Learning Curve: Where's the down slope?

by
Leni Checkas


My learning curve started after I'd submitted my children's mystery novel, seven or so years ago. I prided myself in that I wrote it in no less that one week.

My submissions kept getting rejected. Apparently, I wrote superb queries, but something was wrong with the main product. I didn't know what to do. So, I picked up a book on craft recommended by judges of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Conference. The book was "Scene & Structure" by Jack Bickman. Couldn't hurt, could it? Plus, this guy was an author of over 70 published books and a former faculty member of University of Oklahoma School of Journalism. So he had to know what he was doing, right?

Well, in the book, after Bickman divulges his own foibles in getting started writing fiction, which sounded oddly familiar, he drops a bomb on me and states that fiction is conflict.

"Nut-uh," I screamed before slamming the book shut and shelving it. This guy was crazy. He did not know what he was talking about. I was mad.

Except...after that seed was planted, I started noticing conflict in every single book I read, even "My Little Pony" books that my daughter read at the time. What a drag. Bickman was right. I realized my anger came from the fact that I had been putting words on paper for over a year, but I completely missed this basic premise of fiction. Worse, now I was going to have to rewrite everything that I ever wrote. I loathed editing.

But, my writing improved. Thanks to Mr. Bickman.

I tried another one of those craft-type books, to see if there was anything else I might be missing. This one was called "Writing Fiction" by Janet Burroway. Wow, full of things like P.O.V. and characterization and plotting that I had no idea about. Ugh! This writing thing is tough. More rewriting ensued, accompanied by many four letter words, like edit.

I got a book called "Creating Characters Kids will Love" by Elaine Marie Alphin, when I realized I didn't know the difference between writing for adults and writing for kids. Life was getting a little easier, because I knew before cracking open the book that I would have to edit. But I had no idea how much work until I got through chapter six, not even half way through the workbook, in one year. I wasn't actually ready for that much learning, mainly because it involved learning how to edit and to be flexible, like getting rid of what doesn't work.

Hoo, boy! It's been six years since I ventured into Jack Bickman's fateful reference, and I'm still climbing the learning curve of how to write fiction. I finally get it when anyone says, "Writing Fiction is a process." Too true. And that process involves editing. We're BFF's now, by the way.

So all I need to know now: is there a book that can show me the down slope to this learning curve?

Conference Wrap-Up

Back from the WIFYR Conference and trying to get back in the swing of things. It's tricky to assimilate what I learned about writing into the mundane, everyday life, so I wrote a post to help me remember some fundamental things that I learned. I can't totally describe my experience without using a bunch of cliches, so I don't think I will. But suffice it to say that I'm inspired enough to dive in without looking back.

Some things I learned:
1. I'm a writer.
2. Don't be coy with your readers.
3. Don't let craft get in the way of creativity.

What I need to work on:
Creating works that are true to me. Works that, whether they ever get published or not, I am satisfied with.

Last night I tried to explain to my husband what that meant. I told him about the time I went to a piano competition in eighth grade. I'd toiled and slaved over this song--Mozart's Fantasy in D minor--with absolute focus. I'd worked on it so much that it became part of me. It became personal. The morning of the competition, I had little butterflies, but not because I wasn't prepared. I knew I'd done everything I could to prepare. I only felt nervous because I wondered if all the work was going to pay off or not.

It did. After I finished the song, I had The Feeling--the one where you know you've nailed it. It wouldn't have mattered what the judges said, I was satisfied. I had made something good. I did end up taking first place, but I'd like to think that it wouldn't have mattered. Sure, there might have been disappointment that nobody had appreciated it as much as I did, but I think I still would have been satisfied with my effort.

That's where I want to get with my writing. I want to work and slave and focus so much that it becomes personal. So whether it's published or not doesn't matter, because I will have nailed it. I will know I've made something good.

