Seat to Seat: Working Small, Partnered, and with Consequences

O.K.

My first post in the group blog.

I thought I'd do something on keeping the words moving. It's one of my biggest issues when it comes to writing and I'm sure others share my pain.


There was a time when I used to be afraid of running out of ideas. I've come to believe that's not going to be a problem. The ideas come. In droves. Usually when I'm least expecting them. Like in the middle of a conference call at work, or when I'm in the shower with no pen or notebook in sight.

I've also noticed that I can write for hours in my head. (I've probably written a dozen mental novels by now.)

But when it comes to getting words on screen (or paper), I find a million and one things to keep me from it.

From physical exhaustion to something good on television [I'm watching House as I type this] to the (momentarily annoying due to my own word frustrations) presence of a lover...

I'm good at bullshitting myself out of writing. (It's a feature that comes with the English degree.)


But I've discovered there are some things that will spur me to get words out. (Even if it's like driving nails into my fingertips with every key I hit.)


Working Small and Working with a Partner


Recently, an artist friend of mine proposed a project. We would both work small in our respective fields. She, influenced by the artist trading card movement, would create 6 art pieces on 3X5 canvases and I would create 6 flash fictions of 500 words or less.

Then we'd swap and create pieces based on each other's work.


I find one of the truisms in writing is that there is freedom in constraint.

When I'm working to fit a story into so many words, I have to have a different approach than I would coming to a full length short story, novella, or novel.

I'm a lover of description and narration. When I read, I like to be transported to a place via the five senses and when I write I can go for hours describing a character's world, her surroundings, and her thoughts and fail to get anything that can be identified as a story out of it. This ultimately results in a lot of editing and rewriting.

Writing small forces me to get straight to the marrow. I can still use description, but it has to be description that centralizes and moves the plot along, none of this side trip business that you can use in longer pieces, just: Beginning. Middle. End.

Introduction. Climax. Resolution.

It works!

I allow myself the freedom of mind to write over my word limit, if need be to get the story on paper, and then tighten up after it's done. Rarely, however, do I write more than 50 words over. Knowing that I must fit my words into a space the size of a 3x5 index card kicks my brain in the appropriate gear and I find I can tell a story.

It may be only a tiny event in one character's life, but it's a story nonetheless.

Secondly, collaborating with a partner is an excellent motivator.

You've got someone who can give you a swift kick in the butt if you get behind, someone to complain to about your finicky muses, and someone to hold you accountable.

The idea of leaving my collaborator to twiddle her fingers (mouse, pencil, whatever) while I continue rewriting the same sentence is enough to send my Inner Critic packing.

I don't like being the dead weight in a group.

And speaking of dead weight...

A few weeks ago (not long after the completion of my first set of short-short fiction) I came across this little gem on one of my Livejournal forays:

Dr. Wicked's Writing Lab: Write or Die.


Accountability, as I mentioned, is one way to keep your words moving.

Consequences are another.

With Write or Die, you get your choice of three modes with different consequences. In Gentle Mode a simple text box pops up, encouraging you to "Keep Writing!" In Normal Mode, the musical stylings of Hanson or squalling infants assault your ears. And in Kamikaze Mode (my favorite), your hard work will unwrite itself word-by-word if you don't keep your fingers to the keys.

Procrastinating perfectionist that I am, even I draw a line at my words unwriting themselves.

(Of course, you have to be willing to pull up a browser and the Web app for these consequences to be of much use. But for an Internet junkie like myself there's something soothing about working inside a browser window... And that does sound quite sick, doesn't it? The cohabiter just mentioned the possibility of creating something similar for me that won't require a Web browser. Maybe I can hold him to it?)

At any rate, I plan to put the kamikaze mode to work in the next few days and see how much progress I can get out of it. I'll give a report later on.

I've got a planned vacation coming up. I'm going to try and use it wisely.




The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.
~ Mary Heaton Vorse

This Week on the Web: working with muses and other people

Okay, maybe this is more like This Month on the Web. This is a crazy time of year!

Lilith Saintcrow (who always gets an A+ from me on her Friday writing posts) did a great post about the division of labor between you and your muse.

Galaxy Express has had some great stuff lately. They did an in-depth article on Angela James and Samhain Publishing. Samhain's a huge player in the e-book market - very reputable, very stable. (They've published a lot of my favorite e-book originals.) If you write romance or genre fiction with romantic elements, you should definitely give them a look. Check them out here and here.

G.E. also posted a link to a new for-the-love venue for speculative fiction, Crossed Genres. Their first online issue went up just this month. They're looking to grow into a paying market.

Redlines and Deadlines is the Ellora's Cave editorial blog and they recently posted an article about the co-author relationship. There's some good stuff there! Part 1 & Part 2.