Notes from Stephen King and Dean Koontz

I've always loved reading and writing. I taught myself how to type just so I could write stories faster... it takes me about an hour to add 1,000 words to whatever I'm working on. I think that's pretty fast.

And, my writing is pretty good, some of it is salable even, but I'm always trying to get better.

Stephen King is one of my favorite writers of all time, even though I haven't read a lot of his fiction in the past decade. The stories I remember had such an impact on me as a young writer because of the way he made the characters and the places come to life.

Over the years, King has always been the author most able to suck me in to a story. His book On Writing is one of my most cherished books.

The more I studied the craft, through assignments and journalism and coursework, the more it became about formula and marketing. So, while I still read the textbooks, I try to remember that the fun of writing is really in the story, even if it doesn't sell.

This last week, I've read Feast of Fear, Conversations with Stephen King and Writing Popular Fiction by Dean Koontz.

I hardly ever read a book without taking notes. When King says "...when you write or you do anything that's creative, there comes a moment when you see stuff that somebody got paid for and you say, 'I do better work than that. I don't care if I'm getting paid for it or not. I know I do.' So, that's like the big first step in becoming a creative person who's paid for what he does." I'm like, yeah, that's where I'm at.

King says Don't say to the reader - "It was so horrible that I don't want to tell you about it." Because then, they'll think you don't know what you're talking about.

He also says, "If you're not willing to go for the throat, you ought not to be in this business."

Oooooh...

I just finished a novel I thought was pretty dark, but when I read this quote, I was like 'Ah, he's talking to me' because I want to be brave, but when I think about the story I just finished, I totally held back. I'm terrified to tell it like I really see it in my mind... I am a pastor's wife after all... won't people think I'm sick?

He says you have to grab the reader by the throat and not let go... so, when I heard back from one of my test readers and she said...

" I read it all in one sitting!"

I said YAY!

When I read these comments:

"I was surprised by it."


"I was greatly saddened and I wanted to reach out to the 

girl in the story and hug her..."


"I was angered..."


"I wanted to yell..."


"I was sickened..."


"It was such a sad story, but I felt I could not put it down, 

which I did not."


I was yelling, "YES, YES, YES!!!"

At the same time, I'm thinking, but this is just the first draft and I could add so much more to the story and I could explore this element and that, and constantly questioning myself. But, then, I read Koontz who says,

Write the first draft right the first time.

"When you've finished a piece, send it out straightaway and get to work on something new. You're a professional. You have all the confidence in the world."

WHAT?!?

I'm thinking about everything I've learned and thinking that's crazy talk, it's called first draft because it comes before all the others, but, then, I'm all about getting it right the first time.

I read it again, and couldn't help but say, "Yeah. That."

So, today I find myself torn between tearing apart that "first draft" so I can really go for the throat and studying the 2014 Writer's Guide so I can get this "first draft" on it's way and start working on something else. Oh, the agony of choices.

When the book is finished, success is bittersweet

Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo and I could be scrambling to find another 3,000 words to write into my story, but I'm not.

In one way, that means I have failed. I've failed to meet the challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Now, if you add in my blog posts, well, then I would be way over the word count. But, my story doesn't have 50K words, so technically I've failed.

I'm competitive. I'm persistent. I'm stubborn.

But, I'm done now.

Why?

Because the story is finished. I've reached the end. Agatha has reached her resolution, the only one available to her, so what else is there to write?

I printed out the 99 pages yesterday and thought I might try to read through it today and try to figure out a way to squeeze another 3,000 words in. But, it wouldn't make the story better, it would just be for pride.

And yet, really I don't feel like I've failed, because I've accomplished the real goal, and that was to get this story written down. It's been bouncing around in my head for several years, begging to be told.

I am relieved to be rid of it.

I am delighted with how it turned out.

But, now I have this strange feeling that something is missing from my life. This project that has consumed me for the last thirty days is now over.

I'll spend more time with my family, of course and I'll catch up on some chores, but I'm already thinking about the next story.

Because, for me the stories never end.

The story's climax, a writer's dilemma

It's coming into the final countdown for me and my fellow WriMo's.

Just three days left...

I'm staying up late to chase the clock and I've just topped 40K

I'm coffee'd up, exhilarated and speed typing.... ZOOM!!!

But, oh, poor Agatha. She just can't seem to get it together.

Guilt and shame are nasty bedfellows and they are weighing her down.

They speak to her in her weakest moments.

They lead her astray...

Sometimes, oh, many times, I've wanted to save her. I've been so tempted to have compassion on the poor girl and just give her happiness. But, happiness doesn't come that easily in this sinful world, and it's not fair to pretend it does just because I want it to be that way.

