The book your book could be

I don't know about you guys, but lately I've been reading a lot of different books that seem to rely on elements that are heavily important in my own WIP.

I'm not saying that these books are anything actually like my WIP. Because they're not. Really. But there are similarities that are easy enough for me to notice. Maybe they take place in a desert or maybe the main character gets debilitating headaches. Either way, reading a book like that is kind of a glimpse into the book my book could be.

And it freaks me out.

Every published book has something good to it--something that makes people like it and makes them want to buy it. So a lot of the time, when I'm reading these kinds of books, I lose all perspective. It goes something like this:

Hey, this is kinda similar to my book. Cool.
He/she/it wrote my book! D:<
And he/she/it wrote it better than me~!
And he/she/it is published!
Why am I not published?!
*cries in a corner*

See? Completely irrational. I mean, it's not like I've even queried or anything. Of course I'm not published yet.

Unfortunately, my sense of melodrama tends to stick around until I finish reading the book. It's difficult to be rational and remember why I love my book when I'm in the middle of being seduced by another.

So I guess I just wanted to remind everyone: don't be irrational about your WIP, especially when it comes to published books. Your WIP might be like something, but it's not that thing. It will never be that thing--your story will be brilliant and sparkling all by itself. So don't go changing your writing in response to similar books, okay? That would be stupid, because you should always be writing what you want to write.

Now that the PSA is out of the way, tell me, how do you feel when you read published books that share an element with your own WIP? Do you take as a challenge to write something similar, but better? Or do you have a mini-meltdown like me? Tell me in the comments!

Another writing goal?

Writing goals are probably one of the most useful writerly things ever. Just look at what NaNoWriMo has done for those thousands of people who'd never written 1,000 words of fiction, let alone 50,000. If nothing else, writing goals help kick your butt into gear.

And I don't know about you, but right now I need that mentality.

Unlike last time, I'm not going to flaunt my goal in bolded, menacing typeface. Why? Frankly, I'm afraid of my goal, and right now I'm not confident that I can make it and retain my sanity at the same time. Also, despite my claims of knowing what I'm doing, most of my editing process has been discovering what methods don't work for me. Which is rather time consuming.

So here, in a meek, but hopeful voice:

I'm going to finish the revised draft of my manuscript by March 6th at 11:59 PM.

Eeep. Well. There we go. I'm gonna go cry in a corner now . . . but cheer me on, won't you?

Anyway, what about you? Do you have any writing or editing goals right now? Do you try to set goals that you know are achievable, or do you push yourself to the limit? Tell me in the comments.

Speak Out With Your Geek Out

So earlier this week I stumbled onto the Speak Out With Your Geek Out, uhh, movement. Which is basically a bunch of people coming together and proclaiming that it's okay to be a geek. Because, you know, it totally is.

As longtime followers have probably realized, I'm a pretty big geek. I freak out about office supplies and crochet stuffed animals and have admitted my love affair with fanfiction. Not only that, but I have a soft spot for children's television programs (Adventure Time, MAD, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic), I've gone to conventions in costume (no, you can't see the pictures), and research anything I have a question about (yes, I am full of useless knowledge). Really, I could keep going. There's not much about me that isn't geeky.

Of course, I can't say that I was always proud of my geekiness. In elementary school, I was the weird kid (I loved Sailor Moon, heaven forbid). I never would have openly admitted anything in that last paragraph and I definitely didn't have any friends that shared those interests. Which was a rather depressing existence.

Because it's okay to be passionate about something. That's what geekiness really is. Passion. And how can you find friends with similar interests if you're too afraid to admit your geekiness to yourself? Because frankly, one geek is pretty cool, but a group of geeks is really where it's at. I could continue on this vein, but I think John Green has said it more eloquently than I ever could:

So yeah, if you're a geek or a nerd or a dork, be proud of it. Because liking things isn't something to be ashamed of. Now, feel free to tell me the things you obsessively love and geek out about in the comments. I'd love to know what gets your blood pumping!

Major edits are scary!

It's difficult making big edits to a manuscript.

For one thing, we all like to think that our first draft might be perfect. It's that rush of adrenaline that sweeps through your bones right as you type the last sentence--that irrational feeling that THIS manuscript is the one. Sure, it's only a rough draft, but it's the best thing you've ever written, so it must be amazing.

This, of course, is a lie. Any trace of arrogance and narcissism vanishes in about the first 30 seconds after you share the manuscript with someone else. Not to mention when you actually read over it for the first time. Because then everything is HORRIBLE and NEEDS to be repaired.

It's just, what if those major edits make your manuscript worse? Why isn't your first draft good enough? It seems decent, even if you know down in your deepest of hearts that it's not. There's potential for this story--you can feel it--but what if your edits just screw everything up beyond repair?

Well, it's just not going to happen. You're not going to kill your manuscript. Trust me. And if you're still concerned, make backup copies of your different drafts. That way you travel back in time if you mess everything up.