Thoughts from the WIFYR workshop

WIFYR BLOG

Friday

Emily Wing Smith gave an interesting talk yesterday. I think that most of us who are not published have this picture of BEFORE vs. AFTER publishing. We think that once we are published, all will be “right” in our creative world. But what I’ve learned this week is that the attitudes you cultivate before getting published will continue on afterwards. If you feel insecure or jealous, or impatient, there will still be a myriad of reasons for all those feelings after getting a book deal. There will be someone with more sales, someone with a movie deal, you’ll have to wait for your book to actually get to print, wait for your book to sell enough to start getting percentages. You might be frustrated by lack of promotional support for your project. You might be restrained in your subject matter, if you want to publish with the same folks.

SO-it’s time to cultivate who you want to be as a writer now. Why are you writing? Know that the frustration and patience and inspiration and disappointment and jealousy you feel today should be looked at, and worked with. Because…AFTER publishing your first book, even more things are out of your control.

So, I’m focusing on the long haul here. That many more workshops are in my future. Many more hours of writing. And the truth is, thankfully for me, that although the goal is to publish, the bigger goal is to WRITE. To be in the creative process. To tell the stories I need to tell. To give myself time and permission to be expressive. And I choose to define myself as a writer-published or not.

And of course, reality check. I’ve spent the last three years writing my first novel-and about 1 month on my second. What is clear to me is that the first novel is my “practice” novel. The one that I cut my teeth on in terms of discipline, craft, storytelling. The one I will send out to agents, BUT, my second one is probably going to be the one with some actual possibility of being marketable. Wow. 3 years on an unpublished novel. I find this incredible, but I have no regrets, and no frustrations when I realize this. I’ve enjoyed the ups and downs. Seriously, what else would I rather be doing with my time anyway?

what a hook is

Tuesday my class critiqued my manuscript. It was awesome. Not just because most of them said they liked it. And okay, it didn't hurt that the instructor noted at the end of her comments that I write well. (Nothing like a little praise from a professional to stoke a writer's ego.) No, it's because I got great feedback that helped me know how to fix what doesn't work.

My teacher said one of my main problems was that I was too coy with the reader. I tried to keep them guessing about who my main character is and what she can do, but I just ended up confusing and frustrating everyone instead. I needed to give information sooner about who she was.

After processing the information for a while, I had a major epiphany. It happened during someone else's critique session the next day who had the same problem. Louise said the same thing: You're being too coy. We want to know what your character is, we don't want to have to guess what he is.

It hit me. A hook is not wondering what the premise is. A hook is the actual premise. And if you have a good one--a mind-blowing one, or an interesting one or a relatable one--people will want to read more.

So I've changed my first line. And today in my individual session with Louise, she said I'd nailed it. Nice to hear. There were some other problems that I worked on, but the major thing I'm taking away from this week is the realization I had about what a hook is.

I can't believe it's the last day of the conference. I've had a great time and learned a bunch of useful information. Can't wait to come home and put it to good use

Leaving Out the Dull Spots

Day three of WIFYR workshop in Utah

Yup. Kathleen Duffy's advice. What can I say to that? Possibly the most spot on, pithy truth of writing success.

My mind is so full of words that I'm finding it hard at the moment to think of any other gems of wisdom gathered from the workshop. So, I'm going to ramble, and hopefully the words will sort themselves out by the time they reach the keyboard.

Mornings are full of critiques. 14 writer's in my group. I'm happy to say that I like all the story ideas that I've read. My only complaint is that I'm a time freak when it comes to critique and I'm constantly watching the clock to see if we'll make it around the room before time runs out. Drive me nuts. Then we go overtime and I go nuts. I think I'll volunteer to be the stopwatch so I can use my obsession constructively. I'm driving myself nuts.

Had my critique today. I was terrified. It was on the first 8 pages of my brand new YA novel. The only 8 pages I've written. It's a dark love story full heartbreak with (hopefully) enough light to not drown in despair. Hurray! They liked it. They really really liked it! Well...parts of it anyway. I am reassured that the voice works, the style is consistent. Not that difficult in only 8 pages. And some great discussion on the bigger plot points that gave me much food for thought.

