Wednesday with the Writer's Journal

It is again the Aspiring Writer's Journal Amazon.com: The Aspiring Writer's Journal: Susie Morgenstern, Theresa Bronn: Books for Wednesday.

I am not following it like a journal, doing each assignment on the correct date. I tend to jump around for inspiration. Today, I landed (after only three tries) on October sixth, "Become an editor!" and critiquing a friends novel. I do not have a friend writing a novel, at least none that admit it. Master's daughter is working on Children's Picture books, but says it is slow going with all the rest that life is handing her.

As an art teacher, I know from critiquing student's work that it is always best to begin on a positive. So find something, anything that you can say that is positive. There are many sites telling you how to critique a novel, including: Writing a Critique of a Novel.

We have a little joke in our family. My mother often provides these types of jokes and once she was asked, by a fellow art student, for an opinion on the student's newest painting. Mother had a dilemma: to lie and say something wonderful about it or to tell the truth and hurt the ladies feelings. She paused for a moment, ostensibly studying this great work of art, but really thinking about what to say, and she came up with, "It sure is green."

Amazingly, this pleased the student, who went away smiling and it resolved mom's moral dilemma. It also became family code for 'ugly.' It sure does sparkle, glow, have big flowers, is bright, etc now replaced "awful ugly." There is always something positive you can say, if you look hard enough.

There are many ways to save a writer's feelings and give them information that will help them improve their work. We all started somewhere and usually that was at the beginning. I've always thought that anyone can learn to paint well enough for their own enjoyment, if they spend the time working at it. Like playing piano, it is the hours spent in practice that make the difference.

Don't make it harder than it has to be

I am a person who tends to make things harder than they should be. I am rather easy going but hard on myself, I guess. Not hard enough in some areas. I am still not back to my Body for Life program, which I know works for me, and yet my weights sit there staring at me and making me feel guilty. But, what I am talking about today is my book and the ways I deal with things I need to do.

A while ago, I posted about a method I was using to keep track of facts. Since I am envisioning this novel as a five part series, I need to make sure I have laid a foundation in book one for things that happen in other books. That is in addition, to the plot and subplot of book one and wrapping those items up in that book.

It was not working as it was just too complicated. So, I started over and am working with three files open in Word. First, is my book. I have it all formatted now to send, as a Word document, to my Master’s daughter for her edit. She is in charge of catching those things you can read over and over, and since you know what it is supposed to say, you don’t catch the mistake it happens to have in it. That is in addition to: punctuation, tense, and just anything wrong. A big job, I’m sure, for someone who has a full time teaching job. And, she’s not even getting paid for editing either.

Second, I have a document open called outline. In this I place just one liners of the chapter I am editing/reviewing. I will need this when I send in Query letters and am asked for an outline. When Master’s daughter is doing her edit, I will be polishing this outline so it is ready to go out to agent/editor.

The third and final document I have open is titled “Follow up and List-Magic words.” In this I have items I need to remember to reuse/wrap up/etc. This is for this book and the whole series. It includes a list of Magic words used, which are very nominal actually for a fantasy. The reason for that is probably because I am not a “word” person. I do not delight in words for words sake. I love them only when they are put together and form a great story.

Knowing my propensity for charts, I will most likely go back and chart this file also so that I know what I need to put into book two, three, four and five from this book. It's all rather in my head but I really do not trust my memory.

So, while you need to do what works for you. You also need to find out what isn’t working for you and let go of it. Happy Labor Day!

The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett

I am so excited by THE BEST mystery I have ever read; and believe me, I started with A and went to Z in Mysteries, at the Lake County Public Library, in Indiana. It’s a research library and it’s hugely wonderful. This is The Chemistry of Death, by Simon Beckett. I am not the best reviewer in the world, but gosh this book is so good, I can’t wait to read his second book. His web site is www.simonbeckett.com.

I do my treadmill each morning. I do not find this a particularly fascinating pastime and I’m at a slow pace yet, so I read to pass the time. This is not the easiest thing to do on the Body for Life Program, as you increase and decrease speeds constantly. I try to reserve the book for the treadmill, thereby: 1. Having something to read each day and 2. Forcing me to work on my own YA Novel and not sit all day and read someone else’s book.

First day, with The Chemistry of Death, I did my time, pulled the plug and stood on the machine for another fifteen minutes, reading. I finally had to sit down and forced myself to leave the book on the machine. Day two, FORGET THAT, I read on the treadmill and took the book with me, when I was done. I spent the rest of the day, feet up, reading the most wonderful Mystery writing I have encountered in a long time, maybe ever.

This is Simon Beckett’s first novel. I first wrote a line here about his words being poetry, but when I turned his book over to view the reviews on the back jacket, Tess Gerritsen said that already. She also said, what I also found out, that she “couldn’t put it down.” His words just suck you in to the story. You walk the same path as the protagonist; getting drenched with water, falling in love with the people in the town and hating others. He is as mislead as you are.