However, even if you do tackle the major edits, I won't lie. You might end up writing four versions of one chapter and then realize that the original really was perfect. Or, you might end up with the sixteenth version, the one that you never would've written without forcing yourself to change things it again and again. It's definitely not easy.

Don't let that scare you though. Think about your changes and then enact them with full discretion. But never back down from a major edit, especially when you know that it needs to be down, because otherwise your writing will suffer.

So how do you guys feel about implementing big edits? Does it make you nervous to change something that's spread out through the entire story? Or do you like performing surgery on your manuscript? Tell me in the comments.

Finding my editing process

Unlike many writers, I've never been very good at thinking things out on paper. What that really means is I don't like writing longhand. That's right, I have no nostalgia for ink flowing across paper and special writing pens and all those things that so many writers are attached to. I like my cold, clinical word processor. *pets computer*

The thing is, I can type around 70 WPM, but I can't handwrite nearly that fast. There's something to be said about being able to record my thoughts as quick as they come. And the actual writing bit? I like being able to read what I've written and then change it without messy scribbles and wasted paper. Cleanliness is awesome.

Word processors are flexible and they help me focus on what I'm supposed to be doing, whether it's big or little or spread out between four different chapters.

Now why am I telling you this? Because my supposed "editing process"--the one I outlined a few months ago--is completely wrong. Well, not the procrastination bit. That's super accurate. And really, it's not so much that my process was wrong. It was just wrong for me.

How so? Well, I realized how so many writers like to work with paper, and I somehow I convinced myself that it'd would work for me too.

The problem is, when I start editing on paper, I don't think about the rest of the story, just the lines in front of my eyes. I don't even think about the rest of the chapter, just the lines. So my lines become beautiful, but I don't notice that the pacing is bad, or the dialogue is out-of-character, or any of the really important things. My "editing" falls flat because my story lives in my head and somewhere in my fingertips. Not on paper.

So I'm starting over. This time I'm sticking to my word processor. Because while it might be lifeless and dead to you, it's not for me. And maybe I'll get some actual work done this time around.

But before I go, I just wanted to you guys to know: Sometimes it's hard to tell what's working and what isn't. Sometimes you don't realize there's a legitimate reason behind your problems. But that's not a bad thing. In all honesty, you probably needed to do things wrong to understand how to make them right.

Just don't worry, because you're not alone and you will figure it out. <3

So how do you guys feel about the editing process? Have you ever tried to force one method of editing to work for you? Or has everything been hunky-dory from the start? Tell me in the comments.

Lexiconic pontifications

Words are the number one tool of the writer. Without words there are no sentences, no paragraphs, no chapters, and ultimately, there are no books. Sometimes the biggest problem of a writer is coming up with the right word for the situation. But this post is not about word choice deliberation. Or, at least, not in such a straightforward manner.

I have a question. How do you feel about using difficult vocabulary in books?

I'm specifically referring to the vocabulary found in YA and adult books. Why? Because most of the people reading them appear to have a fairly stagnant word bank.

That's right. Younger readers are encouraged to learn new words all of the time. But, teens and adults don't actively try to improve their vocabulary and, thus, the average reading level of adults in the United States is somewhere in the 8th-9th grade range.

I'm asking because a lot of people think challenging vocabulary is obnoxious--especially when there's a lot of it. Sure, the Kindle has made this less of an issue thanks to its dictionary function, but not many people have e-readers and not every word is in the dictionary (ie: foreign words).

Now I think that writers should feel free to use whatever words they want. The instant you start paring down your vocabulary to accommodate people, your story suffers. You have to write what you feel--what fits with the book. For example, what would a story in a cake shop be without mention of fondant?

However, you must be aware of your audience at the same time. No one wants to look up a word every five sentences. Make it easy to infer your meaning. Also, you definitely shouldn't be using complex vocabulary in picture books.

So what do you think about words like luxuriate and mien? Do you want to see them in a book? Or should writers try to limit their vocabulary? Do you think that writers threaten to alienate their audience or muddle the meaning of their stories through certain word usage? Tell me what you think in the comments!

Reviving your writerly willpower

College students put off their short stories until the night before workshop. A lot of writers depend on their critique partners to push them to complete that next chapter. Even some published authors push the deadline when it comes to getting things done.

And, of course, there are the writing books, which urge you to finish things as quickly as possible. Your friends and relatives who want to know if you've edited your entire book in the last week because they want to read it. Even your blog readers can lay on the pressure if you set yourself a public deadline.

Seeing a pattern yet?

All of these are forms of external motivation, and writers are addicted to them like caffeine. While they're definitely effective, there is one fatal flaw: external pressure is always trumped by internal pressure. If you don't want to write, don't feel like writing, don't have the will to write, then nothing anyone says is going to change that.

And it's easy to lose the will to write. Maybe your story seems like such a mess that you don't know how to fix it. Maybe it's just impossible for you to write until you take the time to fit the puzzle pieces together. Maybe you just hate everything and it all seems like a waste of effort.

Not writing isn't a bad thing, but losing your willpower is.

