Another Successful 30 Days

Posted by Joanne Huspek

Do you hear the celebratory cheering? The hoorays? The clink of champagne glasses?

No? Then you must not be in tune with the results of this year’s NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month.

See?

At about 10:30 a.m. Eastern, I decided to test my Word’s word count feature and try to validate my NaNo novel, the sequel to Virtually Yours – NaNo winner of 2009. (Also known as Virtually Yours, a Love Story in Thirty Days.) I call the new book VY2. (The new working title is Virtually Ours, a Wedding in Thirty Days, but I don’t know how that’s going to play out once I finish the book. Things can change.) As writers know, the word count feature can be flawed, so I wrote more than I thought was necessary. To my pleasant surprise, my official total was more than what was necessary: 50,149.

As I pointed out in the previous post, I’m most successful with NaNoWriMo when I have a plan, and this year I had a dilly of a plan. In fact, I began plotting this book back in the summer. I was also infused with a swell of ambition, not something this ordinarily lazy person has most of the time. I wrote nearly every day, and found myself feeling awful if I didn’t make time to write. I hope I can carry this work ethic beyond today.

While the book is far from finished, I’ve managed to formulate the story lines, strengthened the characters, and added the requisite twists and turns. There are several Big Reveals, none as big as the original, but I hope they’ll do. I tried something new this year; I wrote each POV separately and merged them all together this morning. I found that I could keep the separate stories more separate that way, and wasn’t as apt to repeat myself.

The next step is to print everything out, cut the scenes apart, and rearrange them in the order I want them to appear in the final book, fill in the color, correct my mistakes. And add the rest of the ending. 🙂

For a preview hint of what’s in this one, there’s the upcoming wedding of the decade between a NYC socialite and a romance novelist, their Internet friends (the Virtual Moms), an impossibly too small Vera Wang gown and an antique corset, reminiscing, a death, a runaway, a sex kitten next door who means to take one of the husbands, a sex-cort job offer, a hyper-self-conscious heavy woman who won’t say yes, a wildly popular talk show, the snowstorm of the century and displaced travelers, and the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Oh, and a mad blogger.

Whee! I’m so happy. You really can’t hear that celebration? or are you deaf? 😛

Posted in editing, NaNoWriMo, people, rewriting, womens literature, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Strategies for NaNoWriMo

Posted by Joanne Huspek

Holy cow, is it November again?

Yes, I am again participating in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, even though I have been waist-deep in an edit/re-write and have a hundred other items on my list of things to do.

Why, do you ask, would I NaNo? Well, the main reason is I’m lazy the other eleven months of the year. I need November’s NaNoWriMo to kick my ass.

I know, I know, I could levy a self-imposed deadline such as NaNo’s race to complete 50K words in thirty days any other time – let’s say in February or September – but I have little willpower. Plus I am easily distracted.

In order to cross the 50K finish line this year, I’m going to take some pretty severe actions. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Get off Facebook. Should be easy, especially since the recent Facebook upgrade, which made visiting there and hanging out a major pain in the butt. Plus, it seems that every time I sign in, some bug locks up my computer. Another good reason to stay away.

2. Minimize Twitter. That used to be easy until I got an HTC EVO phone. Looking at tweets is entirely too simple these days. I know, I’ll turn off my phone!

3. Stop wasting time with meals and meal preparation. I see a lot of ramen noodles, tuna fish and take out in my immediate future.

4. Get up early. I need to do this to complete my Real Life chores, but with the extended Daylight Savings Time and my oncoming SAD, I’m finding that difficult. It’s still freaking dark at 7:30! Perhaps next Sunday when it will FINALLY be Daylight Savings Time, I will be able to report myself in better humor.

5. Suspend working on my re-write. This will be tough, but necessary. It’s good to put a little distance, particularly since I’ve been at it full bore since the end of August. I have a feeling the 30 day vacation will yield positive results.

6. Use Write or Die. This is the ultimate cattle prod for reluctant writers. If you’re a procrastinator with ADD tendencies, I would strongly recommend this program. Using it I’ve whipped up a thousand words in twenty minutes or less.

6a. Download Write or Die on every computer you use. That’s right, even the work computer. Once you pay $10 for the computer version (the online version is free), your payment entitles you to unlimited downloads of Write or Die. Two words: Do it!

7. I’m also going to join the local NaNo group. There’s nothing like a community flogging to get your butt in gear. Reach out to other writers who plan on marathoning this month.

