Leisha here, and as you can see from the title, I'm talking about goals.
Now, don't start groaning.
Goals can be fun.
They make you happy.
Really.
And I'm not talking about the kind of goals you make on New Year's Eve. You know, the I'm going to lose weight, or the I'm going to write a novel goals. I'm talking about smaller ones. Let me give you an example:
I (shamefully) admit to being addicted to DragonVale. It's a simple little game app for the iPad, in which you raise dragons, grow food for them, and build them lovely little zoo-like habitats. Yes, I know, it's kind of pathetic that a grown woman spends some of her time trying to cultivate dragons.
But it's fun.
Why? Because at the beginning of the game they have all these goals for you. Things like: raise a lava dragon, build ten farms, raise a rainbow dragon, win a gold medal in a dragon contest... Just little stuff like that.
It might seem corny, but it's not. Here's why. The game creators didn't set a goal that said: Win the game. They set a whole bunch of little goals that are really achievable. They gifted the players with milestones.
And here's the thing, I went through the game checking off those goals like they were the yellow brick road to Oz. It gave me pleasure to strive for them and meet them. It kept me coming back each day for more.
And, when I reached all the goals, I kind of felt sad. I floundered. I lost all interest in the game. UNTIL the game makers, in their great wisdom, came out with new things for players to strive for. New dragons. New goals. Suddenly I was interested again.
Goals are powerful IF we use them right. They're like presents that tantalize us with shiny promises. They urge us forward. They offer a sense of completion. And I'm telling you, that in the novel writing business, where writing THE END doesn't come around that often, completion is a big deal.
I have this goal to finish my present novel. I've had it awhile. Sound familiar to anyone out there? Yeah, thought so. Anywho, this kind of goal is big. It's huge. It's amazing.
It's hard.
Hard sucks.
BUT, setting a variety of smaller goals isn't hard. It doesn't suck. And I'm not talking about just breaking your novel into scenes. I'm talking about turning the writing into an adventure. How so? Well, setting a goal to write a scene today sounds boring and sluggish and boring. Setting a goal to discover my main character's greatest fear is fun. Why? Because it's doable. It's different. It's tantalizing.
And guess what? I'll do that in a scene that magically gets me closer to THE END. Tricky huh?
Tomorrow I might set a goal to find out what might be worse than my MC's greatest fear. The next day, what it feels like to kiss an elf prince, or how flying feels, or what rotten fire peppers taste like. Anything that sparks that creative demon inside my soul into wakefulness.
Demons hate being bored. And so do I.
What goals are you going to set to wake your demons today?
Leisha Maw
Showing posts with label Leisha Maw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leisha Maw. Show all posts
Friday, April 27, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
An Exercise On First Impressions
First Impressions are powerful things. I know, because I've blown my fair share of them. For instance, I will never be able to go back and redo my first day of high school with that extra tight permanent (shudder), or even re-meet my hubby for the first time. Firsts only come once.
That's why we're lucky as writers, because we get to practice and revise our firsts--well the pages at least. We can envision and re-envision them until they feel perfect. Then we can do it again. And again. And yet again. Lucky us.
But should we? Is it really that important?
I used to think that all the emphasis on first pages was bunk. How could an agent or editor really get a feel for the whole book in just 150 words? How could a reader? Doesn't the rest of the book need to be just a good? Yes, but after I had the opportunity to help judge several first page contests I changed my mind about beginnings.
First pages tell volumes.
They set tone, showcase ability, and promise story. They evoke emotion. At least they should. And they should reach out, grab you by the imagination, and refuse to let go.
They should captivate on some level.
Easy peasy, right?
Ha!
It's like trying to nail jello to a tree--only more painful.
But it's worth it.
If you don't believe me, try it for yourself. Right now at Throwing Up Words they are having a first page contest, and you get to be a judge. There are a lot of first pages and a lot of revelations on how important first pages are. There are even pages that just might be written by some of the crew here at Scribblers Cove. I won't tell you who because all the entries were submitted under pen names, but you are free to guess. You can vote on your favorite six until Thursday, January 26, 2012. Vote by clicking on the Project Writeway Results link at the top right of the blog.
And have fun!
