The First Five Pages

After reading Sol Stein's How to Grow a Novel & Stein on Writing, I convinced myself I was  terrible, horrible, no good, very bad writer because I'm not a plotter. I tried to change my ways, but it wasn't me. The writer in me lost confidence, so it was with hesitation that I determined to "sharpen the saw" and read 10 craft books.

The lovely Kathryn Purdie recommended The First Five Pages: AWriter's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman. 2 words that sold me-short and enjoyable. A non-fiction book that was enjoyable? I had to see for myself. I checked it out from the library and then had to buy my own copy.

Amazon Book Description:

IF YOU'RE TIRED OF REJECTION, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. Whether you are a novice writer or a veteran who has already had your work published, rejection is often a frustrating reality. Literary agents and editors receive and reject hundreds of manuscripts each month. While it's the job of these publishing professionals to be discriminating, it's the job of the writer to produce a manuscript that immediately stands out among the vast competition. And those outstanding qualities, says New York literary agent Noah Lukeman, have to be apparent from the first five pages.
The First Five Pages reveals the necessary elements of good writing, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, journalism, or poetry, and points out errors to be avoided, such as
* A weak opening hook
* Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
* Flat or forced metaphors or similes
* Melodramatic, commonplace or confusing dialogue
* Undeveloped characterizations and lifeless settings
* Uneven pacing and lack of progression
With exercises at the end of each chapter, this invaluable reference will allow novelists, journalists, poets and screenwriters alike to improve their technique as they learn to eliminate even the most subtle mistakes that are cause for rejection. The First Five Pages will help writers at every stage take their art to a higher -- and more successful -- level.

Lukeman's intentionally bad examples had me laughing so hard I cried.

One quick example-"The squad car went fast down the bumpy, rocky road, quickly swerving to avoid the large, fat bugs smashing squarely against the slimy windshield. The hot, humid, stifling day poured in in waves making the men wipe their sweaty, clammy brows with their diry,greasy rags . . ."

If you want to laugh and learn, this is a great book to do it with. At only 197 pages it's a quick read as well. As per my 2012 goals I've now read 1 craft book. 9 more to go. What books have helped you grow the most as a writer?

I Am a Writer. That's What I Am

Last week I watched the movie,That's What I Am. It has a great middle grade voice, and is a sweet, heart wrenching story about tolerance and first loves. I learned along with Andy Nicol to stand proud and tell the world who I am.
If you have Netflix like we do this is an Instant Play. Plus Ed Harris is so cute in his bow tie and glasses. Below is the dialogue of an early scene in the movie that spoke to my "poor grammar, atrocious speller" self.

Andy-"I'm not a very good writer"

Mr. Simon -"I beg to differ with you, Andrew. I find your writing fascinating. You're a keen observer with a colorful perspective. In fact, underneath the poor grammar and the atrocious spelling, I believe there lies the heart of a great writer. Do you enjoy writing?"

"Sort of, sometimes. Making up the story part at least."

"Well if you enjoy something and you're good at it then first you must define yourself as what you want to be. Repeat after me. "I am a writer, that's what I am."

(Andy weakly, like a question) "I'm a writer, that's what I am."

"Let's try that again. Stand up straight, shoulders back, deep breath: I am a writer, that's what I am."

"I am a writer, that's what I am!"

"Excellent Andrew. Now go, and write."

Writer friends, stand tall, shoulders back, take a deep breath, and tell the world, "I am a writer. That's what I am."


Now go, and write.

What Happens When You're Sleep Deprived

You pour milk into your full glass of orange juice (instead of your cereal bowl)

You forget how to change diapers in the middle of the night (and insist that your hubby do it for you)

You wear your red Crocs to Church (and no, they didn't match my outfit)

AND

You don't keep up with emails and miss when your crit. partner publicly announced she's agented with the brilliant Vickie Motter!

If you haven't already, go give Taryn Albright and Begging to Breathe some comment love.

2012 Goals

Besides the fact that I'm not a guy, don't have a comb over, and don't wear glasses (at least not in public) this guy could be me, right now, committing to my writing goals and sharing them with *gasp* the 8 people that follow my blog. I'm scared, but determined to . . .

1. Clean my NaNo, The Girl Who Could See, until it Shines and has a better title 

2. Begin Querying my NaNo (Yikes!)

3. Read 10 books on craft

4. Write the MG novel I'm bouncing around in my head

5. Attend at least 1 writing conference . . .figure out how to make it work with baby 

6. Join the Online Writer's Community
      A. Read other writers blog AND comment
      B. Blog once a week twice a month
      C. Start Tweeting figure out what it's all about

7. Participate (and win) NaNoWriMo 2012

A Glance Backwards

Jan 2010-I began my writing journey with best friend Kathryn Purdie.

February-December 2010- Katie and I didn't know what we were doing, so spent a lot of time writing a chapter, sending it to each other, then making HUGE rewrites. I didn't get very far in my story, The Golden Wood, a twist on Beauty and the Beast.

January of 2011 I found WIFRY online and Katie and I pulled strings to be there together.

February 2011-3 days after registering I found out I was pregnant with #4. With my morning sickness I had less than quality writing for the next 4 months

June 2012-Attended WIFYR with Kathryn. We took Louise Plummer's Class and found our awesome Crit. Group

July-Promised myself I would not go backwards-forced myself to write forward until I had my 1st complete draft of The Golden Wood .

August 25th-Finished my MS!! Did Happy Dance, Glowed for an entire week.

September and October 2011-Worked on revising MS. Got ready for baby. Slept as often as possible
              Baby boy born Oct. 27th! Healthy, Happy, and Yikes-At Home!

November 2011-did my first NaNoWriMo challenge. And I won! My MS-The Girl Who Could See

December 2011-1st revision of NaNo


Up Next: 2012 Goals

What I Learned from NaNoWriMo

1. Even though I had a brand new baby boy, sleep was at a minimum, AND I was a literal milk machine, everyday I was driven to write, specifically to get my word count up. I was addicted to updating my word count on NaNoWriMo's site and watching my chart soar. I had to stay about the line-even the thought of dipping below the average made me afraid that I wouldn't finish. So I pushed myself and kept my fingers clicking away even when I didn't know where my story was going (which was often since I started only with a basic concept and NO plan!)

2. Taking a day off (Sundays) really helped me see my story clearly, and gave me a break so I came back stronger each Monday.

3. My Crit Group were wonderful supporters-we became a much more positive, cohesive group during Nano. Instead of tearing down each other's writing we were each others cheerleaders-rejoicing in each day's success. We emailed our daily word count and our last line to each other--I blamed my boring last lines to new babyhood and wondered (secretly) if my crit partners were stopping on super cool lines.

4. My husband thought I was crazy for the entire month. "You're not getting enough sleep, the house is a disaster, I'm cooking all the meals, and you're writing AGAIN."

5. When I'm writing for word count I overwrite big time. On my first read through I cut out 7,000 words.

6. It took my almost 2 years to complete the 1st draft of my 1st novel. Writing a complete draft in a month (with new baby) I felt like a superhero.

7. I want to do NaNoWriMo every year--to be part of something so big, to be able to write crap and still feel successful-I loved it.

NaNoWriMo Winner