As for the mechanics of NaNoWriMo (or the mechanics of writing any novel, period), try making it easy on yourself. Here are some things the fledgling writer can think about while dreaming of penning the next breakout novel:

1. Have a plan. For real. A novel must have three things: a beginning, a middle and an end. Without those three things, you don’t have a story, you have stream of consciousness writing. There’s nothing wrong with streaming – actually, my first NaNoWriMo effort was a unruly stream that resulted in the completion of my first novel. Streaming may give you ideas for story lines, but if the goal is writing a book, don’t forget the beginning, middle and end.

2. Outline. This is hard for me, and I never did it before, but it makes perfect sense. Most people don’t jump into the car and drive away without a road map, they have a map and money for gas to get them to their destination. Figure out before you sit down at the computer where your characters are going and how they’re going to get there.

3. Write everywhere. Give yourself the luxury of little notebooks for those times you’re not close to the computer/typewriter/notepad.  Use your iPad. Since my story includes a blog, I have set up my fictional blog online, and plan on contributing to it every day this month. Hey, what can I say? Words are words.

My goal is to get ‘er done, peeps.

This year’s effort is the sequel to VIRTUALLY YOURS, yet unnamed (so far referred to as VY2). And yes, I have a game plan, story lines, unknowns, and the requisite Big Reveal toward the end of the story.

It’s early (7:31 a.m.) but I have to get on the move. See you in December.

Posted in editing, NaNoWriMo, people, rewriting, womens literature, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

The 20 Percent Solution

Posted by Joanne Huspek

I have a novel that is very nearly ready for the big time – the Big Time being self-publishing online. I even have a cover for said novel, and am attempting to convert the insides to a format the web will accept.

The next step (well, once it’s ready to launch), is getting the word out.

However, you can hear me whining from across the room. “I’m a writer, why do I have to sell? Shouldn’t I be writing?”

Yes, I should, but I’ve come to believe taking your work to the next level is really not that difficult. Even if you’re picked up by an agent, they’ll expect you to do some of the work. Anyone pitching a book (and a few other things I can think of) will need two things – a passion and a plan.

The passion part is easy. I really, really love my book. I like how I took a tiny piece of my Real Life, folded in a ridiculous premise, stirred gently with some over-the-top characters, added a few unlikely situations, and voila! VIRTUALLY YOURS  was born. I must have the passion. I’ve entered VY into contests and placed. When asked about my hobbies, I mention, “Oh, yes, I write novels in my spare time.” (!!! What spare time???) I go full bore into the story line, which isn’t hard to do. I’ve been elevator pitching anyone with ears since I wrote the last two words “The End.” The positive feedback is that I’m often asked when it will be coming out or could they read it.

But I know my passion isn’t going to see me through. It’s going to take some work, hard work, the kind of hard work I am loathe to do.  The kind that starts with an “S”.

Selling. Ugh. Do I really, really have to?

In a word, YES.

I had lunch last week with my MR ED, who is really excited about my book. No, really, almost as excited as I am, if that’s even possible. I wimped and whined about selling… There’s such a used car salesman stigma to selling your work. After all, in their heart of hearts, any artist believes that the work is so uniquely special it should sell itself.

Right.

There is also the “pushy” factor. No one wants to be known as that person. It appears gauche to pepper the Twittersphere with “Buy My Book” pleas, or to toot your horn (too loudly) on Facebook. If the recipients are anything like me, with too many blasts, they’ll drop you like a red hot tater and buy something else.

This is not to say I have never purchased a book from a friend or writing ally. The difference in the pitch is the delivery.

But let’s face it, now that you’re releasing your book to the masses (hopefully more than those dozen people who are related to you), you are now departing the world of the arts for the world of commercial enterprise. There is a fine line between tacky and thorough.

As for TIME (which is all important), Mr. ED came up with a boffo solution: The 20% solution. It’s a fabulous plan.

The best part is that it’s painfully easy. Take 80% of your time and work on the creative. Write to your heart’s content, or discontent. I would consider such items as classes or workshops in this category. Stretch your brain when you hit a writer’s block.

The remaining 20% is for the those tasks no writer wants to think about. The first thing that comes to mind is the technical aspects, like maintaining a blog, trying to convert your novel, or the dreaded selling your book.

It’s actually a pretty good solution for a common problem. Compartmentalizing your tasks might also help you stay on task, which is my biggest issue. I don’t need huge, nebulous deadlines, I need small, easy-to-reach deadlines.

I’ll give it a go and let you know.

Posted in editing, music, violin, writing, women, life, NaNoWriMo, people, rewriting, womens literature, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Pay it Forward, Pay it Backward, Pay it Any Way You Can

Posted by Joanne Huspek

Goals. Like many writers, I have several with regard to writing, and coincidentally, many of these overlap my overall goals in life.

