Schedule Benefits

When I wrote my first novel, I wrote only when the "muse" came upon me. Sometimes I would write for hours, sometimes I went for weeks without any significant accomplishment. When I finally completed the novel, I felt drained and couldn't even look at my computer.

I took a few weeks to do research on another project before I approached the second novel in the series. This time, I vowed, I would not make the same mistakes. I set a goal for myself, to write everyday, even if it was only one sentence, one paragraph, or one scene. And, by doing so, I found I had a rhythm to my writing.

I divide my writing into two sessions, one during the day, and the other at night. During the day, I seem to struggle with what I want to say. My mind wanders, I can be easily distracted, so I write what I can, to reread and edit in my second session.

My evening sessions seem to be a joy to me when it comes to writing. There are less distractions, my mind seems more focused, and the words flow. I have been averaging 1200 words a day since I started dividing my sessions and keeping track of word count. And, I write more at night. Since I have always been a night owl, that did not surprise me. What did surprise me was that the time seems to fly by. I get so involved in the story, I have to pull myself away, or I will never sleep.

I never thought of myself as a person who would follow a writing schedule, but the more I do it, the more productive I have become. It has also helped me to prioritze what needs to been done in my other writings, such as my blog, articles, and research. So, if you find your writing suffering, don't chalk it up to writer's block. Try a schedule for a few weeks. You may be surprised with the results.

Outlining Benefits

Fortunately, I can be a bit obsessive when it comes to outlining. And, never was it more helpful than this week. I have planned a series of novels, twelve in all, spanning fifteen years. Each novel, though a series, is a stand alone mystery, set in ancient Egypt. Some of the characters will appear in every novel, some will appear frequently, some will feature in one or two.

The first novel is complete and I am doing a final edit on it, while I am hard at work on book two. As I was merrily typing away, I needed a piece of information from the first book - no problem. To verify it, I checked my character sheet, and then it hit me. I could not remember if I had aged the characters. At the end of book one, I remembered adding information to the character sheets, but I couldn't remember if I had changed their ages.

After a complete read of the first book, I took out the outlines for the remaining books in the series. I noted next to the name of each character what age they will be at the time the book takes place. I know this may sound strange, but when writing a series, it is important to the reader to keep consistency. I used to read the Erle Stanley Gardner Perry Mason mysteries. It always fascinated me that his characters, written over many years, never seemed to age.

Being obsessive when writing takes time - some may say it takes the fun out of the creative process. To me, I would rather do the obsessing in the beginning, having the basics under control, so I am free to create each book and see where my characters, aging gracefully, will lead me with each adventure we take together.

Editing and Proofreading

While hard at work on my second novel, I thought I would go back and give the first one a second look. Since I normally edit as I work, I usually don't have a tremendous amount of editing to do upon completion. But, no matter how many times I have corrected and proofed, I still find things I missed.

Before I start each writing session, I read what I wrote in my last session. I proof and edit accordingly for flow. My primary goal when I am writing is to get the completed work on paper (or electronically as is the case now). Once the work is complete, then the real work begins.

I have always done line edits and always from a hard copy. Each sentence needs to build the story and propel it to a satisfying conclusion. The best way to "hear" whether something is out of place is to actually read the manuscript aloud. Trust me, one wrong word will make you stop in mid-sentence.

Proofreading it is much more fun. I take the first page of my hard copy and read each word for spelling errors. But, our mind sometimes sees that which is not there. You, as the author, know the story. So, my second step is to take the same page and read it backward. Each word then becomes just a word. It never ceases to amaze me how often I type "the" instead of "them" or "they." Spell check will not pick up the error because the word is not spelled incorrectly - it is the wrong word entirely.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it is well worth it. I want to be proud of each work I put my name on and taking the extra time and putting in the extra effort is what makes a book special.

Too Much Information

I sometimes fall victim to the lastest book on writing, hoping to find that one chestnut that will make the light bulb go on above my head. There are books on technique, dialogue, plot, characterization, etc. But, when is enough enough?

I have been weeding through my extensive library and realized, I have too many books. Yet, I love each and every one of them. I love the smell of a new book, the feel of holding a book in my hand, the sound of the pages, the thrill of adventure.

But, I can easily get lost, reading non-stop, while letting my unfinished works remain as such, unfinished. The profession of writing is a gentle, tenuous balancing act. Research aside, there comes a time when the books only serve as a distraction, an excuse not to write.

