Writing: The Agony and the Ecstasy
Posted by Maureen
For me, the hardest part of writing is expanding a concept into a credible plot line, taking into account all those pesky (and often unspoken) rules of writing. The birth of THE JAGUAR LEGACY began as follows: Start with one archaeological dig — a lost city in Mexico — where occult energy triggers past life flashbacks; add one hunky archaeologist who hates the press; combine with one smart-mouthed reporter on a quest for an exposé; throw in one vengeful ex-wife and a mysterious shaman. Stir until well-mixed and stand back from the fireworks.
Almost harder than plotting is turning off my internal editor while writing the first draft. The first pitiful version of THE JAGUAR LEGACY was so flat, banal, and boring, I felt compelled to polish it. Over, and over, and over. Consequently, I fell into the novice trap of editing my first draft, chapter by chapter, as if I were submitting it to an editor. Unfortunately, none of the manuscript I had slaved so hard over survived subsequent re-writes. I won’t make that mistake again.
The fun part of writing is the editing and revision process. This is highly fortunate for me, because after each rejection and critique I received, and there were many, I performed radical or cosmetic surgery on my book. I love bringing those dry, dead scenes to life, layering in the setting, expanding the characterization, adding witty dialog, targeting all five senses, draping my characters in the appropriate clothes, etc. I could revise for days without getting bored.
I am interested in other writers’ experiences. What are the most difficult / fun parts of writing for you?
Bree Is Bored. Help!
Posted by Brianna
It’s another Thursday and I’m not happy to say…I’m bored. Like, off my rocker, bored. And I really shouldn’t be. I mean, this is me. Brianna shouldn’t get bored, but bored I get. Mama keeps asking what kind of board I am, and usually I’m just a 2×4, but here lately I feel like I’m stacks upon stacks of plywood. I shouldn’t never be that bored. It should be impossible for me. I am a writer. I should be off in some forgotten kingdom helping an unknown princess ascend the throne or some other such nonsense.
Wait, I don’t write princesses or fairy kingdoms. I write about fat, lazy tomcats with secrets and unnatural attachments to chocolate pudding. That’s where I excel. Humor. Sarcasm. Those are my security blankets when I’m writing. Or perhaps it’s just me and my weirdness. Whatever. I prefer to write goofy stuff rather than boring, serious stuff.
What does that have to do with me being bored you ask? I dunno. It just popped in my head and I wrote it down. Actually, I’m wondering how I can be bored all the time with that cat in my head all the time. He’s so crack up funny it’s insane. There should never be a dull moment when I wake up because he’s constantly on my mind. So I guess I should be asking him why he’s letting me get bored.
Oh, wait! I wouldn’t be so bored if I were chained to my desk. But since I have to actually come out of my room when I wake up to take care of mundane things, I don’t get to spend all of my time with my eyes glued to the computer screen. And that sucks. I’d much rather spend all day with Emrys than clean. He runs away when I have to clean. He’s a meany.
Anyhoo…I’m bored. And I think it’s his fault. He should know better than to abandon me when I need him the most. Blast your hide, Emrys! I’m gonna get you for this! Just you wait!
Brianna
http://www.briannasomersham.com
http://www.myspace.com/briannasomersham
Hindered by Humor
Posted by Maureen
My second book, Fur Ball Fever, is progressing with all the speed of a garden slug on Valium. Sad to say, I’m having a hard time forcing out the first draft.
How, you ask, can humor possibly be the culprit for causing writer’s block?
After conducting an in-depth problem analysis for 1.5 years (I was a consultant in my previous life), I finally determined that my main problem is that Fur Ball Fever is a comic romantic suspense. By definition, this sucker is supposed to be funny. If not knee-slapping, it should at least bring a smile to the reader’s face.
Here’s the thing. I find humor difficult to write. Let me re-phrase that. I find sparkling humor difficult to write. On any given day, it is much easier for me to, say, volunteer for root canal surgery or scrub down the toilet with a toothbrush than to crank out ten pages of scintillating prose.
Humor doesn’t pour from my fevered imagination in a fountain of quips, banter and witticisms (well, sometimes it does, but not as often as I would like). Those funny lines are warm and snug and comfy exactly where they are — trapped in the darkest recesses of my brain, clinging to the cortex or frontal lobe or wherever it is that humor resides in the cerebrum. My poor, overtaxed brain excavates those elusive comic aspects through a gruelling process of trial and error. My brand of humour doesn’t spring to the page until my 3rd or 4th (or even 10th) pass through the scene. The first draft is inevitably flat, boring, uses identical sentence constructs, and is embarrassingly un-funny to the point where I doubt my own ability to write humor.
Hopefully, now that I understand the problem, I can settle down now and finish my first draft without worrying about inserting amusing and witty dialogue or outrageous, laugh-out-loud situations.
I hereby give myself permission to be un-funny and boring — at least for the first draft.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences with writing humor.