The Writing Life - your 'ways' as an author

[StephanieAine]

I was tempted to post this in all of the authors' threads, but realized I can just as easily post it here and hope everyone sees it. Including authors who may be MW members but not have their own forums in the Circle.

Here are some questions I'm curious about (I'm always curious about how other writers work, how they handle their work day, and how they manage to juggle things... particularly if they're trying to keep on track for deadline purposes. The issue of "the muse" is also of interest, paricularly since the muse doesn't always care if you're on a deadline <g> ).


* * *

1. Do you work with the same chapter summaries and outline that you submitted originally - or does your T.O.C. change gradually as you work? How closely do you stick to the original chapter organization/content?




2. Scenario: the publisher has accepted the manuscript, everything has been researched, and now you're at your desk staring at the blank page (or blinking cursor), ready to begin the Introduction or Chapter One. (This is assuming that you didn't already write them and send them in as sample chapters with the proposal earlier). You're entering the 'writing the actual book' phase.

a. how does that blinking cursor affect you, if at all? Do you deal with any 'stage fright'? Worry about the first sentence? What do you do to break through?
b. how long does it take you, from the time of beginning that first chapter, to write a first draft of the whole chapter? To get the chapter in final form? (Or, do you edit as you write?)
c. how do you get yourself into the mental head-space to write? Is there a particular habit you've developed that helps you get "into it"?
d. do first chapters affect you differently than later chapters as you write?


3. If you step back and look at every book you've written and your general 'way' of handling your projects, do you notice a certain similarity? For instance, do you tend to end up with chapters of a certain number of words all the time (or certain number of words per book that you may not have planned, but just end up that way)? What are your 'numbers' generally speaking? (Or do you deliberately plan for a certain length and find that it works well for a number of projects?)



4. How quickly do you write? (Time it takes to write chapters most of the time, from the time you begin until you get your 'okay for people to read this' version). What's your writing day like, schedule-wise?



5. How do you cope with distractions? Such as:

a. noise (TV, radio, people talking in another room, someone mowing the lawn outside)
b. indoor chatter (people in the next room talking to each other, people in the same room talking to each other but not to you... people talking to you *as* you write, meaning that you have to shift your focus from the writing to the person periodically)
c. stress (knowing of some personal situation in the back of your mind but attempting not to think of it, or daily stresses like situations with relatives, bills, health, etc.)
6. Describe your writing environment and the details that make it comfortable (or uncomfortable) for you right now. What have you done to make your work easier or more organized?




7. How long does it usually take you to write a book from start to finish (not including the research; just the time from page one to the last page, ready to put in the mail)? (If you can give a word count to put it in perspective, that helps.)




8. When you're promoting the book, if you have a publicist, are you still very active in keeping the book visible? Or do you handle all of the promo yourself? Do you enjoy it, or do you prefer someone else to handle it? Do you keep up beyond the first 3 months after the pub date at the same level of intensity?




9. Scenario: you just won Who Wants To Have A Brand New Writing Space. You have unlimited cash to go towards creating the ideal writing room/office/area, from the floor and the walls to supplies and little touches. Software needs? Not a problem. Furniture? But of course, darling! What do you instruct your Fab Five (or Literary Eleven) to create for you?




10. What do you think of the Internet? How does it affect your writing day? (This question includes email). Is it helpful and time-saving, leaving you with more time for writing? Or are you surfing the day away?




11. How important is cover art to you? Have you been faced with covers that you hate? Have you fallen in love with all of them? Or do you just not care very much one way or the other?




12. Do you like your writing style/voice when you're working? Or do you drive yourself nuts for a while?




13. Are there writers in your particular genre that you particularly admire? What qualities do you see in their books that you find appealing? Have you learned something from another writer that made all the difference to you?




* * *



(Yep, lots of questions - feel free to ramble. Or not. <g>)

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[Yasmine Galenorn]

Stephanie:

I had Mol take down my thread because I don't have time to attend to it; had some info in there. Here's a link to my author site where I answer some of these questions (as well as others people have asked me):

http://www.galenorn.com/teashop/

The FAQ's have answers to a lot of different writing questions.
My bio on there talks a little about my favorite authors.
And "Interviews" has links to a few interviews. Two of those are relatively older, but most of it's still apt. The Tarot Traditions one is relatively new. Unfortunately, most of those don't go into my fiction, which is what I'm focusing on now, but the one coming up in Sept (see below) focuses on my novels instead of my NF.

BTW: these are very good questions--and some are similar to an interview I just did for an ezine...it will be posted in September and I'll have a link up to it then. If you're interested in reading it, contact me through my site and I'll let you know when it's out.

