It Was the Best of Books, It Was the Worst of Books...

You become a little bipolar as a writer, I think.

Hello, I'm Jennadee, and I'm Addicted to Writing...

Though we have to write,

we must be aware that there is more to life than writing.

Be cautious

so that there is a time to write

and a time to live.

(aka: not write.)

*having strong flashbacks to the movie Hook with Robin Williams...*

Got Researching-Maddness Much?

Italy, sun flares, jewelry...
We all need it. Research, that is.
I get on the internet for my hour of writing in the morning and before I know it.. it's time for breakfast! (Mom, make us some breakfast!) Argh.

I didn't realize, until recently, the real reason I put my kids in extra curricular activities... so I can write without being distracted by the internet!

I got out my laptop, started writing, and thought, 'Oh, I need to research this.'
Surprise! I awkwardly remembered that there was no internet while I sat on the grass at the building the kids were in. Or in the car that was parked in the lot outside the dance studio.

So, I just wrote. It took a little bit to get started, and then it flowed like a dream.
it's slow a little, then flow a ton.

Sometimes it would flow like Niagara Falls! -- So fast that I'd have to bullet the scene playing over in my head so that I wouldn't forget key details.

I had to remind myself that I could go back and flesh out the paragraphs afterward - when inspiration had slowed down again.

Thank goodness for those slow time! (I never thought I'd hear myself say that. Ever.)

Also, I am constantly asking questions like, 'What's a word that sounds like weary but doesn't mean tired? More like nervous or scared.' To which my dear hubby or friend would reply, 'Oh, you mean leery.' (They don't know I'm secretly preparing them for Jeopardy... wink wink!)

*Sigh.* When I can't come up with the right word, I highlight the word in red. Then when I have time (and others are more willing to help me), I can seek their help.

(Note: a Thesaurus can only do so much, my friends...)

(Me this week)

Soul Music

I am totally channeling some theme music for my novel.

No Air - Jordin Sparks
Battlefield - Jordin Sparks
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Say Something - A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
Demons - Imagine Dragons
Love Somebody - Maroon 5
Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
Am I Wrong - Nico & Vinz


Sometimes it helps me to get into the mood. And battle scene music can be motivating as well.

If you try 8tracks.com, my favorite is Let the Battle Begin. I used it a lot for D&D nights. "Roll for initiative..."

Find your muse. Just don't let it keep you from your writing.  Remember to write, writer.

-- Jennadee

Powerful Paragraphs.

Maybe I struggle with long paragraphs. Just because I like YA and Juvenile fiction doesn't mean there aren't any long paragraphs in them. What I'm saying is that any paragraph, despite its length, should keep the reader engaged and able to follow the story.

When I read my work or critique others', I check paragraphs when I start to get lost.  Paragraphs can help group thoughts and keep things flowing for the readers.

Comma Coma

I love commas, commas, commas. However, I like to use them correctly.  I might get a little comma happy, but it's just to make sure that my reader knows where I'm pausing in my head as I write.

So, as I write and critique others' work, I try to make sure that commas are correct.
This might help and be a good reference.
(But there was one I didn't see on it...
He grunted, letting the fork clatter on the plate. 
... Just incase you were wondering.

--Jennadee

Writer... write.

Beat Sheets

I have begun to plot out movies that I watch. Kind of ruins them? Maybe a little. Luckily, I can enjoy a movie/book the first time I read it in ignorance. Afterwards, though, I am constantly thinking about it.

While I struggled with putting my scenes in order, there were so many things thrown at me by other writers that it became very overwhelming. So, I just winged it. Once I put it in an order that seemed natural, I brought it back to my critique book.

They told me about Beat Sheets/Save the Cat/etc.  Again, overwhelming. BUT, I found that my story fell right in line with the beat sheets they provided. Now, as I go through my chapters, I look at the beat sheets's points to make sure things are contained in that section to keep my story flowing well.

(Remember when I walked through Whipple's 'Transparent''s chapters to follow its flow? Same thing.)

I'm still learning about Saving the Cat.

Any time you watch a movie, plot it out. Even Disney shorts from Pixar, like 'Lava'.

One of my biggest challenges of writing has been to see the whole picture/story. I get caught up in single chapters all the time. This helps.

"What if?"

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

I confess... 

I play Dungeons and Dragons.

And I love it!

Not only is it great fun, but it is great for developing skills that can help with writing:
world-building,
character development,
timeline/event sequencing,
backstory,
character voice,
and soo much more.

For the first few years, I just enjoyed playing my characters. Then... they asked me to DM.
(aka, be the Dungeon Master. Great on a resume, right?)

After the panic, I started bouncing around ideas and realized that I couldn't do things the easy way and go with a pre-generated campaign. I wanted to do my own.