So, for the would be writers out there, take a look at your bookshelves. If you have three books on dialogue, you may have too many. Just reading about the art and craft of writing does not make you a writer, nor does it necessarily make you a better writer.

Some of the information may help you on your journey, but if you get wrapped up in reading, you may never put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, for fear of failure. I'm not saying to ignore books on the craft of writing - I love to read them and own more than my fair share. Just don't let the words deter you from striking out on your own path.

Each writer has his/her own style, own voice, own unique story to tell. And the only way it will get told, is if you actually write it.

Creating Characters

Networking with other authors sometimes gives me pause. Some of them use mannerisms from friends and relatives for their fictional characters, some based their characters directly on people they know. I must be odd in that respect - all of the fictional characters in my novels are just that, fictional.

One of the characters in my ancient Egyptian series, I will admit, I have based on someone I know, but only his physical characteristics. He works out, making him the perfect fit and trim Egyptian male, has his head shaved, and has the swagger of a king's son. Perfect for the evil son of Ramesses III.

But, to say he is the character is completely untrue. My friend is a thoughtful man and not prone to jealousy, violence, or retribution, the motivations which are so ingrained in my fictional villain. My characters sprang from many outlining sessions and research into New Kingdom Egypt. I wanted to be faithful to how the people lived, their occupations, their mannerisms and speech patterns, and the passion they had for each other and their beloved land.

Our society and culture is too geared toward gadgets and technology for me to base any of my characters on people I know. It would be far too difficult for me to take a personal friend and try to imagine how he/she would have survived as an Egyptian farmer, a Kushite Medjay, or son of the greatest ruler on earth.

Rather, I have consumed book after book about the daily life of the ancient cultures, to get a real perspective on them. So, when I write a character I can imagine what his life was like, the struggles he faced, the foods he ate, how he interacted with others. And, the more I have learned about them, the more I wish I had lived then. A much simpler life, harsher indeed, but certainly more in tune with nature and the world around them.

Keeping Characters Straight

I set myself up for a daunting task. I have outlined a series of novels, set in ancient Egypt, covering a span of approximately fifteen years. Some characters will appear in every book, some will be recurring characters, though not in every book, and some may appear only once.

The task becomes: how to describe a character in each book without becoming repetitive. Since each book is a stand alone mystery, a reader could pick up any one of them and enjoy it on its own merits. But, too little description may leave a reader unsatisfied, too much may bore the series reader.

Since the characters will also age during the course of the series, it was apparent I needed to know as much about them as possible. I created a character sheet for each one: name, age, height, weight, hair and eye colour, etc. It can be very unpleasant trying to describe a character when you have forgotten their eye colour and have to look back through a 250 page manuscript.

But, more than just the basics, my character sheet allows me to add information from previous books. So I know when my character has a scar on his left shoulder from his last adventure. And, two books from now, it still better be there.

I know it seems like a lot of work, but my characters are important to me and the story. And, in order to make them important to the reader, I want each one to be different, yet remain fresh, through the entire series. Plus, the added benefit of having the information right at hand - it save so much time.

Favourite Outlining Tool

I've been asked if I outline when I write and the answer has always been an unqualified "yes." But, I outline differently for fiction and non-fiction. Non-fiction outlining is much easier for me - I just do a basic list of what I want to cover and expand from there.

Fiction outlining is much more detailed. Since I'm writing historical fiction, keeping an accurate timeline is important. Plus, each book in the series is a stand alone novel, featuring recurring characters. So, I keep detailed character sheets on each character for review.

My favourite tool, however, is a pad of blank calendar sheets. My books are mysteries set in ancient Egypt - no waiting for forensic lab results, no Miranda warnings, just quick, swift, and often brutal interrogation and justice. I plot out the book on a calendar sheet, from inciting event to conclusion, which keeps me on track, and my chapters are designated by dates from the calendar.

The blank calendar pad has a lovely column on the right, where I can write important information to remember, facts to verify, or questions to answer during the course of the book. Everything I need is in an easy to read format and right next to my computer for easy access.

I don't know how well this would work with a book covering an extended period of time - my books generally span less than thirty days. In ancient times, "evildoers" were not imprisoned - they were banished, forced into labour for restitution, recieved a number of lashes and released, or executed within twenty-four hours of sentencing. How's that for swift justice?