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Beautiful Books – Writing Goals

Tracey Dyck 31 Comments

I love goals. LOVE ’em. I make big goals and mini goals, crazy goals and easily achievable goals. I put things on to-do lists for the sheer satisfaction of crossing them off. Great pumpernickel, I even write down things I’ve already done so that I can cross them off.

And once I make a goal, I get so excited about it that I start telling everyone I know what I’m aiming to do. This is met with one of two reactions: a) they get excited along with me, or b) they back away slowly with the wide-eyed expression of someone avoiding a rabid skunk.*

*Technically, I suppose one would run away from a rabid skunk as fast as possible. I never said my metaphors were 100% accurate.

 

Last January, I posted about my writing goals for the year. I thought it would be interesting to look back and see which ones I reached, and then look forward and make new goals for 2017. (You can see the 2016 post HERE.)

I had this post all tidily drafted and ready to publish, and then lo and behold, the Beautiful People/Beautiful Books link-up returned with a set of questions that halfway meshed with what I already had. So I compromised by tweaking some of my material and tweaking some of Sky and Cait‘s material, in order to offer you this conglomeration that may or may not be comprehensible. Read at your own risk.

1. What were your writing achievements last year?

Allow me to examine each goal and whether or not I reached it. Analysis is such fun.

  • January: Finish editing book 1. Well, I mostly finished. I thought I was finished at the time, but since then I’ve decided to cut out a couple of characters, and just haven’t gone back and done it yet. It shouldn’t take too long once I get to it, though.
  • February: Begin querying agents for book 1. (Yipes!) Review the outline of book 2 and do some research. I researched a fair number of literary agents, but . . . did not begin querying. I did, however, review the outline and research.
  • March-May: Draft book 2. I certainly started!
  • June: Draft Rooglewood entry. July: Edit Rooglewood entry and send it off. (I’d like to be much more on the ball this year, so I’m going to try finishing it in two months. Two and a half, tops.) Seeing as the Rooglewood contest was postponed because of Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s pregnancy, this did not happen. Which I am okay with, because there was so much else to concentrate on instead.
  • August-December: Finish drafting book 2, and if I’ve actually managed to meet my monthly goals, I’d like to do a round or two of edits on it as well. Ahahaha . . . ha . . . ha. I am approximately 63% through the first draft. Not exactly finished, and definitely nowhere near a pass or two of edits!
  • I didn’t make a specific monthly goal for this, but a big thing last year was taking a step to grow my craft by starting a writing course, something I plan to finish in 2017.
 
Considering school and life and the unforeseen complexities of The Prophet’s Key, I think I did pretty well. I know if I hadn’t made these goals, I wouldn’t have accomplished nearly as much. So I consider 2016 to be a successful writing year!

2. What’s on your writerly “to-do list” for 2017?

Uh oh. Prepare to run from the rabid skunk.

January to mid-May: Finish the first draft of The Prophet’s Key. Given my estimated word counts, this will amount to 60k words or more over the course of four and a half months.
Mid-May to July: Begin expanding The Brightest Thread into a novel, and hopefully have the first draft at or very near completion by July 27th, because . . .
July 27th to 29th: Attend Realm Makers! It’s not going to be cheap, but I feel it’s worth the investment.
Somewhere within the summer: Maybe write, edit, and send off an entry in the next Rooglewood fairy tale retelling contest. This will depend on how the progress on my two main projects is coming along, and whether the chosen fairy tale sparks a great idea or not.
August to December: Continue working on The Brightest Thread. Complete the first draft and do a round or two of edits so that it’s poised to move forward (aka maybe get published) in 2018.
Throughout the year: Finish The Creative Way writing course. Possibly begin querying agents for TBT, depending on progress.
It’s a lot of writing, I know, especially for a fulltime student. But if you don’t aim high, how are you going to get anywhere? Even if I don’t meet all these goals, the main thing is still to make the most of the time and resources I do have.