BTW: to one specific one you asked:


10. What do you think of the Internet? How does it affect your writing day? (This question includes email). Is it helpful and time-saving, leaving you with more time for writing? Or are you surfing the day away?

The net is a blessing and curse. It's great for quick research that is generally well known (but NEVER ever rely on it for serious research). It's a curse because it's so easy to be distracted, and so many people can get in touch with you so easy through it. I don't use ICQ, IM, AIM, anything like that any more, and I don't answer all my email--only that which needs to, because when you're writing full time it's a HUGE time-waster. And I work app. 7:30--5:30 daily, I have four more books to write between now and the end of 2005, I don't have time for time-wasters like that. ~grins~

Yasmine :colorful:

[Xander67]

I will agree with Yasmine, I am not a writer, but I am a Designer and have one Novel Cover in my Portfolio if that counts :)

The web is a blessing for me in that it enables me to do my trade... I create Illustrations to compliment another artist's marketing and advertiseing plan.... and there are just soo many talented Designers and I love being able to share my knowledge and learn new tricks ..

I cant wait to read the other responses.

[Willow Polson]

Sorry, but the survey is wayyyyyy too long for me to tackle right now (so you have an idea of my typical day, I've been cataloging all my finds from the SFIGF trade show, making my son food, had to shoot a rattlesnake in my yard, and am catching up with about 1000 emails that built up when I was at the trade show Sat & Sun... never a dull moment here).

I just wanted to comment on the internet -- being as isolated as I am, it's my window on the world and I literally go through withdrawl when I lose my connection for any length of time. And yes, I do use it for research -- I couldn't have finished The Veil's Edge on time without it. You can most definitely do serious research on the internet ***IF*** you are very careful as to where the information is coming from. If the (fictional for this example) "British Folklore Society" (actually in England, founded in the 1960s, isn't "newage" in the slightest) has an article about the current day Abbots Bromley Horn Dance with pictures, I'm going to trust that info... if "Lady Twinkle Unicorn" has the "Pagan History of the Horn Dance" on her personal website, that's probably worth the scoring points on "Who's Line Is It Anyway." (IOW, zero)

Another thing to consider is personal anecdotes... if someone on their personal website gives a detailed account of a spectacular ritual they did, and I can email them to interview them for more details, that's incredibly helpful and I never would have found that information except for the internet (thinking of the guy in Australia and his amazing chakra rituals... with pictures!!)

Anyway... the internet is a literal gold mine... IF you know how to use it wisely and fact check everything very carefully.

[DebLipp]

Killer survey. I'll start with a few things...

I write from an outline. The outline changes only inasmuch as, when writing from it, the structure changes in my mind; I see that A really DOESN'T follow B and I regroup a little. Or I think of something that should come later (i.e. I'm writing A and think of D or F) and I add it to the outline. The final TOC is very similar to the rough outline.

I have no anxiety about beginning a book, but sometimes the first few paragraphs are a struggle until I nail down the tone of voice.

My chapters are logical groups, some are very short, some very long. I have The Way of Four sitting next to me; Chapter 5 is about 80 pages, Chapter 7 is about 40 pages. Chapters follow top level outline, no matter the length.

I have completed three books in exactly 9 months each, but the fourth book is taking much longer because I had a long stretch of not writing while disabled.

I adore my cover artist at Llewellyn. He is a god to me.

[Willow Polson]

Okay, I'm microwaving some lasagna, so I'll give you some quick answers:


[1. Do you work with the same chapter summaries and outline that you submitted originally - or does your T.O.C. change gradually as you work? How closely do you stick to the original chapter organization/content?

Pretty closely... sometimes there's a few changes, things get rearranged, but for the most part I pitch a book idea that's had a lot of thought to into it, and my chapters are pretty easy to organize. I do find myself changing a lot of the projects in More Witch Crafts as I discover new ideas and craft techniques, however.


a. how does that blinking cursor affect you, if at all?
b. how long does it take you, from the time of beginning that first chapter, to write a first draft of the whole chapter? To get the chapter in final form? (Or, do you edit as you write?)
c. how do you get yourself into the mental head-space to write? Is there a particular habit you've developed that helps you get "into it"?
d. do first chapters affect you differently than later chapters as you write?
[/list]

a. It doesn't -- I don't usually start writing until I've thought about exactly what I'm going to say in advance -- my thoughts are born in my head, not on "paper".


4. How quickly do you write? (Time it takes to write chapters most of the time, from the time you begin until you get your 'okay for people to read this' version). What's your writing day like, schedule-wise?

