Mystery of Writing

Today I watched Joe Versus the Volcano with my family. It’s my birthday; I got to pick the movie. I remembered liking this one years ago, and being inspired by it.

What I forgot was how powerful it is.

It’s the story of a man who is stuck in the drudgery of a dull, unpleasant life. He goes to a job he hates so he can make money, so he can afford a place to live and food to eat. So he can get up in the morning, and go to a job he hates, so he can make money, and so on and so forth. You get the idea. Chances are, you can relate.

Joe doesn’t have a profession or a work—he has a job. He also has a slew of health problems, brought on by the general unpleasantness of his life. So he goes to the doctor. And the doctor gives him some stunning news.

Joe has six months to live.

And therein begins a story of legendary proportions.

“You have some time left. You have some life left. My advice to you is: Live it well.”

I listened to that advice, and it suddenly struck me—today is my birthday, the first day of the rest of my life. I have some time left. I can spend it in paperwork, drudgery, worrying about finances, going here and there to do this and that…so I can go to sleep and wake up and do it all over again.

Or I can take my life in hand and live it well.

Where do I want to be? What do I want to do? Who do I want to be doing it with? If I know the answer to those things, why the heck am I not doing them yet? What in this life could possibly be more important than breathing the moonlight, drinking the presence of a loved one, painting my talents on the canvas of the world?

What’s the point of being alive if you don’t truly live?

My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake…and they live in a state of constant, total amazement.

Joe Versus the Volcano is funny and campy and entertaining. It’s easy to take it as such and not recognize it for what it really is:

One of the most significant movies of all time.

If you haven’t seen it, you must see it. If you’ve seen it, watch it again. Better yet, watch it every year on your birthday.

And then go out and live.

What are you waiting for?

~~~

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The Rosewood House is in possession of its requisite Public Service Announcement, as I like to call it. The message?

Be aware of the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, and take precautions. Don’t let the Silent Killer haunt you or the ones you love.

Although poison was the sole reason this book was written, it has only a cameo role in the tale. It’s there because I can’t, in good conscience, occupy a public forum without adding a message to raise awareness. Countless people live unaware that they are being steadily poisoned by levels that may be considered non-lethal—but will damage them forever.

This is Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week. Have you had your home tested for safety yet? Do you have a detector installed? Now is the ideal time to do it; with cold weather already here and the holiday season around the corner, heating and cooking appliances may increase an already present danger.

Please read a previous blog post of mine on the subject; and check out this excellent website for information. And forgive me if my wording is a bit blunt in this post.

The Silent Killer is scary business.

~~~

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Last night, for the first time, I understood why writers often work with editors. Merriam-Webster defines “edit” as:

1 a: to prepare (as literary material) for publication or public presentation b: to assemble (as a moving picture or tape recording) by cutting and rearranging c: to alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose.

Cutting.

Rearranging.

Alter, adapt, refine…to bring about conformity.

Them’s fightin’ words.

I’ve always been particularly independent about my vision; I felt that if someone else participated in the writing process, it wouldn’t be my vision anymore. Good, bad, or indifferent, I wanted the work to be mine.

Then something unusual happened yesterday. In a fit of desperation, I made the decision to cut a complete chapter from The Rosewood House. It was an early chapter, and I felt that it didn’t have enough tension or suspense to keep the reader’s interest. I liked it a lot—I figured I’d chop it up and sprinkle the pieces elsewhere throughout the book. (Ouch.) But I didn’t have confidence in it as a chapter in its own right. So I went through the fits of renumbering all my chapters, and moved on.

I gave the news to my collaborator, Stacy. Her response? She was shocked. And a bit miffed at me.

“I thought that was one of the best chapters. I really liked it.”

“You didn’t think it was too lighthearted?”

“We were laughing through the whole thing. Besides, they’re at a family reunion in the beginning—it’s supposed to be lighthearted.”

“Uh—so—should I cut it?”

“No.”

I looked at her, and for the first time realized that I was accountable to her. She’s my kid sis. And writing is my forte. However, she is a voracious reader, a good writer (even if she would rather master a spinning heel kick than a simile), and she knows story. She suddenly stepped into the role of editor. Not to cut something out—to make me keep it in. To believe in my writing when I’m too emotionally wrapped up in the work to see it for what it is.

So I have a new viewpoint about editors. And a new respect for my sis.

(Oh yes—and the chapter’s back in the book.)

~~~

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Thud.

That’s the sound of a chapter hitting the floor. Just cut one from The Rosewood House. It wasn’t a bad chapter, just not good for this book. It felt out of tone, and slowed the action. When I looked at it, I realized absolutely nothing in it was essential to the story.

It’s frustrating, but in a way, also freeing. There’s a “click” of a kind when the story comes together; then a thrilling rush, as if contact was made and electricity flows. My heart jumps, and I feel rejuvenated, like I could write a hundred more pages.

So, pruning is necessary. Maybe afterwards I’ll post some of the cut scenes—the good ones, at least. In the meantime, I’m turning my attention back to the tale.

Let’s see what makes the cut.