3. Tell us about your top-priority writing projects for this year!

Pretty sure the above list gives a clear indication. There’s The Prophet’s Key, book 2 of my long-time WIP high fantasy YA series. And after finishing that first draft, there’s expanding The Brightest Thread, a Sleeping Beauty novella I wrote in 2015. I am a pretty single-minded writer, so two main projects is plenty for me! But who knows, there might be that new fairy tell retelling thrown in there too. If that happens, I hope to plot so extensively beforehand that I can draft it within a month, tops. #optimisticallyhighacheiver

4. How do you hope to improve as a writer? Where do you see yourself at the end of 2017?

I hope to keep growing in all areas of my writing life–perseverance, creativity, skill, and also the whole career side of it. I see myself with a couple more stories under my belt by the end of the year. I see myself more knowledgeable, more confident, and with a clearer sense of where this path will lead. Most importantly, I see myself involving God in my writing process more and more.

5. Describe your general editing process.

Let the story stew on its own for an indefinite period of time.
Reread the story and make notes on whatever problems I spot (and simultaneously bemoan the horridness of it all, and occasionally smile when I come across a bit I still love).
Begin editing. This will include: cutting out fluff and unnecessary scenes, adding new scenes if needed, adding in foreshadowing, smoothing out the pacing, bringing the right details to life, working on consistency, tightening dialogue, keeping an eye out for pet words, paying attention to the arc of the story and of individual characters, drawing out the themes I didn’t realize were there, etc. But not all at once! I try to work on the big stuff first, and then work my way down to the little things, but I usually end up polishing the little things as I work on the big things, which is not the most efficient method.
In between editing passes, I may let it stew a bit more. I may have to take some time out to research, re-examine my outline, or brainstorm my way out of a particularly knotted problem.
In the final stages, I’m just brushing up the wording and catching stray plot holes.

6. On a scale of 1-10, how do you think this draft turned out?

If we’re talking about The Prophet’s Key, then it hasn’t finished “turning out” just yet. But so far . . . eh. The bones of the story have a lot of potential. I think the story is a little lost in the clutter of people and places, but I sense a good tale underneath that just needs to be hammered into shape.

7. What aspect of your draft needs the most work?

Oh, it’s a hodgepodge. So the biggest thing is streamlining everything, which will include patching up the places where my research had holes in it, and trimming down events that took too much page-time to happen. My main characters, Josiah and Aileen, will also need to become more assertive. With everything happening in this book, I’m worried they’ve become too passive while all the adult characters run around making things happen.

8. What do you like the most about your draft?

I like how unusual it is. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that combined the exotic flavors of a globetrotting, riddle-solving quest with a high fantasy world boasting dragons and portals and impending doom. (Mind you, this conceptual stuff is also what is most scary about this book. I have to keep telling myself that I’ll find a way to make it all work, and that way will not be found during the drafting stage!)

9. What are your plans for this novel once you finish editing? More edits? Finding beta readers? Querying? Self-publishing? Hiding it in a dark hole forever?

I shall hide it in a dark hole, but not forever. Just until The Brightest Thread is completed, or until I’m between editing passes and need another project at which to poke. But The Prophet’s Key will probably wait until it can once again take first priority. I have a feeling I’ll need every ounce of my creative energy to tackle the job of editing it into something readable. After all that . . . well, perhaps by then TBT will be out in the big wide world, in which case, my next publication would be this series. I’d like to get the whole series written by then, however, so it could be a while, folks.

10. What’s your top piece of advice for those who just finished writing a first draft?

LET IT REST. It’s nigh impossible to edit that book objectively when you’ve just finished drafting it. You’re still in creation mode, and you need to gain some distance and perspective to get into critique mode. I’ve tried editing things I’ve just written, and guess what? I don’t make many changes. But when I leave a piece alone for a while, then return to it with a fresh eye, I see so many things to improve.
In the meanwhile, work on another project, or focus on filling your creative tank: soak in other people’s stories, draw, paint, listen to music, spend some time outdoors, live life, try new things. When it comes time to get back to that first draft, you’ll be refreshed and ready to tackle its problems head-on.

~*~

Looking at 2017 writing plans overall, I am ecstatic about seeing where my TPK characters end up (hint: bad places. like cliffhanger bad); building my craft and career by going to Realm Makers; and returning to TBT, which is probably one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written!