Wobbled out of class at 12:30. Fatigue hitting me hard. I've been waiting for it. Thankfully, I'm still at the point where an extra cup of coffee will keep me running. I know it will be peanut M&M's and diet coke by the drive home on sunday.

I'm almost done with my writing assignments for the day, and Jer and I have a tv date with my favorite reality show-"So You Think You Can Dance!" Woo hoo

tomorrow brings more critique, more lectures, and book signings. Can't wait to check out some of these authors' books. Glad I'm driving home so I can get a stack of them.

"You Marry a Man for the Same Reason You Divorce Him"

It's the end of the first day of a week long writing workshop in Utah. Many moments of inspirations and learning so far. I already feel like it's been worth it!

In morning critique sessions we discuss our work with 13 other writers and the instructor, Emily Wing-Smith. One woman got consistant feedback that her descriptions were beautiful, captivating, brilliant, etc. etc......but....a few of us felt that we wanted more action/dialogue to break up the description. We got a little lost in the setting. Emily agreed with that assessment and gave the quote I wrote above. Her mother had given her that pearl of wisdom years ago. If you marry a man (or woman) for being fun and social, you'll divorce him for being a flirt. If you marry a man because of his generosity, you'll divorce him because he can't say no to anyone and isn't available to you. Seems true to me.

But back to writing. Basically, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. This writer's brilliant prose became cumbersome and took away from the character's journey. As readers, we need variety.

Jer and I discussed what that meant for us over lunch, (At the same place we ate dinner the night before--speaking of variety!) She said that my gift is being a concise writer-but it's very difficult for me to expand on anything I've written, so it's also my weakness. I thought her gift is her incredible imagination-which unfortunately keeps her from committing to a story line as it's hard to decide which way to go. I challenge anyone reading this to see if you can find your own strength/weakness point. (You might need someone else to tell you though!!!)

Another tidbit. I highly recommend "How to Write Killer Fiction" by Caroly Wheat. I did a workshop with Ann Cannon and she did an exercise based on some things she got out of that book. Her point was to compare writing a scene with storyboarding that movie makers do before shooting any film. She gave us a one page, very detailed outline, of questions to help create a scene---it is practical, easy, fun, and when you finish the exercise, you can pick tiny tidbits from the writing to help your scene expand in ways you might not have been able to see earlier.

I'm very proud of Jer and I. Instead of lying around the hotel room tonight watching tv, we are at Starbucks (the internet in our hotel room doesn't work!) writing!

However my brain is fuzz so I'm signing off.

If you can't say anything nice, don't write anything at all

I'm attending the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference (WIFYR) here in Sandy, Utah. The Salt Lake Valley is beautiful, surrounded by the Wasatch mountains, close enough to touch (almost). Close enough you can see individual trees, anyway, not just a mass of green. It's beautiful, the weather has been perfect, but best of all, I get a whole week to focus on my writing.

In the mornings we attend a class led by a qualified instructor--mine is Louise Plummer, retired professor of creative writing and author of at least six published books. She tells you like it is, but she's funny, so it softens the blow. This morning she even told one girl that she hated a sentence in her manuscript. She said it with a smile, but I still noticed the looks of shocked horror on some of the students' faces. I could only laugh. It's what we're here for, right? To find out what sucks, and what works, and to try to make it better. No sense in getting bent out of shape by a little bit of honest criticism. But ask me how I feel about that after the next class. It's my turn tomorrow.

In the afternoon we attend breakout sessions led by various writers, agents and editors. Today I listened to Brandon Mull, author of the Fablehaven series and the Beyonders series--both critically acclaimed. He just found out today that his first book in the series made the NYT bestseller list. This guy knows his stuff, but he's also the nicest guy you'll ever listen to.

He was a bit scattered, but I found his talk immensely helpful. I took about three pages of type-written notes, single-spaced. I'll spare you all of that (no one would understand it but me anyway) and give you a few of the highlights.