After dropping my son off at school, I get rocking at about 9:30 AM and gradually taper off until about 12:30, take a lunch break, do a teeny bit more, then relax for an hour or so before leaving to get him at 2:40. How much I write in that time depends on if I'm "in the groove" or if I already know exactly what I want to say... sometimes I don't have enough time before I have to quit! But usually I do what I'm gonna do in about 3-4 hours. I've never kept track of how MUCH that is, but I think I did half a chapter of Veil in one day once when I was totally in a groove. I made my MIL get my son that day. 8-)


5. How do you cope with distractions?

Distractions suck. I can NOT write with any kind of distractions caused by other people, and I usually turn off the radio/CD player as well (although somtimes it's nice) depending on my mood and the heaviness of what I'm writing about. This is why I write while nobody's home but me. Stress isn't really an issue, I flip on the writer brain and I'm totally focussed on that alone when I write. But sound distractions and other people drive me absolutely crazy.


8. When you're promoting the book, if you have a publicist, are you still very active in keeping the book visible? Or do you handle all of the promo yourself? Do you enjoy it, or do you prefer someone else to handle it? Do you keep up beyond the first 3 months after the pub date at the same level of intensity?

OMG I WISH I had someone else to handle publicity and promotions... that's one area where my publisher sucks the big green weenie. I'm as active as I'm able. I've been running ads, getting review copies out to people, doing workshops and appearances, and I've been trying to get on Coast to Coast AM radio for about a year.


9. Scenario: you just won Who Wants To Have A Brand New Writing Space. You have unlimited cash to go towards creating the ideal writing room/office/area, from the floor and the walls to supplies and little touches. Software needs? Not a problem. Furniture? But of course, darling! What do you instruct your Fab Five (or Literary Eleven) to create for you?

You really know how to make a girl cry. 8-p But since you asked...

My Dream Office (tm) would have 9 foot ceilings and large Victorian double-hung windows... it would have enough room for all my research books and my craft supplies... it would have a large table for doing the crafts and pen & ink drawings... the rug would be a comfy medium pile deep green rug that you can sink your toes into, the walls would be a pale sunny color with white trim, and the ceiling would be painted sky blue with clouds... the lighting would be a mix of bright natural color utility lighting and soft stained glass torchiers... maybe a frosted skylight or two... Oh, and it must come with a maid. Heh. That's all I can think of right now.


11. How important is cover art to you? Have you been faced with covers that you hate? Have you fallen in love with all of them? Or do you just not care very much one way or the other?

Extremely important... and unfortunately I'm not really that happy with any of my covers to date. Witch Crafts is just plain wrong -- they used the wrong art by mistake... GAH!! Sabbat Entertaining is okay, I like the square format, but it's kind of hard to tell what's in the pictures. The Veil's Edge is my favorite, but they FORGOT to put Macha NightMare's name on the cover... DUHHHH (grrrrr). And then there's Pagan Rituals. Don't get me started on that one. Suffice to say they almost saddled me with some gawd-awful "Buffy meets Charmed meets Bride of Satan meets bad 70s horror flick" piece of crap (red & black with gothic text and pentacles and candle flames all over it.... yeeeeesh!!!) that I was literally 2 seconds from walking away from the publisher forever over... I basically said "that cover goes or I go..." Luckily my editor is absolutely *fantastic* and got it changed for me.... what a nightmare that would have been. 8-|


12. Do you like your writing style/voice when you're working? Or do you drive yourself nuts for a while?

I like my style, it's conversational and friendly but not annoyingly so (Silver Ravenwolf is annoyingly conversational). Other people seem to like it too, so I guess that all works out. 8-)

Hope that answered your questions.

[DebLipp]

Noise-type distractions generally don't bother me. I like distractions. I'm a natural multi-tasker; I can't write unless I'm also distracted—by music, by Minesweeper, by something. I have to look at and then away and then at my writing.

BIG LIFE distractions kept me from writing most of last year. Feeling frickin sorry for myself was hard. I couldn't FEEL anything, I was numb, and I didn't write. But hey, I also put all my energy into recovering from my injury and finding a day job, so that's A Good Thing.™

I love my voice. I crack me up. I re-read me. It's nauseating but true.

[StephanieAine]

I *LOVE* you people, LOL.

There I was, wondering how to distract myself - and I walk in and discover not one, not two, but ten thousand replies - and they're all fantastic.

