Unfortunately the time always comes when you have to declutter, because you just don't have room to live. You can no longer find the great things you own. Editing a novel is just like that. When you declutter the first items you throw out are the things you definitely won't use. The broken things, the items that you'd be embarrassed if anyone saw. In writing that's the terrible sentences, the ones you're ashamed to have ever written; but any writer knows that you have to get some bad sentences down, so that you can get to the good, then hopefully on to the great . The next stage is sorting through the items you still kind of like. Not love; but you feel they have potential. You might need them one day. This is more challenging as you edit because you don't want to cut the good stuff. The paragraphs may just need a polish, a few words cut here, some adverbs shaken off there.
Now things are starting to look beautiful, you can see the amazing items you own and are reminded of why you bought them in the first place. Everything feels better, easier and you'd really like to stop. You've done enough, surely? And you're tired too. You want a break. Deep down though, you know it could be better, you could do a little more to get it just right. This is the part where you start getting rid of unnecessary story arcs, characters and scenes you really want to keep. Kill the Dust Bunnies, take them out into the light and throw them away. Yes it's painful; but for the greater good keep going. Tonight I went to see Deborah Harkness speak at Waterstone's. She's the author of The All Souls Trilogy, one of my favourite fantasy series. I was so excited that she was coming to Norfolk! I must admit I was a little nervous, you never know what your favourite authors will be like in "real life"; but I had nothing to worry about, she was amazing. Lovely, funny, a great speaker and really inspirational. I've been feeling a little down lately, everything in life seems to be taking so long - especially my book. Who knew that a book that takes you a few days or weeks to read actually takes years to write? I certainly didn't and I have been getting frustrated. Deborah said that she's pleased if she writes two pages a day. That's about what I've been managing, so that was a huge relief. She also said a lot of things I've said to people before and got slightly strange looks - like characters come to life as you're writing them and they do things you don't expect. Also that she's got lots of stories simmering at the back of her brain, just waiting to be written. I feel the exact same way and it was reassuring that I'm not alone. Deborah also said she thought her Mum would be only one to ever read her book - a feeling I've shared on many, many occasions. She has given me courage and optimism that if she can do it, then maybe, just maybe I can too.
I spotted this quote by Chuck Wendig, on an amazing blog post about finding your writer's voice. I just had to share it. I'm definitely a go with your gut gal, so this appealed to me.
You can read the rest of the article here... When you pick up a book, you enter into an unspoken agreement with the author, you have expectations that they will take you on a journey, that you will be led through a world, meeting new people and seeing life from their perspective. You put yourself and your time in the author's hands and they have a responsibility to their reader. They don't have to tell a story that the reader is guaranteed to like; but there is a certain amount of continuity, of reason that you want and need. I've just finished reading the final book in a trilogy and I was so disappointed with the ending. It feels a little dramatic; but I have this sense of devastation, like I've lost part of myself and I just wish the story could have been different, could have been the story I was expecting, or at least hoping for. It's made me realise the responsibility writers have. To start a story, to tell it well and to see it through to its conclusion. Sometimes I think we can get a little too close to the story, we need others to give us perspective, to guide us when we start to lose our way and for that I'm truly grateful to have such an amazing group of writers who support me on this journey. I'm not sure if this realisation will change the way I write; but it has changed the way I view the role of an author, from the perspective of the reader. Image courtesy of koratmember / FreeDigitalPhotos.net This is just a little bit of fun as I'm deeply immersed in writing my novel for NaNoWriMo; but I just had to share it. All you do is copy in a few paragraphs of text you've written - I used my latest chapter for NaNo; but you can use a blog post or anything you've written. I'm really proud to write like Stephen King, as I've read his book On Writing and it really inspired and resonated with me. Who do you write like? Go and check it out here then come back and let me know in the comments section. I write like Stephen King I Write Like. Analyze your writing! I did it! Midnight, Halloween, I was sitting in front of my laptop and starting to type. NaNoWriMo 2013 is officially underway. The hardest part every year is starting I had so many doubts that I could even do the first sentence and in fact I forgot I was goingto hav a go at first person this year - so three hundred words in I was already editing; but now I've started and I did an hour last night, reaching 1,090 words! I've been procrastinating this morning, even filing my tax return before I start and doing this blog post; but I can't put it off any longer. It's time to head out to my garden room and start typing. Wish me luck... Cool NaNo Gadgets... This year NaNo has a great way to track our progress, so here are my stats, feel free to give me a nudge if you see me dropping behind!