He talked about writing your novel in scenes. Instead of thinking about writing a great novel (daunting to say the least) he said he focuses on writing great scenes. A great novel is made up of a bunch of great scenes, after all.

What's a great scene? Well, for starters it has it's own question, or problem. Just like the whole novel has a large, over-arching problem, a scene has a smaller micro-problem. But it must move the whole plot forward, be related to the entire plot. So a scene with a problem that has nothing to do with the overall plot shouldn't be there. A scene that doesn't have a problem but gives information to the plot shouldn't be there either. It's important to weave information into the conflicts, instead.

How do you know when the scene is over? Just like how you know when the whole book is over--when the problem has reached a resolution. When the question is answered.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Probably not quite as easy as it sounds, and I've yet to put it into practice, but I will. Practice it, that is.

One last word from Mr. Mull that I loved. It's earth-shattering. Ground-breaking. Why didn't any of us think of it before? Are you ready?

He said to be nice. Work harder than anybody else, write cooler books than anybody else, and be nicer than anybody else. Your editor is your employer. You want them to want to work with you because you're a pleasure to work with. If they want to work with you because you work hard and you're a good writer, they'll keep publishing your books.

A sage piece of advice, indeed.

Baseball Bats

“Teach Yourself By Your Own Mistakes.” William Faulkner

Annie, my eight-year old piano student came to see me today for a lesson. Normally, a very enthusiastic student, she’d had a bad week. A new piece had become intimidating. Her mother said, that Annie couldn’t stand all the mistakes she was making and had stopped practicing. I was gearing up for the “how to practice through the hard times” pep talk, but Annie didn’t look frustrated at all. She was in a great mood and couldn’t wait for me to show her how to play the song. With a huge grin on her face, she said, “I beat my inner critic over the head with a baseball bat to get him to go away!” (“inner critic” her words, not mine).

“Really?” I asked, trying to act as if I heard this every day. “Did it work?”

“Yes,” she yelled, jumping up off the bench and clapping her hands together.

We went on to have a delightful conversation about the various ways to dispose of the inner critic, (she favored putting it on a spider and dipping it into coffee).

I’ve been a songwriter for twenty-five years. A novelist for three. One thing for sure is the ongoing opportunity for making mistakes. Big mistakes. But what exactly is a mistake?

If I define a mistake as not getting it right, then I get discouraged and I’m tempted to give up. If I define a mistake as, “I learned something new, or, as is often the case for me, “I did THAT again!!?, then mistakes can become an interesting challenge.

So how do you cultivate a more positive relationship to your own writing issues? How can you step into a place where you believe that finding a bazillion mistakes in your manuscript will make you a better writer, and you are inspired to forge ahead- avoiding all temptation to shred your manuscript?

Like my student, each of us has to find their own way to relating to mistakes and frustration. Here are a few things I’ve learned over the long years of writing.

-I always make sure to have at least one “YES!” person on my creative support team. They don’t have to be a writer, just someone who loves my work no matter what. (Yes, mothers do count!) Someone who loves my first draft just as much as my last. Once I’ve got uncritical support to help placate the inner judge, I make sure I’ve got a strong critique group. Preferably people who know as much or more about writing than I do.

-Then, I LISTEN to what they have to say. I have a rule that I started years ago when I was a newbie songwriter. The person I played a new song for was required to say “I LOVE this! It’s your best song ever!” (No matter what they really thought). Then and only then, could I hear any feedback-and I was fine with whatever they said. If they gave feedback first, no matter how good or constructive, I often put the song away. This little trick ALWAYS works for me.

-When I moved into novel writing after all those years of songwriting, I had to let go of knowing anything about technique! I was a sponge for new information. Now I understand a lot more about craft and my own writing habits. Still, there are major holes in my writing technique, and probably always will be. So when I get hooked by these issues, I go back to back to something that was easy to do when I was just starting. The Buddhists call it, “Beginner’s Mind”. For me, it’s about taking it one step at a time. It’s about forgiving myself for what I don’t know, and being very gentle with resistance and negative judgement. It brings me back to why I’m writing. Because it’s what I do. Because I love it.