Let’s do this thing! Or several things! All the things! What about you, noble questers? What are your goals for the year, writing or otherwise? (And please tell me I’m not insane. Even if you must lie, false assurance might keep me calm enough to reach all these goals. #kidding)

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Subplots and Storylines – December 2016 // Year-End Recap

Tracey Dyck 16 Comments



O December, how paradoxical art thou

Long as the White Witch’s winter
Short as a bearded dwarf
Crowded on one end
Tranquil at the other
Thirty-one wonderful, taxing, joyous, exhausting, brimming days
Farewell 2016.*

*Starting out with free verse was not my intention, especially considering my sleepy brain is still trying to figure out where to take this post. But there it is, random Narnia reference included.

This really was an all-over-the-place month. My brother’s birthday . . . long, long, LONG volunteer days . . . family gatherings . . . more Christmas parties than I’ve ever attended . . . big projects . . . Needless to say, by the time I reached Christmas break, I was rejoicing!

Near the beginning of December, an honest to goodness snow day kept my brother and I home from school, and then the following day we had to battle slick roads, iced up windshields, and poor visibility. Fun, fun.

Upon request (thanks, Savannah!), here is
the tree ornament I received this Christ-
mas: an angel made entirely out of paper.
Besides presenting my second speech in my public speaking class, I also had the opportunity to speak (preach?) in two high school chapel sessions this month: one about standing up against familiarity, the other about three ways to improve family relationships, particularly over the holiday season. I received excellent feedback and constructive criticism, leading to visible growth in this area. It’s stretching me, but I love it! Honestly, after delivering the first chapel and realizing I could actually do it, I was on top of the world.
As a college class, our biggest project this month was running the Christmas hampers. My brother was put in charge, and I was one of two “assistant managers,” so to speak. Most of the work was placed in our hands–acquiring and wrapping boxes, making grocery and toy lists, overseeing the shopping and organization, and forming delivery teams. Though it was a lot of work, it was also so rewarding to see the joy on the recipients’ faces!
A second blizzard hit at the tail end of Christmas Day, and this one actually was fun. (Minus the fact that my car got stuck at the end of my driveway two days later. Thank goodness for helpful neighbors.)
Christmas itself was cozy and quiet, just the six of us at home. Nowhere to go, no one to see. Exactly what I needed. My family is an incredible blessing. Wherever they are is my favorite place to be.

movies



A wee bit of Once Upon a Time Season 1 with my parents and sisters, and a wee bit more of the same with my brother, since we finally roped him into the show. Season 5 showed up under the Christmas tree (!!!), so I watched one episode with my sisters too.



[source]



Princess Protection Program — Re-watched with my sisters. It was very . . . Disney-ish. Crazy to see Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez so young and innocent, though. This time around I recognized Jamie Chung, who also plays Mulan in OUAT.



[source]

Finding Dory — OH MY JELLYFISH, THIS MOVIE. It had the perfect balance of Finding Nemo nostalgia and new story freshness. Baby Dory was the most adorable animated creature to ever grace the screen. Watching her story play out was both hilarious and heartwarming. (My favorite scene is still when Hank the septipus–aka the seven-armed octopus–drives the truck.)



[source]

The Star of Bethlehem — This is more of a documentary of sorts that I first watched in class, and then showed my family on Boxing Day. It uses historical timelines, Biblical text, and the math behind the universe to pinpoint what exactly the Star was. Utterly fascinating! The symbolism is incredible, and I was touched by the way God set everything in motion with a perfect, precise plan to announce our Savior’s birth.



[source]

Civil War — Finally. I have been waiting and waiting since this hit theaters, and let me tell you, it was worth it! Y’all probably know by now that Captain America is my favorite superhero. This third movie does not disappoint. My incoherent reaction pretty much consists of: ALL THE FEELS EVERYONE’S FIGHTING LOOKIT THE ALLIANCES AND CHARACTER INTERACTIONS AND MORAL DILEMMAS AND EPIC ACTION AND FRUSTRATIONS AND SADNESS AND BUCKYYYYY.

books



Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children // Ransom Riggs
This pretty book was a birthday present, not like you were wondering. I found it to be less creepy, overall, than I had expected. The language was unfortunate, especially considering the protagonist’s young age. (I tend to think the protag’s age is a reflection on the intended audience. A 15-year-old should not be using those words, okay?) But the settings and characters were super fascinating, and I loved all the strange old photographs. Definitely a unique formatting style! I also would’ve liked a bit more explanation about certain things, but maybe the next two books will clear it up. Four stars.



