Finding the Time

Ah, the one luxury every writer desires - time. Time to write, uninterrupted; time to research, time to think, time to plot.

Time is in short supply. We fill up our lives, so that every waking moment is spent in the pursuit of something. What is it we are afraid of, that we cannot slow down enough for a little quiet time? I currently have the luxury of more than enough time. But, that is little comfort.

My time is spent in endless hours of research on books which continue to sit on the shelf, unpublished. My time is spent plotting my next novel, only to find I need more research. My time is spent endlessly networking, querying, revising, editing.

For the would-be and new writers, this is one of the down sides to the art and craft of writing. The endless waiting for a manuscript to be accepted, the endless reaching out for help when you are struggling, but none is forthcoming.

Writers create in solitude, in a vacuum so to speak, and when we do reach out for help, we hope to find it. Through a friend, a mentor, a critique group, but we expect to find someone who will take the time to open up their lives to us, and give us the assistance. So, before you start writing, put a network in place. You may not need to call upon them for a long time, but it is comforting to have them when you do.

Back to the Drawing Boards

Much to my dismay, I started out like gangbusters on my newest novel, The Savagery of Set. Kept a steady 1000 words a day, until I started reading it. It was disjointed and didn't seem to have a focus. I looked over my plotline, everything seemed to be in order, so I got out my handy dry erase calendars to do a little more plotting.

Glad I did. I discovered on of my characters was way out of whack. And, because the character is a child and an integral part of the book, I was off to the library. You see, I am one of the odd few who never had nor raised a child. I know nothing of toddlers and young children, first steps, first words, first attempt to shave the family pet.

So, I have research material to keep me busy for at least a week, to get comfortable writing about children. And since the child in question is an ongoing character, I need to know about all the milestones in a child's development. Not the type of thing I considered when I started writing.

The point: writing sounds like fun and it is. But, it is also a lot of hard work. Internet searches, books to peruse, historical accuracy for those of us who care, all add to the flavour and ambiance of the work. Cutting corners may save you time, but the only loser is your audience. They want to be entertained, but they are smarter than you give them credit for. They will spot the inaccuracies - and you could lose a reader.

So, go the extra mile, If you want to write about something, do your research. Whether at the beginning of the book, or in the middle, the research is key to an outstanding work of fiction, rather than a mediocre work of fiction.

Page Proofs

For the aspiring writers, let me give you a short lesson in proofing. This week my publisher sent me the "page proofs" of my book, due out in July. They are the pages, just as they will appear in the book, and this is my last opportunity to make any changes.

Now, by changes, they do not mean rewrite any significant amount. So, armed with my American Heritage Dictionary (to check word separations) and the Chicago Manual of Style (for the proof reader's marks I don't use all the time), I started the fun.

Proofing a page is tedious work. You must read each word, not just the sentence. As the author, you have probably read the work hundreds of times. Guess what? You tend to skim over words, because you know what you meant to say, but is that what really appears on the page?

And, relying on spell check is not a smart idea. If you meant to type the word "your" and instead you type the word "you," spell check does no good, which is why page proofs are so important.

But, that is just the start. Words may have to be broken up, so those need to be check against the dictionary to make sure they have been hypenated properly. When marking up the page proofs, you need to use the proper marks which can be found in the Chicago Manual of Style. Since I've been proof reading for many years, I know most of them, but now and then, something pops up that has to be verified.

All in all, the proofs look pretty good. Some changes need to be made and questions answered that occurred in the editing process. So, aspiring writers, just because you created the work, you are far from finished. And, as the author, you want to have the final say on your masterpiece.

So, back to the proofs I go. Deadlines loom and it is always best to submit your changes under the deadline.

Feelings of Elation

For the past month, I have been charting my progress on my current project, a historical mystery, The Talisman of Tehuti. Set in late New Kingdom Egypt, it is my second novel. It took me quite a while to begin, after I have finished writing the first, The Wrath of Amun.

Though the books are stand alone mysteries, they follow a chonological sequence. The first one was quite difficult to write on a number of levels; it was my first work of fiction, it dealt with emotional subjects, and it introduced characters who need to be sustained through the following novels.

When I completed The Wrath of Amun, I did not even want to look at my computer, much less begin another novel. So, I took a break. It helped me get a perspective on what I wanted to do with these novels, and it gave me the time to formulate ideas for later books.

The second novel began slowly; I spent some days writing almost nothing, some days rereading the same pages over and over. I realised part of my problem was discipline. I could write whenever I wanted, so why stick to a schedule. Bad idea.

When I started forcing myself to block out writing times, I found my productivity went up. So, for the past month, I kept a log of how many words I wrote per day, whether day or evening was more productive for me, and whether what I wrote was worth keeping or just better off in the waste basket of the computer.

The end result: I wrote 40,500 words in that period and complete The Talisman of Tehuti Friday night. Though it is the first draft and will still need to be proofed and edited within an inch of its life, I am now in the habit of writing. I immediately wanted to start on the next book, but I had to pull myself back.

I spent yesterday formulating the basic plot, and subplots, for the book. I worked on character sheets for the new characters who will be introduced in the next book. Today, I may try to sketch out the timeline, before I ever put a word on paper. But, having taken a break after the first and finding my writing rhythm, I am ready to tackle the next book.

If I get all the background work completed today, and I'm sure I can, I shall actually begin the next book, The Savagery of Set, tomorrow evening. My characters are anxious, I can feel them stirring, they have a story to tell, and I have been the one chosen to tell it.

So, for you newbie writers out there, don't give up hope. I have written three non-fiction books and fiction is still new to me. After the first book, I was ready to give up. The feelings of elation I had Friday night made the disappointment at the end of the first book all worth it. There is nothing like holding a completed work in your hands, and knowing you have accomplished that which you live and breathe for.

Writers Need Exercise

Writers, and I must admit I have been guilty of this, can be a sedentary bunch. We read, we research, we sit in front of a computer screen. We may keep odd hours, live on coffee and bad food, some smoke, some drink, and generally we don't think about the toll it takes upon our bodies.

Now, I know, you prefer the writers life. So do I. But, working on a computer all day can lead to eye strain, neck problems, back issues, poor circulation, and a host of other ills. And, after a session at the computer, the last thing I really want to do is exercise.

But, as I age, and not so gracefully, I have determined that my health is important - I have far too many more books to write. So, I have returned to an activity I used to enjoy - walking. Simple as that may sound, I change into my athletic clothes, a great pair of walking shoes, and fire up the MP3 player. I am lucky - there is a park one block from my house.

Every day, Monday through Friday, I write for a few hours, or proof/edit, and then it is off for fresh air and sunshine. I walk the perimeter of the park to whatever music is being blasted into my ears. Right now, it's five times around, and when that seems to easy I'll increase it. I come home, take a quick shower, and I'm ready for my next writing session.

I have noticed, since I started my walks, my evening writing is more productive. I don't tire as quickly when I'm working and I have more clarity of thought. Could it be linked to my new activity? Maybe, all I know is I feel so much better, about myself and my writing. So, when your attention is flagging and your muscles ache from too much computer, try a spin around the neighbourhood. You just might like it.

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.