-I try to stay curious. I’m curious about why my writers’ group doesn’t like my chapter, or my dialogue, or my description. I welcome differing opinions. Although finding out I have a recurring “bad” habit in terms of craft is no fun, (You mean other writers DON’T do that??), it’s also liberating. I realize I’m one tiny step further in my quest to be a better writer.

-I’m reminded of a New Age turned high tech platitude (I HATE to use cliches, but this is so true): “Turn your mistakes into opportunities for growth and change.” What’s the point of writing if it isn’t stretching me in some way? The creative process at its fundamental core is about stepping into the unknown. How can I dance with my muse if I stay in my comfort zone? She will get bored and leave me to dance alone. I must admit, it’s the thrill of creating that drives me. Otherwise, why bother? This is HARD and I could be spending my time eating chocolate. (Okay, I eat chocolate anyway, but you know what I mean!)

-When it gets really tough, I try to put things in a bigger perspective. I remind myself of the fact that I have a life in which I have time to write. That, in and of itself, is a great luxury and blessing. I don’t take it for granted.

-I’m also considering getting a baseball bat and putting it next to my computer.

Read it; Learn it

by Leni Checkas

I read at least a dozen children’s books a month, even though I was born before the moon landing. Some might question why a grown woman would read books that her youngling enjoys. Well, when you write books for children, you can learn a lot by reading the competition.

I can already hear the moaning and complaining in response to this statement. Well, I can at least guess the excuses anyway, because I’ve used them all myself.

• “I don’t want to accidently steal someone else’s work.”

Aside from copying word for word, you won’t be stealing; you’ll be gleaning ideas and making them your own characters, situations, and scenes.

• “I don’t want to be influenced by other people’s writing.”

Yes, you do. Rock stars aren’t asked in interviews, “How did you do that all by yourself?” They’re asked, “Who were your influences?” There’s always a long list in response. As a writer, you need to build your own list of influences.

• “I want my work to be 100% unique.”

Good luck with that one, because Shakespeare already used all of the ideas, quite a few of which he borrowed.

• “I don’t have time to read.”

A great time to read is when you are stuck, especially between re-writes. I particularly like to tackle books on tape while I handle my most detested household chores.

A few years back, I reached a point where I got past the excuses. I picked up one of the Newbery books, and I learned. I picked up more and more variety of kids’ books, and kept learning, things like:

• The difference between modern kid’s novels and classic stories that might not make it past a slush pile today.

• How to analyze books to discover what works and how the author influences my reactions.

• What’s unique about my manuscripts and what is formulaic.

• Great examples of how to show and when to tell.

• How and when to create a scene.

• Real instances of that elusive “voice.”

Most importantly, I’ve learned what kind of books I like to read. Knowing this fact will help me write the kind of book I would buy myself.

So, try it out for yourself. Go to the kid’s section at your local library. Don’t worry if you are older than the first appearance of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Pick out a bunch of kids books, set aside the ones that you didn’t like, analyze the ones you love. Discover your internal editor through this simple exercise. It will help your writing, guaranteed!

Simplifying Plot Complications

Typically, when I read writing craft books on creating or fine-tuning the rising action of a plot, I read phrases like "raise the stakes," "now make it harder," "now turn the screws even more," "now create an even bigger challenge."  And I think, I know it has to get worse!  But how?  Telling me to go even further in a direction that I don't even have in the first place isn't helpful.

Some people have a knack for engaging, escalating plots.  What I love about writing is character development.  I love the psychology of my characters, the development of their relationships.  I love experiencing their world.  In fact, I don't need anything to happen in the story to keep me interested in writing it.  And frankly, I love my characters and don't want anything bad to happen to them!  But, I'll be the first to admit that you actually learn a lot more about a person by how s/he responds under pressure as my friend, Will, discussed in his previous post,"Characterization vs. Character".  

