Exercises for Writers

This past weekend I went to a bootcamp for writers. It was hosted by an author named Erica Olsen and it was held as a benefit for the towns Cultural Center. The premise of the bootcamp was to exercise your brain like people at a gym exercise their bodies.

I don’t think anyone expected the turn out that they got, we even heard someone say that they should have charged more than the $10 fee so that not as many people would have shown up. At best guess there had to be 50+ people crammed into the room. Once enough chairs were rounded up and everyone had a spot to write in we began the bootcamp.

First Round: Stretching 

Two Truths and a Lie

In this exercise we were supposed to write two true things about ourselves and one lie, in any order that we wanted. Then we went around our tables to share what we wrote and the table then tried to figure out which was the truths and which was the lie.

It served two purposes

1    1)      To break the ice

2    2)      To teach us that most often our lie is more detailed than our truths.

It was fun and definitely broke the ice. Although as a writing exercise to do by yourself it’s not all that effective. Bottom line, if you are part of a writing collective/group this would be a great exercise to start off with.

Second Round: Strength Training

Exquisite Corpse

This is a game that started with Surrealist artists. It goes like this. They would take a piece of paper and one person would draw a head, then the next person would draw the neck and then they would fold the paper over so that the only thing that the next person would see was the neck, then that person would draw the shoulders, fold over the neck and pass it along; each artist could only see the one piece that was drawn before they were given the paper. At the end they would unfold the paper and see what kind of a master piece they had come up with.

In writing form it worked like this. Every group was given a paper with the same starting sentence. The first person wrote a second sentence folded over the starting sentence and then pasted it to the next person.

This was a blast, but so hard. I thought it would be easy and the first time through was, but our group was fast enough that we got to go through twice, the second time around I stared at the page thinking “What the hell am I going to write?”

When it was finished our story cracked every one up. Lots of fun to be had, but again it is one of those things that you need a lot of people around to do.

Now that being said, we do something similar to this on FB on my page from time to time and on The Indie Writer’s Collective. We don’t have a way to hide other people’s posts but what we do is write a story using only five words per post. Each person contributes five words. It’s a fun little exercise to get the brain working and a little bit easier for those of us who can’t physically go to a group but still want to participate with others.

Third Round: Endurance

False Translation

This exercise made me want to pull my hair out. I fully acknowledge that it is a fantastic tool to make your brain work harder, I also acknowledge that this could drive a sane person mad. Seriously!

You take a poem, or literary piece written in a language you don’t know (mine was Basque) then without using any translation tools (like Google Translate) you try to translate it into English. You can either try to find English words that sound like they might be the proper translation, or you can just let your imagination run wild.

I however found it completely overwhelming and frustrating. Which I suppose isn’t all that bad, maybe it means that my brain needs to loosen up and not be so hung up on being perfect.

But to give you an example of my frustration, here is the Basque poem my son was given to translate:

Poesia- Gabriel Aresti 1963

Esanen dute
hau
poesia
eztela,
baina nik
esanen diet
poesia
mailu bat
dela.

Now… Here is the Basque poem I was given:

Hire potak, baziakiat, bertze gauza nahi dik.
Anderea, azti zira nihaurk erran gaberik.
Bada utzi ahal bainentzak ni  holakoz ixilik.
Horrein gaitz ziraden gero, eginen dut bertzerik.
Bizi nizan egunetan, bada, ez zitut utziren;
Nik zer orai nahi baitut, heben duzu eginen.
Uste diat eskuiarki ez hizala burlatzen;
Gizon hunek orai nuia heben laidoz beteren?
Eiagora, nik zer daidit? Zaude ixilik hanbaten.
Etai lelori bai lelo, pota franko, bertzea bego.
Andrea, mintza ahal baitzinde bertze aldain emeago.

See? Frustrating. Mine completely overwhelmed me. And just retyping it gave me a head ache. I’m sure it is a useful exercise, but for me it seems like it would be better as a drinking game.  Honestly I would have to get pretty drunk to be able to translate that mess, and then at least I would get a really good laugh in afterwards.

