In praise of addiction (at least this one)

It’s the season when many folks make resolutions to give up addictions, whether they be to drugs--legal and illegal, wreckless spending habits, or any other self-destructive mental attitude. I’m not willing to give up my addiction, though. I don’t believe it’s a self-destructive habit, though it often keeps me awake at odd hours or takes precedence over optional meetings. I’m talking about my addiction to writing.

I used to think I was the only one who named her writing "addiction." But read what John Vorhous says in his Dec. 25th posting about.  Once again I'm not alone! Though some brag about their morally superior self-discipline, I know that I'm not that morally superior. (Apparently J.V.'s not that morally superior either.) The truth is, I can't control myself. Writing is my favorite habit. 

When I’m focused completely on the emotional point of a scene and how best to clarify that moment and a character’s intention. I'm solving a glorious, intricate puzzle. Everything else falls away. All the stress over past mistakes or future choices recedes into the background. Any anxiety over health challenges for myself or my family takes a vacation. And most welcome, the fear of finishing a satisfying story disappears. All I need to think about is the present moment of the scene.

I've been practicing meditation--or trying to. But I keep coming back to the awareness of my thoughts: that writing is a neat combination of meditation and game play. Relax, focus, go into alpha state and have fun at the same time. No wonder I'm addicted.

I made it across the quagmire.

I finished my young adult novel GREEN TARA: A Space Adventure! (I'm talking New Year's Eve and not the Thanksgiving completion schedule I'd hoped for, but hey, I squeaked under the 2007 wire well before midnight.)

New Year's Day I celebrated by polishing little mechanical details in the manuscript and grooming the spacing and page breaks.

This morning I asked a handful of readers to examine my baby with their expert editorial eyes.

I feel --

MERRY MERRY HAPPY HAPPY JOYFUL JOYFUL MERRY MERRY HAPPY HAPPY JOYFUL JOYFUL MERRY MERRY HAPPY HAPPY JOYFUL JOYFUL

Skipping through a Perfection Quagmire

I'm finally half-way into my novel Green Tara. In previous posts I've confessed how much more slowly this rewrite--I hope final draft-- is going than I had hoped. It always takes longer than I hope but, shucky darn, I thought my good planning had created useful shortcuts in the l-o-n-g rewriting process. And I know better than to get stuck in a perfection quagmire. Apparently that was wishful thinking on both counts. So, in an effort to coach myself here are --

SEASONAL TIPS for skipping through a perfectionist's quagmire:

• Read the first paragraph of A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens. Treat yourself to the second paragraph.
• Kick some snow. Treat yourself to hot cocoa.
• Watch a classic film like CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT and learn how a professional woman's public persona can be most effective when it's a well-crafted piece of fiction. (Hey. It worked for Barbara Stanwyck. She got a raise and the love of her life!)
• Make paper snowflakes with someone under 12. Treat everyone in the house to hot cocoa.
• Meditate on the difference between a baby and a world-class leader. Notice which one gets the star. Now go celebrate that work in progress and know when it comes of age it just may turn the world upside down.

Writing is . . .

Writing is like polishing a mirror.

~Anon

The Three C's

I don't remember where I heard or read this story guideline, so I can't give credit. But, it's easy and important to remember.

The three C's of story:
Character
Circumstances
Choice

TIP: Though fiction rarely sticks to the facts, it will always document emotional truth.

Newton Said

He got his original ideas by standing "on the shoulders of giants." Let's follow his lead.

Or even better: Snatch raw truths fresh from eternity.

Story Alchemy

I outline my stories, because I need to know where I'm going or I get lost and lose heart and quit. But I advise my students never to mistake the outline or story map with the journey.

A story is not a sum of all its parts or a simple string of scenes. A story has emotional pull. A story creates a sense of satisfaction and completeness. This comes from forcing a character to make a moral choice: to act or not to act. The key behind the choice is the main character's internal change. It's a character who changes deep down inside who moves us emotionally.

And therein lies the magic.