It's twenty four hours and counting until the start of National Novel Writing Month 2013 (NaNoWriMo) and I have to admit I've got a sudden rush of nerves. The aim of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I've done it two years in a row and "won" both times, so there's a fair amount of pressure, on myself, from myself, to do it again this year. Don't get me wrong, I love NaNoWriMo, it's what got me into creative writing, having long dreamed about writing a novel. I do well with strict deadlines, a community of support and a bit of competition - you can see how your friends are doing with their daily word count on the NaNo site. (http://nanowrimo.org/) It gives you a real boost of motivation, at least it does for me. I've got an idea simmering in my mind, with a few notes on paper. I'm not really a strict planner, I like to have an idea for the next scene and then just sit down and write - characters pop up out of nowhere and twists happen that I never saw coming - that's part of the fun. I feel like I'm the very first person to get to experience the story and it's one of my favourite parts of writing. This particular story has been floating around in my head for over a year and I love that NaNo gives me a very clear target to get it done by. I am taking a break from my ongoing novel to get this written and it excites me that I'm going to meet a whole host of new characters over the next thirty days - I know my current cast rather well by now, they feel like old friends and I am ready for a few new ones. I do get worried that the words will dry up, that I won't have anything to say, or that this year I won't complete the challenge. Not the end of the world; but I know I will be disappointed. At the same time, I can feel the story calling, tingling inside me, waiting to flow (hopefully) from my fingertips and I cannot wait to just start. The starting is always the hardest part, then you just have to keep going! Will you be joining me in NaNoWriMo this year? I don't know if you know; but I'm writing my first novel! It's exciting! (And a little scary too!) As a little hint it's set around the world of cakes and baking. I'd love you to join me on my Facebook page Claire Wade Come and check it out - there's lots of daily conversations - including chats about books and sharing recipes & baking tips- basically my two favourite things! Just click the 'Like' button below or head on over to https://www.facebook.com/clairerwade I've got to say I love Facebook, the way you can "meet" people from all over the world, share pictures, find out about new things - I've done so many courses and tried lots of recipes because of Facebook - Cream Egg Brownies and MugCake anyone? Twitter I find exhausting;but Facebook is definitely fun. I'm spending more and more of my time on there and would love you to join me! My book club has been reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern which without doubt is one of my favourite books. I read it last year and absolutely loved it. It took me a while to get into it and then I was so awed by the style and beauty of the story, it catches you up and spirits you away to a magical world.
When we decided to read it I was delighted to get a second chance to immerse myself in the world and to retrace the complexly woven plot. It didn't disappoint, it was even better than I remembered. Great right? Yes and no. It was a treat to re-enter the world; but this time I was reading it with the awareness that right now I'm working on my own novel and that gave it a different feel. I was suddenly aware of how slick and well written it was. How everything was there for a reason and that so much was said with very few words - a skill I'm trying to learn. I have to admit my self-belief has taken a little bit of a battering and it wasn't until I started reading Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande that I realised I wasn't the only one to feel like this. That actually reading a book you love can give you writers block and self-editing syndrome. Brande goes on to say that some books inspire you, they motivate and encourage you to write, while others leave you wondering why you started this wretched process called writing in the first place. So while I love The Night Circus, it is going back on my shelf until I've finished my own novel, when I look forward to taking it down and enjoying it once more. |
Claire WadeI'm an author, disability activist, winner of the Good Housekeeping First Novel Competition and The EABA for Fiction 2020 and founder of Authors with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses (ADCI). The Choice is available from:DETAILS:
Title: The Choice Publisher: Orion ISBN: 1409187748 You can keep up to date with all my latest blog posts by signing up to my email newsletter.
|