My Personal Challenge for November

November is almost upon us. And for writers, that means one thing: National Novel Writing Month, or NaNo!

As I explained in Monday’s blog, that’s the challenge to jot down the first 50,000 words to your next novel. What I didn’t mention is that I’ve never done it.

That’s not to say I’ve never completed the challenge so much. It’s more like I’ve never started it in the first place. In past years, I was always in the middle of a manuscript when November rolled around and unwilling to set it aside to start something new.

However, lo and behold, October dawned to the perfect situation… I had published all the books I’d planned on publishing for the year… I knew I’d soon complete the third draft of the first book I’ll be publishing in 2016 – Faerietales 4: Wing and Dagger… and I had finished up my research for Designing America, the story of the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, and the sequel to Maiden America.

It was perfect!

Admittedly, since that was October 1st and there was no way I could go a whole month without writing anything, I started Faerietales 5: Flights of Fancy as a test run to see if NaNo was possible. I’ve always been skeptical of anyone apart from professional authors – who get paid to write all day – being able to write 50,000 words in one month.

Turns out though, it is possible! I started officially working on Flights of Fancy on October 15, and as of October 25, I was 26,000 words in. That’s an average 2,363 words per day! Moreover, I even had a social life during that time and worked some projects for my freelance business, Innovative Editing.

Admittedly, I’m also single and my day job involves sometimes significant downtime. So that certainly didn’t hurt. Neither did the fact that writer’s block hasn’t kicked in yet. I’m on a roll!

I don’t expect Designing America to be anywhere so easy, in large part because it’s a historical novel and I’m going to have to be flipping through my research books every other second to make sure I remember my facts correctly. Moreover, there’s no pressure right now; it’s not NaNo. Come next week, I might be making myself sick trying to make something happen that’s just not meant to be.

The 50,000-word deadline, I mean, not the novel itself. That’s happening one way or the other.

But hey… Bring it on! If nothing else, I’m more than ready to try.

A Personal Challenge That Could Drive You Crazy

Ever heard of NaNoWriMo?

Yeah, neither did I until a few years ago, when I joined a writer’s group in Columbia, MD.

At that point, I’d written four novels and was working on a fifth. Yet I guess I was writing in a vacuum, because I never knew there was a National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, or NaNo.

The goal of NaNo is to write 50,000 words in a single month. Supposedly, 50,000 words is a whole novel. I strongly disagree with this, but perhaps it’s a decent first draft of a whole novel if your first drafts tend to be bare-bones details.

Regardless, people shun friends, family and sanity in order to accomplish this, participating in NaNo write-ins and keeping track of their work on nanowrimo.org and such. They even go to “prep school” in the waning days of October to learn how to best organize themselves for the writing road ahead.

Some accomplish their goal of 50,000 words. Admittedly, most do not. You kinda can’t have a life in order to exit this challenge victorious.

In other words, yes, it’s a crazy idea to begin with and the writing community gets even crazier about it. All for books they probably won’t ever finish and even fewer will publish. So in the end, there’s no need for them to be pulling out their hair over the issue.

Illustrating that truth is a meme I found recently from 101reasonstostopwriting.com that says: “NaNoWriMo: The challenge of an arbitrary target and deadline without the burden of any expectation of quality.”

True dat.

All the same, I don’t think it’s a complete waste of time. How can it be when it’s a chance to push yourself harder than you have been… to put down the remote, set aside the excuses and just write already. And let’s face it, most of us need that kind of motivation.

If you need any advice on trying NaNo, check out the official National Novel Writing Month website, www.nanowrimo.org, or contact JDiLouie@InnovativeEditing.com.

November is just around the corner… Why not go crazy?

When I Taught Novel Writing I at Community College of Baltimore County

I know I’m being a bit repetitive this week, first talking about being a writing addict – which I broached back in September – and now bringing up your potential writing ability (which I also broached in September, in the same exact blog, actually). But I was thinking about the continuing education class I taught earlier this year at Community College of Baltimore County.