Cress // Marissa Meyer
One word: awesome. And a few more words: amusing, intense, heart-wrenching. I’d definitely say Cress rivals Cinder for favorite Lunar Chronicles instalment thus far. Cress herself is adorably naïve, yet brilliant. Pairing her with cocky Carswell Thorne was a stroke of romantic genius: the two make a hilarious couple! Following the rest of the Rampion crew was way too much fun as well. Cinder and Kai continued to be precious, Scarlet and Wolf were better than in their own book, and Iko made me ridiculously happy.

I almost considered reading Winter immediately afterward, but decided not to on the singular basis that I probably couldn’t finish it before the end of the year, and then it would have to count toward 2017’s Goodreads challenge. (Yes, I am particular like that.)

(sorry for the fuzzy picture quality; this is the only
one I could find of my cover)



Treasures of the Snow // Patricia St. John
Rereading this childhood favorite right after Christmas was like sipping hot chocolate whilst bundled up in a cozy quilt. I had forgotten portions of it, but the general direction and feel of the book was very familiar. The themes were more overt than I tend to enjoy, but this book is a classic to me, and so for nostalgia’s sake I forgive it all. It really does have some profound things to say about forgiveness and pride. Five stars.



Paper Crowns // Mirriam Neal
I was surprised to find this little gem wrapped under the Christmas tree this year! I’ve been meaning to get it ever since my lovely blogger friend Mirriam announced it was being published. I’m not quite to the end–though I hope to finish tonight–but so far it’s been a light, fluffy, adorable book! I adore Hal. And Azrael. And Salazar. And basically everyone but Maven. I know I’ll be giving this four or five stars.

I was blessed by an EPIC Christmas book haul: Paper Crowns, Quiet (a nonfiction book about introverts), The Calling,
Reapers, Five Magic Spindles, and Golden Daughter. ^_^

writing

11,734 words in The Prophet’s Quest this month! Most of that, as you can imagine, was done in the latter half of the month. I have for sure crested the halfway point. It’s a relief to bring all the characters back to Demetria at last. I’m hoping the return to a purely fantasy setting will help the words flow better in the future.
I had plans to hit 80k before Christmas holidays, and then use my break to reach 100k. I’m behind schedule, since I didn’t hit 80k in time, but I still want to write as much as I can while I have time. Without running myself ragged, that is. I do need to rest during this break as well.

This recap will cover only life-y stuffens and writerly stuffens. (That is my own invented word, if you were scratching your head and wondering what sort of typos this supposed ‘writer’ just made. It’s more fun to say than stuff, don’t you agree?) I almost decided to list bloggy stuffens, too, but decided those highlights would be better saved for the next blogoversary celebration. Keep an eye out for an upcoming Books of 2016 post, though!
 
For now, prepare for lists! Because lists are life. And lists are easy to write, easy to read. Lists keep overweight blog posts from becoming positively obese.
 

2016 life

  • was a bridesmaid at a best friend’s wedding
  • watched Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time
  • went on a young adult/youth retreat in the spring
  • bought my first car
  • got promoted at my job
  • went to a Piano Guys concert
  • started college, which included . . .
  • another retreat (much more intense than the other one)
  • public speaking
  • projects (like chapels and hampers)
  • volunteering
  • youth ministry
 

2016 writing

Things I Did:
  • finished some minor edits in The Prophet’s Quest
  • researched some literary agents and some book stuff (like psychology, delusions, airplanes, and exotic locations)
  • discovered my novella, The Brightest Thread, was a top ten finalist in the Five Magic Spindles contest
  • bought and started Ted Dekker’s The Creative Way writing course
  • revamped my publishing plans
Things I Actually Penned:

It’s been quite the year! Don’t let me give the false impression that 2016 was one glorious highlight after another, though. Monotony, weariness, and blandness made their mark on a number of days in between.