But, oh how he handles all of it. You think you know who the Antagonist is; oh no, it must be this fellow, no it could be that guy, and soon you just forget trying to guess, because you are enjoying the journey so much. The end is the same way. No spoiler here because this book is just too good to do that to you. It will surprise you at the end. In fact, it will do this more than once.

Even if you are not “into” mysteries, this is a must read book.

Keeping track of facts in your novel

I am an organizer. You would not believe it if you visited me right now, but in my working environment, I want everything in it's place and, I want the elements of working on my novel to be organized so I can go right to what file I need, when I need it, to check a fact. I have created files and charts, by the dozens, in an effort to find a method that works.

Now, I'm in what is turning out to be my second, but not last, final edit of my young adult novel. In looking for more reassurance on plotting (I have a fear of plotting that transcends all rationality), I have found Beverly Brandt's 12 steps to Plotting; which I highly recommend. http://www.beverlybrandt.com/spreadsheet.htm and which I will go over, as how it pertains to me, in a future post.

Beverly Brandt got me thinking about this whole spread sheet thing as a way to organize my novel. I now have a six column chart, in MS Word, that is my salvation to organization. I do realize that a spreadsheet might actually make more sense, but my comfort zone is in word processing. I would not even begin to try to count how many files and charts I have started and found too cumbersome to track my work. But, this one does what I need, at this time.

Column one is for Scene: I put the chapter number/the scene number (that would be 2/13 - as in chapter 2/scene 13, then the chapter title and the page the scene starts on. Because. I am focusing on scene, in this edit, to ensure that every scene has a purpose, knowing what page a scene starts on is a real time saver.

Column two is for the date and day this scene takes place. A word here about scene: It takes place in one location, in one time. So, when the day ends, you move on to another scene. When they change locations, you move on to another scene. It's just life-little chunks of life on paper. And, in creating this chart, I have found dates out of order and even foggy winter breathing in July.

Column three is for Plot Category: is it part of your main plot or a sub-plot and which one?

Column four is for Scene Description. At 60,000 words plus, I need reminders.

Column five is for Purpose of the scene. It MUST have a purpose. Today, I cut out a scene I really wanted but, in examining it, it served no purpose.

Column six is for things I have to follow-up on: foreshadowing, explaining, don't forget to wrap all those lose ends up. As I am nearing the end of the book, I am going back and striking out those things that are wrapped up.

AND, I have also added a row every time I have hit one of Beverly's twelve Plot Points. I was proud to be right on until Plot Point 9, when I had to add to a scene to hit that point. It has made the book much better, and now I'm back on track. YIPEEE!

This chart has been a great help to my not-so final edit. It takes a lot of the fear of failure out of the equation when you are able to see that it is all coming together

If a seer told me I would never succeed---

Nathan Bransford -Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent - asked a question on his blog recently. To paraphrase: He wanted to know, if a seer told you that you would never be published, would you still write?

I always begin to respond to Nathan's blogs, but then notice there are 271 responses and there isn't much point. No matter what I respond, it must have already been said. After reading through a number of responses, however, I think perhaps I do have my answer.

If a seer had told me that my Young Adult Fantasy novel would never, ever, ever be published, would I actually spend twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for two and a half years writing it?

"Heck NO! I gotta earn a living man. "

This is my third book. Well, two novels and a picture book. I have never put the picture book out there. The Mystery was written as I was going stir crazy after flipping a house. Flipping a house can make you stir crazy in and of itself, but waiting for a flipped house to sell is insane. So, after reading a bazzilion Mysteries, I did the logical thing and began research and I wrote a Mystery. And, I loved doing it.

You see, my name is Sheryl Adair VanVleck, and I am a resesarch addict. I really am. Now, with the internet, it's even better. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I type in those Google search terms.

I'm an artist, so I wrote about an artist, but she is weak and I want a strong protagonist; who is funny and likeable, so even though a published author critiqued it highly and gave me the name of her editor, it's not right, and it also needs work on it's plot.

Maybe, what I should have answered to Nathan, was that an artist is never finished, no matter what anyone else thinks. There is always another painting to be created. A sculpture to be sculpted and a novel to be written.

If my current Young Adult Fantasy Novel is never accepted, and I am currently editing line by line to try to ensure that it will be. I will be happy to know that I have completed it. I have learned a lot in the commission of this work. And, yes, Great Seer, I guess I will keep writing.

I can always work in the evening.

New to Blogger

Thank you for stopping by. I just opened this blog late last night and I'm still figuring my way around Blogger.

I'm a writer, finishing up my Young Adult novel, and I'm an artist. This blog will be dedicated to that side of my life.

You might want to check out my older Blog at http://savanvleck.wordpress.com/. Wordpress is more about the personal side of my life. I get obsessed with my fight against child abuse there, as I am raising three boys who were abused in their home, and I tell all about growing up in a ziplock. I post nearly daily on this blog and hope to do so here too.

I dream big. Shouldn't we all?

Thanks for your patience.