By Jersey Tourism
[CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons
You set out your workout goal -- twenty miles on the bike. You've never done twenty. But las time you got to seventeen. What's three more?
You pass your previous mark of seventeen and something happens. Your legs gain forty pounds in a matter of seconds. You begin to slow. Each breath you take hurts a bit more. You begin to doubt and the wind suddenly picks up--slamming you in the face.
You look at your distance watch... 17.2 Miles. It's impossible. You'll never make it. And then, the fire starts. The burn. That sensation that is universally understood but also misunderstood.
The breakthrough is on the other side of that burn. That burn is your body telling you to stop. That you've done enough. You're fine. Just stop.
But if you continue, if you press on, if you push through the tears, your body transforms. And so do you.
Anyone can exercise, just like anyone can write. But only those who stick through the hard times, the doubts, the BURN, will they come out better.
Only the author knows if they took a shortcut. If they stopped before the magic happened. Next time your inner voice tells you to stop, that the sentence is good enough, that the motivation is good, that the scene is memorable enough, stop for a moment. Do you feel that burn? Do you see the fear that stops you?
If something feels wrong, or weak, or incomplete, I can guarantee that you are right. Push through that burn. What comes out on the other side will be worth the pain. Feel the burn. It means something magical is about to happen.
Have you ever fought through and discovered something new about your story? About yourself?
Stephen King, in his seminal book on the craft, describes that he had a propensity for writing very puffy stories in his early years (high school years). One editor, who rejected one of his short stories gave him the magic formula.
2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%
This formula, he claims, was one of the reasons why he believes his writing began to improve. He focused on cutting.
Now, this works for some types of writers. Stevie (yeah, I call him Stevie... we're very close) writes monster novels, typically in the 180,000+ word range.
I am not thay type of writer. It turns out that this is a good thing, since, unless you are Stephen King, publishers shy away (reject) books larger than 100k words.
My first draft is light, typically ranging in the 60k-70k words (see my previous post on 60,000 in ten days).
Writers who have been studying the craft, and have listened to the advice of the veterans, understand that your 1st draft should sit and simmer. Some say two weeks, others say one month. Mine is a minimum of two weeks, but I try my best to get engraossed in something else so that I am away from the story for one month. I want to forget the details. I want to forget the names of some of the characters. I want to forget and create as much distance as possible.
Because when I come back to it, I want to read it like a first-time reader. I want to have distance and objectivity.
When I do return to it for the 2nd draft, themes emerge, the motivation of secondary character crystalize and scenes that I may have glossed over get clarified.
As you can imagine, as I read through, I bubble up with ideas -- ways to complete it, refine it, and improve it. I may even change the ending. I even take out handful of scenes and replaced them with new ones. So it's natural, that the word count will grow.
My propensity for adding is tied directly to the fact that I write my first draft fast. My story world will disintegrate if I don't write it fast. Some facts:
(side note: by writing this data out, I noticed that I have been increasing the velocity of my writing drastically. I hope I don't expect to improve on that when I start the next one.)
So, what this means is that I am a natural putter-inner. And I put in plenty. More facts:
It goes without say that 2nd and 3rd drafts are nice and slow. They are leisurely strolls through the story world.
What are you? A putter-inner or a taker-outer? Do you add, or cut? Do you sprint through your first draft and then stroll through your 2nd and 3rd drafts?
On October 1st, 2010 I started to blog about my writing journey.
On October 27th, 2010 I created my Twitter account.
Today, I have nearly 1,300 followers on Twitter, and 50 on my blog. And to each of you, I am grateful.
Seth Godin, in his book "Meatball Sundae," challenged me. He said, write a blog and see how it changes your life. And change it has. I have met more wonderful people than I could have ever imagined. I have learned more than I could properly account for. I am more excited about the future than I have ever been. And it's thanks to you (well... maybe not you. Yeah, you. The one over there, with the red baseball cap. You need to comment more often!)
So, in honor of these two milestone, I want to give away two -- that's right, TWO -- books to my friends.
Both books are by the guru himself, James Scott Bell. These books and Mr. Bell, have helped me in ways that I will never be able to properly repay. The books are:
Plot & Structure: This is a must for all writers. It has been a game-changer for me
Art of War for Writers: An inspirational and powerful book for all facets of your writing career
Did I mention that they are SIGNED by Mr. Bell?
Oh yeah. I'm giving away the kind of thing you'll add to your last will and testament.
The contest starts NOW and ends on Friday, September 30th, 2011 at 9 PM PST.
One day before my blog-a-versary.
The contest is open internationally.
The rules are simple. I would love to hear your best advice for other writers. By Writers, For Writers. There are more people now than ever that are jumping into the world of writing. Each time I speak to a high-school student who tells me he/she wants to be a writer, I run through a bunch of things that I feel I need to share and explain. Why not go to the community of writers and ask them? Some of you are already published. Some will be published soon. Some, like me, are inching your way closer.
Your advice can be about:
What made your writing better? For example, was it something you read on dialogue, plotting, creating better structure, or character development. What made your stories better?
What helped you transition into a better or more effective writer? This could be a tool--like Scrivener--or an advice--like a writing quota.
Industry advice?
How will this work?
Write your advice directly into the comments below (preferred)
Or if you're really shy, then email me at araTHEwriter [at] gmail [dot] com
At the end of the contest, I will consolidate the feedback and bring it all together into the "Best advice: by Writers, for Writers" post. Each of you who contributed will be famous... sort of.
How do you win?
+ One winner will be picked by me and a two other secret people. We will debate and choose our favorite advice. Maybe Mr. James Scott Bell can be coerced into giving his opinion also... maybe :)
+ One winner will be picked by Random.org by a entry system:
- Each comment gets +5 entries (for your contribution)
- Follow my blog and get +1 entries (for your good taste)
- Already following my blog, you get +2 entries (for being a visionary)
- Spreading the word via your blog, Facebook or twitter +2 entries (make sure you tell me about it. For example including my Twitter account @araTHEwriter in the tweet is a fast and easy way)
Simple. Got it? Great. Now go and do it.
Just to kick this off, I'll be the first to share with two! ... I hope I win...
Daily and weekly word quotas: For years I floundered. But when I read Plot & Structure I understood the power of the word quota. It immediately helped me create a writing structure that helped me write an average of 1,500 words per day and then up to 2,500 words per day. It enabled me to be focused on producing words on paper. There is nothing more powerful than seeing you inch your way closer to the finish line
One stinkin' rotten word: My mentor, Michael Levin, said every writer should write one page a day, every day. But he understood that sometimes, we were too busy or too tired, or too something else. He said, on those days, write one word. Write "The" if that's all that comes to mind, then walk away. But he knew something that little 'ol me was unaware of. Once I wrote one word, I wrote a sentence, then a paragraph... until I had written a few hundred words. One stinkin' word is all it takes to get things rolling sometimes.
As a bonus, here's The Word Quota advice by James Scott Bell... in his own words...
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