I have to re-read everyone so that I can respond to things here and there. But I just wanted to say how great it was to see your messages here, and how much I appreciate that you took the time to do this. It's immensely helpful, and also a comfort. I feel much more 'normal' now (whatever that means) and I also feel like I can learn some things here about balancing. I tend to have trouble separating work and play (my office is in the dining room adjoining the living room in the apartment I share with my nineteen year old daughter - so it's easy to get distracted. Plus, it's too easy to *intend* to relax, but end up rewriting something... correcting my research even when I don't really need to do that... or, the curse of my existence, *make more notes.* God, if I could just kill off some of my notes, it would be easier to write.

Anyway, thank you again - and I'll be back once I've done some thinking. Hugs all around!

[StephanieAine]

How completely strange - this thread is back! I was here a couple of days ago and I didn't see it. I guess it wasn't pruned in a site revamping in my absence after all!

I had major computer problems (the new HP has heat issues - watch out if you have one), and now things seem a bit better, but I have a feeling that I'm going to have to send it in to have the system board replaced. Same problem with my daughter's computer, and that's what ended up fixing hers. She hasn't had a problem since. (We bought two identical machines, and so I guess they came from the same goofed up, defective batch or something).

Anyway, I felt terrible about the thread since I seemed to vanish without warning, and all of you took the time to answer my questions in spite of your busy schedules. Especially since I said in message #8 that I'd be back with responses. I had been looking forward to talking to all of you, and your responses were very encouraging... so you can imagine how disappointed I was when it looked like the thread was history. I'm very glad it's still around.

Moral of story: I'm back, and you'll be seeing messages in the thread again. And now you also know that I'm not the type to Post And Run (the forum equivalent of "love 'em and leave 'em").

Hugs to everyone -

Stephanie

[TaylorE]

Greetings,

To your questions then.


1. Do you work with the same chapter summaries and outline that you submitted originally - or does your T.O.C. change gradually as you work? How closely do you stick to the original chapter organization/content?

It's all in my head, but I do stick to it, pretty easily.


2. Scenario: the publisher has accepted the manuscript, everything has been researched, and now you're at your desk staring at the blank page (or blinking cursor), ready to begin the Introduction or Chapter One. (This is assuming that you didn't already write them and send them in as sample chapters with the proposal earlier). You're entering the 'writing the actual book' phase.

At this point I've actually written the entire book. I don't have the luxury of being well known by publishers just yet.


a. how does that blinking cursor affect you, if at all? Do you deal with any 'stage fright'? Worry about the first sentence? What do you do to break through?

No worries...I just write.


b. how long does it take you, from the time of beginning that first chapter, to write a first draft of the whole chapter? To get the chapter in final form? (Or, do you edit as you write?)

It takes several days to a week to finish a chapter. My chapters are short and concise. The max on msword is I think ten pages, which probably comes out to twenty typest pages...Revision wise it takes me a couple months, but I'm going to school full time so that's why. Actually writing a book takes about two months.


4. How quickly do you write? (Time it takes to write chapters most of the time, from the time you begin until you get your 'okay for people to read this' version). What's your writing day like, schedule-wise?

I wake up and exercise and meditate and then after that I'll probably put in about an eight hour day in front of the computer. Three hours are spent networking cause if you don't market and promote your work all the writing you do will do no good. Five hours are spent writing and occasionally reading, if I'm doing research. But my research also extends to experimentation with techniques as again you can't really write without experience.


5. How do you cope with distractions? Such as:
a. noise (TV, radio, people talking in another room, someone mowing the lawn outside)

Block it out...discipline myself to banish and detach myself from that which isn't relevant.


b. indoor chatter (people in the next room talking to each other, people in the same room talking to each other but not to you... people talking to you *as* you write, meaning that you have to shift your focus from the writing to the person periodically)

I kick those people out. I simply have no tiem to deal with them.


c. stress (knowing of some personal situation in the back of your mind but attempting not to think of it, or daily stresses like situations with relatives, bills, health, etc.)

This is why I exercise/meditate...keeps me centered.


6. Describe your writing environment and the details that make it comfortable (or uncomfortable) for you right now. What have you done to make your work easier or more organized?

Small room with a desk and two lamps...a chair i'm sitting crosslegged in...a table nearby with stacks of books that i'm referencing for my current book projects and a bookshelf with more books for those projects. The bookshelf helps a lot to keep it a bit more organized.


8. When you're promoting the book, if you have a publicist, are you still very active in keeping the book visible? Or do you handle all of the promo yourself? Do you enjoy it, or do you prefer someone else to handle it? Do you keep up beyond the first 3 months after the pub date at the same level of intensity?

I handle promotion myself. I don't trust anyone else to have the same invested interest in my work as I so...I keep the intensity up until the next book is released and then focus on the next book.


