Yes, I will be doing Nano this year--National Novel Writing Month. You can still sign up if you want to join the insanity http://www.nanowrimo.org/. In order to win, you have to write 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30. I don't know that I'll win, but I'll be pushing myself to write as much as I can during November. I'll be working on my YA paranormal. If you want to buddy with me (I'm still not sure what that means) my user name is super original: rebeccatalley.
This is dedicated to all who take on the NaNoWriMo challenge:
Good luck to all of us!
Showing posts with label novel writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novel writing. Show all posts
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Using Experiences in Writing
I think that all novels are somewhat biographical because if you give 10 authors the same prompt, each will create a unique story because we write from our experiences.
I'm sure Stephenie Meyer never interacted with vampires. But, maybe she felt ordinary like Bella. Maybe she was attracted to a young man that seemed perfect in every way while she was in high school. Maybe she feared for her family's safety at some point. Dave Farland spoke at the LDStorymakers Conference in April and he commented that Stephenie, a student of his at one time, wanted to write a story that included her core belief of chastity before marriage. She successfully did that when she created Edward who refused to give in to his desire because it wasn't proper in "his" time. Meyer used her experience to shape her story.
In my life, I lost my mother when I was a young girl, I lived in an anti-Mormon home, I interacted with non-members on a regular basis, I've had to resolve issues concerning forgiveness, I attended BYU and met my husband there, I met my future mother-in-law while dressed as a clown, my husband is from the country and I grew up in the city, and I was dumped by someone I thought I'd marry (though it wasn't at the altar). If you've read Heaven Scent or Altared Plans, you'll recognize these elements.
In my newest novel, The Upside of Down, which will be released in January, the main character is a mom raising a large family. I included many true-life experiences in this book, things my kids have done to me (embarrassing things). I've also included a storyline about Down syndrome, which is very close to me. My main character also has to deal with a demanding calling and an anti-Mormon mother, both of which I've experienced, though I've fictionalized them for the book.
Our experiences shape us as writers. When we write from the heart, we shed light on things in our own unique way. We see the world differently from our neighbor, even from our own family. It's in the way that we've experienced our lives that flavors our writing. My story is different from yours because I've lived a different life.
When we take our experiences and tweak them to fit our story, we give it a depth and a fullness that resonates with readers.
I'm sure Stephenie Meyer never interacted with vampires. But, maybe she felt ordinary like Bella. Maybe she was attracted to a young man that seemed perfect in every way while she was in high school. Maybe she feared for her family's safety at some point. Dave Farland spoke at the LDStorymakers Conference in April and he commented that Stephenie, a student of his at one time, wanted to write a story that included her core belief of chastity before marriage. She successfully did that when she created Edward who refused to give in to his desire because it wasn't proper in "his" time. Meyer used her experience to shape her story.
In my life, I lost my mother when I was a young girl, I lived in an anti-Mormon home, I interacted with non-members on a regular basis, I've had to resolve issues concerning forgiveness, I attended BYU and met my husband there, I met my future mother-in-law while dressed as a clown, my husband is from the country and I grew up in the city, and I was dumped by someone I thought I'd marry (though it wasn't at the altar). If you've read Heaven Scent or Altared Plans, you'll recognize these elements.
In my newest novel, The Upside of Down, which will be released in January, the main character is a mom raising a large family. I included many true-life experiences in this book, things my kids have done to me (embarrassing things). I've also included a storyline about Down syndrome, which is very close to me. My main character also has to deal with a demanding calling and an anti-Mormon mother, both of which I've experienced, though I've fictionalized them for the book.
Our experiences shape us as writers. When we write from the heart, we shed light on things in our own unique way. We see the world differently from our neighbor, even from our own family. It's in the way that we've experienced our lives that flavors our writing. My story is different from yours because I've lived a different life.
When we take our experiences and tweak them to fit our story, we give it a depth and a fullness that resonates with readers.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Writing Stuff
I actually finished cutting down my new novel, The Upside of Down, from over 80,000 words to about 74,000. It was brutal, but I think the end result is a much tighter story. I ended up taking out some redundant dialogue and scenes, combining tags with actions, and purging it of some of my "pet" words. I'm hoping it didn't harm the story, but rather made it better.
I still don't have a release date but I'm thinking it'll be springish 2011. I hope it'll be out before the next LDStorymakers Conference in May.
I'm now taking an online class on characterization through WriterU, http://www.writeruniv.com/, with CJ Lyons, a popular novelist. I'm enjoying the class because it also covers plotting. Her method is somewhat similar to Larry Brooks' method over at http://www.storyfix.com/. I'm going to use this new information to help me plot my next novel.
My next novel, the one that won't leave me alone, is a YA paranormal. Think Twilight meets Supernatural, but without vampires. I'm currently fleshing out ideas using Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake method. Summer doesn't give me a lot of writing time, especially since my daughter decided she wanted to get married and on top of all the planning, I'm sewing bridesmaids' dresses. How cool is that? Not. I'm hoping to have a first draft complete by September.
I still don't have a release date but I'm thinking it'll be springish 2011. I hope it'll be out before the next LDStorymakers Conference in May.
I'm now taking an online class on characterization through WriterU, http://www.writeruniv.com/, with CJ Lyons, a popular novelist. I'm enjoying the class because it also covers plotting. Her method is somewhat similar to Larry Brooks' method over at http://www.storyfix.com/. I'm going to use this new information to help me plot my next novel.