Going into it, I knew full well that it might be an… ummm… interesting experience. During my time as a writing tutor both before and after I established my Innovative Editing freelance business, I’d read some not-so-impressive creative efforts. Not everyone is meant to be a writer, and sometimes that shows vividly.

So when I got official word that enough people had signed up for Novel Writing I, I steeled myself for the probability of helping people who were woefully out of their depth. And when I realized that every single one of my students wasn’t looking for a writing tutor to help them construct their plotline, but an editor to critique their already-completed draft… I really had to get my head on straight.

But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Out of my five initial students, only one of their introductory chapters needed intense revision. And even that one got a whole lot more captivating as it went on.

There was the young adult tale of a Midwestern girl who was trying to fulfill her ancestor’s impressive legacy… the fantasy fiction story of an indigenous South American tribesman back centuries ago who had a run-in with the gods… a murder mystery about a senior citizen who was framed for a former coworker’s death… a historical account of a Vietnam War soldier with a supernatural twist… and a somewhat abstract, stream-of-conscious account of what can happen when you seek revenge.

I know I taught my students a lot, but they taught me something too. Mainly, not to be such a snob.

Yes, there are people who write 900-page stories that make my eyes glaze over and my brain hurt from all of the clichés and unrealities they employ. But there are also plenty of amateur writers out there who really have what it takes.

They’ve got captivating ideas, compelling characters and writing styles that just need some guidance in order to turn into something worth standing on the New York Times best seller list.

Which begs the question…

Are you one of them?

The First Step Is Admitting You Have a Problem. Okay, I Can Do That Much...

Hello, my name is Jeannette DiLouie, and I have a writing addiction.

It all started when I was six years old and wrote my very first book with a word count of maybe 60. It seemed so innocent at the time. Not at all the kind of thing that would have me locking myself away in my apartment, shunning friends and ignoring family to focus on my addiction.

But that’s what it is. It’s an addiction. And it just seems to be getting stronger.

On Tuesday, October 13, I finished working on the third draft of my 12th novel-length manuscript, Wing and Dagger, the fourth installment of the Faerietales series. By Thursday afternoon, I had it uploaded to Amazon’s CreateSpace to order a proof for review. By Thursday evening, I had started writing two new books.

Two!

The first is the conclusion to Sabrina’s story, Faerietales 5: Flights of Fancy. The second is something much less certain. Who knows whether I’ll ever complete it…

It’s the story of Haley, a 10th grader who somehow develops the ability to read minds. It’s a power she’s always wanted to have, yet she quickly comes to realize it’s much more trouble than it’s worth. First off, knowledge isn’t always worth the cost. And secondly, if she had just stayed nice and normal, she never would have attracted the attention of Mr. Conner, who’s intent on using her gift for his own purposes.

Worse yet, I’m planning on starting still another story next month: Designing America, the novel I never had any intention of writing until my enablers (a.k.a. readers) pressured me into penning a sequel to Maiden America. Which was supposed to be a stand-alone book. I swear!

Then there’s the work I really, really, really hope to begin sometime next year: When Dignity Was a Crime. That’s all about Ariana, a spoiled little rich girl who lives in modern-day Boston and gets to go on a cruise ship through the Bermuda Triangle, an area frequently linked to paranormal activity. Her life dissolves into a science-fiction conundrum when she’s yanked back in time to Baltimore circa 1836 to experience history through her ancestors’ perspective. And since her father is descendent from slaves, that means she’s in one complicated mess.

So there. I admitted I have a problem. I’m a writing addict. You happy?

Now go away so I can get back to my plotlines.

Fiction Is in the Eye of the Beholder

To some degree, good fiction is in the mind of the reader.

If you haven’t figured out yet, I’m a bit of a book snob with ardent opinions on what is and isn’t worth my time. Except in the case of Fifty Shades of Grey. Saying that it’s a contrived piece of trash isn’t opinion; it’s fact.

