Sending Out Stories

Throughout the summer I diligently wrote, revised, and rewrote scenes for our book with my writing partner. We added a forth writing day and write together over the internet. Recently we decided we each needed to get a few short stories or articles published. I have a dozen or so pieces in various drafts and started reviewing and rewriting these. My writing partner and I critique each other's pieces. We see ourselves as our own mini critique group. We encourage each other and hold each other accountable for sending out stories. We are committed to sending out two stories/articles each month. This is the motivation I need to get my stories out to publishers. Acceptance or rejection of my stories is not what matters. Just sending out my stories is important.

Life Interrupts Art

Three months. Life interrupts! When last I posted in March, my coauthor was on a three week vacation. The week she returned my dear out-of-state friend came for a two-week visit. May brought family events and travel issues. But come June, life settled and my coauthor and I devised a writing schedule -  we write Mon. Tues., and Thurs. mornings from 9:30 to 12:30. Three days a week is manageable as we organize the main plot and subplot scenes along the story timeline. Together we write new scenes as well as rewrite previous ones, brainstorm ideas and clarify scene goals. Joy-joy-joy it is, writing again.

Write something each day

My co-author is on a three week vacation so I have turned my writing attention to other projects, an advantage of having several writing pieces at different levels of development. I continue reorganizing Dubious Grief writing scenes and letting the material flow. I've given up trying to impose a predetermined structure on the story. For my historical novel I'm mostly done with the research and now think about how my protagonist will react to specific events and write short snippets to develop into scenes later. I write whatever interests me on a daily basis. My goal is simply to write, write, write something every day.

Complementary editing styles

Yesterday during my writing session with my co-author we discovered our minds work very differently as we approach editing and organizing the book. We are using a spreadsheet to identify each scene we have written, it's purpose/goal, and the take away for the reader. I'm a plodder. I work best if I can concentrate on one editing task at a time. My co-author tends to see many tasks as we work on organizing the material. Her mind is like a pinball, easily moving from one task to another. So we discussed these differences and decided my focused approach and her ability to see all the other editing issues actually are complementary strengths. As we plod along identifying each scene goal, she notices where the 'holes' in the story are and records these in a note column. Reminders of editing tasks to pursue next. Once we figured out how our different styles complemented one another we were able to edit in a way that suited both our styles.

See new post on Dubious Grief page.

Rejecting the 'lone writer' ideal

I have never been comfortable with the 'lone writer' image. For me writing works best as a collaborative experience. Writers need feedback from other writers on their stories. Critique groups are one way to collaborate as is enrolling in a writing class. A third collaborative options is co-writing stories with another writer. Writing stories together may sound risky to those writers who have not experienced this collaborative process, because our 'writing ego' gets in the way. My writing partner and I agree our co-writing experience works for us. Often she reads aloud what I have written, suggests edits, and I do the same for her. When she suggests I "kill a darling" I put my ego aside and discover I often agree with her analysis. Because we are writing a novel together, this helps me refine my characters, story threads, and offers ideas about how my characters might react to the characters and scenes my colleague writes. Co-writing our novel keeps the story moving, provides valuable feedback, and keeps me laughing as I write.

Keeping the winter blues away!

January ends tomorrow and my writing has moved forward significantly during the month. Writing several pieces at various stages of story development has kept me on my toes. Most helpful has been designating specific days and times for each project. Two days a week I write/revise with my writing colleague. One day I work on my Dubious Grief material and this keeps my memoir project moving along even without the writing class I usually participate in. In the evening I ponder new story ideas and file them away for a later time. I have also taken up watercolor painting - so nice to have a truly free creative activity outside the structure of writing. All in all this month has confirmed my belief that variety in my writing and other creative activities is key to keeping the winter blues away.

Writing together using the internet

I am collaborating with another writer on a novel. Since it is winter and the weather can be terrible, we are using the internet to write scenes together and organize our materials. This method has worked great for us. In the past we'd meet at either my or her house and write once a week. Now using the internet and Google's gmail allows us to store and share materials and write together several times a week on our novel. It's great to be able to write and edit the same document together. No need to deal with the cold, frigid weather. And we are making better progress on our novel than meeting once a week in person. Love this method of collaboration!

Self Motivation

I usually start the new year by taking a memoir writing class at the local community college. Because the tuition has nearly doubled, I skipped enrolling this year. Instead I will proceed with my writing as if I am enrolled, cranking out my words and reorganizing Dubious Grief. I dug out my class notes from the previous four years and will do the exercises, pump out the word count, and see where it leads. Since the class meets on Tuesday evening, I have dedicated my Tuesday writing to my memoir, Dubious Grief, to strengthen the illusion and hold myself accountable. Another year, another challenge.