My next novel, the one that won't leave me alone, is a YA paranormal. Think Twilight meets Supernatural, but without vampires. I'm currently fleshing out ideas using Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake method. Summer doesn't give me a lot of writing time, especially since my daughter decided she wanted to get married and on top of all the planning, I'm sewing bridesmaids' dresses. How cool is that? Not. I'm hoping to have a first draft complete by September.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Credibility in Writing
This is a rant of sorts. I was watching a TV show on USA called, Psych. It's about a guy who pretends to be psychic and works with the police. He actually has a photographic memory and amazing observation skills, but uses the psychic thing as his cover.
The premise doesn't bother me--it's the setting. The show is supposedly set in Santa Barbara, CA. A city with which I'm intimately familiar because I grew up there and return to visit every year. When Psych shows the police station, for example, it is definitely not the Santa Barbara Police Station. No, I've never been arrested or spent time in the police station, but my best friend's father's law office is a block away from the police station and I used to spend time with my friend at her dad's office.
The city streets shown on Psych are not the city streets of Santa Barbara. Nor are the beach scenes. Santa Barbara has a very distinctive style.
On an episode yesterday, one of the characters was telling the police he'd eaten at a restaurant on On-new-paw-moo. The name of the street is actually Anapamu, pronounced Anna-pu-moo. See the difference? If they're going to pepper the show with the names of actual streets in Santa Barbara they should at least get the pronunciation correct.
On another episode a character is tossed into Cachuma Lake, except not. The lake they used wasn't even close to Cachuma--I know I spent several summers attending camp at Cachuma Lake.
Turns out the show isn't even filmed in the US. Now most people wouldn't notice the discrepancies. But, for me, it completely loses credibility because I know what it's showing is false. They should've set the show in a fictitious city.
My point? When writing fiction, it's important to have facts straight to have the credibility factor. Not all readers would pick up on a discrepancy in setting, but for those who do, you'll lose them as readers. So, for me, I need to get my facts right when I set a story in a real town.
As for Psych? The discrepancies about the setting bug me enough that I'm not interested in watching it again. See how that works?
The premise doesn't bother me--it's the setting. The show is supposedly set in Santa Barbara, CA. A city with which I'm intimately familiar because I grew up there and return to visit every year. When Psych shows the police station, for example, it is definitely not the Santa Barbara Police Station. No, I've never been arrested or spent time in the police station, but my best friend's father's law office is a block away from the police station and I used to spend time with my friend at her dad's office.
The city streets shown on Psych are not the city streets of Santa Barbara. Nor are the beach scenes. Santa Barbara has a very distinctive style.
On an episode yesterday, one of the characters was telling the police he'd eaten at a restaurant on On-new-paw-moo. The name of the street is actually Anapamu, pronounced Anna-pu-moo. See the difference? If they're going to pepper the show with the names of actual streets in Santa Barbara they should at least get the pronunciation correct.
On another episode a character is tossed into Cachuma Lake, except not. The lake they used wasn't even close to Cachuma--I know I spent several summers attending camp at Cachuma Lake.
Turns out the show isn't even filmed in the US. Now most people wouldn't notice the discrepancies. But, for me, it completely loses credibility because I know what it's showing is false. They should've set the show in a fictitious city.
My point? When writing fiction, it's important to have facts straight to have the credibility factor. Not all readers would pick up on a discrepancy in setting, but for those who do, you'll lose them as readers. So, for me, I need to get my facts right when I set a story in a real town.
As for Psych? The discrepancies about the setting bug me enough that I'm not interested in watching it again. See how that works?
Monday, January 26, 2009
My Current Work-in-Progress
I'm working on my next novel--I do realize the characters are not real people and do not age :).
I've decided to try a new method for organizing what I want to include in the novel. A friend of mine suggested using a long strip of craft paper and laying out all the details on that paper. I took my butcher paper, cut off a long piece, and started placing post-it notes all over the paper in a somewhat linear fashion. I've already replaced several post-it notes and changed them around, which is what's so nice about this method. I need to see the whole story from beginning to end.
I know the ending and I know what I want to happen within the story. But, I haven't been sure how to begin it or how to move from one event to another. The story in my head is beautiful. It's emotionally moving and has such an important overall theme. Yet, I'm not sure I can translate the beauty of the story to the page. This particular story is very close to my heart and very important to me and I want to write it in such a way that it touches people.
I'm hoping that this new method will allow me to see the story in a different way and know how to get from point A to point B. Once I start writing it, I want to write the first draft all the way through without a long pause to figure things out.
My first book was a work-in-progress for years. My second book, due out later this year, is a fun, and hopefully funny, romance and I knew the story in my head so well it was easy to write. I thought I'd try this new method to see how it works for my current WIP and see if once I know the linear events, my mind will feel free enough to truly tell this story in the best way that I know how.
I've decided to try a new method for organizing what I want to include in the novel. A friend of mine suggested using a long strip of craft paper and laying out all the details on that paper. I took my butcher paper, cut off a long piece, and started placing post-it notes all over the paper in a somewhat linear fashion. I've already replaced several post-it notes and changed them around, which is what's so nice about this method. I need to see the whole story from beginning to end.
I know the ending and I know what I want to happen within the story. But, I haven't been sure how to begin it or how to move from one event to another. The story in my head is beautiful. It's emotionally moving and has such an important overall theme. Yet, I'm not sure I can translate the beauty of the story to the page. This particular story is very close to my heart and very important to me and I want to write it in such a way that it touches people.
I'm hoping that this new method will allow me to see the story in a different way and know how to get from point A to point B. Once I start writing it, I want to write the first draft all the way through without a long pause to figure things out.
My first book was a work-in-progress for years. My second book, due out later this year, is a fun, and hopefully funny, romance and I knew the story in my head so well it was easy to write. I thought I'd try this new method to see how it works for my current WIP and see if once I know the linear events, my mind will feel free enough to truly tell this story in the best way that I know how.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)