~~~

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I’m listening to my Mom read the first five chapters of The Rosewood House aloud to our family. A lot of feelings are tossing around inside my heart.

~The tone of her voice takes me back to childhood, and being introduced to a magical world as she read a story aloud.

~I’m listening to words I wrote as they’re read by someone else; it sounds surreal and exciting.

~I’m cowering as the paragraphs go by, one by one. I wince at the ones I’m not entirely sure of, wondering if they sound awful to the listeners. I’m constantly thinking to myself, “I knew I shouldn’t have written it that way…I should have tweaked it to say something else…”

~I’m exulting in the fact that I have five chapters officially done.

~I’m lamenting that those five chapters need several more months of work.

~I’m accepting the fact that I don’t have months. At some miraculous point in the near future, I must let it go, ready or not.

~They just finished—I’m waiting to hear what they say. They’re my family, so I know they’ll tell me it’s amazing, and I won’t believe them.

I never expected the writing journey to include a cardio workout…

~~~

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Being a writer is very cool. But since I’m an artist, too, I’ve been able to experience another part of the writing profession—book design.

I recently had the honor of digitally painting the cover for Douglas Perry’s upcoming technology thriller, Lost In the Sky. His novel is in the hands of the publisher and will be available soon. Talk about thrilling!

Follow Doug (aka thenextwriter) on Twitter for current updates on his great fiction writing!

~~~

Read more about the journey to publishing The Rosewood House, and subscribe to this blog to receive the latest updates and fiction!

I love being able to share my thoughts on Twitter.com while writing, especially in the late hours of the night…or very early hours of the morning. It lets me chronicle my fleeting thoughts during the writing process, and gives me someone to talk to at 4am.

Here’s a selection of my writing-related tweets in the late-night hours of the last few days:

11-06-08

* Listening to Celtic music. My thoughts are being drawn toward the medieval adventure stories I have on the board…must resist….

* A fun thing is to just write nonsense, and write a lot of it. That really helps me with writers’ block

* Clarification: That’s not what’s in the novel.

* Sometimes, it’s a greater victory to mark “Final version” on a single, troublesome chapter than on an entire book. FTW.

* “Ch. 2 11-06-08 FINAL 0000″

* What day was the party again? In which revision? *flipping through notes* :-/

* I just checked my spreadsheet calender–it’s Wednesday.

* This book is (ironically) like an old house that’s been remodeled, rewired, repainted, repapered–takes forever

* …When I could have built a new one from the ground up in six months

* Not sure why my most productive hrs are between 12 & 5 am lately…

11-07-08

* Picking up where I left off, & glad to see the productivity buzz is still going

* Reworking important scene w/several glances being exchanged. At this point I have a mental picture of a dozen eyeballs racketing down stairs

* In my next novel, I swear, nobody will look at anyone else.

* Ooo–new fave soundtrack. “National Treasure.”

* …And, Lord help me, the “Predator” movies have really good soundtracks.

* Ch. 3 FINAL, v. 0000 *wipes brow, continues on*

* “Transformers” score rocks

* Will. Get. 4. Done.

* *Napping* ZZZzzzzzzzz…..

11-08-08

* Okay, need some food, then it’s focus time. Got reinspired, can’t wait to tackle the proofreads–love it when that happens!

* Inspiration is elusive, for sure. That’s when bum glue comes into play, and we sit @ the keyboard till it gives

* Deep in Chapter Four–it will be conquered. Already it’s listening to reason.

* My vocabulary is archaic. I want to use “demur” to express hesitation in conversation, but that’s *so* 14th century.

* Mustn’t…overuse…dialogue tags.

* *Sigh.* Just when I get over my acute adverbitis, another malady takes its place.

* It’s morning already??

* Yep. I’m getting better at being ruthless, and deleting on the fly

* Tentatively announcing Chapter 4, v. 0000. It seems to want to stop here. (Doubt it, though.)

…And so it continues. It’s 11:55 PM, and back to the writing table for me. See you @ dawn.

~~~

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I had the honor today of meeting John Archambault, author of the wildly popular children’s book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Owing to the fact that the youngest member of our immediate family is twenty years old, it’s been a while since we’ve had children’s literature around; so, I hadn’t read this one before. But now that I have, I’m looking forward to reading the rest of his work!

(That, and I’ve been going around quoting the title all day. Isn’t it fabulous?)

John was very cool, and enthusiastic about writing, publishing, and communicating with his readers. He inspired me all over again on my own writing journey! (Dang—I love this work!)

Please check out his website; and if you have young children (or know any—my sweet little neighbor girl is going to get my autographed copy), grab Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and even one of his latest—Boom Chicka Rock. (That one has mice in it, so I really need to check it out.)

And go ahead—say it out loud. Someone else will probably join in.