I gave everyone in our group the story basis and had them make their backstories.
(Am I weird to like piecing backstories together??)

After finishing my campaign (and happy that everyone in the group enjoyed it), I put more time into writing my novel and found that my skills had improved!

So... next time someone asks if you would like to play D&D, you might think about trying it (even if you give them a little bit of a weird look at first).

What a Dilemma!

I confess... I play Dungeons and Dragons. Before you laugh, I plead on its behalf for plotting, story development, further character development... *panting* and so much more.

As I ran my campaign, my group needed to develop their own characters; flaws, aspirations, backstories, and so on.   

As with any story, to make the campaign more enjoyable, characters need an arc --  challenges to overcome. I needed to provide experiences that created dilemmas. I enjoyed this website that helped to develop that:

5 Moral Dilemmas That Make Characters (& Stories) Better

-- Jennadee

Show vs. Tell

A while back, an essay by Chuck Palahniuk was shared with me about showing vs. telling.  THAT is a major struggle of mine.  I am constantly working at it. (Which is good. Because once it is a habit, it will become more subconscious in my future writing.)
-- Jennadee

Here is the address:
Nuts and Bolts: “Thought” Verbs

Miracle Morning...

I have struggled with getting up in the morning. No matter how I try to initiate our getting up earlier, my hubby stayed in bed, and I'd rather be there snuggling with him. Guilty.

So, I got a walking buddy. We talk, which is awesome. I love being able to talk with another adult. (Which is just a more mature way of talking with kids. I want... She did this... I hurt... 'No!'...) But necessary. I now get up early in the morning... yes... AM and walk with my buddy, Tanya, and our puppies.

My hubby and I had a hard time fitting all we wanted to do into our day.  And by definition, we weren't 'morning' people. Night owls, in fact. Hubs needed more time to work on website design and podcasting. I needed time to write. And we were just too tired come the evening that all we wanted to do was veg in front of the TV. (Sound familiar?)

Hubby listens to podcasts all day because of the driving he does for work.  He came across 'the Miracle Morning' and shared it with me (and everyone else he met). We started getting up and accomplishing our goals.

(Obviously, because I'm blogging!)

Editing...

Others Write, Too...

As part of a writing critique group, I must remember that my story isn't the only one being written.

There is a balance between writing your own work and critiquing others' work. There is so much responsibility for both of these. They expect my work. AND they expect their work critiqued and sent back.

How much time is there in a day?!

Time is a balancing act. We have to learn to be more efficient with the time we have. But who wants to? If 30 minutes is what you have to write, it's what you use.

I homeschool, so I have to plan for those lessons and teaching takes time out of my day. I need sleep. I have meal preparation obligations. The house needs cleaned. And lets face it, kids' needs (and meltdowns) don't happen at planned times. (They are high on my priority list, after all.) Where does writing fit it?

There are many things that I aspire to do. There is time. It might not be a lot. Choose how you use it wisely.

Challenges Change.

The quote goes, "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you."

I like my characters. And because they are mine, I feel a responsibility to protect them. So, I struggle with letting my characters suffer enough. Which, in turn, makes for a pretty dull story.

This last chapter that I turned in to my critique group, I pushed a boundary for myself. I let the struggle last a little longer. I felt good about my growth! But... after I turned it in, and had my outline epiphany, I knew that the struggle had to be a little longer.  It might affect some later scenes, but only in the ways they needed to be.

I buckled. I had to do it. So, I rewrote a section and the rest flowed. So, much to my group's dismay, I re-sent the work. (Sorry guys; have I mentioned how awesome you rock?!)

Let your characters struggle. You will love who they become so much more if you do.

Timely Epiphanies

Over the weekend, I spoke with my Writer-in-Chief (aka, Hubby) and ran some ideas by him.  What I had envisioned as a weekend to rest from my story ended up clarifying my beat sheet.

I recently read the book Transparent, and its sequel, Blindsided by Natalie Whipple. I was inspired by her books' flow that I had to map it out chapter by chapter.
(I know, reading is supposed to be for leisure.)

This last weekend, what I loved so much about her book is that we are given a taste of knowing what is going on for one character.  The reader has an insight that no one else has and feels in-the-know. By the end of the book, you realize that you didn't have all the insight you thought you had.  That's what I wanted for my story.

As I chatted with my WC, he got my wheels turning and then it hit me. The reader knows Arnold's secret. What is the surprise twist? Now, I dare not reveal it. Needless to say, I went back over my beat sheet and made sure that my idea flowed with the rest, but wasn't revealed until the right moment.

Now, I am HIGHLY motivated to keep going! (Wishing I could go without food and responsibility for a few months...)

