Bookin' it

I'm not the kind of person to watch the mail box. I let it accumulate for days and check it maybe once a week. But lately I've been watching when the mail truck arrives, grabbing my keys and heading for the box. Reminds me of back during the Vietnam War when I was delivering mail one summer and young wives would wait for my arrival and that air mail letter on the tissue thin paper with an APO return address.

I'm awaiting an even more elusive lover -- my book. I published my memoir, Laughing for a Living, on Lulu. At first it seemed so easy. My son helped me with the cover design and all the technical PDF, embedded type stuff. We did the deed on Halloween weekend like some satanic ritual. I kept waiting for the Web site to make some outrageous demand of money, but it never happened.

"Congratulations!" it said. "You're a published author." No charge. Now it was time to order books. The site suggested one for proofing but I was brave. I ordered 20 at $6.74 each. Shipping and handling -- that's where they make their money -- added another $1.25 a book. I figured if I was lucky, they would get here by Thanksgiving, just in time to distribute to family as a surprise Christmas gift.

A couple of days later, I was pulling out of the driveway and spotted a box on my porch. It couldn't be. It was! My book. And it looked gooooooood. Great, in fact. I was so excited I announced it on Facebook. A dozen friends expressed interest. 20 books was not going to be enough.

I called Bruce Tinker, the executive director of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. The cover is a funny photo of me standing in front of the theater on the day I retired from The Press. I offered Bruce a proposition. If they want to sell the book in the lobby before "Peter Pan," they can have all proceeds over my cost. He needed a few days to discuss it with staff. I dropped off a book for his perusal. He called me back. They loved it. Could I get them 50? And do a book signing?

It's Monday, a week after Halloween, I should have plenty of time to get 50 by the time the show opens on Nov. 19. Eleven days. But the opening weekend is hectic and I'm out of town for Thanksgiving the following week. We agree to do the book signing on Wednesday, Dec. 1. Plenty of time.

Enough time that I decide to make a few revisions. Nothing major. I wanted to credit the friend who took the cover photo, correct a misspelling or two. To do these changes I needed to upload a new pdf and delete the old. I didn't want to bother my son, so I downloaded Open Office to create a new PDF, followed the directions on Lulu, and voila. I'm a published author again.

This time I order just one book to proof it. What if I did something wrong in making the PDF, even though it looks okay online? I check the box to have it sent by US mail. It's just one little book. Three days, I think.

That was Nov. 8 and I'm still checking the mail daily. The proof has not arrived. Unlike FedEx or UPS, the US Mail doesn't offer tracking. I chat with the people at Lulu. Nothing they can do. It was shipped Nov. 10. Nov. 17 is two weeks before the book signing. I decide I need to order 50 books by that day, even though I haven't seen the proof. Surely, they will look just as good as the first 20. Surely.

So, I meet the mail truck. I order promotional bookmarks and a poster of the cover to use on my booksigning table, and I meet the mail truck. Still no proof. The Press calls to do a story about my book and all I can do is spill my guts about the missing proof. Will the other books arrive? Dare I give out the Christmas gifts as planned?

I used to think getting published was the hardest part of writing. That was before I knew about waiting for the mail.

Tension

Today's Mood: Frustrated. Today's Music: Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns. Today's Writing: IFFY. Today's Quote:

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It's been a long time since I've blogged, but I want everyone to know that I am writing. I went to an awesome Fiction Critique, and I've attended a Fall Writing Retreat, and I've dragged my butt out of bed at the ungodly hour of 5:30 a.m. every week day to write. The rough draft is inching along toward completion--and I do mean inching. Wish I was a faster writer. But hey, at least I see progress. Still have that 2010 goal.

I want to write/think/contemplate/dialog about creating tension in your writing. However, tonight I don't have time so I thought I'd throw it out there, let people give me their thoughts. Then, when I have an evening where I'm not keeling over with exhaustion, I'd try to put my thoughts into words.

So what do you think? What is tension and how do you create tension in your writing?

Insane

Today's Mood: overwhelmed. Today's Music: Linkin Park. Today's Writing: IFFY. Today's Quote:

*******

First day back to work with students. First off, let me just say that 5:30 a.m. is so NOT morning. It is the freaking middle of the night! When my alarm went off I couldn't help but think that just as early as the morning before, I could have rolled over and got another 3 1/2 hours of sleep!

The library is hot, dusty, and so not ready for operations as normal. No email or Internet is a good thing when I'm suppose to be writing though. Unfortunately I sat and did more stressing over the scene than actually writing. This is the scene that was killing me before I took a break to go camping. So maybe that's why the break lasted as long as it did!

I need to move on in a big way. Just start a new scene or something. Maybe I should just skip the scene altogether. Cut it out. But...but....

Gahhhhh! I can't think anymore. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow will be better. Right?

Fall Goal

Today's Mood: Purposeful. Today's Music: Alan Parson's Project. Today's Writing: If defined broadly, IFFY. Today's Quote:

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It's back to school time. The end of long summer days that stretch out in front of me, full of potential for writing, painting, drawing, playing in the waves, riding my bike, and all sorts of other no doubt wonderful things. I'll miss that--the potential, the possibilities that exist. Each day I'd wake up and lie in bed, spinning out a colorful tapestry in my mind of all the adventures waiting for me. Yeah, most of the time real life interfered and I'd end out cleaning or taking my kids to the dentist, but oh, just the freedom of possibilities!