. Scenario: you just won Who Wants To Have A Brand New Writing Space. You have unlimited cash to go towards creating the ideal writing room/office/area, from the floor and the walls to supplies and little touches. Software needs? Not a problem. Furniture? But of course, darling! What do you instruct your Fab Five (or Literary Eleven) to create for you?

Large room with three or four computers, book cases on every wall and painted sigils on the wall, celing and floor. A comfortable couch/bed and a several chairs.


10. What do you think of the Internet? How does it affect your writing day? (This question includes email). Is it helpful and time-saving, leaving you with more time for writing? Or are you surfing the day away?

I use it for networking, which means I'm on it a fair amount. I also use it to stay in touch with peeps.


11. How important is cover art to you? Have you been faced with covers that you hate? Have you fallen in love with all of them? Or do you just not care very much one way or the other?

Important enough that I make sure my friends do it as opposed to letting the company decide.


12. Do you like your writing style/voice when you're working? Or do you drive yourself nuts for a while?

I like my style.


13. Are there writers in your particular genre that you particularly admire? What qualities do you see in their books that you find appealing? Have you learned something from another writer that made all the difference to you?

William G. Gray, Stephen Mace, Phil Hine (who I actually met!) Conversational and informative writing that's not focued on length, but on quality of content.

[copperbeech]

like the others, i just don't have time to fill out the survey right now. i fully agree about the web. i have reached the point that if email doesn't pertain to my practice or personal connections, i don't reply to it. i just don't have time. the web in general actually brings me more clients than any other networking tool right now, so i value it. another thing that has been foregone for the sake of simplicity is that i write/edit everyday, most of the day. i do not edit or even care if personal writing has punctuation let alone looks nice. 10 years ago i would have shuddered to think that i would let go of anything unedited, even the most rudimentary of notes, but now... save the juice.

my first book comes out soon--<I>Gift of the Dreamtime: Awakening to the Divnity of Trauma." there is more info on it at my website:
www.soulintentarts.com , and that of the publisher. the publisher has born the brunt of every one of these hurricanes, and that has delayed their work and my book coming out. i'm still making friends with the promotional aspect of writing, but i realize it's all a learning process.

be well!

[veinglory]

1. Do you work with the same chapter summaries and outline that you submitted originally - size]
My pagan work is magazine articles. I write fiction books and novellas. They are planned but tend to change as I go.
[size=2]a. how does that blinking cursor affect you, if at all? Do you deal with any 'stage fright'? Worry about the first sentence? What do you do to break through?
I have only ever marketed finished books.
3. If you step back and look at every book you've written and your general 'way' of handling your projects, do you notice a certain similarity? For instance, do you tend to end up with chapters of a certain number of words all the time (or certain number of words per book that you may not have planned, but just end up that way)? What are your 'numbers' generally speaking? (Or do you deliberately plan for a certain length and find that it works well for a number of projects?)
Each book has it's own personality.
4. How quickly do you write? (Time it takes to write chapters most of the time, from the time you begin until you get your 'okay for people to read this' version). What's your writing day like, schedule-wise?
I work full time. On a good day I write 1000 words.
5. How do you cope with distractions?
I alsways have the TV on and ppeople around. I can't work in a quiet space, which is just as well as I never have one.
[/list]6. Describe your writing environment and the details that make it comfortable (or uncomfortable) for you right now. What have you done to make your work easier or more organized?
On the bed with a laptop. I have a mental 'workspace' but physically I can work anywhere that I have a computer.
7. How long does it usually take you to write a book from start to finish (not including the research; just the time from page one to the last page, ready to put in the mail)? (If you can give a word count to put it in perspective, that helps.)
6 months, 80,000 words from idea to submission
8. When you're promoting the book, if you have a publicist, are you still very active in keeping the book visible?
I'm only semi-pro. I just shift the book to the publisher and forget about it. My dayjob takes too much time to do much else except online promotion.
9. Scenario: you just won Who Wants To Have A Brand New Writing Space.
I don't need one.
10. What do you think of the Internet? How does it affect your writing day? (This question includes email). Is it helpful and time-saving, leaving you with more time for writing? Or are you surfing the day away?
Great research tool, terrible distraction, love my webpage.
11. How important is cover art to you? ?
Very. Covers are important as a buyer and seller.
12. Do you like your writing style/voice when you're working? Or do you drive yourself nuts for a while?
?
13. Are there writers in your particular genre that you particularly admire?
I am in some great yahoogroups. The authors with great tips and techniques are not always those whose writing I actually like.