It's obvious why. In order to write, to be successful at writing, you need to want to write. Sounds simple right? But you're always on your own with that. Those external sources might poke a finger or two in your direction, but none will break through unless you want them too.

My suggestion? Remind yourself why writing is wonderful. Read some books and focus on actually enjoying them. Write a short story or fiddle with a side project--don't go committing yourself to another book, but shape some sentences and play with some words. The idea is to get the juices flowing again so your current project will lose its nightmarish cast.

If that doesn't seem to help, go read Laini Taylor's delicious post on how to fall back in love with your story. The core of what she's saying is the same, but her method is a lot different. She'd rather you keep trekking with one story and hardcore brainstorm until things are brilliant again.

So what do you guys think? Supposedly everyone is either a drafting person or an editing person--are you partial to one step of the process and do the other steps eat your soul? Have you ever just lost the will to go on? If you did, how did you get it back? Tell me in the comments!

Let's NOT venerate writing books

So last week someone told me that my how to fix up your dialogue post sounded like something yanked out of a writing book. It definitely wasn't, but I can't decide if I feel insulted or pleased by this comment.

The thing is, I'm not a big fan of writing books. I've just always felt that my time was better spent writing than reading about writing, you know?

I mean, the books I have read were helpful. The Seven Basic Plots helps shape cranky plot structures, Reading Like A Writer shows how to identify what does and doesn't work in a story, and No Plot? No Problem! is the speedwriting NaNoWriMo handbook. I've always wanted to read On Writing and Save the Cat! just because I've heard so many good things about them. And, of course, From the Query to the Call is supposed to be the ultimate (and free!) guide to querying.

The problem, I think, is when you start reading too many of these books. How many writers stymie themselves by endlessly reading writing books because they're afraid that they don't know how to write? How many writers waste time with methods that don't work for them because a famous author talked about it in his book?

Writing books set rules, but people need to remember that writing rules should really be referred to as writing guidelines.

They help keep you in line, away from cliches and poor structure and weak writing. But if your story needs to start with a prologue, or needs an adverb in that sentence, or needs to tell something instead of showing it, then you shouldn't be afraid to do that. Don't let a writing book tell you how to write your own story.

I urge you to read some writing books, but don't start worshiping them. And please, don't hold everything I say to that standard either. Everyone has their own method and their own rules they like to follow. Knowledge is awesome, but the most important thing is to write in a way that works for you.

So what writing books have you guys read? Did you like or dislike them? And what do you think about writing blogs, since they can get writing booky at times? Tell me in the comments.

Be brave and write dangerously

Let me tell you about the best test I ever took in college.

It was the final for my fantasy literature class. This class sounds better than it really was. Our teacher was a quirky old man that looked like Colonel Sanders and couldn't stay on topic for the life of him. Normally students like teachers that don't stay off-topic. This was eighty minutes of rambling hell. When it was nearing finals week, I was actually kind of worried because we rarely talked about fantasy literature and all Colonel Sanders did was tell us that he rarely gave high grades.

Test day came. We sat at our desks with pens and blue books, waiting for inevitable doom. The prompt was handed out and it went something like this:

Write a thoughtful, multi-page answer to one of two following questions. One choice is safe, the other is dangerous. 

1. "Fancy quote about fantasy writing reflecting reality" according to Ursula le Guin. Support this claim using at least three works we've read over the semester. 
2. Write the beginning of a fantasy story. Make sure to follow the conventions we've been talking about all semester. It must take place in one of the following locations:

• Billings, MT (the "magic" city)
• A farmland
• Two other places I don't remember

I just remember sitting in my desk, watching as everyone else in class immediately started jotting things down in their blue books. Apparently they didn't need any time to make a decision.

At first, I almost answered the first question. But then I remembered something: I was a creative writing major. If there was anyone in this class of literature people that could write the beginning of a fantasy story, it was me. Sure, the other prompt was definitely the safe one, but if I had to be stuck in that room for two hours writing something, I was going to be writing something fun.

Everyone I talked to after class chose the first essay question. Even my fellow creative writing majors. Apparently I was the only one brave, or stupid, enough to take the plunge.

In the end, I got an A in the class. Some of those other people didn't.

Can you guess what the moral of this story is? One choice is safe, the other is dangerous. Sometimes we need to pick the scary choices, even if they don't seem like a good idea at the time.

Everyone in that class could write a decent answer to the first essay question. A lot of writers can write a candy coated fantasy with teen girls looking for love and elements of Harry Potter. Sure, it's not original, but it's trendy and might get you published.

Maybe it's hard to be brave enough to make something new and edgy. But you should do it anyway because your work will suffer if you don't. Don't make yourself write something because you think someone else will like it better. Write the things you want to write. Have fun! The next time you're dipping into cliche, challenge yourself. Cliches are all about being safe, but if you break away the walls, you can find something fresh.

Have you ever made the dangerous choice? Was it in your writing, or just in life? What were the stakes? Tell me your story in the comments.