Musings of a Novelista

Most writers think it’s procrastination that puts a monkey wrench in their novel progress. But sometimes it can be something a little more subtle: Workcrastination.

I learned about this word from author Tayari Jones on her blog:

“[T]here is another, more sneaky, incarnation– Workscrastination.

This is when you blow off your novel for important stuff that needs doing, not fun stuff, but necessary stuff.”

Sometimes the things you “have” to do can start to sip away on your writing time. When you have a day job and/or other “required” responsibilities, it’s easy to justify that you must do them.

For me, with a major software release on April 1st (I know right — the irony), this month will be a major exercise in the delicate balance of getting my day job work done and not stressing out revising the last chapters of the novel.

When you have required things that must be done, you have to be ruthless. You have to learn to say “no” and stick to your schedule.

This may mean saying “no” to social gatherings or not watching so much TV or even talking with your loved ones about honoring your writing time.

Because workcrastination will become a major factor of not finishing your novel.

Your novel is important to you, and it deserves to have your full attention during the time you have set aside for it.

This past weekend, I went to the 2010 Springmingle conference sponsored by the Southern Breeze SCBWI chapter.

On Wednesday, I shared some tips about developing your character. Today, I’m going to share some revision techniques.

For me, I love the revision process more than I do writing the draft. Revision allows me to make my characters deeper and uncover things about my novel that I couldn’t see in the draft.

These tips are that I gathered from Cheryl Klein, senior editor of Arthur A. Levine Books (a Scholastic imprint). In her workshop, she had a lot to say about revision. Here are some of the tips that were helpful for me:

• Take time off from the project before starting revisions.
• Compress your story into one sentence.
• Expand that one sentence into book flap copy.
• Reread the entire manuscript on the page (not on the computer screen) before making any revisions. Make notes on things to change.
• List the first ten things each significant character says or does.
• Identify the climax/point of each individual scene and how it changes what’s come before. If it doesn’t change anything, consider deleting the scene.
• Don’t try to do everything at once.
• Set a deadline for completing each stage of revision, and a reward for each one.
• Keep a copy of everything.

Cheryl Klein also pointed out two references that may be helpful as you start your revision:

1. When tracking your manuscript for overused words, check out the Word Frequency Counter. You can cut and paste your manuscript or chapters for results.
2. For more advice on revision, especially book mapping and outlining, check out Anita Nolan’s Step-by-Step Guide to Refining Your Manuscript.

Definitely take a look at Cheryl Klein’s Plot Checklist. It’s very helpful when you have completed a draft and are ready to start revision.

Remember, revision is a process. Something to be done in iterations and in stages. Don’t get overwhelmed. Take your time. In the end, your novel will be stronger.

This past weekend, I went to the 2010 Springmingle conference sponsored by the Southern Breeze SCBWI chapter.

Cheryl Klein, senior editor of Arthur A. Levine Books (a Scholastic imprint), led an interesting workshop called “Dimensions of Character.”

I’m a plotter first, which means my character arcs come second after the plot idea. I don’t concentrate on character sketches or bios — like I shared in a previous post, Character Development.

However, Cheryl Klein did have some great tips on how to develop your character, which included a checklist. Something I can definitely find useful in the future. Here are a few that resonated with me:

• What are the internal qualities (personality, ethics, morals, degree of self-awareness)?
• What does your character want? (which to me is very important — it’s what drives your story).
• What keeps your character alive?
• What is your character’s pain?

Here are some other gems that I also got from the workshop:

• What the character sees and observes can show character development.
• Characters can show positive energy or show “interesting” negative energy to draw empathy or intrigue from readers.
• As a writer, characters take honesty and time.

There are many ways to develop your characters in your story. Your goal as a writer is to find the tools you need to grow your character off the page and into your reader’s heart.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 Springmingle conference, which was sponsored by the Southern Breeze SCBWI chapter.

I posted live tweets throughout the conference, if you missed any of them, you can go to the Twitter #scbwiatl thread to get the highlights.

The conference was great with wonderful speakers and workshops and best of all, I got to mingle with my kindred spirits.

As the conference days flew by, I saw a common theme coming from the speakers.

Just look at some of these nuggets of knowledge:

• Write the story that is in your heart - Jane Yolen
• Timeless writing that speaks to kids and universal truths. Traits of a classic - Josh Adams
• It’s not about money. It’s about changing reader’s lives - Josh Adams
• Take honesty and time knowing your characters - Cheryl Klein

There was also the recurring message that getting your story right is better than getting your story out fast. You should take the time to know what your book is about. This is easier said than done. But always remember you want to make the best impression possible with your work. And that takes time.

So write the story that’s in your heart. Don’t chase trends. Focus on your craft and write the story you were meant to tell.

As the wonderful Jane Yolen noted: “All of us are trying to create a literature of childhood.”

My other two posts this week will also focus on the Springmingle conference. On Wednesday, I’ll share highlights about what I learned about character dimensions and on Friday, I’ll share some revision techniques.

Stay tuned!

I’m excited because I get to attend my first writing conference of the year. I plan to attend at least three more conferences this year as well — and I’ll be sure to tell you all about them.

Springmingle ‘10 is sponsored by the Southern Breeze chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). The conference starts on Friday and ends on Sunday.

Here are the faculty and keynote speakers:

Jane Yolen, Author - Keynote Speaker

Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor - Arthur A. Levine Books

Meredith Mundy, Senior Editor - Sterling Publishing Co.

Josh Adams, Agent - Adams Literary Agency

Loraine Joyner, Art Director - Peachtree Publishers

You can also check out the conference schedule to get a taste of the lineup of workshops for the weekend.

And if you follow me on Twitter, I’ll be posting updates live from the conference. Next week, all of my posts will be about what I found interesting and/or what I learned from the workshops and faculty.

Be sure to stay tuned!