Category: Musings

Musings

Weekly Musing: On the Job Training

DH Hanni

More than two months after I wrote it, I finally started the revision process on my first novel. Now that I’ve finally taken the plunge, I can tell I will be in for a tedious process. Even before I finished the incredibly bad rough draft, I had already jotted down things I wanted to change, ideas I wanted to explore, and research I would need to do.

First I printed off my manuscript and realized that I forgot to label the pages, something I always remember to do except in this case. This became problematic because as I was printing out 170+ pages, some of those pages fell onto the ground so it’ll be a surprise to me when I get to those sections and they make no sense. Lesson #1 learned: Always Number the Pages.

My next step was to do some reading about how to revise a novel. The biggest help was in the forms of some excellent articles in the January 2014 edition of Writer’s Digest. That issue was dedicated to revising a novel and included advice about what the opening chapters should contain, establishing characters from the beginning, story setting, as well as 7 common mistakes a lot of novels suffer from that prevent them from getting published.

For the most part, though, instead of getting myself bogged down in reading book after book of how to do this, that, and the other thing, which would only serve to freak me out further, I decided it would be best to just plunge right in. Truly it is going to be on the job training because with writing, you can study all you want but until you get your hands dirty, you can’t really learn.

Now, I’ve started the reading process. Thanks to the article I read in Writer’s Digest about how to open up a novel, I figured out that the first several pages fit better as a Prologue. When I first started the rough draft, the main character was 13 years old but after a few days, I realized I didn’t like that and so suddenly she was in her 20s. I knew I could fix it later so I left the manuscript as is, fully planning on scrapping that first portion. But it always nagged at me that I sort of wanted to keep that bit of my main character’s story. I considered using it as backstory or just chalking it up something I should keep in the back of my mind but not something that needed to be in the manuscript itself.

At this point, I’m glad I have it as the Prologue. I’ve only re-read and re-worked just that part knowing that what comes after it will be complete overhaul. On the positive side, that will allow me to work on ideas I’ve brainstormed.

While I’m reading the manuscript, I’m also working on research. Even though my manuscript isn’t historical fiction story, it’s more in the fantasy genre, it will still require a fair amount of research. Some of it is to help me learn terms I want to reference, some is to help me develop characters, and some of it is to help me visualize better the world its set in. It’ll be curious doing research as I can go along. I’ve heard this works well for some authors and I think in this instance, it is appropriate.

So while I feel my progress perhaps wasn’t as far as it could have been this week, I am proud of myself for at least starting the revision process. It’ll be a long journey and in the end, it may not result in a publishable manuscript. That thought is disheartening but at the same time, it’s on the job training. I gotta start somewhere.

Musings

Weekly Musing: They’re the Same Right?

DH Hanni

Revising and editing. Editing and revising. One in the same, right? No, not really. Writers need both but simply doing one without the other means you’ve only done half the work. In order for a work to be truly finished, you need to both edit and revise.

So what’s the difference between the two? It personally took me a few months to wrap my head around the difference.

Editing refers to correcting grammar and spelling. A writer doesn’t necessarily come with inherit skills of good grammar and spelling, however, if one is deficient in these areas, brushing up on those skills is a good idea. There are online classes as well as numerous books and websites. It’s also not a bad idea to ask someone whose grammar and spelling are solid to take a look over your piece.

To me editing is the easiest part of the process. My grammar and spelling skills have always been strong plus I have the added bonus of my spouse is also strong in those areas as well so whatever I miss, he catches.

Revision is the biggest challenge of any piece. It’s more about looking at the overall structure of a piece. Does the plot make sense? Are there holes in the story which need to be shored up? Do the subplots support the main story? Are the main character(s) well-rounded? Does the dialogue or action add or subtract to the story? Is this the correct POV? Most importantly, does this story even work?

There is a lot of cutting involved in the revision process. Entire scenes chucked out an imaginary window. Plots changes with things either being dropped or added. Characters removed or new ones created. It’s a much more time intensive and stressful process than simply correcting grammar and spelling in a sentence.

But like editing, having someone else read your work in progress is beneficial. Usually the first reader or readers outside the author are referred to as Beta Reader(s). Anyone can be a Beta Reader although it is usually best if that person isn’t someone like a parent, sibling, or significant other. Writers groups are great places for Beta Readers although having too many people look over your work can lead to lots of confusing suggestions. Ultimately you as the author have the final say in what stays or goes.

For me, I either my spouse (I use him because he can usually be objective), or a writers group when I’m lucky enough to be part of one. Getting in-depth feedback no matter from who gives it is crucial to development as a writer. That being said, it is a good idea for a writer to develop his or her own revising skills.

Editing and revision are the part of the creative process many writers either love or hate. Some say that the rough draft stage is the best part because there’s this rush of excitement and flurry of creativity. Anything after that is long and painful. I tend to side with enjoying the revision process more than the initial rough draft. I guess because in subsequent drafts I can fix things and play around a bit more. The first draft is the bones of the stories; revision is where I can flesh out the story.

Musings

Weekly Musing: Work, Relaxation, Don’t Think!

DH Hanni

First off, I can’t take credit for the title of this week’s musing. I got it from one of the essays in Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing . Within the first page of the essay, he all caps those words: WORK, RELAXATION, DON’T THINK! The crux of the essay is that in order to really tap into creativity, you need to follow those three phrases and then you can obtain ZEN. Each word is broken down into what he means by them as it relates to creativity. He also notes that one doesn’t have to follow these in order in order to achieve true creativity. Any combination should work. It’s not just writing he uses as an example; he pulls from art, dancing, and athletics just to name a few.

This got me thinking about how those three phrases relate to my own creative quest. What order would I personally put these to draw out the ZEN of creativity? Currently the reality looks like this:

WORK – I’ve been blessed a natural work ethic. I don’t need to be told twice to do something. I just do whatever it is that needs to be done as quickly as I can so I can relax. This is great for getting chores done or a ‘regular’ job but for some reason, I struggle a bit with this when it comes to writing. What I mean by that is I get what I called ‘Writer’s ADD’. This goes back to junior high school when essays and research papers became a standard part of homework. I absolutely cannot sit down with pen and paper or a computer and just write nonstop like a machine. I have to stop and stare off into space to think, usually not about what I’m supposed to be working on, look up something utterly unimportant on the Internet, playing with the dogs who have been pouting for hours, or a myriad of other things. I’ll then get to work and have a burst of writing input before I get distracted again. I do get my work done, though, which is what’s important.

RELAXATION – I’m not very good at this. I work first then relax but I have to have worked a lot in order to fully relax. It’s also about the quality of the work that allows me to switch off my brain and enjoy myself. If I haven’t done enough or the quality isn’t quite what I had hoped it would be, then relaxation is much more frustrating. It spills over into the next day and nags at me to do a better job, to get more done so I can let that tension go.

DON’T THINK – What a novel concept! One that intellectually I understand but emotionally it hasn’t sunk in. It’s getting there, slowly, as I draft stories but this is the one I want to work on the most. I feel this is the component that holds me back from really getting deep into my writing. I honestly think I’ve yet to produce a work which I can look at it and go ‘Yes, this is exactly how I saw everything and I did a damn good job getting that across.’ Some of this is probably due to my naturally perfectionist nature however I am working on understanding good enough is better than perfection. Hopefully there is a trickle-down effect.

I think in a perfect world, DON’T THINK, RELAXATION, and WORK are what I would live by as a writer. If I don’t get caught up in my own paralyzing thoughts, then I could relax enough to work, not only hard, but also with unfiltered joy. Perhaps then I’ll my true, authentic creative voice will come out and I’ll have obtained ZEN.