First and foremost is the honing of the craft. I wear many hats during the course of a day, and I can tell you from not-so-critical observation that not everyone can write. I’m in the position of speaking to many teenagers and their families in my Real Life work. Keep in mind, I’m not referring to the stellar among us, because I’ve met those too, and they give me hope. But I am concerned because some can barely string a sentence together, much less a story. It’s been said that our high school graduates have the writing and comprehension skills of fifth graders. The theories regarding this phenomenon are many: it’s the culture, it’s TV, it’s the Internet, it’s the schools who consistently pass kids who fail, it’s the parents who relinquish their roles as teachers to the system.

This is sad, not only for writers who long to reach an audience, but for potential readers. What are the chances that a writer with fifth grade comprehension can write the next For Whom the Bell Tolls? But let’s face it; I can’t change the world, I can only change myself. That’s why I continue to study, to read, and to improve myself in anyway I can.

Number Two on my list is to stick with it until The End. Many don’t realize how difficult a task this is. Many writers have the best of stories and the best of intentions of finishing. Then Real Life rears its many heads. Our concentration is scattered; our time is divided and subdivided. I have to eat. My family might encounter a crisis or two. I might get lazy. I might take a look at the first 50K words and feel a range of emotions, including dejection, depression, and discouragement . It’s easy to beat yourself up.

My first book took two full years to get to those two words, in part because I am relentless, in part because I thought the story was a good one, and in major part the three C’s – the cajoling, cheering, and cattle prodding of my many writer friends.

This brings me to Number Three on the list. Writers are a smart bunch. What one doesn’t know, another might. In my experience, they like to share, and why not? A good writer friend will slap you upside the head when you need it and pat you on the back when you deserve it – and Twitter your good fortune to their followers.

If you write and you have information, why not pay it forward, pay it backward, or pay it anyway you can?

Recently, I was commiserating with another struggling novelist regarding self-e-pubbing on a major web site. I’d printed out the manual a year ago, and struggled with the concept of formatting my Word document novel for the Kindle loving bunch. I tore out what little hair I had left and consumed enough Advil to rot my liver.

This person pointed me to another writer’s web site, which pretty much deconstructs the e-pub mystery in words I can understand. Genius.

The next week, I forwarded the same link to another writer.

Keeping what knowledge you do have under a bushel basket helps no one.  Build camaraderie and your reference base by spreading the word, because it’s true – you reap what you sow.

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A Finely Written Book is Like a Finely Constructed…Meatloaf?

Posted by Joanne Huspek

Egads! Two posts in two days?

October, it’s fall, harvest-time, when the temperatures struggle to reach a respectable 70 degrees, and what do I think of? FOOD. Comfort food.

(No, I’m not blog hopping from here to here. Although I’ve been amazingly busy outside as well as in.)

After I think of fall comfort food, like Yankee pot roast, four-alarm chili, and chicken noodle soup, my mind naturally drifts off to thoughts of NaNoWriMo and how I must get off my lazy behind and plot out VY2. November 1 is not that far away; in fact, it’s closer than you think.

With all of the bounty of my back yard begging to be dug up, picked, and/or cleared away, today I woke up with a wildly urgent craving for meatloaf. It could be the result of having put the last of my tomatoes into the crock pot last night for a slow stewing. I awoke this morning to a house reeking of tomatoes and garlic. And thus the longing for meatloaf at 7 a.m.

Meatloaf, you say?

Contrary to popular belief, meatloaf is not a peasant food. A good meatloaf has texture, from the blend of roughly chopped carrots, bell peppers, and onions (all of which come from my backyard), and flavor, from the careful melding of delicate herbs and spices. The optimum meat mixture should be coarsely ground and gingerly mixed, not smashed into the consistency of gruel. It doesn’t have to be ground beef, but can be ground veal, pork, turkey, buffalo, or a combination of any of the above.

My culinary meanderings got me to thinking: a finely written book is much like a finely constructed meatloaf. I could serve myself well to think of writing in the same terms.

When writing, I tend to take my main characters and pummel them into literary glop, turn them inside out and upside down in an effort to have the reader see what I see.  This is unnecessary. As I have said elsewhere, I am the Queen of the Back Story. I really shouldn’t smash down my meat, but instead lightly interweave it with the other ingredients. After all, a good story leaves out a little, a certain je ne sais quois that keeps the reader hooked and compels them to keep reading until the big reveal.

Likewise, meatloaf isn’t just meat. A phenomenal, gourmet meatloaf tastes good because of the other ingredients. Are they fresh and crisp? Are they unusual or the same-old same-old? Something as minor as the choice of breadcrumbs, for example, can alter the flavor. Italian, croutons, sourdough – all of it can change the basic recipe.

