There are times when I can write my best during the day. When I put the radio on and just write while I'm sitting in the sunlight with my dogs. Then there are times when I can't put anything on paper during the day. Nothing comes to me until I'm ready to go to bed. Then the ideas start coming so fast that I can't stop them.
And I've come up with some tips to make my time writing the most productive and the most fun.
1. Have a writing playlist. I have several iTunes playlists that I listen to when I write. All of the songs inspire me in some way. Right now, I listen to the Tom Hiddleston "Song of the Day" playlist I pulled from twitter.
2. I keep pictures of people who remind me of my characters. Sometimes I write a character and I imagine who I would like to see play them in a movie. Sometimes that influences the way they look or it may add a new facet to the character. Most of the time, though. I know how my characters look beforehand and I go searching for a picture to fit.
3. Don't be afraid of not making sense. It's okay to write something that seems great the first time you go through it, but then comes off completely out there when you go back to reread it. Editing is all about fixing problems and making it flow. There's no rule that says everything has to make it into the final manuscript.
4. Keep snacks on hand. Or I'll make a cooked dish beforehand and have it ready to go so I don't have to get up and move around since that breaks my concentration.
5. Just have fun. I wouldn't be a writer if I didn't have stories in my head to tell.
Sometimes, it's just easier to do these things at night. And that's why late night writing is awesome.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Reviewing and rewriting
It's an interesting process going back and looking at something I've already written. Sometimes I can remember exactly what I was listening to or watching when I wrote a particular scene. Sometimes I have no clue where a certain thing came from. But I always know that there was a meaning behind what I wrote. There is always something behind the words, something that comes out and makes me feel something. After all, if I didn't feel something, I wouldn't have put it down on paper.
Now, after getting the bare bones of the story out, I'm back to it with the process of reviewing and revising what I had already written and adding in new things to flesh out the story. The reviewing process is something I've always had trouble with. I guess it's because I'm afraid that I'm going to get bored of my own story. Even though these characters have taken up refuge in my brain and been whispering in my ear for months on end, I'm afraid that I'll get tired of their faces and their voices. That I'll give up on the story long before it's ready to be seen by others. And no author wants to give up on beloved characters.
The good thing about the story I'm working on now is that there's so much undercurrent to it that can be played with. I don't have to just focus on my main character as a princess. I can focus on her as a daughter, on her relationship to her mother and her father. Or her place as a sister, on how she relates to her sisters through jealousy or love. Or I can focus on her place as a girl in love. I can delve into her heart and see what makes her tick when that special boy walks in. And we can't forget all the scheming and plotting that goes on in a royal court. There's never a dull moment in a castle.
That's something that I fear, too. That, in the process of telling this story about this girl and how her world changes, the story will get boring. What started out as interesting and compelling will become dry and emotionless. As an author, I write because I want someone to feel something when they read my story. I want to find readers who connect to my characters. The last thing I want is for them to get bored with the tale.
So when I revise and rewrite, I try to see the story with new eyes. What do I like to read? What kind of twists and turns do I enjoy in a story? Then I try to see how I can put them in there.
Now, after getting the bare bones of the story out, I'm back to it with the process of reviewing and revising what I had already written and adding in new things to flesh out the story. The reviewing process is something I've always had trouble with. I guess it's because I'm afraid that I'm going to get bored of my own story. Even though these characters have taken up refuge in my brain and been whispering in my ear for months on end, I'm afraid that I'll get tired of their faces and their voices. That I'll give up on the story long before it's ready to be seen by others. And no author wants to give up on beloved characters.
The good thing about the story I'm working on now is that there's so much undercurrent to it that can be played with. I don't have to just focus on my main character as a princess. I can focus on her as a daughter, on her relationship to her mother and her father. Or her place as a sister, on how she relates to her sisters through jealousy or love. Or I can focus on her place as a girl in love. I can delve into her heart and see what makes her tick when that special boy walks in. And we can't forget all the scheming and plotting that goes on in a royal court. There's never a dull moment in a castle.
That's something that I fear, too. That, in the process of telling this story about this girl and how her world changes, the story will get boring. What started out as interesting and compelling will become dry and emotionless. As an author, I write because I want someone to feel something when they read my story. I want to find readers who connect to my characters. The last thing I want is for them to get bored with the tale.
So when I revise and rewrite, I try to see the story with new eyes. What do I like to read? What kind of twists and turns do I enjoy in a story? Then I try to see how I can put them in there.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
First Post...
The blog is officially open! I hope to be on here A LOT and keeping things updated.
So welcome to my blog and have a look around!
You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/LeyHayley or on facebook at www.facebook.com/LeyHayley
So welcome to my blog and have a look around!
You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/LeyHayley or on facebook at www.facebook.com/LeyHayley
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