Six Things You Should Consider Before You Colaborate

There are six basic questions to ask yourself before you make, accept, or turn down an offer on a collaboration piece. Whether it's a novel or short story, a play script or a video-game plot, you need to carefully weigh your choices.

1. How well do you know the person with whom you are planning to work?
Do you trust them to follow through with their decisions? Will they stand with you through the whole thing, or will they grow tired of working when the ideas begin to disappear? Will they give you due credit?  And vice versa: Are you willing to work beside them and can you promise them that you will stay until the work is finished? Or do you have a habit of growing weary of one idea and move on to a new story before you've completed the first? Will you stand by them even when it gets difficult?
If you can't answer those in a positive way, then you probably shouldn't begin such an endeavor.

2. What is your personality type? What is the type of your partner? 
Even if you don't know your exact "type", you can still make a good guess at how you and your partner/team would work together based on your natural similarities and differences. If you and your team mate are both highly opinionated and both need to have your ways, then chances are, collaboration isn't going to do either of you any good. If you are both very quiet and reserved...more of listeners than talkers, then nothing is going to ever even be written down. A balance is crucial.

3. How well do you know the topic/genre?
You can only write as much as you know...or as much as you can imagine. If you are clueless in the field, then don't even bother unless you are willing to spend the hours doing research.

4. Time is Money. Do you have the time it takes to produce a good work? 
Keep in mind that you can't just pick up your laptop at any given time when you have a minute or two. You have to be able to get together and sit down with the team and actually discuss the story. A text message isn't going to cut it.

5. Are you willing to give up your ideas?/How well do you compromise?
This one speaks for itself. If you're not okay with putting your own ideas aside and if you're not prepared to lose some here and there, then you may want to rethink the whole thing.

6. Is your partner a close friend of yours?
Sometimes the most difficult thing about collaboration is trying to keep a line between the business side and the friendship side. If the business consumes your conversation and time, your friendship is going to suffer. Remember to take breaks in between sessions. Actually spend time outside of the project, and be sure to keep up with your social life. Often, it tends to slip off if it isn't continually checked on.

That's all I've got for now!
Will see you all in a bit!

When the Going Gets Tough...

Wow! It's been quite a while since I've posted!! Sorry about that, guys. I have several posts that I have written and simply have not gotten around to posting, so I will post them over the next few weeks!!

NaNoWriMo has been a fun experience, and I am very proud to say that I have won this year!! I was working on a re-write of my novel Catching the Sun and I have written a solid 52K in it this month.

You know those really rough weeks or months were absolutely NOTHING in you wants to write so much as a word? Those days where everything in you screams "DO NOT EVEN OPEN THE DOCUMENT!"? Yeah. We all do.

I've compiled a list of things I have done to avoid writing. I'm going to post them here.
1. Clean. And I mean clean like how Momma tells me to.
2. Binge-watch Lost, OUAT, Flashpoint, The Librarians, Doctor Who, and anything else I can possibly get away with.
3. Shower. Really loooooooooooooooong 3-4 hour showers/baths.
4. Read. Read. Read.
5. Plan 8 hours straight for an hour-long Bookclub meeting.
6. Homework!
7. Write a mini-series.
8. SLEEP.
9. Actually go to social functions.
10. ACTUALLY SPEAK to my family....
11. Spend HOURS studying for ACT
12. Spend HOURS in B&N
13. Spend HOURS at the library
14. You get the idea.

So, in all that....what the heck do you do to get motivated!?

First of all, you're probably asking the WRONG person.
I write. I don't write. I draw. I don't draw. I paint. I don't paint.
It goes in a circle for me.
And sometimes whatever I FEEL like I NEED to do simply doesn't come.
All I have to do is simply stay confident in the fact that one day...maybe a looooooong time from now...the urge and motivation to write that awesome novel will return. The ideas will suddenly spring forth like they did in 8th grade. It will come back.
So rather than binge-watching to avoid it, binge-watch while waiting for it.
I know! It's great.
And probably not something you hear very often.


Keep those candles lit! :D

Character Backstory

How important is background information?
I'd say it largely depends on the story.
I am currently in the process of watching the TV series, Lost. I will say this: The characters are round and dynamic.
Is this important to the story? Absolutely.
Why? Because it clues us in to two major things: 1) why each acts and thinks the way they do. 2) it may be a reason/clue as to why they are there to begin with.

Backstory is vital to character development.
Possibly the most developed character I personally have ever written is Gatorverne McLeod. She is one of my supporting characters in Catching the Sun. She continues to surprise my readers as I continue her story.
I think of Flashpoint when I think of very round and dynamic characters. I think of Ed and Sam and Jules when I think of a past that brought them to where they are. I think of Greg when I think of a character who has overcome so much and has been through so much. When pressure is high I think mostly of Spike, who never lost his cool until it was all over.
And there is a reason for each and every characteristic and flaw in each and every one of those characters. And it all comes from their past.