And yet the storyline weaving through the last twelve months was undeniably one of growth. The fast, painful, stretching kind . . . and the slow, gradual, imperceptible kind. The sandpaper days are smoothing a few of my rough edges, and yet the more I learn, the more rough edges I discover.

I’ve become a more confident person.

I’ve become a better writer, largely through the sheer keep-on-keepin’-on element of my writing life lately.

I’ve become a better public speaker, even though I’m still working on inflection and talking more slowly.

I’ve invested into myself.

I’ve been learning how to work hard, and how to keep working hard when I think I’m too tired to go on.

I’ve been learning how to rest, and not feel guilty for resting.

I’ve been learning that excellence is doing the best I can with what I have, and that there’s no reason to beat myself up when I can’t do more.

I’ve seen how very patient my Father God is with me. How faithful His love is, even when I am not. How deep His grace is, how perfect His plan is.

2016 was not an easy year by any means. But looking back over my shoulder, I can see that it was good. It was sandpaper to raw wood, fire to a forge, and in between, it was breath to oxygen-starved lungs. 2017, you will be even better.

How was your December? And your entire year? Highlights, lowlights? In-between-lights? Life is hard sometimes, so let’s find empathy and encouragement in each other’s company!

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Subplots and Storylines – November 2016

Tracey Dyck 23 Comments

I don’t know how it’s physically possible, but somehow this month seems even fuller than the last!

November opened with my birthday, which I celebrated a bit differently than other years in order to fit with my school schedule. Later on in the month, we also celebrated my lil’ sister’s birthday.

I grew a bit more in my public speaking skills: I was called to answer Q&A in one of our communicators meetings, I was the timer for another meeting, and a classmate and I got to preach a mini message to the youth volunteers.

My class and I helped build our church’s float for the city’s Santa Clause Parade, which was so fun, especially because we also got to participate in the actual parade, walking alongside our beautiful float.

There was a last-minute event I volunteered at, a youth worship night, a youth talent show, Christmas shopping, friend stuff, and my first exam of the year.

And through it all, my little corner of the world disguised itself as London, with miserable rain mixed with melting snow, and some of the densest fog I’ve ever seen.

Movies

Very little this month. I watched the last episode of Once Upon a Time Season 4 with my sisters (oh my goodness, THAT ENDING) and saw some more of Season 1 with my parents.

Books

(I searched high and low for an image of my copy. This ain’t it.)

Journey to the Center of the Earth // Jules Verne
I wanted to read one of the unread, second-hand books on my shelf, and randomly picked this one. It was more enjoyable than I expected, quite honestly. I remember not totally loving Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea during high school, and while Journey does pause now and then to dump facts on the reader, it keeps a good pace overall. And it was funny! Axel and his enthusiastic uncle, Professor Liedenbrock, make an amusing pair.

[Professor] “Do you remember a visit the famous English
chemist Humphrey Davy paid me in 1825?”
[Axel] “No, I don’t. For the very good reason that I wasn’t
born until nineteen years later.”

Was the book scientifically accurate? Probably not, seeing as it was written in the 1800s, but it was still fun to pretend that Verne’s theories could be true, to envision a whole new world beneath the earth’s crust. My biggest quibble was the ending. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but let’s just say the characters didn’t accomplish quite as much as I expected they would.

Prophet // R.J. Larson
I loved it! I haven’t read very many fantasies with a Biblical type of setting, so that was neat. I found it especially intriguing to follow Ela’s journey as a Prophet of the Infinite, to see how it mirrored real prophets in the Old Testament. She was so compassionate even when she had to communicate the Infinite’s judgment on people who deserved it. (That compassion is a trait I need to grow in.) I adored Kien, a charming ambassador who spends a goodly amount of time in prison and has a strong appreciation for food. Ela’s little sister, Tzana, was sweet and sympathetic.

The plot slowed down a bit once or twice, or maybe that was just me taking a long time to finish the book. There was another seventy-ish pages after the big climax, so I was expecting a plot twist, but instead I got an abrupt segment of story that might have been better left for the beginning of book two. I also had some thoughts to sort through about the Infinite, who seemed loving but also enforced a works-based sort of faith among His people . . . but then I remembered that this is, in effect, the Old Testament, and a savior is not part of the story yet. (There might be one later in the trilogy?)