Agatha has to overcome (or not) all on her own. It's her story and it has to be her ending.

This is when I am most glad that I have a strong outline and sketch before I begin. Because it is now in this home stretch that I am most tempted to lie to my readers, to say it will all be hunky-dorey for Agatha, but once you've been with her this far into the story, you know that there really is nothing in Agatha's life that is, ever has been or ever will be hunky-dorey.

Like all of us, Agatha has a few things to cling to for hope, and at this point we have to follow Agatha to her ending, because we know that all hope is not yet lost for her, and we want to be with her when she overcomes (or be there for her if she doesn't).

Either way, this is it.

The end is near.

The Middle of the Story (NaNoWriMo 2013)

I promised that I would give some "teasers" about this year's NaNoWriMo...

First, let me say that I am super excited about my technique this year. As I've mentioned before, the first year I just wrote every day until I'd pounded out one thousand six hundred sixty seven words and went wherever the story took me. It was a haphazard mess.

The second year, I started with a story concept and got mixed up every time there was a distraction, so it sort of went flat at the end.

This year, I spent the month of October developing my story from beginning to end and creating a fairly detailed outline. So, since November 1st, this journey has been one of simply telling the story. I already know what is going to happen, in fact, in my mind it is like the events have already happened and now I am just relating them to my readers.

The story is better, makes more sense and the words come faster. I don't have to stop and try to remember who's who because it's in my notes...

So, with that said, and I do feel like I can't say enough about this as a creative writing method... where is the story now?

As I approach the 20K word mark, I really feel for Agatha. As soon as she works her way out of one abusive relationship, she finds herself plunged into another. The struggles in her life are intense and tragic, but she is strong and she keeps fighting back.
She has just given birth to her second child and things seem to be working out in her favor as she is working, earning her own way, and learning to save money. She is still young and there is a lot she doesn't know, but she is learning to grieve for her losses and make better decisions.
It seems at this point, that she has the highest hopes of anywhere in the story and all are cheering her on toward a happy ending.

But, it's only 20K words.
And, if you know anything about a story, you know that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

It's like that point in a movie when you think everything is working out and you think the hero has solved the problem and overcome the villain, only to realize that there is still an hour left in the movie and so the story can't be over.

That's where we are with Agatha. It's too early in the book for things to be this good...

The House on Amber Road, Day One, 201 Questions

It's the first day of NaNoWriMO and I am pumped!

This year is the most exciting year yet as I venture to write a novel that I've actually planned.

The first year, I wrote by the seat of my pants, just sort of making things up as I went along. That method caused me to constantly back track into the story to make sure I wasn't saying something that contradicted something I'd said earlier or having characters do things that didn't make any sense based on their back story. It was very unorganized and sort of haphazard - HAH - Sort of how I write my blog.

The second year, I had a general plot line in my head, but not well planned out enough because it got totally derailed when I went into labor.

This year, I've been sketching ideas, taking notes, and drawing character sketches for awhile now. If you are wondering if that is cheating, it's not. These are all well within the NaNoWriMo Rules.

But, I sat down this evening to write and all I had to do was lay out my notes and look at the first item in my outline and then write out that portion of the story. Easy-peasy! Well, at least way easier than the last two years.

So, where are we at the end of day one?
Well, Agatha Briggs has been asked by her teenage daughter to answer 201 questions about herself. Events in Agatha's current life collide with the memories that are triggered by these questions. Agatha struggles to complete the task in time for her daughter's English assignment. Some of the questions are hard to answer, not because she can't remember, but because the memories are painful and she doesn't want to share this pain with her daughter. She must choose her words very carefully.

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo 2013 "The House on Amber Road"

National Novel Writing Month begins in ten hours...

I have my outline ready and I'm convinced this will be my best year yet. So good, in fact, that I have decided that this years story will NOT be posted on the blog. Seems backwards, doesn't it?

Well, this year, I've decided to write a story that has been brewing in my mind for many years. I have a box full of notes, character sketches and now a basically fully fleshed-out outline. I am so excited about the possibilities of this tale that I am planning to publish it. (Wish me luck, this is a scary proposition)

I have taken on no paying customers this year.

My writing be interrupted by the birth of a baby.

So, this is the year that I have no excuses. I get to devote the hours to my novel. For those of you who are disappointed that the full novel will not be available here this year... I know some of you have been waiting all year for a sequel to last years romance... I'll be posting hints and teasers, and maybe even some sample chapters instead.

Look for posts that have the title "The House on Amber Road"