Leisha Maw
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Burnout and Cooking, Oh and Smoke, too. Lots of it.
posted by Leisha
Tuesday turned out to be a pretty smokin' day--literally. As in the whole house filled with it, and we all still smell like a toxic campfire. Think of it as our new perfume. We're calling it Burnt Burrito. So sexy. Meowwwww! Want some?
So, how did we all end up burritofied? Let's just say Kid C decided he could cook. By himself. Without permission. Yes, be afraid. I'm still having nightmares. Shudder.
The first clue that something was amiss reached me as I worked in my office. A tendril of charring snaked into the room and coiled up my nose. The mom alarm in me spazamed, and I ran from the room to find the billowing burrito. Did you know that if you fricassee one of those they become weightless? Really. And they turn blacker than the heart of a demon. I know, I checked. Don't ask how, that is so another post.
I wanted to share a picture with you, but someone threw the burrito carcass in the trash, probably because of the smell, and I am not dumpster diving for a photo. Just know it looked something like this:
And did I mention the smell, because DANG!
I know you all are sitting there in your comfy chairs plugging your noses and wondering what this has to do with anything. When I stared down at the smoking remains of Kid C's impromptu lunch I saw myself. (Not literally. I'm way better looking than charcoaled burrito.) But figuratively, I saw myself all burned out, used up, and smelly from spending too much time writing and rewriting and then doing it all over again. And again. And again...and again. Does this sound familiar to any of you?
Now, writing really is like a burrito. It can be spicy and filling and so so good. But if you leave it on the burner for too long it dies, taking all the yumminess with it. Writing is like that. You need to find balance and time away from the fire. You need to take time to eat the darn thing and then eat something else. Something other than burrito. You need variety.
Yes, I'm saying you need time away from writing, or whatever it is you do. Not a lot. Not months or even days. But you need to shut the computer and live in the real world for part of every day or you will burnout or burn up. Either way it will be bad. And smelly.
And by taking the time to live, your burrito tastes even better when you get back to it.
Think of this as a warning for writers. Don't char your burrito.
Leisha Maw
Tuesday turned out to be a pretty smokin' day--literally. As in the whole house filled with it, and we all still smell like a toxic campfire. Think of it as our new perfume. We're calling it Burnt Burrito. So sexy. Meowwwww! Want some?
So, how did we all end up burritofied? Let's just say Kid C decided he could cook. By himself. Without permission. Yes, be afraid. I'm still having nightmares. Shudder.
The first clue that something was amiss reached me as I worked in my office. A tendril of charring snaked into the room and coiled up my nose. The mom alarm in me spazamed, and I ran from the room to find the billowing burrito. Did you know that if you fricassee one of those they become weightless? Really. And they turn blacker than the heart of a demon. I know, I checked. Don't ask how, that is so another post.
I wanted to share a picture with you, but someone threw the burrito carcass in the trash, probably because of the smell, and I am not dumpster diving for a photo. Just know it looked something like this:
And did I mention the smell, because DANG!
I know you all are sitting there in your comfy chairs plugging your noses and wondering what this has to do with anything. When I stared down at the smoking remains of Kid C's impromptu lunch I saw myself. (Not literally. I'm way better looking than charcoaled burrito.) But figuratively, I saw myself all burned out, used up, and smelly from spending too much time writing and rewriting and then doing it all over again. And again. And again...and again. Does this sound familiar to any of you?
Now, writing really is like a burrito. It can be spicy and filling and so so good. But if you leave it on the burner for too long it dies, taking all the yumminess with it. Writing is like that. You need to find balance and time away from the fire. You need to take time to eat the darn thing and then eat something else. Something other than burrito. You need variety.
Yes, I'm saying you need time away from writing, or whatever it is you do. Not a lot. Not months or even days. But you need to shut the computer and live in the real world for part of every day or you will burnout or burn up. Either way it will be bad. And smelly.
And by taking the time to live, your burrito tastes even better when you get back to it.
Think of this as a warning for writers. Don't char your burrito.
Leisha Maw
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Seeing Your Characters
By Leisha Maw
I thought I knew my characters. I mean, I created them didn't I? I gave them a name, a purpose, a life. I gave them dialog and made them cry. I even gave them those good moments so they could feel warm fuzzies along with the reader.