Don’t let either of those things stop you from reading, though! Prophet is a wonderful, refreshing book that took the fantasy genre down a less well-trodden path. Between readings, my mind kept going back to the story–definitely the mark of a good book.

Writing

I felt a lot more productive this month than I have in quite a while! I wrote a poem for the first time in forever,* and wrote 9,497 words in The Prophet’s Key. That’s more than I’ve written since college started, so I was happy. I’m close to the halfway point in my outline, too. The villains are gaining the upper hand, so the whole situation is about to change for the worse for my protagonists!

*breaks into song (I listened to the Frozen soundtrack earlier this week, okay?)

I’ve also set my writing goals FOR THE REST OF 2016 (and a little bit more), so I am super pumped. I want to reach 80k by Christmas, which means writing almost 10k in three weeks. Then the goal is to utilize my Christmas break to add another 20k, which will bring the book to 100k. Then if I can finish the whole first draft by springtime/the end of college/sometime around there . . . I just may have enough time to rewrite The Brightest Thread into a full novel so I have something to pitch at the Realm Makers Conference.

O.O

Yeah.

I’m that crazy.

And as I look at the things filling up my December calendar, I’m questioning the sanity of that plan even more. But if you shoot for the moon and miss, you still land among the stars and all that jazz.*

*Except not really. Because the stars are light-years away. So if I miss the moon, you can find me floating aimlessly in space or headfirst in a crater on earth somewhere.

Learning



Just trying out a new feature in S&S. We’ll see if I have enough material for it each month.

I learned about the DISC personality system in college, and found out that I’m a CSD. To give you some background, D=dominant/driver/determined, I=influencing/inspiring/impulsive, C=compliant/correct/cautious, and S=supportive/stable/steady. A CSD is otherwise known as a Contemplator. Basically, I like to get things done, and get them done well. I’m detailed and logical; have high standards; precise but competitive; sensitive to others around me; a natural peacemaker; etc. Reading through the full descriptions, I was amazed at how accurate most of it was! Now that I know the personalities of my other classmates, I hope to develop better ways to communicate with all of them.

I started experimenting with bullet journaling in an old notebook of mine, just to see if I like it. So far I do, though I’m not quite happy with the layout. Hence the term experiment. Come the new year, if I’m still enjoying the practice, I’ll start fresh in a brand new notebook and go from there.

So how was your November? Anything out of the ordinary, or perhaps ordinary but still worth mentioning? Have you ever taken the DISC test? All ye lionhearted NaNo’ers–how did it go? And who’s all cranking the Christmas carols now that we’re in December?

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The Writer’s Life Tag

Tracey Dyck 19 Comments
Time to make a dent in my pile of accumulated tags! Way back in spring, fellow bookdragon Christine Smith tagged me for the Writer’s Life Tag. It sounded like fun, since who among the writing community doesn’t like chatting about each other’s methods and habits? Yet despite my enthusiasm, I somehow forgot about it, and went on my merry way for half a year. #oops
But here I am, digging it out at last! Pull up a chair, honorable questers, grab a cup of tea (or coffee, or juice, or Viking-worthy ale if that’s your thing), and let’s talk.
picture & graphic belong to Christine Smith

Write-fuel: What do you eat/drink while writing?

I’m don’t usually munch and write at the same time, because crumbs in my keyboard = blegh. But I often have water nearby, or sometimes tea. My go-to flavor is vanilla chai. If I’m really in the zone, I sometimes forget to drink, though.


Write-sounds: What do you listen to while writing?

Recently, I haven’t been listening to anything besides whatever background noise is going on. It’s been a while since I was holed up in my room in front of my laptop–these days I write wherever my family is (usually I’m curled up on the couch or parked at the dining room table) or during breaks in college. But when I do listen to music, it’s movie soundtracks or instrumental albums. Some favorites are the Narnia soundtracks, the Divergent soundtrack, Epic Music I and Epic Music II by indie composer Jonathan Maiocco, and music by Two Steps from Hell.