For that matter, I’m going to stand by most of my criticisms. And just for the record, I set the same standards I hold for other books on my own head, hence the reason why I was so annoyed with myself for finding two dozen (largely little) mistakes in one of my own 300+ page books.

No excuses whatsoever.

Yet I realized after looking through GoodReads that perhaps my positive opinions are much more subject to personal taste than I previously realized. For example, I found out there are fantasy readers who don’t like Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series.

With four of those books on my shelf already and full intention to buy the rest, I’m a definite fan. Sure, I’ve nitpicked (largely little) details, but the characters are compelling, the plots leave me craving more and the writing style is overall solid.

At least according to me. So you can imagine how shocked I was to read the following not-so-impressed comments about the first book, Rosemary and Rue:

·         “This started off strong, but it lost a whooooole bunch of steam as it went. The story never really felt like it was driving forward, just sort of meandering onward.” – R.

·         “I never cared about Toby, I never cared about her friends, the murder or the investigation. I kept reading trying to summon an ounce of interest and I just couldn't.” – Alexa

·         “Rosemary and Rue really isn't bad. I can't complain about the writing, the action, the mystery or the protagonist, October ‘Toby’ Daye. But somehow, this book just never got a hold of my interest.” – Megan

What!!!?!

At first, I’ll admit, I brushed off their opinions as crazy. Yet when I started thinking about it, I had to acknowledge that readers are individuals, and individuals have different turn-ons and turn-offs. What works for me, therefore, doesn’t have to make every other fiction connoisseur out there go “Ooh!”

Really, that’s a lesson that all authors – or maybe all people – should take to heart. You really can’t please everyone. You’re not supposed to please everyone. You’re just supposed to strive to be the absolute best you can be and let it go from there.

When Reality Is Too Unrealistic for Fiction

I’ve read plenty of books I’ve found unrealistic. Sure, they’re novels and therefore not reality, but there are just certain plot points I roll my eyes at and go, “Yeah, that would never happen.”

Like, I don’t know… say… everything about Fifty Shades of Grey.

Contrived setting, dialogue, plots and characters are something to be avoided at almost all cost. I say almost, because sometimes life itself gets unbelievable, prompting writers to go, “That did not just happen!” and then, “I wonder if that could fit into one of my books?”

Off the top of my head, I can think of a few absolute caricatures of real people. Like a best friend’s father who gets into angry arguments with her about whether or not there’s caffeine in Vitamin Water. In front of me. For five minutes straight.

Awkward!

Or there’s the time I was the only one in my four-apartment building for a month until the night someone moved in above me. I met his brother that evening, and then I met my new neighbor Josh the next day, upon which point he asked me out. Yet when I went to knock on his door at the agreed upon date and time (which was fine by me), he wasn’t there, leaving me to tape a note for him. Two hours later, I found a response on my own door saying what a nice idea the date sounded and how he’d love to meet me.  

Confused? I certainly was… until I figured out I had two neighbors move in the same day.

Oops!

Completely ridiculous, right? If I read that in a book, I would probably roll my eyes.

And speaking of unbelievable, I know some of my friends have thought I was taking creative license with stories about my workplace, where sexual harassment is overlooked, lying to customers is encouraged and raises/bonuses are withheld without any reason given even when the company had a banner year. Worse yet, I can’t even completely blame them for their skepticism when, the stories I tell really are so unprofessional as to be a bad joke.

Yet they’re still 100% true.

So what happens when you want to borrow from your stranger-than-fiction real life for your novels? It’s actually quite doable.

Have your characters admit how unrealistic their situation is. Make them wonder how they fell down such a rabbit hole, or let them joke about where they went wrong to be in such a mess.

When writers acknowledge how Ripley’s Believe It or Not it is, readers are much more likely to buy their tale.

Gillian Bronte Adams’ “Villainy 101: How to Trap a Hero” Is Creative Genius!