Last Round: Cardio

Word Sprints

This is an exercise that +Alexandra Webb and I are very familiar with.

We did a sprint for 10 minutes at the end of the bootcamp. Of all the writing exercises this is the one that I love, it is so helpful when you are struggling to get your words on the screen or on the paper, grab a friend and do some sprints.

Set your time for 10 minutes, 20, 30, hell even an hour if you are up for it. Set the timer and write. At the end it is always encouraging to share with each other who many words you wrote during your sprint.

Some people call them Word Wars and then the goal is to get more words written than the other person. If you are competitive this is the way to go.


All in all, the bootcamp was a fun way to spend 90 minutes of my Saturday, which meant 90 minutes that I didn’t have to watch Football (the playoffs totally ruin my perfectly good Saturday, bad enough that the regular season has to ruin my Sundays). The price was $10/ $5 for my son. Doing it together was great, but if we do anything like this again I hope that we can take a little bit more away from it.

Fear

The other day I went to Starbucks to write, those of you who know me know how rare this really is. Between watching extra kids every other week, a husband, and a baby, my time alone out of the house is limited. So there I am, sitting in the nice comfy chair, computer plugged in, Scrivener opened, coffee at my side and then it hits me. How am I going to write a sex scene in public? I got cold feed and switched to writing a flash fiction piece so that my time still ended up productive.

So what's my point? My point is that I need to get over that, there is a lot of sex in my SPE project. It's not often someone looks over my shoulder to read what I'm writing. It felt like an excuse for not moving forward with the book. Why would I not want to move forward? Fear. I'm terrified of what comes next. Sure I've revised and edited a book before. I've handed things out to beta readers. But there are somethings that are different with this book.

One: It's completely outside what I normally write. I was inspired to write this book despite the fact that it was outside my realm. Yes, it would have been easier for me to write something that was PNR, but this felt like the right thing to do. Part of me is scared that PNR is all I can write, while the other part of me is excited for this adventure.

Two: I'm putting it out there. This is different than just putting it out there for people on Facebook, this is going to be out there for the general public. My SPE contains things that may stir some things up in people.  I also don't want to be compared to a certain book. (I think that is probably going to happen anyways, so I will just have to deal with it when I come.)

The thing is, fear is part of the process. It is part of that self doubting voice that lives inside all of our heads. The only thing you can do is keep writing. Push passed it. That being said, next time I get to Starbucks, creepy old man or not, I will write and push through that fear.

Character Backgrounds

I have been called (on occasion) the “Queen of Character Backgrounds”.

It’s a joke, but it is still true. I love character bios. I love listening to a character in my head telling me their backstory; they tell me in great detail all of their great deeds and misfortunes. I think I have more character bios on my computer than I do stories to put them in. No, scratch that: I don’t think this, I know this.

Every character, be them a main character, a minor character or a bit character has a full bio on my computer. I like to know what makes all of them tick, why they act the way they do, why they have a place in this story. No one is there as filler or fluff. I’m rather meticulous about it; maybe that is why my story is unfinished as of right now, because I am still listening to the back stories.

I’m sure that this is wasted time for most people, if a character is a bit character, a minor player than the effort is time and energy better spent on the main part of the story, but not for me.  Nothing is more frustrating for me than reading a story and being able to tell that the author has no idea why this minor character is doing what he does, I’m not saying that every character needs to have three chapters devoted to backstory, but you can tell when love and care is put into the smallest of characters.

So as December comes to an end and a new year is on the cusp of beginning I am going to focus on keeping my characters well rounded and knowing full well the how’s and why’s of their personality.  I don’t want to write something and have no idea what my characters would say or do in that situation.  So even if it may be a waste of time I will continue with my extensive character bios, it’s just how I roll. And to take a lesson from +Alexandra Webb , research will be a key focus of mine as well. Be it story research, character research, or the final stage of marketing research, all stages are equally important.