However, there is one good thing about summer's end; I actually attempt to accomplish all the things I meant to do in June and July--and put off. Why, this last week I got more projects crossed off my list than I did the whole rest of the summer. And I have to remind myself that life doesn't end just because I go back to work. It speeds up (which is scary since the whole dang summer went by so fast it was a rainbow-colored blur!), but it doesn't mean I can't do the things that feed me--one of them being writing.

In fact, routine is good for writing, good for me anyway. I go to work early and write. And to teachers, the start of the school year is like New Year's Day--we make our resolutions or goals for the upcoming school year. So this school year, 2010/2011, I aim to finish my rough draft of IFFY. I'm even going to turn the screws a little tighter and say that I aim to finish my rough draft in 2010.

There. I said it. I blogged it. And thus it is official.


Now I just have to do it.

Test

I am at such a loss with blogs, but I am determined not to let this gremlin win. This is a test blog entry to see if I know what I'm doing.

Process

Today's Mood: Relaxed. Today's Music: Lifehouse. Today's Writing: IFFY. Today's Quote:

"I would write a book, or a short story, at least three times--once to understand it, the second time to improve the prose, and a third to compel it to say what it still must say. Somewhere I put it this way: first drafts are for learning what one's fiction wants him to say. Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing: 'The men and things of today are wont to lie fairer and truer in tomorrow's meadow,' Henry Thoreau said." -Bernard Malamud

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Peninsula Writers' summer conference was all about process. Mary Ann Samyn, the keynote speaker, said "I write every day, but I define writing very broadly." She spoke of process as 'paying attention'. Noticing everything--even all the little things that make up a day, like folding laundry and mowing the lawn. What smells are associated with those tasks? What emotions? So often we go through life on autopilot, just doing our chores, our business without really thinking about it. As writers we need to PAY ATTENTION. Mary Ann said it helps her to think of the day as "on loan".

I like this idea. Somehow it makes the day seem a bit different--special somehow. And it certainly makes me notice things more. It reminds me of when my car was in the shop and they gave me a loaner car. I still did my regular errands--work, picking up kids, going to the grocery store--but it was different. Even the kids payed more attention to the way the car felt, sounded, smelled. I was more intentional about things. Intention is defined as "done by intention or design. Intent = directed with keen attention. If I go about my day with intention, I am keenly aware of everything. The same follows if I go about my writing with intention.

The other thing that struck me about Mary Ann's talk on Process, was her comment that writers need to stay "crouched down" by their writing. We need to stay close to the writing. Even when it gets tough. Especially when it is tough. Going back to her definition of writing, I don't think that means I need to keep hammering away at the keyboard even when it isn't working--at least, not always. Sometimes the 'butt in chair' method does work for me. But there are other ways of remaining "crouched down". (Isn't that a great phrase? Gives me such a good picture.)

Samyn said she takes her writing with her wherever she goes. Literally. She prints off the poem she is working on and takes it with her--to get her oil changed. To work. Wherever. That way she can keep working on it even when she isn't actively writing it. Helps to have a pen or pencil with you as well.

Mary Ann also reads it aloud. Again and again. Hence the idea of taking it with you wherever you go. Listen to how it sounds. What pictures does your brain display as it hears the words, the story? Somehow the words change when they are spoken. A weird alchemy occurs. I have experienced this with my small writing group--when I read my piece of writing out loud to them, I catch things I didn't before. Knowing that they are listening makes me hear it different. That's why my small writing group is such an important part of my process.

So, where does that leave us? I've heard the writing process defined in a lot of different ways. Some have worked for me, some have not. The older (and better, I hope) I get, the more I realize how each person's writing process is unique. Do you like Mary Ann's definition of "paying attention"? How would you define it?

Most of all--keep writing!

Debriefing the writing process

Today's Mood: a tad high-strung. Today's Music: nothing. Today's Writing: nothing. Today's Quote:

"Remember, you are the creator of your own life story." -Don Miguel Ruiz, Don Jose Ruiz in The Fifth Agreement.

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Ah yes, it's been awhile. A long while as a matter of fact. Lots of things going on in the world and in my life. Even some writing, I'm glad to say. Not as much as I'd like, but even that is good. Something to strive for in the weeks, months, years to come.

At present I am looking forward to going up to beautiful Glen Lake and living among writers for a week, and writing. Writing 24/7--or as much as I can while still allowing for eating and sleeping. Unlike years past, I haven't had much time to anticipate or stress over going because I have had a sick kid. But now that she is feeling better, the excitement is starting to fizz. We are doing a silent auction this year and I spent the evening getting my entries ready--and no, I'm not telling what they are--other than that they are so cool and everyone will want to bid on them. I hope.

The other thing I'm starting to think about is the debriefing session I am suppose to lead next week. (Debriefing being where we talk about the writing process.) I'm at a bit of a loss for a topic--not that there aren't a lot of facets to the writing process, but that we have, at one time or another during the many years I have gone to this conference, already talked about them. So I've been hitting the writing/author/agent/publisher blogs hoping something inspires me, or confuses me, or angers me. Hunting for an interesting topic.

Anyone have any suggestions? It gets even harder when you consider we are not all fiction writers. We are not all poets. We are not all trying to get published. We are not all writing for children--or teens--or adults. Sooooo it has to be a topic that applies to all writers.

So far on my list of possibilities:

how to deal with critiques, technology and writing--help or hindrance?, wait time (as in, how long do you let something sit before revision?), exploring different genres, the changing publishing industry and its impact on writers, word ruts and how to get out of them.

Any favorites? Anything other burning questions/concerns you wish someone would talk about with you? (on the topic of writing, mind you!)