Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday that I made the choice to write instead of looking at TV and here it is almost ten days later. Shame on me! I have done some writing, but not all of what I had intended.
It's usual for some writers to have several projects going and that is true of me right now. So how do I juggle and determine how much time I spend on each? It probably would be more efficient to finish one and then the next, and then.... But that's a little too orderly for me. Besides I get ideas for one or another at odd times and it's best to use your ideas as you have them or they disappear into the land of forgotten ideas.
Because I care for my grandson daily, my writing time is limited so I don't have the luxury of writing anytime I want. For me it's either early morning or later at night. I have chosen night time and have to set the amount of time I can spend. I usually try to write for one hour, but that doesn't seem to be enough to finish all I want to finish. After all, I am getting older and I'd love to finish everything I have started before I'm called to the great beyond. (That was a joke--I'm not that old!! Well, almost.)
Organization is the key. I know that. I write about it in my e-book 12 steps to Writing Non-fiction. So why am I not organized enough?
Follow my own advice: clean up this computer room so I can sit right down and write without looking for my idea book or my note book or without being distracted by the novel that just happens to be sitting on my desk. Also clearly label my notebooks where I jot ideas and even whole phrases and sentences that I think will fit into a particular book. Sometimes I spend more time looking for stuff than writing. Okay, that's step one and two and I will do that right now.
And I will try to write in my blog more often. It doesn't matter if no one in the whole world is reading it; it helps me figure out where I am and where I want to be.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Politics and Decisions
I've fallen down on my promise to myself to get back into writing on a daily basis and I know where to lay the blame! It's the upcoming election. I am so into it that I just have to watch all these pundits predict the outcome and make their recommendations on what the candidates should do.
I am also distressed by the attacks on Sarah Palin who, whether or not you agree with her politics, is a smart, successful feminist! Where are all the other feminists who would be delighted with her rise in a man's world if she were not a conservative woman? Shame on them. She has done what we have wanted for women for a long time and they are dissing her.
I also am distracted by the number of e-mails I get on the election. One in particular disturbed me. I didn't send it on to anyone but it made me think. It posed questions I have had about Obama's past that trouble me. If Obama came from such a middle-class family, how did he afford to go to expensive Ivy-league schools? If it was through loans, how could he have afforded to take a $12000 a year job after graduation and still pay off those loans?
How could he have afforded a trip to Africa and the mid-east while he was in college? Where are the answers?
Anyway, will I not be able to write until after the election is over? With questions of voter fraud in many states (Thanks ACORN) we may not have results for a long time--remember Bush/Gore? I simply cannot stop writing for that long! So it's off with the boob tube, what do those people know that I don't? Many are biased so I can't trust what they say anyway. And it's ignoring e-mails although my husband will certainly complain when the numbers grow and grow.
Decisions, decisions, decisions. Writing or politics? I'd better opt for writing. As uncertain as it is, it's more of a sure thing than politics.
I am also distressed by the attacks on Sarah Palin who, whether or not you agree with her politics, is a smart, successful feminist! Where are all the other feminists who would be delighted with her rise in a man's world if she were not a conservative woman? Shame on them. She has done what we have wanted for women for a long time and they are dissing her.
I also am distracted by the number of e-mails I get on the election. One in particular disturbed me. I didn't send it on to anyone but it made me think. It posed questions I have had about Obama's past that trouble me. If Obama came from such a middle-class family, how did he afford to go to expensive Ivy-league schools? If it was through loans, how could he have afforded to take a $12000 a year job after graduation and still pay off those loans?
How could he have afforded a trip to Africa and the mid-east while he was in college? Where are the answers?
Anyway, will I not be able to write until after the election is over? With questions of voter fraud in many states (Thanks ACORN) we may not have results for a long time--remember Bush/Gore? I simply cannot stop writing for that long! So it's off with the boob tube, what do those people know that I don't? Many are biased so I can't trust what they say anyway. And it's ignoring e-mails although my husband will certainly complain when the numbers grow and grow.
Decisions, decisions, decisions. Writing or politics? I'd better opt for writing. As uncertain as it is, it's more of a sure thing than politics.
Monday, October 6, 2008
theme and premise
The terms premise and theme have always been a struggle for me to understand, but I received a really good explanation a few weeks ago and rewrote a query letter based on what I learned.
As I see it now, the premise is what the story is about. For instance my middle grade novel is about an independent girl who thinks she can handle her problems by herself--that's the premise. The theme shows how she goes about trying to address her concerns alone and how she discovers that sharing and help from others is definitely better than going it alone.
My query letter now starts with the premise described in one sentence and the theme described in two or three.
I had often heard that if you couldn't describe your book in a few sentences, then you probably didn't have a good story. This is what I think "they" meant--that you have to be able to tell what the premise and the theme are before you can even write a good story. In fact it would be a good idea to have a premise and theme in mind before starting to write any fictional piece. Make sense? It does to me.
I think what I will do for practice is look at some fiction I am now reading and try to figure out what the premise and theme are. I expect it will be harder for some kind of novels than for others--for instance for mystery novels, but I may be wrong. Won't be the first time. I'll let you know what I find out.
As I see it now, the premise is what the story is about. For instance my middle grade novel is about an independent girl who thinks she can handle her problems by herself--that's the premise. The theme shows how she goes about trying to address her concerns alone and how she discovers that sharing and help from others is definitely better than going it alone.
My query letter now starts with the premise described in one sentence and the theme described in two or three.
I had often heard that if you couldn't describe your book in a few sentences, then you probably didn't have a good story. This is what I think "they" meant--that you have to be able to tell what the premise and the theme are before you can even write a good story. In fact it would be a good idea to have a premise and theme in mind before starting to write any fictional piece. Make sense? It does to me.
I think what I will do for practice is look at some fiction I am now reading and try to figure out what the premise and theme are. I expect it will be harder for some kind of novels than for others--for instance for mystery novels, but I may be wrong. Won't be the first time. I'll let you know what I find out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