I have to give major props to two creative people:

·         Mia Zachary, who found the awesome picture below and sent it to me on Pinterest

·         Gillian Bronte Adams, who posted the awesome picture in the first place

I’m friends with Mia and know her creative tenacity, so it doesn’t surprise me she was able to find such a creativity-inducing image. But after following that image back to its original source at GillianBronteAdams.com, I also have to give props to Ms. Adams.

Anyone who’s struggling to trap their hero for climatic effect – or just because it’s fun to be a jerk – should check this blog post out. In fact, you should read it regardless. It’s that good!

The memo stands out in all the right ways. “From the Academy of Ultimate Villainy: Today’s Lesson: How To Trap A Hero.” Never mind that the colons are a little repetitive and the “to” should be lowercased considering the previous preposition. Who cares about grammar when there’s apparently a school for scoundrels.

Mind blown!

This revelation begs to be explored further. Do these educational institutes of evil learning have university-sized classrooms where trolls take notes and bullies search for victims to snatch them from? Does the insufferable blond girl lick her glossy lips in anticipation of how to ensnare her own nemesis, while the brunette vampire beside her tries to pay attention to the lecture instead of turning her teeth on her classmate?

Those thirteen words beg a story, if not an entire series. And Adams rises to that challenge with a breakdown of “Dr. Sinestra’s lecture” as recorded by some spy at the dastardly school.

Thanks to that correspondence, we learn that there are three main kinds of heroes:

·         The Romantic

·         The Idealistic

·         The Clever

And trapping them is as easy as one-two-three once it’s established which group they fall into.

As Dr. Sinestra says, “The number one rule of hero trapping is to offer the hero something he cannot resist. Every hero has a weak spot” to exploit. “Offer the thing he most desires, and then snatch it from his grasp at the last moment” to “leave him in utter despair.”

This Dr. Sinestra is one wise villain. No wonder he got the position at the Academy!

At the risk of encouraging such literary nastiness, I’m going to point out that writers could learn a thing or two from him.

My Very First Book Signing: The Afterword

So… My book signing…

First off, let me state that I had a ton of fun! Considering that Ukazoo is a used book store (which I totally recommend, fyi) where people go for bargains, not full-priced books, it wasn’t as profitable as it could have been elsewhere.

Yet I still enjoyed myself thoroughly, and not just because I got Oreo Dream Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory afterward.

For one thing, it was a fascinating adventure in human observation. Apparently, I’m not the only person who can’t stand salespeople. Most customers walked by my nice little table and purposely looked every which way but at me, as if they were terrified that I might rope them into a pointless and pushy conversation if they dared to meet my gaze.

Which, just for the record, I had no plans on doing. The people who did smile back got a cheerful. “Hi, how are you?” and then an appropriate response depending on what they said. If they kept walking, then I went right back to writing in my little notebook.

Incidentally, that little notebook is the second reason why I found yesterday so worthwhile. I wrote almost the entire Author’s Note/Historical Prologue section to Designing America while I sat there. And while I know I’ll be adding bits and pieces here and deleting sentences there, I’m quite content with that first draft. It wrote well and shouldn’t take too much effort to make it read well too.

I did sell one copy of The Politician’s Pawn to an actual customer (and four more to ridiculously adorable family members), and jotted down my information and professional website for another person who wanted the Kindle copy of Not So Human. I also chatted with some very nice and helpful people about such things as how to properly pronounce “Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.”

Incidentally, that mother-daughter duo was very impressed that I said it correctly, though that’s what happens when you live there for seventeen years. You pick up on little things like that.

There was one gentleman who stands out the most, however. When he stopped to eye my table, I asked him if he liked political thrillers or fantasy fiction. He shook his head and said no, so I politely pursued the conversation by inquiring what genres he did like.

He answered, “Oh, you know, books about characters.”

Maybe I should have told him about my historical or Christian fiction stories instead. I’m pretty sure those involve such creative constructions. Not sure… Maybe I should go back and check.