Research, Research, Research

So while I sit and wait for inspiration to get passed this super emotional tense scene, I decided to see what the next step would be after I get the book polished and shiny. (What can I say, I'm all for being optimistic) Mia actually let me borrow a book called Quit Your Day Job. It's a resource for self publishing by H.P. Mallory and it was a fantastic read.

I'm not going to turn this into a full on review, not yet, because I haven't had the chance to try the methods suggested. As you can imagine though, the book focuses on what to do after writing and polishing your novel. Helpful tips on what to do for your website, how to make a pleasing appearance on Amazon and BN, social media, and so on. That being said, I realized that, after reading this book, I am going to need to do a lot of research when the book is done. (and I'm not talking about for the book itself, I do that while I write so I don't have a bunch of crap to fix later.)

There are review sites to find, groups on facebook to join, marketing things that I have no idea about. I'm just glad that I'm not on this journey alone, because it can be overwhelming. Though reading the book gave me confidence in being able to be successful in self publishing, I'm still nervous about going this route. Of course it all depends on your definition of being successful, currently my goal is to get my stuff out there for people to read. From there? Who knows.

So the next step after writing and polishing is going to be more research. Woohoo! Who doesn't like research? I'm going to need minions....

SPE: Big Dreams, Losing Focus, and Doubt

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou

At any given time I have at least 50 characters talking in my head. Sounds crazy? To some, maybe; but to writers and creators, they know exactly what I am talking about. I could be walking down the aisle at the grocery store, glance at a packaging for green beans and then be hit with a story idea or a character pops into my head. As fun as it may sound in schizophrenia-land, it’s a burden more than a blessing.

I struggle to keep focused when so much is rambling around in my head; jokingly I’ve even asked my husband if I should seek help from the doctor in the form of a Ritalin prescription just so I can focus on my projects. ADD jokes aside, my lack of focus comes from a mix of an over active imagination and being undisciplined in my writing. I have so many ideas typed up in my “idea’s” notebook, my WIP folder on my computer looks like a disaster and I’ve been dubbed “The Queen of first Chapters & Character Design” by my husband, who thinks that writing is easy and who can’t understand why I can’t just pound out a 120,000 word novel by the end of the week.

Oh the joys of being misunderstood, both myself and writing as a whole. Writing isn’t easy, writing and crafting something that is entertaining and well thought out takes time.

My SPE project has hit some snags. Snag #1 is: What the hell am I going to use as my SPE?

Well, let me answer that one for you and me both.

My SPE was supposed to be a story of a wolf and a witch set in Ireland, it was going to be the tie in to an entire series I have in my head. I did say “supposed to be”? Yes I did, when the characters refuse to speak to you, you just can’t force it and those two did not and still do not want to speak to me right now. Project scraped.  

Next on the agenda was going to be my Fallen Angel’s story, but I have decided that his tale might be a little too dark for reader. This, as you will see, is definitely becoming a theme for me. His story would be a prequel to a demon huntress story that is a mix of Religious conspiracy theories, demonology 101, a pinch of world history and so much sex it should probably come with an NC-17 rating. So, that option probably wouldn’t be good either for a first time self-published author.

Option 3, my baby. The story that I am dying to write, a tale of two characters bound together throughout time, forced to never be together until- well, you know, I wouldn’t want to spoil it for everyone. The only problem with that one is I am so emotionally invested in these characters that I find them hard to write at times. If I am stressed out over real life issues, then I can’t focus on them, they are so tightly wound around every fiber of my DNA that they respond as I respond.  Crazy, I know. But the mental hospital doesn’t have any rooms available to the “author and her characters who can’t seem to get themselves on track” and sadly the deadline is looming.

So the final word on what my SPE is going to be is: Option 3, unless I can be convinced that readers actually do like a twisted, dark, smutty story as much as I do in which case I will be using my Paranormal Erotica story involving Angels, Demons, and the Church.

Either way, focus is needed. Both projects are continually open in my WIP folder, so they should both be seeing an increase in word count throughout the next couple of months.

Snag #2: Novella vs. Novel

For the entire month of November I have agonized over this. The only conceivable answer is: Write the story (which ever it may be) and whatever it ends up at is what I go with. ß-- I think this might be my shortest answer ever to a question.