We are who we are today because of something that happened yesterday. Either we did something right or wrong or did nothing, and it could have been so much different, but it isn't. We don't notice things like that; neither should our characters. But we should most definitely consider, as the writers, what could have been.

I am most attracted to characters who have problems in their past. The trials they face and overcome mean so much to me; it shows just how much I, as a reader, can overcome if I put my own mind to it. It also shows that some people don't "get over" it.  I think of Ed Lane and Sam Braddock (from Flashpoint) in particular, who clearly still deal with what they caused to happen. They struggle internally, and it shows through in the form of actions.

Our words and actions always, always result in reactions. Shouldn't it be the same with our characters? Everything they say should result in something being said or done by another character. Everything they do and say should reflect something else.

Nothing without purpose. Why did that character die? Why didn't that one? Why did she torture them? Why did he ignore her. Why did he fall in love with her? Why didn't she fall for him?

Everything happens for a reason, and you need to know that reason. This is why history is important.

Keep it up!

Character Mannerisms

John walked up to the porch were she was sitting. He stood on his toes and touched the tin roof with his fingertips. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked, "Hey Kasy, do you want to go to Razor Burgers and eat lunch with me?"

John walked up to the front porch, turning his hat over and over in his hand. "Hey, Kasy, do you want to go eat lunch with me? I've heard the burger joint downtown is good."

John's boots dragged across the driveway as he moved toward the porch. He carelessly tossed his hat onto the swing and asked, "Hey Kasy, wanna go eat lunch with me at Razor Burgers?" 

Which ones show John to be more comfortable with Kasy and which one shows him as a bit more nervous or self-conscious? 

Which John would you be more at ease with? Which one would you be more likely to say 'yes' to?

Mannerisms are important to the story. In fact, a character's actions are what makes the story. Think about it; if you were to read a story where every character just walks to wherever he's going and just says what he wants to say and then does exactly what he aims to do and then goes home, how boring would that be?
I can tell you this: I ain't gonna be finishin' that one.
So, rather than just stating the facts: John walked up to Kasy and said, "Hey wanna get some lunch with me?", let's work with something more lively: John sprinted up to the porch, "Hey Kasy!" Swinging his arms, he gestured toward his pickup, "You want to go grab some lunch with me?"

This shows a bit more of who John is. He seems to be in a hurry. He's energetic, whether it's because of his hurry, or because of his personality. The energy is clear from the fact taht he sprinted instead of ran. But look at this: swinging his arms, he gestured toward the pickup. That should clue us in to the idea that he is fairly comfortable and loose. He's open, rather than nervous and tight.

Mannerisms make the character, not the other way around.
A character may be easy with one person and not so much with another.
Kasy's dad walked out on the porch, "Howdy, John."
John grinned, "Hey Mr. George," he said, reaching out to shake hands.
A moment later, Mrs. George also came out, "Hello, John."
John swallowed, then replied, "Good morning, Mrs. George," and he pushed his hands into his jeans pockets.

When Mr. George came out, John was relaxed, but when Mrs. George came, John grew tense, as we see from his physical actions.
So, different actions can give clues to the character's personality and emotion.
Emotions, action, personality. Often, but not always, the three are connected, and that is also a very important thing to be aware of.

A character may be emotionally devastated, but have a very outgoing personality. His actions are going to reflect both.
On the flip side, he may be emotionally excited, but generally a very quiet person; his actions will likely not be as visible; rather, it is what is going on in his mind that matters. It would also be a good idea to take into note the fact that his facial expressions will be more prominent and important here than his words.

I suppose that's a bit of a lot to chew on, so I'm going to leave you to it!
I'm glad I've finally finished this post; it's taken me about a month to complete. :)
If you have any opinions, I'd love to hear them! Comment below; I'd love to hear from you. 

Non-Fiction...And What It Takes to Write It

Sometimes characters do exactly what we don't want them to do.
Sometimes a post winds up teaching us something, rather than us teaching someone else something.
Sometimes we want a coffee in the morning and wind up with a tea or hot-chocolate instead.

In other words, sometimes life just doesn't go our way.

I tend to pride myself on my fictional works.
I tend to brush off non-fiction.
But, as I have recently discovered, I am better at non-fiction.

In light of that, I'd like to give a shout-out to all those who are writing non-fiction. Fiction is often fun, and can even be important, but

the world wouldn't exist without the non-fiction as well.

So, this post is for those of you who like non-fiction, whether it's biographies, documentaries, journalism-related material, etc.

When writing non-fiction, I think one of the most important things to remember is you don't have to get it 100% perfect in the first draft. As a matter of fact, if you feel like you need to, even make up a few details along the way. That's what second drafts are for. 