But did I see them? Yes, although I admit they were a little fuzzy--until, under Jonene's excellent tutelage, I started drawing them. I know this is a writing blog, not an art blog, but stay with me here. Drawing my characters really made an impact on my writing. It crystallized how I saw my characters, and it made them so much more real to me. I mean, Vic, my main squeeze in one of my WIPs, went from this:
To this:
And he's still not done. I have to dress him and finish his hair and shade his neck and do all the little detail stuff like give him a bit of scruff, but the point is, when I think of him while I write, I know his features. It's the difference between being told coral is rough and stroking it with your fingertips. It's knowing. It's experiencing it. Vic is somehow embedded in my being now, and I never have to grope for a picture in the dark recesses of my mind. He's alive in there, and he's even cuter than I thought.
So, do you see your characters? What do you do to envision them?
Leisha Maw
I thought I knew my characters. I mean, I created them didn't I? I gave them a name, a purpose, a life. I gave them dialog and made them cry. I even gave them those good moments so they could feel warm fuzzies along with the reader.
But did I see them? Yes, although I admit they were a little fuzzy--until, under Jonene's excellent tutelage, I started drawing them. I know this is a writing blog, not an art blog, but stay with me here. Drawing my characters really made an impact on my writing. It crystallized how I saw my characters, and it made them so much more real to me. I mean, Vic, my main squeeze in one of my WIPs, went from this:
To this:
And he's still not done. I have to dress him and finish his hair and shade his neck and do all the little detail stuff like give him a bit of scruff, but the point is, when I think of him while I write, I know his features. It's the difference between being told coral is rough and stroking it with your fingertips. It's knowing. It's experiencing it. Vic is somehow embedded in my being now, and I never have to grope for a picture in the dark recesses of my mind. He's alive in there, and he's even cuter than I thought.
So, do you see your characters? What do you do to envision them?
Leisha Maw
Thursday, January 27, 2011
To-do Lists, Writer's Block, and Letting Characters Lead
by Leisha Maw
Today's to-do list:
1. Wake up: check.
2. Actually get up: check--and yes, I do have to have a separate line for this. Getting up is hard.
3. Get kids up: check, check, check, and check.
4. Get kids up again because they fell back to sleep: check.
5. Repeat steps 3 and four several times: check.
6. Beg/bribe/force some of them to get dressed: check.
7. Remember it's Kid D's birthday: check.
8. Pat self on back for remembering, because yes, I've forgotten a kid's birthday before: check.
9. Start laundry: check.
10. Make beds: check.
11. Make birthday breakfast of blueberry pancakes from scratch: check. I even ground the wheat. Extra check.
12. Get kids to school: check, check, check, and almost check.
13. Write blog: checking as we speak.
14. Write 2000 words in WIP: ummmmmm
Do you ever have those moments when it seems you've run out of words? When the flow just stops? What do you do?
I used to try to force the story and make my characters do what came next in the outline. It never worked well. Ever. (Kind of like number three on my to-do list.) So now I take a step back and consult my writing checklist before I start yelling at my characters to behave.
1. Setting: is it developed? Check.
2. Plot: do I have one? Check.
3. Characters: what would they do? Oh flub.
There's my problem. I'm reacting to the scene, instead of letting them react and act for themselves. What's the difference? It's kind of like my morning checklist. If I had my way, I'd never need numbers four, five, and six. Umm, okay, and eight. Oh heck, I'd never need number two. And someone else would make me pancakes. In bed.
But there's a reason I have those numbers in my checklist. Because my children drive the list. They drive my morning story. It's the same with a book. The characters, if they are fleshed out enough, have strong personalities and develop a life of their own. They won't do certain things. You can make them try, but no one will believe it. They won't. The reader won't. Even the writer won't.
Most of the time when I get stumped in my writing I just need to take a step back and ask myself, what would this character do in this situation? Then I smack myself in the forehead and let the character tell his own story while I write it all down.
What do you do when you hit a writing wall?
Leisha Maw
Today's to-do list:
1. Wake up: check.
2. Actually get up: check--and yes, I do have to have a separate line for this. Getting up is hard.
3. Get kids up: check, check, check, and check.
4. Get kids up again because they fell back to sleep: check.
5. Repeat steps 3 and four several times: check.
6. Beg/bribe/force some of them to get dressed: check.
7. Remember it's Kid D's birthday: check.
8. Pat self on back for remembering, because yes, I've forgotten a kid's birthday before: check.
9. Start laundry: check.
10. Make beds: check.
11. Make birthday breakfast of blueberry pancakes from scratch: check. I even ground the wheat. Extra check.
12. Get kids to school: check, check, check, and almost check.
13. Write blog: checking as we speak.
14. Write 2000 words in WIP: ummmmmm
Do you ever have those moments when it seems you've run out of words? When the flow just stops? What do you do?
