smidge there. It borders on the miraculous, this writing thing, and even though I'm convinced it never matches my vision, I'm still in awe of how it comes pretty dang close.
Which is why I'll continue to scribble notes to myself, and continue to wonder where I put them. It just wouldn't be as much fun otherwise.
Posted by Donna Cummings at 11:31 AM in Thursday Throwback | Permalink | Comments (4)
Tags: Writing
Since I'm giving my lengthy To Do list the stiff-arm treatment today, I thought it might be a good time to look at my Hierarchy of Avoidance theory.
Actually, it's not really fair to call it a theory, since I've used it so many years now. It's definitely become a lifestyle, and a very productive, workable one.
Don't be put off by the word "avoidance". At first glance it may seem like it's in the same evil category as procrastination. But this isn't the case at all.
The Hierarchy of Avoidance (HOA) is actually a useful tool for getting things DONE, whereas procrastination. . .well, we all know it just stockpiles tasks until there's so many of them that you just get buried, and then you're tapping out a Morse code signal from inside the rubble, hoping for rescue (preferably from a hottie with a refreshing beverage).
The important thing to remember about the Hierarchy of Avoidance is this: Not All Tasks Are Created Equal.
There is always a WORSE task than the one you don't want to do. Think of it as a Food Pyramid for To Do lists. Or for the medical types, it's triage, only for chores.
Now I'm not advocating that you ignore tasks, because that would turn into the Hierarchy of Ignorance, and that's a different situation entirely.
With my patented HOA program, you actually get things done, by avoiding other things you don't want to do. You can accomplish a task that seems yucky, or too difficult, or agonizingly debilitating – by comparing it to something that is even MORE yucky, MORE difficult, or WAY MORE debilitating to your psyche.
Okay then. Deep breaths, through the nose. Now exhale, repeating after me:
Accomplishment, through Avoidance.
Let me give you an example. You need to clear those cobwebs in the corner of the living room ceiling before they celebrate their one-year anniversary. But you also should take the clothes out of the dryer while they are still your size, and the dishes sitting in the sink are looking like a science project run amok. So what do you do?
You pick the task you don't want to do. Then you pick the one that's worse than that, and then the one worse even than THAT. You are prioritizing things by their awfulness. You do the one that is LEAST yucky, avoiding the yuckier and yuckiest ones. Once the yucky one is out of the way, the yuckier one doesn't seem so bad, because it's not as awful as the yuckiest one, so you do it next.
I actually used this application on some recent revisions. That's right. I do all the rigorous testing beforehand so you can enjoy the final product without any bugs. Anyway, there were several different items in this list of revisions, and while all of them were challenging, it's not a big spoiler when I say some tasks were worse than others.
So I whipped out my HOA chart (don't expect to see this in stores right away, since it's still in beta form). I wrote down what I needed to accomplish, and then re-arranged the chores according to their relative Avoidance Quotient. Actually, I shifted them around so many times, it looked like I was practicing for a three-card monte competition.
So what did I have to avoid?
A new love scene. Okay, that's not as bad as this task, strengthening the conflict. And all those words I repeat over and over and over. . .yikes. That went straight to the bottom of the pyramid, because apparently I only use three different words to tell an 80,000 word story, so this would require a little more creative effort before it was off the list.
Even though it seemed daunting at first, I avoided, systematically, until everything was accomplished. Once I'd ninja-kicked the simpler tasks out of the way, I was confident and pumped up, ready to kick ass on the next thing on the chart. Amazingly, that item didn't seem so bad anymore, because there was SOMETHING WORSE than that!
One last insider tip: don't feel like you can't mix and match avoidance chores. This blog post was accomplished in record time because I was avoiding unpacking some boxes that have been in storage for two years. And the scene in my WIP that's making me grab a bottle of antacids is getting done next because I'm avoiding vacuuming out the sand that's accumulated in my car all winter. (That's how most housework gets done, actually, by avoiding writing tasks.)
Just remember: Accomplishment, through Avoidance.
Millions of happy avoiders can't be wrong.
Posted by Donna Cummings at 01:57 PM in Thursday Throwback | Permalink | Comments (4)
Tags: Writing
It was bound to happen. My muse Endora saw how much fun we were having with the guests on Friday Friends, and she insisted on having her own spot. I told her I didn't have a Friday FIENDS feature, but. . . *pops arm back into socket* Let's just say she has a very persuasive manner.
Endora and I go back a long, long way. In fact, our partnership started years before I recognized she was the nagging, disdainful voice of my inner critic. It took me a while to figure it out because I was hoping for a gentle, encouraging sort of muse. What I got was Endora, from the classic TV show Bewitched. I've written a few posts about her, but she wasn't content with that, and it ended up being easier to let her hog the spotlight once again.
So, without further ado, please bow down and worship (she made me say that) the wonderfully talented (*cough* cranky and contrary *cough*) Endora!
Of all the characters you've created, which one is your favorite? Why do you love them best? Well, I'm actually upset that none of them seem to resemble ME. I'm certain I created several, or maybe even all of them, in my image. You've obviously edited them too much while I wasn't looking. *sniffs* Although the heroes are somewhat amusing I suppose.
That's the price you pay for leaving me all alone when I need your assistance. I already know the answer to this, but I'll ask anyway: what's your go-to "writing avoidance" technique? Ahh, you mean this one? *snaps fingers and disappears in a puff of smoke*
Hey! Can't you at least make it through five simple questions? Oh good, you're back. If you were able to go on a writing retreat, where would it be? Does it have to involve writing? You keep me so busy with that, I need a month-long spa retreat to recover. Yes, a spa retreat, where I am pampered the way I should be. By those who appreciate the brilliance I so selflessly offer on a daily basis.
Yeah, that's what we all deserve. Especially me, for putting up with YOU. What's the word you love to use (and abuse and overuse, so it has to be taken out during edits)? Hmm, let me get back to you on that one. All of my words are pure gold, so if there's any editing needed, it's after you've gotten your meddling hands on things.
Hah! Name the first thing you'll do when you make a million dollars from your books. My books. Er, our books. It's tempting to say "go on a permanent spa retreat", but I know how devastated you would be if I left for good.
Yes, devastated is exactly the word I'm thinking right now. Next is a lightning round we'll call The Tasty Ten, where we get to know you in a speed dating kind of way:
Coffee or tea? Honestly. You've refilled my coffee cup enough times to know the answer to that.
Drafting or revising? Relaxing on the sofa while you draft.
Winter or Summer? As much as I detest agreeing with you on anything, I will have to say summer, since it better suits this negligee thing I wear.
Werewolf or vampire? Warlock
Morning or evening? Midnight
Land or sea? A 5-star hotel overlooking the sea. With room service. And a delectable concierge to see to my every need while you work elsewhere.
Early or late? I have no idea what you mean by "early". And I'm never late, because nothing happens until I arrive.
Gin or vodka? Yes.
Pecs or abs? Yes again.
Biter or licker? (Hey! I'm talking ice cream cones here!) How droll. That's just what I said to the cute concierge earlier. . .Well, I have to go now. No long, drawn-out goodbyes for me. *disappears in a puff of smoke*
Whew. Thank goodness that's over.
*disembodied voice* I heard that.
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