I’ve gone from a one-person story and a single timeline to the realization that it takes all of the elements with their own story to make the larger vision work. Each element has to be unsurpassed, perfect.

Mmm…I’m hungry.

After my quick trip to the market, I’ll attempt to put my meatloaf making skills to work in my writing.

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Toiling Away Not Toileting Away

Posted by Joanne Huspek

All of my writing friends/nags would be so proud of me. I’ve spent the last two weeks working diligently on the fourth edit of Finding Cadence. This, even though parts of the book were giving me a severe headache. I persevered and chopped out entire blocks of meaningless words, redundant words, and of course, a motley crew of dreaded adverbs. I took words I used several times and found new words I could use in its place. I found a few intriguing words used in other novels, and placed them (with loving care) into my own.

I took out some characters, a lot of dream sequences, and mindless rumination. I expounded on characters that received a brief glossing over (they are now more prominent and have a place in my MC’s journey), added a potential love interest, and took a completely different angle on my girl’s problems.

Last night, I worked non-stop for five hours! It was 8 o’clock when I noticed it was dark . I hadn’t eaten. The cat was looking for his supper and my dog needed to go outside so badly, I could see her twisting her legs in anticipation.

After untangling myself from laptop cords, my physical notebook, and an empty cup of green tea, I came to a sudden realization. I could do this full time. No really, I could!

I can’t believe I’m finally on the third part! Time marches on.

And so, after I put this edition to bed, it’s off to map out my VY outline for NaNoWriMo. Yes, there will be a sequel!

Now, back to work.

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You CAN Judge a Book by Its Cover

Posted by Joanne Huspek

Hola, my lovelies…

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but that’s because I’ve been busy, busy!

Here’s the update:

VIRTUALLY YOURS: I’ve decided the spruce up the first 50 pages. About half of my betas complain of one thing: that they are lost in those first few pages. (The other half get it.) There are a lot of characters and the story lines are interconnected and it’s hard to get the gist of the plot until the characters and the plots are established. I KNOW THIS. But, it’s a great story (I think) and with a little tweaking, it could be better.

I have a few more small publishers I’m going to query, and then, da da da daaaaah! I think I’ll take the plunge and e-pub. Perhaps by the end of the year.

This means I’m giving it another once over (or two) and make it really, really tight. It also means I’m developing a cover, which is where some of my attention has been going. I’ve had some really boffo designs thrown my way, and it’s hard to choose, but I think I’m going to go for the eye-catcher.

Which is why this post concentrates on covers. No matter what they say, covers ARE important. E-book covers are especially important. I’ve been perusing the offerings at Smashwords, and with the exception of the book description, which have to be brief, professional word candy, the covers are a vital necessity. We need a visual effect to draw us into the story.

There is always a deal maker and a deal breaker. I can’t tell you how many novels I have purchased because the covers feature a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge. Conversely, there are books I have walked away from because the art work didn’t grab me.

Maybe the Holy Bible can get away without cover art, but rarely will any work of fiction do without. Covers on e-books or print, must draw the reader to open the book, or to click on the link for more information.

That being said, I find it mildly humorous that many print cover books are exactly alike. It’s not just the Harlequin romance novels either, most of which feature bodice ripping hunks and voluptuous main characters. Most mystery/thriller type books are in dark colors with bold typeface. Paranormals are often black, with Gothic type. I’ve noticed in my genre (women’s literature) that there are so many books featuring a photo of a body of water (lake, stream, ocean) and the back of a woman’s head and torso as she is overlooking it. Or just the back of her legs.

I’ve seen two books featuring an Asian storyline with nearly the same cover: the back of a Japanese/Chinese woman with chopsticks in her hair. What is weird is that the titles are very similar as well.

I attended a workshop at the San Francisco Writers Conference given by an editor at Grand Central. Even the big houses make big boo-boos when it comes to reusing covers. She held up two different books by different authors with the exact same cover art, released at almost the same time. Ouch!

This proves that tried and true formulas may not be the best.

As for me and my work, VIRTUALLY YOURS, doesn’t conform to the romance genre. (It’s mom-lit, remember?) It’s so different (as some of my rejection letters have indicated), it defies being firmly pigeonholed. My cover is going to have to be as different as the words inside. I had an idea of what I wanted, but the people who are designers and have sent me cover ideas took it down a completely different path.

In a word, I’m pleased. I hope you are too. 🙂

Posted in editing, music, violin, writing, women, life, NaNoWriMo, people, rewriting, womens literature, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , 4 Comments