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Revise, revise, revise.

Ever feel like you revise the first chapters over and over and over again? I was practically done with my story, but I could never get past the first few chapters of my story for revising that I never actually finished my story. 

Well, I finally get it. 

Writing groups can be helpful, if you use them correctly.  I'm still learning, remember. 

I found that in revisions, you have to take two steps forward and one back. This staggered movement is what I've found will keep me moving forward with my story and getting it ready to submit by the end of the year.

First, finish your story. 

Write everything you can into it.  You can always cut out the extras that don't work later. 

"But I..." 

No, finish your story. Been there. No more excuses.

THEN, once you have finished your story, you may have others critique. Here's the process...

Turn in your chapter. (ie. chapter 1)

The group will critique.

Make any changes you feel are necessary.

THEN, turn in chapter 2.

"What? But I..."

DON'T turn in chapter 1 again. Or you will never get past it. You will always want to keep going back and changing it.  It isn't perfect.  I get it. Don't turn it in again until you have gone through the whole story.

(continuing on...)

The group will critique chapter 2.

Make any changes you feel are necessary.

Turn in Chapter 3... and continue this way until the end of your story.

"But I..."

UNTIL THE END OF YOUR STORY!

Read through your whole story. Make sure any obvious things are fixed.

THEN, you will turn in your WHOLE story to the group. 

Chapter 1 through the end.

If you have a good group, they will check continuity, characters, development, magic systems (if any), and some grammar because they can't help it.

Now, they know the whole story and can read it like a reader.  (aka: Beta Readers.)

THEN, you can make any changes you need to your whole story.

Is it going to be perfect? No. But that is the job of an editor.  Get it to the best you can and turn it over to the pros. And let's face it... authors go back and read their books and talk about things that they would change.  AFTER they've sold hundreds, if not thousands, of that book. So, it doesn't have to be perfect.  Just compelling.

And by the time you turn it in to an editor, you'll be SICK of it.  You'll be READY to start another story.  

AND YOU CAN!

- The Truth According to Jennadee.

Let's Get Ready to... Rumble!

I started writing as a little girl.  My dad saw me creating stories and drawing pictures. Then he did the best thing ever... he encouraged me to keep going.

Let's face it.  I wasn't very good. But that didn't matter. And that felt great!

A little further along, I wrote Unie and the Easter Eggs. I started writing poetry in Middle School. There were fun exercises for story writing. One I remember was watching a show without the sound and then writing a story according to my interpretation.

In High School, I wrote more poetry and even tried my hand at children's books.

It was never my goal to write a book.  I had a hard enough time reading books because my eyes would get so tired.  However, that didn't keep me from staying up late to finish a book that I couldn't put down.

I wrote in my scrapbooks. I wrote blogs of my family, keeping in fun and real. Some even said that it was pretty good.

My hubby is the BIG reader in our family. He was the one who wanted to write a book. So naturally, since he became the massage therapist that I wanted to become, I decided to become the writer. (Not really, but it sounds good, right?)

I woke up one morning. I have a vivid scene of a girl being transformed into an angel. I wrote down immediately what I could remember.  Then I ran to the computer and typed up any more details that I could remember. Before I knew it, I had several scenes written.

It wasn't the first time I'd dreamed a 'novel'. When I'd wake up, I would remember one specific scene, but I knew a whole backstory.

Remember how I said that my hubby wanted to be the writer? He really did.  He listened to podcasts of 'Writing Excuses' with Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Taylor, and Mary Robinette Kowal. When he saw that I had started to actually write, he started sharing what he learned. Because, the difference between a writer and a want to be writer is that the first actually writes.

I tried going to a writing group. I felt so lost. And when they asked for money, I didn't feel comfortable giving money that our young family needed to a 'lost' cause.

Years later, I got together with a friend from college. She was writing as well.  She went to a writing group. In fact, the same writing group that I tried years earlier. After reading my story, she said I should go. So, I went... with her. The writing group had come a long way since I had last tried it. And having a buddy helped some, too.

Others read my work. And helped me to see how 'bad' it was.  The ideas were good. I just had a long way to go to get great. TO GET IT WRITE.

So, that is why I'm here. And why you're here.  I want to share my journey with other budding authors, and you want to feel like you're not alone.

It was a long time before I seriously picked up writing again after going to the writing group the first time. But when I did, I was immersed. I even watched Brandon Sanderson's writing class on YouTube.  And when others read my work and criticized my 'baby', I could take it. I was ready, because I wanted to get better. The whole point was to never give up learning to be better.

Don't give up writing. Inside is a story itching to break free. The world needs your story. You are not alone. So get that pen and paper, get over to your computer, doodle on your whiteboard. Be a writer.