Is Writing a Priority?

What are the priorities in your life? Is it a job, your family, friends, hobbies, watching television - what? Where does writing fall into that list?

For many writers, writing is secondary to something else. For me, I have a job, with unusual hours, that helps pay the bills. I also have a family which includes humans and animals, and they all need attention. And a house which also needs attention from time to time, although housework isn't high on my list. And we have a yard which, though pretty low maintenance, could be better groomed and designed.

I've made it a priority to attend a weekly writing critique group. It keeps me somewhat accountable with my WIP, wanting to have pages to bring in to read. Plus critiquing others' writing helps improve my own. And it gives me a much-needed social experience with people who understand the writing process.

But I still haven't gotten into the "write every day" mindset that a lot of others have. It seems as if that's a mantra of many successful writers. Come hell or high water, they're writing.

I traveled to the other side of the country recently for an unexpected family event and took my laptop, but didn't get much, if any, writing done. Too many distractions. Sorrow. Planning. Family to take care of and spend time with. Or those were my excuses, anyway. Valid, I think. But maybe someone else would have found time to scratch out some lines on paper, or write some at night at the hotel, while spouse was watching tv.

Some days I have bits of downtime at my job when I could be outlining, or editing, or trying to solve plot problems. I carry a folder around with me that has my basic WIP info in, with characterizations, plot bullet points and the last few pages. I could progress, move ahead ... but I usually don't.

Why? What will it take for me to push my writing ahead, make it a priority?

I'm working through the mushy middle now of a cozy mystery. I've finally figured out Who Dun It but that's caused more problems. :-) So now I need to address those, make it all fit together.

I have a deadline in mind. I want to be finished with the first draft by mid June, so I'll have it ready to query in early August. There's a writer's conference with Open Pitch nights, with agents that listen to three-minute pitches and give suggestions on querying. Last year I went just to watch. This year I want to pitch.

I'd better get my game on.

A Trick to Fool My Inner Editor

I'm prepping for NaNoWriMo and came across a great little idea to stifle my inner editor. See this blog to get the complete picture, but the premise is this: When I'm writing a first draft and that little inner editor pops up to say, "Hey, that sounds really stupid and I know that's not what you meant. Why don't you go back over that sentence, or maybe those last two or three, heck the whole paragraph! And the one before it! Just give them another look and polish them up a bit before you move on," whenever that happens, instead of actually following Ms Inner Editor's instructions, I'll just acknowledge her with a # mark and then go on.

Just a little, "Yeah, ok Ms IE, you're right, that needs work" # nod and then keep writing. Because the important thing of NaNoWriMo is to keep writing. Keep writing. Plenty of time to edit later. For those 30 days hath November, the writing is the thing.

Then, when the work is finished and I can go back through it to make it shine, a simple Find Word function will bring up all those # marks that show the spots I recognized as needing improvement. Of course, the whole document will need a good editing, not just those specific spots, but knowing, while I'm in the midst of the writing madness, that I'll be able to find those exact locations again will ease Ms IE and allow me to progress.

Many thanks to blogger Andy Shackcloth for that brilliant bit of trickery. I think it will really do the trick for me.

Choosing a Project

I always have a dozen or more ideas floating around in my mind, fighting for space, enticing me with their possibilities. This one, no, that one, no, maybe that one is what I should work on.

So I've been choosing one and starting it, then abandoning it in favor of another. For NaNoWriMo 2010 I'm committed to finishing a novel. It's just over 2 weeks away, and my writing time will be limited during the month due to other commitments (such as the dreaded job), so I'm trying to get my ducks in a row somewhat before the party starts.

I have a basic idea, but am torn between writing it as a YA or Adult novel. Same basic characters, with a few changes, same basic premise, with a few changes. I can see it going either way. I've never written YA and maybe now is not the time to start. If I truly want to finish this project, I need to be more sure of what I'm doing.

And the other ideas floating around will have to wait until December. Then the fighting for mind space can continue.

Seat-of-the-Pants or Outline?

Oh, the eternal question, asked over and over on writing forums: "Do you outline your novel ahead of time or just make it up as you go?"

I've always been of the make-it-up-as-you-go mind, also known as being a "pantser," but with the current WIP I decided to do an outline. Too many times I've gotten a good start and just not been able to keep with it. Somewhere I get stuck, get bored, don't know where to go and abandon the project. So I decided to try the outline method.

And promptly got stuck on that.

I read some blogs about how to do it, bought the book "The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing" and printed up the worksheets, but I'm stymied by it. Probably because I'm starting it in bits and pieces rather than taking a day and really getting into the groove. This week, when I have some time off, I'm going to set aside time to figure it out.

Some critics say templates like this turn out drab, unremarkable stories. Maybe so. We'll see how it goes.

Another method I've been dabbling with is in between a full outline and pantsing. A member of the writer's group I attend posted about her style in her blog here. That seemed to be a good approach for getting some work done in spare minutes, here and there. As I think up different scenarios I jot them down and then add them to the long list of bullet points. Right now I'm putting them in chronological order, which I will then use to fill in the Marshall plan worksheets.

Although this morning, when my job duties were all caught up and I had some spare minutes, I was looking at the bulleted list and wondering if it would be easier to do index cards, as many writers do. Then it would be easy to shuffle them around into the right place.

And then I wondered if all this wondering is just another way to think about writing, rather than doing any actual writing. And I remembered that quote by, who was it, Dorothy Parker? "I hate writing. I love having written."

I don't want to be in that situation. I want to love writing again, as I used to love it. I don't want it to be a chore; I want it to be a delight. I hope to find that joy again in November, during NaNoWriMo, when I'll give myself permission to just write. Just write. Just write.

Taking the NaNoWriMo Plunge

So I've signed up for NaNoWriMo. If you're not familiar with it, head over to their website and learn all about National Novel Writing Month. The premise is to write a 50k word novel from scratch during the month of November. Little concern for character development, plot construction or making sense, just get it down on paper, for fun, practice and a chance to break through any writer's block you may have constructed. 


I first heard about it a few years ago but this will be my first go round. I have an idea in the back of my head that I think I'll use, although I have a month to think about it. Or maybe I'll pull out an abandoned WIP and start over with that idea. Can't use any previously written sentences - has to be all virgin wording - but an outline and plot notes are ok. 


I spend a lot of time worrying over my current WIP, which is proceeding very slowly due to this state of mind, so NaNoWriMo will be good for me. As their website says, "Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down." 


Sounds like just what I need.