I used to try to force the story and make my characters do what came next in the outline. It never worked well. Ever. (Kind of like number three on my to-do list.) So now I take a step back and consult my writing checklist before I start yelling at my characters to behave.
1. Setting: is it developed? Check.
2. Plot: do I have one? Check.
3. Characters: what would they do? Oh flub.
There's my problem. I'm reacting to the scene, instead of letting them react and act for themselves. What's the difference? It's kind of like my morning checklist. If I had my way, I'd never need numbers four, five, and six. Umm, okay, and eight. Oh heck, I'd never need number two. And someone else would make me pancakes. In bed.
But there's a reason I have those numbers in my checklist. Because my children drive the list. They drive my morning story. It's the same with a book. The characters, if they are fleshed out enough, have strong personalities and develop a life of their own. They won't do certain things. You can make them try, but no one will believe it. They won't. The reader won't. Even the writer won't.
Most of the time when I get stumped in my writing I just need to take a step back and ask myself, what would this character do in this situation? Then I smack myself in the forehead and let the character tell his own story while I write it all down.
What do you do when you hit a writing wall?
Leisha Maw
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Facing Down The Morning
By Leisha Maw
Do you ever have one of those mornings? You know the kind that make you wish Mondays came every day because they are so much easier to deal with that the morning you just had. Well, today was my Kid C's morning.
What made it so bad? Well, to start off with he had to get up. Harsh I know. It was like this:
Me: Good morning!
Kid C groaning and hiding in his covers.
Me coaxing him out: Where's my Bug Man?
Kid C growling at me like a rabid dog.
Me dressing Kid C like an overly large rabid dog/doll and helping/dragging him upstairs.
Kid C flopping on the ground like a dead man getting over rabies.
Me rolling my eyes and setting his breakfast on the table: Dead people get hungry. Are you sure you don't want to eat?
Kid C growling at me. Again.
Yup, it's been one of those. What's he doing right now? He's still playing dead.
What does this have to do with writing? Well for starters, I've been feeling a little bit like Kid C when it comes to writing lately. I growl and mutter at the computer and want to play dead. Why? Because I know I have to make some changes to the end of my WIP, and I don't want to face that. Again.
Funny thing is Kid C just got up and went to school. As he walked out the door with a biscuit in his mouth he smiled. Sigh. I guess the only way to beat this thing is to fortify myself with food and get to work.
What stalls you out your writing projects and how do you beat it? Do you shove a biscuit in your mouth and face it head on, or do you hide under the covers and growl? Or both like me?
Now, where is that last biscuit?
Leisha Maw
Do you ever have one of those mornings? You know the kind that make you wish Mondays came every day because they are so much easier to deal with that the morning you just had. Well, today was my Kid C's morning.
What made it so bad? Well, to start off with he had to get up. Harsh I know. It was like this:
Me: Good morning!
Kid C groaning and hiding in his covers.
Me coaxing him out: Where's my Bug Man?
Kid C growling at me like a rabid dog.
Me dressing Kid C like an overly large rabid dog/doll and helping/dragging him upstairs.
Kid C flopping on the ground like a dead man getting over rabies.
Me rolling my eyes and setting his breakfast on the table: Dead people get hungry. Are you sure you don't want to eat?
Kid C growling at me. Again.
Yup, it's been one of those. What's he doing right now? He's still playing dead.
What does this have to do with writing? Well for starters, I've been feeling a little bit like Kid C when it comes to writing lately. I growl and mutter at the computer and want to play dead. Why? Because I know I have to make some changes to the end of my WIP, and I don't want to face that. Again.
Funny thing is Kid C just got up and went to school. As he walked out the door with a biscuit in his mouth he smiled. Sigh. I guess the only way to beat this thing is to fortify myself with food and get to work.
What stalls you out your writing projects and how do you beat it? Do you shove a biscuit in your mouth and face it head on, or do you hide under the covers and growl? Or both like me?
Now, where is that last biscuit?
Leisha Maw
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