~~~

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In an unprecedented move for me, I’ve taken to writing in the ether. A while back, I shifted production of my fiction, blog posts, even personal letters to Google Documents. After six months of this, I think it’s time to write a review.

So here we go—the good part about Google Documents! Here are the…
Pros:

* Easily accessible anywhere
o Whether I’m using my notebook in a coffee shop, or the family PC at home, I can resume my work right where I left off. I can even go from computer to computer as the muse hits me–no more swapping flash drives back and forth.

* Share and share alike
o Do I want to send a copy of my latest chapter to someone for a critique? Share a preview of the Prologue with an advance audience? Maybe I have an article I’d like to make public.GDocs has several options for sharing, collaboration, and online publishing. Sweet.

* Unlimited space
o I don’t have to scrimp to save space on a flash drive. Documents chock full of picture references? Bring ‘em on.

* Idiot-proof
o Hear this now: I love that GDocs automatically saves every 60 seconds, and furthermore keeps a copy of every single revision. With one click I can go back and see each version of my document, and revert to whichever one I want. Way more intuitive than Word’s revision history; and it doesn’t rely on me to remember to turn it on. This is a good thing.

* Hot-keys FTW
o All Word’s hot-keys—like Ctrl-s for “save”—work in GDocs. I recently decided to try keeping my journal in Evernote instead of GDocs; but quickly discovered that the hot-keys aren’t the same. That was a major ding, IMO. (Yes, I can change. But it’s more efficient for me to be able to work with my muscle memory as it is.)

* Download as…
o …HTML, Open Office, PDF, RTF, Text, or Word files. Easy for on-the-fly backup to my computer as I write.

* Off-site backup
o I like to think positively. But just in case an alien invasion fries all my computers and CD backups at the house, GDocs has me covered.

* Organization
o With Google Docs’ at-a-glance setup, I can see my chapter folders and my documents all at once. I can drag and drop; I can color-code folders; I can arrange by name or date.

* Google search
o Didn’t I already write a scene with the garden gnome? Search garden gnome. ‘Nuff said.

Those are the good things. But as we know, not everything in life comes up roses. Here are the…
Cons:

* Accessible anywhere…with an internet connection
o My internet is notorious for dropping out at the house—sometimes for hours at a time. My favorite local coffee shop seems to have the same issue with their free wi-fi. And Starbucks, for whatever reason, does not always recognize my status as a card owner with wi-fi rights. At times like those, GDocs is rendered completely useless to me. What if I didn’t back up yesterday’s work yet? Scary. [Update: I've just been reminded that GDocs has an offline feature that allows you to work without an internet connection. So there goes that argument. ]

* Even Google is not alien-proof
o Sure, it’s great for off-site backup. But what if something happens to Google? What if they decide to quit offering GDocs? What if there’s a glitch in my account and it disappears?

* It can be a drag
o The organizational abilities are great; but I’ve noticed a lag in stimulus-response timing. Dropping docs in folders can get hung up; sometimes I type too fast for the words to appear. It’s not immediate, and depends greatly on internet connection speeds and PC optimization. And trying to work while a virus scan is running? Forget it.

* Word count: all-or-nothing
o While GDocs has amazing word count capabilities—it tells me how many pages I have, how many words per page, even the Flesch Reading Ease level of the document—one thing it doesn’t do is tell me how many words I have in a highlighted section. Maybe it’s just me, but I use this constantly in Word.

* Formatting shenanigans
o The formatting while in GDocs looks great. But when I try to export or copy/paste a doc to a Word file, it gets all smashed up. Paragraphs are separated by huge voids, with invisible barriers that I can’t simply backspace through. I need to paste unformatted, and go alllll the way back and re-italicize everything. Time consuming.

* Times-less (gasp!)
o Speaking of time—there’s no font for Times New Roman in GDocs! If I want to print directly from here, I’m going to have to use Garamond or something.

~~~

Okay, so the number of good things heavily outweighs the number of bad things. Unfortunately, some of the baddies are big ones—especially dependence on internet connection and the eggs-in-one-basket format. Those give me the shivers.

But when all is said and done, I must say that I adore Google Documents. I might try a different tool for my next novel—like a PC-based writing program such as PageFour for Windows. (I’ve heard good things about Scrivener for Mac users.) But you can bet I’ll be backing it up inGDocs.

How about you? What tools do you use for writing? Anything you’d like to recommend?

~~~

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Editing Rosewood, I am. Sometimes when I cut and paste and move things around, the resulting paragraph is something between existentialist poetry and a Yoda quote.

–rich, old furniture with dark red upholstery;
wallpaper with a textured pattern of trailing vines;
was inlaid with.

Sometimes I’m tempted to leave it that way…

~~~

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