So, was there a point to my blog post this week?

Who knows. Maybe, maybe not. This post is mainly a little note to me, to remind myself not to get hung up on the little details. I lose focus when I stress, when I worry, when I become overwhelmed. We all, at some point, are plagued with self-doubt. When the stakes are high, when it is a dream that we desire above all else, when we are truly afraid of failing- That is when we run the risk of listening to those internal voices that try to bring us down, and it is at those moments when we need to reach out and ask for help. For me, help comes in the form of friends and fellow writers like Alexandra who help get me back on task and help keep me focused.  

My dreams are big and they scare the hell out of me, but if I give in to doubt then I will be in agony for not having tried. So, regardless of the snags I encounter, I will keep going until I finish. The only way I will truly fail is if I never try in the first place.

SPE update from Alexandra

It's been so long for an update, and I'm sorry for that. Life some times gets away from us and there are times when life must come before writing. I'm sure a lot of you can sympathize. I didn't have a particular topic in mind for today, so I thought I'd give you a personal update.

I have chosen, titled, and written part of, my SPE. I also used my SPE for my NaNoWriMo, and though I hit 50,000 words, the story isn't anywhere near finished yet. I would say a little over half way there. In Black and White came alive a lot more than I expected and the characters had different ideas than I originally planned. (Which is fine, because I plan loose enough for that.) I didn't, however, plan for it to be as long as it's going to end up being, but it needs to be that way.

Balancing this with another Nano project and my life proved to be a challenge. There were times when I was not in the mood to write this particular story and yet I forced myself to keep going. With Mia's help I realized that I could actually do this. Write something out side my normal genre and actually have it be decent. (I use the word decent, because most first drafts are crap...but we can polish crap. Thank you Mythbusters for proving that one.)

So onwards I go with a new glow to my confidence that I didn't have before Nano. I'm hoping to have In Black and White ready to be released by June. Wish me luck!

Review: Heartwood Box: A Fairy Tale

Review: 3 stars (out of five)

Okay, so I'm all for good sex in a book, but I do like a little bit of plot with my porn, cause I'm that kind of girl. This book was suggested to me by a friend, because it is a BDSM based book and that is what my SPE is. The Heartwood Box, written by Lilia Ford, at least had some BDSM ideas, control, bondage, punishment, reward, which was nice to see. The book is based in a fantasy world, so I didn't expect there to be any accuracy to the actual Lifestyle.

As far as plot, there wasn't really any. The first part of it moved slow, but it at least had a point to it. The characters met, they found that they were fated together and they married. After the marriage, you got a brief glimpse of a war that was supposed to be going between the Fae and the Demons, which could have been expanded on much more instead of used to only to get Damien out of the way so Genevieve was left alone with Derek on of Damien's brothers). The idea of the Heartwood box itself was fascinating and was executed well, a little more description of it would have been nice, because I was envisioning a small box, but this was supposed to big enough to hold a riding crop and a few other large items. There were a couple big time jumps that felt like the author just didn't have anymore information to put in there.

The male characters could have been better, they were hot, they were brothers and they were all doms. Three doms in a household, poor Genevieve. Though, there's not much else a girl could ask for, really. Each had their own part to play, but the two older ones (Damien and Derek) could have been developed better. Damien's reasons came from a tragedy in the past, which is where Derek's anger came from (at least from what I understood), but that's really as far as it went. Donald (the third brother) had the most personality to him, and I believe that was probably the intention of the author since he was not 'scared' by the tragedy). Genevieve did have more back story than most female character, however no reason was really given for her 'demon' (which is what makes her crave extreme pain).

Writing wise, it wasn't bad, and for being self-published it was polished and didn't have any weird errors, or formatting issues. The sex scenes were awesome, but the 'plot' parts were slow moving and very much all tell and no show. I did enjoy it, but it showed potential for more plot and better characters. If you like more porn than plot, pick it up, if you want an easy, sexy read, go for it and enjoy.

Buy the book:
Amazon
Find the author here.