Write-vice: What’s your most debilitating distraction?

Emails, blogging, Goodreads . . . let’s just say the internet in general! There are always little things to check or take care of instead of writing those words, and they can either break my momentum or keep me from starting to write at all.

Write-horror: What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you while writing?

I know plenty of writers have horror stories about losing their work and whatnot, but that’s only happened to me once, and it was only a page or two. So I’d have to say the worst thing would be the times in high school when I got so wrapped up in my story that I lost track of time and neglected to put supper in the oven or change a load of laundry. My family has had to change supper plans at least a few times on account of me!

Write-joy: What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you while writing, or how do you celebrate small victories?

Every time I get caught up in a story, in a stream of words and images and emotions–when I’m so focused, the outside world barely exists–it’s euphoria. I will slog through pages of uninspired words for a moment like that.
It’s also very encouraging to receive feedback from beta readers or blog commenters, people who have read something I’ve written and care enough to share their reactions. It’s the best feeling to know that they’ve been made to think, to feel, to see things in a new light, or to draw closer to Jesus . . . through a story I penned. It blows my mind every time, and I have Him to thank.

Write-crew: Who do you communicate with or not communicate with while writing?

When I’m actually, physically writing . . . I speak to no one, if I can help it. Human beings are distracting. But outside of writing sessions, I talk with a number of friends online and “in real life” (I don’t like that term because it implies that my online friends aren’t real as well, but I’m too lazy at the moment to come up with a better name for it).
“In real life,” my closest friends aren’t even writers, but they love me enough that they’re fascinated by my authorial rambles and enthusiastically support these dreams of mine. I’m also blessed with a few friends who do write, and they’re fun to bounce ideas around with.
Online, my main writing buddies are most often these lovely gals: Christine Smith, Deborah O’Carroll, and Mary Horton. Not to mention my broader network of bloggers and commenters who are always up for a writing-related chat!

Write-secret: What’s your writing secret to success or hidden flaw?

Let’s talk about both, because while I certainly don’t possess the key to conquering the writing universe, I have learned a few things along my journey thus far. And contrary to the brave face I may wear online, I am flawed. (I try to be genuine, but it’s easy to highlight the good stuff and filter out the bad.)
Secret to success: keep at it. Yes, there are times to drop a manuscript entirely or take a break from it, but I see so many young writers flitting from one story to another with the attention-span of a butterfly. They’re missing out on what can be learned from actually finishing a story, typing The End, bringing character arcs to completion, and tying up a plot. And if you never reach the end, you’ll never edit. If there are things to be learned from completing a book, then there’s ten times more to be gleaned from navigating the editing process!
Hidden flaw(s): I’m a relatively slow writer (though I’m not sure if that’s 100% true or if I would actually be faster than I think if I could devote full-time hours to writing). I often find research to be a drag and may procrastinate in getting to it. I struggle with self-doubt–sometimes while pushing through a messy first draft, and sometimes while staring at the fifth-and-still-vastly-imperfect draft and hoping that if I stare hard enough, it will fix itself. I’m still finding the balance between beautiful prose/immersive description and action/dynamic plot. Perfectionism gets in my way. But I’m working on all these things, slowly but surely!

Write-spiration: What always makes you productive?

Goals, just like Christine said for herself. A plan of action, self-imposed deadlines, the satisfaction of seeing progress being made. I’m always motivating myself, not necessarily with rewards, because the accomplishment is often enough for my task-driven personality. If I don’t set goals for myself, I don’t get anywhere and have little drive to keep writing when it gets tough.

Write-peeve: What’s one thing writers do (or you do) that’s annoying?

I am as guilty of this as anyone else out there: talking about writing more than actually writing. Whether it’s reading yet another blog post on the craft, or emailing a writing buddy, or coming up with a blog post about writerly issues–those are all good, helpful things, but they can take over the place of real writing. And the best way to become a better writer is to simply write.
There’s a place for talking, but if that’s all you do…

And now I tag . . .

And you, should you so desire! If you do the tag, leave me the link in the comments! Happy writing to you all, and especially those of you participating in NaNoWriMo.
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