I love detail. In my opinion, it's difficult to have too much detail. (Which probably is why I adore literary works such as The Hobbit and Pride and Prejudice and Little Women.)
When I don't know all the details, I use "filler" text. (And when I do this, I generally highlight it as I go so when I am ready for the revision steps, I can easily spot what is made up.)
When I'm done with the first draft, I like to simply read through it once.
Then I create a new document and copy everything from the original onto the new. I go over the new one and take out all the highlighted fictitious parts. I read through it again without them.
Now I have a "editing document" and an "original". This helps to see what kind of extra or previously missed information I need to "smooth it out".

  Then, depending on how long of a work it is, I put it down for a while. If it's 3-10 pages, I generally just leave it for a day or so. If it's 10-30 pages (which a lot of my works turn out to be) I leave it for one to two weeks. Anything over 30 pages, I tend to just lay it down and whenever I get the itch for it, I pick it back up.
While revision is difficult for some, it comes somewhat easily to me. I am particularly fond of job, so to say, but I don't hate it, either.

I like to do my "largest chunk of research" during my break. This is where I look for those little details I need for filler text--little things to make certain actions more "real" to the reader. I don't just use Google. I love to read just as much--if not even more--than I love to write. So, that said, I love spending hours upon hours at the library. There's something special about working while you're in a library.
So, once all research is done, I usually move on with the second draft. This is where I do all the fill-ins.
Third draft is for general grammatical mistakes (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).
And the last is the final copy.
That's a typical non-fiction work for me.
But I'm curious to know how the rest of you handle it, so comment and let me know!

Writer's Block vs Writer's Apathy

Sometimes you have a few "good" writing days in a row. You know, those that make you think, "Why don't I do this more often?"
And then you've got those ultra-sucky days that make you bang your head on the keyboard and think, "WHY DO I TORTURE MYSELF LIKE THIS WHO'S FREAKING IDEA WAS THIS ANYWAY!?"

Yep, You've guessed it. I've had one of those "WHY DO I TORTURE..." kinda weeks.
I have pulled out the laptop every day this week in a desperate attempt to write SOMETHING and not a single time have I been able to even write the first word.

What do I blame?
My unwillingness to try harder.

Some people blame Writer's Block when they should be blaming "Writer's Apathy". There is a major difference.
If you try hard enough, and I mean the kind of try where you unhook the internet and sit at the kitchen table with a coffee and your laptop and truly focus for a while, SOMETHING will come of it.

When I say SOMETHING, I don't nescessarily mean SOMETHING witty or cute or perfect. In fact, often times, when you're struggling with block or laziness, all you need to do is clean out the garbage. You can dispose of the unwanted, useless scenes later. For now, bring them into the story, if that's what they want.
Don't wait for the perfect scene to come along. Perfection comes with editing. There is not a single writer out there who always has perfect first drafts.
Which brings me to another point: FIRST DRAFTS ARE MEANT TO BE MESSY.
We often forget this as we work. As humans, we want perfection. It's how we were created. The world was perfect before we messed it it.
We cant even fix it. Someone else has to fix it for us. (And yes, I'm comparing salvation to the work of an editor.)
So. IT AIN'T GONNA BE PERFECT. Go ahead and get over it. :)
Go write! Seriously.

The Meaning of Penning

Writing is hard.
There are few jobs in the world that I'd say are as hard as writing. (Among those would be involving the Military--including being a military spouse--my respect goes to you-- or an officer of any sort (Police, detective, FBI agent, etc), being President, and being a porta-potty cleaner (YUCK!).

But writing is rewarding. There is little else as rewarding as writing.

As a writer, you must take on the professions of every single character you ever create. Every person...every story you choose to pen, you have to become them. You have to look into them to see them. You have to understand them. You have to understand people they are, the decisions they make, the reason behind their decision, their personalities. You have to step into their world, experience their heartache, make their mistakes, make their choices. You must choose with them to forgive or remain bitter. You must choose with them to heal or hurt.

And you can never give up on them. They may seem to give up on you at times, but you can never give up on them. Ever.

This is your job as a writer.
Sometimes it doesn't "work." It doesn't "feel right." Well guess what? They want you to quit, but how can you? How can you watch them--from their mother's perspective, from their son's view--can you really see them and honestly say, "I quit"? Can you do that? Because I cannot.

When a story surfaces--when I make the commitment to write it down--from the first word on the page, I am promising that I will see them through.

What about you? Will you see them through to the very end,

to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part? (Yes, I just used marriage vows. Yes, that may be overdoing it a bit...)

So,

Before you commit to this "writing thing"

understand that once your next word touches that paper

(or computer screen)

THERE IS NO BACKING OUT.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Are You Ready?