So, content or not, my plot has to actually progress toward a climax.  

We've all seen the traditional plot chart in English class.  It's typically a smooth upside-down check mark like this:

The dots along the spine indicate new complications in the story.  As a reader, this is fine.  My problem as a writer is that I just don't see the point of the various dots along the rising action line.  As I said, I'm fine just hanging out with my characters.  But children's author, Eileen Ross, created a breakthrough for me by suggesting that I think of plot complications as mini-plots in and of themselves.  Ahhhhh!  Now, that I can do!

So now, my plot chart looks more like the jagged back of a dinosaur, and my character organically gets to tougher and tougher challenges for character arc and overall plot development.  Notice how those dots that used to rest on the spine are now lifted up as the climaxes for each mini-plot:

If you feel like a driving plotline isn't your strong suit, I'd encourage you to try this:

1.  Get the Big Picture.  

Think of the beginning and the end of your story (if you have them).  Where does your character begin and end up?  This can be emotionally, physically, socially, anything.

2.  Dissect the Big Picture.  

What has to happen internally and externally to get your character where s/he needs to be?   What's on your character's "to-do" list to accomplish that final chapter?
For example:  Does she need to learn to make friends?  Does he need to learn to recognize his strengths?  Does she need to respect others?  Does he need to lose all his money?  You're creating a to-do list for your character to get where they need to be.

3.  Write the Small Stories.  

Now, structure your mini-plots.  Whether it's emotional, physical, social, or anything else, you can structure your complications so that they follow the same structure of a traditional plot diagram, but over the span of a scene, a chapter or a few chapters.  

1. Start with where they are (this will obviously change as you get deeper into your plot/character's experience).  
2. Write down where they need to be by the end of the mini-plot.  
3. Write down what the BIG (climax) moment (whether it is a success or failure) of the cycle is.  
4. Next, determine the little "to-dos" that must happen to achieve that big moment from where the character started in the mini-cycle - those are the mini-complications in the mini rising action of your mini plot.

This exercise has dramatically helped the development of my rising action and enrichment of my character.  If you're looking for more depth and authenticity in your complications, give this a try!

Characterization vs. Character

You have portrayed the main characters of your story. Perhaps it’s a fantasy. The princess cursed with the gigantic nose blunders about the palace, knocking glasses off trays and making everyone duck. The young man with the huge ears wears a massive hat and lives simply in a farm carved out of the deepest glade in the forest. Both sets of parents are finely cast—the king and queen in their ermine-lined robes, the peasants in their buckskin outfits. Each pair bemoans the fate of their child in the authentic accents of their ancestors and move about using proper manners or rustic rituals. Nicely done, but there’s a problem.

You’ve drawn us a picture but not shown us a soul.

In his classic screenwriting book, Story, Robert McKee succinctly defines the difference between characterization and character.

Characterization is “the sum of all observable qualities of a human being” as the first paragraph describes. Examples are:

• Age
• Intelligence
• Gender, and sexuality
• How one speaks and gestures
• One’s values, attitudes, and personality
• Choices of home, clothes, and transportation.

Character lies beneath the surface of characterization at the heart of the subject’s humanity, the soul. Will the character be:

• “Loving or cruel?
• Generous or selfish?
• Strong or weak?
• Truthful or a liar?
• Courageous or cowardly?”

McKee stresses that character is only revealed when choices are made under pressure: “… the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character’s essential nature.” Further, he believes the best stories go beyond simply revealing character. They show how that inner nature changes, either for good or ill, over the course of the tale. This is the character’s arc, and it is at the core of the story’s structure as well.

In a future post, I’ll discuss the blending of character and plot in greater detail. For now, I challenge you to go deeper into your characters. Get under their daily habits. Turn up the fire in your plot and burn away everything but their essence. Ask yourself:

• What choices do they make?
• How do they change?
• What becomes of them?

Show us the answers to these questions and you’ll have a story we’ll all want to read. © 2011 by Will Limón